The ache in their heads was alarming and they groaned painfully, each of them holding their head as they tried to sit up. What had happened and why did they feel this tired? Sure it could not be the wine they had drunk the previous night. Last night had not been their first night sharing a bottle of wine so why should this hangover be different? They had not even consumed a lot as they had done in the past so why was the pain alarming and why did it feel like thousands of needles had been pinned into their heads? Jaden was the first to sit up and he shut his eyes tightly as he tried to dull the ache pounding in his head. It took a while but he was finally able to open his eyes and he stared around him, a gasp escaping his lips when he noticed his fellow guards who were just as he was. They were all wriggling in pain as they tried to sit up too and it surprised Jaden so much. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. His eyes darted to the cell they were supposed to be guarding an
Alpha Lundamous exchanged a glance with his son the moment the guard fell at his feet and Jared raised a brow, shrugging a bit at his father to indicate he had no idea too. "And what is the meaning of this?" Jared was starting to say but when he caught sight of the uniform worn by the young guard, his eyes narrowed in recognition. "Why are you here?" "The prisoner - - the prisoner - - Aiden - - " The young guard could not form a coherent word as fear coursed down his body. How was he supposed to say this? "What happened to the prisoner?" Jared wasted no time in dragging him up by the collar so he could stare into his face. The guard dropped his gaze, a tear slipping from his eyes as he tried to speak. But no word came out regardless of how much he tried. This only infuriated Jared and in no time, he had punched the guard hard in the face, so hard that the guard toppled over and fell. "Speak!" He thundered, his eyes glazing over. "What happened to my prisoner?" "He escaped. He h
Aiden's PovThe first thing I noticed was the noise. It was so noisy, it hurt my ears. Then, the strange scent. The air had shifted and everywhere smelt different. Another thing that caught my attention was the troop of people moving up and down hastily like ants building a hill. Several colourful booths had been set up all around with people selling different kinds of wares, ranging from food to cloth. The whole place was packed with people and amid the din of people were little children running about happily. It was like a different community of its own and the people smelt and acted differently.I turned to look at Elder Theodore who had also stopped in his track. But I could tell he had not stopped because he was just as shocked as I was. He had a broad smile on his face and he shut his eyes as he inhaled deeply."I'm glad to be here once again." He exhaled, opening his eyes to look at me. My brows furrowed in confusion and I stared back at the people who did not seem to notice
Aiden's PovI turned to glare at him but he was not looking at me. Instead, he was adjusting the man's collar and patting him on the shoulder. Then he pulled me by the shoulder, his head lowered as he muttered words to onlookers. "The show is over." I heard him say and in no time, everyone had returned to their business. It was almost like nothing had happened. Could this mean that humans were quick to forget too?"You shouldn't do that, Aiden. I'm bringing you here not to hurt anyone but to hide yourself for a while. No one will find you here but if you keep making trouble, attention will be brought to you and who knows, Alpha Lundamous might find you. Words fly, you know.""I did nothing wrong." My golden-brown eyes flickered. Why was he blaming me? I wasn't the one who had consumed more alcohol than he should. "Even though." Elder Theodore hissed, tossing me a glare before looking straight ahead. "You could have simply ignored. I don't want you doing this again, Aiden." His voice
Just when I leaned forward to hold the goblet, a shriek filled the room and the movements of a person running down the stairs resounded. My head snapped to the side immediately and my eyes widened when I saw a young lady running down the stairs whilst holding her skirts up as she skipped down the stairs. Her blonde hair was held in a neat bun and was adorned with hairpins of all sorts. She had a big smile on her face and her blue eyes danced with excitement as she ran to Elder Theodore who was already on his feet, opening his arms wide for her. She jumped right in, giggling happily as Elder Theodore twirled her around. Though she was slim, I could not believe Elder Theodore would lift her and twirl her around like she weighed nothing more than a feather. The strength of this old man never ceased to amaze him.A smile graced my lips as I watched them hug tightly. I could not tell why I was smiling but the sight was too lovely to ignore. I was beginning to see a different side to Elde
Jared's Pov My head was hot. I was blinded by rage and all I could see was red. Aiden had escaped! I could barely believe my ears. Of all news I had been expecting to hear that graceful morning, listening to this was absolutely not part of it. I could still remember how I had woken up with a big smile on my face and how I had raced down to meet my father, wasting no time reminding him that the day had finally come. It was finally time to kill Aiden. I could still remember how worried I had been, scared that my father would change his mind or something. I had no idea how to explain this but I had seen and heard many stories to make me conclude that strange things were bound to happen when a deed was scheduled to be done. It could be a change in the plan due to foreseen and unforeseen circumstances, or it could just be nature playing a game on you, but all I knew was I did not want such a thing happening today. I wanted Aiden dead and gone. It was already torturous to wait for
Jared's Pov"I - - I didn't mean that." He struggled to speak, squirming under my hard grip on his neck."Then what did you mean?" I pulled him by the neck and flung him to the hard ground. He dropped with a thud, a painful groan escaping his lips."Elder Theodore was here." It was Cole speaking this time. His lips were torn from the impact of my punch and his nose seemed broken. I bit back a sigh of satisfaction. Perhaps, I could use him as a punching bag to vent my anger. He looked just perfect."He was with a cart and he claimed it had his loads. He was leaving the pack to visit his daughter. He already got the Alpha's approval so we could not do anything to stop him. But what was strange was why he decided to embark on his journey at night. It was really dark when he set out to leave but he claimed his daughter needed him so he had no choice but to be with her soon. We let him go. We didn't think he would stoop so low to sneak Aiden out. Elder Theodore is quite respectful and I do
Aiden's PovElder Theodore left the next day and Nicole was sorry to see him leave. She had wanted him to spend more time with her but Elder Theodore tried to make her understand that his daughter needed him. He even added that he did not think she would be needing his company anymore since she had me. What he meant by that, I could not tell but I chose to ignore him, only hugging him and bidding him farewell.If I was being honest, I did not want Elder Theodore to go too but I did not want to sound like a clinging child still tied to his mother's apron string. I wished the old man could stay longer, at least until I had adapted to this new setting. Not that being with Nicole was a bad idea, but I just didn't know how I was supposed to act around her, seeing how I had acted when she had stretched her hand forward to me for a kiss — I had asked Elder Theodore that night and he had told me I was meant to peck it. Absurd, right? But I found myself wondering how it would have felt to h
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