As soon as we stepped inside, a female beta rushed to greet us, bowing down. It was an everyday thing; still. I shifted on my feet, not used to the whole thing yet. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed two nurses whispering to each other, potentially gossiping about our sudden visit.
The Alpha cleared his throat, back straightening as he roamed his eyes around the pale walls and harsh lighting.
“We are here to see Dr Finn.”
“Yes, Alpha.” The nurse bobbed her head. “Please allow me a minute to inform him about your visit.”
Aiden grunted and tightened his grip around my hand, not leaning my side. He was equally terrified at the result but trying to stay positive for me. Together, we walked to t
I took my bottom lip in between my teeth, gawking at Liam as those words washed over me. Aiden's mother wanted to see me? What could she possibly have to say now? A weird feeling sunk in my stomach. The grip on my phone tightened, my back cracking as I suddenly sat up and rushed out of the room. "Now?!" "Yeah." The beta let out a tired sigh, his voice coming out as a whisper. "I tried to appease her, but she won't move. The guards want to see Aiden about it." "Oh no." "Exactly!" Liam groaned. "He will not react very well to the news. What do you suggest I do now, Rose?" A sense of something akin to pride surged in my chest, knowing he asked me as the Luna of t
A startled yelp ripped out of Ann from my side as the arrow slashed at her right arm before piercing on the tree behind. Fear gripped my insides, mouth parted as I saw blood rushing down her hand. My brain was too numb to process the sudden event, ears still echoing with the sound.The Luna opened her mouth when another arrow was shot our way. I ducked, cursing under my breath while inspecting its speed. Once I realised the target, my lips parted in shock.Flailing, I reached forward and harshly pushed her from harm's way, our bodies stumbling inches away from the tree. Still, I manage to feel the burn of the tip grazing my palm as it finally clattered to the ground. Blood stained the side of my shirt, trickling down my wrist.I swallowed noisily, the pain shooting in my entire hand. Turning to the Luna, my bre
/Aiden's POV/At those words, I blinked at my mate, confused lines marring my face. I took a step back, creating some distance between us, parting my mouth, breath whooshing out loudly. "What do you mean by that?"My mother had all these years to explain herself, so I did not understand Rose trying to defend her now. Still, I was eager to know her condition, a strong feeling in the pit of my stomach. Ever since I got the call from Liam about the attack and our guards scourging for the enemy, I couldn't sit idle. I wanted to sprint into the woods and rescue Rose, tear the throat of her attacker, but before I could do any of that, the omega came to me.The omega noisily breathed, tears forming in her eyes as she looked at me. "Your mother had no choice but to leave you behind, Aiden."
/Aiden's POV/I watched a myriad of emotions cross his face, body straightening in the spot. Lines marred his forehead, reminding him that he was getting older, mouth parted in shock. Blinking at me, he exclaimed. “What do you mean attacked?!”My eyes narrowed at that, realising that he may be in the dark about the whole thing. Liam was busy with the guards handling, ensuring control of the members, so he did not visit my father that often. I made a face at him, suddenly my heart clenching at the image of my mother lying in the hospital bed.“Someone shot at her with an arrow. Her wolf is not responding to the treatment, so we have kept her at the clinic.”“W-What?”
As soon as I woke up, my eyes shifted towards the windowpanes of the bedroom, darkness shrouding the room. Heavy drops of rain started pounding against the glass in quick succession, drowning out the ticking sound of the clock. I allowed my body another few minutes, languidly stretching the limbs that were beginning to ache. The guards must have left by now, I thought with a twist of my lips.Aiden insisted on me taking the guards along with the attacks in our territory increasing. Then again, I cannot blame him after what happened to Ann. My heart clenched at her mention, thinking back to the frail image of Luna lying in the clinic. No one from the clinic contacted me, which meant there was no progress.Before falling into the river, I knew she wanted to tell something, the words on the tip of her tongue. Unfortunately, the
/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
/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.
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
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