Aiden's Pov The other guy was not as large as the first man but he was quite muscular and he knew the tactics to use. I had seen how he had dodged the bulky man who had wanted to punch him in the face but had punched the air instead. "The big guy will surely win." Nicole let out, her eyes fixated on the boxers. "I don't think so," I said to her and she turned to look at me with her brows raised. "Don't tell me you think the other guy will be able to push the big guy off his feet? He is nothing compared to the big guy. He has no strength." "But he's got the tactics. That's all it takes." I said. "Then let's place a bet. I'm sure I'm right." She folded her arms above her tummy. "You'll only be wasting your money because the smaller man is surely gonna win." I had barely gotten those words out when the guy I had bet on slid a leg between the bigger guy's legs and tripped him over. The big guy fell with a thud and the crowd cheered. The referee held the winner by the wrist and rai
Jared's PovI didn't need anyone to tell me that Adelia's return home would be trouble. Just when I thought I could finally get some rest after doing nothing but going up and down to get Aiden back, Adelia shows up unexpectedly.It was barely a month since she was gone and here she was, standing by my door with her arms folded beneath her breast. There was a big scowl on her face and her hazel eyes were spitting out fire at me. She looked beautiful even when she was glaring at me. Her crimson hair seemed to have gotten longer and it only made her look prettier than any wolf in the pack. Her milky skin was radiant and it was as though she had put on some more flesh. Rio must have been treating her well because she never looked this beautiful when she was still at the pack. It only reinforced the fact that Rio was a better choice than Aiden. I was sure she would look like something from a horror scene if she had ended up with Aiden. But this ungrateful sister of mine never saw things
Aiden's Pov The headache was still there. I had woken up with a severe headache and no medicine administered to me by Nicole's doctor seemed to help me out. My head felt like it was being pounded upon and it suddenly felt so heavy for my neck to carry. I had never felt this type of headache before and I wondered what had caused it. Could it be the noise from the carnival or the repercussion of arguing with Nicole? It was the next day of the carnival and though Nicole had vowed not to speak to me again, she was all over me now, asking if there was anything I wanted her to help me with. She had been the one to notice how much I was burning up and had called her doctor right away despite my assurance that it was nothing serious. She was worried. It was written all over her and all through the time the doctor had checked up on me, she had stood by the door, biting her bottom lip. I knew she was doing that to stop herself from crying. The little time I had stayed with her had made me
Jared's Pov"You disgust me, Jared. Just tell me where Aiden's mother is and I'll leave this place, never to return!" She blurted out, disgust plainly on her face.I frowned but quickly masked it up with a sinister smile which formed at the corner of my lips, coupled with a fiendish glint in my eyes. I would hate for her to see how much I hated that look she was throwing at me."My rebellious sister. I, your brother and the future alpha of the Blood Moon pack. . ." I stressed those words, pausing for emphasis. ". . . will get Aiden and execute him together with his stupid mother who is currently in the dungeons. I am sure she is enjoying the new room allocated to her." I sneered again, my smile broadening at the horror on Adelia's face. I was glad to have gotten the effect I desired even when half of what I had just said was a lie — well, not really because I was not ready to stop hunting Aiden down and when I finally get him, I would execute him and his mother. After all, a fugitive
Aiden's PovI tried to take another step forward but this time, I felt a sharp pain by the side of my tummy and I gasped, dropping to the hard floor as I placed my palm on the affected area and groaned a bit. The pain was starting to get unbearable and I bit my lips hard, trying to stop myself from screaming my lungs out. The movement within me was like a turbulent wave and it sent me writhing in pain."Aiden!" I heard the panicky voice of Nicole and in no time, she was by my side, rushing to help me out."What's wrong? Why did you get out of bed?" She asked as she dropped to her knees beside me. I tried to reply but a whimper escaped my lips and I shut my eyes tightly, groaning in pain."What's wrong, Aiden?" Her voice was shaky. She had now placed my head on her lap and was cradling me to her bosom, placing little kisses on my head. Normally, I would have found that surprising but currently, I found comfort in her actions. Not that my pain had reduced in any way, but knowing that
Adelia didn't know where she was running to but all she knew was she needed to get out of the pack house as soon as she could. It was less than a day since she returned but she already felt suffocated by it and she was disgusted with those she called family. She could not believe they could do this to her. She couldn't believe she could be treated this awfully by them.They all disgusted her.First, she was disgusted by her father. She had known him to be a vile and difficult man but had never seen him as someone who would not keep his words. Adelia had thought Alpha Lundamous was someone who valued his words, someone she could trust even when he wasn't one of her favourite people, but she knew so clearly now that he was a crooked man whom she could not trust. How could he deceive his daughter and go against his promise? Adelia was not sure she would be able to forgive him. Then, there was Jared, a man who should have been her brother. While growing up, Jared had been the perfect
"You rejected him." Jamal blurted out, his dark eyes staring her down: from the crown of her head to the sole of her feet. He had this disdainful look on his face and Adelia didn't like it one bit."I didn't want to." She spoke through gritted teeth, the muscle in her jaw ticking. Was everyone out to get her in this pack? Why were they treating her as though she was a stranger?Sure, she had not been very close to them at any time but she had shared some conversations with them and had respected them as Aiden's friends. They had always been cool so what was this attitude now?"I didn't want to reject him." She repeated."Sure, you didn't." Calix scoffed, his brown eyes glazing up with anger, but Adelia was sure her hazel ones held as much anger in them too."Look! I never wanted to reject Aiden. I was forced to. My father threatened to kill Aiden if I didn't. I had to do it to save Aiden but it is obvious I only wasted my time. They deceived me. They wanted to kill Aiden nevertheless.
Aiden's PovI could not believe it!I could not believe any of it!I had just shifted into a big black wolf with mismatched eyes and I had gone ahead to hurt Nicole.It was a dream, right? I was dreaming, wasn't I? None of those things had happened, right? It just didn't make sense so it could not be true.Even when I tried to assure myself by saying all these, deep down, I knew it was real. I couldn't believe I had done that and I was completely ashamed of myself. How could I have done that to Nicole? How could I have allowed myself to turn into a beast and hurt the one person I should never hurt?I could still remember how I had criticized the rogue wolf which had attacked Nicole on one of her adventures but here I was, doing worst. I couldn't bear to think of what would have happened had no one come to her rescue. Would I have stopped? Would I have regained my senses before doing something I would regret for the rest of my life — not that I didn't regret this but if I had killed
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