Chapter 4

Nicholas’s POV

My days are spent mindlessly working for the pack and nights are spent sleeplessly wandering around. Even a mild dose of wolfsbane doesn't help me with my nightmares.

The past ten years have seamlessly been tiring. With power you are expected to perform successfully and act in accordance in a variety of domains. Now I understand what father meant by, ‘ With power comes responsibility and with responsibility comes sleepless nights’. I feel it now.

I am exhausted physically and mentally but I can’t complain. All I want is to mourn the loss of my mate and cry. I never really got the chance to mourn, the responsibilities were far more burdening than I ever imagined.

I didn’t mourn for the loss of my mate, my beloved. I didn’t mourn for losing my twin l**k. I didn’t mourn for losing my brother. Even though I won that night, I never really won. It was Selena's way of punishing me. It was the moon goddess who decided to crush me everyday for not keeping my promise. It would all have been avoided only if I went according to plan, the plan me and my younger brother formulated.

I am angry. I am jealous.  How come Alexander gets to mourn?  How come he gets time to endure the pain of being mateless? How come he gets to sleep peacefully whereas I spent nights after nights suffocating in the pack house.

“Alpha”

The only time I am at rest is when I am training. Punching, hitting and kicking calms my furious mind. Hitting Alexander gives me pleasure too. I feel pain, seeing him struggling to survive, but at the same time I feel joy watching him feel what I feel every day.

“Alpha”

Every night I ask the moon goddess, Why is she punishing me? Why take away my mate, my precious Leila and my brother on the same day? Why?

“Alpha”

Why strip me from happiness?

“ALPHA” yells Beta Dominic pulling me out of my trans.

“What?” I muttered, looking at the lifeless cadaver of rouge mutt lying before me.

“He is dead”, informed Dominic.

“Yes” I sighed walking out of the cellar.

“Get that cleaned up as soon as possible. I need that cellar ready for Alexander”, I ordered.

“Yes Alpha”, nodded Dominic.

“Any news on Alexander?” I asked.

“No. Not yet” replied Dominic.

‘Can you feel Leo?’ I asked Ace. Ace has detached himself as soon as Leo cut off the pack l**k with us.

Ace can sometimes feel  Leo’s  intense emotions  via over broken twin links when they are in close proximity. Ace felt Leo's anger and Alex weeping right before Leo cut off the mindlink.

‘NO. I am trying’, replied restless Ace.

 “Alpha, if you don’t mind. Can I ask you a question?”, enquired Dominic.

“Go ahead” I sighed. The fresh evening air hit my face, just a few hours in the dungeon is enough to torment anyone, the humidity, coldness, concrete floor, fungus laden walls and stench of death linger in there.

“You are Alpha, you must be able to feel Alexander through mind l**k”, spoke Dominic.

“He broke the l**k as soon as he stepped out of the pack ground” I informed.

“You mean to say he left the pack?”he questioned in disbelief.

“Yes,” I said looking into the horizon. Nothing looks beautiful when darkness rules your heart.

“So basically he is rogue now, why are you looking for him now?”, he enquired.

“He is not a rogue” I snapped, “He is alpha, not rogue” I repeated.

“He broke the l**k,” Dominic argued.

“But I haven’t, I never broke the l**k with him. He will be considered a rogue when I break the l**k too. He is still bound to the pack” I replied.

“I think it's best for all of us that he ran away. He always wanted freedom, and you wanted to get rid of him anyway”, he spoke as the matter of fact.

‘Behead him’ ordered Ace.

“Why do you think I wanted to get rid of him?” I questioned folding my hand on my chest.

“Isn’t it obvious? You humiliate him every now and then in front of the whole pack. He spent days in this dungeon just because he missed his patrolling duty on borders and the fact that both you can't even spend half an hour in the same room without getting on each other’s throat”

‘Punish him’, ordered Ace.

“Dominic, clean the cellar right now and patrol the borders tonight”, I command.

He looked at me in disbelief, “But it's my anniversary today, grace will kill me”,he argued with his words desperate and eyes pleading.

“Also bring me the reports of expenditure of the last one year at sharp 9 in the morning”, I ordered.

“You have to be kidding me”, he threw his hands in the air.

“8 am”, I said and turned into my wolf form.

The pack has gone silent ever since Alex ran away. No one looked my way, just knelt when I passed them.

‘I sense fear in the air’,said Ace.

‘I know, I miss him’

‘I miss him too’, replied Ace.

I saw Maria near the pond, sitting alone. I approached a tiny mahogany wolf. She instantly bowed showing me respect.

She suffers from selective mutism, rarely talks to people. Even though she was born in a gamma family she stays alone in omega quarters with least interaction with anyone.

‘Sit’ I asked her via mind l**k.

Her legs shook as she obeyed me, her tail already tucking between her legs.

‘No need to be afraid Maria, I am here just to talk’,I said sitting a few feets away from her.

I could smell the faint smell of Alexander from her. I know Alexander has been spending a great amount of time with her.

Immediately after Leila's death, Alex started hanging out with her, staying weeks in her house instead of living in  the pack house. This angered me very much. How can he move on so easily?

‘He replaced Our beautiful strong Leila with this scared mutt with mutism’, deadpanned Ace releasing lowly growl.

Immediately Maria whimpered, showing me her neck, as a sign of her submission.

‘Follow me’ I ordered and started walking to pack house, she followed me whimpering.

I mindlink Grace, asking her to provide clothing for Maria in the guest room. I walked in my room, changed in human form, refreshed up for my not so formal meeting with maria.

Meanwhile I asked a warrior to crash Maria's place to find any trace or clue to find Alex.

“Hello Miss Grace”, I greeted her as I entered my office. I can no longer smell Alex on her. She must have showered before coming here.

‘Good choice’, smirked Ace.

She nodded  her head in greeting. I passed her a friendly smile before holding her hand and making her sit on the couch. I rolled the chair in front of her and sat down.

“How are you Maria?” I asked.

She eyed me cautiously. She will run as soon as she gets a chance.

“I…I…am…fine, A..Alp…ha” she replied.

“Are you facing any issues lately? Any inconvenience?”, I asked.

She shook her head.

“Good. Good. How are your relations with Beta Alexander?”

Her eyes widened.

“I…do n..not know…where he…i..i..s”, she confessed as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

“Hey, hey hey” I moved forward, “don’t cry, I am just worried. I won't hurt you”, I said.

She jerked back.

“You will tell me if you know anything in relation with  Beta Alexander, right?”, I asked.

“Y..Yess”, she replied with aggressive nodding.

‘We found few of Alexander’s stuff here’, informed the warrior.

‘Bring it to me’, I ordered.

“You may leave”, I permitted her.

As soon as she was about to open the door I spoke, “Also, maintaining a relationship with another male while your mate is alive is disrespectful to the moon goddess”. Her movement halted completely.

Slowly she turned her face towards me, “I..I..don-“

Cutting her off I continued, “And maintaining relations with rogue is a severe offence against the pack”.

“Make a wise decision”, with that I gestured her to leave.

Warrior brought Alex's stuff as soon as Maria left. They were just some clothes and other necessities. Nothing useful.

“Did you get any information from the hunters?”, I asked the warrior. I have assigned the whole group of hunters to track down Alexander.

“No. Beta Alexander crossed a river which completely masked his scent. We are working on it”, he informed.

“Keep an eye on Maria. I want active surveillance on her 24*7”, I ordered.

“Yes, Alpha”

“Has Drake returned yet?” I inquired.

“Yes, Beta Drake will be with you shortly” he informed. I dismiss him with the wave of my hand.

Alex is Alpha blood. He knows all the tricks to remain hidden in the forest as long as he wants. I can feel the suffocating pain in my chest since he cut off the l**k.

‘What is that?’, Ace questioned suddenly, wanting to take control.

‘What?’, I asked pushing him back

He started anxiously pacing around in my head.

‘Be prepared’, he cautioned me in a fighting stance. I looked at the door, slowly the knob twisted and Drake entered the office.

And it hit me. A very faint intoxicating smell, compelling me towards them.

“Alpha”, Drake greeted.

“Where were you?”, I questioned slowly moving towards him. Ace is taking control and I couldn’t care less.

Drake cautiously backed off, “you sent me to-“

Cutting him off I grabbed his jacket, her faint smell lingered on him.

“Who did you meet last?” I asked.

He understood.

“She is a human”, he replied in uttermost shock.

“Where?”

“1000 miles north, a human town near a crimson blood pack”, he answered.

“I want you to immediately send a warrior and bring her to me as soon as possible”, I ordered, still holding his arm.

Drake looked at me in astonishment. “You are smiling”, he muttered in shock.

“Bring that little human to me”, I ordered.

Ignoring all the work I spend my  whole night thinking about her. What is she like? Who is she? Why does she smell like Leila? Every sort of question invaded my mind.

I even started visualizing her. Blonde or black? Maybe redhead.

Leila had Blue eyes, what will be her eye color?

She is a human. She won’t be as strong as Leila.

Why did she appear right after Alex left? What game is the moon goddess playing? Will she accept me?

This is a second chance for me and Alex. We will be together again. With this though I slipped in deep slumber. No burden, no pain, no nightmares.

“My second chance mate”