Cerelia’s POV
I could hear the search operation going on in full swing as I crouched inside the cavern near Lake Lucien. Although I had masked my scent effectively, the Lucerians refused to give up. It was the most frustrating situation ever. Hidden deep within the cavern, I could hardly manipulate their minds. I had to see them to manipulate them. As such, there was no other way than to remain hidden until they gave up.
Hunger pangs hit me hard as I waited in vain. I needed to hunt to survive the ordeal. But it was an impossible task with the red wolves still lurking near the borders.
Even after several hours of waiting, when the search operation didn’t cease, darkness teased the edge of my vision. I tried my best to keep awake. Obviously, I couldn’t afford to lose my consciousness and get captured. Yet, I had no control over myself. The exhaustion, stress, and absence of food in my system for the last few days took a toll on my body. I drifted between the transitional states of sleep, unconsciousness, and wakefulness, and lost track of time. I had to go out and hunt.
Gathering all my strength, I crawled out of the cavern to peer out. With the midnight sun still in the same position as earlier, it was difficult to predict the time of the day. Why was everything so eerily quiet around the lake? Was it a trap? Were they spying on me?
I had no strength to investigate. An Arctic hare leaped across the scanty vegetation on the banks of the lake, drawing my attention to it. I pounced on it, but it escaped. Chasing my prey, I forgot my predicament and rejoiced in my kill. I would enjoy my meal in the sanctity of my secret cavern. But a movement ahead captured my attention, and I scanned the area. Strangely, there was no one around. Was it an illusion? Or did I really see a Lucerian spying on me?
I raced back to my cavern with my prey, my heart constricting with fear. What if they found me? Would they hand me over to the red wolves? I couldn’t enjoy my meal as I waited for the worst. When nothing happened, I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe I was indeed hallucinating because of my tiredness. I was safe here.
However, my relief was short-lived as a commotion outside the cave alerted me. “Come out, spy. We know you’re in there,” yelled a heavy male voice.
I trembled with fear as they started breaking into my hiding place. I couldn’t see them to manipulate their minds.
“Dan, Andre, let’s break the cavern and capture her.” I looked around desperately for a way to escape, but there were none. I was trapped this time with no strength left in my body.
I needed to tap into the sunlight to summon my weapons, my blades to attack my opponents. But being trapped in this underground cavern for almost twenty-four hours had weakened my energy reserves!
In a split second, the entrance area of the cavern collapsed and a team of fifty fierce warriors invaded my hiding place. I didn’t stand a chance against them.
“Shift, right now!” growled their leader. He threw some shabby clothes in my direction and waited. I complied, quickly wearing the clothes he gave me. Now I felt even more vulnerable than before.
“Surrender, spy!” yelled their leader. Was he Alpha Zephyrus?
“I’m not a spy. Take me to your Alpha.” I tried to put up a brave front, but twenty of them grabbed me, tying me up in chains. They ignored my plea and dragged me to their vehicle.
“Take her to the prison complex, Dan. Ensure she doesn’t escape. Alpha Zephyrus will decide her punishment,” barked their leader.
“Yes, Delta.” They chained me to the car.
“Please let me go. I’m harmless. I’ll leave your territory,” I pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears. Even the Delta turned away, paying no heed to my protests. Tears blinded me, but I refused to show my weakness. I wasn’t weak. I was a brave and capable silver wolf with a mission to accomplish. Therefore, I couldn’t sit back and let them kill me.
Turning towards my captor, I found him staring at me. His lust-filled gaze made me nauseous. “Aren’t you a feisty little thing? I’m Dan and I’m in charge of the prison complex. So, who do you work for? Admit to your crime, female, and I’ll release you.”
I tried to manipulate his mind and convince him.
“I’m not a spy. I was escaping a suitor my family wanted me to choose as my mate. But I don’t want him. Please, I’ll reward you if you let me go.” He steered the car towards the prison complex as he considered my offer.
“I don’t want a reward. Will you give me what I want? I promise to leave you if you do.” My innocent mind could hardly understand what he wanted. I tried hard to read his mind, but he had blocked me. With my weakened reserves, I couldn’t do much now. All my special abilities were sinking. His promise seemed to be the only silver lining in my bleak situation.
“Yes, please. When will you release me?” He stopped the car in the prison complex and shoved me ahead of him. I stared at all the cells with wide eyes. Why were there all male inmates all around me? Yet I kept silent for fear of annoying him. They leered at me, making me want to disappear from this horrible place. Was it a male prison complex? How could he bring me here?
He led me to a dark cell and shoved me inside. “Why am I here? Don’t you have a female prison complex?” I couldn’t stop myself anymore as a sense of dread spread all over me. I gave him a suspicious look, now dreading his motive. What did he plan to do with me?
“This is where you’ll stay, bit*h, right under my nose,” he snarled, switching on the lights of the cell. Thankfully, he untied me, easing off the heavy chains out of my body.
I soaked up the energy from the lights. In the absence of sunlight, these two light bulbs were my only source of energy for now. The man locked me up and left while I tried hard to gather my strength. I would need it soon.
After five minutes, the door opened and a male staff pushed in a tray of food and some water. “Dan wants you to gain some strength, girl.” I didn’t reply, accepting whatever nourishment I could get. The food wasn’t enough, but I wasn’t complaining. It made me feel alive again. There was a small washroom attached to the cell, and I relieved myself, splashing some water on my face and neck.
Footsteps echoed outside, and I panicked. Was Dan returning to torture me? I hadn’t mistaken the lust in his eyes. Would he force himself on me? No, I wouldn’t let him. I would summon my blades and injure him. Now that I had regained some strength, I could fend for myself.
The door unlocked, and I froze at the sight of three more male prison guards accompanying Dan. They stared at me with lust-filled eyes and I geared up to face them.
“Well, well! Aren’t you the bi*ch we need?” chuckled one of them.
“Dan, where did you find her? I hope Alpha Zephyrus won’t mind us having some fun with her?” asked another.
“Not at all. She’s the spy, and Alpha Zephyrus will execute her.”
I stood up in an attacking stance, ready to fight these evil males. My respect for Alpha Zephyrus and his pack crumbled to dust. They were just like those evil red wolves, maybe worse. At least Alpha Achlys wanted to make me his Luna, but these Lucerians were worse than him.
“Stay away from me or you’ll be sorry you were born!” I yelled, but they laughed at my futile efforts.
“Aw, come on, bit*h! Why do you want to fight us?” chuckled Dan. “I’ll release you if you please us.”
I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second to control their minds one by one.
‘The female has a contagious disease! Don’t touch her or you’ll lose your life.’
“I think I’ll guard the front door in case someone arrives to catch us. Beta Stavros is on his prowl. Update me when you’re done,” said one whom I could successfully manipulate.
He left, but the other three pounced upon me before I could target their minds. They tore my clothes while I thrashed against their hold. I mentally conjured up my psychic powers and summoned my blade. My father had trained me since the day I had turned seven and it has never failed me so far.
The blade appeared in my hands, and I slashed at my attackers. “Shit b*tch! Where did that come from?” yelled another, bleeding profusely as he stepped back to howl in pain.
“Grab her hands and tie them up,” yelled Dan, but I slashed at his arm, and he jumped back in pain.
The third one took out his sword and attacked me, slashing at my limbs and face. The others too joined him, but I fought tooth and nail.
Blood spattered on the floor of the cell from our wounds, but I didn’t give in. “Snatch her weapon.” They snatched my blade away and hobbled out of my cell.
“Don’t think this is the end. We’ll be back to rip you apart.”
I glared at him with hatred and distrust in my eyes. How could I trust such an evil pack? Why did I ever seek shelter here? But repentance wouldn’t get me anywhere. I needed a way to escape. I closed my eyes and tried to recapitulate everything my father had taught me.
‘You can summon as many blades as you can, Cera. But with every weapon, you’ll lose your energy level.’
‘When all tactics fail, curl up into a ball and transform all your energy into electrical impulses. Spread it all over yourself. Anyone touching you will get electrocuted. But this will tap into your health and you might die from fatigue and dehydration.’
I sighed, knowing what I would do. It was better to die than allow the criminals to abuse me in the worst possible way!
Cerelia’s POV I opened my bleary eyes to the sound of footsteps outside. I knew they were returning to torture me again, but I had hardly recovered from the previous ordeal. After they left, the pain was unbearable, making me almost lose my senses. Yet I struggled to stay awake in case they returned to punish me. Ever since they left, no one bothered even to give me water. I hoisted myself to face them again. With no nourishment in my system, my reserves were already down. Would I be able to summon my weapons again? The door flew open just like earlier and this time, all four of them entered my cell. I rose to face them all over again. “Well, bi*ch, are you ready to please us?” growled Dan. “Never!” I snarled at him, focusing on his mind to manipulate him with illusions.‘The female has a contagious disease that will kill you. Stay away from her.’ Dan staggered backward while the others approached me.“Stay back or I’ll rip you apart.” I tried to summon another blade but fell short
Alexandrios Vasiliou’s POV I stared at the beautiful girl in my arms with horror. She was the most exquisite creature I had ever seen in my life, her skin and hair almost exuding a silvery hue. However, the blood oozing from her wounds had me concerned. The overcoat covering her hardly covered her tattered clothes and injuries. My heart sank with dread at seeing her condition. Who had done this to her? I ignored my wolf, Rio, who kept chanting only one word since he saw her.‘Mate!’ “She’s a spy, Alex. Don’t let her die. I need to extract important information out of her,” said Alpha Zephyrus as we rushed towards the elevators. My heart sank with disappointment. Was my mate a spy? The girl looked too young and innocent to be a spy. “Are you sure, bro? I don’t think she’s an adult even. Who did this to her?” Rob brought a stretcher, and I eased her gently into it, but couldn’t loosen her grip on my coat. A wave of tenderness filled my heart for the young female, critically wounded a
Alexandrios’s POVCerelia Belmont!I smiled at her name. It suited her. It was as exotic as she was. The door opened and Dr. Sylvia rushed in with two nurses before I could ask Cerelia anything else. I swore under my breath out of frustration. There were so many things I wanted to know about her. She was too innocent and vulnerable to be a spy. While I was sure she wasn’t one, Zephyrus was adamant in his belief. I couldn’t go against Zephyrus, not because he was the Alpha of the pack. It was because he was like a big brother and a guardian to me. Leandros and I would have died that night twenty years ago when the Whiteridge Pack had attacked us. We lost our families and were forced to flee Lucania to save our lives. Zephyrus took us to his ancestral home in the kingdom of Aromania, Greece, which became our home for the last twenty years. I was indebted to Zephyrus and his extended family for educating me and helping me fulfill my dreams. “Doctor Vasiliou, the patient has lost her
Alexandrios’s POV She slept in peace, and I rose to leave for the day. It had been almost four days since I had gone home, living in the hospital day after day. Tonight I needed to get a few fresh clothes and a refreshing warm shower as well. What if Cerelia found me undesirable when she woke up? Rio chuckled, sensing my thoughts. ‘Undesirable indeed! Why do you want her to desire you? You aren’t interested in her, right?’ My cheeks colored, and I muttered curses at my wolf as I walked out of Cerelia’s room. I could hide my thoughts from the world, but not from Rio. ‘F*ck off, Rio.’ I stormed out of the front door when I saw Zephyrus alight from his car right in front of me. Now I had no way of escape. “Good to see you here. I have no time to go inside. So is there any update on the spy girl, Alexandrios?” I hesitated but shook my head. “She opened her eyes briefly before sinking again. Dr. Sylvia was with me and I couldn’t ask her anything. Now she has fallen asleep. I’m going
Alexandrios’s POV I had no idea how long I sat at her bedside. A movement beside me woke me and looked up hopefully. Had Cerelia just moved? Maybe I was mistaken, since she lay in the same position as before, without moving even an inch. I leaned towards her, placing my mouth close to her ear. “Cerelia? Can you hear me? I promise never to leave you from now on. Open your eyes and see me fighting for you.” There was no response, but I didn’t give up. I picked up her hand like before and massaged it, sending warm signals to her brain. “I will fight the red wolves for you. I’ll fight Alpha Achlys too. You’re my mate, Cerelia. I’ll never give you up.” I meant every word I spoke. Tears pooled in my eyes as my heart filled with sorrow. She couldn’t die on me. “I want you to turn eighteen and live a fulfilling life with me. Don’t you want that?” I had no idea if she was listening to me, but I rambled on, wiping my eyes occasionally. Memories flooded through my mind of a similar trauma I
Cerelia’s POV I knew he was waiting for me to disclose more details about myself, but I couldn’t utter another word. My throat choked with painful emotions as I thought about my father, my pack, and my village. My life had been picture-perfect until the Red Wolves attacked us out of the blue. Now, I couldn’t connect with anyone in the world. It seemed I was an alien amidst a sea of shifters. The only one who took care of me was my mate, Xandrios, but I couldn’t tell him who I was. What if he threw me out of his house? Where would I go? I looked at him and drowned in his beautiful electric-blue eyes. There was so much adoration in his eyes, I wanted to trust him blindly. Maybe some part of me already did. Xandrios had proved himself already. He was the only one in the world I could call my own. He was my mate, who had already promised me a forever. But how could that be possible?How could an ordinary shifter wolf be my mate? Shouldn’t my mate be a Silver Wolf too? Moreover, he was
Alexandrios’s POV “She isn’t fit to be released now. I want to keep her here for another week. Once she regains her strength, you can decide what to do with her.” I could feel Zephyrus’s annoyance at the other end, but I wasn’t giving up my mate. “You’re not abiding by the rules of the pack, Alex. The Luceres Pack has zero tolerance for spies. I won’t have her here for a week. What if she harms us?” I groaned at his false alarm. “I don’t think she’s a spy, bro. She’s an orphan. The Red Wolves have destroyed her pack and territory.” He grunted in disbelief. “Is that the story she had fed you? I have other facts to prove she’s a spy, here to hack into our information systems. I would advise you to step up the cyber security of your hospital, Alex. This is serious.” My jaws dropped with shock at his misconception about my innocent little mate. What was wrong with Zephyrus? Why couldn’t he deal with the actual culprits instead of an underage soul? Before I could protest and support m
Cerelia’s POVSparks of electricity shot up my body the moment I felt his soft lips against mine. I didn’t know what to do anymore as he stood frozen on the spot. All the courage I had mustered up to thank him left me and I stilled for a moment. Was I the only one feeling the heat? Was he immune to me? I released him abruptly and whirled around to flee. What did I do? He was way older and more experienced than me. Obviously, he didn’t want me. My instincts were right. I shouldn’t have come to Lucania. This place could never be my home.“Wait, Cerelia. Where are you going?” He came to his senses and lunged forward to grab hold of me, but I escaped and headed towards the main door. “I’m fine now, Xandrios. Maybe it’s time for me to leave. I’m eighteen and legally an adult. So I know what I’m doing. It’ll save you the trouble and you can concentrate on your work.” “No f*cking way! As if I’d let you go.” He rushed after me and stood blocking the door. “Are you out of your mind? Do you
Cerelia’s POV I froze, my heart sinking with apprehension. I was suddenly unsure of Zephyrus’s reaction towards me. After all, there was a time when he hated me. “Welcome back to Lucania, Cerelia. How are you now?” he asked in a good-natured way, releasing my mate. I searched his eyes and saw no judgemental look hidden there. Xandrios had truly cleared every ounce of doubt from Zephyrus’s mind. “I’m fine, Alpha. How’s your Luna?” I had always liked Lena more than him. She was kind and forgiving, like a mother should be. “She’s doing fine. You can meet her tomorrow when you officially join our pack. There is a meeting in the morning at around 10. Why don’t you come down to the packhouse with Alex? You can meet the entire pack and join us.” I glanced at my mate, not knowing what plans he might have. I couldn’t go to the packhouse on my own in this condition.“We’ll be there, Zeph.” Zephyrus nodded at my mate and smiled at me before joining Stavros at the bar for a drink. “Are you
Cerelia’s POV The cab sped down the familiar roads and entered Lucania at last. All tiredness and exhaustion vanished, and I gazed out of the windows. The memories came rushing into my mind. They weren’t happy memories. A strange restlessness gripped my heart. What if the pack members didn’t accept me? What if Zephyrus didn’t want me in his pack? That angle hadn’t occurred to me until now. I turned to look at my clueless mate. “Xandrios, what if they don’t want me?” He smiled at me, pulling me to his side. “You have nothing to fear, baby. I’ve cleared your name when I returned to Lucania. Now the whole pack knows your true identity. Why won’t they accept you?” His words relieved me. He hadn’t forgotten while it had totally escaped my mind. “Oh, you remembered? Thank you, Xandrios. What about Zephyrus? Did he change his notion about me?” “Yes. He apologized, and he has agreed to welcome you to the pack. Are you happy now, Cerelia? I sought help from Alpha Alexios to prove your tru
Cerelia’s POV My knees buckled at his heartfelt admission. The intensity of his feelings for me took me by surprise. I had expected anything, but not this. His muscular arms went around me to keep me upright. “Are you alright, Cerelia?” His voice was warm against my ear and I sagged into his chest, maybe to stop him from leaving. “How can I be alright when you’re leaving me, Xandrios?” I looked up to see the fleeting emotions of pain and longing in his eyes. “You know I don’t want to leave you. That’s the reason I was dreading meeting you. I knew I couldn’t go after meeting you once.” He held my face between his hands and drowned in my eyes. “I couldn’t leave without meeting you even.” “Then don’t leave without me.” His arms fell to his sides in defeat. “I have to, Cerelia, but I’ll be back next month.” He flashed a tight smile at me while my heart wanted to howl and protest. How could he leave me for a month? “I won’t survive that long without you, Xandrios. Take me with you,
Cerelia’s POV I watched my mate in awe. How did his speech melt the bitter hearts of two hundred silver wolves? I had no idea, and neither did Alpha Alexios. He smiled at my mate, embracing him for easing his task. It wasn’t easy to convince bloodthirsty wolves who had been agitating for the last two months. Yet my mate made it look like a child’s game. I was glad he could connect to them with his honesty and simplicity, the way he connected to me. “Beta Theodore, do you agree to the rules of the council and the new rules of the pack?” asked Uncle Alarik. “Yes. If no one has a problem, I don’t either.” I released a sigh of relief that all matters were resolved, and there would be peace now. “The meeting is dismissed. Let’s join hands and make Pieria a heaven on Earth for all silver wolves. There’s another good news for the pack members. As a token of appreciation, Dr. Vasiliou has agreed to set up a hospital for all of us in Pieria. We wouldn’t need to go to Thessaloniki for medi
Cerelia’s POV“Xandrios, what the hell are you saying? How can you accuse Nikos?” I faced my mate fiercely, shoving him backward. Nikos tried to protect me, knowing my delicate condition.Xandrios looked even more furious. What was wrong with him? “Why can’t I? How could you move on from me, Cerelia? How could you forget me and accept him in your life?”I gaped at him as realization struck me. Did he think Nikos was my rebound? Did he think I was carrying my brother’s pups?“Are you out of your mind? Nikos is my brother. Why will I move on with him? If you don’t want to accept me and your pups, why are you here? I’m fine. I’m alive. Go away, Xandrios. I don’t need you.”I left him frozen on the spot as tears stung in my eyes. “Bro, please, can you help me to my room? I’m feeling dizzy.” I didn’t look at Xandrios, my heart breaking at his lack of trust in me. Didn’t he feel my love for him? I had endured so much, hoping to unite with him one day. For months, I waited for him to rescue
Cerelia’s POV “Cerelia, how are you today? Aunt Sophia wants you in her clinic for a checkup. She has lots of patients today. She can’t take out time and come over,” said Nikos, coming into my room. It had been over two and a half months since my grandpa died. My pregnancy was progressing well, and I looked pregnant, too. Aunt Sophia still thought my condition was critical, although I wasn’t bedridden anymore. Yet I couldn’t leave the mansion and go to Lucania.We were all imprisoned inside. There was mayhem outside with Grandpa’s supporters demanding justice. They wanted Uncle Alarik to step down and Grandpa’s friend and counselor, Beta Theodore, to take over as Alpha of the Silvermane Warriors. With an impeccable track record of always following the rules of the pack, he was a strong contender. But our family refused to bend to their demands. As Grandpa’s true successors, Uncle Alarik and Uncle Viktor were the rightful leaders of the pack. Every day, their demands grew violent an
Alexandrios’s POV Annabeth frowned as she switched on the lights. I waited anxiously for her to explain. Cerelia’s face kept on flashing across my mind. Was she in pain? Did her grandpa start the purification process? Had she forgotten me? Had she mated with a Silver Wolf? Whose hand was she holding? I was at my wit’s end, with so many questions flitting across my mind. I needed answers. “The black smoke you saw denotes danger. It seems your mate is shrouded in danger. The painful expression on her face denotes health issues. Maybe she too was unconscious, like you, for a long time. It points at a curse, but the white cloud looks hopeful. The evil force controlling your mate is no more. The curse has vanished. She’s free now.” I watched her with confusion, my mind swirling already. I couldn’t understand her. “If Cerelia’s free, can I go to Pieria and rescue her?” Annabeth gave me an agitated look. “No, not until the black smoke reduces. You could lose your life, son.” My heart an
Alexandrios’s POV I opened my eyes and looked around the hospital room I was in. It was torture to be admitted to my hospital under a colleague’s care. I had no idea what happened to me. I suddenly lost consciousness when on my rounds. The tests produced no problem at all. Yet I was in a semi-conscious state for fifteen days, receiving intravenous treatment. I could hear and feel everyone’s concern, but couldn’t move an inch. I was at my wit’s end and so were my close friends and colleagues, Dr. Daniels and Dr. Bradley. They couldn’t pinpoint the cause of my illness from my reports. I could hear Zephyrus and Stavros discuss the possibility of a curse. “I have a hunch that even Cerelia is suffering the same. It’s a mated wolf’s curse, prevalent among the Silver Wolves as a punishment for disobedience. I had heard about it when in Aromania,” said Zephyrus. My heart sank with dread, and I forced myself to open my eyes. I saw the look of surprise on Zephyrus and Stavros’ faces. “Alex
Cerelia’s POVI stirred, but my body ached tremendously. It seemed like the last drop of energy was wrenched out of me. Was I dead? Did Grandpa’s deathly grip or the touch of his sword to my skin kill me?I could hear faint voices near me. It seemed I was far away, unable to open my eyes or move my body. A cold metal touched my chest, and I gasped, filling my lungs with a lot of oxygen. What was it? I tried to shout for help, but no sound came out of my lips.“She’s responding!” someone cried out close to my ears. I recognized that voice instantly. It was Nikos’s. So I wasn’t dead. I was still at the mansion and my brother was with me.“Nikos,” I croaked into the deafening silence. “Water.”There was a shuffle, and someone held water to my lips. I drank a sip and then another. It energized me, and I slowly opened my eyes. Everything was blurred and I could hardly focus on anyone. The room was full of my family members. Was my grandpa here too? Fear gripped my heart as I blinked to ref