Irene's POV
"You have to hurry Irene!" The twigs snapped rapidly under my legs with each movement, but I still didn't feel fast enough.
We were the only wolves living in a cottage deep in the woods. I always told Dad that we had to move into the city and stay with the other pack members but he never listened.
"Come on Dad, the wood is so isolated. Whenever I head to the city, people call me a freak, and I don't blame them at all. I mean, we live in the goddamn woods!" I would say.
"A werewolf should live in their territory, not outside," He would reply.
Now here I was, almost breathless from running for miles. I couldn't stop to catch my breath because I was worried—and for the first time in years, I was... Scared.
Familiar faces stared at me as light shone brightly on my face at the entrance to the house, the looks on their faces horrifying, but it couldn't be compared to Silas's, my little brother. He looked like he had seen something worse than a ghost.
Without talking to anyone, I rushed towards the cottage with nothing hindering my entrance as the door laid miles away split into numerous pieces.
Sharp edges pierced my skin with blood oozing out of every wound, but the thought of Dad blocked my pain receptors, I just wanted to see him; I needed to see him.
While working overnight at the bar, I heard a few rumors from some people. Not like they said it to my face, they didn't have the guts to.
"I can't believe he betrayed the pack."
"I heard he also leaked the Pack's secret to our enemies."
"He is a traitor and deserves to be punished."
I heard them whisper as I walked past their tables.
This morning, I tried reaching Silas, but he wasn't picking up. That's when I panicked. I knew something was wrong.
The circle of men caught my attention as I stepped in, silver star crested on the back of each one's cloth and I needed no telling; they were the Alpha's men who had one purpose of being here.
My cuts couldn't compare to the ones my eyes were feeding on and I wondered how they remained standing, it was obvious that the fight had been a tough one.
My footsteps must have alerted their attention as they all turned to me in that moment, the glare on some of their faces pissing me off. But what broke me was the sympathetic look a few of them gave to me.
I looked around, looking for those blue eyes that always stared at me as he called me his princess. Those familiar eyes that would glare with love whenever I wasn't able to throw a full punch, but they were nowhere to be found.
I noticed the guards stare in the middle of their circle. Bile rose to my throat as so many thoughts filled my mind. But I shook it all off. I couldn't conclude. Not yet.
I took a step forward, pushing through the guards; ut someone held me back. It was Gareth.
"You don't have to see it, Irene," He said as his grip tightened on my forearms. He was a regular customer at the bar who loved tipping me. But this wasn't the bar, and I wasn't his attendant.
Without a warning, I sent a kick in between his legs.
"Fuck!" He yelled in pain as he crouched down, his hands holding his groins.
This time when I stepped forward, no one dared to stand in my way. Rather, they made a path for me, and that was when I saw it—the lifeless body of Dad.
My hands flew to my mouth. He had been ripped to pieces, torn from limb to limb.
"No... No... No, No... This can't be real," I muttered as I reached down to touch him. His blue eyes were now covered in blood.
I touched his ripped arm. Tears rolled down my eyes as I felt his sticky blood, my chest tightening.
"No!" I cried out. I rushed towards Gareth and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "How could you do this to him?! He is not a traitor, and you know this! Why did you do that to him?!"
Gareth remained silent. He wasn't ready to give me answers, but I needed them. I needed to know why.
My hands tightened on Gareth's collar. Just then, I heard someone yell, "Wait, Silas!"
My mind went haywire. I was torn between what to do—either get Gareth to talk, or go after Silas. Without giving it any more thought, I straightened up and ran out of the cottage. It hurt so much, but I had no choice. Dad was dead, but my brother wasn't.
Silas was walking towards the woods.
I wiped my tears as I went after him. Right now, he needed his sister, not a crybaby.
All of a sudden, legs began to kick the ground rapidly.
"Silas!" I yelled out as I ran after him. Catching up to him, I grabbed him by the shoulder.
As I spun him around, I saw an image of the little boy I knew years ago. The one who ran to my room whenever it was raining heavily. The one who would run into my arms, screaming when he saw a bug. I saw Silas from ten years ago. His cheeks were stained by tear marks.
"Let go of me," He growled as he pushed my arm away. He tried to run again, but I grabbed his wrist. "Let me go, Irene!"
"Sure, I will, after you tell me where you're going."
"Anywhere other than here. Anywhere other than this Moon Goddess forsaken cottage!" He yelled, a fresh wave of tears rolling down his cheeks.
I chuckled, trying to act strong. "Sure, and then what? What do you do next, huh?"
"I'll end it all! " He yelled as he flung my arm away. I felt my heart squeeze in my chest. He crouched down, sobbing uncontrollably. "I deserve to die, Irene. It's all my fault."
I wiped the tear that ran down my cheek. "It's not your fault, Silas," I said as I reached for his arm, patting him.
"Yes, it is, Irene. It's my fault. Last night when you were at the bar, I fought with Dad and ran away. If I had been here, this wouldn't have happened."
I was about to say something when he scoffed as he stood up. "Who am I kidding? I'm nothing but a weak wolf. At least Dad put up a fight. If I had been here, he would have been so busy trying to protect me that he would have been killed a lot earlier. Or worse, I would have been killed—"
Before he could say anything else, I grabbed his shoulders and squeezed them softly. "Hey listen, kiddo. You are not weak. In a few months, you'll be eighteen, and you'll have your wolf; then we'll get our revenge," I assured him. He tried to look away, but I hardened my grip. "Listen, Silas. It's obvious Dad was framed. Dad loves this Pack so much and he would never betray the Pack. So we are going to find out what really happened and clear his name. Got it?"
He nodded, trying to act strong.
I pulled him in for a hug. I felt the heat from his tears as they dropped on the opening of my neck. It broke my heart.
"Peris," Silas straightened up.
I turned to find my mate walking towards us. My heartbeat fastened.
"Silas, can you head back to the cottage, I'll be there soon," He nodded as he walked away, giving us some privacy.
Without a warning, I ran into the arms of my mate, taking in his smell. A mix of sweat, cinnamon, and fresh leaves.
At that moment, I let myself break down, my tearwells breaking free, bringing down the walls I had put up in front of the guards and Silas. I had shown them a strong me, but deep down, I wasn't. My Dad had been killed, and my brother was thinking of killing himself.
How could my life fall apart in just one night? Why was Moon Goddess punishing me? Good thing I had Peris. With him, I could let all my guard down.
"They killed him, Peris! They killed Dad!" I sobbed, my hands tightening around him. "They said he was a traitor, but we know him, he might be strong, but he was a softie. He would never do that."
I waited for his touch, but it didn't come. I looked up to him. His hazel eyes stared down at me. I couldn't discern what they held.
"I know, Irene, I heard," He said. I tried to speak up, but he cut me off. "We have something important to discuss, Irene."
He pulled himself gently out of my hold. He didn't look happy; neither did I.
"Yes, we have something important to talk about. I can't let them get away with what they did to my Dad. We have to—"
"—There is no we or us, Irene!" He said. "At least not anymore."
I was confused. "I don't... I don't understand... What do you mean by that?" I asked.
He sighed. "I'm sorry this is happening now," He said as he took a step towards me. "But you can no longer be my mate.”
Irene's POV"You're kidding, right?" I asked, ignoring the pain in my chest as I tried to steady myself. "Tell me you are, Peris," I pleaded.But instead, he looked away, avoiding my gaze. I tried to grab his hand, but he pushed mine away. He turned to me. "It's not you, Irene... It's just that... My family can't have anything to do with yours," He said and then his eyes darkened. "I mean, your Dad is a traitor—""—You know that's not true!" I yelled, trying to defend my father. "My Dad would never do that."Peris chuckled. "Oh really... Then tell me why he is lying on the floor of your living room with his body torn to pieces like a worthless—" Before he could complete the words, someone spun him around and landed a punch on his face, sending him to the ground."Don't you dare talk about my Dad like that again, especially not in front of my sister!" Silas growled. Peris scoffed as he stood up. He wiped the blood that spilled out the corner of his busted lips. "I can see the little
Irene's POV "You cannot do that!" Silas yelled out as he stood up from his seat.All of a sudden the Alpha Lucian growled, "KEEP QUIET BOY!"A chill ran down my spine, not because of the tone of the Alpha's voice, but because of what it did to my brother. I watched as Silas fell to the ground, crying out in pain as he held his throat. His face turned white as tears rolled down his eyes.Alpha Lucian had used his commanding power on him. It was one of the powers an Alpha could use on his Pack members. Right now, he had used it to force Silas to be quiet."Stop it!" I screamed as I crouched down next to my brother, trying to stop his pain."You and brother must have forgotten a few things because you both spent all your life living in a cottage outside the Pack House," Alpha Lucian said. His face held no emotion and his voice sounded calm. It was like he didn't care that Silas was in pain."Listen, Irene, you need to have a reality check," He continued. "I am the Alpha of this Pack, an
Irene's POV I felt a tear prick the corners of my eyes, but I didn't let it fall. I had to be strong."Do you understand me, girl?" Rose asked, her brown eyes searching mine I swallowed hard as I nodded. She smiled. "That's it, girl. I've watched you for these past few weeks. You are stronger than you think you are, so you shouldn't let them bring you down."She was right. I had been through a lot worse. I was left alone to pick up the remains of my father. I couldn't let Silas see, so I sent him on an errand while I had our living room cleaned up.I still remembered what it felt like. The pain I felt as I gathered up Dad's body parts. I picked up his hands, his legs, and then his torso. But what hurt more was picking up his head. It had been clawed off of his body.I raised my head, holding back the tears that tried to fall. "You are strong, Irene, don't let them see your weak side. You can't let them think you are weak," I muttered to myself."That's the spirit," Rose said. "Now
IreneMy heart hammered wildly against my chest as the words left Luke's mouth. His words kept echoing in my head like a raging storm. I could not believe all of these were happening. It felt like a dream. "Thanks for taking the traitor's daughter off my hands."I stared at Alpha Lucian, unable to process what I had just heard. Was this a joke? Indeed, there was some mistake. I was being mated to my father’s murderer like it was something normal. “Come on, Irene. You have to snap out of your illusion,” I said to myself, and I almost hit my palm against my face countless times. I watched as Lucian folded the document and tucked it into his jacket. He did all that with a calmness that infuriated me. When he was done, he turned to Luke and gave him a side-eye. “Pack up everything concerning the auction and send everyone home. It’s over,” he ordered and in return, Luke gave him a sharp nod. “As you wish, Alpha.” He glanced at me briefly, and a mischievous sneer curled on his lips b
IreneTheir voices faded, and I could barely hear a thing since they walked away, leaving me at the far end of the empty room. So many things were going through my mind, and my stomach kept rumbling because I felt uneasy. What could they be discussing? I didn’t trust Lucian, and neither could I trust his counterpart. Chris’s subtle glances in my direction had not gone unnoticed by me. From how he looked at me when he came to call Lucian out, I could tell they had something up their sleeves.I was so convinced that they might definitely be discussing me. “Oh, Holy heavens! What kind of mess have I found myself in? How can I get out of this alive?” I asked myself as I paced around the room with a finger in my mouth. I bit it hard until the pain became unbearable. I contemplated going after them for a moment, but I stopped myself as Rose’s words echoed in my mind. “Use your brain, Irene. Use your body if you have to and extract evidence but never let them see you coming.”I took a
Irene “And you!” Alpha Lucian yelled, pointing in my direction, and my legs shook severely. What does this devil want from me this time? Hasn't he taken enough from me?“Follow me!” he commanded, but fear didn't let me protest or utter a word. I followed him sheepishly, and he led me to his room. He turned to me as though he wanted to say something, but he only scoffed and tilted his head slowly. “Sorry?” I asked, confused about what to do, and he clearly ignored me. Instead, the door to his room creaked open, and I stepped inside hesitantly. My heart raced as my eyes moved from one end of the room to the other as I took note of the rather cold space. The room was massive, adorned with dark furniture and dark heavy curtains blocking most of the light. It felt as unwelcoming as the man who owned it. What was I doing here in his room? I wish I could have asked him, but my lips were sealed. Alpha Lucian followed me from behind, and I could hear the sound of his heavy footsteps.
Lucian“Didn't I tell you to go to bed, young lady?” I asked when she was up on her feet again. “I don't want to. You can't force me to do what I do not want to do. I'm not sleeping,” she answered, and I rubbed the back of my head out of surprise. The girl was stubborn. There were no two ways about that. I paced the long length of my room, gripping my hair in frustration. Irene’s defiance was maddening. Every time she opened her mouth, it was to challenge and provoke me. It was as if she didn’t care about the consequences of her actions. From the look of things, she didn’t fear me. Not even a bit. I didn’t understand it. Does she not realise how easy it would be for me to end her? To silence her forever without a second thought?Does she think I could not deal with her how I wanted to? I could easily make her pay for her sins and, at the same time, make her beg for mercy. It's just a matter of me changing how I deal with her. My wolf stirred restlessly within me, growling in a
Irene’s POV“Seriously?” I blurted out immediately the door shut behind Lucian, and the sound echoed in the room. My chest heaved heavily with anger and frustration. Lucian must have seen me as a threat, or rather, if not a threat; he must have seen me as someone he could mess with. He thought he could control me, dictate my every move like I was some obedient little pet?I didn't blame him. I blame myself for being in this situation where he could order me around. My eyes rested on different objects in the room, and I sighed in frustration. Did he expect me to sit still and do nothing?The room was already feeling so suffocating. I couldn’t sit still any longer. With the Alpha gone, this might be my only chance to escape.“Remember the consequences of your action. If you escape, he will do something worse to your brother,” a voice said within me, and I shut it up immediately.“Oh, shut up!” I yelled. “You think I would be scared by such a thing? I laugh in the face of danger. I do
LucienI was this close to catching the rogues, red handed.While I moved into the forest, the cold wind that blew sent chills down my body.The night was very cold but it was something I could handle really well.The forest was unusually quiet and I began to wonder if I actually made the right decision coming here.What if the rogues had not gone into this direction? What if they parked their truck there to make a fool out of me?“No, no. They can't do that . They can't be that smart,” I assured myself.I stood behind a tree with the branches covering me. I stayed low and crouched behind the tree.My senses heightened as I waited for the rogues to make their move. I needed to be able to find them and spot them first before they could find me.Any little noise I h
LucienI have been stuck in this non ending meeting for a long time now and the only thing I wanted was to leave.Everybody was yelling at the top of their voice and I had no idea what exactly was making them this tense.Each person seated here wanted to oppress the other with their power and all this was part of what wore me down since the discussions began.“Lucien, what do you have to say concerning this?” One of the Alphas seated there, asked.“Nothing,” I responded quickly, turning my face from him. I left him puzzled because I was already tired.No one should come to me for any answer. I wish that could work because the voices around me were so loud and filled with so much desperation, yet nothing concrete seemed to come from them.The endless arguments, plans, and counter
IreneCan someone explain something to me? Why was this lady bent on frustrating me? I avoided her like a plague but she still comes running after me. I bit my fingers and slammed my fist against my forehead. I could see that the air around her carried trouble. “I hate her.”These three words were the perfect description of how I felt about her presence. As if she was not as annoying as ever, she moved through the house like she owned it. Why couldn't she behave like the guest that she is?She was beginning to make friends with every pack member she came across and she never failed to laugh stupidly with them. I was quite sure that everything she was doing was deliberate. Including her coming to meet me today.But thankfully today, I refused to let her have the upper hand. I would not give her the satisfaction of seeing me crumble in pain. “Irene, let it go,” I whispered to myself as I walked out of the living room with my heels clicking against the tiled floor. I was halfway t
IreneThe house was too quiet and I was getting bored. I decided to engage in knitting and watching over the pack. But guess what?I had been sitting in the living room, staring at the same embroidery hoop for the past hour, yet the fabric remained untouched. I had no idea what I was doing. The soft tick-tock of the clock was all I could hear in this empty room and I resolved within me to get the hell out of here since knitting was not helping. Lucian had gone off on some important pack business and I had never felt his absence so deeply. Now, I wish he was here. Shouting at the top of his voice and making me mad. “Get a grip, Irene,” I muttered under my breath, shaking my head after I found myself smiling uncontrollably at the thought of . “You are not some lovesick fool. Besides, remember you don't like him like that.”Still, my fingers kept itching for something to do. Sitting here doing nothing was driving me insane. I decided I needed to focus on something productive, some
Lucian“Come back, Irene. I didn't mean you should leave. I said you should cool off,” I said, calling her back and she stopped, facing me with her arms around her chest.Irene was fuming in anger and it was cute seeing her this jealous. I guess this is working.“Oh, you didn't? You clearly said you wanted to enjoy your meal with your lover,” she answered and I could no longer contain my laughter.What has gone into the head of this lady?“I never mentioned she is my lover. Did I, Irene?”“Oh, what's the difference? She kissed you on your cheeks. Can you explain that?” she asked and before I could open my mouth to speak, she cut in again. “Never mind. I don't need any more explanation from you.”I leaned back in my chair, my arms folded across my chest.
IreneAfter what seemed like forever, it slipped my mind to inform Lucian about the lady I encountered. “It doesn't matter, anyway. I will tell him when I see him during breakfast,” I reassured myself. It was morning already and the sun was already shining brightly. I came to a stop as I got to the top of the stairs. My heart was still heavy with a lot of worries and my mind was clouded with unanswered questions. Last night’s encounter with the mysterious woman who I had no idea what she was up to was still fresh in my memory and the worst part? I could still hear her annoying laughter echoing as I walked down. I straightened my shoulders, reminding myself that whoever she was, I would not let anyone in this house intimidate me. Taking a deep breath, I made my way downstairs to the dining room. As I entered the dining room, I was taken aback by who I saw. “Is this not the wo…wo…woman I saw earlier?” I asked not one in particular. I still could not believe what I was seeing,. p
Irene“I asked a bloody question, woman!” I asked again as she held the knife firmly to my neck.I was still trying to recover from the shock and my mind was scrambling to make sense of everything that had just happened.There was a fucking intruder in this house whose purpose was to stab me to death while no one was watching.The thought of that sent chills down my spine.My pulse was still racing as I stood in the kitchen, an inch away from her as I tried to calm myself.A severe headache was starting to creep in and it brought that nagging pain in the back of my head that seemed to make things worse.Who was this stranger? Why had she been in the kitchen with a knife? Positioned to kill me?The worst was that I asked a question and I was met with silence. Such disrespect.&n
IreneAgain, it was as if I got heartbroken anytime he decided to leave me to myself.I could not believe it when I heard the door creak open, and after I heard the sound, there was an unmistakable silence in my roomI had thought he had left me for good, not even caring to give me a proper goodbye, but here he was, standing in front of me again as if nothing had happened."I thought you left," I blurted out, wishing I could hit me with my fist continuously but I could not.I was still stuck in here. Before I could catch myself, I quickly added."I'm sorry, Lucien. I didn't mean it like that. I'm really sorry. Please, forgive me.”But I saw it. The storm that was hidden deep inside of him was still raging in his eyes.I was confused by what was happening at first until I discovered that the anger had n
Irene“Don't go, Lucian! Don't step your feet out of this place, please!” I shouted at the top of my voice, gripping the bars of the cell as I struggled to get up.Luckily for me that worked. He stopped. He did! Lucian stopped to listen to me? Am I dreaming?I held the bars harder, my legs shaking even more. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him harsh words that will cause more pain in his heart.“Do you take pride in making me miserable, Lucien? Do you really love seeing me this way? You love the way I'm suffering right here in the cell?” I blurted out, my voice trembling with frustration.His face remained as pale as fuck, as if my words were nothing more than an annoying buzz in his ears.What the hell was wrong with him? Was he that heartless? How was I sure the man standing in front of me has a heart?Wel