Richard’s POV:It had begun.At hearing Arielle’s voice through the mind link, I knew it was only a matter of time.I visibly tensed, and raised my head up form where I was seated at my desk to meet the eyes of my Beta.He caught the look on my face, but before he could ask what was wrong, I told him.“The plan has started. Get the warriors into position,” I said to Darren in a commanding tone of an Alpha, standing up. The paperwork could wait. Now, I had to make preparations myself.Darren looked confused, although he nodded, standing up front he couch he was seated on.“I’ll send the word out,” He responded in obedience, before he posed the question I was sure had been churning in his mind for quite some time. “How do you know the plan had begun? This is quite early Richard.”I paused, wondering if I should tell him the truth for a moment.Darren after all, didn’t know that Arielle and I shared a mind link together yet. In the same vein, he also had no idea about Arielle and her abi
Arielle’s POV:“So you have returned to me at last,” Leon said, and I had to fight every urge in my body to not roll my eyes at him.Just when I was beginning to feel that old fear again, like a foe I didn’t wish to face anymore, he goes ahead and says something absolutely ridiculous, to say the least.“I’m here because you threatened my pack, Leon. I could care less about whatever damn delusions you have about me returning to you,” I said to him, and watched his face twitch. There was a tinge of satisfaction in me getting to say that to him.Then again, he didn’t seem all that annoyed. Instead, he looked certain, as if all he had wanted had been given to him on a silver platter.“Still, you are here, aren’t you, darling?” Leon asked me, before he then looked over my shoulder. His grin widened. “Ethan, you have returned. And I’m glad that you managed to get Arielle here today.”He was here.I did my very best to not react as I heard someone - I don’t know which of the Rpgues that it w
Richard’s POV:I could see the way that Leon’s expression changed from a certain smirk to a frustrated and distressed look at me.As our eyes met, it was like the atmosphere became charged. All around us, there was buzzing. My warriors were already in position, and even though the Rogues were obviously shocked by our arrival, it was clear that they were not going to back down without a fight.‘Richard,’ I heard Arielle call my name through the mind link, and I turned my head slightly to glance at her. She looked beautiful, but also tense. She was standing right in front of Leon, right between the Rogue and I. I didn’t want her there.She needed to be protected.‘To the side, angel,’ I told her, and I gestured to where my warriors were standing, waiting for my orders. ‘You shouldn’t be in the middle of this.’Her blue eyes widened and I saw how she wanted to speak, but instead nodded, moving to where I had gestured for her to go.“Well, well,” Leon’s snarl was dangerous, but I shrugged
Leon’s POV:I was in a sea of pain, and there was nothing else I could do to stop it.The nightmares kept on coming, and I was helpless against it.Then, my eyes opened, and I was only aware of the way I was snarling and growling at the air after a few seconds.I was awake.It was a slow process, coming back to reality, and realizing that I was in bed, in the familiar tent that I used.What had happened?My brows furrowed a little in confusion.Then I began to remember. I remembered what happened clear as day in the forest.Just when Arielle had finally come to me, just when I had her in my grasp, that damn Alpha-That Alpha came and ruined everything!And then I had to find out that Arielle was mated to him?!That was unbelievable. I remember the state of shock that I had been in, trying to find the words but nothing would come out. It burned in my chest, the way that I saw, for the first time, the way that he looked at her, like she was his. And Arielle? She was looking at him too,
Arielle’s POV:It was not like a hero’s welcome.All of us were silent as we made our way back into the pack compound.The mission had been swiftly completed, and now, we were all to return quietly. Richard had made it clear to myself and to Darren yesterday that he did not want anyone in the pack to find out about the upcoming battle with the Rogues, citing that he did not want to cause panic among our pack members.Therefore, even now, though we were worn and feeling bedraggled, all of us kept a stoic expression as we walked down to Richard’s home.Unlike the expression outwardly that was placed on my face, there were no words to describe the tempest of emotions inside of me. In my mind I was still replaying the moments of the battle. I had been pulled away from the clearing by the warrior who apparently had been tasked with keeping me safe and away from the place that was to become the battle arena.Hidden behind a tree trunk, I could hear growls and screams of pain. It was enough
Richard’s POV:It was only upon hearing the clearing of a throat that I separated from my mate a second time, feeling a little bit annoyed.Couldn’t I have some privacy in my own home?!Glaring at Darren - the one who had entered the study while Arielle and I had been… busy to say the least - he met my eyes with little to no remorse.I noticed just then how tense he looked, especially with the way he was gripping the handle of the door as he closed it shut.“What happened?” I asked him before anyone had a chance to say something.I knew that he had probably just returned from meeting with the Pack Elders - a duty that I was supposed to have fulfilled. However, the mission to the forest couldn’t just be postponed, and I had to be the one to lead them.Darren huffed, folding his arms over his chest and shaking his head. Then Arielle followed up with another question.“Darren, come in. Is everything okay?” She sounded incredibly worried for my best friend.“Everything’s fine… I guess,” h
Richard’s POV:I sighed, feeling a headache coming on as I tried my very best to tune out the background noise of the respected and revered, wise Pack Elders squabbling to get their own words out.This was the part of being Alpha that most people didn’t know or understand in the way that I did. Even Darren, who was rarely here without my presence to accompany him - or rather, he being the one accompanying me - couldn’t understand the way that these Elders loved to operate. Sometimes hey we’re in agreement, and sometimes they each had their own strong opinions that one needed to wade through in order to find a compromise.Finally, I grew tired of the way that the noise levels kept increasing, and my headache as well did the same, so I raised a hand as well as my voice.“Elders,” my tone was nothing short of the steely, strong Alpha that everyone in the Pack knew and respected. They all stopped and looked at me. I continued, “I came here to answer your queries about the Rogues. They hav
Arielle’s POV:Immediately Richard had left the study, I found myself left bereft of the warmth of the mate bond, just a little. As his presence left the study, so did the warmth decrease, and he took my heart with him.“I’m turning into a soppy mess,” I said out loud, shaking my head in incredulity. I had definitely never expected that having Richard as my mate would change me so much. I always loved romance stories, and now I was living in one.The ticking grandfather clock at the corner of the modernized study caught my eyes, and I gazed at the pendulum swinging back and forth with its mesmerizing clicking motions. It looked old, very damn old.It seemed to me that even though Richard had become Alpha and modernized Regis study to his liking, the legacy of the previous Alphas of Redding Pack before him still remained. Just the way they should.In just the way that Richard’s legacy would remain a long, long time from now.I took a step forward and a deep breath in, reveling in this