“Mate.” Max, his wolf, hollered loudly, but his human counterpart was still in a state of confusion as he locked eyes with the blue ones that supposedly were his mates, and he was lost for words.
The young girl had brown curls for hair; she was fair but had become pale as she looked at him. She was barely holding up as she inhaled the gas that had weakened her wolf, but her gaze dropped to the woman who had been with her, and she began to sob. Her cries were guttural and sad, and they triggered something in him—something he never thought he had. Sympathy. Kane quickly tucked the guns away, and he came closer to her, taking slow, careful steps so as not to startle her. But Ariel curled into herself, wailing aloud, even as she felt the cord that linked her to her family, to her pack getting broken. Her pupils widened in fear, and she whimpered, trying but failing to scamper away from this man. She was bound by her mother’s words, so she couldn’t leave the bunker. Kane continued to approach the frightened girl, his wolf itching him to meet her so he could touch her. “Get a grip, Max. She is already frightened, and I don’t want to startle her anymore than she already is.” Kane cautioned his impatient wolf. Of all the things he had expected, the last thing on his mind was finding a mate. And from what he could see, it was likely that she was the alpha’s daughter. “Alpha. The pack has been wiped out; save the alpha, and we await your judgment.” Toby announced as soon as he got closer, and Kane froze as he heard that. Shit. Ariel only took so long before it registered in her mind that it was her pack they were attacking and her father was going to be the next target whose blood would be spilling on the floor, and she was screaming bloody murder. But there was only so much she could do; the air she was inhaling had gotten tainted, and each breath she drew weakened her. “What the hell, Toby, Mindlink?” Kane roared at his gamma, spittle flying from his mouth. His wolf wanted out; he wanted to teach the disrespectful wolf a lesson, and maybe he would think twice before scaring his mate. “Oops.” Toby gave a tight-lipped smile, his hands flying to his hair to scratch the messy lock. “My bad.” He apologized and was running back to where the other warriors were before Kane would react. Kane could hear them chanting war songs, no doubt with smiles on their faces, and he managed to smile despite his condition. There was no time to waste, so he grabbed the hands of his mate. “Fuck.” Kane shuddered as he felt the unmistakable spark that erupted on contact. He closed his eyes, ignoring her shouts and struggles. Her tiny fists were pounding on his arms, but he could care less. Instead, he sucked in a large amount of air, exhaling it rather noisily. “Let’s go.” Kane said to the child, his anger only rising by the minute. She was still looking at him with pure hatred in her eyes, and if looks could kill, he could be six feet under now. Such looks don’t fit her, and he wishes he could erase whatever she had just seen. You can. The taunting voice in his head was loud, but Kane shook his head hard, erasing such thoughts. He would never do that to her; he had already taken her family away from her, and the last thing he was going to do was take away her memory. “What the fu...” Kane yelled, his eyes looking down at the culprit. The little shit had bit his hands so much that he could perceive the faint smell of blood reaching his nose. “You.” Kane snarled, baring his teeth as his wolf threatened to come out. His wolf would tolerate no disrespect, and if it were an ordinary member, they would have been on their knees with some of their teeth gone. Before he could rein in his wolf, Ariel had fled the area, letting her father’s scent guide her to him, wailing for the world to hear. “Fuck.” Kane exclaimed, rubbing his hands through his hair. He had cursed more times now than he would have in a day, and it was all because of the mate the moon goddess had decided was a great match for him. “Fuck.” He screamed his frustration again, and he was marching towards the door, following her tiny footsteps. It wasn’t long before he saw her kneeling in front of her weakened father. The once-great man was also on his knees, his body covered in blood, bruised and battered, and a sheen of sweat covering his face. Even he could realize when he had been defeated, and there was nothing he could do. “Dad!" Ariel cried out, shaking her father with her tiny fist. “Please don’t go.” Kane hated to admit it, but her pleas were doing something to him. It had been a long time since he had experienced such emotions, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. But he knew he couldn’t spare this alpha. His mate would get over it; he had also lost his parents, and he managed to survive; surely she would be fine without them. “Kane.” Ariel’s father spat out with what little strength he still had. His words were laced with so much hatred and venom that Ariel was turning her neck towards him, mirroring her father’s look. It soon came to put him back on his ass because he doubled up in pain, holding his chest as he coughed up blood. Kane could only shake his head in sympathy. The once-great alpha has been reduced to a caricature of himself. “It is alpha to you, John.” Kane spat out with the same venom. Their hatred had run deep, and it was only death that could put an end to it. It wasn’t going to be too long now since John was already knocking on heaven’s door or wherever werewolves end up when they die. “You are no alpha, Kane,” John sneered, baring his teeth as you would a rouge. “You are nothing but a wannabe, a filthy wolf, and a feral, and no matter how you try, you will never be a real wolf.” No sooner than he finished saying those words, his face was meeting the floor in a thud. Kane, unable to bear the words he had thrown at him, had kicked his head so hard that it met the floor in a sickening crunch that was bound to affect his skull, and his nose flared as the undeniable smell of metal reached him. “Dad!” Ariel yelled a blood-curdling scream, and he was cringing from it. “You!” She had forgotten her weakened state and bared her canines to him before she was pouncing on him. But Kane was quick; he dodged her attack and held her hands behind her. “Mason!” Kane yelled for his beta, “Come, get her out of here.” He couldn’t stand to see her in pain, especially when he was the cause of the pain. Quick footsteps were approaching them, and Mason was soon in sight. “Alpha.” The beta said, lowering his head in respect. “Get her out of my sight. She doesn’t need to watch this.” “Yes alpha.” Mason replied and was moving towards her side; no question was needed. All he cared about was doing his bidding. Mason jerked her off Kane’s hold, dragging her away. But the little shit still got a fight in her. “Noooo.” Ariel cried, and both men were cringing from the noise; it was too loud for their sensitive ears. But Ariel saw an opening, and she jerked her arms from Mason’s hold. Maybe a little too hard, as she felt sharp pain like that of a lightning bolt traveling down her arm, but she ignored it and ran towards her father. “Dad? Daddy? Wake up, please wake up.” Fat drops of tears were dripping out of her eyes as she held on to her father, shaking him hard. “Ari.” Kane heard the weary voice of the alpha, and he knew that it wasn’t long before he met his ancestors. His little girl moved closer to his face as she heard her name, and Mason made to go after her, but Kane raised his hands. It is alright; just give them time. It was only right that he gave the father and daughter a little bond time—a parting gift. Ariel kneeled in front of her father, applying her ears to his mouth, and the dying alpha was whispering to her ears even as Kane looked on with a faraway look, and Ariel was nodding her head at every word. The next event happened so fast that Kane could barely stop it. The alpha produced a needle from his pocket and stabbed his daughter’s thigh, even while the other needle was already jammed in his thighs, pumping loads and loads of wolfbane into his system in such a lethal dose that no wolf could survive it. “The fucker!” Kane yelled, kicking the syringe out of his hands. But it was too late; the damage had already been done, and the alpha fell on his side, white foam spewing from his mouth. Kane heard a dull thud, and he watched in slow motion as his mate crumpled to the floor beside her father. Wet trails of tears were still visible on her face, and he shook his head. “What have I done to deserve this?”Kane’s eyes were still bulging from the fact that he had just witnessed a fucking suicide before his eyes, and his heart rate was skyrocketing. He wasn’t a stranger to blood and gore; he was born in it, and all his life has been about blood and gore. However, the sight in front of him was so horrible that goosebumps broke all over his body, and Kane shivered despite the fact that the air was not even a bit cold. “What should we do about him, Alpha?" The voice of his beta was disrupting his thoughts, and Mason eyed the murder scene with distaste. Despite the massacre, the late alpha was a great man, but suicide was frowned upon in the werewolf world. “Light the pack on fire. The Moonlight pack is no more, but make sure to take everything that will be useful for the pack. I will be going now.” “Yes alpha.” Mason said, bowing his head as a sign of respect, until his eyes landed on the crumpled bundle on the floor. “What are we doing about her alpha? Are we killing her?” “Don’t touch
Kane was fleeing the room before she could ask any questions, his steps heavy as they pounded on the floor. “Fuck!” He wanted to scream his frustration out for anyone who cared to hear it, but he held himself back.He looked up as he heard the sound of various engines coming closer. It was his pack members—some in the car and some in their werewolf forms—running with their tongues out in excitement.Kane stood outside, waiting for them until everyone was complete, and he cleared his throat, demanding an audience.“Today, you all have shown your bravery and determination, and I have never been more proud of you.” His voice rang out between them, and they nodded in agreement. “You were once cast away from your various packs, but now you have proven that you could be more, and I have never been more proud of you.”The warrior’s chest puffed out as they began to chant their war song, and Kane was smiling from ear to ear.“Tonight, we shall wine and dine and celebrate our victory!”“Yey!!!”
“Dad?” Ariel called with a soft voice that had Kane’s hardened heart melting. He looked at the young girl, who seemed smaller for her age, and he was shaking his head in pity.He had asked his men to snoop around the pack house before they burned it, and they had discovered she was just 15 years old. He was 20, which means there was a five-year gap between them.It wasn’t all that much, yet as he looked at her innocent face, he couldn’t feel anything but pity for her.“Come.” Kane said, motioning to her. Ariel's eyes hardened as she looked at him, yet her legs seemed to have a kind of their own, and they made their way to him. But right now she was in a strange world and had no recollection of herself, and it was only this strange man that was radiating a comfortable warmth she could trust.Kane watched as she made her way to him, and he couldn’t help the smile on his face. The moment was, however, disrupted when his ear pricked and he heard panicked footsteps coming from afar.“Oh, my
Seven years later,Ariel was whistling the tune of the lost city as she took her shower. The shower head sprayed hot jets of water on her body, just as she liked it, and she sighed in bliss.She couldn’t believe that it had been seven years since she left for Australia, and soon she was going to write her final papers. She wondered how homecoming would be when she returned.Ariel couldn’t remember much from when she was little; apparently, she had an accident that affected her memory, but she lost her parents and was taken in by Kane, who was her guidance.But that was where it stopped; they had no bond with each other. During the period she had been here, she could count the number of times he had called her, and it wasn’t going to be up to all her fingers.She wasn’t exactly bothered by it, though; she didn’t need to have a good relationship with him as long as her account never lacked money, but all that she lacked in paternal care, Toby made up for it.Toby was the brightest ray o
Ariel sat with her legs stretched on her flight, enjoying all of the benefits first class has to offer. She popped a grapefruit in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully and nodding her head as the pleasure burst into her mouth, while her watchful eyes were training on the aisle, scanning for any celebrities she could notice.Claudia was going to kill her if she knew that she had entered the plane with celebrities and had refused to update her, and she couldn’t risk the wrath of her friend. There was no one on sight, so she contented herself by closing her personal door for the rest of the flight. As she sank into the chair-turned-bed, she couldn’t be more happy that she could afford a first-class ticket.The pilot’s voice was waking her from sleep as he made his announcement that they were getting ready for descent, and Ariel was shuffling in her seat, trying to arrange herself before the flight would start descending.She quickly typed a message for Toby, reminding him to come pick her up
Kane watched as the events unfolded before him in slow motion. He had just come back from a fierce battle that had left him more scarred than he would like, and he was livid.The only thing that has been keeping him sane is the fact that his mate is coming back home after so many years. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was nervous.He wondered about the changes that had occurred to her all the while she was outside the country, and he couldn’t help but want to see her.His wolf had been giddy all day long, dying to see his mate, and Kane, despite his outward disposition, shared the same fate.He had confirmed from Toby that she was sleeping peacefully in her room, and that was the only reason he had entered in his wolf form. Changing to human will slow down his healing.Kane had been trying to remove the splinter from his fur when he heard her footsteps even before she entered his room, and he had been praying to the moon goddess that she wouldn’t enter his room. But the moon goddes
The event that happened in Kane’s room has taken place for a day now, yet Ariel couldn’t get it out of her mind. Talk about one of the most unexpected ways to meet the man who had been her sole financier.Yet what she was feeling for the man wasn’t something you are supposed to feel for a guardian, and she was ashamed, to say the least.The next day, she tried to avoid Kane with all she had, staying up in her room, but she shouldn’t have bothered because Kane had made it his life mission not to come close to her.Ariel had taken to staying in her room and spending her time with Claudia, who always had a gist for her, while she was being waited on by the men in the house.“Oh my gosh!” Claudia exclaimed one day as one of the warriors dropped a tray of food in her room. “Who is that sexy piece of hot ass that just entered your room?”“Claudia!” Ariel shrieked, beyond mortified by her friend's outburst, and she was sure 'the sexy piece of ass' heard what she had said.“What?” Claudia rol
I don’t know why I thought opening my mouth and telling the whole world that I needed Toby was a good idea. Ariel thought as all pairs of brown, blue, and gray eyes were trained on her.Can the ground just open and swallow me?"Ariel?” Toby asked with a look of confusion, looking at her like she had lost her mind, and she agreed with him. Indeed, she has. “Alright everyone, training is over; you can go rest your lazy ass.” Toby said, and there was a collective sigh of relief from the lips of everyone.Ariel moved to the side, making way for them as they began to file out of the room, but not before giving her a once-over.Yep, she was sure they were judging her in their minds. Suddenly, the shorts she had worn were too short, the shirt too old, her posture too slouched, and she was sure there was a horrible pimple sticking out of her face, just ready to burst.“Ariel?” Toby's voice was breaking her thoughts, and she was grateful for that. “Come in.” He gestured inside, and she didn’t