TASHA I woke up to the sound of clanking metals. When I opened my eyes, Rendall was the first person that I saw. He was in the act of placing a tray on the bedside table. I laid my back on the bed's headboard and saw that he had brought me breakfast. "Good morning. Did you rest well?" he asked. I simply nodded my head as a response. "I'm going to the warrior's camp to inspect their training. We conduct this event annually to see who qualifies to become the new members of our combatant. This is also the third type of opportunity for an Omega to raise their status in our pack. The first one is if a majority of a family shares a blood relationship with a Beta and the other one is if they are bounded to the pack by bite." "Why do I feel like you're telling me those things for a reason?" I asked. He glanced at me and handed me the plate he was holding, which I accepted. "Because whether you like it or not, a werewolf's blood is running in your veins. Even if you're only a half-breed,
TASHA We had our lunch inside the camp. Ava burst out laughing after seeing the reaction I had when the warriors inside the camp killed a wild boar. That was exactly what she had in mind when she told me that it was bloody inside the warrior's camp. She stated that as part of the competition, the head trainer would let a wild boar loose, and the warriors' task was to capture it and then kill it. This is their way of showing gratitude for everything they learned from the camp. "Here." Ava sat next me after she offered me a slice of dragon fruit. After expressing my gratitude to her, I turned my attention back to Rendall. He was spending his time with some baby pups of the pack. "Majority of those pups belong to an Omega family, some from Beta, but our Alpha does not care about their position within the pack. He strives to be as fair as possible to all of us, which distinguishes him from the Alphas that came before him in his family." "If he could hear your countless compliments ab
TASHAAva extended an invitation to us to attend the evening ceremony held at the Beta's packhouse in honor of the newly inducted members of their combatant. Rendall inquired as to whether or not I was interested in attending the celebration, and I responded yes. Earlier, Ava beamed after seeing that Rendall and I were trying to patch things up. Even though I was pleased to give myself and Rendall another chance at love, I doubted that I would be able to risk all my trust in him just like before. When I told Rendall my concerns, he assured me that he would make every effort to regain my trust in him."I'm glad you made it, my Luna," Ava was the first person to welcome me when we spotted each other at their packhouse. I was in awe after seeing her in her unusual outfit—a dress. "Father insisted that I should wear this instead of my warrior's suit, so I'm just doing him a favor," she explained."You look great with it, Ava, so don't worry about your look for tonight," I assured her."Co
TASHA Ava took me to Mount Antinia after everything that transpired. She kept trying to make amends for the fact that she had offered me a drink the night before, stating that it was a grave offense she had committed to me as her Luna. I reassured her multiple times that everything was good with me and that she shouldn't worry about what she heard from Raiah since none of it was new to me. “Raiah has her ways of making things happen the way she wants them to. . I think you should tell our Alpha about it,” Ava insisted. The fact that she had known Raiah ever since she was a child prompted her to voice her concerns earlier. She knew what Raiah was capable of, and I also made it clear that I did not harbor any doubt regarding Raiah’s capabilities because of the things that Griego sacrificed just for her. “I appreciate your concern for me, Ava, but it was impossible for me to comply with your request,” I responded. “Rendall’s relationship with his sister has been tainted ever since I e
TASHAWhile we both had a woman's body in front of us, Ava and I couldn't help but steal glances at each other. Ava lifted her from where she lost her consciousness. My arrow hit the part of her body near her neck, and she's bleeding. A deep sense of uneasiness held me rigid in my place, and all that I could hear was the slow, dragging beat of my heart as Ava checked her pulse. "She's still alive," Ava remarked. "She's a rogue, so we wouldn't be able to do anything for her." "We'll just leave her here?" I asked, and she responded by nodding her head. "I can't do that, Ava. My conscience will hunt me for the rest of my life if I found out that I killed an innocent werewolf—" she cut me off. "It was an accident—" "Even if it was an accident!" I exclaimed, appearing helpless in the situation. I held her by the arm with my cold hands. "Please, I beseech you, let's do something to save her life. After this, I'll make sure not to worry or be a burden to you anymore." "We have to bring
TASHA Rendall commanded a guard to open Ava's cell, and when he did, I raced inside. However, I couldn't bring myself to hold Ava because I was afraid that my touch would lead her to experience even more pain. She suddenly opened her eyes and smiled, making me cry even more. How could she offer me a warm smile after what happened to her? "M-My Luna," she said with her weak voice, which made me break out in tears. Guilt filled my heart upon hearing her voice. "W-Why did you do that? It would be best if you hadn't confessed to something that wasn't your fault, Ava," I said. "You shouldn't be here. You don't deserve to be here." "I..." she drew a breath, "bowed my loyalty t-to you," she said. "I'm w-willing to give my l-life to s-serve you and o-our Alpha." I shook my head. "They should've punished me and not you! You did nothing wrong except abiding by my command. I'm sorry," I apologized. I was about to kneel in front of her when her hand touched my arm. She groaned in pain but
TASHA Rendall and I followed Raiah as she exited her grandfather's room. We saw her head inside the dungeon where the guards were holding the rogue that we had brought earlier, who turned out to be her mother. Rendall hurried in Raiah's direction when he saw that his sister was in the process of releasing their mother from the chains that were restricting her movement. "Stop it, Raiah!" Rendall yelled out while he had both of his hands on Raiah's arms and was keeping them firmly in place. "You are mistaken if you believe that she would be able to fill the emptiness in your heart. She's not the kind of mom that you would be proud of—" "What makes you think you're different from her, huh?" Raiah questioned him as she spoke in a tone that suggested she was agitated. "I trusted you, Rendall! I trusted you more than anybody else in this pack! How could you withhold the truth from me?!" "Because I wanted to protect you from her!" he asserted. "No matter how hard you try to neglect the
TASHA I wasn't able to hear the rest of the conversation between his father and Raiah's mother when Rendall dragged me out of the dungeon. As much as I want to know some things about his father, I have to respect that they are dealing with a much more important matter now. "I'm going to see Ava," I told Rendall while we were walking. "I'll come with you—" I cut him off. "I only wanted to inform you about my plan; you don't have to come with me," I said. "I know that you're already dealing with a lot of pain within yourself; I don't want to add myself as another burden that you have to worry about. Besides," I looked away before completing my statement, "I was the only one responsible for what happened to Ava." "I'm not blaming you for everything, Tasha," he reassured me. I gave him a small smile but chose not to say anything. I looked around, finding something I could carry with me once I went to Ava's house this afternoon. After strolling almost every shop in the area, I bo