* * * Alpha Charles’s POV * * *
“Alpha, the Luna isn’t going to be pleased with us bringing in waifs and strays,” my Beta Ralph tells me.“I don’t give a flying fuck if she’s pleased or not. My Luna will do as she’s told. She isn’t my fated mate and so her thoughts and feelings mean very little to me. She has served her purpose by providing me with an heir with strong bloodlines.”“The financial impact on the pack for feeding and clothing these bastards over the years will be significant,” he says.“If one of them are the wolf of the prophecy, the financial reward will be greater,” I tell him.“Why don’t you see if you recognise any of them, sir,” he suggests.I know what he’s thinking, if there’s any we can rule them out now, we should just kill them and save ourselves the hassle they will bring during the years to come. He has a point. “It’s worth a try,” I agree.I follow Ralph to the van he’s stored the brats in and analyse the features of each of the girls. None of them seem even remotely familiar, and none look like Alpha Luke or Luna Lillian. “None of them look familiar, we’ll just have to take them all,” I tell Ralph. It’s odd, as I look at them, their faces appear to blur into non distinctive features. It’s been a long night, maybe after I’ve rested they’ll appear more familiar to me.“You! What’s your name?” Ralph barks at one of the girls while pointing.“Em… Emily,” the young girl stammers.“How old are you?”“Ten, Sir.”“Do you see your Alpha’s daughter here?” He barks at her.Emily looks around the van at the other girls, her nose scrunched as looks hard beyond the dirt on their faces. “There are no Alpha’s daughter’s here. I don’t think. My mind feels funny, but I think they are all Omegas of the Coral Lake pack and the Mystic Moon pack, Sir,” she tells us with a nod of her head.“And you, what’s your name and how old are you?” Ralph asks.“I’m Hallie and I’m 12, Sir,” the girl answers.“Do you see the Alpha’s daughter here?“ I ask her.“No, sir,” she says with a shake of her head.I wave her away and look around the back of the van again, there’s a small girl sat in the back corner mumbling to herself while rocking. I call David forward so that I can use his ears and hear what she’s saying.“My name is Eve. I’m six years old. I’m an orphan, my mother was an Omega,” she says quietly, over and over again.“EVE!” I bark, almost making her jump out of her skin.She looks at me with wide green doe eyes and doesn’t say a word.“I’m fucking talking to you, brat. You do NOT want to find out what will happen if I’m forced to open the door and come in there. Now fucking answer me,” I snap at her, my Alpha aura pushing towards her.Her eyes continue to stare, like she’s looking through me. The strength of my aura has floored most of the other brats.“I’m Eve,” she finally speaks.“So I heard. Do you see the Alpha’s daughter here?” I ask her.She nonchalantly looks around and shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t think so. I never really left my mother’s side in the house, so I don’t know everyone. You killed my mother,” she says.Her sad eyes make me uncomfortable for a moment. But then I shake it off. Greatness never comes from being comfortable. I stare her down and walk away from the van. Time will tell us if these brats are the child I seek, or not. “Take them back to Mountain View, they will work the packhouse as Omegas. We will keep a close eye on them,” I command as I walk towards my car.“Alpha, what do we tell the rest of the pack about the children?” Ralph asks me.“We tell them we were unable to find the abducted child, but after the Coral Lake pack was attacked by rogues, we had no choice but to fight. That we have brought the orphans with us to make sure they’re looked after,” I answer him. I’m a damn saint and it’ll keep the council off my case when I submit my report. With nobody to confirm the events from the Coral Lake pack, I can watch the girls while plotting to expand my search if the child isn’t here.“And Luna Louisa?”“She’ll accept my decision. She has no choice.”“And what of the girls, once they reach 18?”“We watch them for signs of being gifted as they age. If when they turn 18 years old, they aren’t the child of prophecy, and they aren’t mated to wolves within our pack; well, then we will sell them or use them as pack whores,” I decide.“So we just wait?”“We wait and watch them.”“For how long? The youngest is six years old,” Ralph informs me.“We watch and wait until we know,” I tell him.“Until we know,” Ralph repeats.The drive back to the Mountain View pack is a short journey, it’s far too early for the morning traffic to cause delays. I sit and go over my rehearsed story that I’ll submit to the council.‘One day, karma will bite you in your arse and justice will be served,’ David tells me.‘Why do you keep protesting? You chose to pair with me, your soul aligned with mine,’ I tell him.‘I was eager to live. This is my first life, I won’t make the same mistake again, I will wait for a soul that calls to me,’ he sighs.‘You do that. But in the meantime, you will serve me.’‘I could leave you without a wolf, an Alpha without a wolf and without wolf strength won’t be Alpha for long,’ he threatens me.His words briefly make me anxious, but I remember the upper card I always have up my sleeve. ‘If you do that, I will kill that bitch of a fated mate that you love so much,’ I warn him.‘No. Not my mate,’ he pleads.‘Then shut up and do as I say’.‘If I do, will you let my mate live? Will you let me be with her?’‘Once a year’.‘Once a month,’ he tries to haggle.‘Once a quarter and that’s it. It’ll take me months to get her filthy Omega stench off my dick,’ I argue.‘She is the perfect soul for us as the Moon Goddess fated her to be. You would be much happier if you accepted her. But, I will accept your offer’.“Alpha, we are home. Where shall we put the children?” Ralph says from the driver's seat.“In the dungeons for now. We will rest today and tonight and then assign them their duties and supervision tomorrow,” I tell him.“Shall I send food and water down?” He asks.“No. They will be fine until tomorrow,” I say and get out of the car and head towards my wing and bed.* * * Eve’s POV * * * “Who are you?” A girl with black hair asks me.“I’m Eve. I’m an orphaned Omega.”“Are you sure you’re from here? I know all the cubs in the Coral Lake pack and I don’t know you. You must be a Mystic Moon member.”“I don’t know. I was in the woods and the men took me.”“It’s okay. I’ll look after you. My name is Elsie.” “Thank you, Elsie.” All the girls in the back of this van tell me their names and how old they are. Some are eight years old. Some are 14, and others are somewhere in between. The nasty Alpha has been asking them if they are the child of prophecy, he wants the child. They all promise each other that if one of them is the child he wants, they will keep the secret. They don’t want the nasty Alpha to take the prophecy child. “Blindfold and cuff them until we return to the back,” the Beta orders the others and then follows his Alpha.The nice man Walter climbs into the van and apologises to us before he cuffs our arms to the sides of the van and pu
* * * Alpha Charles’s POV * * * * * Four Years After the Betrayal * * I’ve spent years looking over these damn maps. The child has to be out there somewhere, but no matter where I search, I always come home empty handed. ‘Perhaps if you allowed us to spend time with our mate, you wouldn’t feel this way,’ David tells me.‘Enough with this shit. I don’t want our mate, when will you ever learn?’‘Never. Someone is coming.’ The sound of someone knocking at my door has me looking up from my desk. “Yes!” I call out.The door edges open and Ralph peeks around the frame, “Sorry to interrupt you, may I come in, Alpha?” He asks.“Yes, of course,” I answer. I don’t want him disturbing me, but I know I’m lucky to have a Beta who does as he’s told without questions asked.“Is there anywhere else to search?” He asks when he notices the maps on the desk as he approaches.“A few places, perhaps. What is the purpose of your visit?”“Sir, I’ve come to discuss the she-wolves that we brought back from
* * * Eve’s POV * * * * * * Aged 10 * * * I wake up and rub the sleep from my eyes, my body is programmed to wake at this time now. A year of waking up at the crack of dawn and I no longer need an alarm, or for Rose to knock on my door.I had the same dream again last night, the one where I’m an Alpha and I stop Alpha Charles treating his pack so badly. I was wielding fire and I was flying. It felt so real that it has to be more than a dream. How can something that feels so real, only be a dream? I climb from my mattress and straighten my blankets. I throw on my clothes and tie my hair back. It’s time for the day to begin. “Morning, Eve. Are you ready?” Rose greets me. “Of course,” I say as I turn to face her.“Oh dear. Come to my room so we can wash your hands and face. We’re in the kitchen today and the Alpha won’t like how dirty you look,” she says kindly.I follow Rose to her room and let her wash me. We change my clothes and use a belt to make her clothes fit. I realise how
* * * Eve’s POV * * ** * * four years ago * * *I open my eyes to the dim light that is a permanent feature here; I look around the room. Walls are painted white, there’s a series of tiny windows with bars inside and out (They let in no light even during the day, making it hard to tell the time), there’s a metal toilet in the corner, and a metal sink, and my white wrought iron bed. This is my room. I’m not allowed belongings here; they fear that I can make a weapon out of them. This is the institution for the mentally ill. Every day is the same, wake up, shower, have breakfast, exercise, lunch, classes for basic knowledge, dinner, therapy classes, supper, and bed. Always the same.It’s mind-numbing, tedious, and frustrating here.This is the Mountain View Pack; the pack is located in Wales within the United Kingdom. The mountain is Glyder Fawr, within Snowdonia National Park. Its highest peak is 1000m. The pack is situated within a valley with a lake. It’s a beautiful place, majestic
* * * Eve’s POV * * * When I left the institute, I’d made my way to the packhouse reception and asked a very stern librarian looking woman for Natalie as instructed. Natalie is the head Omega; the position has gone to her head. She acts as though she’s a ranked wolf. Not an Omega who is either ignored or insulted by the rest of the pack. Natalie is an older woman, although her wolf genes would fool a human. She has auburn hair that’s always tied in a ponytail, so tightly that it appears to give her an instant face lift. Her chestnut brown eyes are cold, and years of arduous work has left her with a slim but toned body. If she didn’t have her wolf genes, I dare say she would have callouses on her hands. She has been a packhouse Omega almost her whole life, the longest serving packhouse Omega. As such, she has been promoted to head Omega. Basically, she makes sure all the jobs are completed. A role that has gone to her head. She avoids work as much as was possible.Natalie assigns me t
* * * Eve's POV * * * “Attention everybody” commands Alpha Charles, “I have called you here this morning to inform you that we will be hosting an inter-pack meeting for the council. N……” Alpha Charles stops due to the excited whispers within the crowd. “SILENCE” he orders, using his Alpha command. The noise instantly dies down; all the wolves are forced to submit to his command. It’s strange, I’ve no such feeling to submit. I force myself to lower my head, as the others have. “No more interruptions or there will be punishments. Now, as I was saying, we will be playing host to an inter-pack meeting for the council. I received a call this morning informing me that the meeting is urgent, and our guests will be arriving on Saturday, two days from now. They will be here for three days. As you can appreciate, this is short notice, so there will be extra jobs to be completed. Nobody will be spared additional duties, our reputation is on the line”, Alpha Charles explains and takes a brief
* * * Eve's POV * * * I quickly make my way back to the kitchen to find Becca has been working extremely hard, the kitchen is spotless, pots washed and in their rightful place, shelves and cupboard fronts are clean, canisters organised, recipe sheets lay on the counter ready to be referred to. How much easier duties must be when you are able to use your wolf abilities. I knock on the door. “Hi Becca, it’s only me. How are we looking for ingredients? Will we be able to impress the Alpha and land a permanent gig?” I ask her. Despite doing this at Cora’s request and just because we apparently need to be seen by the visiting Alphas and Council Men, I’m excited to have a change in my duties. Anything is better than scrubbing toilets and washing urine from the floor.“Hi Eve. I’ve gone through all the food storage areas and have planned a menu, if I may go through it with you?” Becca asks for permission. This is strange, nobody asks my permission, I think to myself. “Of course, please do
* * * Eve's POV * * * I’m a young girl, maybe five years old. I’m sitting on a man's knee, and he’s reading me the Wizard of Oz. I giggle as he sings in a squeaky voice “follow the yellow road, follow the yellow brick road. Follow. Follow. Follow the yellow brick road,” I’m happy. The scene begins to blur and then I’m in a pool. There’s a party going on around me. The birthday banners say, ‘Happy 6th Birthday’. There’s music and laughter all around. There are children and adults playing games. A man walks out with a cake, its candles lit. Everyone turns to me and begins to sing Happy Birthday. I know him, this man is my Papa. He looks at me like I’m the most special girl in the world. He loves me. Just as I spot my mother, the scene again begins to blur.I’m walking down a dim corridor holding my Papa’s hand. “Now that you are six and clever enough to understand, it’s time we visit the special library,” he says. “Does it have more fairy-tales, Papa?” I ask him, eager for more stori