Aria’s POV
I peeped from the back of the tree where I’d been hiding but I couldn’t see anyone. I didn’t hear any sounds except that of birds chirping and the current of the lake ahead. I released a deep breath as I limped from my hiding spot towards the lake.
As soon as I was a few feet from the lake, I fell on my knees and winced as pain coursed through my entire body but gently, I lowered myself to a sitting position. I glanced around my environment, with my heart still beating wildly from how fast I’d limped just to get away from the alpha.
It was the first time I’d come in contact with him and the first time he’d noticed me. The moment my eyes landed on his forest green orbs, my dad’s warning drummed in my head.
“You must stay far away from the alpha and make sure he doesn't notice you,”
My dad had constantly sung these words in my ears from the moment we moved into BlackMane. His reasons for wanting me to keep a low profile, especially from the alpha, was because we were immigrants and couldn’t be discovered. Even the house address I’d given at the school and my name were all false. It was to hide our identity just in case the alpha of our original pack, the DarkSouls pack, came in search of us after finding out about my father’s crime. But apart from that, I had been threatened by my father to stay away from all men because I was an abomination, the last of an extinct werewolf breed.
I was a sigma wolf and as a result, I sent off intense sexual energy to wolves of the opposite gender that came in contact with me. It was the same way I’d affected my dad and he’s been trying to keep me from all other men, or else I’d face more assault from strangers. And it was the same reason why I had to mask my scent with heavy perfume whenever I left the house.
I glanced back in the direction of the school again, engaging my wolf’s sensitive ears to listen for any sounds of approaching footsteps but I heard nothing.
As soon as I’d seen the alpha, I’d quickly escaped out of the school premises through the broken fence at the back, into the nearby woods, and found my way to the lake. It was a route I knew very well because my home was at the other end of the lake.
I knew I should probably return to school before it was discovered that I was gone as it could get me in trouble and I’d have to face the principal. But what if the alpha was still there, waiting for me to return from hiding?
“Maybe he isn’t so bad…” Hailey suggested but I rolled my eyes.
I couldn't trust her words. She’d always see the good in everyone and have a positive mindset in every situation.
“And you know that because?”
“He gave off a genuine energy and I felt his wolf. He seemed caring and affectionate and he wanted…”
“Oh please…” I quickly shut her off because, for some unknown reason, I could already feel the warmth she was radiating as she was talking about the alpha. It felt as if she was purring and even glowing. “Don’t let it get into your head. I’m sure our dirty energy drew him in. I need to mask our scent with more perfume next time,”
“But what if…”
At this point, I’d had enough of her. Maybe she needed a reminder of what we were.
“I don’t want to hear it, Hailey. We’re an abomination, remember? And you also remember that we’re low-life immigrants on the run for committing murder? If you still value our miserable life, get your head straight and allow me to find a solution to our current situation,”
She whimpered in protest but remained calm as I struggled to rise to my feet. But the pain that shot through me was so terrible that I fell on my knees, a sob breaking out of my lips, as a lone tear slid down my cheek.
I was in severe pain from the beating I’d gotten that morning when my alarm clock had blared too loudly and had woken my dad from his liquor-induced sleep. He had pounced on me intending to send me to hell and he almost succeeded, except he somehow returned to his senses, knowing I had to be at school.
“You should go to the school clinic. You can’t go home like this.”
For the first time, I agreed to Hailey’s suggestion as I tried my best to rise to my feet. My legs were swollen from the number of times I’ve had to walk despite being in pain from my ankle sprain.
It had almost taken forever for me to successfully limp from the lake to the school clinic where I was immediately attended to by a nurse as soon as she saw my condition. She’d administered some drugs to me and told me to rest for a while until school closed. I must have slept off because when I woke up, I heard the faint words of the nurse coming from the office outside the room.
“She’s suffering from an ankle sprain and other injuries in different parts of her body. She also has lots of other bruises, both old and new ones, and is heavily malnourished,”
“Have you administered some drugs to her?”
The unfamiliar voice of a man sailed into my ears and I gulped, my heart dropping.
Calm down, Aria. It can’t be you. I told myself but Hailey whimpered, feeling sick. It seemed the nap had only fueled the pains.
“I only gave her some pain relievers but they wouldn't do much work because she hasn’t eaten any food all day,”
“Were you able to get her to talk about her injuries and how she incurred them?”
“No. She’s tight-lipped,”
At that moment, I knew it was me they were referring to. The nurse had tried conversing with me but I’d politely shut her off.
“Maybe it's the concerned alpha…” Hailey suggested but I shut her off, my heart now slamming hard against my chest as fear overcame me.
“Please, keep her here. I’ll get her some food and make sure she takes it and some drugs before you let her go,”
“I will, Beta Chase,”
Shit! It was the alpha’s second in command. It meant the alpha was still nearby. I needed to get away as quickly as I could.
With my heart racing, I glanced around to see if there was another door but there was none. How was I going to make my escape?
Suddenly, I heard approaching footsteps and I quickly laid back down. The nurse walked in with a sweet caring smile etched on her face.
“Hi dear, how are you?”
I gulped.
“I… I want to use the restroom,”
My throat was as dry as the hot desert sand and it made me cough. She quickly handed me a bottle of water from the table nearby and I gulped down half of the content.
“Come on, let me take you to the restroom,”
I shook my head in refusal. This was my only means to escape.
“I can take care of myself,”
Her smile slipped off.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
“Please, let me go alone,”
“Alright, dear,”
Gently, I rose to a sitting position, slowly placing my feet on the ground. Pain coursed through me but I bit down on my lips to stop the wince from escaping. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath, mustering the strength to rise to my feet and I did, ignoring the pain as I gnashed my teeth in agony.
I grabbed my bag that was beside the bed.
“Why do you need your bag?” the nurse frowned, placing a palm on my shoulder to steady me.
“I…I need to change my tampon,”
“Are you sure you don’t need help?” Her brows furrowed in concern but I shook my head.
Slowly, I limped out of the room with the nurse beside me.
“The restroom’s right around the corner,”
I nodded my thanks before limping out of her office but as soon as I was outside, I reached into my bag and took out the spare hoodie I always carried around. I pulled it on and wore the hood over my head. My eyes darted around the small empty hallway before I made my escape through the door, limping as fast as I could to the broken fence at the back of the school.
I didn't know what the alpha wanted from me or why he was suddenly so interested in me, but I’d better heed my father’s words and save my head.
Aria’s POVThe dull ache in my lower abdomen roused me from sleep at the crack of dawn, followed by the loud blaring of my alarm clock. Hastily, I reached for it and turned it off to avoid waking my dad as I wasn’t ready for his trouble so early in the morning. I expelled a deep breath, but just as I tried to close my eyes to get a few more minutes of sleep, a piercing pain twisted in my abdomen and a whimper slipped out of my lips at the same time as I felt my panties dampen.“Shit!” I cussed in a barely audible voice, a painful groan following thereafter, and one of my hands flew to my stomach to cradle my abdomen as I turned to lay on my stomach, with tears welling up in my eyes.It was my period.I hated this time of the month because I was never prepared for it and my cramps were always after my life. Worse still, it was a school morning and I had a test that day, hence, staying away from school wasn’t in the cards for me.It had been a week since I escaped from the nurse at the
Aria’s POVPaint shot through my entire body as I landed on the hard floor of the school compound, with shards of glass scattered around me from when I’d jumped through the window. I vaguely saw the bruises and cuts on my limbs before I continued sprinting across the compound, towards my escape route_the broken fence at the back of the school.The pain in my lower abdomen, coupled with the one in my core from my father’s assault intensified but I ignored it, as I ran out of the school compound into the woods that led to the lake. All I wanted was to get far away from the alpha, just to heed my father’s warnings. I had enough on my plate already, from dealing with the effect I had on my father. I couldn’t add that of another male.“Don’t think that way,” Hailey spoke but I scoffed. It came out as a weak whimper and my body and brain slowly began to wake to the pain that was ricocheting through me. “He doesn't seem that way…”“Dad was once nice too,” I retorted as I ran through the fore
Shane’s POV“I can feel her. She’s in pain,” I told Chase, as we ran into the woods, past the tall trees, with her scent leading us.I hadn’t planned for things to go this way, but it was as if I was under a spell and when it came to her, I couldn’t control myself. From the first time I’d set eyes on her, the fearful expression in her soulful green eyes had gripped my heart in a vice that I just couldn’t keep my distance from her. I should have let Chase handle it as I’d planned and we wouldn’t have to pass through this stress but Axel was being too impatient and so was I.“Why did you even let her see you in the first place?” Chase gritted out, his words bearing an undertone of annoyance. He’d been in a meeting with Principal Barnett when I called him to help me find Anna.“I just couldn’t stay away,”It was true. I wasn’t meant to be at the school that morning. I was driving by when her scent of fresh jasmine sailed into my nose and it was so strong that I was powerless to its effec
Aria’s POVThe bright morning light streamed into my eyes the moment I opened them, causing a moment of temporary color blindness and I shut them back, squinting them tight. A while later, I slowly opened my eyes to be met with the white pristine walls of my environment. A frown slipped into my face as I glanced around to see I was in a strange room. Even the bed I was lying on was far bigger than my small bed, and unlike the nightstand in my room with books sitting on it, the nightstand in this room was empty, holding just a lamp and a bottle of water. I turned a bit to glance out of one of the two windows in the room and instead of the usual familiar bush path that was behind my home, I was met with a clear view of the street below and more buildings.A wave of confusion and fear hit me as I began to wonder what had happened. I closed my eyes and tried to recall how I’d gotten to this strange place but all I could remember was how I’d jumped through the window of my class in an atte
Shane’s POVI paced in my office, pondering over my conversation with Anna and how strangely she’d acted to my presence, while I waited for Chase’s arrival. I sent for him as soon as I left her room. He was supposed to be heading to the school to supervise the ongoing work but I needed to confide in someone.The office door opened and Chase stepped in, his eyes bearing a worried expression.“How’s she?” A deep sigh expelled from my lips as I stopped pacing and stared at him before rounding the desk to take my seat in one of the plush leather office chairs.“She’s awake now, but she’s still in pain,”“And Dr. Mark has confirmed that she’ll be fine, right?”His words made me remember all that the pack doctor told me after examining her the previous day. It appeared the bastard in the dungeon had been abusing her for long and from some of the research I’d done, he was meant to be her father, to protect her and keep her safe but the pervert chose to use her to fulfill his sick fantasies.
Shane’s POV I was in the middle of a business call when a knock sounded on my office door. It made me frown because I’d instructed the guards by the door not to let anyone disturb me, but it seemed they’d failed to obey my instructions. I’d neglected my father’s company for quite some time while sticking to the activities of the pack but I was finally deciding to take over and hire a manager to oversee the operations while my main focus would remain on running the pack. The knock sounded again and I had no choice but to end the call. “Come in,” I called out to whoever it was, still annoyed by the disturbance but my frown ebbed away as soon as I saw Dr. Mark strolling in with a grim expression on his face. I’d forgotten that I was expecting him. After the incident of the previous day and the confession of Anna’s father, I decided to take Chase’s idea as soon as I was calm enough to reason properly. Hence, that evening when the pack doctor had shown up to check on Anna, I’d had a p
Shane’s POVThe loud thuds of our footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as Chase and I approached the cell that the stranger had been kept in. The moment I was informed of the man who was caught trying to perpetrate another crime, all sane thoughts fled me. All I wanted was to lay hands on the enemy and get the answers I’d been searching for out of him. It finally felt like I’d caught onto a missing piece of the puzzle and I was on the right path to finally solving this mystery and ending the case. My heart slammed hard against my chest, beating wildly as my blood streams were fueled with adrenaline and determination. Wordlessly, Chase led the way to the cell where the stranger had been kept hostage, in the dungeons. The farther we got into the dungeon, the faster my heart beat and the more energy surged through me. Finally, we got to the last cell in the building and he came to a stop. I turned towards the wrought iron bars segregating the small cell space from the hallway to see
Aria’s POVA sense of calm filled me as I sat on the bed, facing the window to watch the sunset. I’ve been in that position since I woke up from my nap about half an hour ago. Initially, I panicked, thinking I overslept and my father was waiting around the corner to jump on me and beat me up for not preparing dinner. Led by these thoughts, I attempted scampering out of bed to get on with my duties but the pains that shot through my entire body almost made me have a seizure and that was enough to bring me back to the present and to remind me of my current predicament and living conditions.I was no longer under the roof of my father but I was living in the home of Alpha Shane, the ruler of the BlackMane pack.As good as it sounded, it was also terrifying. I had no experience with men except for my father and after all I’d been through in his hands, I was scared to let myself believe that the alpha was being nice for the sake of it. The thoughts that he had an ulterior motive and would