Draven grabbed my hand and led me to the seat he chose for me, which was on the left side of his. Of course, Beta Ari sat on Draven's right side. Draven pulled out a seat for me, smiling and gesturing like a true gentleman, but his kind behavior towards me quickly caused a wave of freezing air aimed at me from the opposite side of the table, where the hostile bitch was sitting. I heaved a sigh, trying to ignore my annoyance while the golden-eyed woman in front of me looked like she was preparing for a catfight.
Turning my head to avoid her unexplained anger, my eyes quickly registered two more seats that stayed empty. Then I noticed that Ari was looking at the same spots with concern and impatience. Someone was running late. Draven checked the time on his watch and took a deep breath.
"We'll wait," he said to Ari. "I will introduce Lilith in the meantime."
Once his words sounded out, the golden-eyed stood up, hitting the table with her flat palms. "What is sh
I kept staring at the note. There was no doubt: it was the same handwriting I saw on the notes to Elora. My hands were trembling while my throat squeezed as if someone's invisible hand was wrapped around my neck, tightening the grip. I ran towards the balcony and looked through the window. There was no one there. Whoever had done this was long gone. I suspected that much, but I had to check.I wrapped my armsaround my chest as if I was trying to keep myself from falling apart. The sense of insecurity was excruciating. Someone was watching me. Which intimate parts of my life had he seen? How thoroughly had he known me? Had he hidden somewhere near me? Or was he still around to watch my every move…?Whoever it was, it must have been someone who either belonged to the pack or had access to its territory. Considering the tone of JD's notes to Elora, I doubted that he was someone who could just blend in and become an ordinary pack member. I'd rather assume that
Draven's eyes were burning with fury. He was panting dangerously close to my face, sending me an urge to step back, but I didn't. I looked into his eyes, struggling to keep my composure the best way I could. I didn't do anything wrong, and I wasn't his. The only thing I owed him was a simple explanation of my presence there, merely because he was an Alpha and I was living within his pack. "I needed to discuss something with Commander Kim. It was urgent," I explained calmly. "You looked like it was a very pleasant meeting." Draven grabbed my wrists and pulled me closer. "It must have been a very satisfying discussion." His unsubtle accusation drove me on the edge of irritation. A million smart-ass lines popped into my brain. All I had to do was choose the way to talk back. Nonetheless, I decided to be better than that. I hurriedly swung my wrists and released myself from his grip. "Patrick is my friend. He helped me with something, and I felt better an
After an additional hour of conversation with Draven, he agreed for us to start with a more friendly and less physical relationship. I was relieved by his sudden change. It put less pressure on us and allowed things to move at their own pace. I shoved away an urge to make Draven talk about his relationship with Jetta. I did it for my own sake… and because I knew she was in my group, and I would have plenty of time to observe her behavior towards Draven. Certainly, I was suspicious, but I got tired of unnecessary drama in my life.The next morning, Draven organized training on the grounds, where I could see the entire army working out. Draven assigned himself as my sparring partner. He did it as clearly as he could, announcing it aloud while wrapping his arm around my shoulder. Thankfully, Patrick was training his soldiers elsewhere. I bet he would burst out if he saw Draven acting the way he did…I stopped pushing Draven away. I decided to wholeheartedly
I was sitting on the floor by my bed, holding the note from JD in my hand. I kept staring at it, processing the situation. He must have been somewhere nearby. He must have been watching me all the time. He must have known my every move, as if there was someone silently following me around. What if he really wanted to kill Jetta? Should I warn her? But warn her against whom…? I was helpless. I wanted to go to Patrick and tell him about the note, but what if JD or someone working for him was watching me even at that moment? I had to calm down and act reasonably. Going straight to Patrick at that moment would only mark him as the one helping me. That would make the spy working for JD act cautiously around everyone from the Royal Army, and I couldn't risk losing my best chance of finding the spy's true identity. As much as ignoring the threat aimed at Jetta sounded cruel, that was the only thing I could do: act as if I had never received that note. I got up from the floo
I sat on my bed and stared blankly at Patrick. I was scared and confused. Patrick's gaze was restless and angry. I bet that he regretted leading the legions in this werewolf war. He would rather join the rest of the Royal Army to fight degenerates and the one claiming to be the New King."Do you think that JD might be someone from my father's pack?" I asked after sucking a deep wave of air into my lungs."We can't ignore that possibility," he sighed heavily, knowing that doing so would only make me hate my heritage even more."But as far as I know, there is no one in the pack capable of doing such things." I knew little about the current situation inside the pack, but I knew my father, and he would never allow keeping someone this strong within the pack, someone who could be a threat to his reign."Have you considered that it might be your father?" Patrick asked, hesitantly."Don't be ridiculous." I waved that idea away quickly. "JD's notes sounded
There were multiple small packs living in the north. They were mostly weak and defenseless against a powerful pack such as the Southern Woods Pack. They all sided with Draven but provided little to no help in the war. They were the ones that needed protection. The south was different. There were a lot of bloodthirsty packs, expanding their territories with violence. The weaker packs could have been either crushed or swallowed. Certainly, the biggest and most influential pack was the one ruled by my father. All five of the stronger southern packs sided with him to avoid confrontation. They were called the Great Five, and they were involved in all kinds of illegal business as if they were the worst kind of mob. To conquer the south, Draven had to defeat those five packs before aiming for a battle against Randall D'Apolito.Each one of the Great Five was given a chance to negotiate and surrender, even though Draven's intelligence had already known they'd rather fight till their
We reached the southern forests just before sundown. We were going to camp there for the night and enter the Scarlet Valley Pack's territory at dawn. The vans were carefully masked, and the whole group marched deep into the forest, carrying our backpacks.This was the first time I had to set the tent, and thank God, Ian was there to help me, saving me from embarrassment. At that time, Draven was busy securing the area and talking about the details of the attack over the phone with other group leaders. Coordinating so many people spread across the huge southern territory must have been difficult, yet Draven seemed composed and strict the entire time. His commands were firm and unquestionable. I had to admit that he looked sexy as hell with his leader's demeanor. As soon as he finished the hundredth phone call, he walked towards Ian, me, and my almost-set tent, and pulled me into a surprising, warm hug."All that talking exhausted me. I need to recharge." He placed his f
I saved Sariel's phone number. I did it automatically, and then I stared at the screen, debating whether I should contact him on my own or not. It quickly turned the night into a sleepless one. I was torn. I wasn't sure if I could forgive Sariel for what he did, but my heart beat faster hearing that he hadn't given up on us. On the other hand, Draven started doing a lot of tiny things that worked on me. He was drawing me into his zone, and his captivation was almost irresistible.I got up long before the alarm clock rang. Fortunately, I was running on adrenaline, my blood richer in it than ever. Hormones sufficed for the lack of sleep. I got dressed and then walked out of my tent to stretch. As I was standing in the middle of the still dark forest, wearing a pair of combat boots, combat pants, and a black fitted top with short sleeves, I saw a pair of red pupils aiming at me. I turned my head, facing those eyes, and saw Draven appear from the shadows by his tent. He stepped c