2

Opening the back door of the dungeon, I climbed up the stairs to enter the packhouse. My steps were quick and fast but I was not running. When I reached in front of Alpha's study, I grabbed the handle, inhaled a deep breath, and pushed it open.

The first thing I saw was a strong body shivering on the ground with ragged breaths escaping his mouth. Alpha Wyatt.

Liam was lying right next to him on his back. The empty bowl of dessert lay on the ground. Liam must have taken a bite out of the dessert to convince the alpha it’s not poisonous. 

Alpha Wyatt’s green eyes shot to me, his mouth opened, trying to say something but nothing came out except a struggling moan as if he wanted my help. But then his eyes gradually became clearer, recovering from the madness. He knows.

I slowly walked toward him, my heart beating fast and loud in my ears. I could not tear my eyes away from the scared look in Alpha Wyatt’s eyes.

As I got closer, Alpha Wyatt gathered enough strength to speak, “I am going to- ki- kill you both. I will burn you alive!”

I wished that in these past five years he had shown a moment of hesitation when he raised his hands to hit me when he would find different ways to inflict more pain on my body when he would make me cut myself up until my whole body was drenched in blood. He had been the monster I could not escape, and now… he had turned me into a monster who could not let him escape.

Liam had started to gather his motions again. The paralyzer in the dessert was wearing off of him quickly since he hadn’t eaten much. He pulled out a dagger from his pocket, offering it to me,

“Let's end it all today. Together,” he stated quietly. 

“D- don’t.” Alpha Wyatt’s eyes had widened dramatically. His whole body was paralyzed but he could not hide the fear in his eyes anymore, “I will- I will make you the luna! Don’t kill me. I will-”

“And you think I want that?” Somehow I was amused by his offer, my hand gripping the hilt of the dagger tightly.

He choked on his own voice, trying to be coherent. 

“Kill him instead.” Alpha Wyatt spluttered out, “Kill him. I will give you everything! Don’t kill me! I will never harm you again. I will help you become powerful.”

I stared into those lively green eyes for the last time, except this time, it was Alpha Wyatt who was begging for mercy.

The wounds on my body were hurting a little less for some reason now. The pain suddenly disappeared and getting replaced with an overwhelming feeling I could not recognize. 

I came near him. That unfamiliar feeling grasped me, controlling my body. I’m not alone here. It’s as if my mom and dad are present, looking at me with pride in their eyes. Mom wearing that same floral dress, smiled and nodded. “Hi, mom,” I whispered. Wyatt looked at me like I’m going crazy. 

“Now you’re barking like a good dog.” I turned to him and whispered. Then without hesitation, I lifted up the dagger and brought it down at once, piercing through Alpha Wyatt’s heart directly. The blood splattered on the ground and all around us. The blood ran down his chest, but he did not move. I could see his pupils were beginning to dilate. He desperately shivered for a couple of seconds and then stopped, his body went stock still like a rock.

***

The faint sound of the door getting opened snatched my attention.

“Feeling okay?” Liam walked in with a small smile.

I nodded my head as he got closer and sat down on his knees on the ground in front of me. His hands grasped mine, his gaze earnestly staring up at me, “Everything is under my control now, Mia.”

“Do you feel alright?” I asked gently.

“The effect of the paralyzer already wore off hours ago. I don’t feel anything wrong,” he muttered as his fingers tightened around mine. He paused for a moment, and then whispered, “Mia, will you be mine now?”

My body stiffened at his words, “Liam, we aren’t mates.”

Liam looked down at his chest to hide his face. Then he lifted up his head slowly, looking at me with a cold stare. “You and I have been together since childhood. You and I are the ones who are meant to end up together, no matter what happens in the end. Even if your mate appeared, I will kill him.”

My heart stopped for a few moments. I could not even breathe. 

I want to be as sure as him. I want to stop this voice inside me telling me this is wrong. I can easily deceive him, telling him I feel the same way as he does. He would be over the moon hearing that. I can lie to the only person who truly cares for me.

But in the end, My gaze gingerly fell upon him, and muttered “Even if I don’t feel the same?”

“Even so,” He answered. “It'll grow on you eventually,” he forced a smile.

“I’ll think about it.” I shoved down every little voice telling me not to agree while pulling my hands out of his grasp, “I promise that I’ll give you the answer tomorrow.”

A knock came at the door. 

“Come in.” Liam said out loud.

A warrior of our pack stepped in, bowing first and then saying, “Alpha Alessio is here, beta Liam.”

Liam nodded his head in acknowledgment. The warrior went outside.

Liam’s face immediately lit up. Standing up from the ground he looked at me, “Change your clothes. Alpha Alessio is our ally now. I had talked to him about a peace treaty and he had agreed to it. We need to welcome him.”

***

When I came out of the packhouse, all the eyes followed me. The pack members had gathered outside, the look in their gazes when they followed each of my steps was of fear and surprise. 

As I walked past them, each and every one of them fell silent. It was a strange feeling, one I had not felt in a very long time, even when I was the most feared and powerful wolf in the pack. It was a feeling of not being alone, of being needed.

Liam extended his hand towards me as I got closer, helping me come stand right next to him.

“Meet the new Luna of our pack.” he announced proudly and wrapped his arm around my waist, “I and Mia will be the ruler of this pack from now on.”

Apparently, my answer is not needed. Deep down I’m offended by his arbitrary style but still forced a smile. Liam has helped me in a lot of ways, I can’t go against him publically.

There were no surprised gasps, only deafening silence. There were whispers and low voices but none of them were loud enough to raise any objection.

“I can see them now!” a guard standing a few feet away from us shouted loudly.

Surprised, my eyes turned to the direction he was pointing, wondering what he meant. Within a few moments, several little dots started to appear in the distance. Moving dots. As they got closer, the dots became bigger and clearer.

Something felt off.

There were too many cars and trucks coming our way from a distance. Hundreds of them. I panicked and glanced at Liam whose face had gone pale. 

As the breeze became powerful, a strange, attractive scent of lavender slipped past my nose, almost intoxicating. I forgot to breathe for a few seconds, taking in my favorite kind of scent. My stupor broke when the sounds of vehicles increased and I realized… something was about to happen and it was not right. Panic struck me instantly, anxiety and nervousness. What the hell was going on?!

The long line of cars and trucks came to a stop a few feet away from us. A grand, black limousine stood in the center, the door opened, and a man stepped out.

Even from a distance, I could feel his powerful aura. I had never come across someone like him who did not even need to utter a word to show his strength. I could feel his presence like a physical force.

And I did not know why, but an intoxicating, deep attraction was spreading inside me- something that I had never experienced before. I immediately shook it off. What the hell was wrong with me?!

But then, with each step he took towards us, I felt Liam’s body getting tensed. And it was not just nervousness, I could feel that something was wrong. 

“Liam?” I called out to him, worried.

“I had requested for his support, Mia.” he murmured in a soft voice, “I did not want to encounter attacks on us as soon as we took over the rule. That is why I made a treaty with him. He will give us protection and in exchange, we will give him our unconditional support in all his future decisions.”

Alpha Alessio was called one of the wonders of our world. Within three years of his taking over the rule, he had won over hundreds of packs. No one, ever in werewolf history had ever been able to achieve this even in their whole lives. 

I had never met him. I had only heard about him from the rumors. I did not even know who he was but Liam had talked about him in the past, telling me that he was a clever man, dangerous, but not entirely unreasonable.

“I hadn’t thought he would be bringing so many warriors for a peace treaty,” Liam murmured to me, tensed from head to toe.

As Alpha Alessio got closer to us, I saw his face for the first time. He had a strong jawline and a straight nose, a little crooked as if he had been broken once or twice. The side of his neck showed a thin scar running from the corner of his ear and down to the side of his neck and disappearing into the black t-shirt that he wore. His large frame was at least three inches bigger than Liam, standing at six feet, some inches tall and the color of his skin was fairer than any other man I had ever seen. His unruly dark hair fell on his forehead and down to his neck. His thin lips were curved into a slight smile, and his eyes were sparkling with amusement. 

“You aren’t going to greet me?” he asked Liam with a smirk.

My eyes snapped up from Alpha Alessio’s feet and slowly dragged up until I met his eyes. The moment I met his dark eyes, my whole body went stock still and a rush of emotions ran through me like I had swallowed a bucket of cold water and there was electricity running through every vein in my body. My heart thumped harder than ever and suddenly, my usually silent wolf raised became active, 

‘MATE.’ my wolf whispered.