Lillian's POV:
I stood at the far end corner of the hall that was lavishly decorated. Everyone was busy chatting while some were eating and drinking happily.
I was the only one who stood alone and looked out of place. I couldn't keep my gaze up for more than a few minutes because I didn't want to be accused of something or threatened by another pack member.
Although whenever I looked up, I stole a few glances at the Alpha who stood in front of us whispering sweet words into Leah's ear while she blushed.
The party had begun, at least that's what I thought, yet they weren't saying anything and half an hour had gone by of us witnessing their flirting.
Leah wore a beautiful blue strapless short dress that matched her heels. Her hair was straightened like silk that fell perfectly to her back.
Her face was covered in beautiful makeup and red lipstick.Whenever she laughed, she raised her hand to cover her mouth, showing off a diamond ring that the Alpha had gifted her not so long ago on her twentieth birthday.
Although she looked good, the Alpha stole the attention of everyone.
His medium curly brunette hair was kind of shining, even from afar, and whenever he smiled, showing off his beautiful white teeth and dimples, my heart fluttered.
His ear and lip piercings only added to how sexy he was. He wore a dark blue shirt to match Leah's dress, leaving the first three buttons undone. His black trousers only showed off his amazing long legs and great build.
All the she-wolves' eyes were on him, and I was positive he was aware of it.
I lowered my eyes and looked at myself sadly.
For years, I felt insecure about my body, even now. My back had skin folds, and my stomach was like that of a pregnant woman.
I also had stretch marks on my stomach, breasts, and thighs. One would think that it was impossible for a she-wolf to have, yet here I was.
Although I had taken a bath, I still didn't look good, that I knew, and the baggy pink dress I was putting on didn't match my white hair or my light brown eyes.
"Ugly," I muttered to myself and then looked up and met the Gamma's gaze.
He stood with a few warriors and the Beta, looking my way. He smirked and then muttered something into one of the warriors' ears.
The warrior chuckled softly before he gave a bow and went to where the Alpha was standing.
"Excuse me, Alpha, I apologize for interrupting your conversation," he said with a bow.
The Alpha looked at him in annoyance, then sighed softly.
"What is it?" He asked coldly.
"I and the other warriors want to praise you for all your achievements and how amazing you are with Miss Leah," he said in a respectful tone and continued.
"I do understand that you have an important announcement coming up, but the Gamma and a few other warriors were wondering if you could allow us to make one of the weak Omegas our fun bait for our entertainment," he said as my heart picked up.
For a second, the Alpha looked bored, but when Leah tip-toed and whispered something in his ear, his face lit up.
"Fine, but I'll expect you to be back in an hour. Now if you will excuse me, I have something to do," he answered and then wrapped his arm around Leah's back and walked away with her, leaving everyone laughing at how horny he was.
My heart was hurting at their words, yet I forced myself to smile even when my wolf was whimpering.
I looked down and sniffed, trying so hard to push back the tears.
When I felt the atmosphere around me change, I quickly looked up and noticed how the warriors were approaching me. I desperately wanted to run away, yet their aura scared me enough to freeze in one place.
"What do we have here?" The warrior who had spoken to the Alpha asked.
I was able to ask them what they wanted when I was grabbed on each side of my arms and dragged.
I was about to scream when a loud, threatening growl silenced me. It was the Beta's and a warning to keep quiet. If I was to go against him, my punishment would be severe. I didn't want to be put in the dark room for nearly a month like they did one time in the past.
Not only was I starving to death and only allowed half a glass of water every two days, I was only taken to the toilet every three days with a blindfold.
It was so bad that I vowed to be on my best behavior since then because I nearly died from starvation.
"Please, I apologize for whatever I did," I pleaded.
"Shut up," came the Gamma's orders.
My wolf instantly submitted, but I couldn't shut up.
"Please," I sobbed.
A few minutes had gone by, yet they were still dragging me into the forest. I knew that even if I were to scream at the top of my voice, no one could come and save me.
They all hated me. The only thing I could think of was to prepare myself for anything.
"Is this far enough, Beta?" The warrior on my left side asked.
"Yup," came his reluctant response.
The warrior instantly let me go and pushed me forward with laughter.
"Listen up, you little worthless omega bitch. Right now, we are bored as well as pissed over the news we heard from Leah. So we will make this clear to you. In order for you to entertain us, we are going to give you a five-minute head start to run, and then we will take off after you," the Gamma said.
"If you manage to stay away from us and cross the river in time using a boat which is there, then we promise to leave you alone. But if you don't make it, then we will get to do anything we want to you. Now the time starts ticking," he said, and that was enough to send me off running.
If there was one thing we all knew in the pack, it was that the Gamma was very mischievous, and he never meant what he said because he enjoyed making pack members suffer.
Whenever he gave orders and someone failed to follow them, he literally found a way of killing them or making them disappear from the pack.
Me standing still would have only angered him enough to hurt me like I had witnessed before. I needed to cross that river as soon as possible.
My breath was labored, and my throat was dry. I felt weak due to overworking, and I was terrified for my life.
My wolf had a problem as well; she was so weak that she couldn't fully take over or allow us to shift. Even at a crucial time when we were being hit, all she could do was growl.
I couldn't understand what was wrong with her. But because she was still a great part of me, I embraced her very being.
"Little fat pig, here we come," I heard the Gamma say in our pack's mind link.
"Stay away from the open field," my wolf ordered as I instantly made a turn running towards a lot of trees. In my life, there was never a day I went to the border or river despite hearing about them.
I felt so confused as everything was new to me, and I had no idea where I was running to.
"River ahead," my wolf yelped, and I could smell it too.
I picked up my pace and rushed there. When the river came into view, I began looking around and slowed down.
I stood still, breathing heavily for a few minutes to catch a breath. After feeling much better, I began searching for the boat the Gamma had talked about.
"Move," my wolf ordered in a loud growl.
"Stop growling at me! You know how scared we are of the river!" I yelled back, then looked at the river.
"You know that we don't know how to swim. If we dive in, something might make us its food or worse, we could drown," I whispered huskily, then quickly turned when the growls sounded near.
The warriors, Gamma and Beta, appeared in their wolf form.
The more they moved closer, the more I moved backwards, shaking my head and pleading to them in fear.
The Beta growled louder, making the place slightly shake. I quickly moved backwards and lost my balance, falling into the river.
The first thing I felt was my nose and throat hurt as I tried to swim. I was swallowing water and trying to scream at the same time; my eyes were hurting, and my heart was hurting as the warriors' laughter filled my ears.
My throat felt like it was burning as the force felt like I was choking. I was terrified, yet I was losing my strength to swim up.
Harvey's POVWe stood laughing so hard after shifting into our human form.We all watched with interest as she faked her inability to swim."She sure knows how to fake it, she is a drama queen," Paul said then sighed heavily."Anyway, it was all for fun, Paul, but the Alpha gave us only an hour. I'm sure by now he must have already gone back to the hall. Let's leave the Omega; she will soon join us," I said seriously."You are right, Beta. Warriors, you go ahead and prepare some clothes for us; we will be right there," Paul instructed."Yes, Gamma," they answered together and then shifted into their wolf form and dashed away."Was it worth torturing the poor Omega?" I asked playfully."You know that you love it, Harvey, after all, she was a pain to look at," he answered as I laughed softly.He knew me a little too well.We both couldn't stand the fat Omega bitch. Not because she was fat and weak, but because someone as unworthy as her was mated to our Alpha, who was the very definitio
Jace's POV"What is it? Talk to me, please," I pleaded with my wolf while trying so hard to breathe.Hours had gone by, and he couldn't stop howling in pain. I, too, was in pain physically; I felt like my heart was being slightly squeezed, and my body was trembling.Whiskey mixed with a dose of wolfsbane couldn't work, no matter how I overdosed, because I threw up instantly before I could even swallow the content. My eyes were hurting from the tears that were running down, and my head was aching.I could hear the sound of birds chirping and a few voices outside. It was already morning, and in just a few hours, my Beta was going to come here to check up on me.I needed to force myself on my feet because I never wanted to show anyone my weak side.I groaned in pain as I got to my feet from the ground and moved to the bathroom naked, stumbling a bit. I approached the shower and quickly turned it on. As water began pouring on me, I moved my hand to my aching head."Ridge, please talk to m
Harvey's POVI wasn't a fool not to notice how the Alpha was struggling to concentrate. He looked very agitated and made a lot of mistakes with the pack files he was handling.He actually looked like he was in pain and trying so hard not to show it, and it was all because of that Omega.A few hours had gone by, and she was not yet back. I felt very guilty, and fear was filling my heart.If he could act like this when she wasn't around, how would he act seeing her drenched in water and shivering? Yes, he didn't care about her a few days ago, but right now, it looked like he did."Harvey, is there a problem?" Paul asked softly behind me.I turned and looked at him seriously, then at the few warriors who were standing beside him."That Omega we used as bait yesterday hasn't been seen for hours, and the Alpha looks irritated. I might be wrong, but he seems like a man in love, desperately waiting for his lover," I replied."Are you kidding me? He doesn't care about that bitch," he spat."I
Jace's POVI quickly shifted into my human form and began looking around."Lillian!" I called out in a cracked voice as I walked further at the edge, with labored breath.She couldn't swim, that I knew because I overheard her talk to an elderly woman about one of her fears. Back then, I thought it was something foolish and weak a she-wolf would say, but now I was terrified by that thought."Lillian, please answer me! If you do, I swear to the moon goddess I won't harm you in any way. I just want to see that you are safe, please," I begged, then tensed when her scent reached my nose.I quickly rushed ahead and saw her body lying near the edge where a huge cut tree had fallen a few days ago. Half of her body was resting in the water while the other half was resting on the side of the tree."No," I whispered and ran ahead, instantly jumping into the river and grabbing her body, pulling it into my arms.I was sniffing and trying to hold back my tears while I swam back to land. Once she wa
Harvey's POVDoomed.We were all doomed!I looked at the Alpha who was lying unconscious in one of our guest rooms then sighed sadly."Beta, what do we do with that Omega's dead body?" Light asked softly behind me.I turned and faced him seriously."We all witnessed a few hours ago how he walked into the pack house. Although he was dripping wet, he was badly crying and just by his pheromones, no one could approach him. He was emitting a death threat. So what do you think would happen if we touched his mate's body?" I asked bitterly.This was the first time I referred to that Omega as his mate because the actions he had portrayed were those of a male in love who had greatly suffered from loss and heartache.I was feeling devastated and very scared for our lives. We were his childhood friends, but at the same time, we were also the very ones who had taken away his mate. Although he acted like that towards her, it was so clear to us now that he was bonded to her."But she's dead," he whi
Paul's POVWe rushed into the guest bedroom quickly.The healer was already at the Alpha's side, taking care of him.After she had gone to see Lillian's dead body, she bowed down and apologized because there was nothing she could do to resurrect her.I knew it wasn't going to take long before the body would begin to smell and rot, so I asked her to please do something about it, which she agreed to.She went out and came back with a large box.She asked me to step out, which I complied.I went to my room and found the door open. I knew who it was before I could even walk in.Light was sitting on my bed, reluctantly going through my diary.I quickly moved to grab it when he stood up at a quick pace and grabbed a handful of pages."Stop!" I exclaimed, but he ignored me and ripped them apart.There and then, my wolf took over in anger. Light laughed loudly, surprising him as he threw the diary on the ground."You call yourself a Gamma, don't you, sir?" He asked as my wolf growled low."Yo
Jace's POV"I am here," I whispered softly to Lillian as I slowly sat at the edge of the bed, looking at her with a smile."I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for taking time to come here. For some reason, I passed out. I'm assuming it's due to exhaustion," I said softly, then raised my hand to touch her cheek when I stopped myself halfway."Oh, you don't like to be touched, do you?" I asked, then frowned deeply when I felt a slight headache.I groaned and then touched my forehead with a heavy sigh.No matter how I was feeling, I wasn't going to leave her side. She needed me as much as I needed her.A knock that came through forced me to get to my feet and walk to the door, opening it.An elderly omega had a tray of food in her hands, and she was slightly trembling with her gaze lowered to the ground."Alpha, the Beta asked me to serve you food and to prepare a bath for you," she said, making me growl.She quickly took a few steps back and went down on her knees."That re
Flora's POVI felt powerless as I looked at the corpse in front of us. We all could tell that the she-wolf was already dead. How could we relay such words to our Alpha and still keep our necks intact?"Elder," Brenda called in a cracked voice, snapping me out of my thoughts."Yes, dear," I answered in a husky voice, then cleared my throat."How are we supposed to clean a dead body? I'm so scared because I have never done it before," she asked as I glared at her.Did she want to die? What if the Alpha was close by? Hearing her words would make him act up in just a second."If you value your damn life, you will shut your mouth and work. By the way, watch your mouth," I said loudly and then looked at Sylvia, who was looking at the body intensely."Sylvia," I called softly.She looked at me and then patted her chest a few times."Elder, I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm uncomfortable. Lillian is way gone and there is nothing our Alpha can do about it. I heard from a few warriors that t
Jace's POV The cheers that went on for minutes filled my heart with joy, and I was very happy to finally witness Glen become the Alpha of this pack and Harley the Luna.Yesterday, things were a little messy because we all couldn't decide who should take over the ceremony.Alpha Ian wanted Edith and Lexi to do it, but Glen and Light suggested the warlock Lee. For an hour, we all couldn't come to an agreement.Only when Sonya suggested having all three do it did we finally reach a consensus.Watching those three take over the ceremony was history itself and very iconic.They complemented each other so well when they needed to and made sure each had a turn to work things out. Edith was like a leader who looked so proud to have Lee and Lexi by her side."That's some iconic shit, don't you think?" Light asked, standing next to me."Why do you say that?" I asked, despite knowing what he meant."Edith is the most respected ancient witch that we know of, and Lexi is known and respected so mu
Jace's POV "Will Sky and Glen be upset with me?" I asked Lilian seriously as I drove past their pack's border. "I doubt it," she answered softly.Instead of using a portal, we decided to drive, and it took us two days. Alpha Ian was already there, along with Harley's mother, aunt, and her kind. I felt very nervous, and I was preparing myself mentally for any outcome that would arise."Jace, they are your brothers; they will understand," Lillian whispered softly when the pack house came into view."I doubt it," I answered in a low tone and then frowned when I saw a lot of men who looked like warriors.The closer I got, the clearer it became that those men weren't human; they were dragon warriors, and the way they were looking at me wasn't all that friendly."I guess he was right; the dragon warriors were a little more than I would imagine," I said when I parked my car close to the pack house entrance, remembering Sky's words from our previous phone conversation."When you feel tired
Sky's POV"Alpha Ian and his family have arrived," Riff announced through the pack's mind-link."Okay," I answered from my office, still using the mind-link, and then slowly stood up.When I felt their presence at the pack's border, I quickly sent Riff to welcome them and show them to the pack. Then, I went on to inform Glen about their arrival.I also felt that Jace needed to know they were here, which is why I rushed to my office to make a call."Alpha, they are in the living room," Riff mind-linked me."I'm coming," I answered and then quickly walked out.When I entered the living room, I found everyone seated except for Alpha Ian and Glen, who were both looking at Sonya."Alpha Ian, welcome," I said nervously.He looked at me with a raised brow, then at Glen."He looks exactly like you; it sucks," he muttered."That's because he is my identical twin brother," Glen answered simply."Gosh, I couldn't want even my worst enemy to share his exact face with another, be it blood or not,"
Glen's POV I looked at Sky, who was typing something on his laptop in the pack's office, then folded my arms with a low sigh."What is it?" he asked without looking at me."Don't you think you are rushing things? Just because the Queen of Dragons said that to you, it doesn't make you obliged to go through with it. Harley and I can wait until the right time to have the ceremony, brother," I answered seriously."That's the thing: no one can force me to do what I feel or think is wrong. What Harley's mother said was right, and I want to do it while she's still in our pack," he said calmly and then looked at me."Our mate acted cold towards her mother, but we all could see it in her words how she still longed for her. Her being made Luna with part of her family witnessing it would make her and us happy, wouldn't it?" he asked as I dropped my hands and nodded.When she asked her mother if she was leaving, her voice indeed held longing, and it surprised me. But at the same time, I understo
Sonya's POV"Come on, just this once," I pleaded softly.Harley looked at me coldly and then sighed heavily."Can't you call me 'mother' just this once, please?" I said loudly and then looked at her mates, who were both staring at me in silence.I could tell what they were thinking without them saying a word.The first thing I saw in their expressions was the question: how dare you invite yourself into our pack house and living room? The second question was: how could you ask that of her when you clearly abandoned her?And the last question was: how the hell are you able to keep such a funny demeanor when things are far worse and serious? How could you leave your warriors outside the pack house and freely joke with our mate?"I know you want to say something to me; please do, because I promise I won't be upset," I said seriously to them.The twins looked at each other and then looked back at me."Ma'am, are you going to take Harley away from us?" one Alpha asked."Before I answer, may
Sky's POV "You have to eat something," I whispered in concern as I rubbed Harley's back gently.She was lying down on her bed in silence while I sat next to her. Glen stood next to us with a sad expression on his face. Ever since Corinne left our pack, two days had gone by, but Harley refused to eat or talk much to any of us.I was very concerned that I had to put the pack's work on hold."Perhaps we should call Berta—I mean Mom and Dad—and inform them about everything," Glen insisted seriously.I quickly got up and cursed loudly."What now?" he asked at the top of his voice."We have an intruder," I answered coldly."Riff, we have an intruder," I said loudly as I walked out of the pack house.I sighed heavily when I looked at Corinne, who was standing with her hand pressed on her hip."You again," I said softly, then glanced at Riff and Sophie, who were rushing towards me."Tell the warriors to stand by," I mind-linked Riff and then focused on Corinne."Did you seriously think I wa
Corinne's POV "Why aren't you asking me more questions?" I asked Harley seriously.A few minutes had gone by, and she was looking at me with hate and anger."Let's go inside," she said coldly, then turned and went into a huge mansion I assumed was the pack house."You heard her," I whispered, then followed her inside.I paid no mind to the wall interior because my eyes were fixed on how she walked. Even her movements were exactly like my sister's. If my sister were any younger, she could have passed as her identical twin.I made a turn and walked into the living room, where she pointed at a sofa."Thanks," I said simply, then took a seat.We both glanced at the door when the two Alphas and Betas walked in."Now that everyone is here, I won't hold back on what I'm about to say and ask," Harley announced seriously."Of course," I whispered.Ever since we received the call about Harley being alive and possibly well, my sister wasted no time in sending me to meet her. Before I traveled,
Harley's POV I knew my mates were acting differently but I ignored them. At least I tried to because I thought they were doing that to spite me due to how I had kept my feelings to myself.It was wrong of me but I felt like they were doing a little revenge of their own, which I choose to really not pay much attention to until from nowhere Sophie and Glen barged into my room.It was very startling but they gave a few excuses of how they had thought they had heard a sudden noise from my room.At first I didn't think much about the situation and told them they just had been mistaken. But some minutes went by with them talking a lot, as if they were trying to keep me in the dark over something.That's why I asked Sophie if something was going on, but she brushed it off and told me to ignore any noise because the warriors were training in front of the pack house. Her excuse made no sense that's why I turned to Glen and asked him if he was keeping something from me.He hesitated but gave i
Sky's POV "Do you think we are acting weird?" I asked Riff, who stood in my office with his arms crossed."Is that why you rushed me to your office?" he asked lazily."Are you still upset with me?" I asked back seriously from behind my desk.He shook his head and then dropped his hands."I came running because of the tone of your voice. I thought something bad had happened to you. I was so worried about you, not upset," he answered simply."Well, Harley has been looking at me and Glen coldly these past few days. We... I mean Glen and I decided to keep the news of her parents coming to our pack a secret, just in case they come looking for blood or end up not being her real parents," I said seriously."Well, what do you expect me to say, Alpha? She is a sharp lady who can easily tell if something is going on. Perhaps you should come clean and tell her the truth. After all, you look uncomfortable not telling her, so it might do you good to come clean," he advised.I stood up and brushed