One Year Ago
I finally did it...
I shifted...
As the weakest omega in Willow Tree Pack, I have always been bullied. I had no parents, my wolf was practically useless and I was just a weakling overall.
But then when I found out that Alpha Brook was my mate, everything changed. I became determined- I could not afford to be weak.
Since the mating ritual, I vowed to myself to get stronger.
Now, I'm standing in the middle of the pack fields, claws drawn.
I shifted...
Even though it is just a bit. Progress!
My heart skips with joy and my mind flutters to my mate at this moment. Brook would be so happy.
He was such a supportive partner. Even when the elders outrightly rejected me to be Luna of the pack, he stood by me. He believed in me.
Something is tickling me from the inside so I laugh. This is what it felt to be happy?
I can feel the weak presence of my wolf for the first time in years.
"I have to tell Brook!"
I turn on my heels and sprint through the tall grass field. Some pack warriors follow my movements with sneers on their faces. Brook might have accepted me, but his people have not.
It will all change soon!
The pack territory was so huge. It takes me quite a while before I can even reach the mansion's doors.
Naturally, the Alpha's chambers were situated at the very last floor of the great pack house.
My heart is pounding from joy. All the abuse, all the insults.
Weak. Useless. Wolfless.
I will show them how determined I am to become stronger.
I will become fit to rule the pack...
My feet slap against the floorboards as I dash through the corridors. His room is just up ahead so I pick up the pace.
I arrive before the huge doors and pant softly from all the running. There's a wide smile on my face and my stomach is fluttering.
Before I can push the door open, I hear the muffled moan of a lady inside.
"...uuu. Oh, Brook! Ohhhh."
What is this?
Am I dreaming? Convinced I'm hearing things, I press my ear against the wooden door.
"Shhh, Seline...don't be too loud."
That's Brook's voice. My mate.
"Ooouuu. I c-can't! Ar-ar-arghh. Yes...fuck me!"
That voice...
It belongs to my best friend. I pray to the gods that this is all a dream because if not...
My heart is racing faster and it's not from joy. No. It's from something else. A lot of emotions are passing through my heart at this moment; confusion, disbelief, anger, hatred, anguish.
"Ouuuu Alpha! F-f-fuck me faster!"
I start to shake my head and back away. Tears are streaming down my face, leaving behind a burning wet streak. What did I ever do to deserve this?
Why?!
With every moan of pleasure I hear, my world crumbles a little more.
I don't know when it happens but I break down, falling to the floor and wailing.
"Stop it! Why?! Why?!!"
I grip my ears with my claws that have grown out now. My wolf is clawing beneath me, scratching with such force I feel I might lose my mind.
"WHY?!"
The chamber doors open and I look up to see my mate standing before me. He's shirtless and sweaty; I can't help but notice how much he reeks of sex. I can smell the arousal in the air and I want to vomit.
"You..."
My eyes are burning; my vision is blurring.
"Oh get a grip, Gemma. It's not like we were fucking or anything."
Oh? Like that makes it better?
I clench my fists and I watch his eyes dart down to them.
"So you've made progress-"
"Don't! Don't say a word, Brook!" My knees are weak but I force myself to my feet. Behind his huge frame, I notice Seline. She looks nothing like the best friend I knew over the years.
Her lips are curved in a sick smile.
"Oh, poor you. There are some things an omega like yourself can never do in bed."
I glance back to my mate, see all the bite and claw marks. My breath hitches.
"Brook...can we continue? I'm getting excited from all this..."
My eyes are turning red from anger but there's nothing I can do. The Alpha smiles; "I'll be right there. First I have to take care of this nuisance. I can't let her tarnish our images..."
Before I can say a word, my mate opens his filthy mouth.
"I, Alpha Brook of the Willow Tree Pack, rejects you, Gemma of the Willow Tree Pack. I revoke the mate bond."
It's like the world goes silent for a second.
Then pain.
So much pain. It's like a fire has been lit inside of me and there's no way to let it out. I cry aloud and fall to the ground, breathless.
In my confusion and pain, I hear Seline laugh.
"I will make you pay!" Still burning from the inside, I spring to my feet, planning to detach my best friend's head off her neck.
I don't make it far into the room; Brook catches me by the hair.
He growls at me and slams my face into the floor. "Die you wretched creature! Having you for a mate was the worst curse in my entire life! Die!"
My face feels numb; he's slamming it over and over again. Seline is laughing; the wind is blowing from a window nearby.
Run.
The weak voice of my wolf.
Run.
So I do just that, using my last strength to push the alpha off me and darting to the window.
I fly through the opening and fall from the top floor to the ground. The pain knocks me out for a second but I don't stop.
I get up and I run.
I run.
Oh what a cursed life I live...
I don't stop running.
Present DayThe man standing next to me stinks.I have to wiggle my nose every minute to somehow get rid of the stench. It doesn't work though; it's only a reflex.The only reason I have to stand next to this horribly smelling rogue is because we've been summoned by the Akari League Rogue Leaders. A year ago when I ran from the Willow Tree Pack, I had nowhere to go. I slept in caves, crying and mourning my horrible fate. There were days I went without food or water, completely frozen in grief.Until I was discovered by a rogue she-wolf. She had been harsh; laughing at my predicament."You trusted a pack wolf, an alpha at that? All they care about is their bloody hierarchy. Who told you someone like him would truly accept you?"Her words had been like thousands of needles piercing through my skin. I cried then, feeling the brutal force of rejection hit me again.The lady, Lalia, had said nothing. She just watched me cry in that dark cave. She watched me cry until I had no tears left.
The journey to the capital made me want to vomit.As the days flew by, the girls started getting familiar. The all couldn't stop talking about how wonderful this was. Who wouldn't want the protection from the most powerful man in Suro Kingdom?Being in his harem was everything omega girls like them could wish for.It's horrible listening to all this. Why did they feel like they couldn't be anything without some stupid Alpha's protection?I wanted to slap them in their faces. Look at me, I had an alpha for a mate. Where did that lead me?I ended up becoming a killer to stay alive. I pity them all; they're just too innocent to understand. The most part of the journey is sickening because of all the chatter. I zone out many times to save myself from the horror of listening to them.It takes five days to reach the capital. The capital of Suro is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.Unlike the forests where I grew up in Willo Tree, this was just magnificent.Strangely shaped buildi
The very word I detest most. Mate.Why is the goddess playing silly games? As if my first mate wasn't shitty enough...I'm standing outside the king's chambers now, in the middle of the night, clenching my hands in distaste. Mate.This entire thing just became a lot more complicated than it should have. Could my wolf bear the brunt of his death- or worse, my betrayal?Did it matter? Of course not.I think back to the day I was presented to the king. A week ago. Not long after our eyes locked, he recovered from the momentary shock. I didn't know what I expected him to do but it had made me feel bitter.He had crouched to the ground where I was knelt and leaned close to my ear. Close enough that I felt his abnormally cool breath on my skin."You shall not speak a word of this."He didn't say more. He didn't say less.That was all he had told me and then retreated to his throne. I had been baffled; stung a little.This was not rejection but it definitely felt like one.It brought back
Before I get the chance to understand his words, Alpha Grey violently draws me off the bed."Get out," he says coldly. I'm looking at him in disbelief. My skin still feels tingly from his touch. I stand there in confusion and he moves closer to me."You are an omega right?" I know where this is going and I don't like it. Memories of my best friend's laughter and Alpha Brook's betrayal taunt me.Grey doesn't wait for an answer. He laughs; letting his pearly whites gleam in the soft light."Of course you are. Your movements are too loud, heartbeats too obvious and your scent...your scent..." He leans into me and inhales.I just stand there, unsure whether to be afraid or not."Someone as weak as you can never stand by my side as queen. Sure, your place as concubine seems-""Stop it..." my voice has gone sour. All my courage, all the motivation I had coming here- everything was gone.At this moment, my eyes burn from forming tears. My voice is shaking as I step back away from him."D-d
The serene scene has become a haven of chaos.Yet, I have my thoughts on one thing. To gain the king's trust. I know I've failed woefully with him once, but I cannot afford to fail again. Not this time. Not with a chance as good as now. Everything is so confusing. It looks as though everybody is fighting everybody, and I find it hard to even know who is a friend and who is the foe. I take one step forward with my Omega, half-formed paw, step back because I'm still so confused, and try to look for a target. Looking for one allows me to find him, the king, commanding so much power without even trying to. He is still in his human form with a mighty sword in his hand, swinging it at any rogue that dares to rush towards him with graceful, lithe movements. There is blood on his sword and red on his dark, matte robe, but he doesn't seem to notice it as his sword drops rogue after rogue to the floor, leaving them lifeless in a pile around his feet.That doesn't deter them from attacking h
The Pack Hospital is brimming with the bodies of the injured and the deceased.And all of these, regardless of who they are, immediately show spirit when they see the king. When word spreads of his presence, everyone moves aside for him as he marches with his sister in his arms, and I follow timidly, my head bowed low to avoid the eyes that are following us.One of the pack healers arrives with two assistants to take her away from him, and he eventually gives her up to someone else. They work so cautiously that I am not sure which scares them more: hurting the patient or upsetting the king or both.They are on their way out when he calls:"And do not forget her, either."When I look up, his outstretched hand points at me, and they nod as I consider what he has just said. It was in the way he addressed me as her. When he referred to me, his tone was slight, almost derisive, as if he wanted nothing to do with me, and the sting it left in my chest was undeniable.You are useless.You've
Before I can figure out what is going on, five soldiers rush at me, forming a circle around me and holding weapons, their torches burning brightly."Where do you think you are going?" Their leader asks, a big man with one eye. The eye stares at me as if it can look past my skin and into the inner parts of my body.My heart thumps wildly within my chest, and I raise my hands in surrender. "I was only walking around, and I decided to take this path."The man with the one eye stares around at his men, who exchange glances with him. Then he turns to look at me again.I wonder if I can make it if I decide to fight them, bring their leader down and kill the rest, and this feels like an incredibly horrible idea. They are soldiers who outnumber me and who will be difficult to force an escape past. "Do you not know the law of this kingdom?" The one-eyed soldier asks me."What law? I have only been here for a few days.""Everybody knows that no one is allowed to walk the King's Way in Suro Kin
His voice rings in my ears, and while everything is fading into oblivion, I can still see him, although as though I'm looking through a blurry lens. He has two of his fingers pointed towards his face, and I can see that he's in a panic.A voice, one I can vaguely recognise as mine, is speaking:"I can't breathe."I truly can't breathe...My chest feels heavy, and this feeling makes breathing a chore for me.All of a sudden, his hands grab my head, and he puts his lips to mine and breathes down my mouth, only stopping to inhale and then do it again. This helps me start to breathe again, and when everything becomes steady again, he picks me up and moves me to his bed."Gemma? Are you listening?"I nod weakly, still struggling to breathe even though it feels easier than before. "You're going to be fine. I think you have bled all of his venom out. Your wound has stopped bleeding..."I watch as he holds up my bandage-now soaked in blood, and his bloodied sword-which I find strange. "Go t
I watch him return to the chair and the fire, sitting before it and staring into the flames. For a long time, neither of us says anything to the other, and I am just about to disappear again when all of a sudden, he jumps up, smashes the chair he had just been sitting on into two, and goes about the whole tent like a roaring whirlwind, tearing everything apart in a fit of rage. I start to run, to get as far away from him as he can, only for his hand to close around my wrist, stopping my momentum, interrupting my flight, and pulling me roughly towards him.I turn to him in horror, and stare straight into the twinkles in his eyes as his chest heaves up and down. I can see the fur on the sides of his face and his chest, as his morphing into his wolf form begins but somehow doesn't go further, leaving him between the two forms."Where are you going?" He asks me."Nowhere," I mumble, feeling the fear run through me. Anywhere but here, if the truth be told."Do I scare you?"I shake my head
I might need to expose her. There is no doubt that she is working with the Iraka League, and that they are only moments away from their victory with her on their side. With all I have seen of her in one night, there is no doubt that she is far more than just being the White Crow's Luna, and that she has so much power. She is dangerous, to say the least, and I need to tread carefully.The only man who can help me now is the White Crow, even with how vague it seems. I watched him melt before her, allowing her to do with him as she pleased. Yet, if he can somehow hold himself well when faced with her influence, I feel that she will have no hold over him. Possibly. To get him to believe me, I need evidence, something so convincing that she will be unable to deny. And what better evidence is there than the ring?I might need to steal it if I want to tell Alpha Grey about it. He has little reason to believe me without it, and I risk my head if she somehow finds a way to lie her way out.
Hailey and Alpha Grey are together in bed, giving me the chance I need.I know I'm taking a risk of being caught twice in the same tent, but I need to confirm my suspicions. Also, if I'm alert enough, I can slip through without her taking notice of me. With this, I start on the journey to her tent again, and sneak in. It is just as well-lit and empty as before, and makes me wonder why. Something is suspicious about this place, and I need a knife. Mine was lost at some point between last night and right now, and I have been unnecessarily exposed for its sake. Getting another one should be my priority at this point.My feet are at their slightest as I slip back to the sleeping men, confident that one of them must have dropped a knife carelessly enough for me to steal. Sure enough, I find one particularly sleepy one with a prostitute by his side and the knife right above his head. With a quick swipe of my toes, I scoop it up while walking past, and return to the tent, watching it from
She slips off him a few moments later and crashes heavily on the bed next to him, where they lie in silence and without saying so much as a word to each other. Everything else is so quiet that only the sound of heavy breathing, the chirping crickets, and far off yells from some men who are still awake for whatever reason reach my ears where I lie, curled up and loosely wrapped in the robes he threw over my body.Does he even remember that I am still here?For me, I can only think of how I want to be away after what I have seen. It feels like betrayal-to have the White Crow crumble beneath her after how he had treated me with so much derision. I know she is his Luna and I am only a body in his harem, only to be called upon for sexual pleasure, and with no emotions attached to any part of it, but being a body hurts a little bit. I don't want to be a body. I want to be loved and desired and wanted.Not one only to be used for sexual pleasure with no emotions...The thought lingers in my
"Go away. I'll deal with her."His voice is cold enough to make me freeze where I stand and send the messenger breaking into a run that leaves both of us alone in the tent. Almost immediately, he covers the distance between us and grabs me by the hair before tossing me about until I roughly hit the bed. Right before I know what is happening after crashing against the soft surface, he reappears, his hand forming a tight noose about my neck that threatens to snuff the life out of me."I'll kill you, dirty spy," his voice whispers as his hands choke me.Instinct forces my hands to reach past the bulges of the muscles of his arms and towards his neck, where I try to get a grip on him without success as he presses even harder on me, choking my breath. For the second time in hours, I regret not having my knife with me. I would not mind slashing him with it and killing him once and for all at this point.Then, he lets go.I roll off, the royal robe of his loosening and leaving me half naked
I take a step backwards, only then realising how precarious of a position I'm in.Being a dangerous assassin isn't as interesting as anyone would like it to be when you're trapped before a Luna whom you have just discovered to be linked to the Iraka League, unarmed and without a knife, and with your body stark naked beneath her husband's clothes. She could call her guards in and have them arrest me while even accusing me of something I would be innocent of, and I would have nothing to defend myself with."Alpha Grey. He asked me to call you."She huffs. "He needs me now?"I have no response to give her with regards to that."Tell me," she continues. "Did you like it when he fucked you?"I open my mouth to lie, to deny that he touched me, but the words fail to come out. Denying it like that feels sinful and way too direct, as though she can see the truth in my eyes. "I don't know." I manage to say."Of course you did. He is the White Crow, better than any man you have ever been with,
It doesn't stop there, but happens again and again and again until nightfall.His eyes locking with mine as he lets himself into me without restraint, turning me over and over until he has had a taste of every little bit of my insides. For a moment, I wonder if everybody else knows what we are doing, if Hailey knows.If Hailey knows...She will know.Does he care if she knows?No he doesn't, I decide. It matters the least to him. Maybe he even wants her to know...It comes on me with an air of realization. He is having sex with me to punish Hailey for coming to join him here when she was not supposed to, so that he puts her heart through agony. What Luna would not feel hurt when they were well aware that their Alpha was having sex with the very girl they were only moments away from killing? Even if he had a whole harem of them...He had been in bed all day, and no one moved a muscle. Questions started to go around by nightfall, but he did not answer them. Neither did he pay so much
I know Hailey is forever going to hate me for this, and that for as long as she is Luna, she will keep on trying to find a way to get back at me for what happened. Even now, I can feel her eyes blazing fire in my direction. "Leave, Hailey. Go get some rest."She does not try so much as a protest, but only darts off, her flamboyant, now dirty gown trailing after her. With the three of us alone, he now turns to Alfred."Get rid of Ali's body. The coward got rewarded for his impulsivity."Alfred bowed low and made his exit, leaving me with the White Crow and his head full of white hair, who moved to the edge of his bed and sat there, staring at the fire for so long that I started to wonder if he knew that I was still standing here, still waiting for him to speak."Thank you."It feels incredibly hard to believe that he is thanking me, but sure enough, I know what I heard. Besides that, he is now looking straight at me, his eyes looking even more golden with the fire burning in the tent.
His eyes make me think of exhaustion, and make me feel as though I made it worse for him. "Not you again." "Let me at her. LET ME KILL THE LITTLE BRAT!" Hailey screams, still restrained by the men. She looks anything but a Luna at this point, and I feel embarrassed for her with how she looks. This is going to be something she will want to forget, and the memory of her losing her marbles before the Alpha and his men will haunt her for years after this.He turns his gaze on her as she continues to rage. The stare is intense and imposing-a threat, a warning, a combination or exaggeration of both-but she soon steadies herself with her head dropping down low, allowing for the men to relax their grip on her. Slowly, he rises to his feet with the aid of his sword, by sticking the end in the sand and lifting himself by the hilt, holding it as though it were something very dear to him. The moment he stands and takes a good look about him, he calls for someone I have never heard him speak of