/His POV/
My father, the Pack Alpha, was sitting in his study, busy reading something. His glasses sat on his nose, brows furrowed together. From a distance, I could still pick out the silver of his hair, dull and thin. I knocked on the door even though he might have anticipated my arrival. He lifted his head, closing the file and motioning me to step in.
"Hi, dad."
"Aiden" He smiled brightly. "I heard that you had finalised your Luna."
I laughed, plopping on the empty chair in front of him. "Word gets around that fast, huh?"
"I'm sorry I caught the end of your conversation." He sheepishly pointed out.
The packhouse appeared larger than the last time I had been here. A soft exhale left my lips as I thought about how it'll be my home soon.My parents were already seated in the lawn along with others waiting for my sister. They asked me to help her out with the dress and the long veil."Rose?" Cara tightened her grip on the bag."I'm ready to leave."She was going to run away and hide for a while with her mate. They have planned everything. I had no idea about any of it, only that they were leaving the village and going far away till everyone calmed down."Good luck, Cara."Her eyes pooled with tears. She rushed
A sob racked through my body in the strange-looking room. I was all alone again—no one by my side. In few hours, the official ceremony will be over, and I will be Luna of the pack. But the Alpha hated me. What was the use of having such power anyway? A fresh set of tears flowed down my cheeks the more I thought about it.Everyone was busy arranging the site we would worship the moon goddess. Wolves are believed to be children of the moon. That's why we worship the goddess that created us on every significant occasion. Apart from the moon, the wolves also worship the elements—water, fire, air and earth. We believe that these elements, along with the moon, sustain us.A knock echoed in my room. Lifting my head, I stared at the Pack Alpha s
/Aiden's POV/I stalked out of the cabin, my breaths coming out in puffs due to the cold weather. Still, I wasn't much affected due to my thick skin. My blood was boiling the more I thought about the omega in my cabin. How could my father agree to such a sham of a marriage?During the ceremony, I had no choice but to go along with it. Many pack members gathered around, and walking away didn't seem like a reliable option. Running a hand through my hair, I banged on the door to his study."What's wrong?" My father opened the door, bleary-eyed, sweat clinging to his forehead."Are you seriously asking me that?" My voice raised. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed other pack members giving us a weird look.A burst of murmur
There comes the point in everyone's life when they wish they could turn back time or halting the clock even for just a moment enough to take a breath. I was feeling the same.Once the Alpha stormed to his room, I decided to unpack my stuff.Stepping inside the guest room, I was immediately enveloped in cold air. The room was tiny, with a single bed and one small dressing table with a stool. There was a large window on the wall, allowing lots of natural light in. On the other end of the room was a tiny wardrobe and a floor lamp.A sigh left my lips. Throwing the suitcase on the bed, I began unpacking it. I had little clothing, and belongings barely fit two drawers. It
Aiden stalked in a circle around the edge of the empty space, shoulders squared and held high. His neck extended in a show of dominance. I couldn't help but gawk at the Alpha in front of me. He was a handsome wolf with sleek dark brown thick fur, healthy stature and bulky in all the right places.He growled at me.The pack wolves were yipping and howling around him, the others who had wandered off swiftly returning to witness the scene unfolding.A whine escaped my lips pitifully, nearly losing myself when Aiden's eyes snapped directly to me, holding eye contact for several long seconds. Why was he staring at me like that? Did he not like
/Aiden’s POV/I couldn't stop staring at Rose even after the ceremony. Why was her wolf silver-white? That colour was rare among wolves, and I haven't seen anyone like her. Somehow it impressed me. Shaking my head, I focused on the road ahead.The ceremony came to an end, with my father blessing us all. We drank the water from the bowl blessed by moonlight before calling it a night. Rose strode by my side, head bent down, hands dangling at her side. I was almost tempted to hold them but snapped out of it.My wolf was making me hazy, blur the lines and almost forgetting that I hate her. She ruined everything by replacing her sister. I grind my teeth together as I thought about it.
The next day was dull, and I couldn't bother getting out of bed. I spent it all alone, caged in my room for the better part of the day. My eyes kept shifting towards my bedroom door, hoping Aiden would come and check on me. After a while I gave it up and went to the bathroom, taking a hot shower to cleanse myself and soothe the aching muscles of my body.Getting out of the room made me realise that the Alpha left a long time ago, his faint scent lingering around.I was feeling very pouty and trapped, alone up in a large cabin. Curious, my feet carried towards the guest room from last night. My cheeks flushed as the mahogany door stared back at me. The thought of last night made my abdomen clench. He was so shameless suggesting something like that instead of going
Caden kept me company while Ria was nowhere to be found. I couldn't help but be annoyed at her. Where was she? The Alpha was decent, funny and had a slow, soothing accent. He asked me if I could walk along with him to the training ground. Mostly to call Aiden and take him back to the packhouse but also look around. I readily agreed, eager to see the training ground.I stood awkwardly in the doorway to the building that housed the training sessions for the warriors.There was a lot of space in the room, almost like the size of a town hall, and there were people dressed mostly in all black doing tasks around the entire room. Some were fighting, others, some were cleaning gear, and others were chilling on benches around the room while in the midst of a conversation."This is where we train", C
As the winter bled into spring, the sky grew more explicit and the clouds turned bright, unlike the gloomy days we had so far. I was nostalgic seeing the snow gone, but spring was a time of rebirth, a new beginning that I eagerly welcomed.Striding down the aisle, I twisted my head, staring at the faces that gazed at me and smiled. There were Alphas, betas, and omegas everywhere, and every single one of them sported an expression of joy and pride. Never in my life did I expect that this day would come, but it's happening.In the very front row, I spotted my father, my chest tightening painfully. My stepmother passed away a year ago, finally succumbing to her illness. Cara, along with her husband, had visited her in the last few days, but she humiliated both of them, not wanting to see their faces. I received the same treatment in the past, but still, it sadde
/Aiden's POV/Everything hurts. That's the first thought that dawned on me as I slowly drifted into consciousness. My hands twitched helplessly, and even though I could flutter my eyelids, they felt too heavy to open my eyes.My chest felt strange, uncomfortable sensations filling it up and throbbing in my ears, alongside horrid sounds that made it impossible to concentrate.I tried to open my eyes, just a little, and it's bright, blindingly so. It had been peaceful and dark seconds away, then an intense pressure in my chest made me hit the ground.I realised I was on a bed, covered by a thick duvet, sunlight spilling through the open windows at the opposite side of the room, so bright that it
/Rose POV/As soon as the dull thud echoed around the woods, it sent a searing pain through my skull. I was unable to move, taking a few more seconds to process that Aiden was on the floor, unconscious.With my sight going fuzzy around the edges and limbs twitching and shaking uncontrollably, I tried to work my muscles. Once that was under control, I put my body weight onto the palms, which burned and felt numb at the same time.Standing up, my chest lurched, and soon after, my stomach jumped violently. A fit of loud coughs escaped my lips, throat constricting, instinctively curling in."A-Aiden..." The sting was sitting deep inside as I finally scrambled forward, heart hammering
/Aiden's POV/My world stopped at that moment, mouth dropping open in shock, breath knocked out of my throat. I could feel the heat of my skin, feet automatically staggering back in the process. The people in front, the trees surrounding us, everything went blurry, a rush of memories surging through me, and suddenly I remembered.That strange encounter in the forest, his mark on my body and a promise to find me soon, those dreams with blurred faces and deep voices. It all made sense now."I-Its you..." My throat was burning, words jagged and breathy, tears were in my eyes. "Ronald," I uttered the name with so much venom that it made him chuckle. At the familiar sound, my hackles rose, goosebumps pricking.
/Aiden's POV/I had no idea what was it that woke me up. Suddenly, I was sitting up in bed, the sheets sliding off my chest along with my mate's arm and every last bit of fatigue that had been clinging to my body. It's still dark, no light shining in from outside and no ray of sun pouring inside.Instead, the window was still wide open, puddles of water covering the ground right in front of it.I slipped from beneath the duvet and got to my feet, mind-wiped blank and steps steady but languid as I made my way towards the window. When I looked ahead, far away in the distance, a hint of light on the horizon stared back at me, a line in the darkened sky.For a moment, I soaked the silence around me, the chilly a
/Aiden POV/I didn't know where I went wrong in my life. No. I was aware but did not want to acknowledge it for the sake of my mind. However, the problem is that I cannot change anything now. Staring into Slyvies desperate eyes only made me realise how much of a fool I have been.Rose was right all along. I sent her away in hopes that my guilt towards Sylvie would ease. When in reality, she's a pawn from Reece side, thrust into my life for my failure. Even though she had no choice but to surrender to fate, I couldn't help the resentment gnawing in my chest.I would never be able to trust her on anything again. As harsh as it may sound, I did not want to be fooled by her again.
A frown settled on her face, the hold of her hand loosening around my wrist. "Why? Do you not like chicken curry?"I let out a chuckle at her child-like pout, running my thumb across the plump of her cheek. "No, it's not that, baby. I love anything you make except for that pasta.”A squeal escaped her lips and she slapped lightly at my arm as if recalling the incident. Even though I almost died, it’s fun to tease her that the first dish she made gave me an allergy. The omega gets truly flustered every single time.“Don’t remind me of that ever again.”“Alright.” I fondly rolled my eyes.“Tell me why don’t you want
/Aiden's POV/Damon insisted on calling his mate to inform her that we were leaving for the clinic. I asked him to tell Rose about my location, not wanting to worry her. Along with my beta, we both stepped inside the room, finding Slyvie on the bed.The doctor bowed as soon as he saw, greeting politely. I waved at him, my eyes flickering towards the frail body of the omega. My heart clenched at sight, guilt swarming in my belly as I recalled the way I behaved with her in our past meetings. I should have given her another chance to explain instead of letting it go."H-How is she now?" I croaked, turning to the doctor, my hands falling by my side.
/Aiden's POV/To distract myself after the near depressing talk with my father, I decided to visit the training ground. I silently leaned against a tall pole while observing the guards shoot with a bow. Their targets were dead birds carcasses strapped up in a low hanging stand, and the goal was to hit either three or four within a few minutes.Crossing my arms together, I watched as one of the guards shot an arrow—with the wrong technique, of course, it missed and flew feet away from striking any bird. I could sense the tension in the air that vibrated in waves from the guard from being observed. With the war looming over us, we had no choice but train.I felt sick to my stomach as I watched him completely mess up the whole process.&nb