CHAPTER FOUR - HUSH ASHA

ASHA

-Two weeks ago-

Though I was not a particularly older wolf, I had not been the type to cower in fear.

Obviosuly not the type of fear that would make one lose his breath of or that would make a wolf squirm and retreat in freight.

So far I had been a ruthless, strong and proud Alpha. Being the Alpha meant I had to bear the weight of my packs desires and let go of mine.

But what was best for my pack was something I would normally rather slit my own throat than considering. To kill the Alpha Silva, my fathers only powerful rival.

My father owned the south, he had destroyed neighboring packs, taking their lands and killing anyone who stood in his way. It was how he remained on top. It was how he remained Alpha.

My paws pounded into the earth as I swept across the boarders, WormWhicks smaller wolf tried to keep up with mine. The little man always stalked behind me like a shadow, I knew it was my father who had put him up to it, ever since Noami died.

I sped up, my nose perceiving and outlining the forest before I could even get a glimpse of what was in front of me.

When I stopped, I only stopped because my limbs shooks from exhaustion. I looked through my wolfs eyes, the forests in my pack lands were always greener in the morning. The air fresh and having an earthy wisp.

The leaves rustled behind me, I was sure I had lost WormWhick, how did he tiny wolf cover the distance so quickly?

I opened a mine link, hoping that if I sounded intimidating enough he would squirm and leave me alone.

‘I’m not WormWhick silly…’ this voice was not as aweful as it was familiar.

I whipped my head around, the light grey fur the coated my body darkening as my eyes went red. It must have been a trick, an enemy wolf trying to get my off my guard so he could take me out.

‘Who are you?’ My voice was raw through the link, my instincts feral.

‘Forgotten me already?’

The voice was no more coming from the link, instead it echoed from all around me. There was no doubting it now though, it was Noamis voice.

‘Show yourself!’ I said in a more calm tone.

A ginger brown wolf hopped over a thicket. She was medium size (which was still a lot bigger than WormWhick) and she had eyes like the sun.

Her scent quickly filled the air around me, whatever feral instincts that had overcame me before disappeared completely. There was no mistaking it, it was her.

‘But but…’

‘But what silly?’ She laughed in her mind, her laughter resonating in my mind as well.

‘You thought I died didn’t you?’

I did not know how to respond to this, Naomi, my first love. But how could this be possible when I was the one who had cut her heart with a dagger, I had seen the life drain out of her.

‘Noami—’

‘Hush Asha… I’ll never leave you.’

When she walked to me I stayed rooted to the spot, she circled me, her tail caressing my snout as she went by.

But when she came back to my view her ginger coat was soaked in blood.

My blood ran cold, I took a step towards her. So much blood the metallic smell hung thickly in the air until it choked and suffocated me.

‘Noami?!’ My heart raced in my chest, I took a step towards her again but she seemed to be pulled back by some invisible force. I was now running to her, the speed I had used to evade WormWhick was nothing compared to the speed my paws tramped against the earth. But no Ayer how fast I ran I couldn’t never catch up.

‘Naomi wait!’ I called out, but the sun in hee eyes had already dimmed till it disappeared and I watched with fear so livid it seeped from my body in my sweat.

She was too far now, too far away. “N A O M I !!!!!”

I threw myself from my bed with so much force I fell to the ground. Heaving and panting my heart still raced in my chest, it was all too real, the dream, the forest, Noami.

I lay on the floor until my raging heart slowed to a steady thump.

“Master? Are you okay?” WormWhicks voice was barely a speak and somehow I blamed him for what had happened just because he was in the dream.

“Why can’t you just leave me the fuck alone WormWhick?!” I barked, he had been under my nose enduring my barks for so long it did not phase him anymore.

“I’m sorry.” I sat up, leaning against the foot of my bed.

“It was her again wasn’t it. N-Noami.” He stuttered.

“We don’t speak her name anymore WormWhick!” I said strongly, turning my head to my left where the little man stood. “Nobody speaks her name anymore, not even father.” I breathe out, Noamis’ star like eyes from the dream still haunted my vision.

“I’ll get you a cup of coffee.” WormWhick said as he left my room, I was sure he shuddered when he heard my roar followed by a loud thud once he had gotten halfway into the corridor.

When he came back I was walking in circles in my nation size bed room, taking the coffee from

His hand and draining it in one gulp.

“Your father… he sent me to fetch you.”

I grunted, wanting anything but a conversation with my father this early in the morning. He would probably be thinking of a scheme to eliminate Alpha Silva.

“I can’t.”

“He insists—” WormWhick made to argue.

“Tell him I’ll be ready!” I said through grit teeth.

“As you wish Alpha Asha.” The title ‘Alpha’ still sounded strange to me, I had only got the title a month ago yet somehow tales and stories of my ruthlessness had managed to spread itself across the lands.

I walked through the quiet hallways in my home mansion, knowing my father he would be out of bed by four in the morning so I went to his office instead.

I knocked once, pushing the creaky door open and stepping into the dimly lit room.

My fathers eyes softened a little when I stared back at him. He had a gaze that could send fear into your spine just by looking at you, but to me he would drop the gaze and look at me with compassion.

“You dreamt about it again, about Naomi.” His voice was calm but cold.

I winced. “We don’t speak her name anymore.” I said lowly.

“Why of course, forgive me son. She haunts your dreams yet you refuse to hunt the man who took her from you?” Taunting.

“I won’t start a war with Alpha Silva.”

“He started the war the day his wolves trespassed into our lands and took Naomi from you!” My father almost barked, he stood up with force meeting me at my eye level, but he was right, the rouges that attacked i and Naomi were indeed from the Silvermoon pack.

“They were isolated father, it was no order from Alpha Silva—”

“Alpha Silva celebrates his daughter, while my pack has lost one of its own. I gave you to time to grieve, a full month and I thought that by now you would come to your senses!” He heaved a long breath before continuing, “Even if you believe the wolves that took Naomi’s life were isolated the fact still remains that they were from the Silvermoon pack.”

I said nothing.

“Look son, the Betas have been talking, the people have been talking, they think you’re weak.”

“What?”

“Of course! You allowed our Pack be robbed of a daughter and your mate to be, the Betas see this as a cause for retaliation.”

I cringed at his revolting lust for war. How he seemed to derive pleasure from the need of bloodshed.

“I handed over the title Alpha to you because I thought you were ready, the people’s loyalty still lies very much in my hands son and I will not allow you to bring down the name of this Pack!”

A threat? No, a warning. I knew what my father was capable of, in fact, I was very much like him.

“I’ll do what needs to be done.” I said, relieved when I saw the satisfaction on his face. “I’ll destroy Alpha Silva.”

“Noami was to be your mate, do not allow her death go unpunished.”

I nodded to him, turning around, desperate to leave his office. Desperate to leave his sight.

Once I was out I gasped for breath, my fathers aura still made me squirm.

I respected my father, no, respect would be an abuse of the word, I feared my father. Yes I was his son, his blood, but still I had seen the things he could do to the Wolves he claimed to have closest to him once they did anything apart from what he asked. This was the first time I had livid fear running down my spine, it made me shiver anytime I thought about opposing my father.

Reliving Naomi’s death was sickening and the worst part is I could not avoid it.

We were at the edge of the borders. Our usual morning runs has turned into a blood bath so fast one time she was on her feet the next she was being ravenous by three rouges. Before I tore them apart she had already been wounded beyond healing, I remember holding her in my arms, she had shifted back to her human form, her torso almost cut in half.

When the doctors came she barely hanging on. He told me she was past saving, she was only suffering in the state that she was.

He said ending it for her was only a mercy. I remembered how cold I went when she pressed the knife into my hands, when she linked to my mind, begging me to put her out of her misery.

She was to be my mate and I failed her. We ha not yet shared the mating bond but I was sure it would have been soon, I would have marked her, taken her for my own as it should have been.

I remember how she groaned in pain, barely able to make a word. My hand had been shaking when I raised the dagger. Her eyes shaking in mine as well. Her last words being ‘I love you Asha.’ Before the dagger went down on her heart.