ZARAWhen we got into his tent, Anders locked the door. He showed me his bathroom and I went in there to freshen up. He waited for me until I came out and sat on the bed before going into the bathroom, not that I would have minded if he choose to join me. Perhaps, he did not want to make me uncomfortable.He came out of the bathroom, looking fresh and more handsome. My cheeks blushed as I knew that we finally had all the privacy we had been craving.Anders stood and smiled in embarrassment as he said, "I'm sorry, Ruby. I know you are used to living in luxury as the alpha's daughter. I never wanted an actual house actually. I preferred living in a tent because it made things easier for me. Back then, I didn't know that I would someday have someone as special as you in my life.""I am fine," I replied. "I don't mind where I stay, Anders, as long as I'm with you."Anders stared at me for a while and finally walked to the door, "please wait here for me, Ruby. I will be back shortly."I no
BRANDONI paced up and down in anger. How could Zara slip off my fingers when I practically had her at my mercy? And these good-for-nothing warriors had the effrontery to come back without her. I knew some of them were secretly loyal to her and did not give the search their all, and it infuriated me even more.I stared at the injury on the back of my hand. I was fortunate that I still had a little of the antidote left. Going all the way to the waterfalls to get it would have taken more than a week. I would not have been able to make the journey alone in my weak state and neither would I have been able to take the warriors with me because that would have left our pack without defense.The last time I went there, Zara had accompanied me. We had fought off a few lycans on our way and when we eventually arrived, the werewolves guarding the plant only let us go with two leaves because the plant only grew inside that particular cave and produced very few leaves.Different werewolf packs sen
RILEYI sat in my room thinking about what to do. After putting in so much effort to make Anders mine, how could that Ruby come out from nowhere and take him from me? Mate my foot! I could not accept this, no I could not give up on Anders.I had invested so much time on Anders and borne all his insults quietly. Everyone in our pack showed me respect and no one talked to me as rudely as he did but I put up with it because I believed he was eventually going to make me his luna and now Ruby?The first idea I had was to use my father, the alpha. His authority was the highest and as such if he wanted, he could forbid Anders and Ruby from being together. He had a soft spot for me and I knew that emotional blackmail was the best so I began to cry and went to meet him."What happened to you?" He asked when he saw me crying.I cried even more, "father, you know better than anyone else how much I love Anders, how can you let him be with that poor lycan? I feel like taking my life. I want Anders
ANDERSI knew Riley was a snake but I did not expect her to bite so soon. The plan of sending the omega to spy on us was proof that we needed to be more cautious than ever. Now wasn't the time for Zara to be sympathetic toward anyone. She should be focused on protecting our secret.I stared at her as I said, "I couldn't care less about anyone else, Ruby and you shouldn't either. If anyone knows that you're the alpha's daughter, once they somehow get more information about you, they can connect the dots.Anyone could have heard what you said so henceforth, never say anything about yourself in public unless you know it's a lie. That is the best way to protect ourselves."Zara sighed, "I'm so sorry, Anders. I guess I lost it when I saw how Riley was treating that omega. I just can't close my eyes and watch injustice happen right in front of me. I always did something about it when I had the power but I seem to have forgotten that things are different now."I placed my hands on her should
ANDERSThe days passed by swiftly and soon I found myself poised to leave for the boundary in the morning. I stared at Zara feeling conflicted. Our days together had been the sweetest of my life but now I had to resume my duties.I could see the sadness in her eyes despite how much she tried to hide it. I held her close and kissed her forehead, "I have to be at the boundary, Ruby, it's my job.""I understand, better than anyone else," she replied with a smile. "I just wish I could go with you but I know it's not possible.""I will be back by noon," I promised, "not a second longer."She nodded in approval, "you can go, my love. Remember what I said; hide properly, don't show your face at the boundary, and make sure the werewolves don't figure out who is on the lycans' side of the boundary. We can't trust them, especially Brandon."I thanked her for the warm reminders and kissed her goodbye before making my way to the boundary. Just as Zara had advised, I stayed hidden in the bush with
ZARAI spent the morning at home, not that I had anywhere else to go. Without Anders by my side, it was harder than I thought.I wasn't used to being idle but I was grateful to have a roof over my head with a partner who loved me with every precious breath he took.I needed to keep busy. If I kept being idle, it was going to affect me in ways I did not want. After thinking about what to do, I finally decided on cooking. Although Anders had rejected the idea, it was the only thing I could do without attracting attention or suspicion. The only problem was my ignorance in that aspect. I didn't know the first thing about cooking. I had stumbled on my step mum cooking a few times so I decided to sit and try to recall what exactly I had seen her doing.I did recall a few things and it made me excited, however, my excitement died down when it occurred to me that if I wanted to cook, I needed to do a lot of shopping. Anders bought the food we ate every day so we did not have a pot or anything
BRANDONI had thought long and hard and came to the conclusion that if Zara wasn't hiding at the neutral grounds then she was hiding at the lycans' pack. It could be that there was a safe place in his pack that only he knew about. He was a warrior afterall and was bound to know his way around his pack. I decided to ask other foolish warriors in his pack. I didn't think anything would come out of it but I was desperate and that was the only option I could think of.So the lycans' name was Anders? It was just as horrible as he was. I was surprised though to learn of his position but that only increased my suspicion. He was next in line to be the alpha which meant he could be hiding her until he became the alpha and then he would bring her out of hiding and make her his luna. That may have been why Zara threw everything away and went to him, in the end she was still going to get one of the highest positions in the pack but who was this Ruby?The werewolves claimed she was a lycan from t
ANDERSZara was worried that what happened at the boundary was a trap by Brandon and would bring consequences but I allayed her fears. If Brandon did not get the chance to see her, how could he ever figure out that she was here with me? When I finally put her mind to rest, she told me once more about her desire to cook for me but I laughed, "just wait here, my love and I'll go get lunch for us."She frowned at me but I shook her cheekbones until she began to laugh."Don't feel sad," I said to her, "I know it's not easy for you to be alone at home but once my seven hours are up each day, I will run back to you. Like now, I had to run with the speed of lightning just so I could come and see your beautiful face."My words seemed to make her happy as she began to smile from ear to ear. I went out and got a plate of food, which we ate together. After that, I returned the plate and quickly came back to be by her side.There was silence between us as she sat on the bed and hugged her knees.
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
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
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
CARTEREver since that night, I threatened Walker, I noticed that Zaan had been avoiding me. The following morning, I walked toward the cliff hoping to talk to her, but then I saw Walker. His eyes were gleaming, and his face held so much joy. I felt sick to my stomach. What was he doing here?If anyone was allowed to be there, it was me because I had been in this pack for years. The fact that he kept lingering around Zaan made me so upset. I knew what he wanted, but I was convinced that Zaan would never give him the time of day, not when she had such strong feelings for me. So, I wanted to ignore him. However, something surprised me. Zaan's scent was all over his body. It was so strong, as though she was the one standing in front of me.This could only mean one thing. As I realized what had happened, I rushed toward him, grabbed him by his collar, and pushed him to the ground."Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he asked, getting up. "You know you're lucky fights are not allowed h
ZANDERAfter my mom left, I kept hiding but continued staring at Rey as she conversed with the man whom I believed was her father. The way he treated her, though, and the fact that she did not react to his actions, showed she had a lot of respect for him. I kept clenching my fists in anger.When he finally turned and walked through the gates of the pack, I realized Rey was crying. I came out of hiding and walked toward her, and right at that moment, she turned. When she saw me, I could see the surprise and fear in her eyes. She stood for a while, staring at me in shock.I thought about what my mom had said. The best punishment at this point was to take her life. That was what she deserved, and that was what was expected of me.She remained rooted where she stood and couldn't take another step while tears kept falling from her eyes. But I walked toward her slowly until I was standing a few inches away from her. I stared at her for a while before grabbing her neck with my hand as though
REINAEver since that first night, I spent in Zander's room, something in me changed. I became a different person. Not that I had become a saint overnight, but I had become someone who genuinely loved Zander. Each moment I stared at him, I convinced myself that I would not be able to part from him, much less be the cause of his demise. He was patient, kind, loving, and everything wonderful I never thought I would find in a man. What were the chances that if I successfully destroyed this pack, I would be able to live with myself? No, if I destroyed the pack, how would I be with Zander? And if I destroyed Zander, how would I live?I had fallen head over heels in love with him. I was a hopeless case. There was a way he stared at me sometimes as though he had something to say. Other times, he looked at me with so much love and so much faith. I could not imagine ruining the faith he had in me.I soon became scared. Each time I was outside, I would look around the pack. I would see the ch
ZANDEREver since my mom exposed Rey to me, my life had not been the same. I was constantly thinking about it, wishing and hoping that somewhere there was a mistake. Each time I looked at Rey, her eyes held so much love for me. She spent most of her time by my side, and at night she was always in my room.Sometimes, I was tempted to get upset at her for playing me for a fool and treat her the way I thought she deserved. But I couldn't bring myself to do so. I didn't know why I loved her so much despite knowing her for such a short time. I was restless, and it kept eating at me.There were times when I would make eye contact with my sister when addressing the warriors, with Rey by my side. From the look on Zaan's face, I would know what she was thinking. There were other times too when I made eye contact with my mom, who always had her eyes on Rey. I knew what she was thinking as well.Though my mom had told me not to expose anything to Rey, I kept my eyes on her. Not because I wanted
WALKERFor the first time in my life, I felt as though the universe was within my reach and I could grab it and give myself the life of my dreams. This was all possible because of Zaan. Her confession made me feel on top of the world, although there was turmoil in my heart. It made me believe that this moment was surreal; somehow, it felt like a dream.Zaan had just met me, so her confession that she also loved me was a miracle. Yes, I had come after her with hopes that she would accept my proposal, but hearing her admit everything without holding back, I didn't know how to react. I wanted to be sure that this moment was real. I held her cheeks and said, "Look into my eyes, Zaan, and tell me that you aren't joking. This isn't a plan or a trick, right? Do you truly love me just as you've said?"She smiled, "Will I joke about something as important as this? This is how I feel.""So, for how long have you felt this way?" I asked, still not believing it."Well, ever since I realized th
CARTERI knew what Walker was up to and it scared me. I loved Zaan, more than I could imagine and I hated myself for pushing her away from me. At the time, I had not realized how deep my feelings for her ran. Also, I had been under the impression that Zaan was madly in love with me but did not know how to back down when she needed to.Now I had to compete for her attention. Walker wanted her and as a man, I could tell. I was threatened by the fact that Zaan seemed to have a soft spot for him. This was evident in the way she gave him preferential treatment.I had been searching for her for a while, only to see her coming out from the direction of the unclean river and Walker did the same almost immediately.It was at this point I decided to have a conversation with Walker but he was too arrogant for his own good. I was merely marking my territory but a rookie like him dared to disrespect me. He was about to learn how things really worked around here.I watched him walk away and had a