“Alisha, are you awake?” Alice entered the room, looking better than before.For two days, he had been staying with Alisha in the hospital room, not close, but having his own bed there gave him some peace. Knowing she was nearby allowed him to sleep more soundly.Though she didn't speak to him much and tried to ignore him, it was still better than when she wasn't around.Maya, Rish, Levi, and Jackson were all ready to let him stay in her private hospital room, but no one could stop him.Once he set his eyes on something, he made sure to have it one way or another.At least now he was less paranoid about leaving her and her escaping again. There was no way he would let that happen on his watch.“Alisha, I'm coming in,” he entered and saw her in a new dress, looking refreshed.Today was her discharge day, and though he wanted to take her home, hug her, he couldn't. They were in a pack now, and Alisha had a lot of things to figure out or get used to.He was selfish, but not enough to mak
Alice carefully carried Alisha in his arms, following Maya out of the hospital room. He felt a rush of contentment having her so close, her scent and the rhythmic beat of her heart soothing him despite the tense situation.Maya led them down the hallway, her posture stiff with concern. "Alice, I know you care about her, but you have to give her space. She needs to figure things out on her own.""I know, Maya," Alice replied earnestly. "I just want to make sure she's okay. I promise I'll give her space."Maya nodded, her expression softening slightly. "Good. She's been through a lot, and she needs time to process everything."Alice nodded in agreement, glancing down at Alisha who was looking up at him too. "I understand," he murmured to Maya.Levi and Rish exchanged a look when they saw Alice carrying Alisha out in a bridal style, making it look like a cliché movie scene.“Is this real?” Levi whispered to her brother.“I'm seeing the exact same thing you are seeing, so it must be,” Ris
Alice's expression turned to confusion; he didn't understand the politics within the pack."On one side, they say Alisha is the heir and the next ruling queen, but then they already have someone who is ruling.""Though I can understand the process of voting and selecting a new king if the current one dies and a successor needs to be found.""But then again, what's the issue? Now that a real successor has come, why should it be difficult? That's not hitting a nerve.""It's difficult because the current ruler won't easily step down. Alisha needs to prove she's worthy of the position, and you already know how worthy she is," Jackson interjected.Alice narrowed his eyes, not liking the sarcastic undertone in Jackson's comment. "I know she is worthy enough. It's just that she didn't even know about all these things her whole life, so you can't expect her to be the best all of a sudden.""He can insult her as much as he wants, especially when it's just the two of them, but he won't let othe
"Behave, everyone. We don't need any issues with the Alpha. Alisha, you already have a spell cast on you, but be careful not to bleed at all, or anyone can easily detect the scent," Maya commanded, not wanting anything to go wrong.She had never met the new Alpha, having left the pack before any voting had taken place. Jackson had filled her in on everything, and only she knew the deep panic she felt upon learning the details. But it had already happened, and with so much on her plate already, she couldn't afford any mistakes."We'll be fine, Mom. You're stressing too much," Rish reassured his mother."He's right, Mom. I agree, everything will be fine. It's not like the Alpha is going to eat us," Levi added, rolling her eyes, though she herself was a bit scared and tense."I'll make sure not to bleed, Maya. Don't worry. I'll stay away from the places I shouldn't wander, as you told me," Alisha promised.She didn't want to cause any issues, especially since she was about to see the pac
Maya flinched as she heard Lucas's words, her composure flying without her wanting to lose control of it. "If you don't know, I am the sister of the dead queen. What do you feel about that, Alpha Lucas? If I don't leave, the pack's next ruler will be me in line, as I hold the same blood as the royal queen."The living room went silent as soon as the words left Maya's mouth. Alisha felt a bit proud, then scared, seeing how Maya was giving it back to Lucas, who was trying to show that he was the supreme power.When this position of Alpha doesn't even permanently belong to him.He is the Alpha until the royal blood doesn't gain power, and Alisha knows one thing - when she gains power, it will be difficult to handle this man.He looks like a far more scheming person than anyone else ever can.He is giving dangerous vibes for sure."I know you are, but you left, and I got this position in a fair and square way, Maya," Lucas gritted his teeth, feeling sore about the so-called comment Maya
"How about we go after having lunch with me? It will be my honour to share a meal with you," Lucas proposed, as if he hadn't just been fighting with Maya a moment ago.Maya and Jackson looked at each other."I don't think we can have lunch," Alice declined. He didn't like how Lucas didn't even acknowledge his presence, as if he wasn't there."I forgot to ask, who is this guy? He doesn't smell like a human or wolf or anything," Lucas's eyes went to Alice.Alice smiled because Lima had also put a spell on him, so nobody could identify him as human. She had put a spell on Alisha so no one could smell her blood. She couldn't put another one on, but at least he was safe."He is a cousin of my wife," Jackson stated, keeping his words as if he wasn't lying."So what is he?" Lucas asked."A wizard, that's why you can't smell him," Jackson immediately shot back a reply."So what is your name, young man?" Lucas's eyes fixed on Alice."My name is Alice, nice to meet you Alpha Lucas," Alice answe
"Mom, you literally got us shot at the way you behaved there," Levi commented, while they all sat in the car."What was my mistake? That fucker was getting on my nerves. Why the hell was he behaving as if I am a criminal, which I am not? I know I came back after 18 years, but that's no excuse for his behavior," Maya shrugged."He was half right too. He is the Alpha, and there is no way you can disrespect him, but I liked it. He is an asshole too," Rish laughed."Jackson, how did he even become the Alpha? Like why is he the one who won the voting?" Maya looked at Jackson, who was driving the car."He got voted because of how he helped everyone. He was not from our pack, but he helped everyone. He was a rogue who helped us fight the rogues who attacked us," Jackson stated."How so? Why would a rogue help? And why the hell did everyone accept a rogue as the Alpha?" Maya gasped in shock as she took in the information."He helped, that's why people in the pack started favouring him. He is
Alisha's eyes widened as she heard Alice's words; she was not expecting to hear them from his mouth, and it was clearly shocking that he even said something like this."Your eyeballs will fall from your eyes, Angel, relax sweetheart," Alice chuckled as he softly grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him.He put her head in his lap, making her lie down comfortably, and started massaging her head very softly, melting her in his lap.Alisha was beyond shocked by his action, the way he just massaged her head, but it relieved all the stress she bore while at lunch.The spell was making her nervous from time to time, and then how that dead body came in the bag, literally was the ultimate button she didn't want to get pushed with.Lucas' behaviour was the cherry on the situation; he made her wary about things. But as Jackson said in the car, he may not be that good, but he handles the pack well, so she can't say or think about Lucas.She herself is not even in the half position where she
"Did you talk with Aunty Daisy?"Alice stopped what he was doing as soon as she mentioned his mother's name. How could he forget about this whole thing?He had sent his driver away that day and had been here for quite some time, which nobody knew about. His mom would have been stressed.Because of his anger, he hadn't talked to his mom, thinking she had faked her health so Alisha could have more time for her escape plan. Even though he knew it wasn't his mother's mistake—he was the one at fault—he had clearly forced the marriage on Alisha, and if he thought about it now, it wasn't right.Still, it seemed like the best option if he didn't want to let her slip. Now it was impossible for her to slip away, as he was her mate. Before, it wasn't like that, so he had been scared: what if she left? And that's exactly what happened. Alisha left him stranded on their wedding day, confirming his doubts.Now, thinking about this whole thing, his mother would have been so stressed. He had been day
"I think you should control your anger; sometimes you just overreact, as you did today," Alisha suggested, drying her hair. She had taken a bath after the whole training, and it felt way better for her sore body."That's because it's you who thinks it. Better if you stop overthinking. Jackson talked to you with such disrespect; there's no way I'm going to take it easily. Nothing is overreacting when it comes to you," Alice walked toward her and took the towel from her hands.Alisha looked at him in shock. "What are you doing? My hair is still wet," giving him side-eyes, she put her hand forward, indicating she wanted the towel back, her wet hair dripping on the top she wore."I never knew you were this assertive, but I like it now. Tell me, what will you do if I don't give in?" Alice chuckled, wanting to know what she'd do.He loves seeing her like this; it's more fun when she doesn't behave cautiously with him. Not to deny, when she crosses limits, he doesn't quite like it, but in a
"Run faster! What are you both doing?" Jackson growled loudly as he matched Alisha and Alice's running pace, jolting them back due to his sudden appearance out of nowhere."What are you both doing? Why are you running like you're jogging? Even at my old age, I can easily catch up with you," Jackson sounded pissed.Alisha and Alice both stopped running, and Jackson stopped too, glaring at them as if he would gulp them down in one go if they didn't reply to him.Here, training was not something to joke about, and they were running like it was some fun activity, not like he trained people now.He was a retired Beta, so he stayed away from things like this, but when the former queen and king were alive, he was in charge of getting the warriors ready for war or anything else.Now, seeing how Alisha was taking this so carelessly, he felt mad.She was of royal blood, the future queen. For Alice, he didn't give a lot of shit, but he was Alisha's mate, which made him the future king. Hearing t
"Why do you care so much? You behave very differently," Alisha commented, looking directly into his eyes, catching her breath. Her whole face turned red, due to the heat and her breathless self."I care because it's you, Angel. I don't give a fuck about anything in this whole world if it's not you, but if it's you, then I care with my whole existence," Alice sincerely replied, as he smiled, shocking Alisha a bit.She had seen him smile before, but not this radiantly. Somehow, in his sweaty body, he looked hot as his lips stretched into a pleasant smile.His words warmed her heart, making her speechless.Sometimes he just says things like this which totally blows her mind. She doesn't even get to react, as she is never able to figure out how to respond when he says things like this."Don't you feel weird when you say things like this?" she asked, wanting to know what runs through his head that motivates him to say such things."I feel weird," Alice paused, "when I don't say things like
"Run twenty rounds in teams. Levi and Alisha can run together, while Alice and Rish can run together in a group," Maya announced, fire in her eyes."I don't want to run with Rish. I will run with my girl only," Alice denied, unwilling to leave Alisha's side.He wanted to run with Alisha. After the attack, he may have been the one who bore it, but the fear of what could have happened to her was clearly eating him alive. Under no circumstances would he leave her alone without his protection. It wasn't going to happen.Running twenty rounds would take no less than an hour, as the place was quite big. It might even take longer than that."I am pairing Levi and Alisha because they are both girls, and you and Rish are guys, so it will help match the strengths," Maya sighed. She didn't understand why Alice always had to be glued to Alisha. She may have understood a bit, but not entirely. It was just tiring."It doesn't matter. I will run faster than Rish, so why can't I be paired with Alisha
"Maya, do you think it will be alright to teach her how to fight when she doesn't even have the wolf, and she's certainly just a human? Won't it be a bit more complex?" Elk asked as he entered the room where Maya was getting ready for today's lesson."I don't think it's the best thing, but whatever the case, there's no way she's safe. Since she's not safe, I don't think we should push her training any further. The attack was fatal; didn't you see the extent of Alice's injuries?" Maya looked into Elk's eyes and replied with determination."True, but I am scared for all four of them. Even if Alice was in the Mafia, that doesn't mean he can bear the training of our people. Alisha, Levi, and Rish are beyond prepared to handle it," Elk reasoned.Maya took a deep breath, knowing Elk was right. Although Levi and Rish had spent their whole lives with her, she had never taught them how to fight, maybe just a little self-defence, but they had never undergone real training.Thinking about it, sh
Alisha nodded, taking in the information about Alice's involvement with the mafia. It explained his fighting skills and the air of danger that seemed to surround him. Despite her reservations about his character, she couldn't deny that his presence during the training would be a valuable asset."Well, if you're willing to join us, Alice, your experience and expertise will certainly be helpful," Maya said, trying to maintain a neutral tone. "As long as you're committed to learning and working together with the rest of us."Alice met her gaze, his eyes intense and unwavering. "I am fully committed, Maya.”Maya nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "It's settled then. Alisha, Rish, Levi, and Alice will begin their training tomorrow morning. We'll meet in the training grounds at sunrise. Be prepared to work hard and push yourselves to your limits."Alice nodded his head, not quite sure why he had revealed his mafia connections and his involvement in the underworld. E
Alisha looked at Alice, who showed no expression. She could understand what Maya and everyone meant; she clearly needed to learn, but that didn't mean she was ready to learn fighting.She knew she had to protect herself, and Alice had saved her by putting his life at stake, so it was kind of useless if she would rely on him when they weren't even on good terms.Moreover, if she was certainly not ready to use Alice for curse-breaking, then how could she take his help in other things? It was quite nonsensical.She didn't know how to take it as a whole. On a higher scale, it was helpful, but on a lower scale, it was not.She was scared for her life, and that wasn't going to help in any way because the attack was meant for her, and seeing the situation, she could see how there would be more of them.She just couldn't pull it off or save herself if she didn't learn to fight, but she knew her body best, and she was kind of weak to learn things like this - that's why she found it so scary."
The next day."Did you pack your stuff? We are leaving for the pack in ten minutes," Maya asked as she entered the room, where Alice was sitting and Alisha was cleaning all his wounds."Everything is packed. I am just bandaging his wounds," Alisha answered without looking back."If you are done with his wounds, both of you should come outside. We have to leave as soon as possible. This place is not safe to stay, even for a single hour," Maya spoke as she walked away."Just do everything as we planned. You got me, right?" Alice's eyes were fixed on Alisha, seriousness showing on his face."Yes, we need to keep our eyes open for whatever happens next, and I will make sure I have my eyes on Elk too. He won't slip away," Alisha nodded her head.Alice stroked her hair, his heart aching for her. "I know, Alisha. It's hard, but we can't give up.”Alice's mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle of who could be behind the attack. He knew Elk was a suspect in Alisha's eyes, but he could