Allison's POV
I felt betrayed and more hurt than I had been in my life. In Dante's pack at times, I had been treated as less than a child. But I couldn't remember being this hurt. I had dedicated all of my life to this pack and this was how they chose to repay me. I would gladly have laid down my life without hesitation for my pack. It was the way I was trained and the kind of training I had given to the guards and warriors I had trained.
Now, they had wiped out all traces of my existence. To think that I had only been absent for just six months. The man carrying the sheets bowed stiffly and gave me a wide berth as he passed. The way I stood was beginning to attract attention. I realized my eyes were beginning to get misty.
Appalled at my weakness, I rapidly blinked back the tears. I could see some of the men working inside t
Allison's POV To say I was shocked at Alpha Scott's statement was an understatement. The hurt I had felt before was like child's play compared to this. What I had been expecting was an apology and perhaps an explanation of his actions as the pack had most likely gotten a new Beta right after I left. The Alpha was not even talking about a reinstatement or another position I could fill in. He was talking about sending me back to Dante's pack!It took a few seconds for me to wrap my head around the idea. The effort I was making to get myself under control was being wasted. Already, I could feel the tenuous hold I had on my temper already slipping. Could this day get any worse? Perhaps this time, I was at the receiving end of Alpha Scott's rare sense of humor. I laughed even though I did not feel like it. "Alpha, you are joking right?" I asked him.He was grave, not a trace of humor on his face. His mouth set in a hard line."I'm afraid this is not a joke Allison. I'm being serious."My
Dante's POV "Can somebody open their damn mouths and speak up? Or have the lot of you suddenly gone dumb?" I yelled. I looked again at the row of guards lined up in my study. They stood totally still under my scrutiny. One would think they were dummies if not for the rise and fall of their chests at intervals. I found myself wishing that one of them would twitch or break ranks. I looked out for a shify eye, restless fingers, shuffling feet, a curl of the lip- anything that would allow me to give vent to the insane rage I felt. I was suddenly conscious of a sound- an annoying sound like rattling wood. My lips curled into a snarl as I studied the men, searching for the culprit who dared to irritate me with such noise. I couldn't answer for the man's life if I caught him. All the men were as still and attentive as they were supposed to be. It was then I looked down at myself and found out that I was the source of the sound. My hands which were placed on my desk were shaking so badly
Dante's POV I massaged my temples in circular motions as I listened to the Alpha's monotonous voice drone and on. The veins there throbbed. My efforts at getting rid of the rapidly growing pressure there were apparently not working. For one, the motion of my fingers was not as soothing as I wanted them to be. For another, I was so angry at everything and at everyone that I could not concentrate on what the Alpha was saying. The fact that I was in such bad shape that I couldn't attend to my pack's business only made me more furious. And so the cycle went on and on, with no signs of ever coming to an end. I was beginning to feel that it had been a really bad idea to listen to Maddox's advice on attending this meeting. Perhaps if I had done what had come to mind initially- going to search for Allison myself- I wouldn't be sitting here feeling useless and unproductive. The Alpha burst into laughter. The tiny part of my brain that was paying attention to our conversation registered that
Allison's POV I hardly felt the weight of my body as I ran. It felt like I was running on air. I felt weightless like I was floating. That sensation of floating was disturbing so I did not want to examine that feeling too closely. The last reserves of my energy were what I was banking on at this time. I was beginning to feel very weak but I could not afford to stop or give up now. Throwing in the towel was what everyone would want, what they would all expect. I could hardly believe that I was on the run- not because I had done anything wrong or committed a crime that would warrant me being banished from my pack. But because I was thought of as the property of an egoistic Alpha who everyone was too chicken to stand up to. The anger I felt threatened to swamp all reasoning. A low growl erupted from deep within me. I would kill them- kill them all. Everyone who had contrived to put me in this situation would face my wrath. I had something specially planned for those who had murdered m
Allison's POV The first thing I was conscious of was a splitting pain centered around my forehead. I winced and the pain intensified. Slowly, the pain began to spread from my head to my neck and down to my limbs. My entire body felt like one giant ball of pain. At the same time, a feeling of lethargy crept over me. I felt very weak and I did not want to make an effort to know what was wrong with me. Opening my eyes felt like too much effort. I gritted my teeth and forced them open. They drooped because it felt like steel pennies were glued to them. I blinked again and again. I tried to raise my hand to wipe my eyes but it didn't move. I tried again but my efforts were only rewarded by a sharp pain in the area of my wrist. I glanced down and saw that my arm was tied behind me and I was tied to a chair. My entire body was crisscrossed with ropes. I gasped in surprise and my heart began to beat fiercely. I was confused, disoriented, and could not for the life of me figure out how I ha
Allison's POV I blinked and my mother was still there. She seemed to twitch a little. Those eyes seemed to accuse me of not being able to do anything to prevent her death. I squeezed my eyes shut and sobbed. I was a child at the time so what could I possibly have done? I could barely even defend myself. Still, that accusatory voice would not keep quiet. "You are still to blame," that voice said. "After all these years, you were no closer to finding your parents' killers. Now they found you by chance. You take pride in being the first female Beta ever but where did that get you in the end? You defend others, but how about your own? Even Darius is more serious about getting revenge than you.""No, no, please no," I cried, shaking my head, trying to shut out the voice. I tasted salt and realized I was crying. I rocked rapidly back and forth to the extent that the chair was in danger of overturning. It took me a while to convince myself that my mother was not really lying there. It h
Dante's POV "Lock him in the dungeon," I ordered without hesitation. Maddox did not look inclined to carry out the order. He sat on the edge of the chair, made as if to stand up, and finally settled into his chair. He started to say something, thought better of it, but voiced it out anyway. "Technically Alpha, he has not done anything wrong you know," said Maddox. I gestured impatiently. "I know that already. Still. . ." I shrugged. "If a sojourn in the dungeon is a price anyone has to pay for me to get her back, then it's a small price indeed. After all, it's not as if I'm killing the man. To me this is worse than war, Maddox. And all is fair in love and war.""I know that. Trust me I do." He leaned forward and paused, gathering his thoughts. "Look at it like this. We have kept him in our pack for two days now. Allison must have heard about it. After all, bringing him here was like an open secret. Most packs have already heard about what happened. It stands to reason that Alliso
Allison's POV I instinctively shrank back from the man's touch. For such a big and fit-looking man, his hands were soft, almost effeminate. Still, I knew they were a killer's hands. He leaned close to me for a moment as he peered into my face, as though memorizing my features. His entire face was almost entirely covered by a bristling beard. He looked like a man of authority, someone whose orders were always followed. Judging by the way the other man deferred to him, I was pretty sure that he was the one I had to thank for my incarceration. I dragged my body backward. Sensing that I couldn't endure his touch, his hands fell away. "Well? Can't you speak?" he asked. He placed his finger on his chin as he studied me with his head cocked at an angle like I was a new and interesting laboratory specimen. I breathed heavily, trying to bring myself back to the moment, attempting to leave the horrors of last night behind. It was hard to do though. "Speak up, you dumb bitch," said the man'
Allison's POV Dante's piercing eyes surveyed everyone in the room. It was as though those eyes were able to unravel every man's secrets. Though he spoke to everyone at the same time, at that moment, it felt like he was talking to each of the men in the conference room individually. The men assembled leaned forward, their bodies tense, looking as wound up as taut strings. They hung onto his every word. The boy in the room who sat beside Dante was transfixed. I could tell that he closely followed all that his father was saying. I smiled a little at the worshipful expression in those green eyes that were so like mine. After a silence of some seconds, Dante continued, "We have been through worse in the past and this poses as no challenge whatsoever. I consider this war we are about to go on... as a form of target practice. Some of you have gotten rusty over the years, so this should be an opportunity to take out your rusty daggers and relearn how to fight." There was a ripple of laug
Allison's POV I spent most of the morning in my room. I kept replaying the scene with Dante this morning over and over in my head. Each time, I gave his words a totally different interpretation and that made me sadder. I knew that I was torturing myself by doing this, but I could not seem to stop. I had ordered for breakfast in my room. Whenever Malkiel had felt hungry, I had fed and soothed him. A short while after breakfast, Aria had come to talk to me. Sensing that something was wrong, she had asked why I did not bother to come down for breakfast and why I was cooped up in my room. Then she had prattled on about a lot of other things which I did not bother to pay attention to. My replies had been so curt that she had eventually left, but not without informing me- without me asking- that Dante had left the pack to attend to some things. It came as a surprise to me when less than an hour later, a knock sounded on the door. I immediately perceived Dante's scent outside the door.
Allison's POV For the next few hours, Malkiel's temperature kept fluctuating. Sometimes he was as hot as a live coal. Sometimes his temperature returned to normal. At other times, he felt cool to the touch, so cool that I felt goosebumps form on my skin when I touched him. It was still scary to see my baby going through these kinds of changes within the space of a few minutes. Even though I knew what had caused Malkiel's illness, it still did not make it easy to deal with. I did not know what to think- how to feel about all of this. It was too much to take in all at once. After Dante had told me about what the red mark was, I had sat watching my son for hours, thinking about all he had said. As I stared out of the window, my fingers trailed along Malkiel's chest. It was easier for me to believe what Dante had said because apart from the high temperature and the fact that he was sleeping too much, Malkiel did not show any other signs of illness. A part of me- the part which alway
Dante's POV I glared at the woman who was on her knees before me. She was crying and mumbling incoherently and had been doing that for the last few minutes. Stiffly, I walked back to my desk and sat down behind it. At least the desk provided a sort of barricade that might prevent me from hurting her. I closed my eyes, shutting out the image of her face. Slowly, I massaged my temples as I felt the headache I associated with one of my fits of rage coming on. My wolf was getting restless, wanting to come out. If it did, it would be bad for the woman- very bad indeed. Calm, be calm, I muttered to myself over and again. When I felt I was somewhat in control of myself, I raised my head and pinned her with my stare. "So, what are you trying to say, Tessa?" I said. "Apart from the Luna and I, you are the only one who spends so much time with my son as you are his nanny. Explain to me how the hell this happened under your watch." "It didn't-" I motioned her to be silent. "The Luna
Allison's POV My eyes lighted on the most adorable baby sleepsuit I had ever seen. I caught my breath in delight. A woman was in front of the rack where the sleep suits were displayed. She was looking at the one that had caught my eye consideringly as though she was thinking of buying it. Abandoning the shopping cart for Aria, I dashed forward and took it off the hanger, startling the woman a bit. I walked back to Aria who was trying to see what I was holding. "What have you got there, Luna?" she asked. "Only the most adorable little sleep suit for Malkiel." I held it up for her inspection. She shook her head emphatically. "Nope, definitely not. This isn't... Malkiel's style at all." I grinned. "How do you or anyone know what Malkiel's style is? He's just a baby." "And he won't like that, trust me. There are some clothes I dress him up in and he then tries to take them off by all means. That way, I know that he doesn't like them." "You don't like it, you mean. What is wrong
Dante's POV With a flourish, Maddox handed me a document that had every inch filled with letters and figures. "Here, take a look at this," he said smugly. I settled down to read what he had given me. Without taking my eyes off the document, my hand wandered across the desk. Anticipating my wants, Maddox pushed the calculator towards me. I snatched it up and for the next few minutes, the only sound in the room was the faint beep of the calculator keys as I put together the figures before me. When I was done, I leaned back and whistled in surprise. "How accurate is this?" I inquired. Maddox flashed a smile. "I knew you would ask that. It is very accurate. I went through it thoroughly. I knew that you would want to see the documents sooner or later, so I prepared in advance. Surprising, isn't it?" "Not entirely," I replied after a few seconds' hesitation. "I was sort of expecting something like this. But the figures- the figures are quite astronomical. Wow." Maddox had given me
Allison's POV A pleasurable thrill went through me. Dante had that look in his eyes that told me he wanted us alone, together. My insides warmed at the intensity of his gaze. I nodded. He grinned and pressed me even closer to his body. "That's my girl. You said what I have been wanting to hear all evening," he murmured. He stepped away, looked around, and slid an arm around my waist. He walked quickly and I was almost forced to run to keep up with his stride. He weaved his way expertly among the guests we ran into. He seemed to have an instinctive knowledge of who wanted to engage us in some sort of conversation. We got inside and I was about to push the door of his room open when he kneaded my bottom. "Dante!" I exclaimed, laughing. "Let's get inside first. There are too many people tonight." As soon as we got in, he planted a burning kiss on my lips. I moaned softly, responding eagerly to the feel of his lips against mine. I had thought that with the birth of our child, the p
Allison's POV Aria stood at the entrance of my room. She walked further into the room, her flowing, black velvet dress rippling as she moved. She stopped beside my bed and regarded me closely. "Well, I don't believe it!" she exclaimed. "Luna, I can't believe that you are not dressed yet." I yawned and stretched. "I will get dressed... eventually." Aria gaped and shook her head. "The time is 6 pm. 6 pm!" she repeated when I said nothing. "The ball is due to start anytime from now. Your hair and makeup aren't even done yet. Luna, you should have been ready hours ago." I grimaced at the word make-up. "Who needs make-up anyway?" I grumbled. "It even wastes time. I have an idea, Aria. How about I go downstairs with no make-up on? I will just er- try to fix my hair up a little." Tria looked scandalized at the very idea. "Definitely not, Luna. What would people say? You are one of the reasons why this ball is holding. You have to be perfect for tonight. A lot of people from other
Allison's POV The first person I saw when I opened my eyes was Dante, sitting on the bed beside me. I gaped at him. My first thought was that I had died and gone to whatever paradise the Moon goddess provided for my kind. While I had been semi-conscious after giving birth, I had thought I heard his voice in my room. But I had dismissed the evidence of my ears, tagging it to be a product of my overactive imagination. Now here he was, right before me. When I blinked, his form did not waver or turn to smoke like it had in my dream. I did not want to get my hopes up, but I gradually started to believe that it was Dante I saw. He saw me looking and gave me his familiar lopsided grin. "Dante," I croaked. "Is- it really you?" He looked at me with such love and longing that I felt my insides melt. I put out a hand and touched his warm flesh. "Yes, it is me, my love. I am here with you." I took a deep, shuddering breath. The sound of his voice drove home the fact that I was not dream