"What?" Aiden gasped, his mouth falling open as he stared at this alpha who didn't know how to mince words. He had not been expecting such a reply and with the way she was looking at him, he knew she was ready to drop another blunt comment."Will you please turn aside?" He immediately cut her off. "I want to put this on."Her smile broadened and she looked like she was going to speak. But then she changed her mind and simply turned to look at the wall. With a heavy sigh, Aiden quickly shuffled into his clothes, glancing at the alpha every second to ensure that she was snooping. He knew he had a good body and had nothing to be ashamed of, nevertheless, he was not comfortable with her looking at him while he dressed."Can I look now?" Alpha Velvet asked, amusement still in her voice. It was like she was trying so hard not to laugh and Aiden wondered what was so funny to her."Not yet." He answered, not because he was not done but because he didn't want her looking at him yet."Why? On
Jared's Pov.We were having a family dinner when Adelia barged in with her alpha mate. This ungrateful thing would never understand what I had done for her by separating her from that cursed entity called Aiden. I knew she was still angry with all of us for matching her with Rio but I still maintain that we had made the right decision. One thing about Adelia was her short-sightedness. She would never admit it but I and the rest of the family knew how shortsighted she could be. Rather than looking into the future, Adelia only saw and acted on the present. This was why she was yet to understand our purpose for sending her with Rio.As much as I didn't like Rio, I could not deny that he was a much better choice. He was the one with a better pack and a better position, unlike some rag-wearing useless wolf-like Aiden. But Adelia would soon come into that light. She would soon understand. I was sure of that. But before then, we would have to endure her antics — I was not sure how much I
Jared's PovSilence pervaded the room as the resounding voice of my father echoed in our ears. I was beginning to think that this illness made my father angrier and way harsher. I noticed how quick he was to yell at everyone now. No one spoke. Even Adelia looked shaken.Then Alpha Lundamous began to cough, breaking the silence that had reigned over the room. The Luna immediately handed him a cup of water and after his cough had died down, he raised angry pair of eyes at Adelia."Speak." He pronounced."I'll be outside, Addy. I think this is a family's business." It was Rio saying and I was sure he was only leaving to escape the tension in the room. After he had left, Adelia took a step forward."Fine!" She yelled. "Aiden has finally shifted. Turns out that he isn't wolfless as you all tagged him to be. And for the record, his wolf is far stronger than anything you can ever imagine.""What?" It was my mother and she looked just as shocked as my father."Yes. Turns out I was right. Tu
It was quite dark when Aiden finally woke up. He had fallen asleep while waiting for the alpha to return and was just waking up now after many hours of being asleep. Well, he could not blame himself for sleeping that long. His body was yet to recover from the journey of the previous day so he needed all the rest he could get. Yawning loudly, he rose to his feet, a chuckle escaping his lips as he thought about how lazy he was becoming. He was sure the whole pack thought him to be lazy and Kunata must be convincing them to send him away. He chuckled again, finding that thought really funny. He could not tell if he was not bothered because of how sweet the alpha was being to him but Aiden knew he was going to remain in this new pack for as long as he wanted — so far Alpha Velvet remained the alpha.Now he had no idea why she was being the way she was to him but just as he had decided before, he would enjoy it while it lasted and would fight her without a second thought if she proved t
"Kunata!" Davina was scolding him but Kunata didn't stop. Instead, he stomped his foot angrily on the ground, the dried leaves on the ground making a squishy sound. "I'm tired of watching her act so sweet around him." He yelled at Davina. Then he turned to the alpha who was glaring at him with fire in her eyes. She looked so angry like she wanted to pounce on him, but Kunata looked unfazed. Instead, he folded his arms."What is it you are not telling us, Alpha? What is it with this man? Why did you bring him to our pack?""Kunata!" Davina was tugging at his arm, fear on her face but Kunata would not even look at her."Why did you bring him along, alpha?" He asked instead."Because he was homeless. What were you expecting me to do? Leave him alone?" Alpha Velvet's voice was rough and edgy and the veins in her neck were popping out."And how did you know he was homeless? Did he whisper it into your ears?""Shut your mouth, Kunata! I won't have you spill nonsense just because you are my
Jared's Pov.I had been waiting for close to thirty minutes yet no sign of him. Did he think I was a joke? Had he deliberately accepted to meet me just to stand me up for hours? I raked a finger through my hair, trying to control my anger as I stood at the foot of the baobab tree we had agreed to meet at. This spot was one of the secret places we could meet and I had personally chosen it so we could have our conversation without being seen by nosy wolves in the pack. I let out a big sigh, still wondering if I had been played. Had he done this just to get back at me? I didn't want to believe that I had been stupid enough to get played on like this. To be honest, I would not be surprised if he didn't show up. Somehow, I was expecting him not to. It had been years since we last had a proper conversation and I was not sure he liked me anymore to want to be around me. Nevertheless, he should have just told me he was not going to come rather than lead me on only to abandon me to my fate
Aiden was starting to feel discouraged after running for a while without any sight of the alpha. He had no idea if he had followed the exact path she had taken but he had seen some paw prints on the wet ground and had simply followed. But currently, he was beginning to doubt if those paws belonged to the alpha.Wiping the sweat that had now creased his brow, he sighed heavily, wondering if he should just return or continue his search. Would she even want to see him? After listening to Kunata say shit about him, he was not so confident about the Alpha's feelings for him anymore. Though she had not said anything bad about him — except that she would kill him if he turned out to be an enemy; his heart was still hurt by those words — Aiden didn't know how she was feeling inside. Was she beginning to have some second thoughts about him? Would she listen to Kunata and send him out of the pack? Or would she let him stay but withdraw herself from him?Surprisingly, he didn't like the sound
It was quiet around there but the sky was black with no moon or stars. But neither of them was bothered because they could see clearly even at night due to their wolves' sight. An owl was hooting from a distance and for some reason, that made the environment more serene and comfortable. Alpha Velvet was quiet even after Aiden's question and Aiden wondered if he should repeat his question. He had not hesitated to tell her about himself but here she was, hesitating to tell him hers. Didn't she just say she trusted him? "Davina told me the room I stay in belongs to your brother. Where is he?" He decided to take another route in asking his question. "You don't give up, do you?" The alpha sighed heavily, her shoulders drooped. "I guess not." Aiden softly replied and she sighed again, raising her chin to look at the black sky. "His name is Nicholas, right?" "How do you know that?" She looked shocked. "I overheard the couple talking about it." He replied and she sighed again, return
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