Astra pov ...
I promptly inclined my head as the two men who had captured me walked forward. From the corner of my eye, I watched as they bowed, then one of them said:
"She was found loitering at the border of our pack, my alpha. We guessed she was a spy, trying to gain information about our security at the perimeter."
I heard the alpha grunt as I stared at the grass close to his feet. "And you think bringing a spy into our borders was the best choice? Don't you think you are giving her more opportunity to learn about our security inside the perimeter?"
"I...we didn't think—" I felt rather than heard one of the men shuffle uncomfortably.
"Shouldn't one of you have sent word to me while the other stayed by the "spy" at the border? Couldn't you have, oh I don't know, killed her there, perhaps?" I heard the alpha continue. His voice had a mocking edge to it now. I could almost see the half-smile on his beautiful face.
"We're...sorry, alpha—"
"That's alright," the alpha said. "Leave her be. I'll take it from here."
I heard one of the werewolves let out a soft gasp. "But alpha, she might be a spy..."
"Yes," the other responded. "I vote for decapitating her on the spot..."
"No decapitation shall be done!" The alpha commanded authoritatively. "You both have done enough damage by bringing a potential spy into our borders. I'll deal with her now."
"But alpha—" I heard one of the men protest, then his protest was cut short. I imagined the alpha giving him a forbidding look. The men bowed to him again, then they turned and walked away.
Slowly I looked up, my eyes trailing the beautiful statue of a mam from feet to face, and I was drawn into his striking brown eyes again. His face was hard and grim, although I could tell that something soft was beneath it and he was only putting up a show.
"Get up," he commanded, and I scrambled to my feet. He was already walking across the garden and towards the large pack house, and I had no choice but to follow.
We continued to walk in silence—I was at least five feet behind him—until we got inside the pack house, where he promptly led me to the large staircase that led up. I half-expected him to lead me up those stairs, but instead, he walked towards a door on the side of the grand staircase.
The cellar.
What in the name of the Goddess—
He kicked open the door and a cloud of dust billowed out of the room. I looked at him, then the dusty room, then back at him, my anger rearing its ugly head again.
"Get in," he ordered, jerking his head towards the cellar.
"I am not an animal," I said through gritted teeth.
"How dare—" He started, then reined in his rage. "Get in, now."
"I am not a spy, either." I protested. "I do not deserve this."
"Your status in this pack is left for me to decide." He retorted. "But for now, get in and stay there while I think of what to do with you."
"I'm sure there's an A in your name for 'Asshole'" I grumbled as I bent my head to enter into the cellar. Once inside, he bent so that he was eye-level with me.
"My pack members are already very averse to spies, and if they see you, they won't hesitate to rip your insides out with their fangs." He murmured. "This is the safest place you can be."
"Asshole!" I yelled as he shut the door in my face.
I stayed holed up in the cellar for Goddess knew how long, bored shitless and hungry as hell. I couldn't tell how long I'd been in there; all that kept me company was the rumble of footsteps above my head as people walked up and down the stairs. My mind never left my home pack, where I'd lived all my life as Noah's friend and subsequently his mate, even though my body was in a cellar several miles from home.
I was already dozing off, suspended in that space between sleep and wakefulness, when the cellar door opened with a bang, hitting my shin. "Ow!" I groaned and held my leg tight, grimacing.
A face peeked into the darkness of the small room. "Come on," a voice said. "The alpha is asking of you."
I crawled towards the door on all fours and stood as I walked out. It was nighttime already, as a chandelier and several candles had been lit close to the cellar. I squinted as the person led me away from the cellar and towards a grand, gold-painted door.
"Where are you taking me to?" I asked.
"The alpha asked for you to have dinner with him," the lady turned to me and looked me up and down with barely-concealed disdain. "For reasons best known to him." She added under her breath.
I bristled with annoyance as she turned away before I could retort. "Won't you at least let me shower before meeting your beloved alpha?" I asked instead. "I'm covered from head to toe in cobwebs."
"That will not be necessary," she said as we reached the gold-painted door and a guard ushered us in.
I was taken aback with awe as we walked in. "Whoa," I murmured under my breath, taking in the high ceiling painted with murals, the walls which were ringed with french windows, the glass-cut chandelier glinting with a thousand different colours, and finally, the long table with a golden tablecloth on it and the beautiful god of a man that sat on one end of it.
He was eating when we walked in, cutleries clinking. He stopped chewing and looked up, then waved the woman who had brought me in with one hand. I moved to walk towards the table but he stopped me with one hand. Taken aback again, I stopped short.
"I didn't call you here to eat with me." He said, swallowing the last bit of food in his mouth. "I have questions."
"Shoot, then." I replied, eyebrows raised.
"What pack are you from?" He asked.
"Why do you need to know?" I countered.
"Why are you here?" The alpha asked again.
"I—" I stopped short, the ache in my heart reigniting as I remembered why exactly I was here. Noah had rejected me as his mate, treated me as something less than vermin.
"I was—" I said and gasped as tears rushed to my eyes. I bit my lips to hold back my sobs and grabbed a nearby chair, trying to steady my emotions.
"Pull yourself together, woman." I heard the alpha say, but his voice was soft, almost sympathetic.
I did; taking a shaky breath, I wiped the few stray tears that had fallen from my eyes and met his gaze bravely. "I was accused of something I knew nothing about, and my...the alpha banished me."
"Is that why you decided to come to my pack?" He murmured, his voice almost inaudible.
I nodded in assent, and he stared at me for several seconds, his expression unreadable. Then he pushed his chair back with a loud creak and walked towards me, his brown-eyed gaze never leaving mine. I backed up until my back hit a wall, but he was relentless. He didn't stop until there was merely a few inches between us.
He was so close that his long hair tickled my nose. I could feel his breath warm my face, and my eyes fluttered shut in bliss as his scent found its way into my nose. Dahlia, I thought, as my senses went amok with him all around me.
His hand snaked up and gripped my neck, turning my face upwards so that it was even closer to his. He bent downwards, and I was disappointed as instead of a kiss on my lips, he sniffed my hair instead.
Pervert!
I tried to push him away, but he was as unrelenting as a rock. He sniffed once, then twice, and suddenly my wolf reared its head inside of me, sniffing along with with him. Then something clicked inside of me, and I felt a completion as I'd never felt before.
"My mate," the alpha whispered, and my world went to golden pieces around me.
Ramsey's POV"My mate," I whispered, and my inner wolf leapt for joy.Her eyes widened as I said those words, and I caught myself melting in their deep-brown intensity. The ecstasy inside of me was unmatched: In a sudden twist of fate and destiny, the Moon Goddess had given me my mate. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her there for forever. My mate, however, had other ideas. "You pervert!" She yelled and pushed against my chest until I took a step back, and then she staggered towards the dining room door. I watched as she fumbled with the doorknob for a few moments, then gave up and slid towards the ground.I immediately crossed the room and crouched beside her before she hit the ground. I took her in my arms and pulled her to my chest as she shivered."It can't be..." She murmured, her voice muffled by my shirt. "It can't be....""It is, Peach." I whispered. "The Moon Goddess blessed us with each other."She leaned away from my chest and searched my face, her eyes darting
Astra’s POVMate?Is he joking? That would be the last word I would love to hear after everything alpha Noah did to me, he couldn’t believe his mate and decided to believe that wrench over me, he should have known she is a liar and wants him but he was blind and her words were more meaningful to him than whatever I had to say to him. My wolf whimpered at the back of my head when she heard the word mate and I almost rolled my eyes, she easily forgot what we have gone through and why we are here now, we wouldn’t have been a rogue if our first mate didn’t decide to believe a whore over us. His eyes pierced into mine and his gaze was focused, probably hoping to see a false trait in me, he held my jaws gently and I tried to move away from him but I couldn’t as his grip was suddenly tight. “Why are you mated to me?” he suddenly asked the most ridiculous question ever, I was supposed to be asking that question, I don’t need a mate now. The goddess chooses the wrong time to bless her child
Astra’s POV “Astra”I remembered telling him my name the previous night, I woke up stretching my body and I felt unnecessarily good. I stood up from the bed and remove the curtain binds. I suddenly screeched when I noticed someone in my roomZoe bow her head before me and I was still trying to catch my breathe after screaming so horrified “You don’t do that Zoe, I was scared to death” I said and she chuckled slightly covering her mouth up when she noticed my brows were arched at her she stopped laughing immediately “I am sorry ma’am, I wanted to help with your bath before waking you up but you woke up before I could do that” she apologize and I nodded“It’s fine and I am not ma’am, you can call me Astra,” I said and she arched her brows disapprovingly “I prefer ma’am” she stated “I don’t like being addressed that way, it makes me feel old and I don’t think our ages are that far apart” I replied “We have different status…okay, I will call you Lady Astra, Miss Astra. Any of the two
Astra’s POVIt’s been a few days I started living in the moonstone pack, everything has been okay except for Luna Eleanor who seems not to like me, I can’t really say why she doesn’t like me and as much as I didn’t want to be bothered by it, it does bother me and I don’t know what to do. I stepped out of my room in the hope of having a walk around the pack, my stay in the pack so far has been boring, all I do is walk around the room. I suddenly saw Zoe approaching me with a wide smile on her face. “Good morning Lady Astra,” she said and I smiled kindly at her “Good morning Zoe, how was your night?”I asked “It was great, alpha Ramsey request breakfast with you,” Zoe said and I sigh. I thought Alpha Ramsey have been avoiding me, we haven’t talked or seen each other in the past few days “Okay,” I replied. We started walking down the stairs and Zoe was walking behind me, I suddenly saw Luna Eleanor walking towards me and I put on a smile immediately, I hope she will let the hate go
Astra’s POV “I would love to get myself busy with something,” I said as we walked through the field. Alpha Ramsay has requested a walk with me which I have granted. The sun was at the peak of its horizon shining mercilessly at us and that wasn’t enough to deter us from the long stroll. “What do you want to do? Is the pack boring for you?”Alpha Ramsey asked tilting his head to look at me “Yes, all I do is stay indoors always, perhaps I can engage in something to make the day more beautiful and have more expectations on the following days” I replied and Alpha Ramsey chuckled “Then what do you want to do? I’m sure I asked that before” Alpha Ramsey said and I stopped walking turning to give him my attention, he stopped walking too. “Well, I don’t know. Something enticing that a woman can engage in” I replied shrugging and he sighed “You can ask Zoe to give you a list of things you can engage in, I will definitely support whatever you want to, and also, I will be leaving the pack fo
Astra’s POVAs the day progressed, the sun began its descent toward the horizon, casting a warm glow across the landscape. The pack members emerged from their homes, eager to savor the beauty of the fading day. Couples strolled hand in hand, children laughed and played, and elderly residents found solace in their rocking chairs on the porch.I was in my room with a cup of coffee in my hand watching the sunny late afternoon filled with warmth and tranquility. the golden rays of the setting sun paint the sky in hues of orange, pink, and purple. The light filters through the leaves of the trees, casting long, dappled shadows on the ground below.I sigh and put down my cup when I heard a knock on the door, I was lazy to move away from the window because I was enjoying the view but I had no other option but to move, I went closer to the door and pull the door open revealing Zoe who has an ever lasting smile on her face “Zoe” I called and she raise her hand for me to see the materials she
Kylie’s POV After my last encounter with Alpha Noah, I have been thinking about different ways I can get him to notice me, I barely have a good night's sleep, and my thoughts are jumbled hoping Astra is not still winning wherever she is. I have done a lot of things to separate them and it wasn’t an easy one for me, I had celebrated the day Astra was sent out of the pack and I was glad I will never set my eyes on her again, seeing her makes my blood boils and it’s better if we never came across each other again. But I couldn’t fully forget her because of alpha Noah, he is always thinking about her and it shows that he misses her in the way he goes with his day-to-day activities, I wasn’t going to sit down and watch her steal everything I have worked so hard for. I stood up from my room and swiftly walked to Alpha Noah’s chamber. I knocked on the door and heard him grumbling a “come in” before I pushed the door open. I entered his room and locked the door behind us, he slowly tilte
Alpha Noah’s POV The sun blazed mercilessly over the pack, casting its fiery rays down on the bustling pack. The air shimmered with waves of heat, making everything in sight appear hazy and distorted.Under the scorching sun, people sought refuge in the shade of buildings or huddled under umbrellas, trying to escape the stifling heat. The pack was unusually quiet as the oppressive temperature deterred most from venturing outside. The few brave souls who braved the blazing heat scurried along with sweat trickling down their foreheads.I gazed out of the window and sighed, the pack council had called for an impromptu meeting and I wondered why they wanted to see me, I would rather stay in my room than go outside under this scorching but I have no choice because I have to listen to the call of my people. I walked out of my room with the intention of going to the courtroom where my people are waiting for me to address them, as I stepped under the sun the pack usually bustling with activ