It all felt like some kind of sick dream."Ma'am, please, where would you like to go?" The driver asked; he had already taken us far past the pack borders. I had nowhere to go.I turned to my mother. "A few more meters to your left," she said to the driver, who nodded, following her command. I didn't know much about places, but wasn't that part inhabited by... humans?I didn't ask any questions; I let her decide. I felt completely numb.After what felt like hours, the car came to a stop, and my mother helped me out. We took out the luggages."Goodbye, Luna," the driver said, and I nodded, unable to form any words.He drove off.This was real; this was happening; I might never see Thane ever again."Where are we?" I asked my mother"Just come with me," she said.The streets had been empty of people, but after a few minutes of walking, I spotted some humans; many of them watched us.The thing is that we could look very much like humans but still stand out; there was something about we
One month later. It is strange how time flies. The hours turned into days, days into weeks, and a month had gone by. Not a single day did I stop thinking about Thane and Axel; not a single day had I stopped crying. I was a mess. I thought I could heal from this pain, but I couldn't. Once, I dreamt they came for me; oh, how real the dream felt, and then I awoke, and here I was, in the Raven Clan. They say time should heal all wounds, but even time couldn't heal this. I woke up with a start. It had been another dream about Thane. Another dream that felt too real. I sobbed silently. I had been here for a whole month and I had never left the room. I was a shell of the person I one was. I should fight this. Thane might be out there, with another woman standing in my place, and I would remain here, a total mess. I deserved better, yet I couldn't find the strength to walk out of that door and meet new people. My mother walked in, a tray in her hands; she didn't bother looking
Dinner was nothing like I expected.Back in the Nightshade pack, meals were a subdued affair — there could be a few occasional chatters but nothing as loud and carefree as this. It was the complete opposite here.Nick joked and laughed with everyone; the table was so loud and strangely comforting, but what was even more comforting was the fact that there weren't people staring creepingly at me. Sure, a few glanced, but not with the curiosity members at the Nightshade Pack did."Does she speak?" one of the men asked, referring to me."Yes, I speak," I answered, and many paused their chattering."She does speak," another said out loud, seemingly surprised."You thought I was... mute?"Many nodded, and for some reason that was funny. My mother had a smile on her face too; that's the most I had said the whole month. I did feel comfortable here, these people... there was something about them; maybe it was how welcoming they were or how very carefree and relaxed everyone was. Damn, even th
I spent more time with Nick, not only because it made my mother happy, but because I discovered that I could easily distract myself from thinking about Thane when I was with him.Nick was interested in agriculture, and I did admire him, but today we sat on a three-branch together."What did it feel like?" he asked. "Being with the Alpha King."I was silent for a long while; I hadn't talked about him since I came to this pack, but maybe sharing what I felt would make things better. Nick was close; he had become more of a family friend, and my mother loved him; she loved the fact that he was 'bringing me to life', but she hoped too much. I didn't love Nick, not in the way she thought, and I didn't think Nick felt that way either; he was just a free person."It was beautiful at times, painful at other times, scary sometimes, exciting at other times," I answered."I can't understand why exactly he made such a decision," Nick says genuinely."I don't know either; maybe he is trying to ‘pro
"What?" I demanded, my eyes narrowing at him."That didn't quite come out how I planned, I'm sorry. It is not a demand; you are free to refuse.""I can't marry you; I don't even like you," I said blandly."Love is never a big part of many marriages," he says."So then why would you want me as a wife?""Your influence; you don't seem to notice it, but you are the werewolf queen.""Not anymore""Many would always see you as that.""And so you plan to do what?; Use me to increase your pack status?”"If you want the truth, then yes."He didn't hesitate; I should be irritated by his request, but strangely, I wasn't. At least he was making his intentions clear from the very start; he would only let me attain power capable of making me his equal if I agreed to be his wife, and this way benefiting the pack. Thane never did this.Still, his request had caught me by surprise. "You can take as long as you need to think about this," he said."There won't be any need for that; my answer is no.""I
I couldn't explain it all to my mother. She wouldn't understand; no one but Nick would; he understood what it felt like.The thought of hurting her saddened me."Riley, are you alright?" she asked. This was the third time she had asked that question."Yes, mom, I am alright," I answered, trying to put on a smile, but I couldn't fake that, not with her."Okay, tell me what's going on." she asked, taking a seat on the cushion opposite me.I inhaled deeply. "We all have to take risks to get what we want, you know that, right?""I do, but not all risks are worth taking," she said; it was almost like she could read me. "Something is wrong, I can tell. Does this have to do with... Nick, did he say something to you?""Yes...No""What did he do?" she asked, her expression turning grave."Nothing""Don't lie to me; what is the risk you speak about?""I and Nick are getting married.", This was only a part of the truth, but I knew I wasn't going to get past my mother's curiosity so I had to tell
It wouldn't make sense for Thane to come here after everything. Yet, maybe I've been wrong all along; perhaps, just like me, he couldn't stay away.I never bothered to think about the fact that Gabriel wouldn't refer to the Alpha King as 'someone’, I didn't want to think, my heart seemed to have a mind of its own. I followed Gabriel down the stairs, and all the while, I imagined scenarios of what it would be like to see Thane again. Would he be sorry for what he had done to me? Would I forgive him?The answer was; Yes. Call me pathetic and foolish, but I knew that would be my answer if he pleaded genuinely. A part of me knew he would come for me, and that part of me 'waited' each day for him. Was it possible to hate and love a person?Yes, it was. I hated Thane, but also I loved him. Finally, I walked into the living space, and there I noticed...There was no Thane.For some reason, that hit me so hard. I should have known better, but I didn't.I never realized how hopeful I really
"As much as I want to help you, you must have heard by now that I am no longer the Queen Luna," I said to him."Titles like that cannot be taken away by mere words," he insisted. "We need your help; an attack is coming soon, one bigger than the previous; we cannot fight that off."I still didn't think Thane would do this, not if these people haven't done anything to start up the war, and yet the man sounded so sure, and from the look in Nick's eyes, he seemed to agree with the man's opinion."I cannot help you; I am not the savior," I admitted, and with that, I walked away because I couldn't stand and watch the disappointment in their eyes. What did they expect me to do—talk to Thane? fight against him?I couldn't do that..I sat down alone in my room lost in thoughts until a knock at the door drew my attention."The door is unlocked; come in," I called, and Nick walked in."Can I sit?" he questioned, and I nodded. He took a seat on the bed while I sat on the cushion. "They were not
It had taken every ounce of willpower in me to return here.But if I was going to be his Luna, then the rules would have to change; I didn’t care who the hell he was.The soldiers escorted me to his chambers. He wasn’t alone. There were about a dozen men seated there, many of whom were middle-aged; they should be the ones people refer to as the king's 'advisors.’Alpha Ethan’s eyes settled on me.The scent was even stronger now, but I was going to rein in my wolf; I was in control, not her, and it's time she knew that. I had expected to see a smirk on his face; after all, he won. I was here because I had no other options, but his face remained unreadable, and maybe that’s one of the many things I found unsettling about him. I couldn’t read his emotions, and I was very good at that. I didn’t like surprises, but the man seated before me had a bottle filled with surprises, waiting and ready for me.“Leave, every one of you.” He ordered, and all the men rose and walked away, leaving me a
My father had told me countless times the story of when I was just a child, and he thought he was going to lose me, he had done everything in his power but it all failed and then he discovered the ‘healer’s lilies’, it healed me. Words could never fully capture what it feels like to stand on the edge of losing a loved one.I didn’t miss my mother much—I never had the chance to know her. She died giving birth to me. All that was left of her were only her pictures. Alpha Trent was a strong man; not many Alphas carry on after the loss of their mates, and yet he did.Now, the very same man I once believed was invincible, laid on his deathbed. I held in the tears because they were of no use. Crying never changes anything.“Kaida, I want you to know that I love you so very much. I know you will take care of this pack, even in my absence.”“I will.” I promised.“You met with the Alpha… I know he might seem…”I cut him off. “He is my mate.”“That… is very convenient.” He said with a small smi
That was it.I was done.Aric had been waiting for me, and as soon as he saw me, he quickly took off his suit and wrapped it around me. I felt like a fool.The moment we were both in the room and alone, he finally spoke up.“What happened?”"There’s not much to explain; it’s all right here," I say, gesturing to my torn clothes.“If he laid a finger on you, I’ll—”“You will what? He is the Alpha King; he is also very strong, and so there isn’t much any of us could do to him.”“Where are you going?”“Packing my stuff and leaving.” “What are you going to say to your father?” he asked.“I wanted to do this—for him, for the pack, but I can’t. The man is a monster; I cannot imagine sharing the same bed with him and his many… whores.I stuffed my things into the bag. I hadn’t brought a lot of things, and so in a few minutes I was packed.“Kaida, I don’t think you should leave now.” Aric says.“Why shouldn’t I?”“At least wait till the feast is over.”“Well, to hell with the etiquette and mo
Despite all the warning bells ringing in my head, I walked in and took a seat, just as he had requested of me. I didn’t know many things about this man, but one thing I knew for sure was that he was used to having his command being obeyed.“A drink?” he offered. Pouring me a glass of whiskey.“From where I come from, a girl does not drink.”“This is your home now; soon the Dawn pack will be no more, so get used to it.” He says, passing me the glass, I took it, but I didn’t drink.“You know, it is wrong to refuse a drink from the King.”“I do not drink, and if I will, it won’t be because you told me to.” I said, placing the glass down on the table.Those ruthless eyes pinned me down once more; I felt for my dagger once more.“I’ve heard a thing or two about you. The girl who aspired for greatness, you fought your way into that; you’ve gone to battles and never failed a mission. I admire that, but in this pack, you are just another girl; all you’ve built, everything dies with your pack.
“My mate, he is here.”“What?” Aric questioned. “How is that even possible?” “I don’t know, but he is here, I can feel it.”Just then, complete silence fell; all chatter ceased as The Alpha King rose to his feet. He was huge, clearly above six feet; he had sea blue eyes and brown hair, which he cut short into a buzz cut. His features were sharp, and maybe my father was right about one thing—the man before me didn’t look twenty-two years of age; he was no child; he was an Alpha in every sense of the word. The scent I had been perceiving, the one that made my heart pound, it was him.Fear was not something I had felt in years; I always liked to think of myself as fearless, but for the first time in a very long while, I was afraid. I was afraid of a man, the very man standing right before me.“He is my mate.” I whispered.“Who?” Aric asked.“The Alpha King.” I whispered back.As if he heard me, the Alpha King's eyes met mine. I wonder if he was feeling the same thing I felt; that was h
The room was just as elegant as everything in the Nightshade pack; it was bigger than my room back in the Dawn Pack. I spotted the dress on the bed. A flimsy thing. If it had been any other day, I would've been attending the Grand Feast in my leather pants and jacket—I hated parties and public gatherings, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t invited to a few back at my pack. I was the Alpha’s daughter; it was required of me. My father tried to force me into dresses more than once, but of course, I never did wear them. It was different now; this was not my pack, and here I was a stranger. Wearing my ‘usual’ clothing would only make me stick out in the crowd.I didn’t want that, but that didn’t mean I would wear the dress he had picked out for me. “It will be amusing to see you in a dress.” Aric said, a smirk playing on his lips.“I’ll be in a dress alright, but just not this one.”“Rebellious as always, let’s hope the Alpha King doesn’t notice.” He said with a smile.“I really don’t give a d
It was time, I would have to pay a visit to the Nightshade pack. Beta Aric was nowhere to be found.I stopped in the courtroom to inform my father that I was leaving, but I noticed he wasn’t alone, Aric was there too. I stopped by the entrance, they hadn’t noticed me and so I hid away from view.“You are marrying her to the Alpha King?” Aric asked, this was indeed the first time I had heard him question the Alpha.“Yes, my daughter will marry the Alpha King.”“You know that’s not where she belongs.”“I will be having no discussion over this matter, it is already settled and done.”“You know who he is…”My father cut Aric off. “He is ruthless, every powerful Alpha is, fear is sometimes power.”“The Blackwood lineage is a powerful one, but it’s cursed – that’s what I think. How else would you explain the mysterious deaths? Slade had been killed by his own son, Thane who wanted the throne – there had been other rumours too, that Freya, his mate, had actually been the one behind his deat
Kaida’s POVWith each passing day, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd made a mistake, if I'd doomed myself with my own words—but it was too late to turn back now. I had never met Alpha Ethan before. Though we were neighboring packs, my father and the beta had always been the one going for the meetings, I didn’t do well with meetings and parties and maybe my father was right. Being an Alpha was about more than just being a warrior.I got dressed in my usual clothing, leather pants matched with a black leather jacket and a glove to cover my missing pinkie finger. Had I forgotten to mention that some little 'accident' had cost me a finger? As if that flaw wasn't enough, my body was also marked with a number of scars, so while I had always despised wearing fancy gowns and pretty little dresses, it did make sense why I had to cover up.The men carried their scars with pride, like it was some kind of proof of how fierce they were; scars on a woman had a completely different representation;
PROLOGUE.Kaida’s POVI was not like the other girls; I knew that even as a little child. My father had found it strange that a girl of my age was more interested in watching the pack warriors train rather than playing with toys like the other kids her age did at the pack.I had one dream, and though it may sound impossible, I held onto it. I believed that I could one day become an… Alpha. The first Female Alpha.My father had no male child to inherit his title and take his place, and so each day, I trained to be the best at everything. I was twenty and five years of age and yet to find my mate. To be honest, I hadn’t even been searching for him—whoever he was; on the contrary, I dreaded finding my mate, because that would only bring an end to my dream of becoming an Alpha. I believed it was all fate pointing me in the right direction; this was my destiny.That had been what I thought until everything changed right before my eyes..My father, Alpha Trent, of the Dawn pack, summoned