37. Waste Of Time “He could have provided us with more information, Jake!” His father seethed angrily and snatched the bag of sack from his hands.Jake responded to it with a roll of his eyes and a straight face taunting smile, “As if he was scared of your rage, sir. If he had more to share then he should have done it long back when we abducted him from his hideout.”“That still does not give you the right to kill a rogue like that, Jake Ragnar. You will never become a good alpha if you continue behaving in that manner.” Jake suppressed his rising anger and turned away.His father was not helping him at all. The reason for coming here was to get a break from Aria’s thoughts. She haunted his thinking and everywhere he looked he saw her face. Her tearful eyes and that complaining gaze bothered him so much that when he heard his father talking with one of the wolves about going on a hunt to gather some information from a rogue, he insisted and convinced his father to join them.Alpha t
38. Preparing for a war Jake was speechless. His ragged breathing was enough of an answer though. "This thing in my hand you're seeing is not just any simple ash, Jake," Alpha said. "This is found in the cursed willow forest where only the bravest of souls would dare to tread. The portal to the cursed willow forest is in the forest of the dead in our pack."He gave Jake his hand and picked him up. He helped dust his clothes and combed his air with his finger before patting his shoulder, encouraging him to move along. Jake was still in a state of trauma and his unsettled heartbeats made his surprise obvious. His father bit his lips. He went a little too hard on him. 'I should not have let the ash soldiers lose on him like that!' He thought as he saw Jake walk beside him silently. The sweat on his forehead was constantly increasing. "Jake," Alpha called him. "Shocked?" "I am, well not because they nearly had me. But because the other alpha is in a stronger position than us if he re
39. Weak, Intolerable Human, Aria Wright."A marriage with your son?" Alpha Killian's pupils amplified in daze."Yeah, with my middle son, Caleb." Arthur made a disgusted face. "Though he was mad when I pitched the plan to him that it can be temporary if Zavier ever agreed. He straightaway said no. Caleb also threatened me that he'd have multiple lovers and mistresses if I forced him to marry Zavier's daughter.""Has he seen Aria before?""I don't think so, but he thinks she's ugly weak girl and he needs no such girl as his future partner.""Did Caleb find his second chance mate? As far as I know, your son rejected his first mate." Alpha asked.To which Arthur nodded in a no with a sour expression, "He doesn't want a destined mate. Caleb's mindset is weird. He wants to settle down with the girl he falls in love with. And that little, worthless, human bitch of Zavier is the last girl he wants to think about."Al
40. My Little Mate, You're Stuck With Me!She charged at him with full force. Her hands pushed against his chest and began to draw him out of the boundary of her bedroom. Noah didn't stop her. He let her take her way with him as he patiently allowed her to clip him to the wall across from the door of her bedroom."Now happy? I am out of your bedroom's boundary." He said with an edge of boredom.Aria shook her head in no as she threw spears of raw vexation at him. "I want you out of my house and away from its perimeter. Why the hell did you come here again?"Every molecule in her body intended to show that he was uninvited and unwanted in her life. She pressed her hands harder at his chest, hoping that it would earn a wince of pain but all he did was stare at her with a 'if you are done then let me know' look on his face."To talk to your father." He replied and her eyes stalled on his face for a second."Then what are you d
41. A Murder At The SchoolWith a bandana around his forehead, his face was set emotionlessly as he focused on exercising deep breathing. His black t-shirt was sweat-soaked and track pants clenched his legs tightly. She didn't want to be caught gawking at him surreptitiously and hence, she maintained a confident posture and walked inside. She didn't have to make her presence known as she stepped inside, Noah spun around. He stopped the treadmill and leaned backwards, his hands folding and eyes narrowing in pure amazement. Even then, there was a hint of a small smile on his lips. "So?" He started. "What brings my deceptive mate here in the gym room?" Her breaths seemed to have solidified in her throat. He was... Distracting her. Aria never assumed that a mate bond would work between them. She was a human, incapable of noticing his scent or feeling his emotions yet she was getting affected. Her fingertips became numb and her lips surged with a tingling sensation. Out of nowhere she
42. Preparing To Go Back Home New Zealand"Alpha," Jake was relishing the soft embrace of the couch while watching a random cartoon on the television when he heard one of the soldiers scream for his father. His voice held a need for attention that he could not ignore. Craning his neck upwards and to the side to look at the soldier padding forward hastily, Jake raised himself on his elbow as his curious gaze followed him. His father was in a room they have transformed into a small office in the corridor right across from the living room. The soldier rushed inside it and provided his salutation before he said, "Alpha, there's a huge problem in the pack."Jake lowered the volume of the cartoon and concentrated on the soldier's breathing. It was ragged and his heart was galloping in terror as if he missed a wooden dagger just by an inch. He was forced to peel out of the couch and make a beeline towards the soldier. "Brent sent a message?!" Jake saw his father standing across a round ta
43. Worried For Aria!That was understandable. In fact, after Jake heard about the professor's death, he was certain they might come across some heavily loaded men and have a combat before they reached back to Texas. Always after such unexpected deaths, more predicaments followed. Bruises on hands and bandages around neck, shoulders and stomach were inevitable.He was ready for it and the fact that Aria was going to be investigated for a murder she was not related with caused his composure more damage. He could easily sunder some esophagus from the stomachs of a few if at all they charged on them.Besides this, he was all over the place because he thought there was some connection of Professor Springham with Derwin Blaze, the dangerous alpha that was preparing for a war with their pack."Dad," Jake broke his father's deep trance with a snap of his fingers. "What could our boring looking professor have to do with Derwin Blaze?
44. Let Me LearnJake did fall asleep during the flight and it was his father that shook him once they landed in Texas. He woke up with a jolt and looked around himself, on autopilot, for threat as if they were attacked in the air on the plane."We have landed, son," Jake looked at his front at his father's wary eyes beaming at him. "Our chauffeur is here to take you home. Get up and get going.""To take me home?" Jake parroted as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. After flexing his shoulders and doing a minute long neck stretching, he got up on his strong legs and gestured to his father to follow him, "Let's go to the crime scene.""What the!" Alpha Killian disappointedly followed him.His eyes were red-rimmed from lack of sleep. There was a touch of wariness in his walk and his strong and broad shoulders were slightly slumped. If being the alpha he was so exhausted, he can only imagine how tired his son would be. All that he wanted at the momen
123Jake's POV The last time I felt humiliated in my life was when— I clearly remember that day like it happened yesterday— I was an eight year old child and in a summer camp. My father had accompanied me as it was a condition of the camp to have at least one parent coming with their child.Mom was usually committed to pre-scheduled parties with other Lunas and was too stubborn to cancel them for a camp which she stated would be too boring for her. But I wanted to go as all my friends were going. That's when dad canceled some of his meetings, which as an alpha he shouldn't have, and came with me.The part where I felt utterly humiliated was when I was reciting the poem I've written for my father. It was a task given to all the children. We were asked to write either an essay or a poem for our parents. I wanted to outshine other kids and show that I was a future alpha, and hence, I chose to write a rhyming poem while everyone else stuck with writing an essay.And as I was extremely eag
122. "My father only loves his reputation and power. Don't worry about him. He would hardly feel bad if I left." I remarked with no expression. "But he's your father. How could you—" "You can't convince me to stay, Harry. I've made up my mind. I'm going to take them down, no matter what it costs." "Uncle Zavier will not appreciate this. I don't think he would like it if he knows you're joining the war he himself is staying away from." Harry shook his head clearly indicating that he wasn't going to take me along. It made my anger worse. I seethed and grabbed the front of his shirt. "I'm not a child anymore. I'm a warrior and this is my fight. Don't try to take that away from me, Harry. If dad wants to stay away then it is his choice. I can't leave my family to thrive alone when I know I have the ability to and I can help them win."Harry remained firm on his words but the need to get away from this pack and its people made me try harder to convince him. "You don't know what it's
121The addition she made regarding Jake made my eyes burn. I felt my limbs quivering. That all-encompassing feeling of pain washed over me again and I found myself staring at Harry, who was watching me have a battle with my wolf. "It's okay if you don't believe me, Aria. But maybe this will help you know I am not making up stories." He said as he passed his phone to me. I took it with shaking hands and played the video that was on pause. A corrosive pain shot up my spine and burst forth in my entire body. My knees gave way, and I fell on the floor. My agonized sobs bounced off the walls as I cried my heart out. I desperately wished it wasn’t true, but like every other cruel reality I’ve faced, the video was undeniably real.Jake was talking about me in the video with Kai and Neil. They were teasing him by taking my name and he rolled his eyes. They asked if it was genuine this time but Jake laughed out loud and said he wouldn't be tolerating me if I wasn't my father's daughter.I
120"Let me start from the start, Aria. That way you'll get a better idea of what I'm trying to tell you... Actually, our grandfather used to be one of the greatest and strongest Alphas of his time. He had a huge flourishing pack named Berrywood Pack. All of us were happy in our lives, and then, one day your father came to visit our pack to help us.""Rogues have always been a problem, Aria. They were a little more daring in the past than they are now. In the past, they would just pick up any she-wolf or girl child they liked and had their way with them. Or worse, pick an entire pack and threaten them to send a woman on a daily basis to them. And if their conditions weren't agreed with, they would declare war. That's why your father was invited by our grandfather to kill these rampant rogues and finish their terror forever."Harry's eyes gleamed as he went on, "None of us knew that your father would find his mate in our pack, and that it would be none other than the Alpha's Daughter,
119Aria's POVMy fingers twitched and my forearms numbed from the onset of overwhelming emotions that surged through my body. My face was tingling and my jaw had become stiff. I couldn't move my jaw, much less part it and breathe.I was desperately struggling to regain control but I felt as though I was pushed, head deep, in freezing water. And no matter how much I struggled to come back on the surface, it was futile.A point came when I fell on my side and ended up curling myself into a ball. I covered my head with my hands, my entire body buzzing with a tingling sensation.Was this death? Is this how it felt when your soul left your body?I won't know whether or not it was death because the moment I willingly closed my eyes to accept the end of my life— which I thought it was— I sensed warm arms lifting me up.My body teetered as someone held me close to a warm chest and began to walk. The foul smell of garbage began to drift away, indicating that I was being carried away to a bette
118Aria's POVAfter leaving my house and Kai and Daisy in it, I rushed into a dark alley to cry my heart out. I was in pain I couldn't narrate. My heart was hurting from Jake's ignorance while my body vibrated from the after-effects of my mate's force used on me. My life went from bright to dark overnight. I was made to pay for a mistake I didn't even commit. My wolf was howling for respite. We both needed some rest. All these hours we tolerated since the morning has taken a toll on her. However, we refused to relax. Not now. Not when our eyes were blazing with the fire of revenge. Melody and I have vowed to not sit quiet until we settled scores with Noah Rhodes. That bastard caught us off guard. He attacked me when I was not prepared. But now my veins were fueled with aggression, my limbs aching to fight back. My mind was compelling me to use all the tricks I have learned from my father through intense training. I moved in the darkness as I made my way to Noah's house in search o
117"How dare you play such a trick on me?" Noah's voice bounced off the walls. He picked up Aria from over the broken bed and clutched her hair tightly, making her wail. He pulled them in a merciless joke as his canines surfaced. His muscles convulsed in fury as he brought his face closer to Aria, "It was Jake's idea, wasn't it? He asked you to do this to trouble me.""Aah!" Aria's body was a huge ball of pain. She tapped on his wrist so he would let go. Alas, enraged like an uncontrollable bull, Noah tossed her across the room again. Aria fell on her weak study table, crushing it under her. She hissed with thick tears streaming out of her eyes as a pointed piece of wood pierce her inner thigh. Noah didn't show any pity as he raised her by her hair again. Her scalp ached as a thousands brightly blinking stars burst across her vision. "I detest Moon goddess for mating me with a gold digging whóre like you. You are despicable and..." His words faded out as Aria's senses spun into
116Aria walked on the quiet road on light feet. She was feeling cold and had to wrap her arms around herself. The winds were piercing into her skin and the dust it carried swirled around her. She shuffled her feet ahead with teary eyes as she wondered where to go.She just returned from the club she heard the girls mention in the library. It turned out that Jake left an hour before she reached there. Then she went to his home, the alpha mansion. Unfortunately, there were a dozen expensive cars lining outside the mansion. The alpha probably had visitors, and thus she couldn't gather up the courage to walk into that house while powerful people occupied it.There could be one, if not all, disliking her father. She was too frightened to appear in front of any such person who could take a dig at her to humiliate the most feared hunter in the pack. That being said, she left without meeting Jake.Now as she started her walk to nowhere, she reminiscenced the times she spent with Jake. He had
115. Truth out in front of Daisy "I hate her for hurting Lana, Kai. I will never forgive her."She banded her hands around his waist stiffly and wailed. "She not only cheated on Jake and my sister but on me too. I trusted and loved her just like Lana. Why did she have to do that? She was very well versed with the fact that Noah was dating my sister. But she still kissed him." Kai chewed the inside of his cheek agitatedly. He wished to tell her about Noah and Aria being each other's mate but he bit it down. It wasn't his place to tell her. But he definitely needed to make her see some sense and not entirely blame Aria for the kiss. "Do you realize this wouldn't have happened if Aria didn't go to the old age home with you?" "What are you insinuating, Kai Sinclair? Do you want to say that I influenced Aria to do that." Daisy's voice hardened ruthlessly. "All I'm saying is that Aria isn't the only one who you should condemn. Noah is equally—" "What's wrong with you, Kai?" Daisy pus