The next few days passed by with them visiting other packs. During this period of time, Ashlyn's patience had been tested countless time before a new limit had been reached.As for Elaine, she had adjusted to the rough travelling. She tried to reduce her presence as much as possible in order to not provoke the already frustrated Ashlyn.But Elijah didn't share the same consideration as her.The man acted as though he made it his prime goal to rile Ashlyn up, trying to get her to explode. It amused him to see Ashlyn lose control.He pinched her cheeks, ruffled her hair, and even suddenly kissed her at various spot. That was the least of the annoying things he did.And Ashlyn remained helpless against his moves.However, to her horror, thinking how they will be going back to the pack soon caused her to feel emptiness. She had a feeling she would be missing these days.This made her bump her head against the steering wheel, trying to convince herself it was wrong to think in that directi
The car broke down in the middle of the town. Ashlyn tried to fix it only to make more mess out of the vehicle's system. Even Elijah wasn't able to set it right.And she knew that this will end up in her book of debts.At this point, she didn't care about how much she owed, knowing the amount was mountain high. It's not like she will be able to pay it off ever with the rate debt was created.She was simply being realistic.As a result, they standing in the middle of empty road at three in night. There was not a soul in sight, and eerie silence surrounded them. Occasionally, howls and barks can be heard, accompanied by the cries of cats. The cool wind blew, moving their hair along.The street lights stuttered, and brightness emitted barely lit up the surroundings. But due to their sharp senses, this didn't prove to be an issue for the werewolves."It's too late. Let's rest at a hotel," suggested Elijah.Ashlyn showed no resistance this time around.For the entire week, she had been mo
Ashlyn got down the stairs and spotted Elijah standing at the hotel lobby. She approached him."Where is Elaine?" she questioned."She is out. We can catch up to her on the way."She nodded about to walk forward when he held on to her hand, intertwining their fingers next, and maintained his pace with hers.Her eyes fell on their hands. Contentment settled in her chest before she moved away her gaze.Silence was between both of them as they walked out of the hotel. This area was desolate and not many werewolves hung around this area. It was still undergoing construction in order to make it a more habitable place.Ashlyn's eyes narrowed when she noticed the hostile figures surrounding them from all sides, leaving no space for them to walk away.Her gaze swept over them, trying to coun the number of rogue werewolves. There should be more than ten of them. All of them stared at them ferociously. Their mouths were open, their sharp fangs being shown as a result. They were ready to pounce
Petrichor... cedarwood and citrus...Familiar scent brought her to her consciousness.She felt sore all over her being.Groan left her mouth. She tore her eyes open. Her nostrils were invaded by the strong smell of disinfectants, inadvertently scrunching her nose as a result.Her eyebrows furrowed.Her gaze roamed over the room. Recognition sunk into her. She was in the infirmary. Distaste immediately showed on her countenance next.Gathering the strength in her body, she sat up on the bed. The extent of her injuries must have been grave, seeing how she was yet to recover completely.But that didn't stop her from pulling away the needle from her hand, stopping the flow of the liquid through the IV drip into her body.A small droplet of blood popped up on her skin, but the skin quickly closed off, not allowing more blood to follow.She got up.In the beginning, her legs trembled due to instability, and she felt lightheaded. But the sensation wore off soon.Then, the door opened, and Le
"They are not here," she muttered, a little perplexed."What?" Leah asked."His clothes.""His? After what happened, would he dare to stay with you?" Leah's voice held contempt.That reminded her how Leah spoke out how everyone was doing during this period of time but left out details about Elijah."What happened?" Ashlyn asked solemnly.Leah looked hesitant, but Ashlyn's narrowed gaze intimidated her to respond, "Fine, fine, I will tell you. After you were brought into the pack, your situation was dire, and then, you were rescued from danger.He then confessed about the tracker, and it was his fault for weakening you. The Alpha got mad, like really mad. It was frightening. He got punished by the Alpha then.He was locked in the dungeon for five days, and I don't know what happened to him inside there. But when he came out, his state was bad. The Alpha did quite a number on him."Hearing to this made Ashlyn's eyes widen for a second before she fell into deep thought out of confusion.
Ever since then, she had been treated by Elijah like a mere subordinate. No longer did he stare at her affectionately neither talk to her flirtatiously. It was only strictly business between them.However, the atmosphere wasn't like before either. There was tension between them, left behind by unsaid words and unresolved misunderstandings.Because of that, Ashlyn couldn't provoke and mock Elijah like before. She was afraid of staying in his presence longer than needed and maintained distance.Although it was her idea the entire time for them to separate, hearing those words from him really felt as though she had been betrayed.She had no right to feel in this manner.But she knew in her twisted mind that regardless of how much she pushed him and showed him opposition, she wished for him to chase after her, hold her tightly, and love her.She steeled her heart, repeating in her head how that was impossible. It only made her presence more gloomy and suffocating.The other werewolves sta
"A fling?"The petrichor and notes of cedarwood and citrus that followed after the familiar masculine voice made her stiffen. Even though he sounded indifferent, she could sense the disgruntlement.It invoked instant guilt in her before she brushed it away, believing she shouldn't feel in this manner.It should be none of Elijah's business if there was anything going on between Samuel and her. He had made it clear to her he wanted nothing to do with her.And she was unanimous with him."Beta," James enunciated. His eyes widened, recalling how Ashlyn and Elijah were mates down.Anxiousness filled his eyes as he slightly bowed his head. He then timidly said, "I am sorry, Beta. I was just joking around with the Commander. It was inappropriate of me to—"Before he was able to carry on further, Ashlyn raised her hand, indicating for him to be quiet. That's what he did.He took a step back in order to give both of them space."Is there anything you needed, Beta?" Ashlyn questioned, arching
Whether the alcohol was too potent or her sullen mood, Ashlyn found herself becoming drunk. She was in a daze as she walked through the empty streets. Her body swayed.She had no clue how many bottles of drinks she had finished up until now, but she was sure this wasn't enough.Why can't she erase the thoughts of that cruel man from her mind?How long will she be tormented?Hasn't she endured enough?Her senses were sort of dulled, and as a result, her reactions were slowed. That's why, she failed to notice the presence sneaking up on her from the back.The next instant a claws pierced through her back, bringing about a burning pain. Ashlyn was caught off guard by the sudden attack.But before it could turn fatal for her, she reacted in time and grabbed on to the hand before pulling out the claws. She kicked the growling rogue down and snapped the rogue's neck softly following that, taking away his life.After that, Ashlyn gasped and leaned against the wall. She tried to catch her bre
Although the state of the pack was devastating, they were holding off better than what they had originally anticipated. The casualties suffered on their side were much less.After Ashlyn killed another one of the pack's leader, she tried to mind-link Samuel, deeply hoping that nothing had happened to him. However, she wasn't able to get connected to him.There were no signs of him around here according to the pack warriors.Also she hadn't heard anything from her brother as well.Elijah had dealt with a fair share of werewolves as well. He looked exhausted as he took the moment to catch his breath."Matthew should be where the Alpha went," Elijah expressed.Ashlyn nodded."There isn't nothing much to do here other than the cleaning up. That's why, I will go and look for the Alpha," Elijah expressed."Do that then."Elijah patted on her head before disappearing.°°°Sebastian held his mate in his hand protectively. Her breathing was weak, and she was unconscious. She was covered in wou
When Samuel learned that they were going to attack the pack tomorrow, he was beyond shocked and sent into panic. He thought that at least they would take a week or so more.They explained the plan to them, and all the pack members were under their mind control. All of them were stimulated enough with drugs to stay awake for at least a week straight, and the dosage will be increased during the fight in order to unlock their full potential.In order to not seem entirely suspicious, Samuel took the drug a couple of times, and he could feel how powerful it was. It took all of his will to not let himself be controlled by the drug. There were times he felt he was out of his senses, but his willpower was strong enough to allow him to maintain his consciousness. The way it provided him energy, he could understand how draining the drug will be on his body, and once he is totally hollowed out, there is nothing else other than death for him.Everyone was administered the drug for today, and Sam
Ashlyn and Elijah imprisoned Daniel and the other important members of the pack and questioned them about the information. At first, they had tight lips, but the threats from both Ashlyn and Elijah got them to open their mouths.Although their words were filled with lies, it was easy for Ashlyn and Elijah to recognize them. That infuriated Ashlyn further, and she took out her anger at them in the most brutal ways.Most of them were half dead and senseless by the time they extracted the information, and it could be seen that Matthew was conservative on how much information he shared with them.According to what Daniel knew, Matthew approached them and offered this cooperation. They had no choice but to agree because not only did Matthew threaten them, but also promised them glory and protection. They were helpless and had to agree.Half the time, Daniel called them tyrants for acting in this manner while on the other hand, he begged for forgiveness and wanted to be spared. Ashlyn had
When Daniel offered them to stay the night in the pack, Elijah and Ashlyn didn't refuse, believing that would allow them to inspect the pack more.Once the dinner was done, they were led to their rooms. Ashlyn and Elijah shared a room whereas Rose had hers. Both of them didn't care much about Rose being alone although the Alpha ordered them specifically to make sure that their Luna is fine.Ashlyn was too disgusted to face her and wasn't sure if she would be able to control her emotions. And it's not like anything would happen to her in this pack.In the dead of the night, Elijah and Ashlyn sneaked out and searched around the pack's vicinity, trying to find anything important. There was nothing much found.But they noticed the strict security system, which was odd given how the members in the pack lacked training and resources. And most of the pack members remained in their houses. There was a sort of gloominess present.Other than that, there wasn't much important clues, and they did
Three of them set off for the Dream Pack with Daniel the next day. The Dream Pack was situated pretty far from their pack, so it took them quite a while to reach.Once they reached the pack, they could see how the pack was noticeably smaller than other packs, and there wasn't much population as well. It seemed like a pretty inconspicuous pack, and it made sense why Matthew would choose this pack to hide at.They were warmly greeted inside. And as they were being led towards the pack house, Ashlyn looked around, trying to find any suspicious signs. However, everything appeared pretty normal.Most of the children showed fear towards Ashlyn, and they stayed away from her presence. It can be seen that her reputation had spread here.Once they were in the pack house, they were given meals, and after they rested for about half an hour, Elijah and Ashlyn asked the Alpha for a tour of the pack. They wanted to discuss some matters as well.At the same time, Elijah warned Rose: "Be here. Don't
"No matter how much I think about it, it doesn't make sense for the Alpha and you to agree along with cooperating with Dream Pack. There has to definitely be a reason behind it," Ashlyn commented, waiting outside of the Alpha's office with Elijah.Her brother, Sebastian, was having a talk inside with Daniel Waters. Seeing how long the conversation between them was going on, it genuinely made her wonder whether there was anything this worthy to chat about. Of course, Elijah was instructed to keep an eye on Ashlyn and keep her out in case she ran her mouth randomly and acted a little too disrespectfully. And no matter how curious Ashlyn was, she wasn't able to able to have a peek into their conversation.Elijah stared at her with amusement in his eyes."What makes you think that?" he questioned.She slapped on his arm and ordered, "Be honest or else I am going to be really upset.""When was I not being honest? You can't keep on falsely blaming me and ruining my reputation. I need a com
Ashlyn and Elijah stepped out of the room, leaving the rest of the troubles for Sebastian to deal with. Sebastian was calmer and more collected than them. He will be able to ease the situation well without being taken advantage of.Elijah bought two ice creams and handed over the chocolate flavored one to Ashlyn. Ripping open the cover of the ice-cream, she took a bite out of the cream, making Elijah almost cringe at the scene."How are you feeling? Have you calmed down?" Elijah asked."I don't know. I should have felt better if I managed to get a few lives on my hand. It's a pity," she commented.Elijah nodded, agreeing along with her statement."It's not too late to go back and end their lives if you feel like it. I can help you," Elijah offered.A slight smile appeared on Ashlyn's face."It's weird to have you on my side. It's the first time you didn't get mad at me for acting violently. Usually, wouldn't you call me short-tempered and rash?" Ashlyn said."Wasn't that because I was
Although the Alpha of the White Flame pack was frightened at Elijah's threat and could see that he very much meant to do it, he knew that he had to maintain his momentum. Knowing that almost everyone in this room was on his side gave him a boost of courage.No matter how powerful Elijah was, it's not like he could actually go against him here in front of everyone.He had to give him some face.Slapping his hand off the table, the Alpha tried to maintain his bearing and stood up straight, shouting, "How audacious! You are just a Beta! How dare you try to disrespect an Alpha? You should be punished for your actions."Elijah gave him a mocking chuckle."What a joke. Do you think there is any meaning to leading such a weak pack?" This caused the Alpha to be at a loss of words.Sebastian stepped in to rectify the situation and vocalized, "Elijah, that's it. Don't go too far."The other Alphas were about to gloat how even Sebastian had to put them into consideration when he added, "Ashlyn
The next day, emails were sent to the couple of the pack alphas. At first, they were all skeptical of the sudden message sent, and knowing how their email was only shared within a certain circle, they thought that the email should be of great importance and opened it.The title of the email attracted them as well.'If you want to save your pack.'Currently, all of their packs have been going through great turmoil, and they were desperate to keep both the pack and the pack members safe. Even if this could potentially turn out to be a prank, they didn't hesitate before clicking the email.What's the worst that can happen?The content of the email was well written.It started with how this was written on the behalf of the northern packs and stated how they were apologetic for the recent massacre that happened. Apparently, it wasn't in their intentions to bring them such troubles, and this was the result of their failure and helplessness.Although the mail was trying to express humbleness