Reid’s Point of View
I woke up from a nightmare where my mate suffered a terrible beating. With a ragged breath, I blinked several times and massaged the bridge of my nose.
I got up from the couch and went to the side of the bed. She was still sleeping. It had been twenty-four hours since I took her in and she hadn’t woken up yet. It worried me so much, but Charlotte assured me that she was fine and only needed some time to rest.
I exhaled in frustration. I still couldn’t believe that I’d found her in a situation like this. I couldn’t wait for her to wake up and tell me what she experienced before she crossed the borders for me to avenge what happened to her.
"I don’t understand why you’re keeping a rogue here at your house, Reid," Klaus commented when I left the room. He was sitting on the couch with his arms crossed.
He’d been keeping an eye ever since I took my mate here, given that he was suspicious of her. As the loyal Beta of the pack, he was committed to making me and the entire community safe.
"You can leave, Klaus. I can handle the situation," I replied, and walked to the kitchen to drink water.
"You clearly know that she’s a stranger. You shouldn’t trust her."
I clenched my jaw and stared him in the eyes. "Watch your mouth, Klaus. She’s my mate. And do you think a woman who’s badly injured can do something against me?"
His eyes widened. "What did you say?"
"Don’t make me repeat myself," I warned him before I huffed in frustration. "Keep it to yourself. I’ll tell the others later."
"What do you plan to do next?"
I jerked my head to the left as I eyed him. "Make everyone who wronged her suffer."
Klaus smirked, and then shook his head. "It looks like the Alpha will declare a war soon…"
"They asked for it, Klaus. They hurt my mate."
***
My mate had woken up the next day. She went into an instant panic as soon as our eyes met. She shielded herself using the blanket, her forehead creased and her body trembling, while she looked at me as if I was an enemy.
I was relieved to see that she finally woke up, but her reaction towards me made me realize that she’d had a traumatic experience in the past. Even the mere presence of someone like me and noise caused her to panic.
"Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you," I told her carefully.
Even though I wanted to pull her into a hug, I fought the urge to do so. I stared intently into her eyes. She did the same, looking at me as if she was trying to find the good soul in me.
"Who are you?" her innocent voice asked.
"I introduced myself to you the night you crossed the borders. My name is Reid. I am the Alpha of the Jewel pack."
"Jewel pack?" Her eyes roamed around. The confusion in her eyes became visible. "Impossible. H…How did I end up here?"
"You fainted in the forest due to exhaustion. I brought you here. Your wounds were treated by our pack doctor. They should heal within a week," I explained.
I could hear the loud beating of her heart even if I was a few steps away from her. She was clearly frightened, but her anxiety finally slowed down after I explained what happened.
"You… you helped me? Why?" she asked.
Because you’re my mate…
"You crossed the borders and fainted on my territory. It means you’re under my responsibility," I answered, and swallowed hard. "I guarantee that you’re safe here with me. No one’s going to hurt you on my land."
I noticed how she gasped, and it was followed by hot tears forming on both sides of her eyes. It seemed to me that she wasn’t used to such assurance, perhaps because of what she had experienced in the past, which I was dying to know. However, I wouldn’t dare ask her right now. Not yet.
I heard the loud rumble of her stomach. She hadn’t eaten anything as she was asleep the whole time. Her cheeks flushed in shame, and then she lowered her head to avoid my gaze.
"I bet you’re famished. I’ll prepare food for you. Just stay here and take a rest, alright?" I said it as if I was talking to a child, trying to get her trust.
She nodded her head and took a glimpse of me before she hid herself under the covers. That made me smile a bit.
This innocent girl is my mate. All mine...
I went out of the house and bought some ingredients and meat. I was so consumed by my worries about her for the past few days that I didn’t think about the food I served her when she gained consciousness.
I quickened my pace and went home. I couldn’t hide my happiness as I cooked her delicious soup and dishes. I prepared them in a tray with a glass of water and the meds Charlotte had advised me to give her to boost her immune system.
I knocked on the door before I pushed it open. She was leaning against the headboard of the bed, and her fingers were intertwined when her gaze was directed at me.
Her stare made my inner wolf react like crazy. I cleared my throat and kept my emotions under control as I walked towards her. I put the tray on the side table.
"You must eat to regain your strength. Take your meds after," I told her softly.
"I don’t…" she paused, seemingly trying to gather her thoughts. "I don’t understand why you’re helping me."
I gaped at her, shocked by her statement. I then cleared my throat and said, "I am an Alpha. I offer help to whoever needs it regardless of where they come from."
Tears started to stream down her face. My chest tightened at seeing her cry. She sobbed and wiped her tears away.
"T…Thank you, Alpha," she said. Her voice cracked a bit.
"Please don’t cry, you’re still recovering." I sighed, torn between wanting to embrace her and tell her that we’re mates or to keep all these emotions secret. "Eat your food and take a rest. There are new clothes in the cabinet in case you want to take a bath. Don’t push yourself though, your wounds are still healing."
She nodded in response.
"Just stay here, alright? I will leave the house for a moment to discuss something with my pack."
She licked her lower lip and stared at me intently before she spoke, "T…Thanks."
I offered her a thin smile and then left the room with a heavy heart.
***
I decided to gather all the members in the higher positions in our private chamber. Klaus, Sage, their mates, the pack doctor, and the other warriors were seated at a long table while I stood up on the center platform.
I declared as I looked at them intently, "I'd like to tell everyone that I've already found my mate."
Everyone was shocked, except Klaus, who had known about the situation first.
"Congratulations, Alpha! You finally found your Luna!" Alice, Sage’s mate and a member of the warriors, exclaimed in delight.
Others congratulated me too, and all I did was nod in response.
"You’re referring to the woman I treated?" Charlotte asked curiously.
"That’s right. She’s my mate and she’ll be staying at my house."
"I guess it’s time to prepare for the wedding and proclamation once she recovers," Klaus suggested, and most of the people agreed.
"Agreed. We’ve been waiting for this day to come, Alpha," Sage added.
I inhaled sharply and shook my head.
"That’s not my priority right now. I don’t want to pressure my mate given that she went through a lot before she arrived here. I want to take everything slow and live with her. When the right time comes, I tell her myself that we’re mates," I explained.
Everyone nodded their heads.
"For now, please keep this as a secret for her safety as well."
Aliyah’s Point of ViewJust when I thought my life was not worthy of living, and I would have met my death because of the intolerable pain from the beatings I got from Shawn, here I was, waking up in an unfamiliar room, with an Alpha of a neighboring pack who was taking care of me.I thought they were going to kill me that night, but they didn’t.Instead, he helped me and got my wounds treated by their pack doctor.The way he stared at me, it was hypnotizing... My eyes couldn’t help but flicker whenever his bright blue eyes gazed at me. It spoke a lot of emotions that I couldn’t name."You must eat to regain your strength. Take your meds after," he told me. His voice was soothing, like the first time I’d heard it in the forest."I don’t…" My voice cracked and I paused. I sucked in a breath and continued, "I don’t understand why you’re helping me.""I am an Alpha. I offer help to whoever needs it regardless of where they come from."Those words struck me. The way he spoke with me gave
ALIYAH’S POVThe weight of Reid's stare at me doubled the intensity of the heat that slowly ate me whole. Lowering my head, I gasped at the strange amount of desire that I couldn't control.This was the first time I ever felt such a desire... a pull that made me so needy, all because of one simple touch. It was as if it had awakened something within me.All it made me feel was hunger."What’s happening to me?" I asked in my faint voice."Are you alright?" His deep voice asked as he walked towards me."D—Don’t get any closer, please." Panic went through me. I took an involuntary step back, scared that I’d do something I'd regret.With these emotions engulfing my body, my heart raced so fast that it hurt my limbs. A soft whimper escaped my mouth. When I looked up, I found Reid’s eyes pinned on me. They grew darker... and for a split second, I saw the same flare behind his eyes.I took a deep breath and shook my head, looking away as his stare sent shivers down my spine."What exactly do
ALIYAH’S POV The next morning, I woke up in a great mood. My eyes immediately found Reid, who was sleeping comfortably on the couch near my bed. I took a deep breath. The thought of him staying in the room with me made my heart race rapidly. I had never met a kind Alpha like him before, let alone one who made me feel so at ease and treated me so well. The intense pull I felt the last time I saw him went through me again as I gazed at him. It was powerful, dangerous, and almost unbearable, so I had to take several deep breaths to calm myself. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling such strong emotions towards him. I questioned my wolf in the back of my mind, but all she did was make me feel her growing affection for the Alpha. Could it be because of his kindness that my wolf started to fall for him? Or could it be the enticing smell of him that made me want to get closer to him? I got out of bed and inhaled his scent. He smelled like a nice crisp air that was so refreshing, like
ALIYAH’S POV"You can always move the rook in a straight line, either vertically or horizontally…" Reid explained it to me while he was teaching me how to play chess.I scratched my head. Even after watching him defeat Klaus twice in a row, I couldn't figure out how this game worked.I moved my last pawn forward, and it was eaten by Reid’s Queen. I looked at him and noticed that he was enjoying the game and was eager to win against me.I pouted my lips. "What are the moves that the king could make again?""Only minimal moves like these." He then moved his king a few times to teach me, but my forehead creased even more,"She seems not to be enjoying the game, Reid." Klaus laughed a bit as he tapped the Alpha’s shoulder.My eyes widened."It’s not that I’m not enjoying the game. I—I’m having trouble following the rules," I honestly said," and lowered my head.I used all my w
ALIYAH’S POVReid’s eyes widened at my vehement confession. With a shuddering breath, I looked away, and for a moment I wished I hadn’t admitted my feelings for him.It was totally embarrassing...I badly wanted to scold my wolf inwardly. Because of this strong desire that engulfed me and made me vulnerable as hell, those words of admission slipped out of my mouth at the wrong time."Aliyah..." he paused, his voice sounding so sensual that it sent shivers down my spine.I waited for his proper response. In the back of my mind, a small part of me was hoping he’d say something that would make me flutter. But I guess that was only wishful thinking. Seeing the firm expression on his face, as if he was forcibly holding himself back from perhaps anger or embarrassment, made me want to take back all those words I said.If only it was that simple.‘This is your fault...’ I told my wolf as I bit my lower lip
REID’S POVRage. That was the only emotion that welled up inside of me after learning how my mate was treated by her own family. She was abused because of the lame reason of her father; tortured and starved instead of being taken care of and loved being the only daughter of former Alpha of Silver Moon Pack.My jaw clenched as I fisted my hand. Deep within myself, I knew that I would never let it slide. She never deserved to experience such horrible things. They were the sole reason why my mate turned so thin, fragile and traumatized.Those who made her suffer would pay at all costs.“However, even though they maltreated me, I still love them. They are the only family I have, and it may sound foolish but I still hope they will love me unconditionally,” she said. Her tears fell while her shoulders shuddered in high emotions.“They don’t deserve to be your family, little wolf,” I said firmly.“Still, th
ALIYAH’S POVNeedless to say, Reid did not fail to impress me every day.I watched him in excitement while he was preparing the ingredients that we would be using to bake a chocolate cake. Who would have thought that an Alpha had a thing for baking? I tilted my head to the side and smiled. My face lit up even further when he took a few glances at me. His blue eyes sparkled and indicated an emotion I struggled to name."So, you love to bake?" I asked him curiously, walking near the countertop table and taking a look at the ingredients and kitchen utensils he was preparing to bake."Not that much. But I baked muffins to feed the children a lot of times," he replied."You’re feeding them?"He nodded, and once again I was deeply impressed by his kindness. He may have looked so ruthless and uptight, but deep within lies his warmhearted readiness to help anyone in need.I couldn’t stop myself from comparing him to my own b
ALIYAH’S POVMy dream made me pant, featuring me running through the deep part of the forest and chasing after a familiar white wolf. I ran... and followed it, but it disappeared into the thin air. All I did was catch my breath. Sweats formed on my forehead as my eyes looked around the darkness of the forest.Then, all of a sudden, the sound of the bushes rustling got my attention. My forehead creased as I turned my gaze in its direction, until I saw a big black-coated wolf that came out of it. Its crimson red eyes radiated dominance and power, lust and need.My breath hitched. The mating pull washed over me like cold water. No matter how I tried to resist it and run, my body seemed to be overtaken by the base desire of the bond. I slowly walked towards the wolf, feeling the need to slide my fingers into its shiny jetblack coat."Mate," I whispered, my heart pounding violently inside my chest.The wolf howled, and I could feel my gut twisting