Damian I stormed through the vaulted palace corridors, servants scurrying out of my path. Rare temper darkened my face like thunderclouds, warding off any foolish enough to address me. There was reckoning to be had this day. None escapes justice under my authority.The object of my ire soon loomed ahead - the carved oak door leading to the head cook's domain. Normally a hub of activity, the kitchens now stood ominously silent, word of my black mood preceding me. I flung the door wide without ceremony, relishing how it crashed against the stone wall. All within jumped violently at my abrupt entrance. Stern eyes fixed on the cook where she huddled whispering with her assistants.At my thunderous expression, she paled and hastened forward, wringing her hands. "Alpha Damian! What an honor to have you visit my humble kitchens..."I cut off her sniveling pleasantries with a sharp gesture. "Enough. I have no patience for pretense when matters of discipline are at hand."The cook quailed u
DamianStormwind's hooves thundered over the packed earth as we galloped swiftly toward the forest edge. The wind lashed my face, blurring details into abstract smears of color. But my focus remained fixed straight ahead. I would not lose Natalia's trail now. Her life likely depended on my finding her before the elements or wild beasts did. Guilt gnawed at my core, sharper than the winter chill knifing through my cloak. If not for my stubborn blindness and temper, she never would have believed fleeing into danger her only choice. I had failed spectacularly in my responsibilities as Alpha.Only bringing her home safely now could begin to mend this breach. I silently prayed the gods grant us that chance. Stormwind tossed his head urgently beneath me, as if sharing my fervent wish. Natalia's loss would leave a wound beyond healing in us both.At last the shadowy tree line loomed before us. I reined Stormwind to a canter, then a brisk walk as we entered the dim undergrowth. Now stealth
DamianThe crack of a snapping twig split the stillness. I reacted on pure instinct, dropping into a crouch behind the dense bramble, one hand falling to the dagger at my belt. Stormwind obeyed the silent signal to freeze, nostrils flaring.Another rustle, closer now. I peered through the thorns, pulse racing. Had Natalia blundered into some wild beast's path? Or worse - were human bounty hunters on her trail? If she came to harm when so near to safety, I would never forgive myself. But the small figure that limped slowly into view made me sag in profound relief. Wrapped in a tattered cloak several sizes too large, Natalia looked utterly spent. Her feet were bare and bloodied, hands scratched from clawing her way through the underbrush. But by some miracle, she was alive.I stepped from concealment just as she slumped weakly against a nearby oak. Natalia gasped in alarm, recoiling until she glimpsed my face. Confusion creased her brow. "Alpha Damian?" she rasped weakly. "How...why a
NataliaGentle sunlight across my face stirred me to wakefulness. For a blissful moment I basked in the soft linens and soothing quiet, a rare luxury.Then memory crashed down - the desperate flight into the wilds, the humiliating recapture by none other than Damian himself. This gentle nest was a dragon's lair, my fear a phantomhed amidst delirium.I jolted upright, ignoring the flare of pain along my ribs and feet. But the spacious chamber was empty save for myself. Damian was gone as if a figment, the hearth's embers burnt low. Had it all been some vivid dream?Hissing at the raw ache of my injuries, I eased cautiously off the divan where I had apparently spent the night. Thick fur rugs muffled my limping steps as I explored warily, peering behind opulent draperies for any hidden threat. But found none.The sitting room stood vacant, decorated in elegant masculine style. Heavy oak furnishings conveyed quiet authority, much like their owner occupied my conflicted thoughts. What game
The Alpha's Transcendence DAMIAN I knew Nathalia wasn't happy with how I treated her "what would she think of me as?" I was just doing all these to protect her if she would understand. "No! What am I thinking?" I said as I tapped myself. "she is just a slave and that is how I am supposed to treat her. I don't need to feel bad about that," I said to convince myself. I decided I needed to stop thinking about her and the only way to stop doing that was to bury myself in work. I was about to get ready to go, just then, the sound of the feet of one of the messengers alerted me of the surroundings. the door buzzed open and it was Kyle. "Alpha!!" he said kneeling with a look of worry on his face. "what's the problem?" I asked with a tingle of worried look in me too. "it's your father, sir..." I couldn't wait to hear more about what happened to my father. he wasn't feeling well but the feeling I felt at that moment showed something, I knew something was wrong but then, he loo
Damienin the following hours after father died, tension slowly bubbled to the surface. The cumbersome weight of our father's expectations pressed upon us, mingling with our desires for power. Instead of uniting, discord crept into our interactions, and our shared grief transformed into resentment.As the eldest, I struggled to maintain the delicate balance, but the rift between us deepened with each passing day. The grudge morphed into something more sinister as threats and accusations were hurled across the pack's territory.It was at that point I realized we were straying far from our father's teachings, falling into a self-destructive pattern that could spell disaster for our pack. We had lost sight of his final plea, overshadowed by our greed and ambitions.Threats were carelessly thrown around, and tempers flared as we began to argue about our suitability for the role. The grudge between us grew, and it seemed as if our father's final wish for unity was a distant memory.But it
DAMIAN'S POV"Is there something I shouldn't hear? you're confessing already," I mocked."Do you think I fear you?" Luke asked."I'm not asking you to either. I only asked a question and the guilt was eating you up from your inside," I said."Did you kill Dad," Leo asked. so straightforward."Did I kill him?" I returned the question."How would I know? if I knew, would I still ask you? you better don't let me find out you did something to him," he said. "Why would I kill him? what do I stand to gain? If I did kill him, I'd have made him announce me as the heir won't I? Or isn't that what you are thinking about?" I asked them calmly and they couldn't refute. "Anyway, the autopsy report would be out in three hours," I said then I left the room. I still had a lot of work to attend to. they wanted to be alpha yet they couldn't perform the simple task of reviewing files. I stand by my word, the pack would fall if left in the hands of any of them. When I got to the study, I started to si
NatalieI was busy in the laundry when I heard that the alpha sent for me. My heart skipped a beat, wondering if it was Lucas or Leo. I thought with the death of the Alpha, they wouldn't have time to torture me but I was wrong, it seemed like Lucas wanted to vent and decided to use me as his venting machine. But one thing was for sure, I was happy.I knew I shouldn't feel happy at someone's death but I was glad that the three could feel what I felt when I lost my father. The pain I felt then was nothing compared to the torture that they were inflicting on me. "Who asked for me?" I asked the guard sent to call me even though I knew there was no way he would reply. I was right. He didn't even bother to turn to look at me, talk less, or reply to me. I walked behind him quietly, thinking about my pack members. Are they doing well? Or has James done an irreplaceable damage? I only longed for the day when I'd finally be free and have my revenge on James. The damage that this pack has don
MICHEAL'S POVMy gaze moved from one elder to the other as speak, uttering words I knew I was going to put down at the end of everything. They have been trying to get me to have a meeting with them for ages and this was the first meeting we are having in a while, if not I could have dismissed them and left the room.I shouldn't be here when I have far more troubles to deal with and as I followed them with my eyes, I was wondering if there was any way at all that I could follow to ease all of these positions. It has been a tradition for every pack to have an elder whereas I see no point in it. They help in no way. All they do is bring up problems that will stress you even more even when you think you are managing the pack really well. There might be no way to get rid of them but I know for a fact that I am not going to tolerate them in any way. If they were tolerated by the past rulers then they should get ready for a change."I think reducing the rate of the tax at this point will b
DAMIEN'S POVMy gaze flickered from Lucas to Leo, still not believing that they were even thinking about doing that. This just confirmed to me that they do not know the gravity of the situation we are in."We can get into the pack, grab her, and then leave the pack all in one day. We can take as much time as we desire to bring her back to this place" That was Lucas, speaking wholeheartedly to Leo."And if we can even consider this in a broader sense, we can continue living there with her instead of coming back all the way here you know" Leo added his delusions all the while I observed them with wide unbelieving eyes."That will be a wise thing to do if we can be able to pull that out smoothly," Lucas remarked."Alright, alright, you all should slow down" Having heard enough of their bullshit, I chimed in immediately.They both turned to look toward me at the same time. They were so deep in their conversation that they had forgotten that I was still in their presence."I hope you two r
NATALIA'S POVI was happy.That is the word, happiness. You can never tell just how much loneliness has affected you until you are opportune to be in the presence of people again. It just so happens to be the best feeling and almost everything you think was a problem would end up being not an actual problem and was just created by your mind overthinking because you have no other person to share your thoughts with. I have been that way for the past months, just thinking and thinking my life away. The only time I had the chance to interact with anyone was when I paid a visit to the palace or when I was off to get my food supplies in the market. It has always been a routine. Stay at home for up to a week, go out to the market and the palace, and then come back to the loom of loneliness and silence. I had no idea that it was affecting me until now that I was blessed with the presence of other living beings."What do you desire to eat today?" Cole asked after he knocked on my door and I
LUCAS'S POV"What?" I asked Leo who was suddenly looking at me like I had managed to develop a second head in three seconds.He didn't budge, and I wasn't even sure if he heard my statement. He seems to be in a haze, deep in thought. "Leo? What the hell is wrong with you?" Damien, who was more closer to him asked while tapping him on the shoulder. This seems to have made him snap out of whatever hex that had suddenly befell him. "What?" I asked again, eager to know what was on his mind. "I think I know...." He slowly muttered, still falling back in thought."You know what?" It turns out I wasn't the only one eager to hear what he wanted to say because both Damien and I spoke at the same time, this time around."I think I know where Natalia is hiding" After some painful seconds of waiting, he finally spoke again, emphasizing any word he muttered."What do you mean by that? How did you know where she was hiding? Is that even possible?" I remarked, a deep frown playing on my face. I c
LEO'S POVI do not despise her. I just don't trust her. I am still failing to believe she ended up just finding herself with no motives. Let's face it, I am a very practical person. For us to find ourselves here, we spend days on end running. The keyword there has been running. We never stopped once, encountered numerous dangers on the way and because we are warriors, we aced it. So imagine just a defenseless lady going through all of these. I see no chance of her survival. Except if she was escorted here by someone experienced, who stays hidden behind the shadows. So it makes no sense to me that Damien blindly believed her and even allowed her to stay with us. I have tried multiple times to talk him out of it but he just wouldn't budge. He kept telling me he knew Micheal and in her explanation, there was no form of deception. It's frustrating that he can't just listen to me for once and agree that there is more to what she was saying than meet the eye. It doesn't help that he has
DAMIEN’S POV“And you think everything is going to be as we left it?” Lucas inquired, looking amusingly at me.“Of course not, things are going to change drastically, and above all, your personal items are going to be used by another set of people” I clarified.“Damn man, I will hate to rearrange. It is going to take painful weeks of working” Leo winced, slumping his shoulder against the rocky wall. “You can simply just move to another wing you know, there are numerous parts in the palace and it is enormous enough for you to change wing each week for two months so there is no reason to throw a tantrum” I proclaimed with a shrug.We were currently having a casual discussion on how things were going to be when we returned back to the palace after everything died down. We haven’t really brought forth who is supposed to role but I think we have now learned our lesson and are going to cross that bridge successfully when we get to it.“Not man, I choose to stay in that part of the palace f
STEVE’S POVI sat down at the single desk and chair in my room after I was done with my duty for the day. Making sure to lock my door first, I brought the pen and paper I was going to use to write the letter and placed it in front of me on the table.I wasn't sure what to write but I knew I had to write something very convincing if I really wanted them to believe my words were genuine and not just some created tales to come between them. Micheal is wise and would definitely deny anything of that nature has been plotted if they decide to approach him so I will need to come up with words convincing enough to make them just act and not go about asking.I twirled the pen in my hand multiple times for minutes on end, staring at the blank sheet in front of me and not knowing what to write.After additional minutes of silence and thinking, I finally came up with enough words to start up with. There won't be any need to greet so as they would know it was coming from someone from a higher leve
NATALIA’S POV“I thought you were dead at first and then news began to spread around the pack that the new leader was searching vehemently for you which was so confusing at that time. We searched too, hoping to reach you before any of them. We never gave up on our search and that faithful day we got you, it was purely coincidentally and you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. The news got to us that guards would be surveying this part of the pack today and we were out to keep watch so we caught you thinking it was a guard. It doesn't help that you were dressed in men’s attire” Kyle explained with the others sitting at each side of him.I, on the other hand, was sitting on the opposite side of them and listening attentively.“I don't understand, I thought you went out with them that night?” I asked, referring to my mates. Confusion setting in.“No, we didn't. No one did because they informed no one that they were going anywhere. It was all a work of Micheal to get them corn
NATALIA’S POVWas I okay? I wasn’t even sure. I was so consumed by an immersed amount of shock that I had no idea whether I was okay or not. I was clueless as to how I was feeling. I swallowed loudly, the feeling so foreign to me after days of not being able to do that. My eyes trailed from one of their figures to another, trying to wrap my head around the fact that they were real and in front of me. Instinctively, I reached out to touch Kyle who was the one kneeling in front of me.My hand fell on his shoulder, a more confirmation that he was alive and in front of me. I wasn't hallucinating. Damn even if I was, why will I be seeing them of all the amount of people I missed.They were real. They were frankly genuine and were standing right in front of me. But the question that was stuck in my head was how did I not think about them all this while? How did I not remember and enquire about them? Now that my mates were no more, they should be the closest thing to a parent my kid would h