ALIYAH’S POV
Perhaps I should no longer be surprised by seeing people questioning the Alpha’s decision. There was no doubt that Reid was doing his best to lead his pack in the best way he could. However, we could never prevent some people from defying and questioning his decision, no matter how good his decision was and how it would benefit them in the long run.
And maybe I was just so shocked to see how Alicia reacted that I could not seem to erase it from my head even if I tried. I sucked in a breath and massaged the temple of my nose.
"What are you thinking right now? You smell conflicted..."
My mouth fell open. I looked at Reid and noticed how curious his eyes were while staring down at me.
We had been sitting on the couch in the chamber for less than an hour, after Klaus and Sage had driven Alicia out of the pack house.
"Well, maybe I really am conflicted." I sighed and gathered the right words to say, "When Alicia threw a f
ALIYAH’S POV"Here we go," I said after watering the camellia flower in the window.I smiled, seeing it bloom beautifully. I could see that it had grown much taller and more beautiful since the first time I had seen it. I appreciated seeing it first thing in the morning, as I did with the other red and white roses on the balcony.Two days had passed since the incident that happened in the chamber. I spent most of my days in the pack house cooking and doing some household chores. Reid advised me to exercise a little because it was important to maintain a healthy body.I was still quite slim. He stated that my body would take time to fully heal from the deprivation I had experienced. However, I was pleased to notice that my body was improving. Perhaps because Reid never failed to take good care of me, I felt more vibrant and lively now.Speaking of Reid, he has been busy doing a lot of stuff for the pack. He'd be gone in the morning and would c
ALIYAH’S POVMy eyes surveyed the insides of Charlotte’s clinic. It was spacious and a two-storey clinic that could cater to a large number of patients on a daily basis. It was the first time I entered a place like this, and I didn’t know what to feel.Seeing the medical equipment, even the patients she had in here, made my stomach twist. I became so uncomfortable that I wanted to run away... maybe because I was totally nervous.But I couldn’t.I could feel Reid’s dark stare at me as we waited for Charlotte in one of the VIP rooms, and I kept avoiding his eyes as my body only tensed up whenever I saw the glowing irritation behind them."I need you to be honest with Charlotte, Aliyah. It’s non-negotiable," he said wryly.My fingers were tapping each other nervously as I sat on the edge of the bed. My mouth felt so dry at the moment. He made me feel as if I needed to obey him or else he’d punish me, an
REID’S POVI have never feared anyone ever since I became the Alpha of the Jewel Pack at my young age. My being was moulded by my past experiences so that I came to the point where I could no longer feel dread in times of battle or when facing circumstances in life.I became the hardest rock.I fear no one. I imprinted in my mind that people should be the ones fearing me, not the other way around, for I am the Alpha.However, my principles changed when I met Aliyah, my mate.All those rules I made? I broke them when she came into my life.She was my weakness. It had been a long time since the last time I felt a great amount of fear inside my chest, and I only became too aware of it the moment her voice turned cold.Her eyes were radiating something like disappointment, and that made me stiffen for a brief moment."Do what you need to do, Charlotte."My chest went into an instant panic when she stopped looking at me
ALIYAH’S POVI realized that when you love someone, you will find it in your heart to forgive them.Perhaps Reid was just totally worried about me. That’s why he seemed on the edge and snapped out of me when I least expected it, and maybe I was so used to the sweet side of him that my emotions welled up inside immediately when I saw how irritated he was at me.However, one thing was for sure. My emotions for Reid were bigger than the misunderstanding we had, and so I would never let a simple conflict ruin our relationship."Promise me we won’t argue anymore."He took my chin in his hand, and made me look at his eyes. Those blue eyes were radiating assurance and affection towards me, and I wanted to hold onto them for as long as I lived."I promise, Aliyah. No more secrets," he swore under his breath."No more secrets," I repeated, as if I was saying a promise to him too.After having a serious conversation, Re
ALIYAH’S POVHours passed. Reid went back to sleep after we had a steamy morning. I was aware that he slept too late last night as he had a discussion with Klaus about the pack bunking outside the borders. Since he was the Alpha, he was expected to make the best decision for his pack, and he was very careful in making one.Needless to say but for a short period time, I had learned so much about him. Reid was the Alpha who would set aside his own emotions and think carefully before making a decision. Even though a big part of him wanted to take in the poor pack outside the borders, he could never risk the safety of the people living in the territory.He displayed the behavior of a great leader who prioritized the safety of all his people, and I couldn’t help but be enthralled to be mated with someone who valued the lives of others more than his own life. It was selfless acts that I had never witnessed from my father, a former Alpha. Not even from my b
ALIYAH’S POVI blinked my eyes awake as I felt a gentle shake on my shoulder. The sound of Reid’s voice made me sit upright in bed.I instantly felt the mate bond pull building up inside me the moment I laid my eyes on him.I could hardly ignore it. Reid smelled like a fresh blueberry under wispy clouds. His hair was damp, which indicated he had just had a shower, and his chiseled chest was slightly showing up under his white, soft bathrobe. His entire physique made my desire rise intensely."Good morning, little wolf," Reid greeted me. A soft gasp escaped my lips as the warmth of his breath brushed against my skin.He was so damn close that I was losing my mind..."I’ll visit Alicia’s home. Would you like to come with me?" he asked. My heartbeat increased as his words raced through my veins.I was struggling to focus as every second I could feel my gut being twisted. All I did was breathe sharply and nod in re
ALIYAH’S POVTrouble. I could have sworn that was the only thing I had in mind as soon as I looked at Reid in panic. With a frown on my face, I shielded the two pups whose eyes were filled with fear.Reid continued to glance wildly at them."They need to be taught more before they get worse.""Don’t scare them, Reid," I grunted.A low growl escaped his mouth. He looked so ferocious that even I had to step back from him. His entire presence was hard to take when he was in this state, and I confirmed that he really hated it whenever he heard people talking ill about me. He totally loathed it more than I did.I knew he was acting this way because he never wanted me to be hurt. He wanted to protect me, even emotionally, and I appreciated everything he did and would do. However, I couldn’t bear to see him snapping out in front of the pups, even though I knew he was only trying to correct their behavior."I—I really
REID’S POVAfter dealing with the young wolves who were never sincere to my mate, rage still coursed through my body. They had the audacity to insult her directly and provoke her as if she didn’t hold much power or role in the pack.Admittedly, I was disgusted by how Ellie and Dustin behaved. If not for Aliyah, who still showed them a great amount of mercy, I would not have hesitated to punish them by locking them up in the cells to learn their lesson the hard way.The twins were silent the whole time as they remained seated in the passenger’s seat. I was seething when I looked at them through the rear-view mirror of my car, and I could only hope that they’d change during their stay with us.I stopped the car in front of the pack house. I had already informed Klaus about the temporary stay of the young wolves in the pack house. He approached us immediately and helped them with their luggage."Man, you look pissed off," he co
REID’S POVThe moment I heard the bell rung, I hurriedly opened the door to let the doctor in. Because of his presence, I breathed a sigh of relief."She's inside, severely injured, and she's already lost consciousness," I told him, acting calm despite the fact that my insides were already churning with fear.When I saw that he was scrutinizing the area before approaching where Aliyah was, I growled, "Start moving!"I didn't have time for foolishness. He only needed to make sure that he would treat my wife; that was all I asked of him."Please pardon my rudeness, Alpha."I aggressively moved my jaw as I followed him as he moved toward the unconscious Aliyah who was lying on the sofa.He set the equipment he was carrying to the side and began by taking her pulse. He was moving too slowly, and I was growing frustrated with him, but I also realized that I had no knowledge of what he was doing, so I needed to calm the fuck down.I silently howled when he attempted to remove the white clot
REID’S POVAnger, groans, howls, and pain were felt and heard all over the hotel. Many were crying in fear of getting slashed and bitten, and many were courageous enough to defend those who were innocent.But I and my wolf were already preoccupied with Aliyah's bleeding body so I made sure no one on my way would win over me.I bit their tails, and their neck, made them bleed, and slashed their bodies. Everything I saw became the enemy in my eyes."We'll take over," howled the other wolves that helped me with the fight.But it did not stop me; I made sure I slaughter each of them. No one would get away from hurting Aliyah.Some of them fearfully pawed the ground as a result of my vicious snarl. I glided on the other wolf's side, causing an incision that resulted in an audible yelp of pain.The second white wolf growled and made an effort to shrug me off as I leaped upon him and nipped his leg. However, I was able to easily injure him since his wolf was too weak—far weaker than mine.I
REID ‘S POVWe were supposed to be taking pleasure in this vacation. It was our time for peace, it was our time to be together, to enjoy. And yet, as a group of rogues attacked the east coast, I realized it would not be an ordinary time for leisure at all.Inside the hotel where the unwanted visitors took place, I growled in annoyance."Reid, it's dangerous," Aliyah mumbled behind me while holding my arm. I could feel her trembling with that hold. I knew she was feeling fear for my life again.I craned my neck and looked at her. "They are mere weaklings. Don't worry."I saw how she sighed with worry filling her stunning orbs. "Just please be careful, okay?"The innocent people who were left inside the hotel were cowering in fear as they saw how the rogues surrounded the place. Quickly, my eyes locked on Aliyah who seemed scared about what would happen."Run away from here, I'll take care of everyone," I said in a hoarse voice. But my little wolf was stubborn as ever! I knew there was
REID’S POVWhen I made the decision to stop taking her repeatedly, it was already late and deep in the evening. I was so ravenous for her that I almost lost control of my desire.My arms were tightly encircling her waist as I leaned back against the headboard with her wedged between my thighs.Aliyah played with my fingers and became completely engrossed with it while I was gazing at her, fully enjoying that she was finally in my arms, not mad, but tired of how many times I pleasured her."What are you thinking so deeply?" I asked her.She tilted her head and looked at me for a bit and smiled. "Well, I'm wondering if it's possible to have a vacation with you. Uh, but never mind, I know you have a lot of obligations to fulfill and—" I cut her off and buried my face in the side of her neck. She smelled like me.I closed my eyes tightly and inhaled sharply."We can do that."Since I brought her back, I had already been considering taking her someplace. However, as everything flipped upsi
ALIYAH’S POVGuilt crept into my system. It had been days since I realized that my Alpha left and ever since, I failed to function normally.I did not even have the strength to eat and socialize. /"We should have talked to him properly last time,"/ Kae mumbled, also saddened because of not having the presence of Reid around.I gulped and did not answer. Slowly, I regretted fighting with him that day. If only I was a little wiser, if only I could control my emotions, if only I tried to listen.Tucking in my bed, totally displeased with everything that had transpired, I let the lone tears drop.I was in the middle of those when all of the sudden, I heard a constant knocking on the door of the room.Annoyed, I deliberately stood up and opened it only to see Klaus, the Beta of the pack.I lazily eyed him. "What is it?""Our Alpha is injured after fighting against the panther in the forest. He's in Charlotte's clinic and—"Without further ado, I pushed him aside and run toward the clinic.
Reid's POVIt was as if there was something hard to swallow after hearing how she yelled at me. Seeing my mate, my Aliyah looking like a mess, as if she no longer knew what to do made it even more painful."I-I need some space, Reid. I need time to think and breathe, so, please... I'm so suffocated. Just leave me alone."Suffocated. Was it really hard to deal with me? Was she that angry to the point that she felt suffocated when I was near? My jaw moved aggressively as I tried to contain the overwhelming misery I could feel deep inside."Is that what you want?" I asked with my hoarse voice, hoping that she would tell me the opposite, that she did not mean those words, that she was just tired so she spat those words without thinking.I was about to take a step nearer but I stopped when I heard her answer."Yes... I don't want to see you in the meantime. I just need time for everything."She needed time. Something I had to accept, something I had to give her.I shook my head and bit my
ALIYAH’S POVDays and I finally had the motivation and strength to be outside with my friends who kept on asking for me.When I went out of my room and went downstairs, I saw Alice and Liana who were eyeing me as I walked toward them.Alice hugged me all of the sudden, my eyes widened because of that but after a few seconds, I smiled and let myself feel her warmth.My wolf, Kae, was delighted that I finally would spend time with other people aside from Jaxon."Oh goodness, we missed you!" That time around, it was Liana who talked, I saw tears brimming in her expressive eyes.Being with them made me feel guilty about how many times I brushed them off. They had been trying to get a hold of me but I was too in the depth of grievance to even think of anything. Not even them."We are so worried, Luna Aliyah," Alice told her after she loosened the hug.I gave a thin smile and glanced at the two of them. Ever since I came back, I neglected a lot of people and until now, I was not in the righ
REID’S POVAs days passed, the more my rage grew harsher. I clenched my jaw repeatedly while looking at Aliyah and Reid from afar, under a tree near the forest. They were talking again and I swear to the Moon Goddess, I was so near exploding in so much anger and jealousy.I had no idea why he was still here, in the pack I was leading, completely ignoring my murderous gazes on him.Indeed, I was beyond bothered seeing them together. If it was a normal occasion, I could probably stomach my mate talking continuously to another wolf. But not this time, not when there was a rift between us. Definitely not when she was obviously mad at me for reasons I knew was not right! She kept on believing that I already moved on when fuck it! I was not! I knew being the Alpha of a pack like this was hard. I had responsibilities and I needed to act right, not driven by emotions at all. Yet I also knew she was in so much pain to understand any of that.I could understand her but I would always fail to c
ALIYAH’S POV"Your brother, Shawn Harper died, Aliyah. Unfortunately, even though he's an Alpha and he has capabilities for fast healing, his body cannot keep up with the blood loss. Some of his organs are ruptured as well. That led him to death."My eyes widened hearing what Jaxon disclosed. Of course, I was surprised. Knowing him and knowing what he could do, I always saw him as someone formidable. He looked undefeatable to the point that hearing his death felt like a nightmare in the middle of nowhere.If I would be truthful to myself, despite everything that had happened, despite what he did, I could not help but feel sad. He was still a brother, a family at that. Yet again, those signs of grieving disappeared totally when I remembered how he hurt me the past. How he made me suffer, how he connived with that witch. He was allied to her, to Samarra who was the reason why my baby died! Anger crept into my system after remembering how miserable I had become because of them. Why wou