Reed had decided to take the pack for a run because everyone was tense and on edge. Eris's accusation had them all walking on eggshells around him. He was known for his ruthlessness when executing an order and maybe his temper got out of hand once in a while but he'd never intentionally harmed a pack member. However, he didn't tolerate disrespect. There were rules that governed a pack and kept peace among them. The first one was respecting the hierarchy. In that aspect, he was at the top, the decision maker. He decided what was good for everyone therefore, rules or no rules, they all had to respect him. Making baseless accusations wasn't something anyone could get away with. Maybe he'd been too lax of late that they thought they could speak to him however they wanted.
He understood that Eris was mourning the death of her friend but she had no right to snap at him. The only reason he let it pass was be
"Lying to me won't make me stay. I'm still leaving" a werewolf? Of all the things he could come up with, that's what he chose to go with? Why would he even bother?"Don't you find it weird how you never found a clue to who your parents are?"Clarisse glared at him. He knew the amount of effort she'd put in trying to find her parents and was trying to use that against her. A voice in her head told her to trust him but she pushed it further back. Why should she trust him when she barely knew him? What if he was manipulating her, using her weakness against her? She wouldn't put it past him. What baffled her was why he'd go to such lengths. What for?"So what are you saying? That my parents are werewolves?""It would explain why you never found them. Don't you think? There wouldn't be records of them in the human world""Bullshit!" She roared becau
He smirked, lifting one side of his mouth smugly and Clarisse itched to smack him. She hadn't meant to say that. Didn't know why she had felt so angry seeing Lyndra close to him. Was there a possibility everything he'd told her earlier was actually true? A werewolf? It never crossed her mind even once. She thought her strength came from... Well, she hadn't thought about it. Just like how people didn't question why they were thirsty or hungry. It was natural to need food and water. Her strength was the same. It had been there since she was young and it was part of her. However, if she was looking for an explanation, that would do it. Combined with the fact that she'd never been sick.While other kids had gotten colds or stomach upsets, she had always been fine. There were times her hearing was better than others and her instincts accurate. Those happened once in a while so she didn't think about the whys or hows. If it was true she a werewolf... Reed
"Play along you idiot" Reed told Elliot through the link. He'd gotten hurt and Clarisse was going to take care of him. Period."... Right. The doctor. Fred, help the Alpha to the infirmary before he dies from his wounds" he said out loud then through link added "I didn't know you were this delicate""I'm still the Alpha so you will keep your jokes to yourself""Where are the wolves?""Adrian is taking care of them""I will have the pack come visit you because you'll be bedridden for the next few days" "Have Arther exaggerate my diagnosis a little" just enough to make her worry but not too much that she'll start blaming herself."A little?""Okay. A lot. I want to be bedridden and have a nurse by my side for the next twenty four hours""With all due respect, don't you think you're going too far?"
"Breathe" she told herself leaning on the door. This mate bond was really messing with her. It had to be it because the way she felt couldn't be attributed to anything, not even her own feelings. She wanted to be in his presence all day and night, wanted to feel his touch and snapped at any woman who tried to come close to him. When they came to visit, they'd stand at the foot of the bed as per her instructions. She'd told them any close contact might lead to an infection but they all knew she was only being territorial. Females were not allowed to go near him especially when she was around. And who in their right mind would allow another woman to snatch that man from her? She'd almost had an orgasm from a kiss alone. Even though she had never been with anyone, Clarisse was more in tune with her body than ever before. Maybe being a werewolf had heightened everything. Including the way her body reacted. She thought of going back to his room and asking him to finish what
"Who are you?" "My name is Indrik. I am Ursula's brother and your uncle" Clarisse narrowed her eyes "And the two witches?" "Old friends. Sit my dear niece. We have a lot of catching up to do" "Am I supposed to trust your words when we don't even know each other?" "Stubborn just like your mother. She never listened to me you know. She'd run out there, make trouble then expect me to solve everything for her as if I was some kind of magician who'd wave his wand and poof! Everything is okay" "You sound bitter" "I am. I have been bitter for years, blaming her for getting herself..." He stopped took a deep breath then looked up at her "Are you going to sit?" "No" "Then suit yourself" "Why am I here?" "To catch up. I want to know what you've been doing all this time. Where have you been?"&
"Damn it, why didn't you stop her?" "She told me to stand down" Reed rounded on Elliot, thundering "And you listened to her? She is a newly turned wolf. Who knows where those witches are taking her?" What if the king... No. He couldn't play the what if game right now. He needed to find her. Maybe he should have explained how the other witches, the ones who raised her looked like. Otherwise she wouldn't have gone with them so easily. Damn it! "She used the Alpha directive on me" "What?" "I couldn't do anything" "When did she learn how to use it?" He hadn't taught her and there was no way she knew how to use it on her own. Besides, she didn't have a pack yet. Only when an Alpha took over the position could they use the directive. She didn't even know she was one. How could she use it? There was no way "Are you sure?" "Ordinary wolves
Adrian placed a bottle of wine on the table then grabbed the glasses Lyndra handed her. Being careful so they didn't slip out of her fingers. Reed was probably going to strangle her for taking out his most expensive wine but, oh well, what could she have done? The king had decided to visit them without notice. She had to improvise. Unlike most of the pack, she wasn't in awe of his presence. Reed had taken her to the parties held at the palace as his plus one. Not because he wanted her to get acquainted with other Alphas or have fun but just to avoid going with Robin. She didn't go with him because she wanted to either. She was on a mission to find her mate therefore it was a scratch my back I scratch yours kind of thing. There she'd seen the king a few times and even exchanged pleasantries with him. So his position didn't really wow her. Her problem was his sudden visit. She knew it wasn't planned bec
Clarisse opened her eyes to find Opal staring down at her "You're creeping me out" since yesterday, every time she looked up, she'd find the woman's eyes boring into her. At first she understood that maybe they were curious about her but now she was wondering if it was right to trust them. How long had they been watching her sleep? Because Aria was standing at the window looking at her too. It felt as if she was bouncing from one revelation to another. Her world expanding at an extremely alarming rate. Finding out she was a werewolf, then a princess, that creep Indrik and now the witches. Oh, she refused to think about Reed's ultimatum. He wasn't going to bully her into accepting or rejecting him."I can't help it. You look so much like Ursula""I do? Do you maybe have any photos of her?"She grinned "No. But I have my memories. Do you want to see them?""Your mem
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