Chapter 3
Kieran's POV
"Remind me again why I need to see a rogue?" I asked Caleb, my Beta, my voice sounding tired from being in a meeting all day combined with my Lycan’s restlessness.
“Because you're the Alpha and we need you to decide what to do with her."
"What's there to decide? She's a rogue. Did she talk?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not a word. Ryder suggested waiting for you. She was in a bad state when we brought her in.”
I nodded and followed him towards the dungeon. A rogue entering our land wasn't a new thing. But over the last few years after I became Alpha, their attack became less frequent and I wanted to keep it like that.
As a pack, we took pride in making sure that our members were safe at all times.
“Let's get this over with." I thought. Dealing with rogues was definitely my least favorite part of the day.
As I approached the cell, my Lycan grew even more restless. He began to jump and dance around my head in excitement.
"Mate, mate, mate!" he chanted, his voice a low, urgent whisper.
I froze, we didn't have a mate. “Calm down, King." I said to my Lycan. “Should I remind you what happened the last time we smelled her?"
I felt him roll his eyes, “it was one time. But this time around, I'm sure she's the one."
"What's going on? Is something wrong?” Caleb asked, noticing the sudden change in my countenance. I ignored him as I hastened my pace. But he followed closely behind me.
Over the years, I've accepted the fact that I didn't have a mate, having visited several packs to search for her to no avail. It could only mean that the moon goddess was punishing me for something I probably did.
“Mate! Mate needs us." King said, a sense of urgency in his tone which was rare. We always had things under control.
His tone did nothing to calm me. Instead, I felt a jolt of concern, my mind racing with possibilities. What had happened to our mate? Who had hurt her?
And then, I saw her.
She was sitting in the corner of the cell, her eyes fixed on the floor. She was barely clothed, with only a thin layer of underwear. Her arms wrapped around herself.
King let out a low, rumbling growl, his anger and concern evident. I felt a surge of protectiveness, my instincts screaming at me to defend my mate.
I took a step forward, my eyes locked on hers. She looked up, her gaze meeting mine, and I felt a jolt of recognition.
“Mate." Her wolf mumbled, sounding weak and my Lycan was ready to snap the neck of whoever put hands on her.
"Where the fuck are her clothes?” I growled, my voice coming out low and menacing. I struggled to keep my Lycan from coming out. The last thing I wanted in this situation was to scare my mate.
“They didn't know that–”
"Don't fuck with me, Beta." King snarled, forcing his way to the surface.
“I'll have them kept in the dungeon. You take care of her.” He said, showing his neck in submission. If he wasn't concerned about my mate, we would be addressing how he spoke to us. But he was right, no one but us should be looking at her.
I nodded and he left. I turned to face my mate, who had not moved an inch.
“She's cold, idiot." King said, snapping me out of my daze.
Even as tired as she looked, she was stunning. Her curly hair was put in a bun, giving me a clear view of face. She has piercing green eyes that reminds me of the forest…of home.
Taking off my shirt, I draped it around her and I felt her shiver lightly when my hand touched her skin. And fuck if she didn't look good in them.
She barely weighed anything when I carried her in my arms up the stairs. I had so many questions, but none of them mattered at the moment.
“What's your name?" I finally asked.
We were in my room, I laid her on the bed while I knelt beside her. I already mind-linked the pack doctor to meet us here and also for the head cook to make something for her.
“Kaia." She replied, not taking her eyes off me. That pleased, she was my equal and would be treated as one.
“My name is Kieran Blackwell, but you can call me Kieran."
“What is this? A job interview? You should let me take charge now, you're embarrassing us." King mocked.
“Shut up."
I gave up on ever finding a mate the moment I turned twenty-one and that was a year ago. I focused on my duty as an Alpha and the only people I had to deal with were the elders and other Alphas. And she looks so fragile.
“I’ve asked the pack’s doctor to come take a look at you. Is there anything you need before he gets here?” She shook her head.
Nodding softly, I made my way to my wardrobe to pick a shirt for myself since I gave her mine.
“She is looking at that! Let me out!" King growled, but I blocked him out. Not before a pleased look appeared on my face.
"Did she like what she was seeing?”
It didn't take long for the doctor to arrive with Caleb and Ryder coming in after him.
The doctor got to work, checking for any sign of external injury and everything else that needed to be checked. She was a little underweight and apart from the visible bruise on her wrist and a few scratches, there was nothing several nights of rest wouldn't fix.
It was difficult knowing what actually happened because she wouldn't respond to any question. King was pacing around in my head, desperate to be let out.
She soon fell asleep after taking a few spoons of the food that was prepared for her.
“Did you find out anything about her?" I asked.
"Nothing yet, but we'll keep digging.” Caleb assured me.
“And we have those men in the dungeon, do you want to see them now?" Ryder asked. My head turned to Kaia, who was sleeping soundly.
“I'll take care of that later."
I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I had a mate who was sleeping in my bed. They both left with plans to come back later.
Kaia…even her name sounds perfect, slept for more than half of the day only waking up for water. Within that time, king and I came up with multiple scenarios that might have led her to become a rogue.
I blocked out everyone trying to mind-link me…mainly my mom. I was certain my Gamma, Ryder had spoken to her. But that was an issue for later.
“You're up. How do you feel?" I asked, when my mate finally woke up.
"I'm okay.”
King was right, I was embarrassing.
"You know who I am right?" I asked again, breaking the silence that filled the room. Her wolf did recognize us but I've barely felt her since then.
She looked away.
“I'm your mate." I told her as softly as I could, with a smile on my face. I wanted to be sure she had an idea what that meant. But her next sentence confirmed that she knew exactly what I was talking about.
“Since you're going to reject me, just do it already.”
This time, I couldn't stop King from taking over.
Chapter 4 Kaia's POV As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted it. His piercing blue eyes were nowhere to be found, instead his wolf forced its way to the surface. I curled myself on the bed, bracing for rejection. For Kieran to tell me that I was right, that he didn't want me as his mate. Instead he moved away from me and out of the door. His footsteps faded down the hallway and I felt a pang of uncertainty. “Why did I have to say anything?" I thought. "Was I going back to the dungeon?” I asked myself since my wolf decided to play hide and seek with me. Since I heard her in the dungeon, I've been trying to call out to her but there was no response and it was killing me. "Why is my life such a tragic story?” I thought. First, I lost the only person who cared about me and then my father married a woman whose son hated my very existence but was also the reason I escaped from my mate who threw me in the dungeon. And now, another Alpha was claiming me as his mate
Kaia's pov "No, no no." My words played in my head again and again as I stared at him, my heart racing. “Did he just…?" "Yes, yes he did!" My wolf danced in excitement in my head, but I was pale with shock, my lips part in surprise. "Why?" I asked, my eyes finally drifted to meet with his blue ones, and my throat felt like there was a huge lump in there. He wore a puzzled look, “Why what?” He asked. He inched closer, and my heart stopped. Maybe he was joking, maybe this was a plan to make me look stupid like Aiden did. “Are you accepting me now so you can reject me later or you just want me close enough because your Lycan needs his mate?” I snapped before I could stop myself. And I have been doing a lot of it lately. Kaieran's eyes squinted a little before returning to their normal size, and creased lines appeared on his forehead. “Of course not, Kaia." My name rolled off his lips softly. “I'm accepting you because you are my mate, the only one who will complete me. Wh
Chapter 6Kieran’s POV “How can someone be so effortlessly beautiful?" I wondered, “all she did was stand and I lost my ability to make a complete sentence without making myself look like an idiot." "With a face and body like that, whoever rejected her is the real idiot.” King's words echoed in my mind and I couldn't help but agree. Whoever he was, did us a favour. But I hated that she had to go through so much pain to become ours. A picture of the bruises on her body crossed my mind and a growl left my lips. “Whoever did that to her was going to pay." My thoughts were interrupted when I got to my chambers where Caleb and Ryder were waiting for me. Their heads snapped to me, confusion written on their faces since it has only been a few minutes since I left. "Alpha, do you need something?” Caleb asked, his brows furrowed. I shook my head and sat on the chair opposite him. The only person who could give me what I wanted was in my room and still isn't sure if she wo
Kaia's POV I groaned, slowly opening my eyes. However, my heart skipped a beat when I noticed Kieran sitting on the bed beside me with his eyes fixed on me. "What the fuck is he doing here?!" I screamed inwardly, trying to steady my breath. He was staring at me, but in a moment, he spoke. "Good morning," his gentle voice rang, and my wolf purred. “I can't believe that even now she was turned on." but I lowered my head, and remained concerned about why he was seated there. "He probably spent the night here. Can't you smell his scent all over the room?" My wolf spoke, but I remained quiet, trying to steady my breath. "He greeted you, don't just stay silent, say something!" My wolf urged, and I instantly shut her up."Stop being pushy!" She kept quiet just as I had told her, and I heaved before raising my eyes to meet his gaze. "G-good morning." Somehow, my response seemed to light him up because he smiled, but it didn't really matter, so I tried to lower my head when
Kaia's POV Dani's energy was unmatched. We ran into a few people…literally and when they complained, she glared at them like it was their fault. As we stepped into the Mall's spacious interior, it felt like we were in a different dimension. People moving around with different agendas. Everyone was talking about on the top of their voice making everywhere a bit noisy but at the same time, peaceful. “We're going to start with dresses and I know just the perfect store." Dani said. I heard Kieran’s voice before I could respond, “hey." He called softly. "Get as many things as you want, okay?” He continued when I turned back. I managed to nod before Dani pulled me away. “With a body like yours, I'm going to enjoy dressing you up.” "I don't…I don't think so." All I heard about my body was how fat I was and how men were going to find me unattractive. And now, in less than a day of knowing me, she'd complimented me more than anyone close to me. “This is going to be perfe
Chapter 9Kaia's POV For a moment, Kieran's entire body froze as my hands came around him, but he soon snapped out of it as he held me closer. I had been so scared that he was going to do something to me. And couldn't be more grateful that Kieran showed up when he did. My chest was beating really fast, like I'd just finished a marathon race. “I'm so sorry, Bella.” Kieran whispered, his breath warm against my ear. His hand tightened around me and I felt a lump form in my throat. I shook my head softly, “it's not your fault.” I told him, my voice barely above a whisper. "I shouldn't have left you by yourself, I'm sorry.” he apologized again. I was going to tell him not to apologize for something he has no control over, but my wolf’s voice stopped me. “He's already beating himself up for not being by your side and King is threatening to cut the man into pieces. You should try to calm him down.” She advised before retreating to the back of my mind. I let go of him s
Chapter 10 Kaia's POV A man about Kieran's height entered the room, his hair was packed in a bun and he had a smile that could light up the world. His brown eyes stayed on me for a few minutes before Dani snapped him out of it. “Keep looking at her and soon, you'll be missing them." She warned. “And it'll be worth it." He said, before walking towards me and stretching his hand, “my name is Ryder, Luna." He introduced himself. At this point, I doubt asking them to stop calling me that would make any difference, so I've accepted that. “Kaia." I told him, taking his hand. “We are going to be good friends, Luna. I have so many stories to tell you about the Alpha, but only if you promise to save my head later." This brought a smile to my face, “I can't promise you that." I found myself saying. “I'll do it anyway." He said, a large grin on his face. "I really shouldn't be here.” Dani groaned, if anything, making me more curious about him, his life before I came her
Kieran's POV The day has been so stressful, but looking at how much Kaia enjoyed herself, the smile on her face, it was definitely worth it. Although King and I still felt angry thinking about the man who almost made her cry but he was human, and there was nothing we could do about it that wouldn't expose our identity to their world. “He shouldn't be alive right now.” Ryder growled, equally angry when I told them what happened. "That'll risk exposing us. I'll gather details about him. I'll let you know when I find something.” Caleb offered and I nodded, trusting his discretion. It was only normal for them to want to protect her and they would do so whatever the cost. Apart from the position they hold in the pack, they were the only ones I could trust to take care of her. “She's really beautiful, Alpha. It's only a matter of time before she opens up to you." Ryder said, “she did seem interested when I was telling her everything about you…” King growled, "what did
Chapter 136Kaia's POV The answer was very hard.. by the time she was done talking, with me still standing a few feets away, I came to the conclusion that she was definitely making things up. There was no way I could've healed someone at the age of six and even if I did, why didn't I heal my mom? “Because she was already dead." Lylah said. “I know it sounds made up, but I couldn't leave you in the care of your father." She started again, “if he knew about your ability, he would take advantage of it, putting your life at a risk.” "My mom would've believed you.” She shook her head, "she didn't want to listen to anything I had to say that involved you.” She said, but that didn't sound like my mom but she wasn't here to defend herself. “The thing with your Dad wasn't supposed to be anything, I was just going to get information about you from him…” I snorted, "you fell in love.” I said with so much disgust in my tone. A smile that didn't reach her eyes appeare
Chapter 135Kaia's POV Since the attack, I'd focused more on taking care of the children with the girls and also picking out the designs I wanted for the new home we were building. Kieran said he had it in mind to build a home when he found his mate and there was no better time to do that than now when we were expecting our first child. The girls have also been a great help, taking my mind off everything for a few hours. Katherine was still around but she wasn't staying in the Pack house. And Kieran made sure she was avoiding me as much as possible. Even Dylan wasn't left behind. Although they assured me it was nothing, I could tell something else was going but it was probably in my best interest to not know. “I think it's time Caleb and I take having our own pup seriously." Dani said, “you're glowing and I want that for myself too." She cooed. “Do you think it's a bad idea if Ryder and I start trying?" Allie asked and two pairs of eyes snapped to her. The relationshi
Chapter 134Kieran's POV Kaia was still finding it hard coming to terms with the fact that the woman she knew all her life, who she mourned after her death wasn't her real mother and I couldn't blame her…no one could. Even though she argued that that was the only mother she had, it was obvious from her eyes how much she wanted to know about her birth parents. And looking for information without knowing where to start from was harder than it looked. The witch Katherine spoke about was delayed and that was the only clue we had. The records about the prophecy was something the Elders kept and bringing them into it when we weren't certain about anything was like a ticking bomb waiting to explode. For some reason, they held their peace about Kaia's position but I didn't put it past them to blow things out of proportion. “But we need answers!" King reminded me. “We do, but we also need to make sure our mate can handle whatever comes with it." He nodded, just as the door
Chapter 133 Aiden's POV Dylan was fucking with me! He was pushing me to the wall. Sleeping in the dungeon for what he did, was the best punishment he could ask for, but that seemed to only fuel his motivation to disobey me after I clearly gave an order. “Do you want us to bring him back?" Derek, my Gamma asked, his eyes fixed on me as he waited for my instruction. I shook my head. Unlike the last time when he disappeared without a trace, his whereabouts now wasn't a secret. The thought that he might be carrying out the end of the deal crossed my mind, where he would give me all the information I needed. But that didn't seem like the Dylan I grew up with. His new found relationship with Kaia was amusing. Before now, he didn't hide how much he hated his mom moving on and marrying her dad. But now, he was acting like a saint. “Alpha," one of my warriors called through the mindlink, the urgency in his voice jerking me out of my thoughts and back to the present. “Wh
Chapter 132 Felix’s POV “They knew we were coming…they fucking knew we were coming!” I growled. I had been so certain Kieran wasn't in the Pack when we got there, but when he showed up halfway, it confirmed the fact that he knew something was up. Instead of catching them by surprise, it was the other way around but there was no way I was going to give up. We were already there and she was going to come back with me no matter what. “We lost a lot of men, Boss." My second in command, who was nursing a bruise of his own said. “No doubt they were expecting us. Do you think we have a mole among us?" He asked. A mole? My men knew better than to betray me. And if by mistake there was, they had better die in the fight because by the time I was done with them, they'd be praying for death. For a few seconds, the thought of Nessa going behind me crossed my mind but that girl hated them more than I did, so I pushed the thoughts away. Another thing that made this mission unsuccessful,
Chapter 131Kaia's POV Kieran shifted uncomfortably as she came closer and with each step that she took, I tried to make myself smaller into the chair but that did nothing to ease the dread I felt just looking at the woman who singularly made my life miserable. Lylah was also pacing around in my head. “Why would Kieran bring her here?" She asked me. The look on the guys face told me they knew about her being here. I felt Kieran reach for my hand but I pulled it away, betrayed that knowing fully well what she did to me, he still let her into the Pack. “It’s not what you think, Bella.” He said through our mindlink. I snorted, standing up. “You have an explanation for why this woman is here? Beautiful!” I exclaimed and without waiting for whatever his explanation was going to be, I stormed out of the room. "Bella–" But I was already gone, storming past Katherine, Dylan's mom as I went. Kieran's footsteps were behind me. “Come on Bella, listen to me.” He called, as h
Chapter 130 Kaia's POV “Let me get this straight," I began, my eyes darting to Dylan on the bed and back to the siblings, who just told me what has to be the most insane tale I've heard in all of my existence and as weird as it sounded, the proof was right in front of me. “I have the ability to form a shield if I'm in danger?" I asked, and the siblings nodded. “It was so cool…shocking and confusing at first, but you kinda get used to it.” Allie said, smiling widely. I turned to Kieran because for someone who was thrown against the wall just the previous day, she was sounding way too cheerful for my confused self, who was trying to make sense of everything they told me. Apparently, seeing Dylan get hurt somehow triggered my protective side which caused me to release the shield. And it wasn't just any shield, as the moment it came upon them, it began to heal them as well, which was one of reasons Dylan was alive. "Do you think the moon goddess is using me as an experime
Chapter 129 Kaia's POV I woke up with a start, causing my head to start aching me with how fast I stood up. But Kieran was by my side in an instant, holding me up and helping me sit properly. The first thing that came to mind was the fact that I was in a different room and it looked familiar…Allie's room. The incident that led to me fainting came rushing back and fear gripped me, hoping it was some sort of nightmare and that it didn't really happen. “Dylan…where's Dylan?” I asked, moving to stand up from the bed, ignoring the pain that shot through me. "He cannot die…he was trying to save me." I cried. “Bella," Kieran called, trying to hold me in place but I pushed his hand away and hurt flashed through his eyes, “Take me to Dylan, I can heal him." I sobbed. I could feel Lylah's presence, although she wasn't saying anything. “Why were both of them not answering me? Did he really die?” My entire body felt weak I wasn't sure if the moon goddess was to blame in this
Chapter 128 Kieran's POV We arrived at the Pack a few hours later…about five or six hours. The warriors on patrol didn't hesitate to let us in once they saw who it was and we went straight to Dylan's house, with the aid of one of the warriors since we had no idea where he lived. Pack members quickly surrounded us the moment the car stopped and it took all the self control I had and repeated reminders about why we were here from King for me to not turn back and teach them one or two lessons for the hell they put Kaia through. “Alpha." The woman, who I guessed was Dylan's mom, greeted, bowing her head. I could see the slight resemblance between herself and Dylan…their eyes. If she was surprised by my presence, she was doing a great job hiding it as she opened the door widely to let me in. “Can I get you something to drink, Alpha?” "Let's cut out the drama, shall we?” I started, not in the mood for any pleasantries. "You know why I'm here, so let's get to it." Bei