She was gone for two days. He had all his enforcers and warriors searching for her day and night like mad people. Nobody was allowed to sleep or eat until they found her. Reed beat himself up for letting her go. He should have never doubted her. Where had she gone? Her car was found in the middle of the road with no traces of forced entry. Whoever had taken her had done it professionally or she'd gone with them willingly. Her scent indicated that they could have gone South but he wasn't sure. Some enforcers claimed she'd gone North, others East. Knowing how kidnappers worked, he realized they were being sent on a wild goose chase. The longer it took to find her, the more likely they did something to her. He was on the verge of asking the king for help.
The imperial enforcers were highly trained and efficient. Maybe they could pick up on something they missed. But that would mean exposing her. For the king to agree to help him, he'd have to tell him who Clarisse was and
The Delta Pride pack was located down South and kept to themselves. They didn't socialize or strike alliances with other packs simply because they weren't interested. They were satisfied with the land they had, steered clear of politics and concentrated on living peaceful lives. Most of them were women who had been rejected by their mates or whose mates had died. They helped each other overcome their grief and find the will to live again. A few were runaways from the Crescent Canines but Titania had brushed her off when she asked why anyone would run away from their pack. She'd said it was complicated and stopped at that. When Clarisse asked why they thought she was their Alpha, they had told her how her mother was the one who formed the pack. "It was a chance meeting. She was snooping around Crescent Canines when she came across my mother. I was only five "Titania said, "I couldn't understand why we
Polished braziers half enclosing each of the twelve travertine columns lit up the lower levels of the throne hall and bathed it in a dancing glow of orange. The relatively simple stonework on the rounded ceiling danced in the flickering light while statues and howling wolf effigies looked down upon the limestone floor of the ostentatious hall.A cobalt rug ran from the throne down the center and looped back from both left and right while swallow tail banners with golden sides covered parts of the walls. Between each banner hung a torch, none but a few were lit and in turn illuminated the sculptures of the fiercest creatures of the kingdom below them. Mikain sauntered in, his eyes moving to the stained glass windows with symmetric designs, framed by veils colored the same cobalt as the banners. A towering throne of silver sat in front of a large window radiating light onto the throne and was adj
"I'm not leaving" "Suit yourself," the man told them walking away. Clarisse wondered the kind of person he was. He didn't strike her as normal but then again, someone with the weight of the world on their shoulders couldn't be normal. Physically he looked fine so she wouldn't allow herself to worry about him. His earlier insinuation didn't sit well with her. He'd tried to paint her mother as an unfaithful woman by claiming they weren't related which was outrageous because she had the royal mark. Her mother didn't come from a royal bloodline. Wasn't it obvious her father was the one who'd passed down that mark to her? "Do you want to explain to me what is going on?" Reed said bringing her attention back to him. He'd earned his forgiveness when he stood beside her during the whole thing. She'd almost expected him to ask the king to punish her for her impertinence seeing as he worshipped th
"Reed, your behavior is insulting. I thought we trusted each other" Claude began when they entered his office. "I apologise, your majesty. But one enforcer would have delivered your message just fine" He narrowed his eyes at him. Reed knew what he'd said would come off as a suggestion. Something the king didn't take to lightly. His word was law. If he wanted to send a thousand enforcers to get them, no one should have a problem with it. Normally, he wouldn't. But Claude had asked to see Clarisse alone. No wolf would let his mate meet with another man alone. Even if said wolf was the king. Especially in a soundproofed room where he couldn't hear a thing even if he stood outside. Claude could feel insulted all he wanted but there was no way he'd let Clarisse talk to him alone. "What are you afraid of? He is your king" True. His father had asked him to trust the king and he did. Just not with his mate. What if he brainwashed her?
Once everyone had left, he pushed his wolf back. Reaching for some tissues on the table, he wiped off Reed's blood from his fingers and moved to sit behind the large desk. He remembered the way his father looked larger than life whenever he sat there, lecturing them about their responsibilities. As princes, they needed to be dignified. Playing in the mud or running around the palace was prohibited. Princes ate their food on time and brushed their teeth without being told. They watched their expressions, especially in front of visitors. No slacking during training. No doing this or that. Back then there were so many rules he hated. All he wanted was to break them and see what the king would do. But his brother had been the good boy. The one who didn't break rules. The one who got good grades, followed what he was told and always silently judged him whenever he did something wrong.How Mikain hated that. They
"What about Rebels?" Clarisse asked waiting for Reed to sit first before plopping down on his lap. She avoided looking at him because she knew he was still angry at her for shifting. He had chewed her ear off while she was changing, telling her how dangerous it was to shift indoors. She was sure that if she had a mother, she wouldn't be that different from him. He was always nagging her about this or that. With him there why would she worry? He obviously wouldn't let the king harm her. Besides, it was two against one. Could he take both of them down at the same time? On his own? She didn't think so. "They've infiltrated your pack" "Bullshit" Elliot said grabbing Titania's elbow "Do you realize what that kind of speculation could do?" "I'm not speculating about this. It's a fact" "How do you know that when you've never even gone to our pack?"
"Can you stop pacing? You're giving me a headache" Adrian rolled her eyes "Are you glued to that chair? You can leave whenever you want to" "But I'm bored. Reed's not here so I can't leave. Entertain me" "I might not be your Alpha but I'm still an Alpha. Say something like that again and I'll dislocate your jaw" Laurent shrugged "It will be worth it. Why are you feeling nervous?" "I don't know. I woke up feeling this way" "Maybe you just miss Reed" She snorted. As if she'd ever miss that blockhead. He was lucky she was not Clarisse or she would have shaved both their heads. Adrian couldn't understand why they thought Clarisse was the mysterious killer they were looking for. No, the question was why were they looking for the killer to begin with? They'd only killed witches, rebels and rogues. Unless it was to tha
"What's wrong?" "That was a call from Laurent. Rebels attacked the pack and Adrian got hurt" "Oh my gosh, is she okay? Let's go. If they try to stop us from leaving, we will just run them over" He chuckled "Relax. They can handle themselves. Adrian has had Alpha training. She'll be fine" "She's still your sister. What if she dies from too much blood loss or head trauma? Aren't you worried?" "She's a wolf. Besides, she only hurt her leg not her head" "Call her. I want to make sure she's fine" "You should use that time to worry about the king and the mysterious servant. Haven't you noticed how everyone is acting normal?" "And it's a bad thing to act normal?" "The king passed out yesterday. We haven't seen him since then or a doctor for that matter. How can they act normal?"
They were only a few feet away when they heard a loud bang followed by two more. There was a tremor on the ground that felt like an earthquake as birds and other animals fled from the scene of the explosion. Stones, branches, and dirt flew in every direction while black smoke shot up. The building collapsed. The dungeon. She was still in the dungeon and probably... No. She couldn't be dead. Panic gripped his heart, making him rush forward. Toward the burning building. Golden flames and black smoke rose in the air. Someone grabbed his hand. Pulling him back. "No. Clarisse is in there. Clarisse, Clarisse, Clarisse..." Reed startled awake and turned his head to the side to make sure she was still there. "Why are you awake?" He asked rubbing his eyes "Another nightmare? You were calling my name in your sleep" "Alphas don't have nightmares" he grumbled pulling her into his arm
"You're awake" Pennington said touching his head. He slapped the hand away, sitting up "How are you feeling? I thought being surrounded by her scent might help you wake up faster" Reed stared at Pennington, his head fuzzy. It took him a moment to remember what had happened then he shot his eyes towards him "Where is she? Where's Clarisse?" "She left with her father" "No. That bastard is not her father. Where's Adrian? I'm going to strangle her for taking Clarisse there. Where is she?" Swinging his legs over the bed, he stood up only for a wave of dizziness to send his ass back down. "Take it easy. Whatever drug they gave you is pretty advanced. I've never seen anything like it" "How long have I been out?" "Two days" He eyes widened "Two days? Are you kidding me? Why didn't you wake me up?" "I would have done it if I knew how. Also, Adrian is out looking for the Luna. She h
"Darling princess, you're awake"Her eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times. The earthy scent mixed with chemicals and other scents she couldn't identify assaulted her nose. She crinkled her face, wondering where she was and why the king was so close to her face."Can you move back a little. You're making me uncomfortable""Interesting. I can see some resemblance between you and Ursula but none between us. How is that possible?" He asked straightening."Us?" She asked trying to remember what had happened. She'd saved Reed. He had offered to come with her but the king- no. Not the king. His brother who also happened to be her father. Yes. That's what he'd meant earlier. Maybe it was a good thing she didn't resemble him. Physically he was okay but other things like his personality, well. Clarisse was glad she hadn't inherited that. How did one go a
"Let's see. Turn around" she twirled, giggling excitedly "Beautiful. Where did you get it from?" "Does it matter?" If she told him her friends had made it for her, he'd only nod and ask her to introduce them to him. But if he found out who they were, he'd definitely go ballistic. Ursula thought that it was best to keep her witch friends a secret for now. It wasn't as if they'd always hate them. She believed a day would come when wolves would put their prejudices about witches aside and accept them. "No. Let's go or we'll be late" "Are you really taking me to the palace? You always said it wasn't a place for young silly girls like me" "How old are you now?" "Fifteen" "You're old enough. Before you find your mate, you should learn how to run a pack" "And they're giving lessons on how to do that at the palace?" H
Silver chains dug into his wrist, irritating the already open skin. Pain shot through his hands, spreading down to other parts of his body. His wolf was angry but too week to do anything. Reed concentrated on not moving so as not to worsen the wounds but it was hard because his hands were supporting his dangling body. A body that was battered and in dire need of water. Food was a luxury he didn't dare think about. He attributed his weakness to the poison he'd accidentally injested. Even though it had been neutralized, he hadn't had time to recover before they were attacked again. Although the second time, the rebels had gone there for him. They were like parasites. Cut off a head and another one grew in its place. He couldn't blame anyone but himself for the predicament her was in. Why he'd trusted a madman was beyond him. Indrik had swooped in, saved them, only to flee during the second attack. His e
"Didn't he die along with my mother?"He shook his head "I don't know. No one saw the bodies or attended the funeral" Clarisse gaped at him, not believing what he was saying."Are you guys stupid or what? How could you believe he was dead without seeing any evidence or their bodies?""Why would the king lie about his brother's death?""Oh my God, are you kidding me? People lie all the time. If he wasn't the king, he could have lied so he could ascend the throne. There are so many reasons""You don't get it. The king's word is law. If he walks in here and asks us to merge with the imperial pack, we do it without a question. Because he's the leader of all wolves""So you guys just follow him blindly?""We don't have a choice. Even though there are packs who don't agree with the way he rules, there's nothing they can do. That's
A minor broken statue in a overcast morass marked the entrance to the dungeon. Beyond the broken statue lay a scanty, dark room covered in dead vermin, and small bones. The torch allowed them to see the remnants of a pillaged burial chamber, pillaged and consumed by time itself. Further ahead there were three paths, they took the middle. Its twisted trail led past collapsed rooms and pillaged treasuries and soon they entered a clammy area. There was a round stone in the center, around it a dozen skeletons in a circle. Opal swallowed, knowing who the remains belonged to. They advanced carefully onwards, deeper into the dungeon's shadows, passing a few more rooms and passages, most of which looked just like the other. Eventually they made it to what was likely the final room. A large granite door blocked their path. Dried blood splatters were all over it, somehow untouched by time a
"Where is the rebel's hideout?""No one knows""What do you mean no one knows? So where did Reed go?" She wanted to pull her hair out. How could he have left without a word? She wasn't just anyone. If anything happened to him, she would be hurt the most. Why didn't he at least tell her he was leaving? Some mate he was. Would anyone blame her if she walked away from him? Keeping her in the dark was the most selfish thing he had ever done. When she had decided to stay with the witches, hadn't she called him so he wouldn't worry?Even though she was thinking of leaving, she still called him. And they hadn't been in a relationship then. Now that they were, he couldn't tell her he was leaving? She regretted coming up with that plan. She should have realized something was fishy when he told her to sit out the meeting. When he came back, they would have to start all ove
"Your highness, you're back. How was the trip? Did you have fun? Where's Adrian?""Out of my way before I punch you""Let me carry that for you" Eilie glared at him, making him fold his hands behind his back "Or not""Where's Reed? He should have been waiting for me at the entrance""Your mate is a busy man""Busy with what?""Aside from being an Alpha, he's also the king's man. Before you arrived, he was rarely in the pack""Are you saying I was holding him back from his duties?""No. I mean that he probably reverted back to his workaholic self when you were gone. Are you guys hungry? There's food in the kitchen""This nice act is creeping me out Laurent. Don't you, as the Beta, have things to do?""I'm trying to be nice but you don't appreciate it" he huffed, leaving. Cl