*KINCAID*
"FUCKING HELL!" KINCAID snarled. He had suddenly woken up and found himself bound with thick chains. After an hour of struggling hard, he knew it was futile so he resigned himself to his fate.
He knelt back and sat on his heels, his hands were held by the chains and they were hung up. He took in sharp short breaths, the wolfsbane in the air cut through his nose and burnt his lungs, but underneath the scent of wolfsbane, he scented another... it was a pleasant smell that reminded him of Roxanne. He closed his eyes, not wanting to go down that memory lane, but he knew he couldn't help it. Even after all these years, Caer, his wolf was still in immense pain. The brutal loss of one's fated mate was not a trivial matter.
He is Kincaid Stuart. Future Alpha of the High Moon pack of Scotland. Unlike many other wolves, he had found his mate very early. She was a sweet, soft-spoken girl called Roxanne. She was a healer wolf, who specialized in the traditional use of herbs.
He wasn't alpha yet. He wasn't even up to 18 at that time, so they couldn't do much about their bond, which they had both accepted. They started to get to know each other and feelings budded.
All of a sudden, Roxanne disappeared. She had told her sister that she was going to look for some special herbs that would increase the immunity of werewolves to wolfsbane. She was supposed to come back in a week, but a week passed. Two weeks passed and still no Roxanne.
That had caused worry amongst the pack. They knew how fond Kincaid had grown for her so they started asking around. Some of Roxanne's colleagues came forward and said that the herb she was looking for had been seen around some areas near North London, and that is where Roxanne might have gone.
So Alpha Ezra arranged some men and deployed them to go there. A few days later, they came back... with Roxanne's corpse. She was battered.
Even Alpha Ezra was shaken at her bodily state. He restricted his son from seeing Roxanne until she was cleaned and covered up so that she looked like she was asleep. Ezra knew how the death of a mate and take a wolf to the brink of madness, and he did not want that for his son.
On the day before her burial, Kincaid was walking dumbly around the pack. He had a lost look in his eyes and didn't know where he was headed, but he found himself outside the office of Doctor Alan, the pack's head doctor and Roxanne's head superior.
His voice was shaky as he spoke, "She wasn't just killed, alpha," He said.
Kincaid peeped over the window and saw his father seated with the doctor.
"What happened?" Ezra asked.
"She was raped and then killed," Doctor Alan said. He choked have a sob.
The alpha took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Kincaid, who was still crouched outside felt a sharp jab of pain course through his heart. He slumped against the wall and held back his tears. His own mate was raped. He wanted nothing more than to find the fucker that did this and tear the person to pieces.
"What did you find from the autopsy?" Ezra asked. "Was she in pain?"
Doctor Alan sniffled and wiped his face. "She was soft-spoken... but she put up a hell of a fight." He said. "Either she was ganged on, or it was a very strong wolf that attacked her."
"With your tone of voice, I assume that you know who did it," Ezra said.
Doctor Alan nodded. "We found some scraps of skin underneath her nails. She must have scratched her attacker. From the skin, we extracted some DNA samples which I ran in the database."
Most werewolves in the world, especially those from big packs were registered in a database. It was one similar to that of Interpol or FBI, but it was only accessible by alphas and high-ranking members of each pack.
Alpha Ezra stood up and pressed forward. "Who. Did. This?"
"A werewolf called Jermaine," Alan said. "Jermaine Foster,"
"Foster," Ezra mulled over the name. "Isn't that the name of the alpha of the North London pack?"
Alan nodded. "It is, sir. His son committed this atrocious crime."
Ezra took a deep breath and asked. "Are you sure --"
That was all Kincaid needed to hear. He slapped the tears from his face and stormed off. He gathered some loyal warrior friends and they snuck out of the pack, heading for North London.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a long run, but they are werewolves. They covered the whole distance in one, fast run. They got to the borders of North London in the evening and they camped out to regain their strength and planned on how they would attack.
When everywhere got dark, they launched their assaults. But the assaults were just a distraction. Kincaid was here for only one person. Jermaine Foster. As soon as he finished up the business, they would be gone. The attack would be attributed to a regular rogue attack. Many packs experienced it. It wouldn't be anything special.
But like Jermaine knew what was coming for him, he hid and masked his scent. The longer it took Kincaid to search, the more organized North London warriors became, and they attacked back led by their beta.
"Get ready to abort the mission," Kincaid mindlinked his team. They had done enough damage to the pack's buildings and supplies.
Kincaid was just looking for the right time and means of escape -- he had come, blinded with anger that he had not known how large and strong the North London pack was. It wasn't as large as his father's pack, but it was larger than a group of young wolves blinded with rage.
He was just about to make a run for it when he sighted a child wandering under the moonlight. In his eyes, it seemed like a ray of moonbeam lit her and highlighted her red hair. His breath caught in his throat at her oblivion and innocence.
He took a step closer.
"Caid, what are you doing?" His best friend, Mateo mindlinked him. "Let's go."
"I've got our get-out-here-safe ticket," He mindlinked his team without taking his eyes off the girl. "Form up on me." He snatched the child by her throat, and as he expected, the attack ceased.
The army of North London stopped in their tracks. Kincaid turned to them, holding the child limply between his jaws. He and his team backtracked slowly until they were out of the borders, and then he nipped the girl's neck softly before dropping her and was about to run off but the leader of the army launched at Kincaid. Mateo and two others blocked him and countered the attack before running off into the night.
When they got back to Scotland, Kincaid was certain that his father knew what they had done, but Ezra never spoke of it. He understood his son and the pain of feeling a mate raped and killed.
Over the years, Kincaid's mind drifted back to that night. He knew he might have done something very stupid on that night. That little nip on the girl's neck had been laced with emotions, it could become something more than just a bite. He found it harder to keep himself from wandering too close to North London, but he wanted to see the girl. To be sure that what he had done that night had not become what he feared.
He feared that he had marked her.
A few weeks ago, he might have wandered a little too close, and he was apprehended by the pack's patrol. At first, he had wanted to fight them off. His wolf, Caer, had not had such an exercise in a long time, and he was sure taking down the 5 patrol would not even break a sweat, but instead, he allowed himself to be taken prisoner, hoping that he would catch a glimpse of the little girl.
"She would not be so little now," Caer said in his head and Kincaid nodded. It has been almost 10 years. He sighed.
There was that scent again. It wafted to his nose and eased a bit of the pain he was feeling. A soft murmuring made him stop moving, he focused his attention on what the voice was saying.
"...you have alpha blood running through your veins. You have power. I will always remember that!" The voice said.
It sounded funny and oddly soothing to Kincaid and he gave a small chuckle. The owner of the voice was coming from his neighboring cell. That was the only time he had heard her, the following day, he listened as she was yanked out of her cell roughly and hoisted away.
A few hours later, a warden opened his cell and said, "Your father is here for you."
Kincaid scoffed as the chains were unlocked, and he was directed out into the sunlight for the first time in 2 weeks.
*ADRIENNE*I WOULD HAVE expected being cooped up with the intimidating Alpha Ezra to be scary, uncomfortable, and awkward, but it was not so. It was almost like he wasn't there and he encouraged me to rest before we got to Scotland. I looked out the window as the landscape flashed by. "We are finally escaping," Thea muttered. "And not as rogues.""Then as what?" I asked. "A potential part of the pack," Thea answered.She might be right, or not. I don't know what fate or the moon goddess has in store for my future, and based on what has happened so far, I am sure that whatever waited for my future was not going to be good. I glanced at Aloha Ezra, his gaze was focused on a large newspaper. I closed my eyes, and just before I drifted away in sleep, I made a promise to myself. "At any sign of abuse in this new pack, I will break my bond and leave. I will become rogue." Thea purred in agreement and I finally allowed myself the much needed rest. I was awoken by the force of the car sl
"GO AND WASH up, son" Alpha Ezra said to Kincaid. "I will be coming to speak with you soon. Maybe you will tell me what you were thinking when you were caught by North London patrol."Kincaid snorted. His mother rubbed his cheek fondly with her hand and herded him into the house. "I could ask the same of you, bringing the girl here," Luna Amelia said, coming to stand beside her husband. "Jake was eager to sell her off to me. Even if she was going to be my sex slave," He muttered."What?" Amelia gasped. Her hands covered her mouth. "But why? Wasn't she part of his pack?""She was part of his pack, but I do not know the reason she was being mistreated." He shrugged off his thick woolen coat and hung it on a rack. "I am going to see how she blends in with us, and maybe I will think of inducting her to be part of us.""I think she would like that."Ezra chuckled. "I don't think she would like anything. Besides, I hope Kincaid might pick a fancy in her, she is a beautiful girl, and well
*ADRIENNE*I lay on my bed for a while, trying to go to sleep, but my mind was worried. I still didn't know what I was doing here in Scotland, and my scar kept on tingling.After a few minutes, I gave up trying to sleep and instead, I went to the bathroom to wash away the dirt and grime from the travel. I hoped the warm showers would calm my nerves and make it easier for me to sleep.When I got out of the shower, there was a folded pile of clothes on my bed. I picked one up hesitantly and looked at it. It was a large hoodie. Certainly bigger than my size, but just how I liked it. I put it on and slipped on a pair of jogger trousers that were exactly my size."Who had brought these in?" I wondered as I packed them and tucked them in the built-in wardrobe. Just as I was done, a small knock sounded on the door and Alpha Ezra came in.I immediately bowed, surprised that he did not summon me to his office, instead,
*KINCAID*"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" He cursed as he shifted back to his human form. "I can't even enjoy a solitude run again!" He snatched up a pair of pants from the floor and put it on. The pack had designated places where clothes were kept in the woods for shifting back."Just when I was starting to enjoy myself!" He snarled, marching back to the packhouse. As he broke out of the tree line, he saw a silhouette standing underneath an oak tree and waiting."Shit," He cursed under his breath."I can hear you, Caid," the voice rang out in the darkness as the person stepped out from underneath the shadows. It was Lucy, a girl who desperately wanted to be his girlfriend and future Luna of the pack."Hello Lucy," Kincaid said, walking past her. She matched his stride and walked beside him."I was wondering when you would come and see me," She replied. "I heard you got back this afternoon.""Word sure travels fast in this pack,"
*ADRIENNE*THE BRIGHT RAYS coming through my window woke me up. For a second after I woke up, I was back in North London and in the underground dungeons. I took a deep breath, expecting to be choked out with the gaseous wolfsbane, but instead, my lungs were filled with fresh air. I opened my eyes slowly and remembered that I was now in Scotland amongst the High Moon pack.The sounds of chirping birds filled the air, I went to my window and looked out. The pack was bustling with activities. I could hear a ruckus coming from the downstairs kitchen and dining room. In the front yard, groups of wolves were going about their morning duties. I hurriedly went to the bathroom and washed up before putting on another of the clothes that had been given to me yesterday. I packed my hair in a tight ponytail to keep it out of my face and walked downstairs slowly. I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to myself, so I kept my head down, not meeting anyone's eyes.
*KINCAID*"WHAT DO YOU mean you have to keep me here for some days?" Kincaid snarled. Doctor Alan, who was unfazed at the raging giant, simply shrugged."It's very unusual for a werewolf to just... blackout," Doctor Alan said, writing on clipboard. "I have to make sure it doesn't happen again, and what caused it in the first place before I can let you go.""You can't keep me," Kincaid said, standing up. "I am your Alpha. I give the commands and you follow them, not the other way around."Doctor Alan flushed red. He adjusted his tiny glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Technically, You are not yet alpha. Not until your father steps down - which he hasn't."Kincaid growled. The sound seemed to shake the walls of the ward. Doctor Alan involuntarily took a step back. "And besides, you wouldn't want to collapse again in front of the pack. They would worry about you, and such tension is bad for the easy flow of the pack."Kincaid saw reason
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*HE LOOKED PEACEFUL while he slept. Almost Angelic, and for some reason, watching him sleep made Thea calm and she purred in my head contentedly.What was it with this guy? I wondered. He was oddly familiar, maybe it was because we had shared a traumatic experience together in the dungeons. I remembered the doctor's words before he left, he spoke very gently to me and assured me that he had given Kincaid a dose to knock out a polar bear through 2 winters. I had chuckled at the joke, and the doctor had laughed along, but the laugh didn't reach his eyes. So as I wiped Kincaid's sleeping brow with a cool towel, I wondered if the doctor wasn't exaggerating. The scar on my neck tingled. It had been doing that recently, like an injury that had not healed properly and still contained bad blood inside. Maybe I would talk to Amelia about it. I sighed, Luna Amelia was also very nice. It seemed like everyone in this pack was nice and gentle. Being one of the ancient packs, T
EVERY MORNING IN the pack house was always hectic and was always filled with noise and activities from the main lobby and dining area. Sadly, my room was just above the dining, so almost every sound was transported up to me.I had barely slept for 3 hours, since I left the hospital in the early hours of the morning. I woke up and groggily made my way to the bathroom to wash up. I looked at myself in the mirror and chuckled. How absurd could that Lucy girl be that she would think I am going to take her man? I scoffed.I had blazing red hair, it was always so stubborn and hard to style that most times, I simply packed it in a tight ponytail or left it hanging around my very plain face. My face was speckled with freckles that dotted around my nose and underneath my eyes, which has to be my most unique feature. They were light brown. Something I had gotten from my father. I brushed my teeth and bound my hair with a rubber band before going downstairs.