TRAVIS' POV
I knew she was there the minute a sweet Lavender scent began to swirl in the air, mingling with the smell of the colourful spread of ivy flowers in a vase across from me, the scent thick like smoke from a hidden opium den.My mate, I had finally found her.Our meeting was meant to be one of the most important moments of our lives when love met with passion and lust but in my case, the love was non-existent.She was brought in by the scout that had reported the presence of an invader to me earlier and a first glimpse at her was enough to drive my wolf insane."Mate!" I let out a guttural groan at what seemed to be a jolt of electricity passing through my organs and Jay faced me swiftly in surprise.He was my Beta and had been right beside me when I received the report.With long strides, I crossed the distance between us and stood before her, close enough for me to hear the erratic beating of her heartbeat.My heart hammered against my chest in panic. 'The Grim wolf,' his demeanour matched the ominous undertones his name suggested, which was utterly frightening just like the rumours I had heard about him.The tension in the air was thick and suffocating as he gripped his Beta's neck in a steely grip.A man was going to die and it was all my fault, the thought made me nauseous and before I knew it, I was retching."Get out," Alpha Travis glowered at Beta Jay who returned his intense gaze before quietly passing me. As he made his way past me, he cast a meaningful glance my way. However, I was bent over from the dizzy spell that hit me and its significance eluded me."What's wrong with you?" Alpha Travis snapped and then walked over to me, watching me with a scrutinising gaze.At that moment, I desperately wished there was some hole underground that I could run into, far away from this dangerously aggressive man who had turned out to be my mate
Tentatively, I returned to perch myself on the edge of the bed, with no idea what to do next.Alpha Travis had departed without a word, leaving me alone with no explanation or directions on what comes next.The feeling of uncertainty about what was to come next left me unsettled but simultaneously, his scent mingling with the natural air was oddly comforting."We will be safe here, with our mate," The female voice from earlier rang again and I frowned visibly, had I not locked her out?"We're one entity, you can't ignore me forever," She replied as if she had read my mind.It was no news to me that apart from shifting, we werewolves had a wolf spirit that we were connected to and that enabled us to have silent conversations, as well as share each other's emotions.She was right, I could not ignore her forever. Overlooking the fact that she had just saved my life, I needed her close to me to brave the uncertainties the future held
I followed him curiously as he led me out of the enormous building. For some reason, everywhere seemed deserted, a contrast to the flurry of activities that was ongoing when I arrived.We crossed a street and made our way down to another building with huge doors and two men manning it.They hastily pulled it open for him, bowing in subservience as he made his way up the stairs."Is everyone present?" Alpha Travis stopped to ask one of the men, lacing my already confused self with further confusion."Yes, they are all waiting for you inside," The guard dipped his head even lower as he spoke.Alpha Travis nodded then stepped through the threshold, throwing a glance behind at me, "Come on."His voice was frigidly cold with an air of authority, his face an icy mien and I hurriedly made my way up the stairs to catch up to him.He did not wait for me and was already walking forward.I finally realized why everywhere s
"Stairs, stairs," I mumbled to myself as I trudged through the dark hallways, trying to find any signs of the stairs Alpha Travis had mentioned.Who turned off these lights? I knew they were turned off because I could see extravagant light bulbs hanging off the high ceilings with not a speck of light in them.My gaze was still fixated on one when I missed a step that made my feet clack together before I came tumbling down the exact flight of stairs I was looking for.'This is bad,' I could not help thinking to myself when I lifted my head and my eyes met with Alpha Travis'.How I wish I could turn myself into a speck of dust and be blown away with the wind and not have to lay on the ground sprawled out embarrassingly before my mate."What are you doing?" His face creased as he looked down at me, looking like he could not understand why I was lying on the ground.Had he not seen me fall off the steps? I wished
Everyone began to leave one after the other right after Alpha Travis stood up.I was the only one still seated without a clue what to do. Dinner had barely just started and I had not even gotten a single bite because I was nervous yet it was already over."Sorry I ruined your first meeting with the family," Adriana reached to grab my hands over the table apologetically."It's fine," I replied with a simple nod of my head.What else could I say? A meal was not going to give me a sense of belonging or anything but what I was really worried about was Alpha Travis' silence before he left.Did he mind or did he not? Would he suddenly order for his sister to be killed or tear her to bits himself?I shook my head at the ridiculous thoughts I was having then stared at the plate of bone-in rib steak adorned with truffle butter with seasonal vegetables on the side that I was hesitant to leave."Let's go," I hea
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
The air in the room seemed to freeze, going several degrees lower as Travis's presence filled the room overbearingly.His eyes were cold and sharp, like the edge of a blade, and his muscles were filled with tension as his eyes scanned both of me and Sylvia with demanding scrutiny.Sylvia's breath caught in her throat, all the colour draining from her face as she swallowed, her wide eyes flicking from me to him.I was sure my expression mirrored hers; my throat felt constricted and dry, and I could not formulate a quick response, gaping instead at him as his face hardened even further, "I asked you a question.""Travis," I pushed past the lump in my throat to say, my growing fear a chasm that passed between us.How should I begin to explain that Sylvia had come to seek my help to disrupt or at least stall his plans, and I, on the other hand, had made an instant decision not to tell him in favour of her? I had even hidden the fact that I ha
"What do you mean by that? What problem?" I asked, my brows knotting into a frown as I stared at her face searchingly.We had parted just a few minutes ago, so I wasn't expecting to see her so soon or that she would suddenly grab me.Her face was lined with worry, fear reflected in her wide-open stare, "Alpha Travis, he's planning a hunt.""A hunt? Why is that a problem? Isn't a hunt normal?" I questioned in bewilderment. Most werewolf Packs I knew frequently organised hunts to hone their skills and survival instincts so I could not understand why she was so anxious about that."No, no, you don't understand," She shook her head vehemently, "He's planning to hunt down the hybrids, he's going to kill them all."The realization of what she meant finally dawned on me and my eyes widened in shock, "Kill them all? How?"."Their trip to Chantel Ridge wasn't so simple; their true intention was to purchase Nightshade.""Nightshad
"Please do not mention a word of this to anyone," Sylvia paused by the threshold to say to me, her eyes pleading for secrecy. "Of course, my lips are sealed," I made a motion with my finger then smiled softly. "You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone unless you ask me to." She nodded appreciatively, turning to head in when I called out to her, "Sylvia," Stopping her in her tracks once again. "Thank you for sharing this part of your life with me," I mumbled softly. It was a hefty decision she had made when she wasn't even sure about my intention and if I would rat her out to Travis but, she had still done so because she trusted me and, I was thankful to be made out as someone reliable, even if it was just for a few minutes. "I did that majorly because I wanted your help, thank you for not judging like the others." After that, we came to a tacit agreement to stop discussing our trip to the h
"Please do not mention a word of this to anyone," Sylvia paused by the threshold to say to me, her eyes pleading for secrecy."Of course, my lips are sealed," I made a motion with my finger then smiled softly. "You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone unless you ask me to."She nodded appreciatively, turning to head in when I called out to her, "Sylvia," Stopping her in her tracks once again."Thank you for sharing this part of your life with me," I mumbled softly.It was a hefty decision she had made when she wasn't even sure about my intention and if I would rat her out to Travis but, she had still done so because she trusted me and, I was thankful to be made out as someone reliable, even if it was just for a few minutes."I did that majorly because I wanted your help, thank you for not judging like the others."After that, we came to a tacit agreement to stop discussing our trip to the hybrid Pack, lest the others caught o
"That's Alex, right there," Sylvia pointed towards a young man with dark brown hair in the distance who was heaving a squealing child above his head while the other children gathered around him tried to douse him with the water from the pond their feet up to their abdomen were submerged in.They were all hybrids; I could tell even though we were still some distance away from them."Alex, look who is here," Ava shouted, waving her hands towards the man who slowly turned and set the child in his arms down.The children all gave squeals of excitement, rushing out of the water to run towards Sylvia the minute they recognized her.They surrounded her, their cheery voices filling the air while giving me curious glances just like Ava had done earlier."She's just like Sylvia and those other big wolves we've seen," Ava chattered to them excitedly, looking back at me with the belief that I was oblivious to what she was saying because of how low he
I took in a deep breath, mulling over her words. You know what, maybe she was right; maybe we had never given the hybrids a chance to show that we could live harmoniously together."I know, I shouldn't have brought you here; I just wanted to show you a world different from what we know. To show you that the hybrids our kind detest are not so bad after all." She said, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder with the knowledge that I was already giving in to her words.I grabbed her hands and let out a long sigh then smiled softly, "Alright, I guess I should get to know them. You are a kind and sweet person, Sylvia, and if these people are really what you say they are, then I trust you." I nodded firmly.It was about time to stop letting my past cloud my decisions; not all people would betray me, and I needed to understand that.Sylvia had been nothing but kind to me since I arrived and this was a time for me to reciprocate her goodwill towards me.
"Sylvia, what are we doing here?" I asked, a rising feeling of worry pervading my senses.Based on my recollection and observation of the path we had taken, we were in the next town, which was precisely the old inhabited land of the Lunarcrest Pack, which was a worrying sight.I could not understand why Sylvia had chosen to come here of all places when according to what I understood, this was where Travis had gotten attacked."I know you are nervous but I assure you, it's fine. I want to show you something," She said, grabbing my hand with a comforting smile as she began to pull me along.Her long hair billowed, soft strands hitting my face as we walked and I took in a long exhale of air, deciding to trust her.Based on my instinct, she didn't seem like a bad person or someone that would harm me. There were times when I could not tell what she was thinking, but every one of her gazes held no bad intentions.Discerning people's mi
"What are you working on?" Adriana asked curiously, leaning over to take a peek at the papers spread out in front of me.I twirled the pen in my hand then handed one of them to her, "It's the Female sentinel's budget for the month. Their coffer is almost empty yet there are still a lot of expenses to cover. I'm trying to figure out how to cut costs," I explained."Oh right, you are in charge of that now. Do you need my help?""Never mind," I replied, taking the papers back from her and pointing them towards the huge journal she had on her side of the table. "You already have a lot to do.""I had no idea you were good at accounts," Nicole gave me a curious look from the other side of the room where she was also seated knitting what seemed to be a sweater."I know quite a bit; my Father used to let me help out with his accounts," Her question brought back thoughts of my days back at the Raging Flame Pack when I used to help my Father with o
My cheeks flushed almost instantly and I hastily looked away.He kept staring long and hard, I could feel his eyes on mine but could not see his expression because of how low my head was hanging."I'm not avoiding you," I muttered guiltily, sneaking a peek just in time to see the amused expression on his face.His appealing visual, coupled with a rare smile, was a sight to see, and I found myself staring longer than I intended to."Had enough?" He said with a teasing tilt to his tone and I hastily cleared my throat."Now, do you want to tell me why you are avoiding me?""I'm not," I mumbled hastily in defence. "Why are you home?"Wait, what was I doing asking the owner of this house why he was back in his house?I chuckled, feeling foolish, but he surprised me by answering, "I came back to pick up Cameron; we are headed to Chantel Ridge."The fact that he had even answered and provided this much detail