Alpha Hrolf's Verdict

Hrolf slid into the bath slowly allowing the hot steam to relax his muscles after a long day. He let out a soft moan and washed his body clean when he felt a tug on his mind.

It was his Beta, Cassie who was mind-linking him. He wondered what could be so important that Cassie couldn't wait till dawn.

Cassie - 'Hrolf, are you still awake?' 

Hrolf - 'If I were even sleeping by now and you disturbed me, I'd be off the bed knowing that it has to be something really important, Cassie. What is it?' 

He stepped out of the bath and reached for his robe before striding into his room.

Cassie - 'We have an issue on ground.'

 His hand lingered on the doorknob when he heard those words from Cassie. Hrolf let out a sigh and shook his head. All he needed was his bed but fate had something else planned for him.

Hrolf - 'I'm listening.' 

Cassie - 'The Patrol guards caught a spy at the border and they reported it to me. From the looks of it, she's not from the Pack.' 

Hrolf - 'What? By this time of the night?' 

Cassie - 'Yes, I was shocked too. We are on our way to the house.'

Hrolf - 'Alright, you can bring her. I'll be waiting.'

Ashina flipped her eyes open to realise that her hands were now chained behind her while she knelt on her knees a few meters from the throne.

She darted her eyes around the well-illuminated room taking in its beauty. It had a big throne chair in the center of the room. 

Warriors stood at different corners of the spacious room. Each was dressed in a helmet and bronze armor with swords slung around their waists just like the warriors who had captured her.

At least she was safe now. Alpha Hrolf would definitely save her from all this. She would no longer have to abscond. She let out a sigh reliving how this had happened.

When the rogues led by Zeeb Lyall invaded her pack, he killed her mother, who was the Luna leaving her alone with her maid. Then he had made a pronouncement that she would be his Luna.

Ashina tried stalling to take the throne back. One mistake she made was confiding in her maid, Billie. However, she soon realized that Billie had joined hands with Zeeb. The betrayal from the maid she had taken like her own sister still hurt.

She rested back on her knees wondering when Alpha Hrolf would show up. She was tired and needed rest.

Zeeb stripped her of her title as Luna and turned her into a servant after she rejected his advances in the presence of the Pack Chiefs so many times. Barely two weeks into his reign, he declared she would either marry him or be killed by his newly appointed Omegas.

Most of the omegas were his fellow rogues from her Pack. She could relate to the betrayal from them because the members of the Pack weren't fond of her family as her parents were terrible leaders.

They had gladly obliged him when the tables turned. With most believing that she would be a terrible leader just like her parents, she knew she didn't stand a chance against them so she snuck out of the room they had kept her under the disguise of being one of the palace maids.

It wasn't until she was past the gate before they realised that she was missing. The moment the bell tolled, she knew she had to run like her life depended on it. And that was how she had landed here.

Ashina'e eyes watered and fresh tears flowed down her face. Actually now with Alpha Hrolf on her side, her mantra had changed. 

Fear. Fright. Flight. Fight.

She couldn't give up her parent's throne like that. That was all she had. Ashina was different from them and she hoped the Pack members would see this but they didn't.

She would fight for it no matter what happened. Her life was in danger at the moment but she would go back someday to take what rightfully belonged to her.

"Where is she?" Hrolf strode into the room with an air of Alpha pride in him.

"She is here, Alpha." A Pack warrior who had gone to alert him was now by his side.

Ashina snapped out of her reverie and stared into the most beautiful pair of golden eyes she had ever seen. A jagged line on his left eye didn't in any way diminish his handsomeness.

He was well-built and looked domineering. Little wonder, most Packs feared him. She could see the reason why. His hair was a permed silver ombre, giving him the perfect Alpha male look.

 His jawline was sharp and she imagined a smile on his lips. He was the most handsome man on earth. She smiled at him but he returned it with a scoff.

"Look who we have here." A small smile twitched on the corners of his lips as he sat on the throne.

He stared back into her ocean-blue eyes, roving his eyes all over her body while wondering what such beauty was doing at the border at such an odd hour.

Hrolf shook the thoughts away and gripped the arm of his chair while thinking of what to do. 

"Did you see anyone with her?" He turned his attention to Erik.

"No, Alpha. It looked like she was escaping from some people and she had no idea of the landmines." Erik replied him.

What was she running away from? Why? How was she able to cross the river in such a state without fainting? Since she had arrived at night, something was fishy about it. He always believed his first instinct and it told him that there was more to this beautiful face.

He was not yet sure if she was a threat and from the look of it, she looked like she had been running for days. Hrolf thought for a few seconds and cleared his throat to give his judgment.

"Since she isn't from the Pack, she should be chained in the dark dungeon until further notice. I will attend to her when I have time." He said and stood up to leave the room.

Ashina's face fell and her lips parted in complete shock.