RILEYI watched the fight between Anders and our pack warriors from where I hid and was filled with dread, mostly for Anders. I had hoped that the werewolf would be killed easily and Anders would be subdued. I knew he was strong but there was no way he could take on so many warriors. That darn werewolf just stood watching the fight while Anders took all the risk.The more the fight got intense, the more my body began to shiver. I was in awe of Anders and also impressed that he was doing his best not to kill our warriors but they seemed out to kill him.I wondered if my dad gave the order since I had specifically begged him to leave a way out for Anders. My dad watched the fight with arms folded and I did not need to see his face to know that he was fuming at how his warriors were easily defeated.Anders was amazing, I had never seen a warrior like him and I felt even more jealous of Zara. I wished he was fighting for me instead. Then I saw my dad charge at Anders when he had his bac
ANDERSI sat with my back leaning on a tree and stared at Zara. I had never felt so weak in my entire life and I struggled not to close my eyes. I knew I had pushed myself too hard, I needed to rest otherwise, I would not heal in time and would only be a burden to Zara.I saw her lying on her belly, holding on to her weapon, ready to shoot whoever dared to come after us. I knew she was tired and sleepy as I saw her constantly struggle to stay awake.I wished I could help her but I was too weak to move. I never knew Zara was this strong. She was so capable, worthy to be either alpha or luna. She deserved a better life than one on the run. I needed to survive and fight harder so I would give her a better life someday.If I made it to the next day, I would do anything to give her a better life. I knew she was uncomfortable since she had been lying on her belly for quite some time but she kept vigilant. I kept staring at her until my eyes became too heavy and I involuntarily closed them
ANDERSAs the approaching footsteps became louder, Zara and I peeped from where we hid and were surprised to see a boy and a girl holding hands and running. They both seemed to be in their late teens like Zara and me. I quickly suspected that they were lycans because of how tall the girl was, however, I couldn't know for certain.What surprised us was the fact that they kept running as though they were being chased but when Zara and I listened, we could not hear any other footsteps.""I've never been so happy to be wrong," Zara said."Let's go right now."Just like the boy and girl from earlier, Zara and I held each other's hands and began to run. It occurred to me that the boy and girl we saw earlier must be rogues. But why did they not look for a pack to join? If Zara and I had a choice, we would not be rogues.We both kept running without looking back or stopping for four hours. Despite how fast we were, we did not catch up with the boy and girl we had seen earlier.We finally stopp
ZARAI ran and walked as fast as I could while holding my bow and arrows. I knew that whoever saw me would know that I was a warrior but I did not care about that. I wanted to be done as soon as possible and go back to my Anders.I could tell he was worried but I had my reasons for doing this. The time it would take us to hunt and roast a bush rabbit wasn't one we had. If I could buy foodstuffs at the market, it would take us for two days which was much better since we did not have the luxury of time.I knew the lycans might have figured out that we came to the east instead but before they would get to us, we would be long gone.My dad had told me about the story of when he once came to the east. He had also stopped at this market to get supplies and he said it was the biggest he had ever seen.As I finally got into the pack, I noticed that their warriors were staring at me. The warriors dressed a bit differently from how we did back in my pack but we all carried the same type of arro
ANDERS"I am not interested in joining your pack," I replied to the rogues.The facial expression of the one who seemed like the leader changed to one of anger but I tried to maintain peace and said, "I came here to search for my mate. My wolf told me she is here and she is the one I'm waiting for. Once I find her here, I will join this pack since she already belongs here."The werewolves suddenly began to laugh and afterward, the leader said, "alone, you are weak and your life will be miserable. You are better off joining a pack of strong warriors who would teach you how to survive.""Didn't you hear what I said?" I asked. "I am waiting here for my mate. I don't want her to live as a rogue because it's too risky. Once I find her here, I will join her pack. I hope you all understand what I am saying."The leader stared at the other rogues and smiled, "you're lucky I'm in a good mood today otherwise, you would have died by my hands right now."I held myself back from scoffing or laughi
ZARAI watched the werewolves treat the lycan as though she was a thing without feelings. One pulled her hair and said, "she would die by my hands right now. However, another pushed his hand away and pulled her hair again, all the while ignoring her cries of pain.Her mate lay on the ground without moving and I felt that his heart was in more pain than his body because there was nothing he could do about their situation. The second werewolf who pulled her hair said, "I'm going to fuck her first before killing her, I can't let a pretty thing like this die without choking on my d*ck.The third werewolf laughed, "I agree, I also want a taste of her lycan p**sy. We can enjoy killing her when we are satisfied."The first one finally gave in, "in that case, let's get it over with. I really can't stand these lycans."I kept watching as the second werewolf who was so bent on making her choke kept pulling her hair as he tried to unzip his pants while the others gleefully cheered him on.I had
ANDERSAfter running for a few hours, we walked some more and decided to rest. Zara and I hadn't eaten all day and I knew she was just as hungry as I was.I stared at the new addition to our group and was tempted to shake my head. Typical of Zara to want to help everyone, even to her detriment.I needed to be sure though that these two weren't unknown enemies in disguise.Everyone sat down on the grass except me. I stared at the werewolf and asked, "who are you two, and where do you come from?""My name is Logan and my mate is Ariana," the werewolf replied. We both come from the west. My pack shares a boundary with the lycans. I was just an average werewolf living in my pack. I always felt I had a mate but could never find her in my pack. After I clocked twenty, I began to see Ariana in my dreams.I searched for her until I got to the boundary. Surprisingly, she had just turned eighteen and her wolf guided her to the boundary as well. The moment we set eyes on each other, we knew we we
ZARA. I kept staring at Ariana in surprise, finding it difficult to believe what I had just heard. With so much hatred and enmity between werewolves and lycans, how was it possible that they would come together to build a neutral pack? Unless there were mates just like us.I saw the way Anders was staring at us and knew that even he was surprised. However, Logan's expression remained the same which meant they were truly going to such a place."How is such a pack possible?" I asked her.She smiled at me, "I thought the same way too when I first heard about it. A werewolf pack and a lycan pack once shared a boundary. Due to the enmity between both species, they kept fighting and killing each other and their numbers kept dwindling. Eventually, they realized that the constant fighting was causing them more harm than good as children lost their fathers, wives lost their husbands, sisters lost their brothers, and mothers lost their sons.They both got tired and decided to form a truce. The
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