A foreboding silence caused goosebumps to arise on Zachary's skin as he traipsed into the Packhouse. He knew without a doubt that something was wrong.
"Alpha." A teary faced guard who met with him as he crossed into the main house anchored on each side by his Beta and Gamma respectively.
Zachary scanned the area in one swooping gaze but nothing gave him the answer. Unable to ignore the question that stuck in his throat, he voiced out almost immediately.
"What is it?"
"La…lady Elsie." He stuttered.
Zayn didn't wait for any more words as he shoved the guard to a side and dashed into the house in the direction of her fading scent. He flung the door open and for a moment his heart stopped when he saw her. She was struggling for breath.
He swallowed hard and suddenly his legs became too heavy for him to carry as he approached her on the bed.
"Za- Zachary, I waited for you." A small weary smile curved on her lips as she held out her frail hand to him.
Zachary watched her inhale her last breath before going limp in his arms. He clenched his fists in anger and let out a deep growl into the air causing everyone in the Pack house to shiver in fear.
It was like a dream. His only sister now laid before him lifeless. Pain cut through him like a two edged sword as he vowed right there by her bed.
"I will make them pay. Every single witch there will die with my name rolling off the slabs of their tongues as they beg me for mercy."' He muttered out those words as a promise to his dead mate.
***************
The sound of barking dogs filled the air and Zachary's hair was whipped back by a cold wind that left his teeth clattering. The sense of impending doom rested upon him thickly like a wet blanket, and while he was not usually one to ignore his instincts, he had no choice but to do so.
He would repay them back in kind. They were only a few miles away from Ayrwood now, but the closer they drew to the community, the more his subconscious pricked at him. He felt uneasy. His gut told him he was headed into something bad.
His hatred was a driving force that fueled his anger, propelling him forward with record speed. His men followed closely behind him and once they reached the community, blood sprayed. There were cries, there were pleas for help, and there was so much blood.
Only, it wasn't the witches who bled. Zachary suffered the dream of watching his men die before his eyes at the hands of skilled witches who fought just as savagely as his wolves did. The witches were prepared and their numbers were great. Far greater than the men he had brought with him.
But it was no dream. Warm blood splayed on his face as a sword went through the throat of his Beta, Lucien, who had thrown himself in front of Zachary to protect him.
Zachary bellowed, swiping for the head of the witch who had stabbed Lucien. Her head came clean off, but Zachary hardly noticed as pain ripped through him when he caught the body of his fallen Beta. His best friend.
And for the first time, tears filled his eyes as he watched Lucien cough up more blood. His throat was ripped and he could hardly speak a word. Soon, his brown eyes turned unseeing and vacant and Zachary roared in outrage.
He finally looked up from his friend's body, watching his men get hacked into pieces by the vicious magic of his foes. The battle was over sooner than he expected, and there were countless swords pointed at him and the rest of his men who had been forced into surrender.
A sword rested against his throat and he looked up to find old grey eyes peering down at him with hate. "To think you can come into my territory and attack my people..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes skimmed the field of dead bodies that were mostly his men. "I have never been graced with the presence of an Alpha as stupid as you are."
Hate darkened Zachary's eyes as he took in the Head Witch, Anastasia, and he bared his sharp canines at her, releasing a vicious growl that was loud enough to shake the earth underneath their feet. "I will not rest until I have avenged their deaths !"
The old woman scoffed, regarding him with a gaze that was sharper than an eagle's. "You would need to get out of your cage first to do that, Alpha."
Her head jerked to the witches that had lined up behind her, all dressed in black tunics and pants. "Bind them and take them to the dungeons!"
Suddenly, Zachary's arms moved of their own volition, and his eyes widened in horror as they snapped behind him, held back by invisible hands.
He roared, thrashing and kicking violently, but he was soon subdued when five witches merged their powers to restrain him. And as Zachary was led away to the dungeons with his men in tow, he couldn't help but think the last thing he had seen in Lucien's eyes before he had died was a betrayal.
*******
Zoey Keystone ran her fingers through her hair. It was going to be another hard day. She could tell from the stench of blood and death that coated the air. She had always hated the war with the wolves. She hated always having to clean up the gore and the blood, feeling a sense of kinship with them.
It was why she scowled the entire way from the kitchens to the dungeons as she carried the food for their new prisoners. Anastasia, her mother, had given her the order to have them fed, believing none of the maids would be able to handle the prisoners--and she had been eager to do it, needing to help in any way she could.
"I hear there is an Alpha among them," a maid said excitedly behind her and Zoey rolled her eyes. What Alpha would be stupid enough to walk into witch territory, only to get himself captured? Surely, no one was that stupid.
But it would seem she was wrong, because as she reached the last dungeon, five witches stood by the door, faces etched with fatigue and pain.
She paused before Lorna, who was the strongest witch after her mother. "What is it?"
Lorna frowned, trying not to break her concentration. "The Alpha won't stop resisting. He is wearing us down. I've never met any wolf this strong, Dia."
Zoey peered into the dungeon and in the middle of the cell sat the most magnificent man she had ever seen.
Raven black hair tumbled over tan shoulders, stopping only when it reached his torso. He had eyes of truest amber and they were so cold, Zoey shivered. Her eyes trailed along the elegant lines of his face and she found that she couldn’t draw her gaze away from him. Zoey had seen her fair share of men but none were this beautiful. There was nothing soft or delicate about his features. Wild and rare was his kind of beauty. He was not a man you looked away from. Or walked away from. He was the type of man you ran away from. All of her senses screamed danger as she observed the man who was bathed in blood and covered with tattered clothes that had no doubt been ripped from battle. Her eyes drooped from his luscious and sensual lips to the skin below his neck. Through the rip of his shirt, she could see the build of muscles and—she swallowed, forcing her gaze back to his face. She jerked, heart slamming in her chest when she found his amber gaze narrowed on her. He tilted h
Mate. The word had clanged through him the moment her scent of jasmine had reached his nostrils, cleaving right through the grief and anger that had been eating away at him. The witch’s daughter was his mate. And she didn’t know or suspect anything. It brought a lot of things into question. What was a wolf doing in a horde of witches? Did she really know nothing of it or was she as deceitful as the other witches? He had seen her bright eyes of turquoise blue. She had not known what she was, or who he was to her. He had seen her confusion and he had known the moment she dismissed it, choosing instead to speak to him. He couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or a curse, but he knew one thing for sure. He would never be with her. He would reject her the moment he got out of this cage. But he needed her now. She was the daughter of the Head Witch. If anyone could help him escape from this miserable place, it would be her. He had seen the wildeness in her gaze last night. She wo
“Do not mention this again, Zoey!” her mother yelled and Zoey winced from the high-pitched tone. Anastasia rarely raised her voice at Zoey. It was a first, and Zoey very well knew she had earned it. Even if Zachary was such an ass, she would try her best to get him out of the dungeons, and back to his home. He had said he was sure they had attacked his home in the passing, and it was why he had marched upon their enclave with his men. And she could understand that. She couldn’t imagine what she would have done had she been in the same situation. If she had a family somewhere out there—her true family—and she got wind that they were in harm’s way, she would go to the ends of the earth and back to get them back. “Mother. . .” Zoey drawled in a manner that usually worked when she needed something from Anastasia, but the hardness in Anastasia’s eyes didn’t crack a tiny bit. It remained, and Zoey feared that even she wouldn’t be able to move her mother. “He really isn’
A thunderous slap landed on Zoey's cheek immediately followed by another two stinging ones that sent her ass on the cold hard floor. The slap came again, this time harder than the last. The next one landed right between her eyes, the pain radiating from it numbing her entire face in an instant. A gasp escaped her parted lips as hot tears glistened in her eyeballs. Zoey let out a sob of anguish, unable to hold herself together any longer. Her eyes met with the stern gaze of her mother who loomed over her. She had no words to say in her defense but she was sure Zachary would prove them all wrong soon when he came back for her.He had promised to come for her and that was all that mattered. She could bear the pain so long he came back."How could you do something so scandalous? Do you have any idea how disastrous this could be for this kingdom? What were you thinking Zoey?" Her mother shouted, scanning her from head to toe in distraught. "Mother-""Don't say the word!" Her mother's lo
"Hey, Mommy's princess, your food is ready." Lorna said in a mocking voice while unlocking the doors to the prison.Rays of the golden sun poured into the prison through a small window as she walked in followed by Lily. A small smile twitched on Zoey's pale figure when she saw Lily."Eat while you still can." Lorna dropped the food tray she brought for Zoey with a thud, splashing some of the content on the table. "Lorna." Zoey reached for Lily's hand on the table but she yanked her hands away."Don't you dare touch me you traitor." Lorna eyed her with distaste and moved away."You didn't have to do that." Lily chided Lorna."I can act as I like. Who knows I might be six feet below by dusk." Lorna pranced out of the room."Hey, don't mind her nasty behavior. She'll come around soon." Lily pulled Zoey into her arms and comforted her.After a brief second, they pulled away and Zoey wiped the dry tears on her cheeks. Lily patted her slowly while waiting for her to speak."What about Moth
"Who attacked us? Why? Is Mother okay?" Zoey's eyes widened in shock as she popped out different questions while following Lily toward the dungeon's entrance"Stay here." "No, I can't. What would I do here?" Zoey wondered."Your mother will have my head if I dare go against her instructions. Remain here, Zoey. I'll try to come back for you." Lily told her before exiting the dungeon.Zoey's heartbeats thumped hard against her ribcage as she paced the dungeon lost in thought. Why did she have such a strange dream about Zach just when they were attacked? What exactly was going on? Unable to find answers, she sat back on her bed to wait for Lily after all she had no choice but to wait. ***************************"Are those potions ready?" Zach turned to address Lucifer, his right-hand man who stood aside waiting for his orders."Yes, Alpha. Everything is ready. We await your orders." Lucifer replied. "Good." Zach nodded.He couldn't wait to avenge the missing girls,
Zoey roved her eyes around the exit to the dungeon as she tightened her grip on the iron bars. Her heartbeats thumped so hard she could hear them. She inched her ears closer so she could pick up the slightest sound but it was all in vain. The exit was as quiet as the graveyard. Letting out a frustrated groan, she cursed inwardly and repeated the same action. It was the same.The dungeon was so far beneath the coven. It was made to prevent the groans of prisoners from disturbing their peace. Never had she imagined that she would grace it someday."Hello!" She screamed as loud as she could, straining her vocal cords but her voice bounced back reminding her that she was all in the dungeon alone."Anyone there?" Zoey shook the iron bars with every strength she could summon but no one replied to her. This wasn't looking good. Lily hadn't come back for over thirty minutes and with each passing second, a pang of deep fear hit her. What if something happened to them?They had powers and mag
Suppressing a low gasp, Zoey's hands flew to her mouth and her eyes widened in shock. She couldn't stop it, a small cry of dismay escaped through her trembling lips as she felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "Zach, why? Why are you doing this to us?" She moaned. "I told you, Zoey! I warned you." Her mother muttered behind her. Approaching them in evident anger, Zach flung his sheath to a corner, ignoring Zoey's questions as he was ready to take them captive. Goosebumps arose on Zoey's skin as deep fear filled her up to the brim. The intensity of his hateful gaze felt like a knife twisting her guts. Someone wake me up from this dream. Her heart pounded so fast she thought it would leap out of her chest any moment now, and all she could do was stare in shock as the man who vowed to love her now regarded her with dark eyes that burned with hatred and malice. Zoey’s stomach roiled in revulsion. The man before her was nothing more than a monster and his very presence ma