It’s Snow Mountain’s turn to host this year’s annual meeting attended by all the alphas in their alliance. Of course, it’s not only the alphas who come. They bring other people with them.Sab wasn’t pleased to meet the woman he previously considered to be his chosen mate. She was an Alpha’s daughter and she’s here to meet other people. Who knows? Maybe her mate is among the delegates?They arrived earlier than most and they had to accommodate them as guests. When she greeted Clyde, Sab raised an eyebrow.Admittedly, the woman is beautiful and Sab felt a little inferior. Her demeanor exudes authority. The way she carries herself is admirable. They witnessed many unmated males eyeing her wherever she goes. One was stupid enough to irritate her and she easily took him down. She’s definitely a fighter and when Sab saw it, she could tell the other woman would probably win against her.“Are you still bothered? You don’t need to interact with her. Just avoid her.”Sab rolled her eyes at his
Clyde responded to his nonsense. “No. She’s mine. She agreed to be my mate. We’re in a proper relationship.” Truth be told, he’s very much rattled. Never would he have imagined this scenario. He became nervous. To think Sab would have a second chance mate… His heart sank. When he glanced at her, he could tell that she’s most likely affected by the bond. She’s frozen in her place and couldn’t even say a word. Her eyes are trembling and she’s not looking at anyone. Her hands are tightly closed in front of her. He could hear her uneven breathing. He moved his hand over hers and gently squeezed it. He hoped everything will be fine. He hoped she wouldn’t be swayed by the existence of this bond. He can’t… His heart felt uneasy as he returned his gaze on the other man. A growl echoed across the room before this person pounced towards Clyde. Conrad sighed as he evaded. Clyde didn’t want this guy to be near Sab so he met him halfway. Alice went to hold the poor young woman who’s trembling fr
Clyde brought Sab to her house. He doesn’t like her expression and how she’s unable to look at him. He sat her down on the living room couch and kneeled in front of her, looking directly at her face. Sweat beaded her forehead, which he wiped with a handkerchief she recently made for him. As for her trembling fists, he gently pried them open and caressed her knuckles. “Sab? How are you feeling?” He began assessing her with a frown. She swallowed hard before opening her mouth. She couldn’t seem to form the words… It pains him to witness her this way. He pulled her into a hug, unwilling to let go. His heart sank when he couldn’t feel her hands on his back. She would usually hug him back, but not this time. But she embraced him earlier, right? He wondered what’s going on inside her head… After hugging her for a while, he felt a pressing need to kiss her so he did. She didn’t respond, though. Worse, he felt her trying to push him off. He couldn’t accept it. His heart ached for her. “Sa
Ah, this. Sab stared at him with awe and wonder.“What?” He was curious of her expression.“You really believe me?” It meant a lot to her. Though she suspected he might have said it before just to pacify her, knowing he’s not suspecting her of lying feels really great. She did consider that he might think she’s lying, that that guy earlier is her actual mate and not her second chance. She’s glad his train of thought didn’t go that way.“Of course. I believe you, Sab.” There was no hesitation, but his heart still ached. Things would have turned out very differently if only he felt the bond and he accepted her years ago.Satisfied, she smiled as she began to contemplate an answer to his question.“It’s not that what I felt back then was weaker… more like I already like you at that time, so what I felt wasn’t very different than my usual emotions. I did feel like rush
“Who the hell are you?” Quinn managed to ask in a roar as he faced the man he saw was about to attack Sab. She quickly turned and readied herself. She momentarily froze upon recognizing him. Shit. Not him. He can’t be here. “Get out of my way. She’s mine!” “No! Clyde!” Sab couldn’t even accept being called by him as his. There was a growl and though he could roughly understand the situation, Quinn tried to protect Sab. Polly turned to Hana, “Go and find Clyde. Quickly!” “He should be at the function hall.” Gareth added before stepping forward, readying himself to assist Quinn. Ren and Leo were the same. It would seem the guy isn’t an easy opponent as Quinn struggled with him. Shit. They all didn’t realize how powerful others could be. Cleo was just about to join the scuffle but Polly pulled her back. “Are you crazy? Let them do it. We’re no match for him.” Cleo showed how frustrated she is, seeing all their training mates being beaten up. Sab remained frozen as her senses fe
Sab dragged Clyde back to her house. He may not have sustained as many wounds as the others, but he still has them. She made him sit down as she cleaned his wounds. On second thought, it probably would’ve been better to let him have a warm shower. There’s dirt on him and his clothes. Sheepishly, she told him, “I think you should take a shower.” Instead of replying, he simply pulled her and kept her in his embrace for a while. She let him and watched his expression. He looked serious and she can’t read his exact emotions. There’s still a hint of anger there, that much she can tell. Clyde tried to remain calm now that that bastard is away from them. He imagined what it would have been like if he succeeded in marking Sab. She felt him hugging her tighter and she randomly began rubbing his back to somehow comfort him. His eyes glinted. He would have killed the bastard. Right now, he’s already tempted to do so. If he can’t be reasoned with and continues to pester them, he might just “a
He sighed before going out and standing on the terrace. He liked the wind on his face. He squinted before scanning the area and allowing his senses to reach farther. He relaxed a little after ensuring there’s no danger anywhere near them.When Sab came out, she didn’t see him immediately. Her first thought was the bedroom. Is he already waiting for her there? She took a few steps before her senses told her he’s outside. She grimaced. Come on, Sab. You haven’t been thinking straight. She should have known he wouldn’t mindlessly want her. He’s still considerate.As she moved to go outside, she bumped into him at the doorway.He gently smiled at her and embraced her, “Are you done?”“Yes.” Uh, what’s next? She looked at him with anticipation and nervousness. Her heart beat accelerated again.He could feel her emotions just fine. He swallowed hard. In a way, he’s already pacified knowing she would let him claim her.“Why are you nervous? Don’t be. Nothing needs to happen if you’re scared.
Sab braced herself but what she expected to happen didn’t come. After recovering from the intense pleasure, she felt dejected. Clyde immediately noticed the way she turned her head away, the absence of her smile, and the sadness in her eyes.It was a reaction he least expected after their mating. He became worried.“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Was I too rough? Was it bad?” He couldn’t be sure which one it was.Sab shook her head and glanced at him. She tried to smile, “It was nothing.”She wanted to curse herself. Just as she replied, tears came to her eyes for whatever reason. Even she doesn’t know why. Why is she freaking crying?“This isn’t nothing. Sab, tell me.” He carefully wiped her tears away and she forced herself to admit her fear.“You… you didn’t mark me.” Her voice was so low and she couldn’t look at him straight.Clyde audibly exhaled. Oh. So, it’s just this. For a second there, he really thought he did badly. When his brain processed her words, he felt elated and chuckl
Once they confirmed the date, the preparations for the ceremony began. It’s not much, given how it would coincide with the year-end celebration. Sab tried to familiarize herself with most of the people in the pack. It wasn’t very difficult. She’s familiar with everyone who uses the training grounds, not to mention the elders, women and children she interacts with as her main responsibility. She’s bad at remembering names, though. She hoped they won’t hold it against her. She would still try, of course. More people have graduated from their training programs. This translates to a higher fighting power and better security. Hopefully, that is. Clyde remained attentive to trainings and classes, analyzing the needs and potential of new batches of trainees. All seemed to be going well and the activities have been normalized again. A couple of weeks before the ceremony, Clyde remembered something which worried him before. He deliberated before bringing it up in a conversation and asking h
The next day, they were visited by Alpha Xavier and his men. There was a bit of a commotion when they realized Isabel has been injured. It’s a good thing Lucas has been by her side since the incident and has given her the best treatment for her wounds and injuries. Isabel helplessly tried to calm her father. “It was my fault. I wasn’t supposed to fight but I still went. I didn’t know about all their rules yet.” She tried to explain. “You’ve been here for months and you don’t know all the rules yet? There can’t be too many!” “I’ve been with Lucas most of the time. I was supposed to assist him but I was itching to fight.” She dared not say that Lucas didn’t bother telling her because he really thought she won’t be battling anyone during an attack. His role is to tend to the injured and he expected her to assist him, given how he somehow educated her about his job since she began staying with him. It was really her fault for joining the fray. Her father would probably be livid if he l
It was almost dawn when Sab sat with the others for a pack meeting, attended by the alpha’s family, the ranked members and the elders. “What was their intention?” An elder asked and everyone turned to look at the alpha. His expression isn’t good. It seemed like a serious matter. Sab noticed how his gaze was fixed at a certain point on the table and she turned to look at their Luna. She assumed they’re communicating at the moment. “Have you been informed already?” She used her link with Clyde and she saw him minutely shaking his head. “Not yet. This will be the first time I’ll hear of it. I wasn’t there when they interrogate those people. The Beta led that mission.” “I see.” Sab waited with the others. The silence was welcomed by everyone. After about ten minutes, Conrad finally spoke. “They spoke of vampires. They heard Snow Mountain is home to several. Obviously, their information is inaccurate. They believe we’re a threat.” “Do I count as a vampire?” Alice asked out of pure c
Clyde tried to be rational about it. It’s true that she has trained for years for this particular purpose. He just didn’t realize until that moment how worried he would be of the possibilities. He’s simply afraid that she would get hurt. Looking back, he did think his mate would be someone who can fight alongside him. And Sab can, but he’s still not assured that she would be relatively safe. At the end of it, he realized it all stems from the fact that he wouldn’t be able to accept it if he loses her.When his father saw him, he was immediately reminded to focus and to worry less.“Have you ever felt afraid of losing mom?” He can’t help but ask through the link and he was floored by the response.“Every day, but you live with it as normally as you can. Don’t let it distract you. You have to trust your mate. She’s not ordinary. She’s your equal. Trust that she can protect herself as well as others.”Clyde grunted and talked aloud this time, “So, what’s going on?”“Rogues, apparently. B
Sab was surprised one time when she saw Isabel on the training grounds.“What is she doing here?” She asked Hana before they started their training.“Do you know her? She introduced herself as Lucas’ mate. She’d been here since the alphas’ conference. Apparently, she stayed at his place and remained at his side every day. Lucas went out to visit the city so she came out.”She was understandably surprised to know about it. “Really? She’d been here all along?”“Yeah. She seems like a chatty one. Look at your mate’s face.” Hana chuckled and Sab quickly found Clyde. He seemed to have just arrived in the grounds and he’s already frowning at Isabel’s direction. He felt his mate’s eyes on him and turned to look at her.“Did you know she’d been here for months?” She asked through the link.“Dad might have mentioned it. I’ve forgotten about it.”“What are you going to do?”Clyde grunted. “Would you mind taking her in? Let her join your team.”“No. My team would feel intimidated. She’s an alpha
They haven’t really made an announcement. News of their mating slowly spread by word of mouth. Clyde and Sab would randomly be congratulated by others in the span of almost two months. One time, as they’re having dinner with the pack’s Alpha and Luna, his father asked him if he’s ready to take over. He has now fulfilled all the requirements. Sab quietly glanced at him and he carefully contemplated. These last few months with Sab, he hasn’t really given that matter much thought. Alice spoke up before the conversation turns serious. “Sab would need some time to prepare, too. You can let her join the meetings from now on, so she’s aware of what’s going on within the pack and other important matters outside our territory. How about we give you six months? Afterwards, we will hold the ceremony of conferring the titles to the two of you, as the new Alpha and Luna of Snow Mountain. I think it would be a lovely celebration.” The elder couple gave them time to think about it. “What do you t
“So… you know now that I was telling the truth? You… you’re feeling the bond now?” Sab would be surprised if that’s what he’s saying. He nodded, “Yes.” There was a moment of silence as her eyes widened and she thought of the situation. “Then… why are you… why do you keep your distance from me?” That is what’s puzzling her. Clyde sighed and held her hand. “I’m just feeling guilty. This seems different than before because I knew with absolute certainty that I truly wronged you. I know you’ve forgiven me and you’ve given me a chance… What I’m struggling with is forgiving myself and overcoming that feeling of guilt. I know what I should do, but I still feel bothered.” It was then that Sab realized what was different. The banter. He doesn’t tease her to annoy her, which he did before. As she looked at him, she knew she would be unable to understand what he’s going through. “But… you still want me, right?” That’s all she wanted to confirm. “Yes, of course I do. Always, Sab.” He cuppe
Although Clyde kept her company, she could feel a certain distance from him. He didn’t leave her to attend the conference. Too bad they didn’t witness the other amusing event which happened on the third day.During the morning break, Lucas showed up and Isabel gasped when he turned to look at her. This the girl Clyde previously considered to be his mate.“Mate! Mate, mate, mate!” With wide eyes, she leaped over and quickly pounced on him. She was excited, especially upon seeing how attractive he is. He looked very mature and dependable.Those around them were surprised, especially her father. Xavier squinted at the man. Who is he? How come he showed up only today? Why wasn’t her daughter alerted of his presence sooner? He heard someone sigh near him and looked over.“Do you know him?” He asked Conrad who wore a somewhat worried expression.“Lucas. He’s our pack doctor, the only one in Snow Mountain. Although he has a few apprentices and he teaches classes on first aid and medication.”
Sab braced herself but what she expected to happen didn’t come. After recovering from the intense pleasure, she felt dejected. Clyde immediately noticed the way she turned her head away, the absence of her smile, and the sadness in her eyes.It was a reaction he least expected after their mating. He became worried.“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Was I too rough? Was it bad?” He couldn’t be sure which one it was.Sab shook her head and glanced at him. She tried to smile, “It was nothing.”She wanted to curse herself. Just as she replied, tears came to her eyes for whatever reason. Even she doesn’t know why. Why is she freaking crying?“This isn’t nothing. Sab, tell me.” He carefully wiped her tears away and she forced herself to admit her fear.“You… you didn’t mark me.” Her voice was so low and she couldn’t look at him straight.Clyde audibly exhaled. Oh. So, it’s just this. For a second there, he really thought he did badly. When his brain processed her words, he felt elated and chuckl