MADELINE'S POVLouisiana, the warrior wolves and alpha Novare stared at me in awe and astonishment as I came down from the mountain forest. I was shy, dirtied and bloodied all over. I could hardly maintain my composure because a large crowd had gathered.Murmurs emanated from every corners of the crowd. She's far from been a rookie, I heard one of them saying. The 'stealth and stalk' training isn't one for rookies as the rumors claims her to be.Alpha Novare clapped his hands in admiration and Louisiana looked enraged. She never believed I could get past her seasoned warrior wolves."You did well," one of the warrior wolves who hunted me complimented. I later got to know her name was Freya.I hurried down to my room to clean my dirtied self and nurse my wounds. I entered the shower, determined than ever to wash away the dirt and blood. I turned on the shower, letting the warm water cascade down. The first droplets of water hit my skin and I felt a sharp sting as it seeped into my open
ALPHA KONAN'S POV"Report," my husky voice demanded.My informant bowed slightly before me. I waved my hand impatiently, "Skip the pleasantries," I said."Alpha Konan, I followed Madeline's movements in crescent pack as you instructed.""And do you have any information about her," I asked."Yes, I have," he hastily replied."Since Madeline arrived crescent pack, her activities have been mundane until she underwent military training and became quite popular.""Military training?" my eyes sharpening."Yes alpha, my informant replied. According to my findings, she requested to join the warrior wolves of crescent pack and alpha Novare allowed it. This was happening after she had a private chat with alpha Novare."And what type of military training is that?""The 'stealth and stalk' training alpha Konan.""The what? You've got to be kidding me, right?""No a..lpha," he stuttered. She underwent the military training.I allowed him to continue."Initially, alpha Novare's mate was against her
MADELINE'S POVSeconds turned into minutes, to hours, to days, to weeks and to months. Today marked it the sixth month I arrived crescent pack and the past six months hadn't been easy.Before the break of dawn, I trudged to the pack training grounds, where Louisiana single handedly spear headed most of my trainings. Whenever she wasn't handling any trainings, she watched my every move thinly with disdain. She took pleasure in watching me struggle, smirking whenever I stumbled or lagged behind in training. She made no secret of her detest for me.The trainings were always grueling and my body often ached because of the much effort I exerted. My endurance limit was often tested each day. My social life was almost non-existent. Interactions with others were brief and strained. It started and ended with hollow hello's and hi's.The annual moon festival was today and everyone including slaves and servants were given the day off so they could celebrate with their families and loved ones. Si
MADELINE'S POVI was jarred back to reality when madam Apricot called out my name. I had spent the night in the hospital without a wink of sleep and dawn was almost here. I was traumatized. The look on madam Apricot's wasn't helping the situation. It was etched with curiosity and suspicion."Explain the relationship between you and the girl, she asked. She constantly called your name and requested only for your presence.""I don't know her madam Apricot," I replied defensively, yet calm.She stared at me—expressionless. I knew she wasn't done with her questions. Infact her suspicions grew stronger when it came to matters concerning me. She always suspected me at any opportunity she got."What about the girl?Is she dead? Is she up?" I anxiously asked."Which do you wish to hear first," her reply sarcastic.I kept mum. I didn't want to rile her up further. She noticed my silence and finally gave me a response. "The girl's up, refusing not to talk to anyone but you and that sounds fishy
MADELINE'S POVThe refusal to speak to anyone but me was mysterious. Even after I left the strange girl's room, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something sinister was going on with her. The least I could do was meet her attending doctor to know if her predicament could be explained medically."Doctor," I called as I hoped for answers.The doctor turned to me, his face drawn and tight. You could tell he was on call throughout the night."How can I help," he forced out a smile."The girl found yesterday night and brought here, what could be the cause of her amnesia?"The doctor sighed.The scans shows no sign of any form of physical damage to the brain, and yet... she's unable to remember anything except you. This is not just a simple trauma induced amnesia. It is as though someone deliberately wants her not to remember anything about herself."You mean someone manipulated her memory?""Or something worse, the doctor replied. When her blood tests came back, It came out clean, no
MADELINE'S POVI sat on the grass by the pack's training grounds, watching other warrior wolves spar, though my mind was somewhere else. I contemplated on what to do with the the strange girl.I was tapped from behind and I turned to see whom it was."Madeline," she called."Freya," I called her name unsure."Yes," she answered as she leaned back against the tree trunk, stretching out her legs."What happened to your hair," I asked."Nothing," she replied casually. "I thought I needed some hair changes."Freya had dyed her hair from its usual black color to an auburn color, the red tint giving a more intense rust colored highlights. She looked so different."You were almost not recognizable," I said."So, she began, her voice playful but looking for answers. I heard you got yourself a new house guest—one that showed up half dead. Quite the drama, huh!!!"I sighed.News travel faster than the speed of light these days."Drama doesn't cover up for it, I murmured. Between madam Apricot's
IN OCEANWOLF PACKALPHA KONAN'S POV"How is she doing," I asked."You mean grandma Catherine?" Dan asked.I nodded."Since she left the penal pier, she's been receiving treatment in the pack hospital and doing much better. She's also responding well to chemotherapy. The doctor in charge ran a few test on her few days back, and he reported that the amount of cancer cells have reduced."I grunted in satisfaction."How about making grandma Catherine my eyes and ears," I asked."That has been settled." She sent a letter to crescent pack and made sure it was delivered and handed over to Madeline. We are patiently waiting for Madeline's reply.""Alright," I sighed with a glimmer of hope.I had instructed Dan to tell grandma Catherine everything. I was going to right my wrongs. I wanted to be a step closer to Madeline and grandma Catherine was the answer. At first, grandma Catherine was unwilling to help. She was hell bent on not betraying Madeline. It took a lot of persuasion before she was
MADELINE'S POV....And Madeline!!!The sound of my name forcefully brought me out of my thoughts.Everyone's face held bouts of surprise.Freya nudged me on the side with her elbow. "She's trying to spite you, Madeline. Refuse it, no offense.""Refuse what!!!" I asked."Does anyone have any objections with the warrior wolves enlisted to go on this border patrol mission," Louisiana's voice echoed.There were murmurs within the crowd, but no one objected."This marks the end of today's training. We are to gather here before dawn to begin our journey.""Why didn't you say anything. You could have objected to going on this mission. This mission is very dangerous. The terrain isn't one to be trifled with. Most times we encounter dangers that cause grievous injuries—worst case scenario, death. You aren't yet qualified to be part of this mission. Most times, we don't know how long we will be gone for."I scoffed."My refusal to go, only gives Louisiana more ammunition against me.""And she's
MADELINE'S POV Maybe it was all manipulation sprinkled with his touch of mischievousness. Maybe it was one of his many tactics to drag me to the abyss. Maybe this was my form of punishment for prying into his private affairs. ".....What?" I whispered out in confusion. "Why what? You didn't hear me right?" he asked. "Listen and listen attentively. I will repeat myself again just once." "I like you Madeline." That was it. I wasn't mistaken. I heard right. I sat there, my heart hammering in my chest. My mind went for a spin. He likes me? "Cat got your tongue," alpha Novare asked casually, with a grin evident on his face. The tug of shock and amusement deepened on my face and it was damn obvious. I stared at him, trying so hard to guage his intentions. His expressions began to shift back to the cold authority I was accustomed to. The casual grin he had flashed moments ago had disappeared. It was like watching him reverting to the alpha Novare I knew, but I couldn't help but b
MADELINE'S POV Ever since my confrontation with Louisiana, I haven't seen her. But I could feel her anger hovering around like the storm cloud. I could feel the way the others looked at me, quick glances and whispers behind my back. No one spoke anything to me directly. The moment the words left my mouth, I knew there was no going back. I was in for shit and Louisiana would be out for my blood. "You really gave Louisiana a hit, Freya said. You were the only one who had the boldness of a lion to confront Louisiana concerning the rumors in such manner. You are totally different now. You have finally removed the cloak of naivety. Congratulations Madeline!!!, but don't get too comfortable." Just as I had thought to take a rest, a knock was heard at the door. Alpha Novare had summoned me. My heart leapt in terror, but I followed obediently. While on my way, I met madam Apricot. She stared at me squarely and her sharp eyes never missed a detail. She walked past me and I knew she was go
MADELINE'S POVI winced as Freya dabbed the wet antiseptic cloth against the wound on my arm. I could feel Freya's eyes on me, glancing up from time to time to where Louisiana sat at the far end of the camp with someone tending to her wounds."You got something on your mind," I asked Freya."Beat me, she exhaled. There's something different about Louisiana. What happened between you two?""Nothing," I replied her. I didn't want to talk about it or talk about the mission either. "Maybe she's still rattled from the fight," I added.Freya narrowed her eyes. "You are telling me, that Louisiana is rattled because of a fight? The same Louisiana who never misses a chance to remind us that's she's the toughest in the pack? Louisiana behaves like an asshole, but she isn't one to run away or be rattled because of a fight. You know you make a bad liar, don't you?"I didn't answer right away. I knew the words I said to Louisiana had struck a chord of reflection or better still, more intense hatre
MADELINE'S POV"They are coming. Our captors are coming," I whispered loudly."Shit!!" Louisiana huffed in frustration.The poison had seeped deep into our system and transforming to our wolf form could not be attainable. "What are we going to do," I asked softly but loud enough for Louisiana to hear."We have nothing to do than fight them off physically."The surrounding flickered with a faint light from a worn out, old lamp. The faint light exposed three bulky men, thrice our size with hardened expressions. They towered over us, clearly confident in their build. The odds were against us, but that didn't matter."Seems they broke free. Feisty, just the way I love my women to be, the lead captor sneered with his folded arms across his chest. Do you really think you can take us trio on?" he asked, his fingers pointing at the three of them."Why don't you come try," Louisiana dared.Fright overcame me. "Louisiana, I whispered into her ear. We are at odds here, so I suggest we talk it ou
MADELINE'S POVMy eyes stung as I blinked them open, the dull ache in my head throbbed at every slight beat of my pulse. Darkness hovered around me. The air was thick and stale, carrying the scent of damp earth and rot. My body felt heavy, as if I had been dragged through the forest for miles.And yes, I remembered been dragged before I blanked out.It wasn't until I tried to move that I realized my wrists were bound tightly behind my back. My vision cleared immediately. The more I moved, the more the coarse rope bit deeply into my skin. It weakend me the more and I winced , feeling the painful strain on my shoulders. I perceived a familiar scent coming from the rope. I racked my brain for a while...I had perceived that somewhere. And wolfsbane, the rope was laced with Wolfsbane. It only gave me an insight. Our captors were definitely the same kind as us.Then I realized I wasn't alone. My back pressed against someone else's.Louisiana.The memory came rushing back. The border expedit
MADELINE'S POVAs the night deepened, the air around the camp grew colder. The camp fire crackled, casting shadows on the faces of the warrior wolves present. Sera, sat in a corner and Freya talked to a group of other warrior wolves. I kept glancing back and forth at Sera, and I couldn't help but think that something went wrong when she went to gather firewoods in the woods."Everyone gather up," Louisiana said. Immediately everyone pulled together. When she was sure everyone was together, she divided us into two groups. One group which was headed by Freya, would stay behind to monitor the camp, manning the perimeter to ensure no threats crept up unnoticed. The other group, led by Louisiana, would push forward into the dark, rough terrain to patrol and check for any signs of threat or danger.And guess what, I was in the group led by Louisiana. Honestly, I had expected Louisiana to pick me. It was just the kind of thing she would do, dragging me along to test me, without rest, to see
MADELINE'S POVFreya was right. The terrain was unforgiving as Louisiana herself—jagged rocks that seemed to rise out of nowhere and twisted roots around the paths, gnarled at my boots making every step a challenge.I occasionally looked back at Sera to check if she was keeping up, but it was very obvious she was struggling more than the others. You could notice from her small frame that her breaths came in short, sharp gasps, her face pale and strained. But yet she made tremendous effort to keep up—refusing to fall behind.Freya fell into steps beside me. Her brows furrowed as she too, glanced over Sera. "She's visibly flagging Madeline. Leaving her behind in the pack would have been the best for her and you. I don't think she can last longer than this."I nodded. "I know, I said. There's really no going back. Is there?""Louisiana isn't going to slow down for you or anyone," Freya said as she trudged ahead."Keep up, or you will be left behind!!!" Louisiana called back, her tone lac
MADELINE'S POV....And Madeline!!!The sound of my name forcefully brought me out of my thoughts.Everyone's face held bouts of surprise.Freya nudged me on the side with her elbow. "She's trying to spite you, Madeline. Refuse it, no offense.""Refuse what!!!" I asked."Does anyone have any objections with the warrior wolves enlisted to go on this border patrol mission," Louisiana's voice echoed.There were murmurs within the crowd, but no one objected."This marks the end of today's training. We are to gather here before dawn to begin our journey.""Why didn't you say anything. You could have objected to going on this mission. This mission is very dangerous. The terrain isn't one to be trifled with. Most times we encounter dangers that cause grievous injuries—worst case scenario, death. You aren't yet qualified to be part of this mission. Most times, we don't know how long we will be gone for."I scoffed."My refusal to go, only gives Louisiana more ammunition against me.""And she's
IN OCEANWOLF PACKALPHA KONAN'S POV"How is she doing," I asked."You mean grandma Catherine?" Dan asked.I nodded."Since she left the penal pier, she's been receiving treatment in the pack hospital and doing much better. She's also responding well to chemotherapy. The doctor in charge ran a few test on her few days back, and he reported that the amount of cancer cells have reduced."I grunted in satisfaction."How about making grandma Catherine my eyes and ears," I asked."That has been settled." She sent a letter to crescent pack and made sure it was delivered and handed over to Madeline. We are patiently waiting for Madeline's reply.""Alright," I sighed with a glimmer of hope.I had instructed Dan to tell grandma Catherine everything. I was going to right my wrongs. I wanted to be a step closer to Madeline and grandma Catherine was the answer. At first, grandma Catherine was unwilling to help. She was hell bent on not betraying Madeline. It took a lot of persuasion before she was