Astrid’s POVI crawled away as far as the chains would allow me to move. For some unknown reason, I sensed the person seated on the bed was a man harboring no benevolent intentions toward me.“What do you want?” I questioned, determined to maintain a resolute tone that concealed the fear coursing my heart.But still, this man offered no response!“You are such a coward, aren’t you? I understand if you don’t want to say anything,” I mocked him.I felt the cold spoon touch my lips again and turned my head away.“I’d rather die than eat,” I declared firmly.He took a deep breath. My head spun, and I couldn’t recognize the voices properly.“I won’t let you die,” he declared passionately.“Alpha Salem?”“Don’t be surprised. I thought you knew it was me,” he replied.It was as if I was punched in the guts. He kidnapped me and had the audacity to ask me to eat.“I should have known!” I cried out, tears welling up despite my efforts to conceal them.“I have no intention of harming you.”That w
Astrid’s POVThe periodic melody of birdsong outside and Alpha Salem’s footsteps echoing every half an hour as he checked on me were the only things I could truly focus on. My arms had gone numb, feeling as if they’d been severed. The Silver had seized control of my senses, and Malessia struggled to resurface, even though I felt her trying to talk to me.I’d been drifting in and out of consciousness, fighting to stay awake, determined not to let them have their way with me. Suddenly, someone flung the door open with a bang, causing me to quiver. I licked my parched lips, and my stomach rumbled.“Time eat,” Salem declared, shamelessly plopping himself on the bed for the umpteenth time, the aroma of food wafting to my nose.“Open your mouth,” he instructed.I had no strength left to resist. I kept my lips sealed.“Please don’t do this! Look at yourself. You’re the most beautiful girl in both packs and now I can hardly recognize you. Please, eat something,” he implored.I had to divert my
Alpha Dominic Knight’s POV“What the f*ck do you mean? Where is my mate?” I demanded, applying more pressure to the soldier’s throat and lifting him off the ground.“Alpha!” Beta Alexander’s voice cut through the tension as he swiftly intervened, taking the man out of my grasp.I growled furiously before turning my attention back to the paper in my hands—the map detailing all the locations they had scoured in search of her. Every Alpha had rallied to help, and even Beta Alexander had meticulously combed through each kingdom.‘My mate!’ Carden roared. “Alexander, I’m losing control over everything,” I confessed, my voice devoid of any pretense, my fatigue evident on my face.“I know. Five days is a long time, and the risks of her being in a dire state are increasing,” he replied, sharing my concern.Five agonizing days, and still, there was no sign of her. My children longed for their mother’s embrace, yet here I was, a supposedly all-powerful Alpha, rendered helpless. She had vanished
Astrid’s POVI immediately washed my face after using the toilet, my gaze fixed on the window frame. I was convinced I could bring it down, given the chance. The Silver was draining my energy, and I winced in pain as the cuffs scraped against my arms.‘Malessia? Are you there?’ I asked.She didn’t respond. She was long gone by now, and as much as I hated being alone here, I was relieved she didn’t have to endure the torture on her physical body.I leaped onto the seat and grasped the window handle, my breath catching in my throat as it resisted due to rust. It had to open!“Astrid? Baby?” Salem’s voice came through, accompanied by knocks on the door.I had to respond, or he’d grow suspicious.“Yes. Just five minutes.”“Alright,” he replied, irritation lacing his voice, his patience wearing thin.Each attempt to exert force on the window frame felt like seeing stars. It felt as though it were held from the outside or somehow locked. I could see no lock, though, and I remained certain it
Astrid’s POVI chased after him despite my wobbly legs barely supporting me. He swiftly scooped up the crying child, but her wails grew louder upon seeing his furious expression and menacing fangs.The toddler, perhaps around 3 or 4, fixed her gaze behind me, not on me, but on her lifeless mother.“Shut up!” He shouted at her face, causing her to nearly leap from his grasp.“Salem, please, don’t harm her. That child is innocent.”Arching an eyebrow, he shook his head, his lengthy nails inching towards her delicate neck, poised to puncture her tender skin.“But she might reveal everything, and I can’t take that risk.”I was determined to prevent him from hurting this child, who had just witnessed her mother’s tragic demise. Yet, Salem’s madness had breached all boundaries; he was mentally and physically unbridled.“You don’t have to hurt her. She’s so young, and I doubt she can speak or understand what happened here.”He snorted and let out a crazed laugh, a true maniac in every sense.
Alpha Dominic Knight's POV:"Fuck! " I felt a sharp pain in my chest and fell on the couch. It was unbearable and my wolf, Carden, howled with pain too. I knew what it was. Someone had been physical with my mate. Someone touched her! I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes. The anger took control over my mind and I didn't feel any pain now. 'Who is doing this? 'Carden roared. I shook my head angrily. Not knowing what to think of this whole situation. I slammed my fist into the wall, creating a hole at the front. I kicked the chairs and screamed out of frustration. I wanted to kill and end the pathetic life of that person. My mate! My Astrid! Someone touched her! It was so confusing. Why could we ever be happy? Why was our story so full of grief and separation? Soon the pain faded but my anger remained. I was still in denial that my Astrid was doing it on her own. No! She was at an immediate risk and as a mate I was her only pillar of strength. I just wanted to tell her that she w
Astrid’s POV:I was back in the room again with the child. She had been crying nonstop for her mother. But I was trying to console her as much as I could. She was so innocent and had the darkest brown shade of orbs. She was extremely uncomfortable around Salem and his voice alone was enough for her to cower away in fear.My wounds hurt me so badly that I had pleaded with him not to tie me up. I had to heal quickly, so I needed this silver out of my blood. Something had broken inside me. After that assault, Salem did on me.He would not wait any longer to cross his limits because men like him were always driven by lust and the body of women. But one thing that did not make any sense to me was how he called me his second chance mate. There was not a single chance that we would ever be mates. He was not always like that because he respected Alpha Dominic more than anyone. They were basically a family and as close as brothers.The child wailed in my arms in her sleep and with terrified e
Astrid's POV:"No, I can't take you out of here. " Lillian said wiping her tears with the back of her hand. 'Well, tell me something which I don't know. ' Malessia muttered. 'Oh, you are back! 'I ignored the woman because my real friend was finally back again. 'Yes, the silver is a little less now. But it's still making me so weak. Try to talk her into removing our handcuffs. 'She insisted. I brought my attention back to Lillian who was sitting with Emma in her lap. "I understand. I will never promise you into something which might be dangerous for you. " I answered. This brought a happy smile on her face. She hugged me one more time and got up from the bed. "I'll just leave you two now. Alpha Salem will not be happy that I talked with you. " She said. "Oh, totally get it. Anyways, what do you think about this whole mess? I mean is Salem right about it? " She waited a few minutes and then turned her towards me as she was about to leave. "I know this is really traumatizing fo
Aeryn's POV:I had been running for half an hour by now and yet the woods seemed never ending. Leaving Dante in that critical condition and his life at danger had been the most difficult decision of my life. I would never let anything happen to him even if it meant for me to die in his place. He was wronged as a child and an adult by everyone around him. He deserved happiness and now when he wanted to ask for forgiveness from father and Kai was with those traitors, I knew they would be ready to accept Dante as my mate. With more determination and motivation, I didn't stop even when my legs started to hurt. But I promised myself that nothing could stop me before I reached pack. It was just another twenty minutes until I would be crossing the pack borders. A series of angry howls roared behind me and I froze in my steps scared of the truth that the rogues had gotten to me first before I could go to the pack. I turned behind to see the leader Rogue running after me with an army of aro
Dante's POV:Azriel had felt her presence in the woods as shown as she had stepped her feet in there. I could also feel her pain and I had hurriedly gone to search her only to find her in chains. Even though, I should have hated her for accepting Kai as her mate, I didn't like how she was crying from the pain and Alpha Grayson and was hitting her. "Keep your mouth shut! He isn't your mate anymore. We need know that you are going to fu*k Kai sooner than later. " Alpha Grayson spat angrily. I felt my fists clenching at his words, "What are you exactly doing here, Aeryn? Is it a trap? "She shook her head, " No, Dante. I will never betray you. I want to tell you that this war is not needed because we can stop it. I love you and I am never going to be with another man. "Her words sent a soothing feeling to my heart. I was happy that she chose to be here with me and had the guts to run away from her parents and come here among so much dangers. "Do you think you can go against your pare
Aeryn's POV :I was still shaking from anger after my parents and brothers left me in my room again. I had to fight against the injustice of them making me have another mate. Dante wasn't aware of his father's reality and his mother's suicide reason. If he would know, then I was sure he wouldn't be initiating a war against anyone. As a mate, I had to take the first step. I quietly made my way out of my room and ran to the corridor leading to Dante's chamber. It was extremely quiet there and I couldn't find anyone. Confusion dawned me and I went to the training ground to find him but he wasn't there either. The palace looked in a hurry, almost running guards everywhere around me. The environment didn't feel right. The air didn't seem comfortable. "What are you doing here? " I heard Alpha Kai behind me. I didn't like him around me for some reason because even though he knew that I had a made he was ready to be with me without any shame. "Nothing. Just looking for... " I hesitated.
Alpha Dante's POV :F*ck! F*ck this pack! Aeryn was with Kai, he was holding her hand, he was walking her around, he had been all over her and Dominic was happy with the stupid arrangement. I was sure there was something going on between Kai and Dominic. He had suddenly appointed him as the border controller for his pack and also was given high status in the training for young wolves. "Maybe he wants Aeryn to be with Kai. " Azriel hissed. I smashed the vase into pieces and crushed it with my boots. No way in hell was going to let any man take her from me. She was my mate, carrying my Mark and had promised me a child. And even after that, I was going to keep her with me. She wasn't related to Dominic and Astrid's crimes. They had even lost her when she was babu, indicating they never cared for their only daughter and instead adopted a dumb human girl to take her place. They were power hungry and could go to any limits to secure their pack and throne. Even if it meant, making Aeryn
Aeryn's POV :I ran back to my room and locked the door behind me so that I didn't have to talk to anyone including my parents. I was Furious and sad to know that my own parents had decided to give me off to another man as if I was an object. They were blinded by power and rank of Alpha Kai. I should have known that being a princess meant to keep the family ties high by marrying into another powerful Clan. I was the most worthless girl in the whole Kingdom as compared to even the normal females in the Pack because of the reason that I didn't have my wolf yet. I heard a knock on the door and knew that it was mom but I was not going to talk to her until and unless she was ready to listen to me. But to my shock, I heard the lock turning in the door and both of my parents walked in with a key in their hands. Mom must have been crying because I could see her eyes were puffy and even my father was sad. They sat beside me on the bed and I turned my head to look away from them. Still, I fe
Aeryn's POV :I felt disheartened by the sight of my mate who was not trying to understand my condition and was in the wrong this whole time. Only if I could tell him about how much he was missing by being angry towards me and my family then we would have been together by now and fighting everyone else. I was going to be loyal to my blood even though I knew that the bond was supposed to be stronger than anything else. I forgot that Alpha Kai had been waiting for me after he left and he might have noticed the weird exchange we both had. "Coffee? " He offered as we sat together. I didn't want to be sitting there in the public with a fake smile plastered on my face but I couldn't just run away from everything because I was not feeling well. My dad was gone too after he checked that I was safe with Alpha Kai. if my parents at trusted this man then I was not at any risk from him. "Are you okay? You don't look comfortable enough. " He asked. I sipped my coffee, " It's nothing serious.
Aeryn's POV :I wanted to talk to him about his special treatment in the class but the teacher looked at me angrily, her eyes telling me to get away from the Alpha. I knew that she would never say something to the Alpha but she could only use her scary eyes on me. "Alpha Kai has been included in the team of the Alphas to keep the borders secure and the enemies away from the Pack house. " Mrs. Harrison told us and I realised I was sitting with one of the best warriors in the entire packs. He nodded his head, " I am still your student and would like to train more young wolves so that they can join the team. " Mrs. Harrison was overjoyed and enthusiastically opened one of the thickest books I had ever seen. She flipped through pages after a while pages and finally settled on one of the main chapters. She fixed her glasses and licked her lips before starting the lesson. "In a small town nestled among the hills, there was a visionary human teacher named Mrs. Johnson. " She said, " She
Aeryn's POV :I woke up at 5 AM precisely and took a shower. After getting dressed in a simple crop top and Jean I decided to put my hair in a high ponytail. By the time I was ready to go, it was already 7 AM and Emerald was waiting for me outside my room. She had brought the map of all the packs with her and we found a quiet corner in the school Garden so that she could tell me more about the ranking. The school Gates were still closed and we had around 40 minutes before the time the classes would start. "The North Packs are all under Alpha Dominic and these one marked in red are also ruled by him but they are having some sort of revolution because most of the Alphas want slavery to be legal. And Alpha Dominic is against the cruelty. " She said, running her finger along the lines on the map. I nodded, " But I don't think anyone will support them because in no one wants this type of ill practice in the packs in these modern Times. " Emerald scoffed, " You have no idea about the Ri
Aeryn's POV: "What were you thinking, Aeryn? " My mom shouted at me. I kept my head low and my face burned with embarrassment as her blaming eyes looked right through my soul. It was better that she hadn't told anyone else about it. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have done that. " I muttered. She rubbed her forehead, " I mean what if someone had seen you. This would have created a havoc in the pack. Most of them don't even know you have a mate. " " But mom, I have a mate and you know that. How can I pretend that he doesn't exist? " She sighed and hugged me, " I know and I am sorry for being so rude and harsh with you. But, honey you need to understand that he is not a friend of our pack. That guy wants to ruin you just like his father... " She stopped from completing her statement and something changed in her eyes. She grew angry towards Dante more and shook her head to ignore whatever thoughts were crossing her mind at this moment. " What do you mean, mom? Can you tell me about the