"Y - - yo - - you," Aiden could barely get the right words out. "Yes, me." Jared snickered at this, but when he saw that Aiden's eyes were on Calix and not on him, he said, "oh! Him? Of course, it's Calix. Who else had you been expecting?" He laughed, patting Calix lovingly on his shoulder like showing up together had not already sent a clear message.Calix, on the other hand, remained calm, just holding Aiden's gaze without wavering. Aiden could not believe that Calix could still look him right in the eye after betraying him this much.But a lot was going through Calix's mind as he watched Aiden's agonized expression; however, he deliberately chose to shut those emotions out of his mind. This was no time to feel or even think. He had done all the thinking and feeling that should be done and right now, he only had to watch the effect of those choices he had made and he was so sure he had made the right decision. Seeing Aiden lying on the dirty ground, injured and weak, Calix was gl
Aiden knew he should not be surprised to see Rio teaming up with Jared but he was surprised nonetheless. He was surprised that Rio was that stupid to support someone as vile as Jared. What had been the deal?There surely must be one because there was no way Rio would go to battle for Jared just because they were in-laws. No alpha would take his army to battle for a fight that wasn't his but it seemed like Rio was that alpha, and from the hatred, Aiden could see in Rio's eyes as he stared down at him, Aiden knew that this man nursed a grudge against him.Why? That was the question. If there was anyone to be holding a grudge, then it should be him. Rio had taken Adelia away from him so he had every legitimate reason to hate him, but he didn't. He didn't hate the man one bit, so why?And there, by Rio's side, was Kappa. Stupid Kappa whom he had defeated. Of course, Velvet had told him that Kappa was somehow involved with Jared but Aiden never knew their bond was that strong for Kappa t
And immediately, the warriors carried out Alpha Rio's order. The arrows came flying, from various angles and before Aiden could think of what to do to escape this impending doom, he felt himself being thrown to the ground. Someone had pushed him with so much force and that person was now lying on him, holding him tightly that he could hardly breathe. Aiden gasped at that, feeling the weight of the person's body on his. From the softness of her skin, Aiden could tell it was a woman and she was hugging him so close to her bosom, like a mother hen protecting her chick. Before Aiden could speak or even ask who it was that was trying to save him, he heard his name being shouted from a distance. It was Velvet and she was shouting at the top of her voice. "Aiden!" She kept shouting, her voice breaking at the end as she screamed. The arrows were still being shot and groans could be heard as the arrows pierced into skins. There was a lot of chaos and the cries of people, coupled with th
"It's your fault! It has always been your fault!" He yelled, before dropping Adelia gently on the ground and rising to his feet.Alpha Velvet rose too but Aiden remained on the bare ground, just staring at Adelia's corpse like he had not heard Rio speak."I'm talking to you, asshole!" Rio yelled but Aiden remained still.That seemed to make Rio angrier and he rushed to where Aiden was sitting, shifting into a big grey wolf in the process. His wolf was quite huge — not as big as Aiden's but big enough to scare anyone away. Its eyes were green, but even with this beautiful shade, they were filled with a glint that sent shivers down anyone's spine. Its ears were pointed slightly forward and its forehead, neck hair and hackles were raised. Ivory teeth appeared between the jaws, with its tongue moving around its mouth, and saliva dripping from its lips. The grey wolf was scary and its only motive was to kill.Despite this, Aiden remained on his spot, like a big wolf was not rushing to hi
Sunlight filtered from the huge window into the room and on his face. This caused Aiden to groan and he tried rolling to the other side of the bed, but the pain that coursed right through him left him paralyzed at a spot. "You shouldn't move like that." He heard a voice say to him and he opened his eyes to look at Velvet who was staring right at him. She was sitting on the bed, beside where he lain, and she was with a white towel. She was dressed simply in a linen dress that stopped right at her ankle and her black hair was left to fall over her shoulder. She looked so peaceful, unlike him, who was so troubled. He tried to sit up but fell back on the bed with a groan, another bout of pain coursing through him and leaving him suddenly dizzy. "I can't feel my leg," he complained, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to numb the pain he was feeling all over his body. "That's because it was broken. But it will get better soon. The salutary said so." Alpha Velvet replied curtly, lean
"Is Rio the name of that deadly alpha that wanted to kill you?" Alpha Velvet adjusted her sitting position. This was now getting interesting and it was obvious Aiden knew too much more about this battle than she knew. She had spent the previous night wondering who the alpha was and why he had wanted to kill Aiden for Adelia. She had also wondered how Jared had gathered such a large number of warriors when he was a run-away alpha, a fugitive!"Yes. His name is Rio and he is the alpha of the Greystone pack. He is Adelia's mate and Jared's brother-in-law. Turns out that he holds a grudge against me, I wonder why, but that's why he agreed to fight with Jared." Aiden explained. "Oh wow." Alpha Velvet exclaimed in surprise."Kappa claimed to have joined the fight because I killed his beta and humiliated him. He made a bad decision as he had done in the past, and now he's dead. Those who he thought were for him killed him. Rio ordered his men to shoot at him and his beta. I'm sure that's t
He had said he wanted to be alone but that didn't seem to be possible because the door opened few minutes after Alpha Velvet left and Andrew walked in, followed by Jamal. They closed the door quietly after them and when they saw him looking at them, their eyes widened a bit and they paused in their track. "You're awake?" Andrew looked so surprised as he asked the obvious. Aiden raised a brow at him. "Why are you here then? Aren't you here to see me? I woke up few minutes ago. Velvet just left. I thought she told you on her way out." "Oh no. She didn't. We were just checking up on you to see if you were. Salutary Jimoh said you should have woken up by now. We decided to see if you had." Jamal explained and Aiden nodded. They were both wearing a sleeveless surcoat upon their tunic and their hairs were held in a bun. Aiden wondered why they suddenly decided to dress like twins but he didn't ask, rather he watched them quietly as they walked slowly to the bed. An air of uncertainty
It had been two days since the attack and Aiden's leg was healing neatly. In fact, the head salutary had informed that Aiden's recovery was quite fast, compared to the normal time range the injury was supposed to take to heal. Everyone was happy to hear this, especially Alpha Velvet and as she sat beside Aiden at their round table, she smiled broadly at him. They had settled their little fight and Aiden had apologized for being selfish and insensitive. He shouldn't have asked her to leave like it had been her fault that anything happened. Alpha Velvet, not mentally or physically ready to hold a grudge, forgave him immediately and now they were sitting together, sharing a cup of tea, as though nothing had occurred between them.Kunata and Davina were sitting opposite them while Andrew and Jamal occupied the remaining vacant seats and they all sat together, sharing a cup of tea in the refectory. It was peaceful. The pack had finally gotten the peace it craved and Aiden could not exp
They were lying on their backs in each other's arms gazing at the dark sky which was decorated with beautiful stars and a half-moon. They had spread a mat on the grass and were lying quietly with a plate of fruit beside them. It had been Aiden's idea to do this. He had told Velvet that he wanted a quiet moment with her without anyone interfering and Velvet had suggested this. The Riverside was quiet; not a single soul could be seen except them. Aiden wanted it this way so he was not bothered. The quietness brought a soothing calmness to the couple and as they gazed at the sky, a smile settled on Aiden's face. Though Velvet could not see his face for she was lying sideways with her head on his chest, she felt him smile. "Why are you smiling?" She asked, amused. "I don't know," Aiden answered, now giggling. "Maybe I'm happy?" That brought a smile to Velvet's face and she turned to the side so she could look at his face. He was still smiling, his dimples appearing on both cheeks
Aiden froze, shock rushing down his spine like gushing water. For a moment, he was still, feeling nothing but numbness. But the numb feeling soon dissipated and an avalanche of emotion flooded in: Anger, pain, grief, pity and many more emotions he could not explain. He was angry at Alpha Lundamous for doing that to his father. He was pained that his father had to die that way; grieved because he didn't have a chance to grow up with his father; pity because he felt sorry for himself, his father, and his mother who were prey to Lundamous and his son.But he didn't express these emotions, rather he sat rigidly on the chair, looking at the wall,"Why are you just telling me this now?""What would you have done if I told you earlier?"That lone question broke the barricade that had besieged his emotion. He sparked."What sort of stupid question is that? I would have killed that motherfucking idiotic piece of shit with my bare hands. I wouldn't have allowed him die that way. I would have
They were sitting opposite each other, staring into each other's eyes as one waited for the other to speak. They were seated in the throne room, Elder Theodore sitting on one of the seats for the elders at the right-hand side while Aiden sat on the left, abandoning the throne. With this old man, he was not an alpha but a servant. This old man was the reason he was alive and every achievement of his was because this old man had saved him. So Aiden didn't want to sit on the throne and act as an alpha before him.Elder Theodore had changed so much. His hair was grey, not even a black strand could be seen. His face was wrinkled with folds crumpling and sagging his cheeks. His once fearful eyes were dull but piercing still, and his skin was pale, so pale and weak. His beard was whiter, fuller, and longer as though he belonged to the tribe of ancient India. The once slight stoop of his back was now more pronounced, making him look so short when he had been a tall man of 6'4. He had aged
And there he was, struggling to walk with the flowing white robe that seemed to drag as he walked. They finally arrived at the Great throne room and the guards that had escorted them began hitting the drum attached to the door to inform the council that the royalty was around.The council which consisted of the elder and the high-ranking deltas were already seated on their decorated stools made from silver with foams covered with silk. While the elders sat on the right side of the room, the deltas were seated on the left side.Following the beating of the drums, the council rose to their feet, their eyes on the door as they watched Aiden walk in with Alpha Velvet and the rest strolling behind.Despite his sour mood, Aiden could not help himself from marvelling at the beauty of the throne room as they walked slowly.The great throne room had been decorated with garlands of flowers and other decorations Aiden could not describe. He turned to Alpha Velvet and asked, "How did this all ha
Aiden didn't sleep well. He kept tossing about the bed, rolling from one side to the other and waking up Alpha Velvet in the process. He was restless and the dreams he was having were not helping issues too. They were all about Calix and all the dreams reminded him of all the happy times he enjoyed with this man while growing up. In one of the dreams, he had been sitting with Calix playing a board game while Jamal and Andrew argued about who would win. This had happened about ten years ago when they were only teenagers and Calix had ended up winning. Another dream was about them all sharing a plate of food prepared by his mother and they all talked happily, laughing and playing with one another.These dreams were torturous and they made Aiden very restless. Finally, he jumped out of the bed to stand by the window, and there he remained till daybreak, just staring into space from their big window which enabled them to see ongoing events around the pack house. It had been a day since
Alpha Velvet followed, her facial expression still stoic as she walked away without a glance back. Kunata followed finally, making sure to scoff aloud and jeer at them before leaving.Calix remained on the floor, watching them leave and walk away from his life forever. A lump had settled in his throat, such that it was difficult to swallow or even speak. All he could do was gape at them, his heart shattering with every step they took. Was this how it felt to be abandoned? Was this how it felt for people you loved to walk away from your life? So many questions were filling up his mind but before he could come up with answers, he felt himself being pulled to his feet and being dragged out, cold pair of hands holding onto him from both sides.Jared was being dragged too and his growls and threats resounded in the room. He was making empty threats, refusing to accept defeat when defeat was staring at him right in his face. Their downfall was so glaring.As they walked out of the dungeon
Kunata's frown deepened. It was clear he had been looking for an avenue to hit Calix and he took this as a cue."Are you calling me a liar, you piece of shit?" He advanced but Alpha Velvet held him back. She was looking at Aiden with a frown on her face. Andrew was watching Aiden too, but not with a frown but with an understanding. He understood why Aiden was being silent. He was speechless too.Never in his wildest thought did he think he would feel sorry for Calix but watching him cower in fear did something to his heart. As much as Andrew didn't want to admit this, he knew he couldn't deny it. He had been so sure he wanted Calix dead but now, he didn't know what he wanted anymore. He was suddenly in a dilemma. So yes, he understood Aiden's silence. He knew why Aiden was silent."Aiden! You're not talking to me!" Calix shouted, and then stood to his feet."I can't stay here anymore." Jamal dropped his hands in reckless abandon, as one would do when one was tired and frustrated. "
Jamal's heart was now slamming hard in his ribcage as they entered the dark dusty cell. The torch flames the deltas were holding lightened the room up a bit and Jamal watched as Calix shut his eyes tightly at the sudden light that was now shining in the room. Why he was looking at him, Jamal had no idea, but he could not stop looking at Calix who was still squeezing his eyes shut. Definitely, the light must have hurt his eyes. Jared, on other hand, was not that quiet. He left the bars he had been holding and lurched at Aiden immediately after Aiden entered the cell, grabbing a fistful of Aiden's overcoat and snarling into his face. "You!" He growled.Aiden shut his eyes for a moment before opening them."Get off me!" He pushed Jared violently. "You smell like shit."That comment didn't go down well with Jared and in a bid to retaliate, Jared tried to hit Aiden but the deltas interfered, holding Jared in place while Jared struggled to break free from their hold."Let me go. Have you
They were done with the interrogation and were heading to the prison where Jared and Calix had been locked in for days. Behind them were Cider and Calix's mate, Harper, being dragged along by some deltas and their cries echoed as they walked down the grassy path. Davina had gone back to her room, saying she could not bear to watch anyone die and Jamal wished he could do the same without being accused of being weak. It was not as if he was scared to watch them get killed — he had fought quite several wars so he knew what blood was and had seen the sporadic movement of a body before its death many times, so he was not scared.However, he felt sick. Calix was once his friend — that was a truth Aiden and Andrew were trying to deny. There was no way he was going to watch Calix's death without being haunted. They had grown up together, laughed and fought together. Those memories were forever stamped in his head and no matter how he tried to erase them, they would forever remain.And then