WALKERI knew that Carter was going to confront Zaan, and I wasn't wrong. It was better he found out the truth. That way, he would back off and know his place.It was funny hearing him talk about how Zaan was his mate when I had just marked her the night before.If not for the promise I made to Zaan, I would have shown off in front of him. He stomped away angrily, and I walked after him. But I kept a little distance between us. I stood somewhere, watching as he confronted Zaan, and I heard the words he said to her. I shook my head, knowing that his words were the rambling of a man who was angry because he had lost. It wasn't my fault. I was just fortunate that he was too stupid to let go of something as precious as Zaan.After he left, I came out of hiding and walked up to Zaan, but I saw that she was unhappy."What is the problem?" I asked.She ignored me and turned to walk away, but I held her hand and pulled her back."Are you upset with me, Zaan?""Why wouldn't I be? I clearly to
ZANDERSeeing Rey so injured and bleeding, broke my heart completely. I didn't know who was attacking us or why, but something occurred to me. Perhaps these were enemies who had been lying in wait for me.Over the years, a few had actually attempted to come against us, but they always waited along the roads. So either these were sent by someone who knew that I was leaving, or they had been keeping watch over us.It was an attack, and the fact that they were using arrows meant they were werewolves. As I stared at Rey, I was upset that they did not mind that she was one of their own. Perhaps they saw her as a worthy sacrifice for a great cause, but I wasn't one to let go so easily.I came out of hiding as more arrows were shot at me. I jumped, and all the arrows passed below me. Afterward, I began to crawl on the ground.Seeing I had gotten close, the men who were earlier shooting; who were now close to me but could not see me because I was concealed by the bushes, turned around and wan
ZAANWe stood—all four of us—at the edge of the cliff; Me, Walker, Zander, and Rey. The past month had been rough initially, but it turned out to be eventful. At first, breathing the same air as Rey seemed impossible, given her ill intentions toward us from the start. However, witnessing her genuine efforts to please everyone and seeing the happiness she brought to my brother, I decided to let go of my resentment and be free.However, that did not mean I would turn my back on her. I remained wary, just as I would be with any untrustworthy person. My mom had also become more accommodating. She occasionally smiled at Rey and engaged in conversations, but I knew her watchful eyes never left her. Rey was aware of it too. The pack had come to accept that she was likely to be the next Luna. She was my brother's love, and thanks to her, he had become more lively, socializing more and spending less time sleeping.Carter had also changed since his fight with Walker. Realizing he was no matc
ZARAI woke up before the sun rose, took a bath, got ready, and picked up my bow and arrows to go for my rounds. Other warriors of my pack start at noon but, I am there at the boundary as early as five every day, making sure that everything is in order and no lycan is trespassing into our territory. I relaxed a bit when I checked all around and realized that I was alone. I walked to the river not far off from where I stood and bent down to drink some water when I caught a sound. I listened intently and heard footsteps but they were not familiar. My battle instincts kicked in and I jumped into the water. I took out a few of the arrows stacked at my back and looked around warily, ready to plunge the heart of whoever the intruder was, I wouldn't put it past the evil lycans.ANDERSI ran into the woods to exercise my body and do what I did best; keep watch over the lycan territory. This was the life I loved and lived for. My name is Anders and I am the most highly respected gamma in my p
ANDERSNow I had to face the crocodiles since running was no longer possible; better the predator than the prey. I was just about to swim deep into the water to find the crocodiles when I saw the werewolf come up from under the water. I stared at her in awe as she held two arrows in her hands. They seemed to be stuck in something and a few seconds later the heads of the two crocodiles became visible, an arrow stuck in the head of each while she kept holding on to them.The crocodiles were by her sides only this time, their mouths were shut and they seemed to be floating. It was at this point I noticed that a few arrows were strapped to her back. She had lost her bow in the undertow and I had concluded that she was defenseless but she proved me wrong.She briefly made eye contact with me and I could see from the look in her eyes that she was proud of her achievement. She pulled out the arrows from the crocodiles at once and returned them to her back before swimming towards the bank of
ZARAI ran, as fast as my feet could carry me. I knew I didn't have to run, not too far from the river bank were the hills and mountains, the neutral grounds. There, a werewolf and lycan could pass each other without having to fight or kill each other. Only rogues broke this law because they did not answer to any packs.However, I was running for an entirely different reason. For the first time in my life, I was not in control. I've always known what I wanted and fought for it but this was different, my heart was involved and Viola was excited in a way I had never experienced. I was used to her being silent. She barely spoke to me or tried to influence my decisions but this time, she kept begging me to stay back and get closer to the lycan. This was why I had to run. I ignored her displeasure and could tell that she had shrunk back into her usual shell.It took about four hours to move from the neutral grounds to my pack. With my speed, I was able to reduce it to three but the rapid b
ZARAI lay on my bed with my eyes open. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep, not with the storm brewing inside my heart. I had once heard that the only way to be free from the mate bond was to reject one's mate.Brandon had done it and that explains why he had no attachment to Avery, his mate whom he rejected. It was different for her though as she had refused to let go of him. She kept clinging to him despite a series of rejections and it makes me wonder what is so special about him.Perhaps this was why I was so restless. I needed to reject my mate so I could be free from the mate bond. I knew Viola would be devastated and I would be in pain for a while but this was for the best. I could not afford to let everyone down, especially my father.I began to feel hungry and decided to have my dinner. However, after placing the food in front of me, I lost my appetite. I could not eat, I could not sleep, and neither could I focus on anything else other than the lycan. I needed to meet hi
ANDERSAs I watched her run away and realized she was my mate, I felt an indescribable pain in my heart. Why did it have to be her? Perhaps, she also realized that being mated to me was the worst thing that could happen to her. we needed to reject each other because this bond was not possible. Until then, I dared not shift because once I changed form, it would no longer matter that she was the enemy.For now, I needed to get back to my pack. My whole body felt weak but I knew that it wasn't because of the undertow. My unfortunate situation must be taking a toll on me. Even though the werewolf was gone, I could still perceive her scent and it made me feel strange.I followed the same track she used and went to the neutral grounds but I turned in the opposite direction which led to my pack. It was a six-hour's walk back and I wasn't in the mood to run. It would be easier if I shifted but that wasn't the best option right now.I arrived at my pack when it was sunset, after walking for a