With his feet running meaninglessly, Rune could not bring himself to think straight for many seconds. When he ended up at the spot where he just watched Rose get sucked into a light, he fell to his knees because the intensity of the scent she left behind reminded him of his failure. However, at the same time, the scent slapped sense into him.He immediately remembered that the light he saw before Rose disappeared was similar to the gateway to Brunia pack- the place he once ruled, where he hoped never to step into.With a frown, Rune got up and questioned the depths of his soul. He wondered which wolf on that side dared to drag Rose into that reeking pack. Of course, he did not find a response. However, he found renewed strength, and with it, he teleported out of that space while his soul searched for the communication link between him and Rose; the very one that allowed him into her fascinating thoughts.[break]“Symon!” The moment Rune’s feet landed in the huge living room of his abod
After spiralling in the light of the space that sucked her in, Rose found herself in darkness that she could not comprehend. Before she could move in that thick shroud of night, she was blindfolded from behind and carried off by strong arms that refused to acknowledge her cries no matter how loud they were.When the sudden journey ended, her ears picked up the sound of keys jangling. Something metallic scrapped the ground, and then she was tossed onto an icy floor, which made her jump.“Wait…” She tried to stop the person that was about to leave her there. “Can I…” Within her distress, she wanted to pick her words wisely. “Can I get water? I am parched.”“No,” replied a gruff voice after seconds of silence. “But…”The door slammed, and Rose was shut up that easily. Her little strength failed her, and she fell to the ground. Within that darkness and confusion, she tried to decipher what was going on; she tried to make sense of the light that sucked her in. The person who brought her t
Rune’s trail of Rose’s scent ended up in front of the great castle of the pack. While he was unsure how to process the possibility that someone he knew had captured Rose for whatever reason, Rune’s heart squeezed at the sight of the place that was his home and seat of reign for many years. If someone had told him a year ago that he would lose all that he had, he would have snapped the person’s neck for spilling lies. But there he was… A branded rogue about to sneak into a castle where death could easily find him. As asserted earlier, he had a mission. So, he covered his face with the scarf he tied to the belt of his trousers and slithered into the secret entrance he discovered years ago. It was through that entrance he got to escape from overwhelming pack issues, it was that entrance that allowed him to taste some freedom. Rune was grateful that he ‘rebelled’ in such a way back then. If not, his regret would have been deeper the moment he learned that he played into the hands of wo
Trigger Warning: Imagery related to assault (sexual)Rose tried to sleep, but she could not find a shred of slumber in her soul. Maybe that was for the best. Going to sleep in that alien, dangerous place would do her no good since she was not a light sleeper. However, sitting still in that thick darkness was not any better. She tried to ignore it, but she could feel herself losing her mind because the more she sat there, the more the demons she had been trying to run away from came to haunt her; Richard especially. The wickedness in his eyes snarked, the poison of his words pierced her heart and the heaviness of the silence he subjected her to made her head ache so much that she started to cry. She spent many minutes in that hell.So, when the sound of the door opening reached her, she quickly escaped from the mental hell and with the hope that somehow, Rune was the one opening the door, she waited for the next move. (Well, Rune or not, once the chance to escape that place provides
Rune tried to be strong. He didn’t want to break down while the woman he failed to protect was hurting, but the more her tears pierced his heart, the more that plan collapsed. As he held the back of her head and occasionally patted it to assure her that he was still with her, tears that resonated with his mate’s wails fell. His wolf also felt the sorrow and saddening whimpers stemmed from his soul. Rune knew saying that he was sorry would do no good. It would be stupid of him to say such a fickle statement. So he chose to utter no words. While he made his crying as silent as possible, he listened to the agony in Rose’s voice. He lashed himself repeatedly for failing to find her in time to protect her from the fangs of the men that were molesting her. He mentally slapped himself for taking so long to trace her scent, and he stomped his heart for being the reason she was crying so painfully when she was yet to heal from her poisonous marriage.However, within his inner punishment, he g
Rose woke up from sleep when Rune’s mother eerily called him pitiful. As she quietly listened to their conversation, fear wrapped her when she realised that the voice was the one that came to meet her in that cell and that the voice belonged to Rune’s mother, who sent those men that molested her. After a furious Rune and his mother left the room, Rose got up with a throbbing heart. Her entire body hurt a lot, but she managed to neglect her pain and focused on eavesdropping on their discussion. A lot was said within a minute and she noted how Rune’s anger blew up especially after telling his mother that she was going to pay for what she did. Rose could not see from where she was, but the intensity of his mother’s coughs reached her ears and that concerned her. However, that little worry crashed when his mother hastily pointed out that a werewolf and human had no romantic business with each other. Well, that statement itself was not what bothered Rose. It was the fact that the statem
Catherine could not stay still. The image of Rune tearing those men apart was still fresh in her brain, it refused to fade no matter how she chose to distract herself. When she got to the end of her huge room which the current Alpha graciously let her keep, she noticed that the Luna Dowager was back. The hastiness in the elder’s steps worried Catherine who reached for her good luck charm: a dagger that Rune gifted her when they were kids. ‘Always protect yourself because I might vanish one day. It may be for a while, or forever,’ little Rune had told her back then. And she kept his words and gift dear to her heart since then.“Luna Dowager,” Catherine called when she met the woman mid-way in the corridor leading to the current Alpha’s abode. “C-Catherine.”The woman looked very pale. And that was a first. “Did something happen?”“I don’t know if it is good or bad, Catherine.”“What?”“Rune…” The Luna Dowager sighed with a heaviness that could topple some bricks. “I tried to talk so
“Are you going to explain the bleeding?” Rose questioned when Rune walked in with a neatly wrapped mattress in his hands and some fabric beneath his armpit. “And where is this place? Also, that thing where you read my mind, why are you the only one that can read minds? It is creepy when you do it. Also, if you can zap us from point A to point B with your powers, why didn’t you do it on time? You should have not waited for those angsty wolves to speak at all.”“Rose?” Rune queried with a raised brow, his entire body stuck in a rather funny position because of how overwhelmed he was. “Also, you have a wolf too, right? Will you show me? Will I be scared of it?”“Rose…” Rune became sterner. “Those are a lot of questions,” he commented when she turned to look at him. “Your bleeding has stopped?”Rune found her cute and a bit hilariously stubborn. She was not bothered by his comment, she barely blinked in reaction. But, Rune quickly realised that maybe it was not hilarious. At all. Those
Rose did not argue with the new plan. It would ensure that Rune does not suffer anymore because of the curse. Every other concern could wait. She needed him to get better.So, as she carefully wiped his face to keep it clean, she whispered, “Soon, you will feel better. Don’t worry about anything, Rune. You are going to be fine.” Her teary eyes could not handle how gaunt his face was starting to look. She looked away for some seconds, closed her eyes and wished they could disappear from the pack at that very moment. “Rune…” She looked at him again. “We are going back to Bruania. If staying there does not work, we will relocate to another country.” After a heart-crushing sigh, she kissed his forehead to remind him again that she was still with him. Then, she sat on the small stool next to his bed. She reached for his hand, replaced the washcloth in her hand with a new one, dipped it in water and started cleaning his fingers. “You know, travelling to other countries was something I wo
When Rose saw what had come out of Rune, she hurriedly grabbed him because she was afraid that he would succumb and stop existing the next second. With her firm hold and tight frown, she supported Rune, who was murmuring about how he was fine while wiping blood off his lips. “Natasha! Healer Natasha!” Keith was as worried as every other person who was trying to hold on to Rune. Rose did not allow anybody else to touch her mate. With her feeble strength, she walked Rune out of that room. She did not let go of him until Natasha appeared and hurried them into a nearby room so that he could lie down. As she desperately watched Rune, Rose was inwardly beating up herself. How could she have been so negligent of the curse he was battling with? Coming back to the pack was already a huge gamble- one that could cost Rune his life. Yet, without saying a word, he had been walking with her, protecting her, listening to her, enduring her nonsense talks. But… She did not… She did not even ask if
“Luna Takashi,” the Luna Dowager sighed. “You are here.” The sword dropped to the ground. With a graceful smile that highlighted her heart-shaped face, Luna Takashi took three steps closer and said, “You must be tired and frustrated, Luna Dowager. You need to rest.”The woman’s gentle voice got on Catherine’s nerves. However, her mind was clearer now. She realised that she was very close to death, if not for Luna Takashi, she would no longer exist. “This brat, can you imagine the nonsense she just said?” the Dowager complained. It seemed she still wanted to sniff life out of Catherine. “I understand. The former Luna has always been reckless.” Catherine frowned at Takashi. What the fuck was the bitch saying?“You are right,” the Dowager continued. “I don’t know why I bother with a she-wolf who only thinks about a man like a fool.” She glared at Catherine. “This is your last warning. Stay away from Maxon and stick to the plan. Next time, even if the entire universe tries to stop me
When Rose and Rune entered the last room of that building, their fascination with the intricate details of the architecture grew. Most of the buildings were made of stone, but there were areas where art came to life in the form of carefully crafted cemented pillars, finely sculpted arches, and interesting intertwines with nature. Within these details, they found two pools, a hot spring, a rarely stocked library, an inner garden and other rooms similar to the one assigned to them.“Do you think we can find someone to build something similar to this?” Rose asked after recovering from the overwhelming intrigue.“Maybe.” Rune walked out of the room and closed the door. “Why?”Her smile became babyish. “I can picture living here, and I love it.”“Really? That is interesting.”“You don’t like it?” she asked as they hooked arms and proceeded to the room for the meeting.“I don’t like that it is underground.”“Oh, come on. Of course, we cannot live here forever.” Rose laughed. “I meant, out t
“Rune…” Rose whispered while the distant noise of those trying to break into the underground structure continued.“The deaths of my older brothers weakened my father, and I got a chance to take his life.”“Why?” Rose frowned. “If your father was weakened, why did you kill him?”“That was the only way for me to be Alpha King. Had I hesitated, I would have lost to other wolves who were searching for a means to grab the Alpha seat.”Rose could not fathom that sort of desperation. Or should it be called need? So, she asked, “Was that what you wanted?”He smiled. “Yes. And, no.”“I feel I shouldn’t ask more.” As he spoke, his eyes carried an excitement that was more inhumane than normal. “I don’t…” She gave up on what she wanted to say.“What is it?”“I don’t… I don’t know how to explain it. It seems like you didn’t hate killing your father.”“I did not hate it. However,” he adjusted his position, “I did not wish for my brothers to die. That is why I have mixed feelings about everything.”
“They are wasting their time,” Beta Runabis assured their little gathering. “This hideout is not penetrable by strangers.”Rune folded his arms after he ensured that Rose was indeed eating. “Expatiate,” he said.“Even if they burn the shack above us, they cannot find the entrance. There is no visible entrance.”“That is interesting,” Rune said. “How do we leave if we want to?”“There are three exits. The shack is one, the other two link to the main market and the back of the castle.”“The back of the castle?” Rune frowned. That must be where they pass to execute their murders.“Those are the options.”Rune sighed. “Basically, we should not be bothered by what is going on up there?” The guards were quite loud, it was hard to ignore them.Runabis nodded. “We are safe.”That was enough assurance for Rune. He released his crossed arms and said, “Let us have our meeting in two hours. Since the enemies are not relenting, I want to respond with a bang.” A part of his soul twitched with excit
“You are still here,” Rose whispered, and Rune opened his eyes. After their long embrace, they went to sit; Rose sat on Rune’s lap. And, with her head leaning on his shoulder. Rune’s heart ached so much as they remained in that position for a while. He mourned for the younger Rose, who could not find escape from the hell of her parents’ home. And his soul cried for the older Rose, who was still struggling to escape from that previous inferno and the new form of hell chasing after her. It was now that he realised Rose’s agonies were deeper than he had imagined. And his desire to heal them became weak because no matter how he pondered, he could not figure out a way to possibly erase the terrible moments of her life. Moments of that magnitude would want to leech off her strength for as long as possible. “Rune?”He had almost forgotten that she said something to him. “My love,” he hurriedly came back to reality. With his hand playing over her arm, he said, “Of course, I am still her
“And four other people,” Rose concluded her first statement, and a breath that shook her escaped her. If not for Rune’s presence, she would have walked away to cry in a corner. Rune said nothing. He waited for her to speak.After closing her eyes to regain strength, she opened them and held Rune’s hand. “They were my foster parents. After years of being juggled between the orphanage and countless foster homes, I was very happy when I spent more than four months in my parents' home. I thought to myself,” she looked up, “finally, I can be at peace. Finally, I have a family. Finally, I can feel the love I have been desperate for.”“Hmm,” Rune hummed to let her know he was listening.“The first six months were blissful. I was twelve when I moved into their house, so imagine the joy I had when these people pampered me. They fed me well, they did not neglect me. I spoke freely about my desires, and if they could afford it, they got it for me. I loved the new place, it made me happy. Even
Maxon, without telling Catherine, went on a trip to the human country. After observing how the humans fussed about Rune’s arrest, he and the investigator headed to the President’s building. He walked in and ignored the people screaming because of the wolf trotting behind him. Maxon had instructed the investigator to shift to his wolf form. He desired to show President Christopher a glimpse of the destruction that could befall Bruania. So, he was very pleased that the investigator’s wolf was mighty enough to cause the ground to shake.When they reached the grand entrance of the President’s main office, the wolf scattered the door, startling the occupants of the room they were about to raid. “Christopher.” Maxon focused on the man seated by an enormous table at the end of the room. “There you are.”“Wh-Wh-What are you doing here?” the man stuttered while the woman seated opposite him covered her face and ran out of the room. Maxon was not there to spill blood, or he would have order