Reyana paced the dark woods in panic as she prayed earnestly for things to go as planned. She couldn't help but feel worried.
She looked around her anxiously but there was still no sign of Aldric. She was scared. She was far away from the pack and she felt a bit vulnerable. Out here in the woods, a young girl like her could be a victim of rogues who wander around at night looking for wolves to pry on.
"Reyana..." A little worried voice called out to her from within, "Are you sure we are making the right decision? I am worried," Mia, her wolf asked with concern.
"Yes, Mia. This is the best we can do for now. Else, we'll die at the hands of the Alpha," Reyana replied, convincing herself.
"But you also have some doubts in your heart. Why don't we do the bidding of the moon goddess and see what fate has for us?" Mia suggested.
"No, Mia. What if fate wills us to die at the hands of our mate? We can change that fate," she reassured.
"But you know it isn't as easy as you think. We have been mated to one of the most powerful Alphas to ever live. Running away won't change our destiny. As long as the Alpha hasn't rejected us yet, we still belong to him and we can never be mated to anyone else unless we severe the bond. You know this, don't you?" Mia cautioned, hoping to bring Reyana back to her senses.
Reyana was silent as she pondered over this. Mia is right. She can only be mated to another man when her bond with the Alpha has been broken. And even if the Alpha is being stubborn about it, only an Alpha stronger than Randall can claim her, with or without Randall's rejection.
This only meant one thing... No matter how far they run, she can never be mated to the man she loves.
She didn't have enough time to process the risk of all she just thought about when she finally heard footsteps from afar, followed by the loud cry of a twig.
Reyana quickly hid behind the large Oak tree, waiting to see who it was. Even though she thought it was Aldric, she had to be extra careful.
The footsteps grew closer and closer, but strangely, it wasn't coming in her direction.
"That's weird," she thought as she peeped from behind the tree to see who it was.
She felt her heart stop for a moment when she saw the figure approaching the small path that led to the border. It was a feminine figure covered with a long black cloak.
The figure moved hastily, as if she was in a hurry to catch up with something.
"Who could that be?" Reyana wondered, her gaze following the figure until she walked passed the Oak tree where Reyanna hid.
Reyana made sure not to make a sound. Although she didn't know whom it was, but whoever that person was, was definitely from the Blood Crescent pack and was definitely up to no good.
Her curiousity got the best of her and she decided to follow the strange person to see where it all ends.
Reyana had always been the brave one among all her peers. She was a risk taker and she had the strength of a hundred women. Some people thought she was special, but others thought she was just favoured by the Moon Goddess. But in all she does, she was sure never to let her strength and abilities be known to so many people. She never wanted to be recruited into the pack army.
Reyana stopped abruptly in her tracks when the strange woman also stopped. She quickly hid behind a small tree, hoping she hadn't been found out yet.
She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. By the time she opened her eyes, the strange woman was gone.
Reyana looked around in horror, "Something isn't right," she said to Mia.
"I felt a dark energy around that stranger, Reya. Let's leave, now," Mia urged.
Just as Reyana turned around to run off, she saw a figure standing behind her - the strange woman.
Reyana panicked, "Who... Who are you?" She managed to ask, her eyes wide in horror but the woman was silent, her entire body, including her face was well covered that you could never tell who it was.
"You should have just hid behind that Oak tree, Reyana," the woman said, her voice was as cold as anything Reyana had ever felt. It was almost as if she was standing before a supreme being.
The woman's lips began to move slightly as she began to mutter some words in a strange language.
Reyana tried to run away but her legs were stuck to the ground. She found herself gradually falling down to the ground,struggling for breath.
She instinctively pulled out a double-edged dagger she had in the sheath of her boot, and with the last strength she could muster, she aimed for the woman's stomach but she doubted it had any effect on the woman before falling unconscious to the ground.
***
The silence was defeaning as Aldric searched for the perfect explanation to give to Alpha Randall but he couldn't find one.
Alpha Randall had always been a man who was slow to action, and that's because his actions can be very deadly. So, he waited patiently for Aldric to answer his question.
"Yes, Alpha. I..." this would be another time when he'd have to be selfish yet again, just to save his skin. He was going to damn every consequence.
"Aldric?" Randall was beginning to lose his patience.
"Reyana is trying to run away from the pack. I have been out here looking all around for her," His chest twisted with guilt as he thought about how betrayed Reyana would feel about this. But then, it's for the best. He had to save his own life, because, no matter what, the Alpha would never be able to kill his mate.
"Aldric? What did you just say?" Randall felt his blood boiling with rage, fear, panic... His eyes were bloodshot red as he took a step closer to Aldric.
Aldric took a step back, his heart pumping faster than it should, "you heard me right, Alpha Randall. We must hurry now before she goes too far," he said and made to leave but Randall held him back.
"And how would you know that?" A part of him hoped this wasn't true... For Reyana's sake, he hoped Aldric was lying.
"I saw her earlier today and she told me she couldn't endure the torture you had in store for her, so she decided to run away," Aldric began his convincing tale, "I tried talking her out of it but she said it's better to die running than to die in your hands," he added, shooting a glare at Randall.
Randall felt a whirlwind of emotions but he couldn't tell if it was anger or pain. All he wanted was to find her and stop her from leaving.
"I went to her chambers to see her, to make sure she was fine, then I found out she was gone," he said, "You've scared her away, Randall. And I hope nothing happens to her, else, I'll never forgive you." Aldric said through gritted teeth as he walked past him into the woods.
Randall let out a loud, threatening growl that made the ground tremble as he transformed into his gigantic black wolf, running past Aldric with the speed of light.
Aldric immediately transformed into his big brown wolf, running in the same direction as the Alpha. He couldn't let Randall get to Reyana before him.
He had already told a lie that'd cost Reyana so much pain. The least he can do now is to get to her first and give her a heads up.
***
Reyana winced in pain as she struggled to open her eyes. Her lids fluttered open as she squinted her eyes, trying to adjust to the excessive brightness of the room.
"Ahh..." Her head felt so hot and heavy as she carefully looked around her, observing the familiar environment she was in. "No... Not again," she jerked up from the wooden bed where she lay, struggling to stand to her feet.
"I keep telling you this, Reya, you can not run away from me," the familiar voice which had become a torment to her, echoed in her head.
"What do you want from me? Stay away from me!" The fright in her voice only earned her a burst of cold, sinister laughter from the person talking to her, who had his back turned against her.
The tall, imposing figure turned around, facing her. As usual, she couldn't see his face, except for his usual forest green eyes which always sent a chilling sense of familiarity coarsing through her vein. The only difference is that this particular pair of forest green eyes had an icy depth of darkness and mischief.
"You will always find your way back to me, Reya," The voice said as it faded into her subconscious.
Reyana felt subdued that she struggled to run but she couldn't. She closed her eyes and tried to scream but her lips felt heavy.
Just then, her eyes snapped open and she found herself in a whole new reality entirely, one different from the one she was in a few seconds ago... It was a nightmare... Same old nightmare she's been having since she turned eleven.
She frantically looked around, her breath heavy and her body covered in sweat. Her eyes fell on some familiar faces that made her feel safe... Not until she locked gazes with the angry eyes of the one person that made her wish she never woke up to this harsh reality... Alpha Randall.
Alpha Randall's green eyes looked down at her with anger and disgust as she tried to free herself from the chains that bound her hands."Alpha Randall..." She called out his name in fear as his huge frame stood over her, his dark, long hair loosely tied in a bun. The coldness of his stare told her all she needed to know - they had been found out.Immediately, she feared for Aldric. Was he also caught? Is he safe? Questions ran through her mind as she also tried to concentrate on the man standing before her.Klara sat beside her, tending to the wound on the left side of her temple. Reyana winced in pain when Klara administered a herb on the surface of the wound. That was when she realised she was hurt."The nerves..." Randall breathe out, still peering at her face.Reyana tried to piece together the fragments of the events in her memory but everything was foggy and she couldn't recall how she got here."No... I..." She tried speaking when she heard someone walk into the room where she
The air around the dimly lit office cracked with dark energy as a tall, imposing figure stood like a shadow amid the darkness as he listened intently to the report being delivered to him."There is still no luck, Alpha. Our ally is doing everything possible to get the assignment done, but the Blood Crescent pack is one hard nut to crack," The soft ethereal voice of a lady reported.The tall figure clad in a long black cloak turned around to face the bearer of the message. His eyes, pools of inky darkness, gleamed with an intensity that portrayed his displeasure.His rugged masculinity and commanding presence were like that of a god among mortals."For how long?" His deep voice, low and menacing sliced through the air."Just a little more time, Alpha," The young woman replied with a bow."Time is something I do not have, Jasina," Alpha Novak replied in a deadly tone."I know, Alpha. I'll make sure you don't have to wait for so long anymore. I'll come up with a plan," She tried to pacif
Aldric sat up on the bed, "A woman? In the woods?""Yes, Aldric. She was no ordinary person.""What do you mean? Who was she and where was she from? Did she say something to you?""She's from our pack. I never saw her face because she was well covered as if she was hiding something. She was hastily walking towards the border. She had a very dark energy, Aldric. She is a witch," Reyana explained.Aldric let out a slight chuckle, "Reya..." he fondled her messy hair, "Have you been having those nightmares again?" he smiled at her."What have my nightmares got to do with this, Aldric?" She asked with furrowed brows."Remember we found you unconscious in the woods? You must have had one of those nightmares when you were unconscious, making you think all you saw was real...""Stop it, Aldric! I know what I saw! How do you think I ended up half-dead in the middle of the woods? She used black magic on me!" She almost yelled out of frustration"But, Reya, in as much as I'd love to believe you,
It had been two long days since Reyana had last felt the cold grip of chains around her wrists. She had been released and was free to go about her usual activities around the pack.She stood before the mirror, her hands trembling as she brushed her hair in an attempt to regain some semblance of normalcy as she prepared to go out and get something to do with her time. She was done healing.As she stared at her reflection, Reyana's thoughts drifted to Alpha Randall, the man whose presence had become an ever-present shadow in her mind. Since that fateful night, she had not laid eyes on him, and Aldric on the other hand had been keeping his distance.Reyana was eager to go out and mingle with people because she was tired of feeling trapped and frustrated. She was finally a prisoner in her pack.Her heart sank as her gaze fell upon the bracelet adorning her wrist – the Arcane bind. A single tear traced a path down her cheek.The Arcane bind sat mockingly on her wrist. As harmless as it loo
The air crackled with tension as Reyana's heart hammered against her ribcage, her every breath coming out in shallow, ragged gasps. She could see the flicker of surprise in his green eyes.For a moment, time seemed to grind to a halt. Randall's world shrunk to a suffocating darkness as Reyana's words echoed through the caverns of his soul deep down the depths of his existence.Fear, anger, hurt, and pain intertwined in a suffocating embrace, constricting his chest with an iron grip as he felt a knot in his stomach.Reyana's boldness caught him off guard, her audacity piercing through the armor he had carefully crafted around his heart. He never expected her to reject him.Reyana felt fear sipping through the cracks of her fearless facade as Randall's silence and lack of expression sent icy chills down her spine.After almost an eternity of silence, Alpha Randall let out a smile... That was the first time she'd ever seen him smile, and she couldn't deny that he had the most charming sm
"The coronation is in four days," Aldric remarked, gently fondling her hair as they both sat in a hidden place somewhere around the garden with Reyana lying in his arms.Reyana wasn't so sure how to react. She knew how hurt Aldric must have been feeling at that point."You also have the Arcane bind on your wrist..." he stated, unconsciously running his fingers around the bind on her wrist.Reyana was still quiet, waiting to see where he was headed."This means we are stuck in the pack. There is no escape from here," his voice was low and sad.Reyana felt a painful thud in her heart as she sat up to face him, "Aldric... I love you," she declared, gazing into his hurtful eyes, "No matter what happens, we'll still be together. It's a good thing the Alpha doesn't want me. We can keep on seeing each other, just like right now."Aldric chuckled, "I wish it was that simple, Reya. As soon as you are crowned Luna, you officially become his.""I'll only be his Luna, not his lover nor his wife.
Klara listened with rapt attention to all Reyana told her. She looked closely at the dagger in her hand and thought of the best way to go about it."You mentioned something about it being poisonous, right?" Klara asked, still taking a proper look at the dagger."Yes, it is," Reyana replied, scanning the dimly lit environment to be sure no one was in sight."Although I haven't had anyone come to me for treatment of any injury for a long time. Are you very certain this person is from this pack?" Klara asked with furrowed brows."Yes, I am. She called me by name, Klara," Reyana's response had no doubt in it."Okay. I still think the Alpha has to be aware of this. It might help in our search for this person," Klara suggested."No..." Reyana quickly objected, "He'll never believe me. This happened on the same night I attempted to leave the pack. He might think I made up the story. We can tell him when we have proof of who this person is."Klara thought about her point and it was valid. The
Reyana knocked on the small wooden door as she waited patiently for a response.She pushed the door open when the door was answered."Reyana, you came back?" Klara asked with furrowed brows."Yes, Klara. I forgot to bring along the herbs you asked me to pick for you," Reyana explained, setting down the basket of herbs with a thud.Klara's eyes softened with gratitude as she glanced at the bounty Reyana had brought. "Oh, thank you, Reyana. You shouldn't have gone through all this trouble."Reyana waved off her concern with a smile. "It's no trouble at all, Klara. I was bored anyway. What are you working on?" She asked curiosity piqued as she observed Klara mixing herbs in a small bowl."It's for the Alpha," Klara replied, her voice tinged with sadness as she continued meshing the herbs in the bowl."The Alpha?" Reya was puzzled, "Is he sick?" She asked, hoping he'd just die and let her live her life.Klara shook her head slowly. "Not exactly," she murmured, her gaze distant.Reyana sen