The window squeaked as a young female cracked it open. Her hands trembled as she peeked out apprehensively. Her jet black hair which was held up in a rough bun got stuck to the rusted window pane, startling her a bit.
She jolted backward, her hands flew up to her chest and she glanced around the musty room. She stood still, listening for movement or sounds. When she was satisfied with the eerie silence that surrounded her, she inched closer to the window.
Voices filled the air. Members of the pack were celebrating their newest victory. She inhaled deeply, the smell of alcohol and meat wafted to her nose, but she didn't salivate. Food was the furthest thing from her mind.
As she watched them from her obscure vantage point, she wished could be as carefree as they were one day. That she could dance amidst them, crack jokes, celebrate wins with them, and be treated decently. That one day she'd belong with them as they would belong with her. Yet none of them seemed to notice her as they partied.
There was no time for that now. She thought. Tonight they had crossed the line and there was no going back. A familiar pang of hurt sliced through her chest. Tears slid down her cheeks, mixing with the blood and sweat that stained her face. She wiped it off roughly.
Scanning the area tentatively, she sighed. She looked down and gulped. She was on the 3rd floor of the massive 4-story building that served as the Gemini Pack House. She shivered, hugging herself. The tank top and trousers she wore were shredded and damp. Blood oozed out from somewhere beneath her shirt and the deep gash on her forehead.
"Laura…." She heard someone call out from somewhere deep inside the house.
Without looking back, she jumped.
*********************************
Laura groaned softly, opening her eyes. The harsh glare of the sunlight made her shut them back quickly. She heard footsteps, someone was moving close to her. Her heartbeat quickened. What did they do to me? She asked herself. Her head hurt badly, it felt as if the world was spinning around her, while thousands of elephants matched in her head.
She slowly opened her eyes as her pupils adjusted to the brightness of daylight. She tried getting up but a sharp pain pierced through her stomach and forced her to stay down.
“Don’t try to get up, you’re not yet strong enough, you’ll injure yourself.” A familiar voice advised.
"You saved me. Again" She murmured, shutting her eyes in relaxation.
He chuckled. “You a funny lady, you know that?”
“How did you...?” Her voice trailed off as she sat up abruptly, neglecting the pain coursing through her.
“You look like you’re about to lose consciousness again. You should lie down to reserve your energy, you're badly injured." He replied, curtly.
"But…" She tried speaking and her head began to swoon, making her lose control of her body as she fell to the ground.
Before her head could hit the ground, he caught her and gently set her down.
"Thank you." She grumbled.
"But why.." She started to ask.
"Shhhh...You need to rest then eat" He cut her off.
The sound of his voice, so close to her, thrilled her. She groaned appreciatively, as she deeply inhaled his scent. He smelled of Cedarwood mixed with a hint of musk and spice. She never imagined that she'd appreciate such a combination, yet as she lay in his arms she savored it.
No one had made her heart flutter as he did. Nobody made her stumble on her words or leave her gobsmacked like him. He had found her and saved her again, proving to them that no matter what he said, they belonged together.
She opened her eyes and caught him staring. Clearing his throat, he let go of her and hastened as far away from her as he could bear.
She chuckled, wishing she had a smart retort to make. Nothing came to mind. Since he was there to protect her, she let herself fall asleep.
The grumbling of her stomach woke her up the next time. She sat up gingerly, feeling better. Darkness had fallen around the forest and he had already started a fire to keep them warm. She watched him feed the fire with wood and twigs, which he must have gathered when she was asleep.
"Come closer." He said to the fire. "You should be feeling a lot better."
Rather than obey or agree with him, she felt like sticking her tongue out. But she held herself and folded her arms.
"Do you have to be so stubborn?" He asked tiredly.
She remained mute.
"You must be hungry, come and eat." He tried again.
She said nothing.
"Okay fine, stay where you are. I'll just eat your share and mine." He shrugged.
"Why'd you save me?" She asked seriously.
Her heart beat in anticipation. She hoped he had changed his mind.
He ignored her. Chewing thoughtfully.
She heaved a sigh.
"I hate it when my questions go unanswered." She started bitterly.
He stopped chewing, then stared at her with seriousness.
“Why did you leave?" He asked.
Eve huffed and moved closer to the fire.
"I'm hungry." She said, ignoring his question.
He tossed her some fruits, then asked again.
"Why did you leave, when you were still recuperating? Do you enjoy playing Damsel in distress?"
Eve froze, his words cut through her like a saber. She held the tears that clouded her eyes from falling.
“I left because it was the right thing to do, stop questioning me, it doesn't matter if I left does it?” she retorted.
“Of course, it doesn't, if I didn't interfere in time, you would be dead by now, you know that?” he asked, gazing into her eyes.
Eve laughed disdainfully.
"I wouldn't be dead, just in a place worse than death." She replied, dropping her meal. She shivered unconsciously, the thought of what they'd have done to her if they captured her, made her lose her appetite.
So he still feels the same. She thought.
"I know I should be grateful that you came in time to save me but I'm not. After what you did, I feel better off dead. If you do not care about me, stop trying to save me. This act you're putting up is frustrating.” she rebuffed.
“You think I saved you because I cared?”
Obviously. she thought hopefully.
“You rejected me, didn't you? That's why I left your pack. Yet the moment I disappeared from your sight, you came running after me. You care about me just as I do, stop trying to deny your emotions.” She calmly said.
He laughed loudly, then stood up slowly with a smirk on his face.
“How stupid can you be?" He asked.
"You do not even know me. We just met a few days ago and you're talking about care. You talk a lot and make quick assumptions, about someone who has no energy and cannot take care of herself. Are you out of your mind? How many times do I have to say it for you to understand?”
His words stung her, but she put up a brave front.
“I’m saying this for the very last time, you're not mine. I also did not come running after you, you aren’t that special. Because I invited you into my pack, you are under my protection. Did you expect me to leave you there to die? I’m not heartless! What kind of leader would my pack see me as?
You are not only weak and lousy but you cannot even think straight. Why'd you think you can become my mate? Stop being delusional, it doesn't suit you.” He finished.
She wanted to scream but couldn't find her voice. She stared numbly at him. Then suddenly burst into laughter. The shredding she had just received from him hurt badly, but it was not the worst thing she suffered from. She went through much worse in her lifetime that laughed her pain away.
Drew had not expected to stumble into his mate on the second day of his quest.He had become uneasy after hosting and attending balls, parties, brunches, and what have you to find his mate, without any luck. His pack made matters worse. He could feel their anxiety. It was only a matter of time before they began to demand a Luna that'll solidify his reign as Alpha.This uneasiness made him seek the lonesome quietness of the forest to distract himself by training his wolf, Silver.Before he set out, he entrusted his pack to the hands of his best friend and Beta. Then sprinted into the woods allowing the winds to lead him to an unknown destination. He had completely left his pack's territory when he heard a piercing howl. He stilled his movements and scanned his surroundings. The howl came from far off meaning that he wasn't in danger but Drew knew he'd have to be careful because it signaled that a pack was hunting. He carefully covered his tracks and masked his scent. A hunting pack wa
Laura remained silent throughout their journey back to Drew's pack. Drew had never felt so nervous in his entire life. After laughing she'd stood up and demanded that they returned to his pack.He was so shocked that he could only nod his head. She led the way, blatantly refusing to accept his help, and only stopped when she was confused or when she panicked because she heard movements in the forest. She had not spared him a glance since then.Silver whimpered. Not now, Silver. Drew warned. He was utterly flummoxed. Who laughs after being told they're worthless? He asked himself, eyeing her warily.She might have known he was lying or had he misjudged her?Argh! He groaned internally, fighting the urge to lift her and drown himself in her scent.He had acted too quickly. He should have tried to know who she was before telling her off.But he was sure he made the right decision. Even Silver, despite his strong-headedness, understood what he was doing. They had learned to trust their i
"Where is she?" A huge burly man asked, sauntering into what looked like a large hall at first glance, escorted by even burlim menen. The wide room, which served as the meeting room for the Gemini pack, would have looked like every other conference room complete with long tables and chairs for pack members, if not for the elevated throne-like chair that sat at the furthest end of the hall and its distance from other tables and chairs.The burly man took his position on this chair and his guards took their position beside him. Eight bandaged men sat before him, twitching nervously as he stared at them."You guys look horrible. Were you taken unawares by a group of rogues?" He asked, peering at them with eyes that seemed to search their souls.Some of them gulped, wishing they'd been attacked by a group of rogues. The man growled. Its sound resounded around the hall sending shivers down their spines. Most of them wish they'd disappear. "Alpha Ja..cob…" One man started, stuttering. "W
Laura, tired and downtrodden trudged along the dirt path, towards the outskirts of the city. She had barely escaped her stepfather who wanted her dead. Laura knew she was lucky to be alive. There was no doubt that as soon as they sniffed her out, her head would be severed, that was how much they hated her.Laura lost her strength and with the final strength she had left, she slumped to the ground. Her breathing was hitched and even her wolf was too weak to assist her. Being an Alpha, Laura's powers were far greater than anyone else's. She could sniff out things, faster than any of the other pack members but now, none of those powers mattered because she was beyond weak to do anything.Just before she slipped into a dreamlike trance, voices filled her head and she didn't know whether it was real or not."Do you think she's alive?",a voice said."She's breathing, she's alive but I can't find a pulse even though her heartbeat is steady", another voice said."Where did you find her?""At t
"I'm going over to Alpha Jed's turf today", Laura said.It's been over a month since she woke up and over a month since Laura had embraced her Alpha wolf side. "I think it's still too early to attack Laura", Drew said.Drew was the wolf who had saved her from her stepfather's men. He was handsome and what's more, really caring about his pack members.Laura didn't know if she was ready for it but she wouldn't hesitate to attack them if she had the chance."I'm not attacking now, I'm going there to scope the area", she said."Still, you have to be very careful. Alpha Jed is very sensitive and one small slip up could have us all doomed. Laura, are you sure you want to do this?", Drew said."I won't jeopardize the peace of this pack, you can trust me on that Drew", Laura said."Alright, but I think you should go with either Tim or Josh"."I prefer not to go with any of them. I need all the concentration I can get and secondly I don't want them to get hurt if something unpleasant occurs".
"Did I ever tell you Alpha Jed's son has a girlfriend", Drew said.It has been over a week now and today was the day Alpha Jed hosted his annual ball which saw different packs coming together to celebrate the full moon."I... No", Laura said.She knew her step brother had a girlfriend since she had seen her on the day she went to scout the area. Laura didn't want to tell him but was waiting for him to say something about it."Yep, he sure does", Drew said."Tell me about her", Laura said."She's a young girl, in fact she'll be eighteen years old today hence the main reason for this ball", Drew said.Laura was glad about this, it would give him the perfect opportunity to carry out his plans, something he had been wanting to do."I see. What's her name?",she asked."Her name is Liyah,'' Drew said."Okay. What time would we be going over to the ball?", Laura asked.She needed to know the time if she was to effectively carry out his plans on attacking Alpha Jed and kidnapping Liyah"Just b
"Hello, are you lost?",she asked.Her voice was soft, very gentle as against what she was expecting. Laura walked towards her and she chuckled when she saw her take a step back, her back hitting the railings of the balcony. She was scared, that much was certain but what she couldn't understand was the look of care and adoration she saw in her eyes. That wouldn't be good because she wasn't expecting that, she had everything mapped out and this was something unexpected."No, I'm not. I actually came to see you", she said."Me? But I don't know who you are?", she said."Well, I know you. You're Liyah", Laura said.She stood before her, taking her hands in her's. If she was to carry out her plans, she needed to do this even though she hated every minute of this. If this didn't work, she had no other option but to employ the second method, one she had been itching to use since the beginning."Oh yeah, I'm sure everyone knows who I am. It's my birthday after all", she said."Yes and why do I
Laura morphed into her wolf form, taking off into the night towards Drew's cave. The big wolf could live anywhere he liked and recently, Laura had come to learn that aside from his cave he was constantly in, he had a big mansion somewhere. She wasn't sure where he might be but she decided to try his cave first. After all, if he was somewhere, he had to be in his cave.She got to the boundary that separated Alpha Drew's pack from the rest of the village. Laura trudged on, hoping that Alpha Jed and his useless son didn't pull up an unpleasant surprise. When it came to them, she couldn't trust them. After all, there was nothing they did that could make her trust them.They made her life unbearable and Laura knew it was time for them to pay for all the pain and heartache they had caused her. There was no telling what they would do if they got their hands on her and this was something that she needed to avoid at all cost. They were bad people, very bad people indeed.At the entrance of his