'...I could just ask her,' I thought to myself, staring in the mirror at my reflection.
After that night, Aleric and I had agreed that we needed to come up with a plan on how to free myself from the collar… as well as remove Tytus as Alpha in the process. For obvious reasons, allowing him to proceed with marking me was out of the question, regardless of the terms Aleric and I were on now. And so we’d conceded that it was time. Time for Tytus to step down, allowing for proper change.
...But now that just left us with having to think of a way to actually achieve that.
I’d spent hours already pouring over different ideas, but was mostly coming up empty. All of them either wouldn’t work or were morally questionable.
...Which was how it eventually led me to be staring at my reflection, contemplating something I normally never would have considered.
To ask my former self for her help.
The girl I hadn’t heard
“...Why Elder Luke?” Aleric asked me a few days later. We were in his car, driving towards the housing estate where the Elders resided. A place I hadn’t visited since my marking confirmation three years ago. “...Are you seriously asking me that?” “Well, it’s just he’s the least experienced Elder, right?” Aleric said. “Didn’t he join only a few years ago? Wouldn’t one of the other six Elders be better to reach out to since they’re more experienced?” “The fact you’re even asking me that means you mustn’t be overly familiar with how this pack is actually run yet,” I replied. “I know enough,” he said defensively, making me laugh. “Okay, okay, sorry… I’ll explain,” I said. “Have you ever noticed how all of the workload Tytus gives you consists of only very minor issues? Like petty problems that don’t need much thought?” “Yes but I’m not a fully sworn in ranked member yet. The larger issues would be looked after by Tytus and the Elde
“This is fake,” I said, coming off far more flustered than I intended. “There is no way there are people out there just running around with… with god powers. That’s… that’s so stupid.” It’s absurd. Insane. Some sort of joke. Because if it was real then that meant my life had been far more controlled than I initially realised. That there were powers at be far more advanced out there than just a Goddess mark. And it meant that Cai… I wanted to throw up. “Based on your reaction,” Elder Luke said, his eyes examining me, “I can’t help but wonder if this discovery isn’t actually all that foreign to you. Would I be correct in assuming that perhaps you have personal insight into the theory?” He was right. I was getting overly worked up because a part of me had already started piecing it together… and it scared me. The more I thought about it, the more plausible it became. Because, truthfully, there was something I wa
“Any pain, discomfort or nausea recently?” my mother asked me, taking notes as I laid on top of the examination table. We had been at this for a while now so I was sure we were nearing the end of the appointment already. “Other than living every day with silver burning my neck? No,” I answered. “And what has your diet been like? Are you eating properly?” “I’m probably not eating as much as I should be…,” I admitted. “Though my diet has consisted of healthy meals. Courtesy of the packhouse chefs, of course.” Her mouth creased into a thin line of disapproval but she wrote it down nevertheless. “Are you exercising and keeping fit? I know you’re no longer having to train for the Beta heir position but I hope you’ve at least been keeping active.” “Up until about two weeks ago, I wasn’t exercising, no,” I confessed. “Though, these last few weeks I’ve been in the gym every morning for a few hours. Aleric has been helping me get
Warm. It was so warm. Everything around me felt like it was burning, our skin already flushed enough from the training just prior. …And I wanted more. With one hand tangled through his dark hair, my other was tracing slowly down the front of his chest, feeling every muscle under my touch. And Goddess was it flawless. His body moulded against mine perfectly, as if it had been made to fit there. '…This is wrong,' a voice whispered inside. And yet that thought only seemed to excite me further. It felt a million times better than I thought it would, his mouth moving hungrily as it responded against mine. His lips softer than I would have ever imagined. '…Stop…' There was a sense of urgency, a sense of need as I clung to him, pressing myself up against him closer, desperately searching for as much contact as possible. '...You need to stop.' No, I r
“No…,” I whispered, the words choking out of my throat. Almost a whole day. I’d slept for almost a whole day. My vision hadn’t taken place just after sun*set*, it had been just before sun*rise*. And now an hour or so had already passed since then. I felt myself go completely numb, releasing Lucy’s hand from my grip. There was a crumbling beginning within me. Like I was falling… falling into an Abyss that was completely of my own making. One that was a hole I’d been desperately trying to swim away from these last four years, trying so goddamn hard to believe that there was still good in people. That even though I had been rejected, killed and abandoned by everyone around me, that there was still potential for people to do better. That I could do better. And now it seemed the final betrayal had embedded its dagger. The one I knew I wouldn’t ever survive. And, apparently, neither would my parents. '…There w
The room quickly erupted into chaos once Aleric had fallen. The council, who were probably all too shocked to move earlier, were now realising the full gravity of the situation. The situation where both Alphas now laid unmoving before me. Several warriors and Gamma Oliver turned their attention to me, an intent to kill written all over their faces, and I couldn’t blame them for thinking that. After murdering their Alpha, Oliver would feel it were now his responsibility to retaliate given he was the only full ranked member remaining. Or so he thought. I watched as he started to charge at me, his body almost on the brink of shifting and…. “ENOUGH,” I shouted out, my voice thick with authoritative command. And everyone immediately froze around me. I stood, waiting for several seconds and, when I was finally satisfied everyone had completely stopped, I cleared my throat, addressing the room. “Everyone sit back
“Swear your oath,” I said, my eyes narrowing at the man before me. His body still lowered in submission, he placed a hand over his chest in respect. “I, Alpha Tristan Green, of the Onyx Rock, hereby pledge my pack to the alliance offered by Alpha Ariadne of the Winter Mist. May our packs continue to prosper together under your guidance and protection.” Good. Satisfied with his words, I stood up and walked over to clasp my hand in his. “I accept.” And with that, another pack had joined the alliance. Though, more accurately, another had sworn to continue their alliance. Something that was seemingly slow going lately, the days dragging out. So much so, it was hard to believe that two months had already gone by. Two months since I’d killed Tytus, imprisoned Aleric, and became Alpha of the Winter Mist. And things were… okay. Not to say I was doing anything wrong. On the contrary, I had the p
As soon as the words had left my mouth though, I slowly started to take in what I was actually seeing before me. Because it was Cai, but… true to the excuse he’d provided, he really didn’t seem well. I could recall how he’d appeared worn out the last time we'd met, however this was on an entirely different level. He looked pale with dark circles under his eyes, perhaps having even lost some weight. The difference in his appearance was almost like an entirely different person from the man I’d first met all those years ago. “Aria,” he greeted, his voice having a rasp to it that hadn’t been there before. And, inside, a pang of guilt hit me. It seemed I really had dragged him out of his sickbed. “Take a seat,” I said, gesturing to the chair on the other side of my desk, and he complied. “I appreciate you coming here to meet with me.” “You didn’t give me much of a choice,” he replied. I simply nodded in turn. “Well,