Shane’s POV A wave of jealousy washed over me, crowding my sense of reasoning, with my palms tightly balled into fists as I watched Chase’s car roll out through the gates. There was a sour taste in my mouth, just from watching Aria interact so well and freely with him. Memories of all that happened the previous night flooded my thoughts, the moment I laid eyes on her. I could recall how soft her lips were when they had touched mine. How pliant her body was against mine and how soft she’d felt. How lovingly her touch had been and how her lovely scent had sated me. I’d found peace and all of my worries were forgotten in those few minutes she’d spent in my arms but it all came crashing down when she’d admitted she wasn’t good enough for me and had run out of my bedroom even before her words could make sense to me. Her words and her sudden change in character came as a shock to me, that I was lost on what to do. It seemed that shitty bastard had done more damage to her than I ever gave
Two years agoIt was the early hours of the day Shane Callahan, the son of the Alpha of the BlackMane pack, turned eighteen. Shane looked forward to this day because his father had mentioned countless times that this would be the day he would officially become a man. The day he would seize to be seen as an ordinary boy but as the next alpha of the pack and it's also the day the moon goddess will reveal his mate. He had lived through the past year speculating how wonderful and amazing this day would be, but little did he know that fate had a different story in store for him.As dawn approached, Shane, still sleeping peacefully, fell into a dream...He found himself lost in the middle of the forest, surrounded by a thick canopy of trees and a dense bush. He looked around and tried to find a way out of the woods, but there was none. Coupled with that, it was eerily silent. Not even the chirping of birds could be heard. Suddenly he heard a soft whisper of his name in a barely audible voic
Aria’s POVI hid behind the door, with my palms clamped tightly to my ears to keep off the agonizing screams of my mom, as my dad pounded her with his fists like she was a mere doll, a slave to be subjected to his maltreatment. But even with my palms covering my ears, I could still hear her muffled screams and every one of them tore at my heart, pulling my heartstrings taut. I swallowed a choked sob because I couldn’t let it out. I knew how it always ended, whenever he was interrupted by the sound of another except hers. He’d turn his fury on me.I bit down hard on my bottom lip to muffle the sobs that were threatening to break free as I watched him continuously beat her until I could see blood pouring out of her nostrils and her mouth. She was curled in a small ball, taking all of his assault and I couldn’t watch anymore. The guilt was eating at me because I was the reason she was in that situation. If she hadn’t tried to save me from his claws, she’d be fine.Drawing in a shaky brea
Aria’s POVThe street lights illuminated my way as I walked from our little cottage on the outskirts of town, into the town. At first, the few houses I passed still had their lights on but I was surrounded in eerie silence until I got farther away from our home. The streets were still lonely but I could hear the sounds of warm laughter coming from the houses close by and they reminded me of the home I used to have until five years ago, before things suddenly changed.“We’ll find comfort soon, there’s still hope,” I heard the voice of my wolf, Hailey, in my head.“Stop it, Hailey,” I snapped at her, and she whimpered softly but I ignored it. She always tried to comfort me like she couldn’t see the reality of things. “People like us can never find comfort and happiness. We’re an abomination, remember? And I’m sure we’ll be tossed out of this town if the people find out about me. It’s why papa made sure we live on the outskirts of town,” I reminded her before shutting her out of my head
Shane’s POV“The library also needs some renovation in the form of an expansion,” Principal Barnett suggested as we stepped out of the school’s sports center.“Besides the new sports facilities we need to install and the library you’ve just mentioned, is there anything else?” I questioned as we crossed the vast property towards the library.“The other is just a minor issue. The fence at the back is broken,”“Were students responsible for the damage?”“Yes, Alpha Shane but I assure you, we’ve dealt with the hoodlums that caused the damage. It’s why I said it was a minor issue as the school has decided to fine them with the expenses of the repair,”“It's fine, Mr. Barnette. I’ll see to its repair,”“Thank you, Alpha Shane. We appreciate your continuous support to Westwood High, and the teachers and I will continue to put in effort to produce the best student this town has to offer,”I nodded curtly to his words as we approached the Library. Westwood High was the same high school I’d gr
Shane’s POVI left principal Barnett’s office with purposeful strides, heading towards my car in the parking lot.It was against the school rules to give off a student's private information but as the Alpha of BlackMane, I was an exception to that rule. The principal had found her file and given me all of the information I needed, from her name to her age and even down to her home address. The urge to find her at her home was strong but I ignored it, knowing she may escape again.I had no idea why she had looked at me in fear and shock before escaping. It wasn't the usual reaction I got from other women or even the female students. They were always openly ogling me and the few that were opportune to be in my presence did their best to get noticed but with her, it was different. She’d looked at me as though she regretted seeing me.The thoughts made me frown deeply and they made Axel growl in annoyance but I pushed them down, choosing to believe that I must have startled her from my ap
Aria’s POVI 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 immigra
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