ELIJAHI enter the Ironwood academy building with Irene trailing behind me, and step inside one of the classrooms without any prior warning. Professor Hayes's eyes narrow as he sees me, and he asks, "Is there anything I can help you with, Alpha Donovan?" There is an edge of annoyance in his question. He doesn't appreciate me interrupting his Physics class."Yes, I’d like one of your students, Drake, to come with me," I respond, and turn towards the seats. I find the brown, curly-haired boy sitting at the last bench. I didn't expect a smart boy like him to be a backbencher.Hayes slides his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I see," he acknowledges, then calls Drake, who gets up from his seat. The boy frowns when his eyes fall on me. His classmates whisper amongst each other, and I don’t miss the flirtatious glances the teenage girls throw my way.Drake walks towards me, slinging his bag over one shoulder, his face rigid with hatred towards me. We exit the classroom, and Drake immediat
ELIJAH “Step away, lady. Let the FBI do their duty,” Irene says with a smug look, and the receptionist slowly steps back from the desk. “But we are not the FBI,” Drake comments with a frown as he settles into the chair behind the desk. Irene sighs as if disappointed, “But it sounds cool. Adds weight to our investigation. Don’t you think so?” “Uh, I guess…” Drake gives her a strange look before focusing his attention on the desktop. Joshua walks over to me and mutters, “Elijah, this is a waste of time. We are in a hospital, and people are scared because of what’s happening. It's interrupting the workspace.” I look behind me. The nurses, staff, and patients are all gathered around, staring at us with curiosity in their eyes. I scoff, “I don’t give a fuck. I am the Alpha, so if they have a problem, then they can fuck off. Drake will do what I said.” “But—” “Know whom you are talking to, Joshua,” I snap at him, reminding him that he’s my Beta and he needs to obey my orders. If th
ELIJAH “Please hurry. I think—I think I’m going to die. It's getting very hard to breathe. I can’t breathe, Elijah!” Nixie shouts, and breathes loudly. Nixie’s body has weakened significantly due to the amount of wolfsbane injected into her by the Sandmoon pack when she was held captive. The doctor strictly advised that she stay in bed rest and have emotional support because of the trauma she went through. “I will,” I close the mind-link, not letting her say another word, and also turn my phone on silent mode. She will keep calling me, but I don’t have the time to be her emotional support at the moment. I turn my attention to the lady who seems firm on not revealing the identity of the one behind this plan. “This is the last time I’ll ask you politely, Miss—” my eyes dip to the nametag on her blazer, “Miss Edna. If you don’t answer, there are other ways I can use, and trust me, you won’t like them.” The receptionist gulps, “P-please. Let me go. I–I don’t know anything. It's not
ELIJAH I return to the packhouse with a heavy heart. Irene and Drake join me in my office to discuss everything that has happened so far. But I don’t have any words to spare, nor am I in the mood to discuss anything. My world has fallen apart, and I have no one to blame but myself. Rena would have been with me if I had just believed, if I had just said that I would trust her. Footsteps approach the office door, and Joshua walks in with a rigid expression. “We haven’t found Edna yet,” he reports. I stare at the dark gray sky through the window and reply slowly, “I see.” “But I have launched a search team to find her. I am confident we’ll get to her,” he sounds angry, “I won’t let go of someone who dares to hide such vital information from us,” he spats. “But you weren’t very cooperative when Drake told us that Edna is lying,” Irene intervenes, and I turn back towards them. Joshua’s brows knit as he stares at Irene, “What are you trying to imply here, Irene?” Irene shrugs, “J
VERENA “Sweetie, could you pass me the salt?” Ruth calls out to me from the other end of the kitchen, and I turn around to face her. The old lady’s eyes are focused on the pot, her gray hair pulled up in a tight bun. My lips curve into a smile, “Sure, here you go.” I grab the nearby salt canister from the white countertop and walk over to her. Ruth gestures for me to sprinkle some salt into the simmering tomato soup. Due to her simple appearance anyone would mistake her for a regular staff member working for the Alpha of the Mountain Cross pack. However, she is Carlisle’s nanny and a respected member of the packhouse. It has been a month since I left the Iron Claw Pack and started living in the Mountain Cross Pack. This pack has a different atmosphere and culture, leaning more towards a slow and peaceful lifestyle compared to the fast-paced city life of my old pack. Half of the landscape is filled with pine trees and towering mountains that reach up to the bright blue sky. “Look a
VERENA Ruth has been the only one, aside from Carlisle, who has been kind to me. She treats me well, and I enjoy spending time with her in the kitchen. We sometimes gossip about random things, and I get some vital information from her regarding the pack. She scoops up a steaming spoonful of tomato soup from the pot and carefully hands me the ladle. I blow on the spoon softly to cool the liquid and take a sip. The rich flavors dance across my taste buds, and the warmth of the broth is like a soothing caress to my itchy throat. “It's delicious,” I hum, feeling the urge to grab another spoonful. Ruth chuckles as she notices me eyeing the soup, “You’ll get to have it during lunch.” My eyes brighten up at that. I can’t wait to have soup for lunch. The little peaceful moment is dampened by the voices of the girls across the kitchen, “She looks like a twig. Does she not have a wolf?” I stiffen. They are suspecting it too. “It’ll be nice if she does not because then the Alpha will not al
VERENA My grip around the glass tightens as I feel Ruth’s hard gaze on me. How did she suspect it? I don’t have a wolf, so she couldn’t have smelled it on me. “What makes you think that? It's–it's nothing like that,” I say, my palms sweating profusely. I don’t want to lie to Ruth, who has been nothing but kind to me. But I don’t have a choice. She could reveal my secret to Carlisle. Ruth’s face softens, and her shoulders relax slightly as she looks at me. “You don’t have to be scared of me, Verena. I'm not planning to tell anyone,” she says, as if reading my mind. “There’s no secret,” I mutter immediately, hiding my face behind my hair. I'm sorry, Ruth. Ruth presses her lips into a line, then says, “I've been watching you struggle in the kitchen, sweetie. And I have years of experience to know that it's not just the aftereffect of your banishment.” I gulp, feeling a lump form in my throat. If there were a possibility for the floor to crack open and swallow me, I would consider my
VERENA “I don’t think anything good will come out of him knowing about it.” Carlisle deserves to know since he’s the one who gave me a place to stay and saved me from becoming a rogue. But I am scared of getting banished again and losing the only reason I have for living: my baby. Ruth nods, “I understand. Carl won’t hurt you or the child. But it will create complications which I am worried won’t be limited to the relationship between you both. It can go beyond that since the child is not his, and you are his mate.” My heart thumps in my chest as I realize what she means. If I am meant to become Carlisle’s Luna in the future, then my pup will be an illegitimate heir to the throne. Even if I refuse to become his Luna, it doesn't guarantee that my child won’t face threats in the future. As long as I am Carlisle’s fated mate, my child will be a target for those who want us gone. I look down at my lap in sadness, “I don’t want to complicate Alpha Carlisle’s life. He is my second cha