"I don't know what your problem is, Leah," Aiden sighed once again as he tossed the pouch back into his pocket, "You asked me to pay and now, you are not accepting my payment. Can you see how indecisive you are?" "You're the indecisive one, you fool! Just so you know, you might show up with shiny golden armour and force everyone to bow to you, but you can't stop anyone of us from seeing you for what you really are: a worthless wolf who is cursed by the goddess. That's what you are, Aiden, and that's who you will continue to be." "Leah!" Her mate looked so horrified, especially when he saw Aiden's brow furrowed in anger. He took a step back when Aiden took a step forward, but Leah remained in her position, trying to hold Aiden's gaze so he would not think she was scared of him. "I'm not in a good mood, Leah," Aiden's voice was low and grave, "so I'll advise you to watch what you say." "And if I don't?" She held her chin up. "I won't hesitate to treat you like those bunch traitors t
No one was meant to be in the throne room when the alpha was not there. Aiden could only go in because he was the mate of the alpha; he had the right to go in and out without being questioned. But Calix didn't have such a right so why was he in the throne room and why was he there alone? What had he come to do in there?So many questions were running through Aiden's head yet he could do nothing but gape at Calix who also had the same shocked expression on his face. It was as though he had not been expecting to see Aiden standing before him and Aiden wondered why."Em. . ." Calix cleared his throat as he struggled to get out of his shock. "I was just. . .I came to . . ." He stuttered but soon composed himself and cleared his throat again. "I came looking for you." He said in a much clearer tone and Aiden raised a brow at him."Why will you come here to look for me?""Because I couldn't find you anywhere else. You were not in the training field. I didn't know where you were.""I shoul
But one thing Calix didn't know was that he was wrong. Aiden was not as foolish as he had thought. The moment Calix left and the door closed, the smile that had been on Aiden's face fell off. His expression moved from a smiling face to a stony glare as he gazed at the shut door. Something was not right; it was so clear Calix was hiding something. Aiden could tell all this from his weird behaviour, yet he had decided to pretend like he hadn't suspected anything. Now, he could not tell why he had not called Calix out directly on his game — perhaps, he wanted to be very sure because he would hate to wrongly accuse his friend — but whatever the reason was, Aiden knew with so much certainty that something was wrong. He moved to sit on one of the stairsteps below the throne, his elbow resting on his lap as he propped his palm under his chin. He was still in a daze and nothing he could think of made sense as to why Calix had been alone in the throne room. He was trying to make up excu
It was Aiden's other friends: Andrew and Jamal, and the two men paused when they noticed that all eyes were on them. "Are we interrupting something? We can always come back some other time." Andrew said, turning around to leave but Jamal held him back. It was obvious from Andrew's behaviour and expression that he had been dragged there so he was simply looking for an excuse to leave and that was why he said what he had said. "Why the long face, Aiden? What's up?" Jamal asked instead, bowing a little to Alpha Velvet before turning his gaze to Aiden. In his haste, Andrew had not noticed that Aiden looked downcast and now that Jamal was bringing his attention to it, Andrew discovered that Aiden did not only look downcast but very troubled, like a man whose business had collapsed in one day. Seeing Aiden that way erased the anger he had been harbouring from the argument some hours ago. "Is anything the problem?" He asked, his eyes moving from Alpha Velvet to the couple standing by the
It suddenly felt like he had lost his identity and didn't fit in anymore. Now he understood why Leah called him a stranger. If even his friends could change this much, then who did he know in the Blood-Moon pack? Who could he say was for him? Was he simply a tyrannical beast who had come to usurp power in a place he was not needed? Hadn't Jamal and Andrew said they had been waiting for his return since? So many questions, yet no answer. He was feeling so heartbroken like a werewolf who had just been rejected by his mate — in fact, that was not even enough to describe his pain. He lacked words to describe his emotions and as he stared into the faces of the men he loved so much, his eyes became misty. Had he lost these ones too?"It's fine. The Blood-Moon pack is also our pack and we want it to be safe too. If Calix is planning something, then we all need to act fast." Jamal sighed heavily, face-palming himself in the process as he chided himself for not being more patient. He should
Aiden was nowhere to be found when she came out of the throne room. Though there were many questions to ask the guards at the door, she only asked them where Aiden had gone and they told her he went straight ahead. Trying to mindlink him to know where he was, she walked straight ahead, looking from side to side to see if she could find her mate, but there was no sign of him. And he was not responding to her through their special mind link. Not knowing where to begin her search for him, Alpha Velvet stood at the end of the hallway, both of her arms resting on her hips. She kept asking where he was through the mind link while trying to catch his scent by shifting to her wolf's nose.In our room.She finally got a reply and she heaved a sigh of relief, turning around to go to their bedroom where Aiden said he was. Somehow, she felt he would be lying to her because the bedroom didn't fit into the possible places he could go to when he was upset but she decided to go there anyway and to
Alpha Velvet reached out and tucked some of these locks behind his ear. Then she lifted his chin with her fingers so he could look at her. Her heart constricted in pain when she saw how red and swollen his eyes were and the sadness on his face only shook her heart further."Aiden. . ." She trailed off, now lost for words to say. Seeing him that way had broken her heart so much that she lost what to say."I'm a fool, Velvet. I'm a very big fool. I don't know if I've been bewitched or cursed. Why do I always trust the wrong people? Why do I allow people to do this to me all the time?""You're not a fool, Aiden. You're the wisest person I know." Alpha Velvet tried to comfort him but he only sniggered at her words, shaking his head a bit as he laughed."That's the biggest lie I've ever heard.""I'm not lying. That's how I feel about you." She frowned at him."Then why do I do stupid things all the time? Just look how I trusted Calix so blindly. Just see how I allowed him to use me right u
In the middle of the night, when everyone was fast asleep, that was when it happened: The long-planned war Jared had looked forward to. It had begun with a chaotic noise that had woken Alpha Velvet up. She had always been a light sleeper but had become a lighter sleeper after that dreadful night her pack got attacked and her family killed. Ever since then, she woke up at any slight movement and it had taken Aiden some time to assure her that everything was fine now and she need not be alarmed by every noise. Though Alpha Velvet had managed to calm down with Aiden's assurance, this noise had woken her up and that was because it was quite strange and very chaotic.She turned to Aiden who was still fast asleep despite the noise and she contemplated leaving him be while she go check for herself. Perhaps, it was nothing and she was just being paranoid as usual. She would hate to disturb Aiden's sleep for nothing. It had taken quite a while for him to fall asleep because he had retired
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