CLAIRE.I drifted in and out of sleep for about thirty minutes before my eyes finally opened and remained that way. Or might have remained that way if the bright light above me didn't feel like I was going to be blinded if I continued to keep my eyes open. I closed my eyes and raised my hand to cover my face to prevent further assault.When I was sure that I could withstand the light, I opened my eyes again. I looked up to see that the bright light was from a fancy bulb in the room.A room? My brain picked on that little fact, and I kept wondering how I managed to get into a room. The last thing I remembered was racing back to the cave when I lost all hope completely. Then, I crawled myself in together to get some rest, mainly because I was hungry and tired. So, how was I in a room?I turned my eyes around, trying to see if I would recognize the room that I was in. From the blue color of the room to the table and chair set neatly in a corner to a dressing table and the larger-than-lif
ALEXAKIS "Alex! Alex!!" I heard someone screaming my name while running after me, but I didn't give a damn. I was burning with more fury than I could ever think of to even be bothered about whoever the caller was and what she wanted.How dare those people treat my girl like that? What gave them the audacity to treat her like she was nothing but trash? Trash to be discarded no matter how useful it seemed to have been in the past. And knowing the way Claire was, I knew that she must have done a lot for that roommate of hers that she squatted with for a while. Janet or whatever she was called. Yet, the woman had not hesitated on throwing Claire out.From the way Claire had seemed surprised, I was sure that there was more to the story between her and her roommate than the other person was letting out. I mean, who the hell thought it was okay to throw another human being out on the street simply because they thought that she was involved with their brothers? Even if that was the case -I m
ALEXAKIS I couldn't bare to leave her side. After I returned the previous day from my hunting expenditure of her friend, I returned to Claire's side to tell her about what I found out, but I found her asleep again. The healer told me that she was still very weak and they were still monitoring her to make sure that she was alright. Even though I should be assured about her health since it was the same healer that had brought me back alive, I found myself not willing to leave her side for even a second unless it was absolutely necessary. Now, it was nighttime, and I was still at her side, watching her like a hawk. Luna Lisa came beside me, and I nodded at her to acknowledge her presence. The both of us just stood in companionship silence while we watched the same woman. I knew why I was watching her, I didn't know why Luna Lisa was though. As if she could read my mind, she smiled and turned to face me."Is there something between you and this girl?" She asked me.I wanted to brush o
ALEXAKIS The next morning, as soon as the ray of sunlight shone through the room, I was awake from my sleeping mode. I stretched to release the ache I felt from cramping into a chair for the entire night. I was about to get up when my eyes fell on Claire, and I saw her staring at me wide awake. I got up from the chair that was only a few feet away from the bed and rushed to her side. "Hey," I greeted her."Hey." She said back to me in greeting. "I've been awake for a while now, but I didn't want to disturb you." She added.I nodded my head at her to show her that I understood. She shifted and made to sit upright. I quickly helped her, and she gave me a smile in return."How do you feel now?" I asked her."Just hungry as something else." She said with a chuckle that sounded like she was embarrassed to admit that fact.I smiled at her, just happy to have her back with me. I was happy that I didn't have to fear if she was going to be dead or alive anymore. Luna Lisa walked in at that
ALEXAKIS To say I was stunned would be saying the least. I hadn't expected Luna Lisa to say such a thing to Claire, mainly after she claimed that she wasn't even sure if Claire and I were mates or not. But hearing her say it with confidence made my heart warm. It meant that she no longer doubted it. I wasn't so sure when I told her not to say that Claire was not my mate, but now I was wholly sure I wanted my girl to actually become mine.I looked at the girl to see what she was feeling like. She had a stunned articulation on her face as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. I couldn't help but wondered if it was because she was still in love with that idiot of an ex-boyfriend that she had. As soon as I said it, I shook my head as I realized that it couldn't be that. I had watched her for four years now. I knew that she was always hurt by even just thinking about the other man until she couldn't care about him even if he was standing in front of her.So, it wasn't that. But
Claire's POV The moment Luna Lisa was gone and it was just Alex and me, I turned to peek at him with a smile. However, the frown on his face was enough to stop me. I knew at that moment that the man was not in any mood to engage with anyone. Not his mother, not me either. It was understandable, given the fact that the man was probably going through a crisis while trying to understand why his life was the way it was, especially having to come face to face with the same parents who abandoned him.I should try to cheer him up, I know. But something in me kept telling me that there was nothing I could say or do that would make the man smile even a little. He needed to gather his thoughts together, and I was ready to give him that time. So, I yawned to get his attention. The moment he looked at me, I faked a stretch."I'm sleepy," I lied smoothly to him. I lay on the bed and covered my body with the duvet. I expected him to leave after my little act, but the man just scoffed at me."Quit
ALEXAKIS Talk to her, she said. Talk to her before finalizing anything.I couldn't believe that I listened to Claire and was currently on my way to see the older woman. It had looked like it was such an easy feat when Claire had said it, but now I was not so sure for my sanity if the woman who was my mother and I get talking. How could I have allowed Claire to push me into this? Was it because she offered me comfort?A smile crept up my lips as I remembered that little scene between us. The way I just held on to her like she was all that I ever needed ever since I came to the beginning of my existence. And technically, yes, she was the only one I needed. At least, at the moment when I felt all alone in this strange place.The sun must mirror my mood because it reflected as such -not shining brightly, just releasing enough warmth to keep the earth from being cold."Thinking you've hit the jackpot?" I heard a male voice snarl behind me. Without turning around, I knew who it was. "Kier
ALEXAKIS "Fuck!" I yelled again. This time, I heard squirrels and other animals running around the forest, thinking that a predator was around. Not that they could hide from me if I decided that I wanted to hunt them."What? He did it for his people?" The more I thought of it, the more my anger rose. "He bloody ruined my life!" I screamed. By now, I was sure I was the only one left in the woods because I scared the animals off. And no, I was not apologetic about it.What if I had perished in the forest? What if the wolves didn't take me in back then? Was that how I would have been the sacrifice for peace to reign in the pack?I felt burning anger rise more and more in me until I couldn't control myself anymore. My hands grew claws and furs, and I slashed at a tree in front of me. The anger did little to calm a bit, so I dug my claws into the tree again. I whimpered within myself, clearly not knowing why I was bestowed with a fate that was worse than death. I said worse than death bec
Epilogue. Claire's POV A full year had passed since Alex proposed to me, and I gladly accepted to be his woman. Today, we were taking the final step and getting married.My hand went to my neck where the mating mark was. After I accepted his proposal, he carried me to our room and gave me the mark after a hot, intense sex session. He had wanted the wedding to be carried out two weeks after his proposal, but I told him I wanted to wait. I wanted the pack to accept me as a human. To gain that approval, I learned how to fight with swords and how to shoot arrows, to show them that even if I was a human, I would always be there to fight by their sides if the need ever came. Then, I went ahead to start my own restaurant at the pack.At first, I barely got any customer as they were all weary of me. But little by little, people began to troop in. Now, I had two other branches out in the human world. This helped to show the people that if we ever had the need for cash - which was very unlik
Claire's POV A week passed after the ordeal we had in defeating the man who tried to claim the lives of so many people. I sighed, praying to the God in heaven that Scott's soul would find relief wherever he was now. He deserved that much for all the trouble he went through in his life."What are you doing, Claire? Wheel me well." Luna Lisa complained, drawing me back to the present."Sorry," I apologized. I moved the wheelchair a little bit faster than the pace I was keeping before. We were on our way out of the mansion to get some fresh air in the garden. Luna Lisa had to use the wheelchair as her legs were still healing. The doctor had, however, assured us that she would be fine and it was taking long to heal because it was a demon's bite."Claire." I heard someone call my name and I turned back, only to see Evie standing behind me, her suitcase already packed and with her."Are you going to somewhere?" I asked her. After the incident, we had gotten somehow closer as we had to comf
ALEXAKIS As soon as Kieran told me through the mind-link that my mate and her sister were safely back in the pack, I felt relief wash over me. I turned to look at Scott, her ex-boyfriend, all the anger in my heart targeted at him.He had endangered the life of the woman I loved, and I was going to make sure that he paid for it. No matter what anyone said about it, I was going to make sure that he paid heavily for his action.It was with that anger that I gave him an uppercut on his chin. While he bent over at the shock, I gave him a jab at his side, making sure I went all in to ensure I broke almost all his rib bones, if not all."You..." The man growled at me. He stood upright and gave me an evil smile. I knew he was up to something and that helped me stay alert. He began to morph into something hideous in front of me. Within seconds, there was no longer a man where Scott should have been. Instead, there was a tall dark beast, with two horns on his forehead, red eyes glowing brightl
Claire's POV After waiting for what felt like an eternity, even thinking that the man I was waiting for would no longer come, I was shocked when I saw him finally make an appearance. The tears that stopped flowing before came again, afresh. My heart wrenched within me, and I struggled to breathe well. Why? Why would he come here? Why did he risk his life like that?Our eyes met, and the man smiled at me. I shook my head at him as he started walking to where I was. When he got to me, he sighed."I am here now." He consoled me. It was clear that he thought I was crying because I was happy I saw him. I shook my head at him to show him that he was wrong about his insinuation. Still, he didn't get what I was trying to say."Alex, you need to run!" I finally let out amid my tears. I looked left and right to see if Scott and his men had gotten a whiff about Alex's appearance and were now on their way in here. When I didn't see them rushed in, I sighed, a little bit relieved about that. "L
Claire's POV "Scott, I am begging you," I pleaded again. I didn't care how pathetic my voice was. All I knew was that there was no way I was going to let the man kill Alex just because of a mistake that my father made."Why do you think–" his phone rang, cutting him off. "Really? Good." He said. Then, he cut off the phone. The kind of look he gave me made me cold all of a sudden."What is it?" I asked, feeling scared already."Guess who is coming over soon?" His voice held the malicious excitement he felt. "Alex! He is going to come here soon, and I will have so much fun killing him." He let out.My eyes widened in shock, and my breath became hitched."Do you want to know how he is going to die soon?"I shook my head to stop him. He ignored me and continued anyway."I plan to corner him and hit him when he least expected it." He said with a small evil laughter."You..." My voice trailed off as I realized that the man was gone already, leaving me alone."All of you, leave the building
Claire's POV It felt like forever since I got trapped in this basement where the light was never in and made it hard to tell when it was either night or day. The horror of not knowing how long it had been since I was in this hellhole made my heartbeat pound even faster. There was also the awareness that I no longer have a father to reach out to. Even though the bridge between us was rough, my heart sank now that I was aware that it had been burned forever. What made it worse? Knowing that the man and I were not on good terms before he died. How was I supposed to live on now knowing that my father hated me?I wanted to get angry with Evie over the death of my only family and how she played a part in it, but she lost Becky also, and I knew how much hurt she was going through for that. Besides, she was my family also no matter how hard we fought with each other."Claire, we need to escape." She said to me frantically again. I shook my head at her since the bandage was still covering m
Claire's POV Scott!" There was no doubt in my heart that I was relieved to see a familiar face even if it was that of the jerk who cheated on me with my sister.After I left the car and went in, I was surprised to see the door open. I thought it was so because they - Father, Becky, and Evie - were all home. I stepped inside, but it was empty. I went to Father's study but he was not there. After I searched all the places that I could, I swallowed my nervousness and went to Becky's room to see if she was there, but then she was not in the room either. A quick visit to Evie's room revealed the same ordeal.The house felt bizarre at that point, and I had a bad feeling flushed over me. I ran out of the house to see if I would see them, but nothing of such happened. I was about to move to the woodshed to see if they were there taking care of the games they hunted the night before when I saw Scott standing in front of me."Scott!" I called again. Even though the man and I never exchanged wo
ALEXAKIS I wasn't sure what exactly was making my heart feel like it had been shattered into two. Was it how Claire left me after I thought that she was going to stop and think about the love between us? Or was it because the house now seemed empty without her?I wanted her close to me - that was a fact. If I hadn't stepped into the position of the Alpha already, I would have damned every other thing and asked her to leave with me to a faraway place where we would be happy together, without anyone judging us.But I was already one, and she felt out of place.I knew it was necessary for her to take the break as she truly needed it, but I was against her going over to her parent's house. Still, that was the only safe place I knew would work for now. That didn't make my worry lessen any bit, though.Apart from her family treating her like trash, I was worried that Nathaniel might make a move for her now that she was no longer under my protection."We are here, Alpha."I looked up and sa
Claire's POV After contemplating my decision for a while, I finally came to a conclusion. It would be better for me to leave Alex and the pack, even if it was only for a while. Maybe when I would return, the animosity these people had toward me would be gone."Alex, can I have a word with you?" I asked. We were seated in the living room. He was busy with some files while I had my laptop in front of me, but I couldn't concentrate on anything I was learning on the screen. The man looked up from his work and gave me a gentle smile."I'm all ears, love." He said, the smile still plastered across his face."I want to leave," I let out quickly. I was afraid that if I hesitated, I would never be able to say it to him. I winced as he dropped the files in his hand on the floor and rushed over to where I was, holding my hands."Why? What is it?" He asked in a very gentle tone. "I just... I need a break," I told him."I know. I've been feeling the way you keep pulling away from me recently. I