* * * 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 the Coral Lake pack,” he tells me.“What about them?“ I question.“Six have turned 18 years old during the last few months, they aren’t mates to our pack members and they haven’t displayed any signs of being the child of prophecy, sir,” he tells me.“Is that the last of the ones we brought back?” I ask.“No, sir. There are two more that are very young still, but they are runts. There’s no chance of them being the child you’re searching for.”“Maybe so, but until they turn 18 years old we can’t be certain. We keep them and continue our search,” I instruct him.“And what of the ones that have turned 18, sir?”“Gather them, I’d like to inspect them, take them to the dungeons and I’ll be there in an hour,” I command.“Yes, sir.”‘And what if you never find the child? You are wasting our life away in this pointless search,’ David challenges me.‘Enough. The child will be mine. I will have her power, I will be the Alpha King.’‘Yes, but what if the child is already dead?’‘Stop questioning me, or you’ll never be with your mate again,’ I snap at him.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *A guard opens the door to the dungeon, his gaze cast to the floor. My pack knows better than to look me in the eyes. As I step through the door. The stench of stale piss, shit, vomit and sweat threatens to bring up my stomach contents. I can see why they’ve requested several times to have cleaners down here.I can tell which cell the girls are in by the sound of pathetic sobs travelling down the hallway. “You will stop this nonsense immediately!” I bark at them as I stop in front of their cell.“You, what’s your name?” I ask firmly, pointing at a black haired young woman.“Elsie, sir,” she answers me.“Are you the child of prophecy?”“No.”“Is the child of prophecy here?” I demand.“No.”“Do you know these girls from your pack?”“Yes!”She’s lying. I know some of these are from the Royal pack. Time for a different approach.“Now that you’re 18 years old, you must swear into the pack. Approach the cell door and put your hand through the bars,” I tell her, an idea forming in my mind.“Now repeat after me. I Elsie of state your pack. Denounce all bonds and ties to the state your pack,” I instruct her as I slice her palm.“I, Elsie of the Coral Lake pack, denounce all bonds and ties to the Coral Lake pack,” she repeats.“I pledge my loyalty and servitude to the Mountain View pack. I promise to put the pack before my own life and swear to obey my Alpha,” I instruct the last of the pledge and wait for her to repeat.I feel her awareness enter the pack link. Now I will be able to Alpha order her to reveal the identity of the others and point out the child of prophecy.“Elsie, are you the child of prophecy?” I ask her as I push my Alpha aura at her. She has no choice but to be truthful, she’s too weak to resist and Alpha command.“No, sir,” she replies.She’s telling the truth.“Is the child of prophecy here?” I demand, again pushing my aura at her.“No, sir,” she whimpers, dropping to her knees. The force of the Alpha aura is too strong for her to remain standing.“And what of the younger two?”“I don’t know.”“You must know. They are your pack!”“They were but children when we were taken. I was a teenager, I was never around the nursery to recognise any of the pups,” she tells me. Again she’s telling the truth.“Then I have no use for any of you,” I tell her and turn my back on her. “Get rid of them!” I command Ralph.“Alpha, I am a member of your pack now! I’m to be afforded the same rights as all pack members and to receive my Alpha’s protection!”Damn, she’s good.“All pack members must be useful. As none of you are mates to my male pack members and you refuse to be whores. You will be disposed of. That is all,” I tell them and walk away from the cell.“What shall I do with them, sir?” Ralph asks me.“See if they require any more test subjects at the Nights Watch, see if the human hunters require any more trophies, and if all else fails - kill them,” I answer him. They’ve cost me far too much time and money already. It’s time for them to go.“Ok, Sir. I will get rid of them,” he says with a nod of his head.‘11 down and two to go. I’ll soon have my answer. In the meantime, I will keep searching for the child,’ I think to myself.‘Just give it up Charles, you have wasted over half of our life with this obsession. It’s time we lived,’ David tries to reason with me.‘Give it a rest and go away. I don’t need you right now,’ I bark at him and force him to the back of my mind.* * * 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
* * * Eve's POV * * * I’m laid comfortably in the land of nod, slightly aware of something pushing at my mind. Feeling the familiar mind presence of Aunt Dorothy. My brave, very brave Aunt Dorothy; shouldering this secret for so many years, watching over me as best she can. Not even having her own mate to turn to for support. I lower the barrier to my mind and let her in, while greeting her: ‘Good morning, Aunt Dorothy’. ‘How are you this morning? Did your memories return?’ She asks.‘Yes, they returned, Cora had told me that there are more to come. But that she will filter them for me, so that I don’t become overwhelmed. To be honest, I have mixed emotions right now. I’m happy that I can now remember my parents and how loved I was. I’m angry at Alpha Charles, angry at his lies and that he killed my people. And for what? To be an arranged mate for his son? Becca helped me through it. Do you know her? Can she be trusted?’ I answer honestly.‘I know sweetheart, I’m so deeply sorry tha
* * * Max’s POV * * ** * two days ago * *We’re up shit creek without a paddle, without a doubt. We’ve close to absolutely nothing. To be fair to us, we had less than absolutely nothing when we first started out. So, I guess we’ve gotten somewhere in the brief time we’ve been together. But that doesn’t help me now as I sit looking at our finances. ‘Beta, please come here’, I ask. ‘On my way Alpha’, he responds.“Come in” I say tiredly when there are three knocks on my door. My Beta walks in, takes a look at my office desk and gives me a sympathetic smile. We’ve been friends for 12 years; we met at the Nights Watch. We don’t wish for our roles to come between our friendship. So, we use our titles only for any negative official business.“Tell me truthfully, Beta, do you think it was a fool's movement to try to set up this pack?” I ask him, feeling weary.“No Alpha. We all knew this would be difficult when we signed up for it. We were all made rogues, only you have the natural abilit