“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 goddess. I am dead. Oh, my goddess, he will kill me.” The voice continued to ring out, proclaiming her demise, even though Kane had no intention of shortening her life span.
Just as he had thought, a knock went off on his door, and upon his verbal consent, the door opened quietly, as if afraid that the mere creaking of the door would anger him.
If this was what his pack members thought of him, Kane thought he would have to be more friendly.
“Alpha.” Denise peeped her head through the small opening of the door, and her worried eyes scanned around the room until they landed on the ones she had been looking for, and she released a little sigh of relief.
“Denise?” Kane looks at her with a slight annoyance. He wanted alone time with his mate and needed no one to disturb him. “What do you need?”
“I just wanted to check up on you. I know you have been quiet busy lately, and I just wanted to appreciate you for what you did.”
Kane rolled his eyes at the obvious flattery. “You lost her, right?” He said in a teasing voice, and Denise gulped before nodding her head.
“I am sorry. I went to get her food, and suddenly she was nowhere to be found. She doesn’t have any scent yet, and there was no way to track her.”
Kane dismissed her with a wave of his hands before she continued to ramble his ears off. “It is alright, but I expect you to do a better job next time.”
“Yes Alpha.” Denise lowered his head for a second longer than necessary, and she scurried out of the office, shutting the door in her wake.
“Are you hungry?” Kane said, directing his attention to his mate. She has been quiet throughout their conversation, and she merely shrugged her shoulders, refusing to utter a word.
Everything was so confusing to her that trying to make sense of it was giving her a splitting headache, yet she was drawn to this man beside her.
Kane took her reluctance as a yes, and he messaged one of his men to arrange a meal for her. He will need to hold a meeting with his friends to discuss what he is going to do with her. He can’t possibly keep her here in a rogue pack of 99.9% men.
He wanted her to explore the world and, more importantly, to grow up; in his head, she was just a young girl he had taken under his care and not his mate.
His thought was disrupted when he heard a knock on the door and a male warrior entered, balancing a tray on his hand.
"Alpha, you called.”
“Yes, thank you. Just place it on the table.” Kane said, gesturing to the table, and the man left it there before hurrying out of the way.
Ariel needed no prompting before she was walking towards the table and eating from it. She couldn’t care if it was going to be poisoned; her belly needed to be filled.
She pushed back the plate and moved to sit down away from him, but after staring into space for a long time, she dozed off to sleep.
***
“Why did he call us here?” Toby asked, his eyebrows rising in question. He had been relaxing on his bed, playing a game, when Kane messaged him that he wanted to see him.
“I am not sure; I have an idea, but we may never know.” Mason said, his face stoic as ever. All he could think of was how Kane got mad when he suggested they killed the girl from the pack, and he was sure she was his mate.
“I have something to do; he should be...” The door opened before Toby could complete his words, and he was standing up as if he had been struck by lightning. “Kane, you are here.”
Kane glanced from his Beta to his Gamma, his eyebrows furrowed in a frown, and he shook his head. “I need your help.”
“Alright, how can we help you?”
Kane sat on the edge of the bed while the rest had made themselves comfortable on the only piece of furniture he had, and he leaned forward. “I have found my mate.”
He looked at his closest friends as he dropped the bombshell, and he almost laughed as he saw Toby’s expression.
If the situation wasn’t so serious, he would have whipped out his phone and taken a picture. “The hell.” Toby’s dramatic ass was standing up before he could think of it. “You are lying.”
Kane gave him the side eye, not so fond of his words; there are many things he could be, but a liar wasn’t them.
“Does it look like a joke?” His mouth was in a thin line as he glanced at his beta. Mason's face was a blank slate, showing no emotions, and he was sure he suspected it before.
“Who is she?” Mason spoke just to confirm his doubt, and Kane gave him a look that confirmed all he knew.
“What the hell is going on? I want in on the gist.” Toby whined like a spoiled child, and Kane was rolling his eyes.
How did he even become his Gamma?
“You don’t know how, but I will introduce her to you when the time is right.” Kane explained, straightening his back. “Anyways, that is beside the point. She can’t stay here; she is too young to be here, and honestly, I am not ready for a mate now.”
“Hmmm.” Mason stroked his clean-shaved jaw. “I don’t think that is all to it; there is something you are not telling us.”
Kane released a sharp breath, cursing himself for being so easy to read, and he released a sigh. “She has no idea she is a werewolf.”
Toby’s eyes widened to the point that they bore great resemblance to a saucer. “If this is a joke, Kane, I suggest you stop it. How can she not know who she is?”
Kane released a weary sigh, already developing a headache from the long talk. He had called them to propose a solution to his dilemma, yet he was the one doing most of the talking. “It is a long story, but the summary of the point is that her father poisoned her wolf, and it is no more.”
“I see, but you can always reverse it.” Mason suggested.
“I know, but I don’t think I want to do that. It is better she doesn’t know.”
“Hmmm.” Toby was going to say something in protest, but he saw the look on Kane’s face, and decided against it. “I have a friend in a pack in Australia, and they will be happy to watch over her if you like.”
"Mason, do you have any idea?” Mason shook his head for a no. He had a lot to say, but it would probably anger Kane, so it was best not to say it. “Alright, it is settled.” Kane declared.
For the next two days, Kane made himself scarce to Ariel while he allowed Toby to fill her head with talks of Australia.
He had already come up with a suitable lie to give her. She was an orphan, and he found her and decided to take care of her, but he had seen a scholarship opportunity in Australia, and he believed she was the best fit.
Ariel had been sold on the lie, eager to explore another country, and she had no problem believing it. And the following weekend, Toby was escorting her to the airport and bidding her farewell as she set out to begin a new life in an unknown place.
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
"You have been avoiding me." Ariel grumbled as she looked at Kane. The latter looked at her like a deer caught in a trap, and Ariel had no plans of letting this deer go.“I don’t think so.” Kane argued, doing everything in his power to avoid looking into her eyes. He knew it only took one look before he was sucked into the hole that was Ariel, and he didn’t think he was ready for that now."Yes, you are.” Ariel repeated, tucking her arms into themselves to appear menacing while she inches closer to him.“No, I am not; if you would excuse me, I have some things to attend to.” Kane said, and he moved to the other side, trying to pass around her.“At least, you should have the decency to look me in the eyes if you want to lie to me. Don’t you think?” Ariel huffed, not at all impressed with his performance.Kane’s patience was already hanging on a thin thread, but he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He needed to keep reminding himself that Ariel wasn’t a werewolf and that she h
Kane had been working around the clock for so long that he decided to take a break today before he collapsed. There was a war brewing between some Latina gangs, and it meant good business for him, so he had been trying to supply them with the weapons.But right now, he is stretched thin.The suppliers were acting up and refusing to keep the end of their deal, and he had to go there physically to solve the issue.He thought that was all it took for him to receive a call from Mason that the American government was becoming strict with their rules and he could no longer operate business as usual.Last week was a whole lot, but he had managed to keep his end of the bargain, everyone was happy, and he had decided to give himself the day off, and maybe he could go and see his mate.Kane had been so busy that he hadn’t allowed himself to think of her; otherwise, he was going to be taking the next available flight to run back to her.But now that he was around, he would try to get to know her
Ariel looked at the door as Kane left, and she was almost foaming from her mouth. Her fist tightened in anger, and she wanted to do something.Like punch the wall or scream her lungs out."Gosh, I hate him.” Does he think he owns her just because he is her caretaker? Newsflash, she didn’t ask to be adopted.She may seem like she is ungrateful, but that is the truth.“Shhh, don’t say that.” Toby tried to caution her, but Ariel was not hearing anything of it.“Oh, what is he going to do?” She asked, rolling her eyes. She was tempted to open the door and give him a reply, but she held herself back and turned to Toby. “I am sorry for what happened.” She apologized to him, but he was shaking his head.“It is fine; I should be the one apologizing. I knew it was going to cause trouble, yet I still allowed it. I will be taking my leave now.” Toby didn’t even give her a chance to reply before he was walking out of the room and leaving her alone, speechless.Ariel stared at the empty space; her