Helena
Hours later, I was building a small fire inside a cave after cleaning the rabbit. I made sure that there were no trails nearby and that the cave had indeed been left deserted for a long time. There were no tracks around except for normal animals. I wouldn’t be able to make a home out of the cave since it was barely large enough for the night, but it would do for now.
I really longed for a shower, but until I was sure that Liam and his bastards wouldn’t come after me, I had to hide my scent with mud. When I shifted to race after the rabbit, it clung to my fur like glue. Cleaning up would have to wait. I was finally on my own. I was free! My hopes and dreams were crushed, but I was free!
The meat tasted incredible even if I didn’t have anything to season it with. It was my freedom meal. I thanked the moon goddess for the blessing even if I was still furious that she destined me to be mated to that bastard. After finishing the rabbit, I wished that I had found more, but at least it was enough to keep away the worst of the hunger pains.
I sat staring into the fire as the flames danced around the wood. It struck me how something so beautiful, something so majestic and magical could cause so much destruction. Once the flames finish their dance, all that remains is ash.
I curled up and listened to the sounds of the forest as night fell on the first day of my new life. Closing my eyes, I drifted off to sleep. My dreams weren’t a welcome release from my reality. They were filled with memories of the past. The beatings, the words filled with poison and hatred. One of those memories played in my dreams over and over.
Dream
“You are nothing! You have no parents! No real history! Who would ever love someone like you?!” The laughter of the group of girls rang throughout the passage. All I wanted to do was rip out their hearts, but we were at school and if I put one foot wrong, they would ban me from coming back. The leader of the group closed the gap between us and her normally beautiful face turned hideous.
“You are nothing! Nobody will ever love you!” She spat the words in my direction and I forced my head down. I couldn’t let them see the fury that was burning in my eyes. I wouldn’t! If I did, it would give them the ammunition they needed. The reason they craved to try and destroy me. For as long as I was alive, they all stood the chance of losing their most prized possession.
Their alpha! As long as I was alive, there was the possibility that I would be his destined mate. I was the only omega of their age group. The others were far too old or too young. I was their competition and as long as I was alive … I was a threat. Just as I thought they had left, they returned. Two held me while their little leader took out her fury on me.
They left me bleeding in the corner as they laughed and walked away and, although I knew I could have taken one of them, I also knew I couldn’t take all three. I was an omega. It basically meant I was unranked. I didn’t have the strength their ranks gave them. I would also instantly be in the wrong if I so much as lifted my hand to defend myself.
Our world was cruel. It didn’t treat you kindly if you were of low standing! When I was sure that they had in fact gone to class, I got up and cleaned myself up before returning to my class. All I had was the hope that the moon goddess would grant me the relief of giving me a mate that would love me. A mate that would protect me from these beasts.
I didn’t want someone that was of high rank. I wasn’t after the fame and fortune like these girls were. I just wanted to be loved. Was that so damn much to ask?!
End of dream
I woke up just as the birds were starting their morning song. My eyes felt puffy, and I could feel the streaks of the dried tears on my cheeks. It was one of my many flaws! I cried whenever I was angry, and it always made others think I was weak. I hated that I couldn’t do anything about it! I got up and noted that the fire had gone out during the night.
All that remained of the beautiful, captivating dance was ash. If only I had something to put it in, then I could use it somewhere along the line. I sighed and covered my little fire pit before setting off for the day. I had to find somewhere that was more suitable. I also needed to find more food. As I walked through the forest making sure not to arouse any suspicions from anywhere that I was there, I thought about what would be happening at the pack house.
If I was still there, I would probably be cleaning up one of Liam’s messes. My heart ached at the thought of him and I rolled my eyes at myself. How could I possibly still feel anything for him?! As I cursed the mate bond, I looked up at the sky.
“Why?! Why did you do this to me?!” My cry sent birds flying as I slumped to the ground. Tears of anger and pain streamed down my cheeks as I allowed myself my one moment of weakness. I knew that in the days to come, I wouldn’t be able to take that moment. Hell, I shouldn’t be doing it now! After all the tears were spilled, I got up to walk on and heard a branch breaking right behind me.
HelenaMy heart was beating in my throat as I turned slowly. The enormous number of possibilities of who it could be run through my mind in a split-second and I nearly fainted at the sight of the deer standing just meters away from me! My mind raced as I realized that it would be a great food source, but I wouldn’t be able to store any of it.It would be a huge waste of a life … Like mine … I didn’t have weapons and I didn’t have enough time to shift! Before I could move, the deer darted off into the forest. My breath pushed out of my lungs. I had been holding it so tightly that it felt as if my lungs were about to explode.All the possibilities of what could have happened flooded my mind as I set of in the direction I was going in again. I kept reprimanding myself. How could I have been so damned stupid?! It could have been a rogue! How on earth would I defend myself against one of those?! I found some berries along the way and dug in hoping I could find somewhere to stay for the nig
LiamAfter the Lycan bastard and his men were satisfied that my entire pack was there, we were led out of our territory. I didn’t know if I would ever see my home again. I did, however, realize that my life would never be the same again. That was if I lived to see tomorrow. My mind drifted to Helena again as we were ushered through the thick brush of the forest and into a clearing not far from my territory border.It was a sad sight to see the moment we could all finally stop walking. All around us there were cages filled with more werewolves. What was this king planning?! Was he going to completely wipe our kind off the face of the earth?! Fear gripped my heart as I was shoved into one of the cages. I had only felt this fear once before.The day Helena left. The day she rejected me and I forced her to leave. That was the only time I ever felt this afraid.HelenaI noticed the rogue tracks getting closer and closer to my house, but when they disappeared again, I didn’t think about it
HelenaI was trying my best to avoid Liam, who kept calling me when a question popped into my thoughts. Was I doomed to only have mates who hated me? I sighed as I tried to find a more comfortable position. No, I was cursed! I had done something to anger the moon goddess! That had to be it!There was no other explanation. Other than the woman hated me! After the moon goddess revealed her cruelty by choosing that bastard as my mate, I just wanted to find somewhere that I could just live a peaceful life! Why couldn’t she just leave me be?! I wasn’t bothering anyone! I was happy, dammit!Getting a second chance mate was rare enough as it was. If I rejected the Lycan king … I was sure I would never run into another male destined to break my heart ever again. Liam and most of the pack were trapped in cages. My mind was running a mile a minute as I tried to process the surrounding scene. If Oliver was the king of the Lycans and my old pack were his captives, did that mean he was taking over
HelenaI didn’t care if he poisoned the food. I didn’t want to die, but it would be better than anything he had planned for me. Okay, so my opinion of mates was warped. Finding out that Liam was my mate was probably the worst experience of my life, although finding out the Lycan king was my second chance mate turned out to be a close second.“I came here because of werewolves like you.” He broke the silence and I frowned. What did he mean by that?! Did he come here because of rogues? Females being kicked out of their packs?! What the hell did I do that was so horrific that the Lycan king felt he had to take everyone prisoner?! When I didn’t say anything, he continued.“I heard stories of how some packs treated their lower ranked wolves badly.” He frowned as though he was straining to tell the story, and it piqued my interest. Did he also have a secret he wasn’t ready to share? I patiently waited for him to continue. “I myself lost someone important because of the greed of werewolves.”
HelenaI gave him a quick overview of how I worked my way up in the cleaning teams. I told him that I suspected it wasn’t because my work was so good. As the emotions flashed over his face, I could feel he wasn’t happy about what I was telling him.“As you probably already know, the pack didn’t treat their omegas very well.” I rolled my eyes picking at a piece of bread I was trying to eat. “I tried to do things the way they wanted, but you didn’t have to do much to upset one of the ranked wolves and earn yourself a beating.” I shrugged.“On my eighteenth birthday, I was hoping to meet my mate just like any other girl. I only prayed he would save me from my circumstances. I hoped he would protect me.” I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes. “When I found out that he was my mate, I didn’t hesitate. I rejected him. I wasn’t going to live my life as his sex slave. I had seen the remnants of his work.” I honestly didn’t feel like going into it any further.“And he exiled you because you
HelenaAll of my things were there. Even the old blanket I found in one of the trash cans a couple of months ago. My fingers slipped over the books on the desk and as I ran through the list in my mind, I realized every single book was there. Nothing had been damaged. It seemed they had taken great care to bring my things to the camp and that was a little surprising.Especially after the way they treated me when they first showed up! I looked around the tent, and it was more luxurious than my little cabin. As my hand slipped over the soft material of the bed cover, I thought of how expensive it must have been, and I wondered if all the tents had the same bedding. I heard a male clearing his throat outside my tent and jumped.“Miss, the king would like to know if you want to take a bath.” He didn’t come in, but I felt incredibly self-conscious all of a sudden. The tent suddenly felt too open! The only way to get in was through the door, but if you really wanted to get in, you could simp
OliverI wasn’t surprised to hear that Helena had refused the bath. I wouldn’t have accepted it if I was in her position. I quickly called my beta, and he made sure all the arrangements were made so that she could take a proper shower in the morning. The closest thing to a bathroom the warriors found in her cabin was the small pond nearby.I had to dig deep to figure out what would make her more comfortable. All I had to go on really was what my sister enjoyed and wanted while she was still alive. Over the years, I had had the odd one-night fling, but I had never had anything serious. I always tried to treat the ladies in my life as best I could, but I always made sure they understood that they weren’t my mates.It was strange to be on the other side now. Helena was my mate. I wanted to give her the world, but she looked like a frightened bunny who was at the ready to run at any moment, so I had to be careful not to overwhelm her. At the same time, I could see her strength shining tho
Helena“You aren’t going back into the cages.” He stopped walking so abruptly that I ran right into him. We jump apart instantly, almost as if we were hit by lightning or something. He sighs and pulls his fingers through his tick hair as he takes a couple of steps away from me. “You have to understand. I started a war against the werewolves. All werewolves.”He looks at me with such a pained expression that I just want to run into his arms and comfort him, but I don’t. Even though the bond is pulling harder and harder for us to be together with each passing second, I had to resist. I can’t allow myself to fall for the Lycan king. I can’t allow my heart to be broken again. I know this time I might not survive it.It took a moment, but when his words hit home, I felt a second bolt of shock run through my body. Taking a step back, I studied him carefully. I wouldn’t stand a chance if he decided to kill me! He is larger, faster, and stronger than I am. Even in our wolf forms. Especially i