I was still enshrouded in the haziness of the demanding kiss that had taken my breath away when Alpha Travis stepped away from me as abruptly as he had kissed me.
"Don't ever try to avoid me, you belong to me now," I swallowed nervously at the dangerous look in his eyes, yet I was unable to look away.It held me in place with tingles running all over my body.Still, my mind pondered what he meant when he said I belonged to him.My neck turned swiftly to the empty bed and my eyes widened in realisation.Would he force me to have sex with him and mark me?No, I was not ready, I did not want to.With that thought in mind, I shrank my body even further away from him, plastering my back against the wall in fear."You're scared of me." It was not a question but a statement.He was my mate and even without us standing in such proximity, I knew he could feel my emotions."Why, do you think I'm going to"Miss, watch out!" Ann yelled, reflexively pulling me aside before a wolf running mindlessly through the streets could crash into me."What is he doing?" She huffed, her face reflecting her annoyance."Um, running?" I said with uncertainty, wondering why she was angry.She noticed the look I gave her and smiled awkwardly, "I don't like when others turn in the streets, they never consider the accidents they could cause."Well, she did have a point. There was a mix of wolves with furs of different shades and those in their human forms alike mingled together in the street we were passing through and the huge and looming form of those wolves made it a little challenging to navigate through the streets.Earlier, I had to jump backwards so I would not be squashed under their heavy paws."If everyone decides to morph now and then, no one would be able to do business, it's already rowdy enough," She went on complaining."I guess
"Don't just roam around however you wish, I will not be responsible for your safety," Beta Jay warned sternly then stepped past me to speak to the rest of the men behind me who I presumed were his subordinates."Ann," I called out and ran over to wake her. She groaned out loud before stirring then jumped to her feet anxiously, still in shock."It's okay, we are fine." I grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to a stop.She stilled in disbelief then turned her gaze to the right in time to see Beta Jay's men taking the body of the hybrid away."Wh...what happened?" She stuttered."Beta Jay saved us, we are fine," I answered, reaching out to pull her into my arms and patting her back comfortingly.From her reaction, it was easy to tell that she had never gone through such a frightening experience.If it had not been for the recent happenings that had taken place in my life as well, I would have had the same reaction.A
CHAPTER 18Ann was right, Alpha Travis was not just angry, he was brimming with rage, enough to send down a torrent of thunder and brimstone, enough to destroy creations if he were a God.He grabbed me by my shoulder, the same one that was hurting and slammed my back against the wall, repeating his words in the same terrifying tone he had used earlier, "Who the hell asked you to leave?"Tears pooled in my eyes at the sudden pressure on my shoulder and I fought it back desperately.They were not allowed to fall, at least not now.Judging by his question and the extent of his fury, I could guess that my mate had misunderstood my intention."I was not trying to leave, Ann took me on a tour of the Pack and we were suddenly attacked..." I was glad my words did not come out as a stuttering mess but they did trail off when he suddenly took a step back from me.He raised his hand off my shoulder in surprise, revealing a bloody i
I resisted the urge to ask Alpha Travis about what Ann had told me earlier, about being the Luna.It was a decision he had to make or had already made as the Alpha and if I had any chance of refusing that role, I had to talk to him.However as I sat across from him in the restaurant, I lost all courage.Soft music was playing in the background, whispers rising above it from the people seated around us but all I could stare at was the small flickering candle on the table.Earlier today, after Alpha Travis had left, I had spent the rest of my day with Ann, listening to her tell tales about the Pack and its wolves.Some were real while some were myths and fables they told each other to pass the time.Ann left when it was time for dinner, after reminding me not to be late.My mind was against the whole idea of having dinner with everyone, knowing fully well there could be a repeat of what happened yesterday or even worse.
"No," was his curt reply and my shoulders sagged in relief. My back was sweaty, a telltale sign of how anxious I had been."I told you just now, I would never hurt you," He added then picked up his fork and began to eat, gracefully like the last time at dinner.He glanced at me, still chewing then swallowed. I watched his Adam apple bob as the food went down his throat and his mouth moved, "Stop staring at me like I'm some big bad wolf who is going to jump you."So he was capable of some humour, I forced a laugh that even to me sounded like a grimace.His influence on people was noteworthy, he had not even done anything besides eat but the way he had done it made me self-conscious."Stay away from the hybrids or rather, the next time you see one, run. Don't try to be unnecessarily courageous and fight them, you will die." His words made me choke on my food and I hurriedly reached to grab a napkin but he was already offering one to me, alm
"Adriana, where are we going?" I had been asking this question for the past hour, ever since she told me she wanted me to meet someone."You would have gotten the full details last night but my brother decided the both of you would not have dinner with us. In light of that, it's now a surprise. You will see when we get there." She answered with a mischievous glint in her eyes."Come on Larry, get us to the Cascade restaurant." She said to the driver while brushing her finger through her hair, taking a peek in the rearview mirror to make sure it was properly laid back.She was just like Travis, beautiful and elegant, except the latter did not have to put in an effort at all to exude grace.Andriana, on the other hand, had a certain feistiness and cheerfulness to her that I adore, maybe because it reminded me of how I used to be."Are you going out for Lunch?" I asked curiously, "That can't be right." We just had breakfast a while back and
My gaze met with Sylvia's, the only female in the room who I recognized besides Adriana and I smiled back at her when she smiled warmly at me.Her little gesture helped ease the tension I was feeling, as I walked over to take my seat next to Adriana who was already patting the seat next to her, gesturing for me to sit.She seemed oblivious to my nervousness, "Come quickly, Maya. They have all been expecting you." She said, shifting to create more space for me."Adriana, why did you not tell me there would be so much people?" I inched closer to whisper to her, completely forgetting the fact that everyone seated here was a wolf and whispering in such close proximity was no use."It seems Riana did not mention a word to our guest here," A brunette with an haughty air said, shooting me a look that I translated as her unwillingness to have me in their gathering."Maya is not a guest, She's the Luna of the Pack and the new leader of the Éclat s
"You did great," Adriana said on our way back home, her eyes gleaming with pride and a little bit of excitement that dampened with her next words, "That Jana, I have to teach her a lesson next time. She demeans everyone she meets."Her mention of Jana made me recollect the latter's words from earlier that seemed more like a veiled threat.What exactly lay ahead that I was ignorant about?"Adriana, what other things does the Éclat society do?"I turned to ask the only other person I could get my answers from."Everyone of us is from a longstanding family of aristocrats, with mine being the head. Besides managing internal relations, we also dabble in various businesses across the Pack. Leah is on the advisor team that handles Pack policies, Brooke commands the female sentinels, Sylvia is one of the record keepers and also manages the largest mall in the city. The others, including myself, also handle other important things in the Pack."I wa
MAYA'S POVMy capabilities were limited, so all I could do was stand on the side and watch as Travis' men joined in the fray; even Sylvia had engaged in the fight, landing a hard blow on one wolf out of the two that had cornered Julian.The rogues were more in number than we expected and each of them looked to be quite strong.Sylvia's movements were mesmerizing, her body fast and nimble yet graceful like a river swan, but right now, her expression was far from that of a swan.Anger was written boldly across her face and she swore as she deflected a sneak attack from a rogue, "You bastards, you dare injure my brothers, I'm going to kill you."My lips drew back stiffly, and I watched her in disbelief; I never thought she had this side to her.She held my attention for a few more minutes, I would have loved to keep watching her, so I could learn a thing or two from her moves, she was after all a Sentinel before getting married to J
MAYA'S POV"Sylvia, are we having a feast? Why is there so much food?" Adrianna exclaimed rubbing her hands together in excitement as she took her seat.Everyone was already present, and she was the last to come in, "Are we celebrating anything?" She went on, reaching across the table to snatch a piece of beef that Jay wanted to take.She smirked when he glared at her as if challenging him."You present such a contradiction, I haven't even answered your question, yet you are already digging in." Sylvia shook her head with laughter."Anyway, today's meal is to thank Alpha Travis on my brother's behalf," She revealed and Adraina nodded, acknowledging her words."There might be a special occasion behind it but food will always remain food. It is meant to be eaten." Adrianna pointed out as if her words could not be argued.None of us was in the mood to bicker with her either.I glanced to my left at Travis. He was s
TRAVIS' POV "Thank goodness we were able to resolve that on time, you were right to accept Julian's offer," Jay said with a relieved expression. We just returned after a quick trip to the Pack healer to check on the containment of the disease and so far, I could say it was going well. Lesser cases were being reported and the afflicted were getting better as well. "Yes," I grunted in reply, straightening my stiff back and cracking my neck. He seemed to be in a good mood; I assumed he had patched things up with Sylvia. "Get some rest," I added, cutting off the rest of the conversation that would have occurred if I granted him leave. I was tired, too, and wanted to get some shut-eye. "Come on," Jay drawled, "Just tell me to stop speaking," He said with a disbelieving shake of his head. "Go," I mumbled without sparing him a glance, feeling his unwavering gaze on me bu
MAYA'S POV"Shall we take a break?" Brook asked, swiping off the sweat on her forehead with a light chuckle.I was bent over on the ground, panting heavily, the action a little bit exaggerated. Exhaustion had gotten to me for the past hour, and I had been pleading to be given a breather, but she turned a deaf ear to me and went on anyway.It had taken quite a bit of play-acting and unnecessarily loud groans to get her to make this statement, so I hastily accepted before she changed her mind, "Yes, please, you might end up killing me before my enemies at this rate," I wheezed jokingly."You speak like you have any enemies around here, As far as I know, Jana is the only one who dislikes you." She spoke of it as if it were a well-known fact, and I was not oblivious to it either.I could feel immense hatred radiating from the other woman whenever we met. She opposed me at every turn and at every meeting the Éclat society held. With Adrianna's
TRAVIS' POVI could not stop thinking about what Maya had said earlier and wondering how that thought was conceived.Ever since she arrived, I was sure I had done my best to make her feel comfortable, and Adriana had done even more to help her settle in, but I guess that was not enough.She and I had started off on the wrong foot, not that we did not exactly get along, but I felt our relationship was too stiff, which was partly my fault and ever since I realised that I have been trying to bridge that gap.When we got back home, I went up to my study first, leaving her behind to converse with Adrianna while I called for Jay to inform him of the new development with the hybrids."You don't seem too happy to hear that," I pointed out, knowing his stance on the whole issue was the same as mine but after I spoke on what Julian and I had agreed upon, he did not reject it either."I'm not unhappy about it," Jay sighed, slumping into one
MAYA'S POVTravis' sudden question stunned me and I hurriedly denied it, "I didn't cry.""You did," He answered, he did not seem like he was trying to confirm it but was making a statement because he knew it was true."I..." I stuttered, suddenly feeling humiliated that he had seen me when I tried so hard to hide it.I struggled to come up with a lie or at least a reasonable excuse for why I had cried but could not come up with anything good so I decided to be honest and come clean, "I just felt so overwhelmed by the fact that you do not consider me a stranger," I answered, trying to play it off like it was nothing when that single statement had in fact made my when day."That's why you cried?" He creased his brows just a little bit, his face momentarily tightening in confusion."It sounds like an exaggeration to you right," I laughed mildly, unable to keep my smile up for long."Actually, it wasn't," I answered with a c
MAYA'S POVThe return back to the Alpha's tower was silent, many times I had attempted speaking but chose to keep silent each time upon second thought because I did not think Travis wanted to talk to me.Sylvia had stayed back to properly finalize things with Julian, so I and Travis had ended up alone.He was driving, and I was seated next to him, my face stuck to the window as I pretended to admire the landscape."You should have told me," He spoke up suddenly, breaking the silence and I turned to face him, my lips parting in confusion, "Huh?""If you knew that the hybrids had a counter for the disease, then you should have told me earlier," He repeated, glancing at me for a minute and then turning his gaze back to the road."Um...well..." I struggled to form a proper sentence, then sighed, gathering my words, "I did not find out until much later, too; Sylvia helped out as well."I was not sure if he heard what I said u
"Alright, I agree to a ceasefire. You will stay off my land, and I will keep from yours as well; you can have the Gold Moon Pack territory. Based on Maya's proposition, Sylvia will act as a middleman and handle any business we might have with you. However, as compensation for the loss of lives you have caused me, we will deal with you at a much lesser rate than the others." I exhaled a breath of relief, and Travis dropped his words of concession quietly, taking a step back by agreeing to my suggestion once again.It gave the illusion that I was the only one present capable of making him change his mind.Julian grunted, and Alex leaned closer to mumble something to him quietly and instantly; his expression eased. As for him as well, this was the first time I had seen him have any expression that resembled calm.Both he and Travis had gotten really angry earlier and had a violent faceoff. The broken table in between us and Julian's bruised face was evidence
"Alpha Travis," the blond-haired man seated on the other end of the large table, directly facing Travis said, his voice dripping with distasteThis was Julian, Sylvia's half-brother, and true to her description of him, he was a man consumed by rage and hatred and had a permanent scowl on his face as if anger was his default state of being. Travis, on the other hand, seemed more at ease, as if he were a mere observer and not an active participant in the tension that filled the room."Julian," Sylvia called, her anxiety written all over her face as she switched glances between both men."I was told you had plans to eradicate not only myself but my people. I did not think you could be so cruel, Alpha Travis," Alex inputted, his frame of mind much calmer than Julian's and for a minute; I was grateful for his presence.At least he was guaranteed to keep Julian in check before an explosion of anger occurred between him and Travis.Tra