Aella woke suddenly and opened her eyes. For a moment she looked around, realising after a few seconds that she was on a regular bed. She'd been so used to sleeping on the hard ground that she still wasn't used to sleeping on beds, especially one this soft.She turned to the other side and snuggled into the pillows, smiling and drawing the covers tightly around her, but the alarms had other plans. Before she could go back to sleep a loud horn startled her and she opened her eyes in shock, cursing the horn and whoever was blowing it. She grudgingly tossed and turned on the bed as the alarm continued to reverberate around the pack house."Oh, fuck it!" She cursed again and sat up, rubbing her eyes and grumbling. She squinted at the clock beside her bed and saw that it read five am. She was used to waking up and sleeping whenever she pleased, and having a set time for waking was so not her thing. She would never get used to this.She threw aside the covers and slipped her feet into the s
The kitchen was silent save for the steady hum of the fridge. Aella sat on one of the kitchen stools with her head leaning against the wall and her eyes closed. She was tired to the bone; she had been working tirelessly since the start of the day with little to no rest and food.It had been one week since she was found unconscious at the pack's border, one week since she had been dragged from the numbing snow. It felt like ages, she thought. She'd been running from enemies, thinking she would be running towards a new and better life, only to end up as a scullery maid to a pompous alpha who was supposed to be her mate.Well. look on the bright side. Her wolf spoke up. At least we'll get to see more of our mates.Aella scowled in disgust and opened her eyes. "He might be my mate, but he has shown me that he's just as cruel as any other man I've ever met. You wouldn't expect his mate to be working in the kitchens, would you?"She shook her head in disbelief as she stared down at her maid
Aella was jarred from her fitful sleep by the sound of her alarm. She opened her eyes suddenly and stopped the alarm, then jumped up from the bed, feeling more energetic than she had ever been in a long time. Finally, she would be free from this place. Today was the day she would run and never look back.She walked to her adjoining bathroom while humming a tune under her breath. She stripped and brushed her teeth, then proceeded to take the most refreshing bath she had ever taken. She lathered her naked body with lavender soap, thinking all the while that her life was about to turn around for the better. Everything felt so much brighter and more fortuitous.After bathing, she dried her body with a towel and slipped on one of the billowy white gowns, then as an afterthought, packed her hair into a loose ponytail. Today she was willing to try new things.She quickly laid the bed and arranged the covers so it would look like she woke with every other maid for the daily chores. She then p
Aella's heart hammered in her chest as she saw the alpha. He was standing behind her with his hands in his pockets. Obviously, he must have seen her naked too. She quickly drew the blanket securely around herself and stood rooted to the spot. He walked closer to her, his eyes roaming her body, and his mouth lifted in a smirk.She imagined living her hand and giving him a slap across the face, seeing the smirk melt into shock and pain. She was so full of rage that she imagined hitting him so hard that he felt the pain that she was feeling too. Oh, how she wished."Did you really think you could run away from me?" Logan asked. She backed away as he walked towards her, giving him all the hatred, she could muster from one stare.Aella could not believe that all her efforts at running away had been wasted. She could not imagine that she would be dragged back to that prison of a pack by this man. She could feel all the hope in her heart shrivel up and die as she watched the smirk on Logan's
Logan quickly caught the white wolf before she fell to the ground. He lowered her gently and sat down on the ground, cradling her in his arms. He hadn't really wanted to hit her but she had tested his patience. His wolfish anger had overridden any affection for her at that moment. Sometimes, she had to be shut up like that.She was a really beautiful woman, he noticed. She looked much more peaceful like this without all the stubborn features etched into her face. Her tightly curled black hair surrounded her face like a perfect frame, making her look much gentler and childlike. The Goddess' had blessed him with a stunning mate.His eyes roamed her face, taking in her almost angelic expression. Her eyes, usually big and glaring, were closed peacefully, tiny web-like veins showing in the eyelids. Her nose usually turned up in a haughty expression looked small and pert.His eyes moved from her nose to her mouth and he found himself reacting to the sight of those lush, full lips. They were
The sound of birds chirping awoke Aella. She kept her eyes shut, smiling as she listened to the sounds of the birds. The sunlight that slanted over her eyelids made her think of the sunshine in the forest. She imagined she was on the forest bed, far away from Logan and his pack. I'm finally free from him, she thought.But when she turned over on the bed, what greeted her wasn't the rough hard ground of the woods but a strange softness. She opened her eyes abruptly and winced at the glare of the sunlight. Looking around, she realized that she wasn't in the forest but on a bed. All her imaginations about being in the woods were fake. Suddenly all the events that had happened to her came rushing back. She remembered how the alpha had caught up with her and tried to take her back, how she had deceived the alpha and tried to escape and how he had grabbed her hands. She remembered their fist fight too. Her hands still ached from the fight.Aella whimpered with tears as she realized that she
Logan's POVThe alpha stepped into the meeting room, where his beta and gamma, alongside all the head wolves, were sitting around a long table and waiting."Good morning, gentlemen. Apologies for my lateness."The men all stood up in greeting the Alpha. He walked over to the table and sat down, and all the wolves followed suit."We're happy to have you here, alpha." Aidan his gamma spoke up. "We were just discussing about the recent happenings in and around the pack's borders.""That is the main reason I called this meeting. We need to put a final stop to these killings of our subjects.""So, what do you suggest, Alpha?" Casper his beta asked."I suggest..." Logan paused and looked around the table. He knew that what he was about to suggest would cause a bit of uproar among the men."I suggest that we prepare for battle and go out to fight those wolves instead of waiting here and doing nothing as they slowly kill us.""But alpha, our numbers are largely depleted and we don't have the
"Aella, leave my hand please." Logan demanded. That single point of contact made him want to grab her and kiss her, hard. "Please, or I'll do something we'll both regret."Aella was mildly surprised at the alpha's begging as she had never seen him plead for anything since she met him. She released his hand and the alpha walked to the bathroom and shut the door, leaving her alone in the room.Immediately Logan shut the door of the bathroom, he walked to the bathroom sink and splashed water over his face in order to calm his nerves. Damn, he was so hard for her. Bringing her to his room was a terrible idea. But then, that was the only way he would be able to keep a watchful eye on her.She was so desirable, he thought. She looked like she was specifically sculpted for him. Her large brown eyes looked like they were made only to look at him in admiration. Her lips that were now going back to their red colour after being out of the cold, was full and plump, made for him to kiss alone. And
Everything was peaceful again.Logan stood at the border that separated his pack from bare land. He slowly looked around, taking in the scene of the battle that had happened so many months ago now. The sight was still as vivid as though it had happened just yesterday. He could still see the Rogue King and all his numbers standing mere meters from where he stood, the sounds of clashing metal and yelling men, so familiar and neverforgotten, the scent too, of blood and fear and adrenaline. Everything still looked and smelled and sounded the same, yet so much had changed since then.He sighed and looked up into the sky, raking his hand through his ponytail. It was almost springtime already; the whole forest reminded him of the change in season. The tree trunks dappled in the morning light and the shadow of the leaves on his face. Some of the trees were already bringing out leaves and flowers. The air smelled of over-ripe berries, fading blossoms, and a thousand or more flowers dazing hi
Logan screamed, and several things happened at once."Attack!" Casper yelled, and the whole of Logan's warriors roared and raced toward the Rogue King and his army. The rogue army equally chanted in a loud voice and beat their weapons against their shield, then ran at the oncoming warriors.Both armies met in the middle of the grassy land. The sound of their collision was terrible and harsh to the ears: the screeching of iron on iron as shields met, the barking and snarling of the frontline wolves as they tore at each other, the painful yells of dozens of Lycan warriors as they were stabbed or speared or torn apart to death.The bodies of Logan's gamma and the spy from the rogue pack were lost in the commotion. Logan barely had time to access the situation of the battle or go after the Rogue King. He had eyes only for his mate. He spotted her in the middle of the stampede, lying on the floor as her life seeped out of her body.He ran towards her after she slipped to the ground before
Logan dismounted from his stallion and walked forward to the edge of the border in preparation to meet the Rogue King. Every angle of his face was set in determination as he looked forward, the spring air caressing his regal face.Then suddenly, he spotted a speck of black coming forward from about a mile forward. The whole army behind him was so silent that the alpha could hear his beta breathing lightly beside him.Casper looked at his alpha. “Logan—” he said, then broke off, stiffening all over. A moment later Logan heard it too—a heavy, rhythmic pounding, and laid over that, a sound like several bonfires crackling. The speck grew and elongated little by little until it was a line of army, running towards Logan and his pack. It took the alpha several long moments to understand the noise.“The Rogue Army.” Casper whispered. Following his gaze, he saw them, coming closer and closer like a spreading shadow, the Rogue Wolf pack in all their numbers. There must have been hundreds of th
Logan had been waiting for a long time.He was standing in the part of the woods that faced the border, with a hundred and fifty well-armed warriors. The whole forest was silent and tense, almost as though all the animals were joining in the wait for the arrival of the Rogue King.He had sent Casper ahead with a couple of other warriors to scan the land ahead and send word when they noticed the arrival of the Rogue King. He had told his beta to wave a red flag when coming to indicate that battle was near. So far it had been four hours since he sent Casper out, and he was feeling as harried and on edge as a father expecting his newborn child.He was seated on a white stallion, bred specially for the use of alphas in the pack. His hair was packed up in a man bun and he was dressed in black fighting gear. He had smeared black paint across both of his cheeks, as well as all the other warriors that stood behind him. He raised a hand and pulled at the tight material on his neck uncomfortabl
Aella's dreams made no senseFirst, she was in the foyer of the pack house in Logan's pack, walking down the makeshift aisle that was meant for Louve. She looked sideways at the crowd of well-wishers and instead of the faces of Logan's pack members, she saw grins and sneers from the members of the Rogue Pack. She looked down and instead of a white dress, she was putting on a black one: lacy and tattered, like a Bride of Death. Someone was leading her by the arm, and when she looked up, she saw that it was her dad.Impossible, she had time to think before they got to the makeshift altar, where the Wolf Priest was waiting for the both of them. She heard low chants from the members of the Rogue Pack behind her but she paid little heed. All her attention was focused on her groom who was standing with his back to her, looking very much like Logan. Maybe this dream isn't so bad after all, she thought. But when the groom turned to her, she was staring not at Logan but at the face of the Rogu
Logan and his gamma walked back to the pack house in relative silence. Several thoughts kept running through the alpha's mind. At least now, Aella's name would be cleared, albeit not completely. She would still be seen as a rogue wolf that was sent to spy on them, and the only reason Jesse was assigned the position of a spy in the pack was that Aella had failed at it by getting herself mated to him.Jesse was the last person he had expected to be the spy though. He stole a sideways look at the man as he dragged him forward by the collar. He was one of those silent, sidelines people, those you'd never know they were there until they spoke. Logan had seen a lot of himself in the man and had admired his knack for staying level-headed even in very tough situations. That was the very reason why he had made Jesse his Gamma.Logan's mind flashed back to when they had been younger. While Casper had been his best friend, Jesse had been that boy that sort of tagged along anytime they went on th
Staring at Logan was the familiar face of Jesse, his Gamma."What the hell are you doing here? And hooded too?" Logan asked. There was a nagging, almost uncomfortable feeling about this situation, but he tried to push it off. Jesse's deep blue, almost black eyes that stared up into his were wide and full of everything suspicious. His eyes kept looking behind Logan's back as though he was expecting someone else to show up."Can you get off me, alpha?" Jesse said, squirming uncomfortably. Logan stood up with a grunt and even stretched out a hand to the man, who took it and stood up from the forest floor, dusting his clothes.Everything about this screamed suspicion, but Logan paid no heed to it. He wanted to trust his gamma beyond any reasonable doubt, but the man kept giving him every reason to doubt him. The hands that dusted his clothes were shaky; only someone who felt guilty about something would fidget so much. And the clothes—Logan hadn't noticed them before—he had a black turtle
The flashlight in Logan's hand illuminated several meters of the cave stone, upon which hundreds of intricate drawings had been scrawled. Logan quickly closed his mouth as it had been hanging open in shock, and moved further inside the cave.The sight that met his eyes was unbelievable. He truly had never seen them before. It wasn't really the fact that they were unique that intrigued Logan so much, but the fact that this cavehad stood right in the middle of his pack's borders and he hadn't noticed it, not once.Granted, the cave was hidden in the side of the mountain, but not once had a wolf from his pack ever stumbled upon the cave entrance. It was baffling and confusing to Logan.Wow. This was so not what I was expecting, his inner wolf said in amazement.He raised the flashlight high and looked around. The wall to his immediate right had more inscriptions than drawings. Logan moved closer to the smooth cave wall, trying to decipher the writings. The writings had been made with a p
After their short meeting, the three of them walked out of the study. Logan's spirit was much lifted after talking to his two best friends. His mind was still full of worry about Aella and how she was doing, but he was also happy that he seemed to be making progress on one thing at least.He remembered something that his father had once told him, that the fastest way to forget about something painful was to drown that pain in work. He had been extremely sad about Aella's kidnapping and had worried for her safety, but at least he had been able to do some work with his beta and cousin and make headway in the process. It had drowned his worries about his mate for a few precious minutes.But now thoughts of Aella had returned and had started haunting him again. He felt as though he would lose it if he didn't find a way to clear his head.Logan escorted Casper and Louve to the door of the dining room, where they were to have dinner. Louve turned to her cousin. "Come and eat dinner with us.