ALEXA.
"Krane, give me a neck shackle." My mate said this with his face void of any emotions, all the while his eyes were fixed on mine.
A shackle? My lips quivered as a dark-skinned man with short curly hair approached us, handing Aeon a shackle that was still covered with dried blood.
Aeon looked at it, but he didn’t take it. "Do you have anything that has not been used? I don’t think the princess would appreciate someone’s blood on her neck."’
"But she already has blood on her face, Alpha. I bet she thinks rogue blood is delicious." One of his men chuckled, and I was fighting hard not to cry.
"Enough." He growled lowly before taking the shackle handed to him by another man and walking closer to where I was tied up.
He raked my body up and down. I saw the way his eyes lingered on my almost naked breasts, and I couldn’t deny the tingles that rose from my skin just by the way he was looking at me.
He licked his lips before he swallowed hard, shaking his head as if waking himself up from a trance.
"What’s your name?" He asked with a voice as cold as the winter night, and with his face void of any emotions.
⇜ ♡♡♡ ⇝
AEON.
"What’s your name?" I asked, my eyes still fixated on hers. Her cerulean blue eyes were so mesmerizing that they immediately sucked me in at the moment our eyes locked.
But I almost lost it when I saw how thin her clothes were. I could see her naked body beneath her nightdress, and the only covering she had was her white underwear. And I knew my men were ogling her, especially her perfectly shaped breasts, but I couldn’t do anything. If I wasn’t protecting her identity as my mate, I would have ordered everyone away from here.
"Why do you care?" She snapped at me, her eyes blazing with hatred.
"Give me your f*cking name or I will force it from your mouth!" I snapped back at her. I was pissed off at her attitude when I just saved her from getting slaughtered.
"Force it out of me then!"
I knew I could never roll off an Alpha command to a rogue and this was pissing me off. For some f*cking reason, once they are considered rogue, the Alpha command doesn’t work on them. Otherwise, life would have been easier if we could have commanded those we captured to spill out their plans and their hideouts.
"Alexa. Her name is Alexa, Alpha." Krane, my future Beta told me.
I flashed her a smug smirk the moment I saw her throw a glare at Krane. "Alexa. Nothing special on your name, why are trying to hide it?"
"I don’t owe you any explanation."
"Oh yes, you do. Did you notice how I just f*cking save your a$s? I can make you my slave and no one in my pack will bat an eyelid. You’re under my mercy, Alexa."
"I hate you." Tears welled in her eyes, but she was fighting them off from falling.
"Sorry to break your heart, but you’re not the only one who hates me. It doesn’t make me feel bad anymore."
"I hate you." She repeated.
"Easy now, princess. You have no other way out but through me. Be an obedient female and I won’t make your life miserable."
"What do you want from me? Why don’t you just reje…"
I grabbed her jaw before she could finish her words. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I had no other option. I had to stop her from saying the word 'rejection' or everyone else would find out she was my mate.
I leaned my face closer to her, our noses almost touching as I hissed at her. "No one will know. And if one more time something similar to that comes out of your mouth, I will bind your mouth and you won’t be able to talk anymore. " I warned her, gritting my teeth and trying to control my wolf, Thunder.
Thunder hated me for not claiming Alexa right away, but the moment she mentioned rejection, my wolf lost it and went into a total rage in my head.
"F*ck you!"
"Control your mouth or I will do just that. And I’ll make sure I f*ck the hell out of you!" I let go of her jaw and she inched backward, her eyes showing fear and disgust at the same time. "Choose your battle, Alexa. It’s either you work with me or you’ll join those bodies on the ground."
"Then just kill me!"
"Too bad I can’t. You have more use for me alive than dead. Now stay still or this will hurt more."
I saw her swallow hard as her eyes fell on the shackle in my hand. I knew this was pure evil on my part to shackle her neck, but I had no other choice. I didn’t want her to shift and give my father the chance to roll out his order to kill her. Because I knew my father, he never bent his own orders.
So, I would rather have her hate me than end up dead.
"Please… I will behave." Her voice broke and I knew it was taking a lot of her to beg.
"Alexa…" This was getting harder than I expected. Her tears started to pour down her eyes, and I couldn’t pretend anymore.
I turned my back on her, the shackle still in my hand as I looked at all the men watching us. "Round up the perimeter. Make sure no one is hiding and burn all the dead bodies. We’re leaving soon."
"Yes, Alpha." Almost all answered in unison before they all scattered and went away. Only my future Beta, Krane, remained beside me.
I looked at Krane and I knew he had questions, but he didn’t ask anything. Instead, he moved back, giving me and Alexa some privacy.
I let out a sigh before turning my attention back to her. "I know you hate me. And I can’t do anything about that, but I want you to trust me."
"You’re asking too much. How can I trust you when you… when you…" She stammered and I cupped her cheek, wiping her tears with my thumb, but I withdrew right away. I knew my father was still around and he had eyes everywhere.
"Do you want to stay alive?" I tried to lower my voice to calm her down.
She nodded her head.
"Then wear this. In my territory, no one will touch you as long as you have this."
"Have you tried that on your own neck? Do you think it’s easy to move with that around my neck?" She asked in between her hiccups.
"Again, Alexa. Death or shackle?"
She didn’t answer but she kept sobbing and it was breaking my heart. Years have toughened me. Not even my mother’s death made me cry, but seeing the state she was in right now was slowly breaking the wall I was building between us.
I went closer to her and carefully placed the shackle around her neck while holding my breath. Sparks erupted everywhere in my body the moment my finger touched her neck. I stiffened for a few seconds before I was able to get hold of myself and continued to lock the shackle around her neck with a code. I then proceeded to cut the rope attached to the tree, and her body fell forward. My hands flew to her shoulders as I balanced her out, and the f*cking sparks danced around us again.
She wriggled her body away from my hold as if she was burning from my touch before she narrowed her eyes at me.
"I hate you…" I heard her murmuring, but I chose to ignore her this time. She was safe from my men - that was all that mattered now.
I turned around and tapped my Beta’s shoulder. "Untie her. We’ll leave as soon as the men cleared the area. She’ll be on your back."
Krane, the Beta I chose to be my right hand once I took over the Alpha post from my father, was the only one I trusted at the moment. I knew he heard what Alexa said about rejection and the rest of our conversation, but he knew better not to ask any questions. The less information he knew, the safer he and Alexa would be.
My father, the current Alpha of our pack, the Blood Moon Pack, was known for digging into the heads of his people to get answers. And I was the only one he couldn’t get into because I am also an Alpha.
Krane and I already had an agreement. For information we didn’t want my father to know, I would never discuss it with him. Krane got used to doing things I ordered him to do without asking questions. It was safer for him.
Besides that, Krane was mated, so I knew Alexa would be in good hands. I knew my wolf would go on a rage and probably a killing spree if he found out someone touched his mate inappropriately.
Krane’s eyes widened as my words sank in. I knew what he was thinking. We need to run back to our territory, which would be six to seven hours away by paws. And although running was nothing to us, having a female on his back would be harder and more dangerous, especially since she’s a rogue.
If we were spotted by any packs and she was smelled, they might corner us and take her. Rogues are the enemies of every pack. Especially in this part of the country, the South, where Achilles, Alexa’s father, was known for creating attacks and slaughtering everyone, including females and pups.
No one would bat an eyelid and would immediately kill Alexa if they discovered she was Achilles’ only daughter, the one he had been hiding for years.
My father wanted Alexa dead for the same reason. And I would too. I never care about rogues or anyone else. But I couldn’t just let her die the moment our eyes locked. I had no idea what I was feeling, and I tried to ignore it, but I knew I wanted to protect her, not just from my father, but from anyone who wanted to take her away from me, including her own father.
AEON.'Alexa is mine!' Thunder growled in my head, and he’d been telling me that from the moment we laid our eyes on her. And he was telling me this again after I confirmed that all the perimeter had been searched and we were now ready to leave this area to head home.This was the first time that Thunder wanted to take full control of my body.My wolf, Thunder, has always been submissive to me. He was not like other Alpha wolves who were hard to control, such as Caspian and Riley’s wolves. Thunder would always do as I asked him to, even if he didn’t want to. But he was showing me a different side today. The mate bond was awakening his protective side, his Alpha blood. He wanted to protect his mate. And I knew it would only be a matter of time before he asserted his power over me.'Relax. She’s yours. But we can’t let Father know until we can make a plan on how to keep her safe. Right now, Krane is our best option to take her home. You understand, right?'He growled once more, and it
ALEXA. We had been running for a long time already, and my hands and legs were trembling from holding tightly to Krane’s wolf. And if we didn’t stop, I would soon fall off his back. I needed to think of a reason so I could rest for a while. "I need to pee!" I shouted, leaning my mouth near his ear. I was sure he had a strong hearing, but with the wind blowing hard as he sped off, I wasn’t sure if he could catch my voice. But it looked like he did. He slowed down as well as the wolf running beside us. And in no time, he stopped and lowered his body to the ground. I climbed down as the wolf with us shifted into his human form and took my arm, taking me to a far tree. The male was giving me a smug smirk, and I didn’t like his look at all. He was the one who taunted me earlier about me loving the taste of rogue blood. But aside from his nasty remarks, I felt a knot in my stomach. He looked dangerous. I took a glance at Krane’s wolf. He was looking at us, and I tried to tell myself tha
AEON. I ran my knuckles down her cheek. Alexa was sleeping peacefully, purring softly in the passenger seat of the car. Her body finally succumbed from all the running and all that happened in the last twenty-four hours, that even after the car came to a full halt, she was still not moving from her sleep. I withdrew my hand from her face the moment I realized what I was doing. I was not supposed to give in to the bond. It wouldn’t do us any good. I have a chosen mate, and I didn’t want to hurt Katarina. Lady Katarina was the Alpha Female I was betrothed to. She’s the sister of Alpha Darvin of the Moon Stone Pack. Months ago, Darvin and I entered into an agreement for a union to take place between me and Lady Katarina. This was to ensure that both packs would survive. My father has been consistent in holding on to the Alpha post until I produced a Luna he would approve of. And at the moment, he wanted Lady Katarina as my Chosen Luna. Alpha Darvin, on the other hand, has a different
AEON. "Did Dad find out Alexa tried to run away?" On our way home from where we captured her, on which she was on Krane’s wolf’s back, Alexa asked Krane to stop by stating she needed to pee. Luis, one of my warriors, volunteered to watch over her. But not even a minute passed when Krane heard a muffled scream, and when he checked them out, Luis had already pinned Alexa by the tree and was trying to stick his dick into her. And I was satisfied with the punishment Krane gave him. But while Krane was focused on Luis, my little mate took the opportunity and ran away. We knew she would never be able to run far in human form, but I was impressed with how long it took us to track her. She ended up almost at the Silver Moon Pack’s border and was seen by Luna Nadia and her men. This was the reason I was able to drive us home in a car instead of running in wolf form. For safety reasons, Riley, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack and a friend of mine, offered one of his cars. From his te
AEON.I left the training grounds immediately after Krane informed me that she was already awake. And by the time I almost reached the cottage where she was staying, Krane sent another mindlink. Alexa asked him if I was mated.And he didn’t know how to answer her. Me too. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to tell her about Katarina. Or that there was no possibility between us, even if I wasn’t sure if she wanted me or not because I didn’t know what I was feeling either.I was not able to sleep at all last night, I wanted to see her. I tried closing my eyes, but all I saw was her helplessness while she was tied up in the tree. And I knew, regardless, if I would never claim her, and no matter how bad my ordeal was right now, I was thankful that I arrived on time before my father executed his order to kill her. I don’t think I would be able to forgive myself or live with myself if I was even a second late. That night, I smelled her at the exact moment my father stated that he wanted her h
ALEXA. "My father left me in the orphanage when I was seven…" I blurted out in a low voice. I panicked when he stood up and was about to leave the house. As much as I hated him for what he was doing to me, I couldn’t deny that I wanted his presence in this house. It made me feel safe that, regardless of what I threw at him, he would never let anyone hurt me. So I opened my mouth to speak, hoping he would stay a bit more. He stopped walking and turned his head around to look at me. I swallowed hard as I met his eyes. "He told me not to say to anyone that I still have a family. He told me to tell the orphanage I ran away from the man who put me on the street to ask for alms. And I must keep it that way until he comes for me." "How old are you now, Alexa?" "Nineteen. I begged the orphanage keeper to give me a space to sleep after I turned eighteen because my father told me not to leave the place. She was kind enough to give me a space in the attic. And I found work in a nearby
LADY KATARINA. My head swung to the phone ringing on Darvin’s desk, and I contemplated if I should pick it up or not. Lately, I’ve been doing some paperwork for the pack, helping Darvin so as not to overwhelm him with pack duties, especially since soon he will be stepping down as the Alpha of this pack. Soon, I would be claimed by Alpha Aeon of the Blood Moon Pack, and as soon as the union took place, Darvin would step down as Alpha of our pack, the Moon Stone Pack, and Aeon, my chosen mate, would be given the Alpha post, and I would be Luna of this pack as well as the Luna of the Blood Moon Pack. This mating was nothing out of the ordinary. Aeon and I were entering this union to save our packs, especially mine. And as much as I hated the idea of Darvin not being an Alpha anymore, I couldn’t say no to what he wanted. It is my responsibility as an Alpha Female to step up if the firstborn Alpha is unable to perform his duties. So here I was, slowly switching my mindset to learn more
AEON. "Where is she?" "At Nana’s house." "What?" "I need her to feel comfortable with me. Then she could spill out more." "Do you think she knew something?" "I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out." "We could just break her and she would spill everything, I can assure you." "No. I don’t even think she’s a rogue. Are you sure she’s Achilles’ daughter and not a replacement they took?" I didn’t know where these ideas came from. "You’re confusing me." "What does she smell to you, Father? Because I can barely smell a rogue scent on her." I asked Krane and Holly if they could scent Alexa as a rogue and they both told me it was too faint a scent. Even fainter than a rogue pups’ smell. And I remembered Luna Nadia stating she couldn’t smell rogue smell on her as well. I was relying on them because her smell to me was totally different. And I hope this would take any doubt from my father if it ever crossed his mind that she was my mate. "Hmmm… It makes sense. Do you think