FIVE

His eyes strained from the darkness of the forest, his lungs burned as he forced air into his lungs and the sharp claws of his feet dug deep into the muddy floors of the forest. Alpha Liam may not be the fastest in the pack but his one of the strongest Devonlaire ever had.

Liam was beyond angry, he was enraged by what happened back at the mansion. It was past midnight and he should be in the comforts of his own bed right now, but here he is, running like crazy deep into the forest, seeking refuge in his sanctuary like the coward that he is.

His anger was directed towards Ember who had the audacity to act like she was the queen of the pack. He already hated the fact that he has no choice but to marry her, and now she was acting like a bitch that she really is.

His movements were lightning-fast as he climb up that hill. He was in his wolf form.

Once there, he sniffed the air to determine whether there was another creature aside from him, and when he found no traces of any scent, Liam let out an angry howl that will be heard in all of Bresmont. A howl that was enough for the other werewolves in the area to cower.

With the moon high and bright in the night sky of Bresmont, the night air was cold enough to chill one’s heart, Liam let out all his pent-up emotions. These emotions bubbled the surface of his heart, unable to really release them. And now he let it all out, howling and growling at his heart’s content. He let out his grief, his anger, and his longing for Natasha.

He felt hopeless and useless, being an Alpha of one of the strongest packs in the realm should give him the power to do whatever he wants, but it was the opposite. He’s a puppet and a fool. He’s nothing but a slave.

Liam transformed back into his human form once he felt the exhaustion. He stood there at the peak of the hill, naked as the day he was born while the moon shone at him with pity. His shoulder-length hair was being blown by the cold wind.

With the moon’s light, Liam stood there with his magnificent physique, a sight to behold. If one could only see the apparition, one would think that he’s perfect, but he’s nothing like that. He’s damaged and beyond repair.

A rustling of leaves snapped Liam out of his trance. His senses immediately alerted and looked behind him as he squinted his eyes at the dark forest.

When he took in the scent of the creature, his nerves relaxed.

“Thought I found you here.” A voice said and came to reveal himself from the dark.

Kean, his younger brother emerged from the shadows of the forest. He was fully clothed and in his hand were two bottles of cold beer. There’s a carefree smile plastered on his ruggedly handsome face.

Liam grimaced but didn’t respond to his brother. He was still a little pissed with Kean for what he did back at the council house. Liam thought that his brother was with him when he said he didn’t want another bride.

“What are you doing here?” Liam asked as he went to stare back at the view before him, a glittering view of Bresmont. The place looked just like an ordinary city with huge lights during the night, but in Bresmont’s case, it was dominated by werewolves and not humans.

Kean shrugged, open the bottle of beer, and gave on to Liam.

It took a few seconds before Liam accepted the bottle.

“You needed my company, so I came,” Kean answered casually like he didn’t witness something bloody that transpired inside Liam’s room.

Kean never liked the fact that the council forced his brother to remarry. But when he saw Ember fight Liam, Kean came to realize that they needed such strong Luna in the pack. Not that he betrayed his brother, but Kean thought that it would be for the better, especially now that there’s a threat again from the werewolves hunters. Kean was actually amazed at how Ember effortlessly dodged every attack his brother made.

“I wanted to be alone, brother.”

“Well, sorry to tell you but I’m staying until I finished my beer. The pack's house is far from here, and I’m exhausted looking for you.” He raised the bottle before chugging the contents.

Liam let out a heavy sigh.

“She smells sweet,” Kean uttered.

The two looked at the beautiful scenery before them. On that very hill, where Natasha’s ashes were scattered in the air, they can see in a bird’s eye view the night lights of Bresmont.

Their district was known for its preserved old structure, but it also has a modern touch with the busy streets and high-rise buildings. A modern world dominated by mythical creatures.

Liam frowned, confused as to what his brother was talking about.

Kean chuckled when he saw the confusion on his brother’s face. Did Liam didn’t notice the sweet scent coming from the dried blood on his body? They were Ember’s, and he can smell how sweet it was.

“I can smell her blood and her scent from you. Haven’t you noticed it? Or just ignored how good she smells. With all the blood on you, I can’t believe you haven’t noticed it.”

Liam’s face turned red and he let out a low growl, a warning.

“Watch what you’re saying, Kean. I am still your Alpha.” Liam threatened his brother.

But Kean didn’t even flinch. Caring less about the anger of his brother.

“I took her to the infirmary, Brynn treated her wounds. She’s bleeding profusely and she’s not healing.” Kean informed Liam.

For some reason unknown to Liam, he felt a slight tug of concern upon hearing that Ember was in pain because of the wounds he inflicted. Even though he knew Ember had dodged almost all of his attacks, he was still able to hit her a few times.

He looked at himself, there were no traces of wounds on his skin except that blade that was made from wolfsbane. He’s fully recovered and Ember’s not. It’s all because of an Alpha wound.

“Father was furious and mother was worried, thought you might want to know what happened after you took off.” Kean continued to feed him information that he didn’t want to hear.

Liam didn’t respond, it’s best to shut his mouth up, especially now that he’s still angry. He was pissed because of the wedding, this is literally his most hated Day.

“I am not interested, Kean. Just stop.”

Kean, once again, shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t be so hard on our new Luna, brother. Marrying you was already hard for her, go easy on her.”

Liam scoffed, his brother talks like he knows that bitch.

“So, you already accepted her as the new Luna, huh? And don’t forget that you almost betrayed me in front of the council, I have not forgotten that, Kean.” There was a hint of sarcasm in Liam’s voice.

“It’s for the best, Liam. You know to yourself that it’s for the best, you just can’t accept that it has to be this way. With hunters and witches as our enemies, we needed all the help we could use, and Ember is one big help. Once you marked her, our pack will be stronger, and we can beat those fucking hunters. You saw how she fought, she’s strong, fast, and powerful, we could use that. I hate to say this but, at this point, Natasha couldn’t help you, Ember could.”

Kean chugged all the remaining contents of the bottle before he threw it on the side.  He tapped Liam’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his broad shoulders.

Liam knew all of that, it was the main reason why it pissed him big time.

“C’mon, let’s go back. Your balls are chilling, Alpha.” Kean laughed at his own words.

Liam just shook his head, feigning annoyance.

Though he can’t admit it, his brother was always the calmer and reserved one between the two of them. He, on the other hand, was much more of a beast.

Liam grabbed a stash of pants that hung in one of the tree branches and put it on before heading back to the mansion.

And, no, he’s still not going to go easy on Ember. He’s not yet done with her. She’s going to suffer as long as she stays married to him.