Chapter Three

A Truthful Scare.

“Come on.” I let the comment go over my head. I grab the beers, my phone and keys. I always aimed to come back at night when at Caleb’s but ended up falling asleep in his bed. He always teases me about it, but I remind him he can always wake me up and kick me out. Then the cute puppy pout comes out on his lips. Caleb turns eighteen next weekend. He still has the puppy chub around his neck and cheeks which I find adorable. He has brown eyes with long black eye lashes, light brown hair that he cuts short. A beta’s son, he is tall but not as tall as his alpha. Caleb is six-foot and my brother six-foot three.

We sneak into his bedroom by climbing up the pipes and guttering. Caleb slides his window open and once inside, helps to pull me in.

“I’ll go get some snacks. Pick a film!” He says as he heads outside his bedroom door. I turn Caleb’s bedroom TV on and load a streaming service. Caleb likes action and horror films, but a lot of them seem to involve car chases and crashes so I tend not to watch those. Instead, I choose a stand up comedy, needing the laugh!

Caleb soon returns carrying a tray filled with popcorn, chocolates, sweets, cans of soda and cake slices. A feast indeed! With the tv show on, we start pigging out when my brother’s voice roars through the mind-link.

“South-West perimeter, rogue attack. All available warriors to me NOW!”

I look to Caleb who is in a new mind-link conversation, no doubt with his dad.

“Dad wanted to check on your location. He says to stay here but I should lock up the house! I’ll be right back, don’t pause it.” He gives me a kiss on the cheek before climbing off the bed and shooting out of the bedroom door. I help myself to some popcorn when I hear an enormous boom from outside. I run to the window and see black smoke in the distance as the lights slowly cut from the houses in my view. One by one, they are covered in darkness and my wolf’s night-time vision kicks in. I turn as Caleb’s TV cuts out and so does all of the lights in his house. I turn back to the window as the hairs on the back of my neck prick up. An overwhelmingly strong sensation of being watched overcomes me and I call for Caleb.

“Caleb?”

He doesn’t answer me.

“Caleb?”

Silence. I can’t even mind-link anyone…everyone has their blocks up.

My mind has to force my feet to move, quietly on tiptoes to the bedroom door. The landing is pitched black and, again, my wolf is lending her night vision to me.

“Caleb?” I whisper as I head to the stairs. The sense of being watched has returned and I hear breathing behind me as it gets closer, until I can feel the warm exhaled air on the nape of my neck. I’m very aware that I am now standing at the top of the stairs, if pushed, I would fall and certainly break a few bones.

“Aida?” I hear Caleb call me from downstairs as he walks into my eye sight, albeit still dark, at the bottom of the stairs.

If Caleb is downstairs, who the fuck is behind me?

My wolf picks up on Caleb’s quickened heartbeat.

“Aida…don’t move!”

“Caleb…Caleb there is someone behind me.” I mind-link.

“I know…I can smell him. Don’t move!” He mind-links me back. He takes a first step on the stairs which earns a growl from the figure standing behind me. My back tenses even more as a hand is placed on my shoulder. All this training and I’m some scared little she-wolf, none of my defence moves are coming to my brain. I literally have frozen in fear.

I scream as pressure is applied to my neck as Caleb runs up the stairs.

“Target neutralised!”

The figure shouts from behind. I spin on the spot as Caleb tackles the figure to the ground. The figure starts to laugh as the lights turn back on.

Caleb removes the black face cover to show Trey. Trey is the Head Warrior from the neighbouring Hansen Wolf Park.

“What the fuck Trey?” Caleb growls as he stands up.

“Tut tut, not protecting the pack princess very well are we Caleb?” He smirks whilst shaking his head.

“Come on Aida, I need to announce my prize.” He grins at me with a wink. He pulls me by the arm downstairs and out of Caleb’s family home, back to the alpha house.

As we walk back across the grass, my father, brother, Saskia and Beta William, Caleb’s father, are waiting for us. Arms crossed with disgust on their faces.

“What’s the point in all your training Aida…if you can’t even protect yourself?” Saskia whines at me.

“I’m here for my prize!” Trey says proudly as he places an arm around my shoulder. Again, I don’t like being close to males that aren’t Caleb. I step aside, which earns a frown from Trey.

Alpha Hansen walks towards us clapping his hands in mockery.

“Your pack princess needs better guarding!” He bellows out to my brother.

“We didn’t expect Aida to be a target.” My brother retorts.

“Why not? She’s young, very attractive and would fetch a high prize as a ransom.” Alpha Hansen stares at me as if I am a piece of meat.

“Hmm maybe.” My Brother replies.

I sigh out loud. Basically this has been a training exercise to prepare the Hansen pack for the Lycan King’s visit. I wasn’t guarded, because nobody cares! They won’t admit it…but if I was captured, my pack would have the last laugh. I have no doubt that no ransom would be paid and I would be left to my own devices.

“Woah princess?” Trey chuckles as I shove at his chest to let out my anger.

“Congratulations, Alpha Hansen. You have clearly beaten my brother’s defences.” I bow my head to Hansen and walk away as Henri growls. I have just disrespected him in front of another alpha.

My legs stop moving as my brother’s alpha command hits me.

“Apologise!” He tries to command me.

I turn to face him.

“No!”

“Apologise!” He applies more strength to his alpha aura.

This is now a battle of wills. I would happily die here and therefore, unless my brother is happy to kill me, I will not give in.

“Aida!” Both Caleb and William plea to me through the mind-link.

Saskia steps forward with an evil smile on her face. She assists Henri by additionally applying her luna command on me.

Fuck her!

I look them both in the eye as beads of sweat start to pour down my face.

Alpha Hansen laughs loudly at the spectacle.

“Goddess she is extremely strong.”

“Not strong, just a delinquent!” My father chips in.

I miss my mother! My chest starts to contract and my knees buckle as I crash to the ground.

“Aida stop! Please?” Caleb screams for me through the mind-link. His voice gives me warmth and I submit to my alpha and luna.

I do not look up at my brother. I keep my eyes to the ground. I do not want to give him the satisfaction of looking down at me into my eyes.

“Dismissed!” He roars at me.

I try to stand but my legs are like jelly.

“Caleb please take Aida to her room!” Beta William demands from his son.

“Yes Father!” Caleb responds.

Caleb picks me up into the cradle position. He walks us quickly across the garden towards the alpha house.

We enter the house and he carries me all the way to my bedroom. He places me in bed and places the covers over me.

“Get some rest Aida!” He says as he heads for the door.

“Thank you!” I murmur. He stops, clenching his hands by his side.

“Aida…you need to be less, disobedient! If I am to be beta…I need to know my alpha trusts me.”

“Why would he not?”

“If you put me in situations such as just now…it won’t look good on me! Why can’t you be more…”

“More what Caleb?”

“More like Saskia!” His words cut through me like a knife. Saskia is the embodiment of everything I hate about this pack. For him to ask me to be more like her…hurt more than he’ll every know. He means be more obedient, a team player. But how can I be part of a team that has had me on the side bench all my life.

He leaves me alone in my bedroom as my eyes become watery with silent tears. Perhaps I really was alone.