Rune. Making such a request through mind link to catch Alpha Kane off guard was a poor attempt at seduction, but it worked wonders. His eyes had widened briefly, probably at the fact that Zarah returned his access to communicate with me through mind link, or maybe it was because I had spoken in such a tiny voice, and it threw him off. Whatever the reason was, it worked; Alpha Kane kept his eyes on me while I readied myself for the dance. When the gong that indicated the start of my performance was hit, a sudden pressure overwhelmed me. It dawned on me that I had the eyes of nearly– if not all– the entire pack on me, others judging me, others out of pure curiosity. There I stood in the centre of almost all the wolves in the pack, some of which bullied me or said less than nice things to me, about to dance for them like a puppet. My heart hammered against my ribcage, matching the deep echoing sound of the gong. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I was not going to give anyone
Rune.I walked away from the stage with my chin raised and my shoulders high, assuming all the dignity I could muster, but my fingers trembled, as did my entire body, with my heart hammering violently against my ribcage as the adrenaline emptied from my system. While I was proud of myself for what I’d just done, I felt weak as the betrayal dawned on me. I had blindly trusted Amelie all because she was nice and had a nice smile, but she’d been a part of a plan to pull me down. “You did a great job,” Soph appeared beside me, and I’d never been so grateful for her presence. She held my arm as we walked to the long bronze table I’d be feasting at, which accommodated all the important wolves in the pack. “Are you okay?” Soph asked, and I nodded.“I don’t know what happened with Amelie. I could've sworn she was genuine,”“It’s not your fault. She fooled me too,” Soph shook her head.“This is why I dont hang out with those females. They reek of bitterness and jealousy,” Soph spat, and a s
Rune. I laughed when I thought it was a joke, but the closer I got to Alpha Kane's room, I realized it wasn't a joke and we'd really sleep together in the same room. I found I was more nervous than I was for the dance earlier, and the Kappa following closely behind me didn't help, even though she smiled brightly and wished me luck with conceiving an heir. Kappa Eda was an older female who barely left her house until it was really important. She was one of the most beautiful wolves I'd ever set my eyes on, with her striking blue eyes and buttery gold hair. She was kind and never resorted to violence. Her values were different from most wolves, and I deduced it was because she was born a human. According to stories I'd heard about her, Alpha Kane's father, Alpha Ross, had turned her with a bite and brought her with him to Shadow Moon Pack as he knew it would be dangerous to leave her with the humans. Kappa Eda followed Alpha Ross wholeheartedly and worked her way up the ranks until sh
Rune.When I opened my eyes to rays of sunlight slipping into the room, I wasn’t surprised to find it empty, but I couldn’t help the sadness and worry that overwhelmed me.I had stayed back like Alpha Kane requested, not because he ordered me to do so, but because he had done the opposite. It was a cry for help, which I noticed–after five minutes of readjusting our position to how it had been before I woke up–was made unconsciously. He was still fast asleep, but he held onto me tightly as though my presence was the only thing he needed to survive or to sleep peacefully. I tried to convince myself that I stayed back because it would benefit me and my plan, but it didn’t work. I could lie to the world, but I couldn’t lie to myself.The pain in his voice had tugged at my heartstrings. Alpha Kane always sounded angry; even when he wasn’t, it was hard to tell. It was the first time I heard him sound so sad, so dejected, so unlike him, and it made me curious. I wanted to know everything: wh
Rune.“What do we have here?”I gasped, realizing a shiver of panic as I stood frozen against the body behind mine. “I-I,” I started to say, but the hands turned me around to face him. I released a breath of relief at the sight of Beta Jett. I had my heart in my mouth, thinking I got caught by one of those wolves.“Are you okay?” I nodded my head.“I got lost,” I cleared my throat. Beta Jett narrowed his eyes at me briefly, then nodded. I told him I was looking for Soph and Kimi, and added to my lies by telling him I heard they’d been in there. Beta Jett said nothing as he walked with me to the training ground. I realized it was my first time alone with him and the first time I conversed with him since he never willingly approached me. He always stood behind Alpha Kane in silence and only reacted when given an order. It was almost impossible to picture him as the sweetheart Soph claimed he was.“Soph told me something funny,” I craned my neck to meet his eyes.“She said you call me B
Kane. “Will you let me?” she craned her neck and furrowed her brows. She did a thing with her eyes where it seemed she was using them to pull me into a deep, dark hole. I couldn't let her, so I forced my eyes back on my half-filled plate. Which was more torture because it played over and over in my mind, along with her addressing me with my name and not my title. I have to say, I couldn’t remember the last time that anyone referred to me with just my given name. It almost felt foreign, but I liked it. I hate to admit it, but I liked the sound of my name on her lips, even though she said it as though she was unsure if she could call me that or not. “I know you dont want me as a mate; it’s been clear since the first day you brought me here. But I want a chance to feel like I’m not imprisoned here,” I bit down on my jaw at her words. She was not imprisoned–in the grand scheme of things, she wasn’t. She was free to do whatever she wanted except leave the territory. But I said nothing to
Rune.A little wailing jolted me out of my slumber, and my heart clenched painfully. I dropped my legs from my bed and ran out of the room quickly, with barely any time to catch my breath. For some reason, my entire body hurt, especially the lower part. The other part felt heavy, as though a weight collapsed on my body. I sighed. The hallway was dark, with a sliver of moonlight slipping in through the one window at the end of the hallway. I passed it without stopping to stare at it, which was unlike me. I always stopped to stare at the sky, but there was no time. The wailing increased. "I'm on my way, My darling; please stop crying," I whispered because I knew he could hear me. The wailing did not stop despite my plea, and I suspected it would take more than just a few words to calm him. I increased my pace, which cussing Kane in my mind. It was his fault the room was a great distance away from ours. I pushed the door open and jumped to fetch my son in my arms. His beautiful eye
Rune.I knew not to expect Kane to bed beside me when I woke up, but I couldn’t help the little stinging in my heart at his absence. I felt a little sad that he always woke up early to avoid speaking about the night before. There was no way I could get him to talk with me if he kept avoiding me. He did not see it impotant to have any kind of conversation with me, and it was kind of disappointing, but it was too early to give up.Kimi had been waiting outside my door smiling when I stepped out for breakfast. There was no point asking what was so amusing since she was Kimi; everything was funny to her. “How was your night?” She asked, searching my face. “I had a bad dream, but I don’t remember it,” I shrugged as we descended the stairs. “Really?” The smile was wiped away from her face and replaced with pure surprise. “Yes, really. Why?” She shook her head and pressed her lips. “What’s going on, Kimi?” She halted and sighed. “Well, rumors are flying about the pack house that Alpha
Rune. I stilled as I watched Kane fall to his knees, covered in his blood and others, and more flashes of my dream engulfed me.But things were supposed to be different. We changed our fate, he was supposed to save me and take me back with him to our territory, so why?I looked up to the sky, and the full moon stared back at me, but the more I stared at it, the more I felt as though it was coming to me. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain all over my body, and cracks as though my bones were breaking. “Zarah! What is happening?” I yelled out, but Zarah remained silent. I didn’t know what was happening until my claws began to lengthen, and white fur emerged from my skin, coating my entire body. “We are shifting,” Zarah finally said, “and I will end this!” She added and I watched as she lunged at Black, growling dangerously at him. “Rune!” He called out, but Zarah wasted no time in biting off one of his limbs, giving him no choice but to shift. We ran around the pack in search of my fathe
Rune. Black had arrived shortly after to show me to my room, claiming I’d have more time to talk with my father at dinner because he wanted me to rest since I was pregnant.I didn’t want to leave my father, but I was grateful for the solitude the room provided because I could finally think. I replayed everything my father said to me, picking out the most. My father was innocent, and he knew where my mother and sister were kept, which meant we had to be careful if we didn’t want to be caught. When my father said Black planned to kill him and force me to stay with him, I believed him instantly, because a person who could conceal his real identity to carry out various plans was dangerous and was capable of doing plenty of damage. Before we parted, my father had told me to find a way to contact Kane because he was the only one who could save us, but I doubted I had such skill. I had never initiated a mind link with Kane when we were in the same territory, talk more of doing so while
Rune. Black had suggested we visit my father, claiming that it would help me make a better decision; the decision to go to him. I was so confused, and numb that I couldn’t even cry or scream, instead, I sat stiffly on Black’s back, laying out my thoughts and thinking about what my next course of action would be. It was then I recalled my dream. My dream had some truths to it, like how I’d seen my father with Black, and some Elders, while the entire Shadow Moon pack was wiped away. “I know you’ve missed your father, so I knew this would warm your heart,” I heard Black say, but I was not bothered by him. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew I couldn’t do anything until I heard all the sides of the story, the most important side being my father’s.Black ran for a while and stopped at the border of territory nearly thirty minutes later. My brows knitted in confusion as I recalled that the nearest pack to Shadow Moon pack was Pearl Crest, and if I was right then that meant Bla
Rune. I woke to the gentle warmth of sunlight filtering through the small window of the cabin. Blinking away sleep, I stretched and sat up, realizing I was still in Black's cabin. The events of last night came rushing back to me—the unexpected reunion with Black, the cozy cabin, the little talk we had. However, when I noticed the sun shining brightly, I realized I had slept in and Black did not bother to wake me.Frowning, I slipped out of bed and padded to the door, intending to find Black and ask him to let me leave. To my surprise, he was nowhere to be found. A sense of unease settled in my chest as I searched the cabin, finding only silence and emptiness.Resigned, I located a pen and paper on a nearby table and hastily scribbled a note:Black,I appreciate your hospitality, if you’re reading this it means I’ve gone. I’ll see you some other time.Rune.I folded the note and placed it on the kitchen counter, intending to leave immediately. But as I approached the door, I realized
Kane. The night air was thick with tension as I returned to Shadow Moon Pack after my secret mission. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale silver glow over the familiar grounds that now felt haunted by the feeling that something was wrong, but I deduced that it was my finding that made me feel that way. My mind raced with the revelations from my short trip to Pearl Crest, where I found they were the ones behind the charms and wolfsbane plaguing my territory. On my way home, I had made plans of what I would do and how to go about ending that pack and everyone in it for good, but upon entering the pack house, I found Soph, Jett, and Kimi gathered in the living room, their expressions somber and troubled. My eyes swept over them, dread pooling in my stomach. “What is going on?” I demanded, my voice low and urgent.No one spoke for a tense moment, their silence deafening. "Where is Rune?" I repeated, my voice rising with each word.Jett shifted uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze
Rune. “Black?”The cool evening air whispered through the dense trees as I stared at Black, my senses on high alert. Scanty rays of sunlight filtered through the branches, casting shadows on the forest floor. It was unusual to find anyone out here, let alone Black. He stood before me, tall and imposing, a smile in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"His smile widened, his eyes a mixture of relief and uncertainty. "I wanted to see you, Rune. I... I wasn't sure how, but then you appeared, as though the goddess herself guided you to me.""In Shadow Moon territory?" I raised an eyebrow, eyeing him warily.He nodded solemnly. "Yes. I had to see you."“What are you doing here though?” he asked, his eyes traveling up and down my body. I shifted uncomfortably in my tank top and black shorts. I ran out of the pack house without thinking and ended up leaving in such little clothing."I... I came out for some air," I stammered, feeling foolish.His gaze lingered on me, his expression unreada
Rune. A sigh escaped my lips when I no longer felt Kane’s presence in the pack; a dreadful feeling of emptiness settled in immediately, as though it was waiting for his departure. However, I had to wipe the sadness from my face when I headed downstairs nearly two hours later, taking note of the omega’s cleaning the pack house instead. Kane was away on a mission and I had a mission of my own; to track down the wolf sending those notes to me, and to make sure no one could tell Kane was gone.“Good morning,” An Omega greeted, making her way up the stairs.“Are you going up to clean my room?” I asked her, and she turned, long black hair swaying behind her before she nodded.“Don’t bother. Alpha is still sleeping,” I told her, pulling off the best nonchalant attitude I could muster so she wouldn’t suspect me, and thankfully she didn’t.Everything was going well, and no one came to ask if they could clean the room again, but it seemed our luck ran out when a group of elders came to seek K
Kane. “I hate to say it but her dreams bother me,” I said with a deep breath, “Especially when it shouldn’t,” I added, running my fingers through my hair.“Does it bother you because you think it could happen or because she’s the one who had those dreams?” Jett asked with a raised brow, and I frowned at him. We were lodged in his house, an hour after I had put my mate to bed. He had opted to drink, but I was more worried about the pack and Rune’s dream to indulge him, and now he was just trying to get on my nerves.“Are you crazy?” “Not quite,” he replied with a little laugh and I shook my head before I turned serious.“On a more serious note, I think I’ll have to visit the Fay soon, to hear more about this dream my mate had. I think we’re missing something very important here,” A sigh escaped my lips at the same time Jett nodded, taking a sip out of his alcohol right after.“If you’re making plans to see her, then that means you accept her? I thought you’d turn to your precious pri
Rune. “Talk to me,” Kane inched closer, staring intently at me. “I don’t know how accurate I am, or if this will mean anything to you, but I had a bad dream that the pack was set on fire, and a lot of wolves died.”My words were met with silence and Kane’s head hung low.“Did you hear me?” I tilted my head to search his face. “Fire you say?”I nodded. “I’m sure Soph has told you about the charms we found in the pack?” I nodded, patiently waiting for him to explain to me the relationship between the two things. “I’m forced to believe there’s a new pack targeting us, and they work closely with witches.”The seriousness of his words settled in and I found myself sitting up straight, my hands in his.“But what do you believe?”“I believe Pearlcrest is behind it. I mean it makes no sense that it’s a new pack because all the leads are somehow connected to Pearlcrest but yet, I’m being told something entirely different.”“Soph told me they are the ones with sightings of more charms?”H