Chapter 0004

RAYMOND

“Mate!” my wolf growled.

Fury ignited in my chest as I saw my mate lying helpless on the floor. I arrived to find my mate lying helpless on the floor, with torn clothes and a fearful aura that told a lot had happened before..

Fuck!

I landed in the Brimsard Bay pack a few days back and arrived late at the Alpha’s house. Three hours and thirty seconds later.

I had no interest in this marriage of convenience since I wasn’t marrying the girl of my choosing, but someone whom Stephan had chosen. Not that I doubted his choice. He knew what he was doing. But my main reason to accept the deal was something else–

The Alpha’s crown.

He made a contract that stated once I signed the marriage papers; I was to be promoted to the rank of the new Alpha of Valeford. I concluded that handling an annoying girl for the rest of my life in return for controlling everyone in Valeford was not a terrible deal.

I still wondered why he had to push me into marriage, but then I realized it had to do with ensuring a powerful alliance with the Brimsard Bay pack.

Honestly, it didn’t matter as long as I got to step into Alpha’s position.

I wasn’t the type who was keen on sharing my personal life with a partner. Relationships were a hassle, and I always had my eyes on the prize, so women never entered the picture. The emotional investment was a waste of time, a thought my wolf didn’t approve of as mates was important to them.

My wolf, Ash, kept blabbering that one day we would find our mate and the day I would lay my eyes on her, I wouldn’t be able to resist the pull of the bond. Never did I think that an animal’s words, who chased his own tail, would be true. Amber Blackwaters, the girl I was married to, turned out to be my fated mate.

I never listened to my gut, but today it wouldn’t stop screaming, forcing the thought of finding my mate in my head. Also, Ash had been acting restless and kept pushing me to search for her. Since I remembered I couldn’t just kill my wolf to silence him, I resorted to ignorance.

But the moment I set foot in Alpha Tyler’s estate, I felt it in my bones. It was like lightning had struck my body, causing every single strand of hair to stand in anticipation of what lay ahead. The sweet scent of vanilla, subtle but impactful in the southern warm air, pulled me towards the manor like it was calling my name.

There were only a few countable things in the world that made me zone out. One of them was a beautiful, melancholic tune played on the violin. This one felt similar, only except for its effect reached deep into my chest.

My ears cut off Alpha Tyler’s voice, who was giving me a welcome speech, and stormed through the clean foyer, my heart thudding under my ears like loud drums. It was not just the scent, but the overwhelming sense of fear and pain that crawled over my skin like spiders.

I knew something was off the moment I felt her presence. Tyler had stated before that he wouldn’t be holding any ceremony for our wedding, which I was fine with because it wasted less of my time.

But it also struck me as something odd. Which father didn’t want to throw a wedding ceremony for his precious daughter? Tyler didn’t seem to be the one who lacked money, so why didn’t he arrange for anything at all?

It all made sense now.

When I searched for my mate around the silent, white halls of the manor, I saw Tyler and a black-haired lady who shared some striking similarities with him appear in front of me.

She was his daughter. But not the one I was looking for.

“Um, hello? Does the North know no manners? You ignored the Alpha and entered straight into our home, taking no one’s permission. Who the hell do you think you are?” She complained in a shrill voice while crossing her arms. Definitely a brat. If she knew whom she was speaking to, she wouldn’t have dared to even look me in the eye.

Tyler raised his arm to stop his spoiled daughter. “No need to get so hostile. After all, he is your brother-in-law.” His lips curved into a thin smile, one that hid malice and an ulterior motive behind it.

The brat’s eyes widened with shock before they held a glint of mockery in them. “I see. You must be here to take my dear sister.” I didn’t miss the slight change in her tone when she spelled ‘sister’.

I didn’t have time for small talk.

“Where is she?” I asked in a bitter tone, my impatience level rising with each passing second.

“My, my. Already so impatient to see her?” She laughed before her facial muscles morphed into fake curiosity. “Tell me though. Why do you wear a mask? Is it to hide your ugliness?”

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Abby, stop insulting our guests.” Tyler scolded, but the way he delivered the statement, it didn’t seem like he was an inch bothered by how she spoke to me. The people of the Southern pack had loose screws if they thought they were above us.

Or they thought that I had no power over Valeford, since I didn’t share Stephan’s blood, unlike his other two sons. I wouldn’t blame them. No one except my pack knew about it, as the news was yet to be released.

Her eyes did a once-over before they looked back at me. “Don’t worry, your physique makes up for it. Wouldn’t expect anything less from what everyone calls the ‘Mad Beast’ of the North.” She giggled, placing a hand on her lips, and I noticed the glistening wedding ring on her middle finger.

“Why don’t you wait in the living room? We can have a pleasant talk. Amber is taking her time to get ready. Girls, you know.” He laughed, the lie clear on his face.

“Just let me out!” Ash growled inside my head. Unlike me, he didn’t have the patience as he was getting eager to see his mate and it was increasing with each second because the smell of fear was getting intense. She was in danger.

I tilted my head and scrutinized Tyler with a sharp look. “You know, there is a saying that goes in Valeford.”

He raised his brows. “Really? What is tha–”

“It’s not the growls of the beast you should fear, but his silence.” I unleashed my aura. They both stiffened at the sudden change in the atmosphere, and Tyler’s eyes widened in shock. “I want Amber. Right. Now.”

Just then, I heard a scream and whipped my head toward its source. Fuck!

I didn’t pay attention to those two and found myself in front of a locked, medium-sized double door. The smell was the strongest behind those closed doors. I took three steps back before sprinting forward and landing a kick on the door.

Light flooded my eyes the moment the door shattered and adjusted to a petite figure lying on the floor, its tangled blonde hair glistening under the sunlight like waves of molten gold. The face of its owner looked up, and I witnessed a beautiful pair of big hazel eyes that pleaded for help.

Anger. An emotion that I was quite close to when I was young, but years of experience in the battlefield taught me that any emotionally driven move could become your weakness. So I shut that part of me, only for it to awaken by one glance from a woman whom I just met.

“Keep your hands away from my wife,” the words spilled out of my lips without my consent and I would have blamed Ash for taking over me, but I knew they were my own thoughts.

The black-haired trash who was going to do something worse to Amber if I hadn’t stepped in looked at me with intrigue. “Wife?” My fist clenched at his throaty voice.

Imagine how good he would look with blood dripping down his mouth because I ripped his tongue out.

He started laughing, “So you are the ugly dog everyone has been talking about?”

I was quite used to people calling me ‘ugly’ because I wore a mask most of the time. It had nothing to do with my facial insecurity. I wanted to make sure the air I inhaled was devoid of germs and it helped me blend in, since my enemies knew a lot less about my appearance.

“And you must be the piece of trash no one talks about because you have nothing worth mentioning except how you target women to show your strength.” I retorted and watched him grit his teeth in anger.

I struck a nerve. Impressive.

Before he could spell another annoying alphabet, I moved closer and let my fist meet with his face. The sound of a bone cracking streamed in my ears like music. The attack took him by surprise and he tumbled back, holding his bleeding nose before he lost balance and fell to the floor with a thud.

I looked at my gloved hand before I kneeled down and extended it to Amber, who was trembling like a leaf. She stared at me with those big, frightened eyes before staring at my hand, confusion evident on her face. I noticed the little mole she had on the right line of her jaw and how soft her soaked cheeks appeared under the sunlight.

Goddess, she was beautiful.

She had a natural charm that only belonged to her, but those cuts and bruises ruined it.

How did you stay calm again when every inch of your body felt like lighting the manor on fire?

Yeah, count backward. Ten, nine, eight—

Her fragile hand trembled as she slowly placed it on mine, and I clenched my teeth when I saw a brownish-blue spot on her wrist. Someone had applied a lot of pressure on her wrist and, by the looks of it, it wasn’t very recent.

Burn the manor down. Kill everyone and take her away.

No, calm down. SEVEN! SIX! FIVE–

She gazed at me. Those honey eyes read out a melancholic story, like the music on a violin, and for a second, I saw the image of a boy with big gray eyes that held the same look. The boy had walked through hell, knowing how it looked, how it smelled, how it hurt. It was me.

I had to take a deep breath to remind myself I was breathing. A familiar pain blossomed in my chest like someone had punched it.

Amber Blackwaters could be many things, but she was not the annoying girl whom I had to handle for years. Then what was she?

I gently pressed her hand and helped her stand on her feet before covering her body with my black coat. Her dress was in a terrible condition and by its design it seemed to be her wedding gown.

What were they doing to you, Amber?

Did Tyler hate his own beautiful daughter to ruin her wedding like this? Definitely yes.

But why?

She had the same facial structure as his, so she wasn’t illegitimate like me. Then why?

Her sister Abbie, the brat, was the complete opposite and seemed to be the apple of Tyler’s eye. A power division between siblings? Probably.

The trash hurt Amber for no reason—or he had a reason. He had a wedding ring on his finger, just like Abbie’s. They were probably married and yet Abbie allowed her husband to rape Amber?

What kind of disgusting family was this?

Fuck! I could have saved Amber sooner if I had done a little research.

“I told you so!” Ash huffed in annoyance. He had the right to be.

“What the fuck?!” the piece of germ shouted from behind, “You fucking ugly face! You dare to touch the future Alpha of West and South!”

So, I was right. He was married to the brat. Totally deserving.

I looked past my shoulder and saw him trying to get back his balance, his hand covering his bleeding nose.

So he was the Alpha’s son of the Drevine pack in the West. Either their training camp wasn’t efficient or he had bunked the classes because he had no reflexes or skill. He would be dead the second he stepped into an actual battle. Compared to him, our training camp beginners were far better.

“Be grateful that I only broke your nose. Because I had been planning on breaking a lot more for what you did.” I retorted, and he looked back at me with raised brows that appeared quite comical in my perspective.

His eyes fell on Amber before he asked, “You are going to fight me for what? Her?” He started laughing. “You don’t even know what she is. She’s an unlucky bitch who only brings bad luck. Take my advice and leave her to me. You don’t have to carry the burden.”

A nerve popped into my head. How about his head decorated on my shelf? Very satisfying.

But the scent of sadness that came from Amber took my attention over. She looked down, clutching the edge of my coat for support.

She believed what this germ said? How many times had she heard this accusation for her to start believing in it?

I gently wrapped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer. The proximity caused sparks to travel down my spine, and her sweet scent overwhelmed me. Her wide eyes traveled up to meet me and there was a subtle tint of red on her cheeks. She had felt it, too.

I had to control the urge to kiss her face at the moment. How could someone call a beauty like her unlucky? A man would be the luckiest to call her his. And now that I had seen her, she was mine.

“And mine too!” Ash growled, feeling dejected.

I reluctantly turned my head to see the germ. “Bad news for you, I don’t care what a germ like you who only spreads diseases has to say about my beautiful wife.” I let go of Amber’s shoulder and stepped closer to him. I pulled him by his collar and landed five fast punches.

“You harmed what belongs to me. You will pay for every single suffering you had put her through,” I growled, my eyes flashing a part of my wolf before my punches became harder and faster. The trash bag couldn’t fight back.

“Stop this!” Tyler’s voice roared, and I let go of his stained collar, letting him drop to the floor. His face turned into a bloody pulp from taking all the punches and he was close to losing his consciousness.

I looked again at my right glove and made a tsk sound with my lips. His dirty blood was on my glove. Disgusting.

“How dare you attack my husband like that?! Who the hell are you to do that?” The Alpha’s brat barked.

Tarr, my beta, skipped a step as he entered the piano room through the destroyed door and walked towards me. I told him to keep those two distracted because I knew they would get in my way. It would have led to bloodshed if that happened.

“Sorry, but they weren’t interested in listening to my summer one-night stands,” Tarr joked and handed me a handkerchief and a bottle of sanitizer.

“Apologies for hitting your husband, but as the Alpha of Valeford and Amber’s husband…” I pulled out my gloves and tossed them right at the top of the trash’s face.

Everyone’s eyes widened when they heard the word ‘Alpha of Valeford.

I rubbed my hands with the sanitizer to make sure there was no trace of that filth’s blood and looked up at them with a look that scared my enemies the most, “... I believe I have the right to kill him for touching my wife.”

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