《Born For The Alpha》 Chapter 1: You Belong To Me Chapter 1: You Belong To Me Dear Arda, I know that you have no idea who this is but in the nearest possible time, you will. I wish you a happy twenty-first birthday and hope that you like the present attached to this note. PS: If any male asks you out, tell him that you¡¯re already taken because, you belong to me and I will mate you at the right time. I am The Alpha you will soon get to know. Having finished reading the handwritten note, Arda was at first filled with fear and uncertainty. The handwriting was clear, cursive and written with a dark ink on a in sheet of white paper. She could not make much sense out of the note. Alpha? Mate? What did that even mean? And why would the anonymous man say that she belonged to him? She was a human being. She belonged to no one. You cannot just own someone. Why was she even letting the message bother her? It could be a prank. Resting on that thought, she rolled her eyes and cast an amused gaze upon the note, believing that it was probably a prank from one of her friends. She did not have many friends, which made it easy to have a culprit in mind. Jacob, she thought. She would not put it past him. Between her two friends, he was the witty andid- back one, prone to mischief. Arda was seated in the living room at the dining table currently upied by several half unwrapped presents. The house was an apartment off campus, which she shared with her friends. Arda looked up at Jacob and Karina who were standing before the table, watching her unwrap the presents. Jacob had the looks of a typical boy next door, five foot seven, in faced and friendly with kind, blue eyes. Karina had the snobbish looks of an average cheerleader, fit and sassy. She was around the same height as Jacob. They were waiting for the moment when she would have to guess what each of them had gifted her. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. To the three of them, it was a fun game and it had be their custom ever since they had all be friends in the university and started sharing the apartment as t mates. The house contained four bedrooms and they each owned a room but shared therge living room space and kitchen while using the extra room as a study room. The living room still showed the aftermath of a party. Empty pizza packs and snack wrappings were converged on the wide living room center table and tiled floor amidst empty bottles of soft drinks, beer and vodka. Karina yawned and they all looked at the wall clock, which read 9:00pm. ¡°Some of us are early birds.¡± Karina said. ¡°Hurry up, Arda.¡± ¡°Speak for yourself, Karina.¡± Jacob chided yfully. ¡°Allow the birthday girl to take her sweet time.¡± ¡°I am right.¡± Karina said to him. ¡°Of course you¡¯re always right.¡± Jacob responded. ¡°Be very careful with your next words.¡± Karina threatened, ring at him and he raised his hands in mock surrender. ¡°Arda, you better show us how well you know us. I cannot defend you for long. Karina is a warrior.¡± ¡°Shut up, Jacob.¡± Karina said to him. ¡°Quit bickering, you both.¡± Arda said lightly. ¡°He started it.¡± ¡°She started it.¡± Karina and Jacob had both spoken at the same time as they pointed using fingers at each other. Arda shook her head at them andid down the note before her on the table, turning it over in order to hide the words. Then she stuck her hand inside the brown envelope from which she had retrieved the note and brought out the gift inside. Her friends joined her in admiring the expensive looking jewelry set. It was a sixteen- inch gold ne with the pendant of a wolf and matching wolf earrings in gold. ¡°Wow.¡± Karina said, reaching out and taking it off her hand. ¡°It looks like real gold. Allow me to study its authenticity.¡± She began peering closely at it. ¡°I hate to challenge your expertise," Jacob said to her. "but without your sses, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t have the right findings.¡± He held out his hand to receive it. Karina rolled her eyes and handed it over to him. Jacob received it and raised it closely to his eyes, studying it for a few seconds. ¡°Hmn. You didn¡¯t tell us you¡¯ve met a rich man, Arda.¡± He said. ¡°This is pure gold and the pendant looks really captivating.¡± ¡°Finally, Arda is dating.¡± Karina teased. ¡°Come on, tell us something. Who is it from?¡± ¡°I have no idea. There is no name on the envelope.¡± ¡°Is it perhaps from a secret admirer?¡± Jacob asked. ¡°A guy crushing on you, maybe?¡± asked Karina. ¡°Shut up guys, I know it¡¯s one of you, Jacob precisely. Everyone knows how naughty you can be.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Jacob asked, incredulous. ¡°How can I afford this? Ie from a middless home.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s you, Karina.¡± Arda used but Karina shook her head. ¡°Ie from a middle ss home too. No offence, but I¡¯ll rather buy this for myself than for you.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Jacob said and Arda gave them a hurt look, a frown furrowing her brow. ¡°You both have just hurt my feelings.¡± ¡°I understand, Arda but trust me, I didn¡¯t send this.¡± said Jacob. Karina shrugged. ¡°Seriously, I didn¡¯t.¡± Arda picked up the note and passed it to Jacob. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± he asked without looking at the words but Karina had drawn close to him and was scanning the note with her eyes. ¡°That message came with the gift.¡± Arda responded and watched him lower his eyes to the words on the note, which he started reading aloud. Karina red at him as soon as he had finished reading it. ¡°Did you write this, Jacob?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°Swear it.¡± Karina insisted. ¡°Let your no be no and your yes be yes¡­¡± Jacob began. ¡°Spare me the bible quotes.¡± Karina said, cutting him off. ¡°Well, you know that I don¡¯t swear. It is against my faith. But I didn¡¯t do it. This isn¡¯t my writing.¡± Jacob looked serious. ¡°I believe you guys.¡± said Arda. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it.¡± ¡°Maybe it was one of the guests.¡± Karina suggested. ¡°Probably.¡± Arda agreed. ¡°Whoever it is would probably beughing their head off as they imagine what your reaction would be.¡± said Jacob. ¡°Just ignore it.¡± Arda began to wonder why someone would y a prank with an expensive item. ¡°But who would y a prank with an expensive item?¡± she asked and there was a slight pause as they all contemted the question. Then Jacob shrugged. ¡°Someone with money to throw around, I guess.¡± he said. ¡°Exactly.¡± Karina agreed. ¡°Can I have the ne?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so greedy.¡± Jacob told her. ¡°No way, Karina. I get to keep it.¡± Arda responded. She opened her palm and Jacob returned the note and the gift back to her. She ced the note on the table and put the gift on it. ¡°Fine, I wish someone would prank me like this with a Rolex.¡± Karina said dreamily and they all ¡°Hey let¡¯s not forget that Arda has still not shown us how well she knows us.¡± Jacob pointed out and Arda looked at the two separate unwrapped presents that sat together at a corner of the table. One of them was an Apple iPod. The other one was an SM58 headset. Karina rose to her feet and smiled at her friends. ¡°You both came together and bought this for me.¡± She said. ¡°Because you knew I¡¯ve had it in my Amazon wish list for so long. Thank you so much.¡± Her friends did not deny it. They smiled at her as they drew close to her and gave her a hug. As Arda hugged them, her eyes rested on the gift, which was resting on the note. ¡°Are you going to wear it?¡± Jacob asked as soon as they disengaged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Arda responded. ¡°It is really pretty.¡± Karina said. ¡°You have nothing to lose.¡± ¡°Maybe I will. I really don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I also think that you shouldn¡¯t just disregard the note.¡± Karina advised. ¡°We could have a stalker on the loose.¡± ¡°Who would stalk her?¡± Jacob asked. ¡°She¡¯s not a celebrity.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be a celebrity to be stalked, doofus.¡± Karina retorted. ¡°Whatever.¡± Said Jacob. ¡°Arda, I suggest, you should try dating to see if the mysterious man would react.¡± Karina suggested. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already started dating.¡± Surprised, her friends exchanged looks before returning their gazes back to her and their eyes were questioning. ¡°I epted to be Luke¡¯s girlfriend today during the party.¡± ¡°Oh my God, that¡¯s amazing.¡± Karina said excitedly. ¡°My friend finally has a boyfriend.¡± ¡°Well, it''s about time.¡± Jacobmented. "That guy has been on your case since our first year.¡± ¡°What made you agree?¡± Karina asked. ¡°He¡¯s nice. He has always been nice. So I figured, why not?¡± ¡°Congrattions.¡± Her friends chorused, smiling at her and she couldn¡¯t stop the blush that stained her cheeks. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Just look at her.¡± Jacob said. ¡°Does he know you¡¯ve still got your V card?¡± ¡°Shut up, J.¡± Arda and Karina told him and he raised his hands in surrender. ¡°Anyway, this development is wee.¡± Karina said. ¡°Now, we¡¯ll easily know if the mysterious man is for real.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Jacob agreed and the three of them cast their gazes down at the present from the anonymous man. As she stared at the note and gift, Arda did not want to admit that she was a bit scared. But then, she also thought hopefully that dating Luke without any unpleasant incident would at least put her fears to rest. Chapter 2: The Awakening Chapter 2: The Awakening Arda woke up to the beeping of the rm clock on her bedside table. Without looking, she already knew that it was 7:00am. She had set the rm clock the previous night to sound at exactly 7:00am so that she would have enough time to prepare for the day. Although, the room curtains were down, the evidence of daylight was obvious. The room was already bright and from the windows of transparent ss, natural light effortlessly seeped in through the dividing space between the sliding window curtains. Arda found herself frowning at the rm clock even though it was only doing its job. She had to report to her project supervisor at 9:00am and then meet up with Luke for lunch. It would be their first date as a couple and the thought of it excited her. The thought also brought to her mind, the bizarre note and gift she had receivedst night. She hated to admit it but she could notpletely dismiss the message as a prank because of the expensive gift attached to it. Arda sat up on the bed, threw her legs onto the floor, reached for the rm clock and turned it off. The silence as soon as the insistent beeping ceased, was weing and she stretched with a yawn, one hand over her gaping mouth. She was still feeling sleepy and she knew it was because she had gone to bedte, thanks to her birthday party the previous night. She had cleaned up the mess from the party with Jacob and Karina before going to bed and she was exhausted. She knew her friends were probably not as exhausted as she was. They both had an inner strength and energy that she admired. Arda pushed herself off the bed and began preparing for the day. She dressed her bed, brushed her teeth in the bathroom and took a bath. After creaming her body, she put on lingerie, wrapped a big towel around her body and sat down before the mirror at the dressing table. Then she picked up her hairbrush and started brushing her hair, her eyes on her reflection. She had straight caramel colored hair that rested on her shoulders and she liked to wear it in a side part. Her hair color matched the color of her light brown eyes. Her lips were full and set in a face that nicely amodated her wide set eyes and narrow nose. On the dressing table was a picture of her, Jacob and Karina, standing at a leisure park. Jacob was standing between her and Karina, his hands around them as they all smiled into the camera. Beside the picture was a photograph of her and her family-Her father, mother and sister who was a couple of years younger than she was. Her sister had dark hair like her parents but Arda was the only one with brown hair. And while Arda''s eyes were light brown, her sister had blue eyes that mirrored their father¡¯s. But Arda shared thesame color of eyes with their mother. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. On skin color, Arda was darker than the three of them and sometimes when they appeared in public, people often said she looked like none of her family members but thank God for the same color of eyes that she shared with her mother. Arda finished brushing her hair and touched the tattoo mark on her inner wrist. It was the image of a full moon. Anyone who saw it believed it was a tattoo. At first nce, it actually looked like a tattoo but with a closer look, it had the markings of a mole right on her skin, hence it was a birthmark. At an early age, her parents had told her to keep people believing that it was a tattoo so that they would not see her as a strange person. To this day, she still obeyed them because she herself hade to find the mark, strange unlike when she was a child. She could still remember when she was about five. In her pajamas, she had run into her parent¡¯s bedroom, as they got ready for bed. ¡°Daddy, mummy what¡¯s this?¡± she had asked, pointing at the mark and her dad had lifted her up, raised her hand and kissed it. ¡°It¡¯s a tattoo.¡± her mum had responded. ¡°What¡¯s a tattoo?¡± She had asked. ¡°A design on the body.¡± Her mother had answered. ¡°We put it on you. Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yes. Very much.¡± Her dad had kissed her cheek and her mum had drawn close to her, caressing the mark. As she got older, she had begun to ask why the mark never faded and they would tell her it was because they had made it with a special ink. When she asked why her sister did not have one, they had told her it was because the special ink used was no longer in production by the time her sister was born. By the time Arda was eight, they could not keep the truth from her anymore. Arda could vividly recall the night they hade to say goodnight to her and her sister. She was lying beside her sister on the bed they shared and their parents were seated on either side of the bed. While she had her eyes open, her sister was already fast asleep. ¡°Arda, you are growing and we think it¡¯s time to tell you the truth about your mark.¡± Said her father. Arda smiled up at them, her head propped up on the soft fiber pillow. Somehow, her young brain had told her that something was not just right about her mark and finally, her parents were going to tell her the truth. ¡°Your mark is not a tattoo or design of any sort. It is a birthmark.¡± He told her. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°You were born with it.¡± Her mother exined. ¡°It is natural.¡± Arda looked at the mark on her wrist as though she was seeing it for the first time. In a way, she was, because now she knew the truth about it and somehow, she found some peace in that knowledge. ¡°But why did you make me think it wasn¡¯t natural?¡± she asked them. ¡°It¡¯s to protect you.¡± Her mother answered. ¡°From what?¡± ¡°Let me ask you a question, Arda.¡± Her father said. ¡°How would you feel if for example you saw someone with the image of the sun on their body and they told you that it was natural?¡± Arda thought briefly about it. ¡°I will think it was weird.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Her father responded and she understood their reasons for letting her believe otherwise about her mark. ¡°People will think I¡¯m strange.¡± She said and somehow, she found the thought saddening. ¡°That¡¯s why you have to keep the truth a secret okay?¡± her mum said and she nodded. ¡°Yes mummy.¡± ¡°Good girl. If anyone asks, just keep telling them that it¡¯s a tattoo, alright?¡± her father added and she nodded. ¡°Okay daddy.¡± ¡°Good night, Sweetheart. And remember to never draw unnecessary attention to your mark.¡± He said tenderly. ¡°Okay daddy, Goodnight.¡± ¡°Night baby.¡± Her mum said. ¡°Always remember what your father has just said.¡± ¡°Sure, mum. Goodnight.¡± She watched them leave and her dad turned off the room light at the wall socket, casting the room in darkness. She turned on the bedmp just as they exited the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. Arda took a deep breath, bringing her mind to the present. As she let her finger trace the mark, her eyes came to rest on a flier resting atop the dressing table. It disyed varying birthmarks on the bodies of a mix of male and female models. A Night of Uniqueness the title proimed. unt your unique birthmark for a chance to win half a million bucks, the subtitle read. Arda had been contemting whether she should participate or not. Her parents had told her not to draw unnecessary attention to her mark but she reasoned that this event was just a show and the extra money would do her good. Half a million bucks was a lot of money for barely any work. She could already imagine many things that she could do with the money. Shifting her thoughts away from thepetition, she focused on getting ready for the day. Leaving the dressing table, she entered the walk-in closet, let her towel drop to the rug and slipped her body into a colorful summer dress that clung loosely to her slim figure. The dress flowed to her feet, the thin straps of the hand resting on her shoulders. Arda picked up her towel from the ground and hung it in the bathroom before moving back to the dressing table where she applied minimal makeup to her face. When she was done, she smiled at her reflection on the mirror. She was good to go. One nce at the wall clock and she saw that it was already 7:56 am. Damn, time truly waited for no one. She slipped her legs into a pair of t sandals, grabbed her backpack, stuck her phone inside and lingered as her eyes caught the gift on the note fromst night. It was lying at a corner on the dressing table. It really was beautiful and enigmatic. She drew closer to the table and touched it, wondering if she should wear it or not. Chapter 3: Temptation Chapter 3: Temptation It took her a few seconds to make her decision and she ended up leaving the jewelry where it was. She did not think it wise to tag along, a constant reminder of the current puzzle in her life, be it a prank or not. Arda exited the bedroom and stepped onto the corridor. On either side of the corridor, there were shut doors to the other rooms in the house. When she emerged at the living room, she saw Jacob at the dining table studying the morning paper with a cup of coffee before him. He looked fresh from a bath and wore loose grey cks beneath a white vest. He smiled at the sight of her but she threw him a pout as she drew closer to the table. ¡°You promised to make me breakfast.¡± She reminded him. ¡°You promised.¡± ¡°Calm down. You didn¡¯t even say hi to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll greet you when I see my breakfast.¡± She said as she came to stand beside him. ¡°And some folks envy me for living with you girls.¡± He said with mock bitterness. ¡°If only they know what I¡¯m going through.¡± ¡°Drama king.¡± ¡°You look amazing. Luke will melt at the sight of you.¡± ¡°Thanks but quit changing the subject.¡± ¡°What makes you think that your food isn¡¯t ready? Do sit down.¡± Arda drew out a chair beside him, sat down and ced her backpack on the floor. ¡°Good girl.¡± Jacob praised andid down the newspaper on the table before rising and venturing towards the kitchen, which was just right around the corner. Whistling a happy tune, he returned shortly with a tray bearing toasted bread and scrambled eggs, which he ced before her on the table. Her face lit up with a smile and he winked at her. ¡°This food smells and looks amazing. Thanks and now I can say good morning.¡± Heughed. ¡°Good morning. You are wee.¡± He responded and sat down to his newspaper and coffee. ¡°Where is Karina?¡±Arda asked. ¡°I guess she has gone to the gym?¡± ¡°You have guessed correctly.¡± was Jacob''s response. ¡°Okay.¡± Arda said and dug into her food while he drained his coffee and continued reading. ¡°Anything interesting?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah. Howling animal sounds in the surrounding forests have intensified. There is concern that wolves or some dangerous animals might soon be the death of us.¡± ¡°That is kind of weird but sounds exaggerated.¡± She said and he shrugged offhandedly. Then he showed her the page he was reading, holding it before her. The picture of a wolf was at a section of the page. Wolves on The Loose? The headline questioned. The article was brief. Residents around the urban forests have reported insistent howlings in the woods at night. We hope that there will be no report of citizens being attacked by wolves or other dangerous animals. ¡°Reporters can be so dramatic.¡± hemented. ¡°I agree.¡± she said. Jacob abandoned the paper on the table and rose up to his feet. ¡°Anyway, I have to go and prepare for campus.¡± He said. ¡°Good luck with your Project Supervisor. I hear he is mean.¡± She chuckled but said nothing, although she had a whole lot to say concerning her rtionship with the man. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said instead. ¡°Enjoy your day, Jacob.¡± ¡°You too, Arda.¡± When he left the living room, she quickly finished her meal and moved the empty dishes to the kitchen. She walked back to the dining table, picked up her backpack, ambled over to the main door and exited the house. Outside, the weather was cool and the air was calm but she could already see the early shimmering rays of the morning sun on the verge of breaking through the sky. It looked like the sun was going to be all out today she thought, not regretting her choice of clothing. The apartment Arda shared with her friends was one amongst several residential homes lining a street that was not busy. The houses were gated with low fences made of woods and fitted with drive in garages by the side. Surrounding the vicinity were towering mountains, faintly visible in the distance. Arda walked over to the curb before the house and let herself inside her car, a modest Camry. Sliding the car key into the ignition, she started the car and checked the time on the dashboard, which told her that it was 8:20am. Great, she would not bete. Kicking off the car, she pulled it off the curb and hit the road. The city was suburban and not as popted as major cities but it had the required structures ¨Cthe way posts of civilization that formed a city; parks, schools, religious structures, museums, libraries, banks, ATM stands, tall corporate buildings, stores, self-serving filling stations, etc. It took Arda about thirty minutes drive before she finally arrived at the University campus. The marquee in front of the school read UNIVERSITY OF HOMELAND. It was sitting on an expanse ofnd with people going about their business in the premises; Freshmen walking, uncertain, determination lurking within, other experienced students moving confidently, graduating students like her, anxious, focused on their thesis, cliques of students hanging together, talking,ughing, serious students hanging at the well mowed grassy park, reading. Arda parked her car among the sea of diverse cars in the parking space and ventured towards the administrative building, her backpack resting on her shoulder. Before long, she was at the door of her supervisor¡¯s office, the tag on it announcing proudly, Professor of History- RAY WILSON. She gave it a slight knock and let herself inside. Ray was writing something on a notebook. He was a handsome man in his early forties. A smile lit up his face at the sight of her and she returned his smile as she shut the door behind her. The office wasrge and airy despite the brawny office furniture fitted inside. One section of the office was a library of its own and had a row of shelves filled with books of different sizes. An official portrait of him was on the wall along with portraits of the Dean of Student Affairs, The Registrar, The Provost and the Governor of the state of Homnd. ¡°You look amazing, Arda.¡± He said to her as she drew forward. ¡°Thank you and good morning sir.¡± ¡°Morning dear, It¡¯s Ray when we¡¯re alone. I thought you would be used to it by now.¡± ¡°Okay, Sir Ray.¡± Rayughed and she smiled,ing to stand before hisrge table. ¡°Sit down, Arda. Let¡¯s talk about your project.¡± Arda sat down on one of the seats across his table and retrieved a printed sheet of paper from a file inside her backpack. It contained three bulleted history project topics. The topics listed were Urban Legends, Responsibilities Distribution in Iron Age and Bridal Ceremonies in Ancient Rome. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s hear the topics, please.¡± He said and Arda read them out for him. ¡°So which one have you chosen for your thesis?¡± ¡°Bridal Ceremonies in Ancient Rome.¡± She told him and watched him arch his brow. ¡°Interesting. Why did you choose that?¡± ¡°I chose it because it sounds fun.¡± ¡°I know you can give me something better than that.¡± ¡°Well, I read somewhere that the Roman wedding is the basis for many modern marriage customs and I find that interesting.¡± ¡°Good. Interest is a vital step when venturing into a project because if you are not interested in something, it gets difficult to do. I¡¯ll approve it for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir Ray.¡± ¡°Just Ray.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you Ray.¡± ¡°Hmn.¡± He said thoughtfully, with one finger under his chin. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll have to report your disrespect to the disciplinary team.¡± Arda¡¯s eyes widened with panic. ¡°But you said¡­¡± she began and heughed. ¡°Rx, Arda. I¡¯m just messing with you.¡± He said and watched her exhale with relief. Then she smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°On a serious note, Arda, my door is still open. I want you and you know that.¡± ¡°Sir¡­¡± ¡°Ray.¡± he corrected, interrupting her. ¡°Um¡­Ray, I have a boyfriend.¡± His brows lifted. ¡°So what you¡¯re trying to say is that I¡¯m too old for you.¡± He stated lightly. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°You can hurt my feelings, Arda. It¡¯s okay. I can take it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re married, Ray.¡± She said. ¡°Are you saying if I wasn¡¯t, you would date me?¡± ¡°Years ago.¡± Arda admitted. ¡°Thanks. That makes me feel better. But would you consider me as your sugar daddy? I will give you financial care for yourpany. I will respect you. I will not stop you from having a boyfriend like you have now as long as you don¡¯t rub it in my face. You can save your schrship funds and quit your side hustle. Don¡¯t you want that?¡± Arda had always found his offer tempting but again, she found herself declining. She saw no real future in that. She did not want to be someone¡¯s mistress. She wanted to be a wife. If she wanted a fast life, maybe she would have agreed but she was contented with the little she had and she could only hope for the best. She had already gotten this far. She was in her final year in the university. Her future was right before her and she was prepared to explore it. ¡°I don¡¯t want a sugar daddy.¡± She told him politely. ¡°Please don¡¯t be offended.¡± Chapter 4: Surfacing Revelations Chapter 4: Surfacing Revtions ¡°You¡¯re the only student I¡¯ve ever asked out.¡± he said as though that was reason enough for her to consider his proposal. Arda knew she probably could believe that because students usually walked on eggshells around him. ¡°I don¡¯t want a sugar daddy.¡± she repeated. ¡°If you change your mind, let me know, Arda.¡± Arda did not believe that she would ever change her mind. ¡°No problem.¡± She told him still. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said to her. ¡°Refusing me won¡¯t affect your grades or my responsibility in guiding you properly in your project.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He pulled out a file from the table with her name on it, retrieved a copy of the paper she had with her, ticked thest project topic among the three project proposals and stamped Approved on it. Then he handed it over to her and she gave him the one in her hand. He endorsed it too and stuck it in her file. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about what is expected in your first chapter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He spent some time teaching her while she took notes and when their session ended fifteen minutes ¡°See you next week, Arda. Enjoy your day.¡± ¡°You too, Sir.¡± ¡°Ray.¡± he corrected. ¡°Ray.¡± ¡°Now, that is better.¡± She smiled and he returned her smile, waving her off. Arda exited the office and the moment she shut the door behind her, she heard her phone ringing and vibrating inside her backpack. She retrieved it from the bag and saw that the call was from Luke. Arda stood a couple of yards from the professor¡¯s door in the hallway and took the call as people asionally walked back and forth in the hallway. ¡°Hi Luke, good morning.¡± she said. ¡°Good morning my dear, how are you?¡± Arda could already picture him smiling as he talked patiently with her. How could she not have epted him earlier? She wondered. ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks and you?¡± ¡°I am still basking in the euphoria of your eptance.¡± Arda smiled. ¡°That is so good to hear, Luke.¡± ¡°I really cannot wait to see you. Are you done with your Supervisor?¡± ¡°Yeah, seconds ago.¡± ¡°Good, how was it?¡± ¡°Great.¡± Arda was starting to enjoy having someone special to talk with. ¡°Okay. So can Ie and pick you up right now? I know it¡¯s not yet 12:00pm but if you¡¯re free, I would love to steal the rest of your time.¡± ¡°You sound so greedy.¡± She drawled and heughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a sense of humor.¡± ¡°Maybe I do.¡± Arda was enjoying her talk with him and she found herself twirling a strand of her hair. She felt romantic. ¡°I like that. So should Ie?¡± ¡°I drove.¡± ¡°I thought we agreed that you should not. I¡¯m supposed to take you everywhere, remember?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I totally forgot.¡± ¡°No problem. What do you say to meeting at Landmark?¡± ¡°I say yes.¡± ¡°Fine. See you there, baby.¡± ¡°See you.¡± Arda responded and he ended the call. She had never been called baby affectionately by a guy because she had never dated anyone. She admitted to herself that it did feel good. She hade to school with the mindset of focusing on her studies and staying clear of guys, rtionship wise. She did not want to be distracted so that she would graduate with good grades. Arda watched a girl heading towards her direction. The girl was a graduating student of history and therefore, her course mate. She had the appearance of a pure bookworm or a nerd and she currently looked nervous as she kept chewing on her lower lip. Her eyes were resting behind clear medicated sses that exaggerated the size of her eyeballs. Her curly hair was lengthy and held in a rough ponytail. Her petite figure was d in a red knee length checkered skirt and white tee shirt. Arda found her wedge ck sandals cute. It tempered her nerdy look. Not that she was judging her, thought Arda. After all, everyone was entitled to his or her own style. ¡°Hello Arda,¡± the girl said,ing to stand beside her. ¡°Hi Tracy.¡± ¡°Is he also your Supervisor?¡± she asked, pointing at Ray¡¯s door. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How was your first meeting?¡± ¡°Cool.¡± ¡°I¡¯m nervous. They say that he is difficult with project students. He likes perfection, etc etc.¡± Arda had heard the rumors. Didn¡¯t even Jacob mention it to her that morning? ¡°I think he¡¯s okay. You should just go there with an open mind.¡± ¡°Are you just saying so because¡­?¡± Tracy began and hesitated. ¡°Because what?¡± ¡°Well, there are talks by some of our course mates.¡± She said, not bothering to borate. ¡°What kind of talk?¡± Arda pressed. ¡°That you¡¯re seeing him. That he is sweet on you. They say that you may have influenced his being your supervisor.¡± Ardaughed. ¡°I¡¯m d they think I have that kind of influence.¡± She said with a note of sarcasm. ¡°I don¡¯t care and I don¡¯t owe anybody any exnation. When they are tired of talking, then they can face their projects.¡± ¡°Anyway, if it¡¯s true, please talk to him so that he can be cool with me, please?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not seeing him, Tracy.¡± ¡°Hmn. Okay. I guess I¡¯ll see you around.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Tracy nced at her thin banded wristwatch and Arda followed her gaze to find the time at 11:10am. She also noticed that there was a mark on Tracy¡¯s wrist. Ity just above the wristwatch and it was the image of the sun. At first nce, it was a tattoo but it seemed to look like it had the markings of a mole on it, like hers, which meant it was probably a birthmark. ¡°Thank God, I¡¯m notte.¡± Tracy said and Arda nodded, giving her a supportive smile. Arda watched her take a few steps that brought her before the door of the professor¡¯s office. ¡°Um¡­Tracy.¡± She called and Tracy turned sideways to look at her. ¡°I¡¯ve just noticed your tattoo for the first time.¡± Tracy took one nce at her marked wrist and looked back at her. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. It looks interesting.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Is it a birthmark?¡± ¡°No, of course not,¡± Tracy responded. ¡°It¡¯s a tattoo of the sun. If it was a birthmark, it would be weird don¡¯t you think so?¡± As she spoke, she was unconsciously covering the mark with her hand. ¡°You know, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s ever asked me if it was real. What makes you think it is?¡± Arda thought about her question. She also noticed how ufortable Tracy was as she talked about the mark. She herself had often felt that way. It was either Tracy knew the truth or she was hiding something. Arda wanted to tell her about her own mark but she also thought of what her parents had said, warning her about bringing unnecessary attention to her mark. What if Tracy¡¯s parents had told her the same thing her parents told her? That would exin why the girl was acting dodgy about the mark. They shared something inmon as far as she was concerned. She had the image of the moon and Tracy had that of the sun. Both were birthmarks. Was she reading too much into it? Maybe it was just a meaningless thing but she had started thinking it probably wasn¡¯t. She was confused but she did not want to push it for now. ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± She finally answered Tracy. ¡°It was just a thought.¡± She smiled to take off the tension that Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. was clearly starting to build between them and Tracy returned her smile. ¡°Bye.¡± Arda told her. ¡°Bye.¡± Tracy responded and knocked on the professor¡¯s door. Arda turned and walked away as Tracy let herself inside the professor¡¯s office. As Arda went on her way, her mind was on Luke, but it was also in a state of confusion as she thought of the marks and the letter including the gift from the anonymous man. She guessed that time would clear the confusion. For starters, Luke would probably be the trigger it would take to either ignore the anonymous man or begin to take him seriously and seek help if things got out of hand. Chapter 5: Daring To Love and Breaking Kisses Chapter 5: Daring To Love and Breaking Kisses Homnd was a small city at the ends of the earth. It was surrounded by forests, mountains, hills, The surrounding natural habitat gave its inhabitants diverse means of ie hence, Homnd amodated folks that survived with white cor jobs as well as skilled work from carpentry to sculpting, other forms of art, fishing and hunting. Arda drove through the streets in quite a breeze, grateful that the traffic flowed freely, the day being early, still. She really wanted to hang out with Luke. It would be a wee distraction, she hoped. It wasn¡¯t long before she reached her destination. Landmark was a nature park. It had a neat field on a wide expanse ofnd where people could be seen sitting, walking, talking and having fun. There were benches fitted around the area- some lying single, some in clusters and some in squares. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Dogs were being walked by their owners while some persons could be seen riding bicycles. Arda parked her car among the bed of cars in the open parking lot and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. Standing there, she looked around the parking lot, trying to find Luke. She spotted him leaning against a white Peugeot truck, smiling at her. He was parked just a few yards behind her car. She returned his smile and they started walking towards each other. Luke was about a year older than she was and stood at five foot, five like her. He was slim, good- looking and wore his dark hair, short. Why she had been able to refuse him for so long, she could no longer understand. She knew he had dated a girl for a while but that was not her concern. They were both single and free to see each other now. Luke took her in his arms as soon as they reached each other. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t even know what you like.¡± He said as they stood, locked in an embrace. ¡°Do you like simple things of life like me? A walk in the park by day? Looking up at the stars at night, etcetera?¡± They disengaged then but remained holding hands as they stared into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°You have no idea.¡± she said to him and she truly meant it. ¡°I do love the simple things of life.¡± After all, her dream was pretty simple. Graduate and find a nice boy to raise children with. ¡°That¡¯s good to know, Arda.¡± He said and drew her closer, his eyes on her lips. Unconsciously, she found herself pressing her lips together. ¡°Can I kiss you?¡± he asked. Luke had been dying to. Now that she had epted him, he just couldn¡¯t wait to taste her lips. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t really need my permission.¡± She said with a smile and his lips started to descend on hers but before their lips could join, they were distracted as a little girl closely whipped by them, Arda and Luke chuckled as they briefly looked at the ying children, before he took her hand in his. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take a walk in the park and talk about anything before we have our lunch. But before that¡­¡± He pulled her beside him, retrieved his phone from his pocket, and put on the camera. ¡°Let me take a selfie with you.¡± Arda leaned into him and they both smiled into the camera as he took a shot. ¡°It¡¯s lovely.¡± She said as they admired the picture. ¡°Yes it is.¡± He agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll send it to your phone.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He stuck the phone back into his pocket and they walked hand in hand along the concrete pathway in the park. They came across a middle-aged couple kissing and as though, inspired by their show of affection, his gaze fell on hers before he made them pause. Then with a finger, he tilted her chin upwards. ¡°That interrupted kiss needs to be fixed.¡± He said and she closed her eyes as his lips started to descend upon hers. Suddenly, Arda¡¯s eyes shot open as she heard his sharp grunt of pain. ¡°Shit!¡± he swore, one hand on his head as his face crinkled with a grimace. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, concerned. ¡°It¡¯s just this sudden headache.¡± ¡°Sorry about that.¡± She said and watched his features rx. ¡°Thanks, it no longer hurts.¡± He said and smiled at her. ¡°That is good to know.¡± She told him and his finger returned to her chin, tilting her face upwards for another kiss. ¡°Allow me to taste your lips.¡± He said and she shut her eyes once more, ready to ept his kiss but her eyes shot open in rm as once more, she heard him grunt in pain, louder this time. It seemed like the pain that had hit him was worse than the first one. His hand was back to his head and his face was contorted with pain. ¡°Damn.¡± He swore. ¡°I hardly get migraines or headaches.¡± ¡°Sorry. Maybe you need to see a doctor.¡± He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. ¡°I guess so, but don¡¯t worry. The pain has disappeared. I¡¯m just tired.¡± ¡°Okay. But does this mean, we won¡¯t have lunch?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have lunch, but I think I will not be kissing you until after lunch.¡± She found herself giggling and he gave her a hug. Few minutester, they were together, having lunch outside by a street at a restaurant with an eat-out, just outside its doors. Tables and chairs were set in fours under a canopy that sheltered its customers from the elements of nature like rain and sun. The fans hanging from the ceiling of the canopy were doing a good job of keeping the air cool as they enjoyed their chosen meals. Luke and Arda were taking thest bites of their burgers and then sipping their soft drinks with straws. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said after taking a long drink from the straw. ¡°Don¡¯t mention.¡± He said, ¡°I¡¯m enjoying being around you.¡± Arda found that the feeling was mutual. He had a pleasant personality. ¡°I enjoy yourpany too.¡± she said. ¡°I never thought I would but I do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d that I didn¡¯t give up on you.¡± He told her and they smiled at each other. Then theyzily sipped on their drinks for a few seconds. ¡°Arda.¡± He said. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I never saw you dating anyone even while you kept rejecting me. Is there a particr reason why that was?¡± ¡°I did not want to be distracted by boys.¡± She responded. ¡°I¡¯m on schrship, remember?¡± ¡°That makes sense but at some point, I wondered if you were, you know¡­¡± he hesitated but Arda could already guess what he was trying to say. ¡°You thought I was a lesbian? Not at all.¡± ¡°I saw Karina as my rival until I saw her and her boyfriend making out.¡± Arda ced her drink on the table, her eyes rounding with surprise. ¡°You¡¯re not serious.¡± She said. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Because I know that Karina doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡± He ced his drink on the table and threw her a puzzled look. ¡°How can you say that? Of course she has a boyfriend.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Arda asked. ¡°Because she is like me. She does not want to be distracted in her studies. She is not on schrship but it is one of the values we both hold inmon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s admirable.¡± He said and then shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m telling you that Karina has a boyfriend. I¡¯ve seen her and the guy several times hanging out together and¡­kissing.¡± Arda was finding it hard to believe what Luke was telling her. ¡°Where?¡± she asked. ¡°The love garden.¡± The love garden was a garden inside the university campus where students hung out mostly in the evenings. The students called it love garden because most times, student couples were seen hanging out there. Karina had always said she would start dating after school or maybe during her final year which was the stage they were in right now. Why would she lie? ¡°Since when did you notice her and the guy?¡± she asked. ¡°Since year one.¡± Arda was shocked. Why would Karina lie? It just did not make any sense. ¡°Who is the guy? Do you know him?¡± ¡°Come on, stop that.¡± He said a bit firmly. ¡°Are you kidding me? You know him already. Why are we doing this? And why do you seem genuinely surprised?¡± ¡°That is because I am surprised, Luke.¡± Arda was still shocked and her expression was grave. ¡°My God, you are serious about this.¡± Luke said as he studied her grave countenance and she nodded. ¡°Who is the guy, Luke?¡± she asked for the second time and watched him sigh. ¡°Jacob.¡± He said finally. ¡°What?¡± Arda felt like her shock had doubled as her mouth opened in a gasp and remained in a gape. ¡°Jacob your t-mate, friend and whatever,¡± Luke said to her. ¡°That is one reason why I kept pushing to get you. At first, I had thought he was your boyfriend because I didn¡¯t see him with any other girl, at least not intimately even though he¡¯s a sort ofdies¡¯ man due to his friendly nature. I also thought Karina and you were lesbians like I said earlier until I saw them kissing at the love garden, not once, not twice.¡± Arda shook her head in denial. ¡°Jacob is like a yboy. He and Karina are always fighting at home.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t see them fighting. They seem very connected to each other all the times that I¡¯ve seen them together.¡± Chapter 6:Questions Amidst A Powerful Attraction Chapter 6:Questions Amidst A Powerful Attraction ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why would they keep their rtionship away from me?¡± she wondered aloud. ¡°I¡¯m their friend.¡± Arda was starting to feel betrayed and disappointed. Luke shrugged. ¡°I guess you have to ask them or something.¡± He said. ¡°But don¡¯t sweat it. They may have a good reason.¡± ¡°Three good years, Luke. We have been friends for three good years. It just doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Luke reached out across the table and held her handfortingly. ¡°Now I feel like I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned it,¡± he said regretfully. ¡°I don¡¯t want you in a sour mood. Come on. Though, I must confess that you do look pretty when you¡¯re mad.¡± She could not help but let out a faint smile, which lightened up her dark mood a bit. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just enjoy ourselves, okay? You can confront Jacob and Karinater. And try not to be too hard on them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°That will be nice.¡± He said and earned a bigger smile from her. Their gazes were connected and his eyes fell on her lips. She pressed her lips together, anticipating a kiss and they brought their faces towards each other. As their lips were about to connect, he groaned in pain, his hand flying to the back of his head. ¡°Damn, my head aches.¡± ¡°Hmn. I think you really need to see a doctor.¡± She told him, feeling more concerned than before. ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡± He said, leaning back against his chair. ¡°Are you alright? How are you feeling now?¡± ¡°The ache is reducing.¡± He said. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be kissing you on our next date.¡± They exchanged warm smiles and reached for their drinks. As they sipped it, Arda¡¯s mind stayed busy trying to process the information that Jacob and Karina her best friends, were lovers and had been dating for the past three years. It really hurt that she was only getting to hear about it. Another thing that had started to worry her was Luke¡¯s headache episodes whenever they were about to kiss. First, those children had almost bumped into them, distracting them. Then the first headache episode had urred when he attempted to kiss her again, followed by a third one as again he had attempted to kiss her. Now few moments ago, it had happened again. Arda hoped that she was not being paranoid but the weird situation reminded her of the gift and note from the anonymous man who said she belonged to him. She could not help but feel that strange things had begun to happen in her life. ¡°When do you n on seeing a doctor?¡± she asked. ¡°I will make an appointment tomorrow.¡± He responded. ¡°Okay.¡± Arda¡¯s eyes caught sight of a guy alighting from a ck SUV that had just parked by a curb on the street right opposite the restaurant. She could not fathom why the sight of him sent her heart racing. She could not decide whether her heart was racing in fear or excitement. He looked to be about twenty-five. Tall and athletic, he was d in a fitted ck suit and wore dark sses. His hair was a dark brown color and he held it in a ponytail. Standing at about six-foot one, he was easy to notice. He was the kind that stood out in the crowd just by his physical appearance. Already, she could see others starting to steal nces at him. He took his sunsses off, exposingpletely, an attractive looking face. She noticed twodies nudging each other at the table beside her. They were openly admiring him as he walked with confident Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. steps across the road and approached the restaurant. God, was she openly admiring him as well? She did not think that she was. She just found him so enigmatic and could not stop staring at him. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Luke asked. At the same time, he turned his head so that he could see for himself because, seated across from her, he was backing the road. ¡°Hmn.¡± Hemented as he saw her object of distraction. Then he turned back to face her. ¡°He is hot.¡± She forced her eyes to settle on him. ¡°You¡¯re hot too.¡± ¡°I know, right? Thanks but you¡¯re staring at him too much.¡± ¡°That is not true.¡± she said defensively. He reached out a hand and gently caressed her cheek as the guy took the free table right behind theirs. ¡°I¡¯m kidding. But I¡¯m also a jealous lover. It took me three years to get you and I¡¯m not about to let you slip away.¡± ¡°You have nothing to worry about.¡± She assured him, her nostrils taking in the earthy fragrance of the guy¡¯s cologne. She could feel her heart beating faster and when she quickly stole a nce at him, he had his eyes glued to arge silicone ck wristwatch on his hand. Then she caught her breath as he caught her staring at him and she found herself mesmerized by pools of stunning grey eyes. She could not look away as their eyes stayed glued to each other¡¯s. It was Luke¡¯s hand on her wrist that finally distracted her and she managed to withdraw her gaze from the guy¡¯s face and focus on Luke¡¯s face. He leaned closer to her. ¡°Arda, you¡¯re embarrassing me.¡± He said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said as he straightened up and they watched a male waiter emerge from the restaurant and draw towards the guy¡¯s table. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Luke said, helping her up and around the table. Then he hugged her. Arda knew that right now, it was the ancient act of a male marking his territory and she didn¡¯t hesitate to tell him. ¡°Luke, I¡¯m with you.¡± She said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to mark your territory.¡± He chuckled and disengaged from her. ¡°I know but I can¡¯t help feeling like I have to show you off. ¡± Arda couldn¡¯t help but smile at his words. Their eyes were locked to each other¡¯s and he leaned in to kiss her but groaned in pain again, which renewed her worrying. ¡°What the hell.¡± he swore under his breath. ¡°Sorry, Luke.¡± She told him. ¡°Thanks. Shit. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± He said and led them out of the canopy. As they walked out hand in hand, she stole a furtive nce back in the guy¡¯s direction and saw him talking to the waiter. As though, he was aware that her eyes were on him, he turned his head, instantly locking her eyes with his. His gaze enthralled Arda. Then as quickly as he had turned to look at her, he returned his attention to the waiter and she focused her eyes on Luke. She had to respect him. He was her boyfriend now, not the enigmatic and very attractive guy whom she may nevere across again. Chapter 7: Guarded Hearts And Shadows Of An Uprising Chapter 7: Guarded Hearts And Shadows Of An Uprising That evening, it was quiet inside the reading room as the upants, Arda, Karina and Jacob minded their business, their heads buried in their books. They were seated around arge square table with Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. wooden partitions above it that provided privacy for each reader. The table could amodate about six persons, which was useful in case they had friends over. Abination of green and burnt orange paint beautified the wall and several inspirational quotes graced it. Arda¡¯s mind was far from her studies as nagging concerns disturbed her mind. She sat there, attempting to start writing her thesis but she just could not concentrate. shes of Luke¡¯s headache episodes haunted her and reyed before her eyes. Memories of the children interrupting her first expression of intimacy with Luke also flooded her mind. Why it bothered her, she had no idea but she did know that the incidents bothered her. Memories of the handsome guy at the restaurant also haunted her. She had felt a pull towards him that she had never felt with anyone before and she just could not exin it. Her joy was that she probably would never cross paths with him again. After all, he was a stranger and she didn¡¯t need that kind of distraction. She had a thesis to write and her life was already full of bottled up drama that she felt was on the verge of pouring out. Arda forced her mind off her troubled thoughts and tried to focus on her task. Picking up her pen, she opened the long notebook before her and wrote Dedication as a title at the top of the page. I dedicate this thesis to my dear family- The Grays, she wrote. After that, she put the pen down. That was almost nothing but she knew that she had to start from somewhere, no matter how little. Arda stared nkly at the wooden partition before her as Luke¡¯s words about Jacob and Karina reyed like a tape to her- Karina has a boyfriend, I tell you¡­Jacob¡­your t mate, friend, pal, whatever. Arda drew a deep in and exhaled it. The time to confront them was now. ¡°Jacob and Karina, are you guys seeing each other?¡± she asked aloud and the silence that had already enveloped the room seemed to intensify. Were they shocked at her question? she wondered. ¡°What?¡± she heard both of them ask. Arda rose up to her feet so that she could look at them and speak. Still seated, they already had their heads up as they stared up at her with puzzled expressions. ¡°Are you both dating?¡± she confronted them again, d that she was getting this off her chest. Jacob and Karina did not respond immediately but they looked confused or perhaps they were acting confused, she thought. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± Karina asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Jacob supported. ¡°Why would you even think that? Is this some kind of a joke or something?¡± Arda was not about to let it go so easily. ¡°I want to know why you¡¯ve both kept your rtionship from me.¡± She said solemnly, unable to hide the disappointment from her voice. ¡°I want to know why my friends are a couple outside but pretend otherwise around me. I deserve to know¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Karina interjected and rose to her feet. ¡°Who have you been listening to?¡± Jacob also rose to his feet. ¡°What has gotten into you?¡± he demanded. ¡°I have information that you¡¯re both dating. I don¡¯t care about your rtionship. But if I as a friend do not know about it then, a matter of trust and betrayal is in the picture. I don¡¯t know who you guys are anymore.¡± ¡°How can you draw conclusions from gossip?¡± Karina looked perplexed. ¡°Whatever you heard is not true.¡± Jacob said. ¡°I have a girlfriend, remember?¡± ¡°A long distance rtionship you said. But who knows if it¡¯s true?¡± ¡°Arda, you¡¯re not hearing us out.¡± Said Jacob, ¡°Who the hell told you this?¡± ¡°That is not important. The campus is full of mutual acquaintances. People talk and you¡¯ve both been seen kissing each other several times.¡± ¡°That is preposterous.¡± Karina cried, indignant. ¡°Believe me, it is all lies.¡± Jacob assured her and Arda wanted to believe them. They had been friends for three years. Why would they lie about such a thing? Besides, they were like cat and mouse in the house most of the time. She had never looked at them as a couple or had she been too blind to notice any hint? And why would Luke lie about such a thing? Arda decided to take what Jacob and Karina were saying at face value but still open her eyes and watch out for the truth. With all the current drama in her life, she had begun to feel like secrets were being kept from her, secrets she ought to know about. ¡°Fine. I believe you.¡± She told them. ¡°I am so sorry that I listened to outside gossip.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Said Karina. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Jacob said. In a way, Arda wanted them to trust that shepletely believed them even though a part of her was feeling doubtful. ¡°Peace hug.¡± She announced, smiling and watched them return her smile as she circled over to join them across the table where they shared a group hug. When they finally broke it off, Arda stepped back from them. ¡°Guys, we need some distraction.¡± She said and they just stared nkly at her. ¡°I have a thesis to write.¡± Karinained. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Jacob asked. ¡°Well, I have a confession.¡± Her friends folded their arms and gave her quizzical looks. ¡°I signed up for the birthmarkpetition.¡± ¡°What!¡± they both eximed at the same time, perplexed. ¡°The show is in three days. I registered already.¡± ¡°We both advised you not to register.¡± Jacob scolded. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°You were not able to give me a good reason.¡± Sheined. ¡°We did.¡± Karina countered. ¡°A birthmark of the moon will draw attention.¡± It dawned on Arda that she was tired of hearing that. ¡°Attention from who? I am tired of hearing that. I do not care anymore. It is just a show. If there is a show for this then maybe, my mark is not so strange after all. Who knows what kind of mark others may have?" Arda briefly remembered Tracy''s mark. "This could be fun." she continued, "Besides, the money will do me some good.¡± Arda turned dismissively and started walking out on them. ¡°Arda, please wait. Listen to me¡­¡± Karina called her attention but she didn¡¯t stop until she was out of the reading room. ¡°Let her go.¡± Said Jacob, ¡°You know how she is when she has made up her mind.¡± ¡°Yeah. I guess we all have a show to look forward to.¡± ¡°You may get into trouble for this.¡± he said, a note of worry in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Karina said. ¡°Do you think that he should know about this? "Jacob asked without speaking and Karina turned to face him, their eyes meeting and locking. ¡°Maybe there is no need, who knows?¡± She responded without speaking. She was telepathic, just like Jacob. Chapter 8: Love In Trouble Chapter 8: Love In Trouble Arda, Karina and Jacob strolled towards an event center on the day of the birthmark show. It was in thete evening and the event center was a bungalow of a building with a spacious parking space that currently contained very few vehicles. A stone fence went around the building and the entrance gate was locked with a huge padlock. The signpost just outside the event center disyed a marquee that proudly announced, Marvelous This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Event Center. Arda and her friends joined the crowd to stand outside the gate. It was not arge crowd and a mboyantly dressed woman in her forties holding a megaphone, came to stand beside a man around her age just inside the gate. The man had no hair on his head and it was shiny. It seemed to be the only bright thing about him. He was dressed in a ck suit and wore ck shoes, his face grim. ¡°We regret to tell you that we have cancelled the event.¡± The woman announced, shocking them all. ¡°But why?¡± demanded a few people from the crowd. ¡°We figured out toote that lots of people mighte to thispetition and try to deceive us with tattoos and we cannot handle that stress.¡± There were groans from the people and a few people among the crowd started leaving, some swearing and cursing as they left, others, silent. ¡°Should we go as well?¡± Karina asked Arda who shook her head. ¡°Somehow, I knew what her answer will be.¡± Jacobmented. ¡°We¡¯re already here. I need to hear all they have to say.¡± Arda told them. ¡°Okay.¡± Karina agreed. ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Jacob said halfheartedly but Arda ignored him. Surprisingly, so did Karina. ¡°Anyway,¡± the woman went on, ¡°we have a website setup for this purpose. Just get there, fill the form and upload your mark. This is now an onlinepetition. Also, fill in your bank ount and our team will inspect your mark. The winners will be announced on the site and paid what is due them.¡± The woman looked expectantly at the man beside her and he cleared his throat before opening his mouth to address them. ¡°The website is .birthmark and I repeat, .birthmark, everybody got that?¡± Nobody responded and he cleared his throat again but remained silent. ¡°That¡¯s it. Just shut up. We heard you.¡± A gothic looking girl shouted from the crowd, which had some of the peopleughing. ¡°Well, that is good to know.¡± The man responded coolly, unfazed by the insult. ¡°Submissions will go on for seven days, starting by tomorrow. We look forward to receiving your submissions.¡± He turned to the woman. ¡°What do you say to them?¡± ¡°May the best marks win a price.¡± She said with a smile and the crowd cheered. Arda stood between Karina and Jacob, taking their hands in hers. The woman and her counterpart turned away from the crowd and started making their way towards the building. As they left, the crowd started to disperse. ¡°Mum and dad,¡± Arda addressed her friends lightly. ¡°I guess you both don¡¯t have to worry about me exposing my mark. Thepetition is now online.¡± Jacob and Karina exchanged knowing nces. ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked her telepathically and Karina shrugged. ¡°Less risk.¡± She responded humanly. Arda had been observing their exchange. ¡°Why do I feel like you guys are not really on my side?¡± she said teasingly and they both smiled at her. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Jacob responded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They joined the dispersing crowd and Arda sucked in a sharp breath as she caught sight of Tracy. Dressed in jean trousers and jacket, she stuck her hands inside the pockets of her jacket as she walked towards a scooter by the curb on the street. Arda remembered that Tracy¡¯s mark was real and not a tattoo. That would exin her presence there. Perhaps, she was alsopeting. Arda pushed herself away from her friends and hastened towards Tracy. ¡°Hey Tracy.¡± She called but Tracy was mounting her bike, seemingly oblivious of anyone¡¯s presence. ¡°Tracy.¡± Arda called again, curving both her hands around her mouth in order to amplify her voice. Tracy turned her head and caught sight of her as she made her way forward. ¡°Hello, Arda.¡± Tracy said. ¡°It¡¯s starting to feel like we are stalking each other.¡± Arda forced a smile. ¡°You could say that. Did youe for the show?¡± ¡°Yeah. I came to watch. You?¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± ¡°I see. Okay.¡± ¡°Too bad it won¡¯t be live but online.¡± Said Arda. ¡°Too bad, yeah.¡± Tracy agreed. She watched Karina and Jacobe to stand beside Arda. The two waved at her and she waved back. ¡°I almost thought you¡¯re one of the participants.¡± Arda told her. ¡°Well, I guess you could say that I¡¯m one of those people out to deceive the judges.¡± She startedughing at her own joke but it was so short-lived that no one could join her. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you around.¡± ¡°Yeah. How did it go with prof?¡± ¡°He was okay.¡± Tracy replied, adjusting the sses on her face even though it did not seem to be off bnce. ¡°Alright, see you around.¡± Arda said. ¡°Bye.¡± Tracy responded, kicked off her bike and hit the road. Arda turned her attention to her friends standing beside her. ¡°Is she going topete?¡± Karina asked. ¡°What kind of mark does she have?¡± Arda wasn¡¯t sure that she wanted to reveal Tracy¡¯s mark to them. Tracy was doing a good job of hiding her mark. It would be unfair for her to just talk about it. ¡°Arda?¡± Jacob said curiously, letting her know he was expecting her response as well. ¡°Um¡­¡± she began, about to tell them of the mark she had earlier seen on Tracy but she changed her mind. ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡± She finally responded. Then and there, Arda decided not to buy Tracy¡¯s seemingck of real interest in the show. She hadn¡¯t been there just to watch the show. Tracy probably wanted to showcase her mark too. That night, Arday in bed in her night dress, her eyes glued to the page of a history book. Her phone rang with a call from Luke and she picked it up. ¡°Hello, Luke.¡± She said. ¡°Hey.¡± She smiled and ced the book down on the bed. ¡°Are you back?¡± He had travelled to attend his big sister¡¯s wedding after their date and they had not been able to see the doctor about his headache as nned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯ve not been able to see since our first date.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Your sister¡¯s wedding is important.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually outside your house.¡± Arda was confused. He had not told her he wasing to her ce. Her eyes darted to the wall clock, which read 8:45pm. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s quite surprising.¡± She said. ¡°I know and I¡¯m sorry but I just wanted to see your face. Pleasee outside briefly, will you?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Arda responded and pushed herself away from the bed as he ended the call. Somehow, she was excited about seeing him. It felt good to know he dropped by just to see her face. It made her feel special and loved. Love was truly a beautiful thing. Arda paused by the dressing table and checked her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was slightly unruly. Shebed her fingers through the errant tresses and smiled. The smile left her face as she caught sight of the gift and letter from the anonymous man on the table. Ignoring it, she walked out of the room, her phone in her hand. When she emerged at the living room, she saw Jacob and Karina watching a movie. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Jacob asked while Karina looked expectantly at her. ¡°Luke is outside. He just wants to see my face.¡± ¡°Hmn. Love is calling.¡± Karina teased and Arda found herself blushing. ¡°Behave yourself out there.¡± Jacob chided, his countenance, mockingly stern. ¡°Yes daddy.¡± Arda replied, pretending to take him seriously and heughed, waving her off. As their eyes returned to the television, Arda walked to the main door, opened it and let herself outside. Luke was parked before her car outside the house and he was leaning against it. The flower nted there, obscured part of his vehicle. They smiled at each other as they drew towards themselves, meeting each other half way. ¡°Hello, Arda,¡± he said, taking her hands in his. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°Great. Thanks. It¡¯s so good to see you.¡± ¡°I am d to hear that.¡± He said. ¡°Good to see you too.¡± He hugged her and they stood like that for a few seconds before he pulled away, holding her back from him. ¡°Now, how about that kiss?¡± His finger gently caressed her lower lip and she smiled. He lowered his head, bringing his lips towards hers. She closed her eyes, offering her lips up to him. Their mouths were barely touching when he groaned in pain, his hand flying to the back of his head. Her eyes flew open and he took a couple of steps back from her but his eyes were shut in agony. ¡°I am so sorry about the pain.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯ll see the doctor won¡¯t you?¡± He opened his eyes and when they fell on hers, the love she had once seen in them was gone, reced by wariness and coldness. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that I need a doctor.¡± He said tly and she reached out a hand to touch his arm but he recoiled, shocking her. ¡°What?¡± her eyes were wide with unbelief. ¡°I do not need a doctor.¡± He said forcefully. ¡°What I need is to stay away from you.¡± ¡°Luke¡­¡± she began, reaching out to touch him again but he took another step back from her. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± He said coldly. Chapter 9: The Alphas Voice Chapter 9: The Alpha''s Voice ¡°What did I do?¡± Arda was confused. Her heart was pounding incessantly with fear and disappointment. ¡°This only happens with you.¡± he stated matter-of-factly. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she whined. ¡°Are you just ying dumb or you¡¯re really dumb?¡± he demanded. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the kiss. This headache which by the way I think is strange, only happens with you.¡± ¡°So what exactly are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Why not save me the trouble and tell me exactly what you are?¡± ¡°Luke¡­¡± ¡°I figured it out¡­witch.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a witch, Luke.¡± She said, her eyes wetting up with tears of pain. ¡°Then maybe you¡¯re just a monster with a pretty face. And that¡¯s what I really came here to find out.¡± Arda started crying softly as she stood before him. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster, please.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just so sorry that I wasted so much time waiting on you. You should have told me you were a witch.¡± ¡°Luke, please.¡± She begged, moving closer to him but he took another quick step back. ¡°Stay away from me. Gosh, are you cursed or something?¡± ¡°I really like you Luke, please don¡¯t do this.¡± She blubbered. ¡°You can still see the doctor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t bloody need a doctor.¡± He snapped and she just stood there crying softly. Luke turned towards his car. ¡°E please get over here.¡± He said and through tear filled eyes, Arda saw a girl emerge from the car. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. E was a student at her school. She strutted over to where they were and stood beside him. Then he cupped her face in his hands and started kissing her. Arda felt like her heart was being torn into pieces. Not only was she feeling heartbroken. She was feeling guilty and frightened at the fact that he was currently kissing someone else without having a headache attack. Behind her, she could hear the house door opening as her friends stepped out onto the porch. Luke tore his lips away from E¡¯s and held her hands in his. ¡°Stay away from me.¡± He said to Arda. ¡°You and I are through. Better now thanter.¡± Arda could not stop herself from crying. ¡°Luke please, you know I¡¯vee to like you a lot. I mean, I¡¯ve Luke spared her a few seconds of perusal, his stare,ced with distrust. Ignoring her, he turned to E. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said to her. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Jacob said forcefully, causing him to pause. ¡°You are not going anywhere until I know what is happening.¡± He and Karina walked forward to where they stood. Then Karina hugged Arda sideways, trying to give her somefort as she continued crying softly. Luke faced Arda. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell them?¡± he said. ¡°Or shall we try again? It¡¯s not like I would enjoy it but I can definitely kiss you right now.¡± Arda shook her head, unwilling to be humiliated with another trial. ¡°I thought as much.¡± Said Luke and then he focused his attention on Karina and Jacob. ¡°Your friend has issues. I am sorry it had to end this way. Better now thanter.¡± He took E¡¯s hand and walked out on the three of them. Letting out a sob, Arda turned and ran back inside the house. Jacob and Karina watched Luke drive away. ¡°This is so painful to watch.¡± Karina said. ¡°Very. But we really cannot do anything.¡± ¡°It was easier when she didn¡¯t have time for guys.¡± ¡°Yeah, we had better check on her.¡± They hurried back inside the house and headed towards Arda¡¯s room. Standing before the door, they could hear her crying. Jacob raised his hand and gave the door a knock. ¡°Stay away.¡± She cried out. ¡°I want to be alone.¡± Karina tried the handle of the door and it gave way, so she entered along with Jacob. Arda was seated on her bed, her head, down and her legs resting on the floor. She looked up at them with weeping eyes as they stepped inside. ¡°I told you guys to stay away.¡± They sat down on either side of her and stayed silent. ¡°I don¡¯t ask much from this life.¡± She said tearfully. ¡°I¡¯ve never dreamt of marrying some wealthy man or something. Just someone I¡¯mfortable with, you know?¡± Her friends nodded understandingly. They knew that listening to her right now was important and helpful. ¡°Just when I thought I had found love, this had to happen.¡± She continued. ¡°Luke is nice and safe. He could have been the perfect one.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Karina asked gently. ¡°Whenever he tries to kiss me, he gets this sudden weird headache. Deep down I knew something was wrong and I think he did too. He came here today with that¡­¡± Arda searched for an insulting word to use on E but decided the girl was not her problem. ¡°that girl just to prove it.¡± She said instead. ¡°He kissed me and that weird headache attacked him but when he kissed her¡­¡± Arda¡¯s voice trailed off into a sob and Karina ced aforting hand on her back while Jacob held her hand in support. ¡°I feel like my life is a curse.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Arda.¡± Said Jacob. ¡°First, it¡¯s a weird mark on my hand that I have to keep private. Then it¡¯s a strange gift and note from an anonymous man banning me from dating. Then I start dating Luke and this happens. Guys, something is wrong. I don¡¯t know who I am anymore. I dream of getting married to a nice man and raising children immediately after graduation. Luke was perfect. I cannot do this. I need to find out what is wrong with me.¡± ¡°There is nothing wrong with you.¡± Karina said and hugged her. Arda wept on her shoulder while Jacob kept trying to calm her down. ¡°We¡¯ll figure out all these, Arda. Just try and rx. We are here for you.¡± Arda sniffled and tried to stop crying. ¡°He called me a witch and a monster.¡± ¡°I did hear him say something like a pretty monster.¡± Jacob said and she chuckled through her tears. Theic relief didn¡¯tst though as she slowly disengaged from Karina¡¯s arms, her countenance solemn. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and sniffled. ¡°I want to go home and spend the weekend with my family.¡± She said. ¡°I want a change of environment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable.¡± Said Karina. ¡°Call us if you need us.¡± Jacob said. ¡°Thank you, guys. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do without you.¡± They smiled empathetically at her. ¡°Try and sleep well.¡± Karina said and she nodded. ¡°Goodnight, Arda.¡± Jacob said. ¡°Night guys.¡± They rose up and exited the room, shutting it behind her. As soon as they left, Arda approached the dressing table and reread the note the anonymous man had sent. It made no sense to her. She touched the ne and shes of the handsome guy she had seen at the restaurant danced before her vision. In shock, she let go of the chain. Slowly, she touched it again and memories of him returned, lingering on the moment when their gazes had joined. Why she was remembering a random stranger, she had no idea. It felt like her subconscious was trying to rece the anonymous sender by filling the gap, using an image that seemed powerful and connected to her. It was dumb trying to imagine that the guy had sent her the gift and note. Arda ced the ne back on the table and sat down. Then she booted herptop. When it came on, she visited the inte, typed the word Alpha into a search engine and hit the enter button. Images of mostly handsome hunks and men with wolves filled the image section of the page. Then she looked at the wolf jewelry for a few seconds before returning her eyes to the screen. The features of the men she was seeing reminded her of the stranger she had seen at the restaurant. Arda began to study the headings of the articles that had surfaced on the screen. Remembering that she was dealing with a human, she refined her search by typing human wolf in the search box. Then she hit the enter button. She focused her attention on the first question under the headline people also ask. It read, what is a human wolf? With one click, she expanded the question and read the top content, her attention grabbing the words¡­is a human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf. When she visited the article, its headline read werewolf. Arda¡¯s hand left the keyboard and her eyes returned to the gift. ¡°Damn joke.¡± She swore under her breath and was startled as her phone rang. When she checked the screen, the number calling her was private. She reached for the phone on the table, picked it up and received the call. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello, Arda.¡± The voice was male and sounded deep, attractively distinct andpelling. The man¡¯s voice enthralled her. ¡°Hi, who am I speaking with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your broken heart.¡± He said and Arda was momentarily surprised at his words. The man was a stranger. How could he know about her breakup? Then she remembered that even though she had fallen in love with Luke, dating him was supposed to let her know if she had anything to worry about concerning the note sent by the anonymous man. And now it seemed like she did have something to worry about. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you got my message.¡± He said. ¡°Did you like the gift?¡± ¡°Who the hell are you? And how did you know about what just happened?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be long before Ie to you.¡± he said, ignoring her question. ¡°So wait patiently for me and do not ept another man again. I will not tolerate it.¡± The line went dead and Arda became speechless and trembly. Now she knew that the man was serious, the Alpha or whoever he was. Chapter 10: Who I Really Am Chapter 10: Who I Really Am Gradually, Arda¡¯s shock left her and she ced the phone back onto the table. It was barely touching the table when her phone buzzed with a call from her younger sister. Arda took a few more seconds to calm herself down before receiving the call. ¡°Hey, sis.¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re not my sister.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are not my sister and I think it¡¯s about time you knew.¡± ¡°Mabel, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Ask my dad and my mum.¡± Arda did not fail to notice how she stressed the word my in her statement. Before she could say anything, her sister was off the line. For a moment, she chose to believe that her sister was joking. Arda redialed her number and it kept ringing but there was no response. She decided to call her father who received the call in a single ring. ¡°My dear, you¡¯re still upte?¡± ¡°Yeah, studying.¡± She responded. She didn¡¯t want to talk about her problems. ¡°Okay. Take it easy.¡± ¡°I will. Where is Mabel?¡± ¡°She¡¯s around somewhere in the house.¡± ¡°Look dad, I know that Mabel and I barely get along as siblings but she just said something nasty to me on the phone. Now, she won¡¯t take my calls. I need you to tell her to stop. I can¡¯t take her shenanigans anymore.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m not her sister. She said I should ask you and mum. She¡¯s just talking nonsense.¡± There was silence at the end of the line but she knew that her father was still there. So why wasn¡¯t he responding? He cleared his throat and she heard Mabel¡¯s voice in the background. ¡°Tell her the truth dad, tell her. Mum, please tell her.¡± ¡°Dad, I can hear Mabel¡¯s voice in the background. What is going on?¡± Fear was slowly creeping up her spine. Her heart was beating faster than normal. She felt as if it was going to burst if it did not stop. ¡°Dad, please tell me it¡¯s not true.¡± She heard her father sigh heavily. ¡°Sweetheart, this is not how I envisioned telling you about this but you know your sister¡­¡± ¡°Dad, no. Please tell me it¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°Dear, you need toe home and I¡¯ll tell you everything, but no matter what? You¡¯re still our baby.¡± Arda felt like her head was about to explode. A dizzy feeling was threatening to overpower her and it felt like her body was struggling to hold her. ¡°Arda.¡± She heard her father call her and it sounded distant because of the turmoil overtaking her senses. ¡°Arda, are you still there?¡± Arda could not speak. Her eyesnded on her reflection on the mirror. Who the hell was she? She had to know. She couldn¡¯t take all the secrecy anymore. ¡°Sweetheart,¡± She heard her father say. ¡°Are you there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be home tomorrow.¡± She said and ended the call. Then she felt tears filling her eyes and rolling down her face. She had thought that the breakup with Luke had drained her tears. She had thought wrong. Moving herself away from the dresser, she walked over to the bed, her hand covering her mouth so that she would not cry out and disturb her friends. They had already held her hand over one problem. She didn¡¯t want them doing that again twice in one night. It felt like her life was a curse but not everyone had to know that. Not even her friends, not now at least. She climbed onto the bed, slipped under the covers and cried herself to sleep. Hourster when she woke up, it was to a new day. She sat up on the bed and instantly, memories of the previous night flooded her vision and she acknowledged the reality that was her life. She no longer had blood rted family. Her rtionship was broken before it could even begin and she had a stalker on the loose. The only important thing now, was getting home so that her adopted parents would enlighten her about her birth. Arda left the bed and began preparing for the weekend. She packed a bag and ventured into the bathroom to freshen up. When she emerged at the living room, it was with her packed bag. Arda was not prepared for the sight that greeted her eyes. She stood, trying to absorb the shock of finding her friends with their lips locked together at the entrance of the kitchen. When they saw her, they quickly disengaged, guilt covering their faces. Arda could not stop feeling betrayed. Luke had been right after all. And just when she thought that the surprises were over, this had toe up. She looked up to the ceiling. ¡°God, please who did I offend?¡± she asked wearily. ¡°Who are my ancestors? And who did they offend? Am I fated to bear some sort of consequence?¡± ¡°Arda,¡± Jacob said so that her eyes fell on him. ¡°Please don¡¯t be hysterical.¡± ¡°Hysterical?¡± ¡°Perhaps, it¡¯s a wrong choice of words but all I¡¯m saying is that you should please calm down. We were going to tell you eventually.¡± Arda looked at Karina who nodded in support of his words. As she stared at them, she found that she was unable to decide if she was more angry than disappointed. ¡°Luke was right after all. He was the one that told me.¡± ¡°Arda¡­¡± Karina began. ¡°Look, what I don¡¯t understand is the reason for your secrecy. I mean, what are you both hiding? I just don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a reason for that.¡± Said Jacob. ¡°Oh please, spare me.¡± Arda said wearily as she headed towards the main door. ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡± ¡°Arda, we¡¯ll talk about this when you get back.¡± Jacob said to her. ¡°Please don¡¯t hate us.¡± ¡°Go eat a rock, both of you.¡± Arda threw over her shoulder. Then she let herself out of the house and mmed the door shut behind her. Outside, the sun was starting to tear through the sky. It looked like the day was going to be warm and sunny. The atmosphere looked pleasant but Arda did not feel pleasant. She was slowly losing her grip on reality. She walked over to her car, threw her bag into the back seat, slid into the driver¡¯s seat, started the car and drove off. On the city streets, she appreciated the smooth traffic. She could not wait to get home and find out who she really was or where she came from. It took Arda an hour¡¯s drive across the city during which she crossed a major bridge that linked the smaller town where her family resided with the city where her school was located. Her home was one of the several rustic ranch houses seating by a quiet street. The houses were a bit far from each other andy behind a backdrop of trees and natural vegetation. It was easy to get into the woods from each home. She knew that her family was home as she spotted three cars by the house. She joined her car with theirs and when she stepped outside, she saw her family at the door. Her parents were middle aged and looked good but stressed at the moment. She guessed it was because of the present situation. The tension was obvious as they all stared at each other. Then her parents hurried over to her and hugged her. She couldn¡¯t move. She turned her gaze towards Mabel who remained standing on the front porch. Without a word, Mabel turned and stormed into the house. Arda held onto her parents. She didn¡¯t feel any different about them. They had raised her even though she wasn¡¯t theirs and she had never suspected anything because of all the love they poured on her. ¡°I still love you both, no matter what.¡± She said. ¡°We love you too.¡± They both responded and Arda knew it was the truth. Later, they all sat inside the living room to listen to her father. Arda was seated beside her mother who was holding her hand. Mabel sat alone, looking bored as she toyed with her fingers. Arda¡¯s fatherced his hands together and began to speak. ¡°It was years ago but it feels like yesterday. My favorite sport is hunting. It¡¯s kind of like a family thing and you all know that. So one night, I went hunting during a full moon.¡± Arthur shed back to the day he found Arda and remembered everything. *** Thest thing Arthur expected as he aimed his hunting gun at a deer was to hear the cry of a baby. Under the re of the full moon, amidst the sound of chirping crickets in the forest, the animal stood beside a tree,pletely oblivious of his presence and the danger he posed for it. Arthur was about thirty-five years old and of average height and blessed with a kind face. Between keeping his gun aimed at the deer, he wondered how a baby coulde to be in the woods in the dead of the night. Perhaps, the baby¡¯s mother was with it, he thought or maybe they were lost. Whatever the case, he did not appreciate the distraction. The deer he had in his sights was plump and he could already picture the savory meal it would make. As he kept monitoring his impending kill, it became obvious that the animal could also hear the baby¡¯s cry. It craned its neck, looking like it was trying to decipher the direction of the sound. At the same time, it was turning its back on Arthur. Then it leaped forth into the bushes but not before being struck on its nk by a bullet from Arthur¡¯s gun. The deer let out a yelp of pain and Arthur watched it blindly gallop forward and sh headlong into a tree. It staggered backwards, only to hit another tree before tumbling sideways, frantically kicking out its limbs for a bit and finally going numb on the grassy ground, blood seeping out of the smoky hole from the gun shut. Arthur could still hear the baby¡¯s cry and it wasing from the direction ahead of him where the deer This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. currentlyy. Holding onto his gun, he hurried forward, following the desperate sound of the baby¡¯s cry. Chapter 11: The Moon Child And An Impatient Alpha Chapter 11: The Moon Child And An Impatient Alpha Arthur marched past his game on the ground and moved cautiously amongst the trees in the bush as the sound of the baby¡¯s cry got closer. It caused him to increase his pace and from moving hastily, he had broken into a run, his heart racing with uncertainty. He jumped over a log of wood and a fallen tree crossing his path before sighting a hill twice his height. He could tell that the baby¡¯s cry wasing from the hill. Could the child be alone? He wondered. Who would leave a child by itself? Standing behind a tree, Arthur scanned the area with his eyes and he was grateful for the full moon which allowed him to see quite well. He could find no one and neither could he make out any movements from the surrounding area. Quickly, he breezed forward, covering the space between him and the hill. Then he circled over to the other side of the hill and gasped as he found a newborn baby girl on thep of its dying mother. The woman looked to be about his age. She was seated on the ground, her back leaning against the hill. Her eyes were barely open, and her face was sweaty. There was blood around her and she could barely move. Her hands were bloody and she was clutching a small knife in one hand. He could see that she had been trying to cut the umbilical cord connecting her and the baby. She had already tied makeshift mps - a thin cloth around the cord in two ces just apart from each other. Arthur quickly retrieved the knife from her limp hand and cut the cord at the middle of the makeshift mps. The woman barely winced and twitched but he heard a faint ¡°thank you.¡± from her lips. He gave her an understanding nod and with a great effort, she slowly began moving her head leftwards. At first, he was confused but quickly discerned that she was trying tomunicate something to him. He looked around in the direction she was moving her head to, thinking with fear that someone was there but he found no one. ¡°Down.¡± she managed to whisper and he looked down on the ground at her left side where he saw for the first time, a paper that appeared to have been torn from an old book. When she nodded, he picked it up and quickly read the words out. ¡°In turmoil, a child will be born under the full moon. The moon will leave its mark on her. The moon child is destined to mate the Alpha¡­¡± Arthur stopped because the paper did not contain the rest of the words. It had been torn off from that point. ¡°The words are notplete.¡± he said, looking from the paper to the woman who nodded as if to say, I know and so he stuck the paper inside the pocket of his cks. He knew that there was more of the prophecy but there was nothing he could do for now. Staring up at the full moon, the only thought on his mind was hope for the survival of the woman because he just could not see himself as the right person to raise a newborn baby, especially one marked by prophecy. Everything ying out was just too overwhelming. He could not help but keep staring up at the full moon, then at the naked child on her mother¡¯sp. A gasp of shock escaped his lips as a mark appeared on the side of the baby¡¯s stomach. It was a tattoo of the full moon, round but lifelike. The woman saw it too and gave abored sigh that spoke of satisfaction. Arthur reached out his hand and touched the fascinating mark. The lifelike appearance of the mark dimmed and it became a regr tattoo. When he looked to the baby¡¯s mother, her mouth was open as she tried to speak. ¡°Call her Arda.¡± She managed to whisper. Then her head tilted sideways, her eyes going still as she went limp, giving up the ghost. The baby¡¯s crying intensified as though she was aware of her mother¡¯s passing. Arthur took pity on the child. He drew a deep breath and sighed before closing the woman¡¯s eyes. Then he carried the baby in his arms and tried to soothe her. ¡°Shh¡­don¡¯t be afraid little one.¡± He cooed but the child continued to cry and refused to beforted. Still, he kept trying to calm her. ¡°Little one,¡± He said, ¡°I don¡¯t have much to go on concerning your story and I don¡¯t think that I¡¯m the right person for this job but I will do my best to take care of you. And I¡¯ll start by ensuring that your beloved mother is not buried in this forest. I will get help and have her buried among my ancestors, because you are now family¡­until the time of your destinyes when you will mate the Alpha ording to the prophecy, dear moon child¡­Arda.¡± *** Arthur returned to the present and looked at Arda who was now staring at the mark on her hand. ¡°So, in the end she¡¯s like a special freak of nature or something.¡± Mabel remarked. ¡°Shut up.¡± Arthur told her. ¡°And leave this ce. I¡¯ve had it with your stupidity.¡± ¡°Whatever dad, I¡¯m just d the truth is out. Now we all know who inherits everything.¡± She stood up and stormed towards the rooms.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°It¡¯s not like your parents are billionaires you stupid child.¡± Mrs. Arthur threw after her before they all heard a door mming shut. ¡°How long has she known about it?¡± Arda asked. ¡°She knew about it since she was eight but not the details.¡± Arthur responded. ¡°She just knew that you were adopted.¡± ¡°Okay. Well, how did she know?¡± ¡°Somehow, she identally overheard us in the bedroom.¡± Arthur answered. ¡°We told her not to say anything.¡± Added Mrs. Arthur. Finally, Arda understood why she and Mabel could never get along. Mabel knew she was not family and probably hated that she had to share her parent¡¯s love. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Arda said to them. Then she smiled at her father. ¡°Dad pleasee and sit over here with us.¡± He gave her a little smile and came to sit by her so that she was sandwiched between them. Then she wrapped her arms around them both. ¡°You were really brave that night, dad. And mum, I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t tell him to give me up or something.¡± Mrs. Gray gave her a warm smile. ¡°Seriously, I can just imagine some other woman saying hey, honey there is no way I¡¯m nursing a child I don¡¯t know.¡± She had mimicked the voice of a hysterical woman and her parents managed tough. ¡°I love you both.¡± She told them. ¡°I always will. Nothing has changed.¡± ¡°We love you too.¡± They both said and her mother ced a kiss on her forehead. Arda still felt loved. At the same time she felt empty. She wanted to talk about the Alpha but she changed her mind. There was no need topound issues. From her research the previous night, everything seemed to be falling in ce. Now, she knew she was not ordinary and that she was fated to marry the Alpha who obviously was a bloody werewolf. That exined Luke¡¯s headaches. But that won¡¯t stop her from trying to find love and live a normal life. She didn¡¯t care about the prophecy, the moon or the Alpha. She just wanted to live a normal life, graduate, get a job, find a nice boy and raise a normal family. The Alpha would have to find someone else. Besides, he was so authoritative. She couldn¡¯t even imagine being with such a person if he could be called that. She was tempted there and then to ask God to tell her who she offended for her life to be like this but she didn¡¯t want to cause her parents more worry. They had already been through so much. For now, she would look forward to participating in the birthmark show, try to forgive her friends, face her project and ignore the Alpha-whoever he was. The next time he contacted her, she would tell him to go to hell and burn to ashes. *** Gillow stared at the image of his fated mate on the rustic page of the bulky ancient book on his brawny desk. Moonchild was the ancient scribble written down below her image. The drawing of the image was perfect. She was beautiful, pure and looked so innocent. She would look perfect by his side in this castle. She would look perfect with him. It was a miracle that she was still untouched by a man but he did not see that going on for much longer. Following her and seeing her with that boy at the restaurant the other day had angered him but he had managed to control himself. He really appreciated the work of the guardian who was keeping him abreast of her affairs. ¡°Elder, how much longer before I im her?¡± he asked the long bearded elderly man standing before him. ¡°She is grown and is already testing love. It is a problem to me.¡± Chapter 12: Fated Mates Cross Paths Chapter 12: Fated Mates Cross Paths ¡°She needs to graduate. The least you can do is allow her finish school. Then she can face her destiny.¡± The Elder responded. ¡°It was easier to wait when she was focused on her studies. But now, she is open to love. I cannot exin how much that annoys me. The more she socializes, the higher the risk of exposing her identity to the enemy packs.¡± ¡°I know. Still, there¡¯s a stronger reason why you need to wait.¡± Gillow gave him a knowing look. ¡°Cain and his agenda.¡± ¡°He will kill the moon child to fulfill it. He will do anything to fulfill it. They know about the prophecy. They will be alert once they hear you¡¯ve taken a mate. She will be in danger.¡± ¡°I want to challenge him.¡± The Elder adjusted his bnce on the stick. ¡°The enemy packs need to be kept in the dark about her existence, otherwise, the reason for keeping her hidden all these years would be futile.¡± ¡°I said that I want to challenge him.¡± Gillow deliberately ignored the wise man¡¯s words. He was impatient. ¡°It is not time. The gods have not permitted it.¡± Gillow rose up, towering over the man. ¡°My patience has grown thin. With all due respect, speak with the gods and tell them that if their silence remains, I will start making decisions. I grow weary of having my mate alone out there. They have until the next full moon.¡± The Elder quickly cleared his throat. ¡°No one has ever given the gods an ultimatum.¡± ¡°I just did.¡± The man bowed and turned to go while Gillow¡¯s eyes returned to Arda¡¯s image inside the book. He really could not wait to im her. *** The next day, Arda lived her life like it was normal. She set her concerns aside and went about her business. In the house with her family, she performed chores, aided her mother in the kitchen and went hunting with her father and sister at night. The moon was out and half full and the forest behind their home was alive with the night sounds of nature. Twilight thrushes sang and owls called back and forth to their young. Insects and frogs took over where the daylight songbirds had left off while crickets chirped incessantly in the background. Arda, Mabel and her father were dressed in clothes that covered their bodies fully so that they were protected from the chill. Ear defenders went around the backs of their heads and defended them from any kind of harsh sounds. The three held local guns and backpacks rested on their backs. Presently, they were standing by a tree in the forest and looking around the bushes through the eyes of the night vision sses over their eyes. ¡°Daddy, should we be worried about the wolf cries?¡± Arda asked and Mabel chuckled. ¡°Fear baby.¡± ¡°Shut up, Mabel.¡± Mabelughed and Arda couldn¡¯t help but recollect how she and her sister hade to make up. The two had reconciled that morning after Arda served her tea in bed and told her she loved her and would always love her whether she liked it or not. Arda had spoken in sincerity. It was truly how she felt about Mabel. In response, Mabel had thrown her arms around her, apologizing profusely for her bad behavior towards her and promising to change. Then Mabel had shocked Arda who had thought Mabel¡¯s behavior was borne out of a grudge about sharing her parents. Mabel admitted instead that she was hurt by the knowledge that they weren¡¯t blood sisters. Her constant show of antagonism was merely an Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. unhealthy reaction to the situation. Their parents had been so surprised waking up to the girls joking around as they made breakfast together. The girls had simply smiled at them with a simple chorused exnation. ¡°We made up,¡± which had pleased their parents. Arda¡¯s mind returned to the present. ¡°You will scare the games away.¡± Their father cautioned Mabel and smiling, Mabel mped a hand over her mouth to muffle her chuckle. ¡°Naughty you.¡± Arda told her and faced her father. ¡°Seriously dad, the papers sounded serious.¡± ¡°The papers are serious about everything.¡± He replied. ¡°Wolf cries are normal. If their cries have increased, it only means that their poption has grown, so what?¡± ¡°Well, what happens if we find any?¡± Arda was worried. ¡°Simple, kill it. Besides, wolves are afraid of humans. They will rather avoid you.¡± Arda sighed with relief. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°Okaydies, we will separate from here. You already know the deal. Don¡¯t venture too far. Use your whistle¡­¡± ¡°and sh your light if necessary, should you encounter trouble.¡± Arda and Mabel finished for him and he shook his head in amusement. ¡°The trouble that awaits your husbands.¡± The girls smiled broadly and they separated, the three going in separate directions. Arda walked forward, the grasses scrunching beneath her booted foot. It took her a few yards before she came upon a grassy clearing dotted by clutters of wood against a backdrop of thicker woond. Standing by a tree, she saw a single pig feeding on rape. She could not see any piglets but a single pig at that time of the year could be a sow. Its silhouette looked more like a sow than a male. It was too dark to see any more details but she couldn¡¯t pass up her first kill on the hunt. This was why they were here. Arda aimed her gun at the pig and fell into concentration. Then she noticed branches braking in the wood a couple of yards adjacent the pig. It meant that something was probably going toe out. Her attention was divided at the moment. Even the pig raised its head and turned towards the direction of the ruffling behind it. It took about five seconds of waiting before a couple of pigszily emerged one after the other from the rustling spot. They were not too big and were roughly about the same size. There was no sight of piglets. She wondered which one she would take down and finally decided on the one she had first seen which had returned to its meal. It seemed fatter than the others. Giving it her full attention, she was about to pull the trigger when she heard a gunshot and saw a bullet hit her target, bringing it down. Her finger froze on the trigger. Startled, Arda¡¯s eyes went up because, she could tell that the shot hade from somewhere close by in the trees. Her eyes fell on the figure of a hunter who was positioned on the sturdy branch of a tree just a couple of feet beside her. Arda was angry. She knew that she didn¡¯t own the area but that fat pig was her kill. It was almost her kill and the situation upset her. To add to her anger, the other pigs turned and hastened back into the woods, no doubt in escape. Fuming, Arda watched the hunter make his way down from the tree. His movements were smooth and graceful. He seemed skilled and from his silhouette, tall and brawny. He wore a hat and his hair flowed underneath it. Where had she seen long hair on a tall and sinewy guy recently? She wondered and started marching towards his direction. Before she could reach the tree, he was already at its foot. He switched on the huntingmp at the foot of the tree, illuminating the spot around him. Getting a clearer view of him, Arda was befuddled. She could clearly recognize the handsome guy she had been drawn to at the restaurant on her date with Luke. He seemed even more handsome in his rugged hunting outfit, raw and intriguing. As he stared at her, it felt like he could see through her soul. Why did he affect her so? She scarcely knew him. Arda cleared her throat, reminding herself why she was there. ¡°You stole my kill.¡± She fumed and he arched an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Where had she heard that deep, cultured yet rough voice before? She wondered. ¡°I almost had it before you¡­you stole it.¡± All Gillow could think about was how her beauty affected him and the fact that she didn¡¯t even know who they were to each other was quite upsetting. That they had met tonight was purely by ident and he could not help but marvel at how fate had them entwined. And she didn¡¯t even know she was standing before her mate, her Alpha. A small smile crept across his lips as he perused her from head to toe. The day he would im her, her screams of pleasure would be music to his ears. Arda felt like he had just stripped her naked and she struggled to hide the blush that had probably stained her cheeks. Damn, he was handsome and so rugged. Thank God it was night and her blush didn¡¯t have to show. She quickly told herself to concentrate on her anger. He walked past her and headed towards the direction of the kill. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she demanded, turning back towards him. ¡°Picking up my kill.¡± He threw over his shoulder. Arda broke into a run, dashed past him and headed towards the pig which was lying still on the ground. He paused and watched her stand protectively around it. He was amused but chose to hide it as he started approaching her. ¡°I cannot let you have it.¡± She said as he came to stand across from her, the pig lying between them. ¡°And you really think I would let you have my kill?¡± he asked. ¡°It is mine.¡± She insisted. ¡°No, it is mine.¡± He countered cooly. Then his voice dropped a notch. ¡°For a young woman out here alone with a strange guy in the woods, you do have some guts.¡± He watched fear creep into her eyes for the first time. He was just toying with her but of course she didn¡¯t know that. She had been too confident and he wanted her just a little bit scared. What if it wasn¡¯t him out here? What if it had been some dangerous person? ¡°I¡¯m not alone.¡± She said, her voice starting to waver. Suddenly, the pig was starting to lose value in her sight. She was afraid of him now. Good, he thought with firm determination. He would teach her a lesson about keeping herself safe for him and the people dear to her. Chapter 13:Taught By The Alpha Chapter 13:Taught By The Alpha ¡°I have to go now.¡± She said and watched his eyes drop briefly to the pig, before returning to hers. ¡°You don¡¯t want the game anymore, I see.¡± ¡°Please, let me go.¡± Arda¡¯s fear of him was mounting. He did not respond. Instead, a small grin split his lips. Then despite her ear defenders, she heard the howling of wolves in the distance. Arda turned and made a run in the direction she hade from and before she could leave the little clearing and hit the denser part of the forest, she felt strong arms pulling her roughly back against a firm, muscled chest. She opened her mouth to scream and felt a hand covering her mouth. She started struggling and felt herself being moved swiftly and before she knew it, she was being held sturdily against a tree. Her back was against the tree and he was standing before her, keeping her captive with nothing but his sinewy body. Her frightened eyes stared pleadingly into his and she felt them watering. Gillow could feel his heart melting with mercy and at the same time, the smell of her blood filled his nostrils. Her blood type had to be B positive. It was the tastiest blood type amongst his kind. Why would his mate have that? Damn, he wasn¡¯t prepared for this aspect. He inhaled her neck deeply and fought to control his rising hunger. Then he put his mouth closely to her ear, letting her feel his hot breath upon her delicate looking skin. ¡°I will take my hand off your mouth and you will be as quiet as a mouse.¡± He whispered roughly. ¡°If you make a noise, you will regret it immediately. Is that clear?¡± She gave him a series of rapid nods and he took his hand off her mouth. ¡°Please, I want to go.¡± She begged and Gillow took pity on her. He had already seeded in his n to scare wisdom into her but too much of everything was bad. He didn¡¯t want her too afraid of him. She was going to be his mate soon and he didn¡¯t want a frightened woman epting his thrusts. ¡°Your actions just now were without wisdom. Do you know that?¡± Arda understood perfectly, what he was talking about and it was a little surprising that he seemed focus on correcting her when he could have been hurting her or something. Maybe he wasn¡¯t a bad person. Well, it was too early to judge. She was still at his mercy. She knew that she shouldn¡¯t have approached him alone because he was a stranger who was armed and they were in a forest at night. Arda nodded in response to his question. ¡°I want to hear words.¡± He said sternly and her heart pummeled against her chest. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have approached a stranger alone because they might be dangerous.¡± She said shakily. ¡°Good.¡± Hemended, ¡°but I prefer this version, I will observe my safety and never run blindly into a dangerous situation again.¡± He waited and Arda understood he wanted her to repeat the words. ¡°I will observe my safety and never run blindly into a dangerous situation again.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re a fast learner. So what should I do to you if we have another episode?¡± Arda wanted to tell him to go to hell but right now, she was at his mercy. ¡°I believe I won¡¯t run into you again.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± he scoffed. ¡°Well, time will tell.¡± He was d that she was smart. The gods couldn¡¯t have chosen better. Their choice was a bit wed though, because her blood type was a serious temptation to him. It made him a danger to her. How he was being under control right now was still a mystery to him. He pulled himself away from her, giving her space that was just enough for her to slip away. ¡°Run.¡± Hemanded but she was frozen in fear. At the same time, her eyes riveted longingly towards the pig on the ground. His eyes followed her gaze and swiftly returned to hers. ¡°Really?¡± he asked, unbelieving. ¡°I¡­I did see it first.¡± She said in a small voice and he gave her a dark look. This was enough to scare her and she started backing herself away from the tree. Then she turned and ran off into the woods, disappearing from his sight. Gillow¡¯s eyes looked up at the moonlight and returned to the pig. He circled his thumb and forefinger over his lips and blew a whistle. Secondster, the bushes surrounding him began to rustle and a group of hunters emerged from the forest and gathered themselves around him. They were abination of male and female around ten in number, Karina among them. They were all tall and heavily built but Gillow was the tallest and most intimidating. Karina presented herself before him and took a bow. ¡°You did not tell me about her blood.¡± He said coldly. ¡°We thought that¡­¡± she began. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°We?¡± he demanded and Karina caught herself pausing for a bit, her heart pounding with fear. They couldn¡¯t know about Jacob, especially the Alpha. She would be in trouble. ¡°I mean, I¡­¡± ¡°Who else have you been working with?¡± he interrupted sharply and Karina shook her head. ¡°No one.¡± ¡°Imagine what will happen if I have to read your mind and discover otherwise.¡± ¡°I¡¯m loyal to the pack.¡± ¡°That is not the question. Who else have you been working with?¡± ¡°Jacob¡­Jacob Cain.¡± There were gasps of surprise among the others and Gillow¡¯s iris became red and fierce. The rest of the group fell to their knees, including Karina. ¡°Sleeping with the enemy.¡± He muttered under his breath. ¡°Jacob is not like his father¡­¡± ¡°Silence!¡± he growled and she fell quiet, her eyes forming a pool. ¡°Does he know about my mate?¡± Karina could feel her body trembling and the tears that had gathered in her eyes began rolling down her face. She shook her head but she knew as well as he did that she was lying. ¡°Do you know what the punishment is for traitors?¡± ¡°Alpha¡­¡± she began pleadingly but Gillow silenced her with a finger across his lips. Then he addressed two men closest him in proximity. ¡°I want her in the silver room.¡± Low menacing growls emanated from them as they stood up. Karina let out a wild cry as both men approached her. As their hands grabbed her arms from both sides and pulled her up, she let out another cry that was nothing but the howling of a wolf in distress. *** Arda was reunited with her family at the tree where they had started their hunt. Her father was holding arge tortoise while her sister was with nothing. They all heard the agony filled cry of the wolf and looked at each other cautiously. ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s go home.¡± Arda said to him. ¡°Congrats on the tortoise.¡± ¡°So where is your game?¡± Mabel asked. ¡°We heard a shot.¡± ¡°Oh, that wasn¡¯t my shot. Another hunter did that.¡± Mabel and her father exchanged horrified nces. ¡°What?¡± Arda asked. ¡°Did you see the person?¡± Mabel demanded. ¡°We had a little¡­squabble about it. I saw it first and he just killed it.¡± ¡°Where did he fire his gun from?¡± her father asked. ¡°A tree.¡± ¡°Come on, Arda, the kill wasn¡¯t yours.¡± Her father said and Arda remained silent. She already knew that. ¡°Were you both aware of each other¡¯s presence?¡± Mabel asked. Arda shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know about him,¡± She answered. ¡°But I understand that it wasn¡¯t my kill.¡± ¡°And next time please don¡¯t expose yourself to a stranger alone.¡± Her father cautioned. ¡°You should know better. There is danger in the world.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, dad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± Arda spotted a pig behind her father and Mabel. It emerged from a bush and stood, looking confused. ¡°Shh.¡± She said and aimed her gun between them as they remained standing before her. She wasted no time firing a shot at it and the pig went down. Mabel and her father turned to see the pig and they all smiled. ¡°Well, I guess we won¡¯t have to return home with just a pet.¡± Said Arda. Arda¡¯s father looked at the tortoise in his hand and they allughed. *** The silver room was not a room of silver. In fact, there was nothing of silver inside it. It was just an empty room, which was barricaded with a strong wooden protector like steel bars that allowed anyone in the corridor a view of the inside. Inside the room was a bed of wood and a stool by its side. The room was nd, the walls stained with old blood. The floor was in, cold and ufortable. At the side of the bed was atrine. The silver room was nothing but a prison cell. Karina sat on the floor with her back to the wall. Chains of ck steel went around her feet and could be traced to the bed. Apparently, she could move around only inside the prison cell. She bolted to her feet, afraid as Gillow came into view before the cell barricade. Karina was terrified. She had put his mate in danger even though it was not intentional. But she had known Jacob for long. He would not reveal Arda¡¯s identity to his family¡¯s pack. She had never thought about it until now but she hoped she was not wrong about Jacob. Silently, she also prayed for mercy from the Alpha. Chapter 14:Missing Pieces Chapter 14:Missing Pieces ¡°What I need right now is the truth from you.¡± Gillow told her. ¡°What other dangerous thing have you done apart from sleeping with the enemy? And by dangerous, I mean anything that exposes her identity.¡± Karina recalled the tattoo show that Arda had insisted on participating in. It seemed harmless at the time and now, she doubted that Gillow would see it that way. She was afraid of what he would do if she mentioned it, so she shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± Karina nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Gillow pushed the barricade aside and stepped into the prison cell while she backed off and pressed her back to the wall but he kept advancing towards her until he was standing directly before her. Her breathing became erratic, her chest, rising and falling rapidly. She knew he was searching her mind, listening to her soul and she focused her mind on the ocean. The ocean¡­the ocean¡­the beauty of the ocean. Karina gasped as in one swift move, he held her captive against the wall with his body. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re fighting so hard to concentrate on the ocean at a time like this, tells me that you¡¯re lying. I will count to three and if you do not speak the truth, I will order for your torture.¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± ¡°One two three.¡± He counted rapidly without giving her a chance to make up her mind. ¡°I will talk.¡± She said desperately. ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± He hissed and backed away from her. ¡°Guards!¡± A couple of men from the pack who had arrested her at the forest, appeared at the barricade. ¡°Prepare her for torture.¡± He ordered and stormed off the cell as she started a series of pleas. *** Arda was back in her off campus home by Sunday evening and didn¡¯t meet anyone at home. Karina¡¯s line was switched off but Jacob had told her he was on his way home from a party. After showering, she went straight to bed, grabbed her pillow and returned to the living room where she had decided to rest and wait for Jacob to get home. She arranged the pillow at one end of the sofa,y down and propped her head on the pillow. She shut her eyes and listened to the Jazz music ying on the music channel on the television. Arda drifted off to sleep, her features rxing as she slept. She had not slept for long when her eyes shot open to the sound of the main door being opened from outside. She knew it was Jacob even before the door was pushed open and he let himself inside. He smiled at her and she left the sofa to hug him. ¡°Wee back.¡± He said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Hope you¡¯ve forgiven us.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± she said and they disengaged. ¡°Where is Karina? I¡¯ve been trying to reach her since I returned, but her line is switched off.¡± ¡°Um¡­I think she¡¯s probably fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Arda studied him for a moment, observing for the first time that he seemed all tensed up. For someone who was returning from a party, he seemed awkwardly distracted. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± he asked, somewhat defensively. ¡°Jacob, you seem quite off. Whenst did you see her?¡± ¡°Jeez, Arda.¡± He said impatiently. ¡°Please back off will you?¡± He started marching off to his room and Arda stood there, frozen at his outburst. Was he stressed? She decided to allow him cool off. To be fair to him, he only just got back. Arda returned to the sofa but she didn¡¯t lie down. She sat down for a while and tried to focus on the jazz music video ying on the television. She was hoping that Jacob would soon resurface but when she didn¡¯t see him after about ten minutes, she got off the sofa and walked towards the corridor in the direction of their rooms. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. At the mouth of the corridor, she saw him emerging from his room with his phone in his hand. He had changed into fresh clothes instead of a pair of pajamas. She could not believe that he was about to leave the house again. It was already 9:30pm. ¡°Jacob, talk to me. How was your day? I should have asked.¡± He paused before her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I yelled at you but I¡¯m fine.¡± Arda could tell that he clearly looked worried. ¡°No problem.¡± She said and watched him run his fingers through the hairs on his head. Then he groaned with frustration. ¡°I¡¯ve not seen her since yesterday.¡± He said. ¡°¡±What? And you didn¡¯t alert the police?¡± ¡°This is moreplicated than that.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Arda, I and Karina, we are not¡­¡± he began but his phone buzzed, interrupting his speech. He looked at the screen, read through his message with his eyes and swore under his breath. ¡°Arda, I have to go. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡± ¡°What? Where are you going? Our friend is probably missing. How long before her family starts asking questions and people discover we hid her disappearance. How would that make us look? You cannot leave me here like that. Jacob, what are you hiding?¡± Jacob walked past her without saying a word and she followed behind him like a nagging wife. ¡°I can tell you were about to say something important. Please tell me. Stop keeping me in the dark.¡± He only paused for a few seconds to confirm that his car key was in his pocket. One tap on his pocket and they both could hear the jingling of keys. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± He said, ¡°Please stay inside and don¡¯t let anyonee into the house no matter who they say they are.¡± ¡°Wait, am I in danger? Are we in danger?¡± ¡°Arda, trust me and do as I say.¡± He said and marched towards the main door with her, right behind him. He opened the door and stepped outside while she remained at the door. ¡°Don¡¯t call the police.¡± He said. ¡°Trust me.¡± He shut the door behind him, leaving her alone inside the house in confusion. Arda started pacing back and forth inside the living room. Should she call the police? What was she supposed to do? Jacob certainly knew something that she didn¡¯t. What was going on? Most importantly, who the hell were Jacob and Karina? She couldn¡¯t tell anymore. He had been about to reveal something before that text got into his phone. Were her friends in some dark cult or something? After all, they had kept their rtionship from her for such a long time. Gosh, Arda felt like she was going crazy. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She had to go and snoop around inside their rooms. Arda walked back to the corridor and tried the handle of the door to Jacob¡¯s room. On it, he had put up a note that read; Jacob¡¯s Room. Knock Before Entry. The door was locked. She left it and Went to Karina¡¯s room door. On it was a note that read; Karina¡¯s Room. No Enemies Allowed. Arda tried the door but it would not budge. Disappointed, she entered her room and put on herptop at the dressing table. She needed something to keep her mind busy. Remembering the tattoo show, she visited the tattoo website. To her surprise, the site was not reachable. She checked her inte connection. It was up and running. She refreshed the page but the site was unreachable still. Arda visited google just to be sure that thework was okay and the google page appeared. Then she visited the tattoo website again but it was unavable. Her phone began to ring. She checked the screen to discover that the call wasing from an unknown number. Arda received it and brought it up to her ear. ¡°Hello.¡± She said. ¡°Congrattions.¡± A woman¡¯s voice that sounded balmy and sonorous said. ¡°You are the winner of the show.¡± Arda¡¯s tensed up face broke into a smile. Good money was about to reach her. ¡°Thanks, I am so excited. What happened to the site?¡± ¡°It has been taken down. Congrattions again, Arda. We are so happy for you. ¡± ¡°Thank you. When do I get my present?¡± ¡°Today. It will be delivered to your address.¡± ¡°But we were made to understand that it will be sent to our bank ounts.¡± ¡°That has changed. We trust that you¡¯re home?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Arda said and looked at the wall clock. It was already past 10:00pm. Who would deliver a price for her at night? What sort of organization would do that? Fear entered her and she regretted confirming that she was home. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not home.¡± She said and heard the womanugh, the sound, unsettling. Then the line went dead, leaving her frightened and alone. Chapter 15:Taken By The Alpha Chapter 15:Taken By The Alpha Karina whimpered with pain. She was tied to a post in a different prison cell. Her arms and legs were secured to the post and she was in the middle of the room, her back, covered in welts clearly formed by a whip. The penance guard who was standing behind her with a whip was looking at Gillow for further instruction. ¡°Mercy¡­Mercy¡­¡± she kept muttering weakly. ¡°Let her go.¡± Gillow ordered the man. He was reclining against the bars of the penance cell. And now he walked over to Karina and circled over to face her. She had her eyes on the ground, her skin, sweaty, her breathing, unsteady. Gillow was still mad at her. He had trusted her to guide his mate and report to him any danger that might affect her. In fact, she was supposed to report everything to him right from what she ate to her school results. So far, she had done that but he wasn¡¯t built to toleratexity. It wasn¡¯t in him to be gentle. It was those kind of traits in a leader that weakened a pack and he was d he possessed none of it. ¡°Karina.¡± She quickly raised her weary eyes to meet his gray ones. ¡°Now, I¡¯m all ears and you better talk fast.¡± ¡°There¡¯s thispetition that was¡­was advertised for people with unique birthmarks and she¡­she participated.¡± Gillow was shocked. ¡°What? And you didn¡¯t think for a moment that it was fishy?¡± The penance guard glowered at her and it seemed like he would have increased her torture if he had this information earlier. ¡°I...I thought it was harmless.¡± She sputtered. Gillow grunted, his teeth gritted together in anger. ¡°Where is the venue of this show?¡± he demanded. ¡°It is online. She already sent pictures of her mark to them. I believe that the result is supposed to be out today.¡± ¡°So, you didn¡¯t think that the enemy pack could have been behind this?¡± he thundered. ¡°That even Jacob could be in on this?¡¯ ¡°I swear, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Since when did Jacob know about her mark? ¡°Two years ago.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± He swore. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but¡­he is nice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he is when he¡¯s inside you.¡± ¡°Please, he¡­he has a good heart. He has always kept her safe too.¡± ¡°Or perhaps he is just bidding his time.¡± The words came out as a statement of fact. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°If her safety ispromised, you will be.¡± Gillow retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed Arda¡¯s line as he stormed off the cell. At the same time, he left instructions to the penance guard. ¡°Release her and send her to the healer briefly. She will fix her error right about now and Karina!¡± He paused in his strides and turned in her direction. ¡°Alpha.¡± She answered wearily. ¡°Do not return without her.¡± *** Arda was still standing in the living room. The fear of leaving the house was overwhelming. She could not reach Jacob and Karina. Should she call her parents? She didn¡¯t want them to be worried. Maybe she was overreacting. Was she? She really didn¡¯t want to raise a false rm by calling the police. Somehow, she was inclined to listen to Jacob¡¯s words about that. Her phone rang and she almost jumped out of her skin. In her fright, the phone slipped off her hand and fell down on the rug. Thankfully, no damage came to the phone. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The number that shed across her screen was not familiar but she was drawn to pick the call and she rescued the phone from the ground and answered the call. If the caller was fishy, she would call the police, false rm be dammed. ¡°Hello.¡± She said, her heart beat pumping faster than it already was. ¡°I trust you¡¯re home?¡± Arda recognized his voice. Always so authoritative, she thought. At this point, she didn¡¯t understand it but she was not too scared. Any familiar voice will do, even one from a somewhat familiar stalker. ¡°Do you know who¡¯s on the line?¡± ¡°How can I forget?¡± she did not bother to hide her sarcasm. ¡°I¡¯m ttered.¡± He said and Arda couldn¡¯t hear a trace of humor in his voice. ¡°Now, what is the result of that birthmark show of yours?¡± Arda could not mask her shock. ¡°How on earth did you know about that?¡± ¡°What is the result of thispetition of yours?¡± he demanded, ignoring her question. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± Arda stammered in her confusion. ¡°Calm down and speak clearly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m expecting my present tonight?¡± The statement came out as a question because Arda was no longer sure but thest time she checked, that was the case. ¡°Goddamn it!¡± he swore. ¡°Listen to me, do not let anyone inside the house. Karina will being for you with¡­friends.¡± ¡°What?¡± The line went dead. Karina? She thought. God, what was going on? This was not how she expected her day to be. How did this man know Karina? She felt as though her head was expanding. It seemed like she was going to faint at any moment. With shaky limbs, she shuffled over to the nearest couch and sat down. She took deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. She tried to think positively in order to try and make sense out of the situation. If Karina wasing for her, then she guessed being on his side would be safe. A knock sounded at the door and she panicked, almost jumping to her feet. She knew that she needed to be careful in her current situation. Arda hastened to the television and switched it off. She didn¡¯t want any domestic noise in the air, giving away her presence so easily. She quickly put her phone on silence. Then she tiptoed to the window and peeked through an opening at the end of the window. It gave her a direct view of the apartment¡¯s frontage. A ck truck with tinted ss was parked there. Arda swallowed hard and backed away from the window. Her phone started buzzing and she saw that it was Karina. She crouched on the ground and received the call. ¡°Karina what is going on?¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m at the door. You¡¯ll get answerster.¡± Arda went to the door and opened it. Karina was there and they both ended the call and rushed into each other¡¯s arms. ¡°You don¡¯t look too good.¡± Arda observed as soon as they broke it off. Karina was not looking her usual diva self. Her eyes were puffy, her face in and her lips dry. ¡°I know.¡± She answered. ¡°Where is Jacob?¡± ¡°He left in quite a hurry and he was acting all weird. Are you guys in some kind of cult or what? And how do you know that¡­that...¡± Arda couldn¡¯t find a befitting word for the Alpha. ¡°Stalker?¡± She finally decided. ¡°Now is not the time. Please let¡¯s just¡­¡± An impatient horn red from the truck outside, interrupting her. ¡°We have to go.¡± She said urgently. ¡°Am I in danger?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Arda please. If anything happens to you, I¡¯m dead.¡± ¡°Jesus, Karina.¡± Arda yelped as Karina grabbed her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not moving an inch. Jacob said I should stay inside.¡± ¡°Trust me, he would want you toe with me.¡± Another horn red from the truck. ¡°Listen to me. You¡¯re not safe.¡± Arda hesitated, her heart pounding. ¡°Look, I know I¡¯ve not been so straight with you but if there¡¯s any time to act now and ask questions A ck SUV approached madly and the window was rolled down. The ss was also tinted. A man poked his head through the window, his eyes hidden behind dark sses. The man thrust out his hand and on it was a pistol. He aimed it at Arda and she opened her mouth to scream. Her scream was cut off as Karina pushed her down and shielded her with her body. A couple of silent bullets hit the porch stairs. Karina crouched beside her, retrieved a gun tucked in her waist in one swift move and aimed it at their assant. She took a shot at him but he was already rolling up his window. The car did a quick reverse, turned and left as swiftly as it had arrived. Karina pulled Arda up to her feet. ¡°They probably didn¡¯t expectpany.¡± ¡°Why would anyone want me dead?¡± Arda whined, hysterical and the door to the waiting truck was swung open. Two huge men in ck suits alighted. One was the driver but the other one alighted from the passenger side. They were the guards that had arrested Karina at the forest. ¡°What the hell is going on over there?¡± the driver demanded. ¡°Those guys might be back. We need to leave.¡± ¡°We have to go now.¡± Karina told Arda. ¡°Oh God, I¡¯m going crazy.¡± Arda said, finding that she could not move because of fear. ¡°We need to be patient with her.¡± Karina responded. ¡°I think you should get her.¡± The driver said to the other guard. ¡°Certainly.¡± He responded and marched towards Arda. Karina threw her hands up, exasperated and confused. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Arda began to protest as the guard reached her. He moved so fast, Arda didn¡¯t know when she found herself on his shoulder. ¡°You brute.¡± Arda cursed and began pounding his back with blows, her hands, balls of fists. The guard seemed to feel nothing as he carried her unceremoniously towards the truck. The driver was already inside and Karina followed behind them. When they reached the truck, he put Arda into the backseat and shut the door. ¡°Brute.¡± She cursed at him as Karina joined her in the back seat. Ignoring her, the guard returned to his seat and shut the door. ¡°Brute.¡± Arda cursed again and started crying. Karina put an arm around her in an attempt to try and calm her down. The driver who had already started the car, backed it off the curb and drove into the night as Arday her head on Karina¡¯s shoulder and cried. Chapter 16:In The Alphas Home Chapter 16:In The Alpha''s Home Arda had not bothered to look at the road because she had spent most of the past thirty minutes crying. Her cries ceased for a moment, her eyes cast down with grief. Through it all, Karina held her close and kept giving her words of encouragement. Karina kept telling her that everything would be okay. She kept telling her not to be afraid. This helped to calm her down a little but it did not take her fears away. Many questions were in her head and she looked at Karina. ¡°They are so big.¡± She whispered, her eyes on the men dominating the front seat of the car. ¡°I¡¯m really scared. Is the Alpha like them?¡± The only person she had seen with their kind of stature was that overconfident hunter she had crossed path with but had first seen on her date with Luke. The very stranger she had felt a powerful connection to so strong it scared her. And he was even taller than these men. Karina pulled her closer to herself and hesitated, refusing to respond quickly to Arda¡¯s question. How could she tell her the truth in her current state of fright and confusion? It would not be fair to her. But then, she was bound to meet the Alpha anytime soon, so she guessed there was no need to keep her in the dark. She had already done enough of keeping her in the dark. ¡°Actually, the Alpha is¡­taller and more...hunky.¡± She whispered and Arda broke into soft whimpers, remembering his note and dreading the thought of being mated by him ording to his note. Now she knew that she had made a huge mistake. She should have run away the moment she received that note. It was toote now. ¡°Arda, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Karina consoled her. ¡°You¡¯re safe. Everything will be all right, I promise. Your safety is most important right now. Everything will fall into ce. Don¡¯t cry.¡± Arda sniffled and lifted her head, her eyes taking in her surroundings from her side view of the window. She saw cars whipping by on high speed. The streetlights kept the city illuminated. She could see that they were on an expressway with city structures standing at a distance from the interconnected roads. They were heading towards a bridge with a sign post that announced the words Greenville. Greenville was a smaller city settlement just like where she lived with her parents. They passed underneath the bridge, emerged at the other end of it and the car reached a roundabout where they waited for the traffic light to turn green and allow them move on. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Karina told her but she did not respond even though Karina was presently her only source of strength and sanity. The light turned green and the driver continued forward for a while and turned left where a signpost read Edens. The road housed huge residential homes, fenced and secured behind imposing gates. A ce for the elites or wealthy, she thought. She was not surprised. With that gift he had sent her, she knew the Alpha could not be poor. The houses were separated by yards of natural vegetation. Some of the houses were almost hidden by the tall trees and interwoven vines that surrounded them. The driver continued down the road and slowed down before nosing the car onto a narrow road that brought into view, their destination, obviously. Without being told, Arda knew that it was their destination because it was the only structure that stood before them. The house was a castle vision. It wasrge, fenced and gated. The gate allowed you some view of the castle¡¯s front, which revealed flowers and a fountain that tempered the castle¡¯s intimidating structure. On each side of the road that led them to the castle, were tall trees, vines and foliage. It was easy to see the backdrop of surrounding forests and mountains around the building.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Arda was awed by the magnificence of the castle. Her heart was also beating fast with fear of the unknown and she found herself clinging tightly to Karina as the car came to a stop at the gate. Karina held her close. ¡°I¡¯m with you, Arda. Don¡¯t be afraid. You¡¯re safe, I promise.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared, Karina.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m here. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± A man appeared at the gate and pressed a button that allowed them entry into thepound. Arda spotted several cars and bikes inside. The ce looked serene and the lights around the castle gave it a peaceful ambience. Arda was not feeling peaceful. She was scared out of her mind. The driver killed the engine and let himself out. ¡°Let¡¯s get down.¡± Karina said to her but she remained where she was, too afraid to move. The other guard alighted and swung her side door open. Arda scooted away from him but he reached out for her and she started kicking her legs out at him. He grabbed her iling legs and pulled her towards him. Then he restrained her, carried her out of the car and lifted her onto his shoulder again. ¡°Put me down, you brute.¡± She cursed, ¡°Put me down.¡± Karina got off the car and immediately, the driver grabbed her and forced her down on her knees. Then he pped a ck cuff around her wrists. When Arda saw that, her fear increased. ¡°Let her go.¡± She cried. ¡°What are you doing? Let her go.¡± The driver pulled Karina up to her feet and started leading her towards a smaller building inside the gates, while the other guard carried her towards the main entrance of the castle. ¡°Karina.¡± She cried as the gap increased between them. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Karina told her and the driver shoved her forward. Arda saw that and started crying as she also rained blows on the guard¡¯s back but he went on as if she was not even hitting him. A man opened the brawny door of the castle from the inside. He was as big as the driver and guard carrying her. He stepped aside and the guard carried her inside before putting her down. She hastily began to straighten her clothes when her eyes caught sight of someone familiar. Arda was dumbstruck at the sight of him. He dominated the stairwell, standing at the middle of it and staring down at her. He was the hunter she had met at the forest. He was the stranger she had been drawn to at the restaurant. His long hair was held in a neat ponytail. The men bowed before him and straightened up. Arda could already tell that he was their leader judging by what she had read online when she was researching what exactly he was, the Alpha. Gillow stared at his mate with pride. This was not how he had envisioned their official meeting to be but it would do. There was a time he had nned to entice her with flowers and whatever it took to naturally make her fall in love with him but life had other ns and here they were. ¡°Stalker.¡± She cursed at him. ¡°Wee home.¡± He responded in a drawl and immediately, his voice fell into ce for her. At the forest, she had thought his voice was familiar. It was deep, rough and cultured. It was a voice obviously used to being in control. ¡°This is not my home.¡± She said defiantly. ¡°Stalker.¡± Quietly, he walked down the stairs and came to stand a foot from her. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly with fear and she felt his finger lifting her jaw so she could meet his gray eyes. ¡°I empathize with the situation and what you¡¯re going through but I am not a gentleman. I do not tolerate several things. You need time to rest and I will see to it before anything else.¡± His head lowered to the side of her neck and she heard his whispered words in her ear. ¡°Your destiny is right beside me, your Alpha.¡± Arda was frozen in the few seconds it took him to straighten up and take his finger off her jaw. Yes, she did feel a connection towards him but he was not her type. He was too big for her and notpletely human. And he was too rough. She deserved a gentle man, not a brute like him, damn his handsomeness. ¡°Never.¡± She said between gritted teeth and he gave her an amused look. ¡°Never, you stalker.¡± She spat and Gillow ignored her outburst. He addressed the guard beside her. ¡°Take her to my room.¡± He said dismissively. ¡°No!¡± she protested as the guard reached for her again while Gillow just stood and watched her ordeal. ¡°Leave me alone!¡± she cried, backing away from the guard but his movement was swift and she found herself on his shoulder again. Arda struggled to escape from his shoulder as he headed towards another stairwell at the end of the living space, but he was holding her firmly. There was nothing she could do except beat at him with clenched fists that didn¡¯t even affect him. She gave up and resulted to body wracking sobs in fear of what would be of her life in the Alpha¡¯s home. Chapter 17: In The Alphas Bedroom Chapter 17: In The Alpha''s Bedroom Blinded by her tears, Arda did not bother checking out her surroundings until the guard carrying her, kicked a door open and set her upon her feet. Then he backed away from her, let himself out and shut the door behind him. She rushed back to the door and tried to open it but it did not budge and she knew that she had been locked inside. Arda wiped her tearful eyes dry with the back of her hand. Feeling like her face was not dry enough from her tears, she lifted the bottom of her pajamas top and wiped it. For the first time, she let her eyes dwell on her surroundings. The Alpha¡¯s room was not what she expected. Deeming him callous, she expected a nd room but it was far from nd. She had thought it would be featureless and empty or at best,rge and disordered but it was not so. Yes, it wasrge but it was cozy, pleasantly curtained, immacte and fragrant. Since the building was a castle, she had expected medieval furnishings but the room was not entirely so. It was modern with conventional touches of rustic baronial d¨¦cor. The tiled floor boasted an earthy color and a plush verdant rug of green, upied the middle of the room. Arda¡¯s eyes fell on the bed pushed up against the wall. Texas king-sized, it was imposing, just like him. The bedposts were burly and made of sleek, well-crafted wood, the foam covered in rumpled sheets of a dark green color. The room was a bit cold and she could see that it was air-conditioned. She saw arge mahogany table before an ornate dressing mirror. A couple of chairs sat before the table, which was carrying some books andptop. Curtained, shut doors stood at one end of the room, perhaps the toilet or whatever, she reckoned.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. On the walls were several artistic paintings of forest,nd and sea as well as wolves. Slowly, Arda walked over to therge mirror at the table and checked her reflection. She was a mess. Her short hair was ruffled and messy. Her face was pale and her eyes were puffy and red. Her reflection truly mirrored how deeply she felt. She felt sorely miserable and fearful. She remembered her phone and tapped the side pockets of her pajamas pants. It was not there. She remembered slipping it into the pocket of her pajamas pants after meeting with Karina but when she felt her pocket, it was empty. Perhaps that Guard must have stolen it somehow. Arda panicked. How would she reach her family or anyone for help? She wondered. Besides, what exactly would she have said to them? Apparently, some other persons wanted her dead. The Alpha had saved her, but to what end? To be kept imprisoned by him and his bunch of brutes? For all she knew, he could have staged that incident so that he would have an excuse to take her away. Still, why would he bother with staging an incident in order to take her away? As callous as he was, he could just easily take her away without going through all that drama. She thought of Karina. Why was Karina taken away? Karina was the only person she knew. She needed Karina and she also needed her phone. Arda¡¯s mind was a whirlwind. She needed answers and she needed them fast. Arda¡¯s eyes widened as she heard the lock on the door being disturbed. She looked and saw the door widen as it was pushed open. The Alpha filled the doorway as he let himself inside. Then he shut the door behind him, his gaze upon hers. Her breath caught in her throat as once again, she found herself staring into the beautiful pools of silver that were his eyes. He took a few steps forward and stood, towering over her. Arda was d that he didn¡¯t cover the space between them. She feared him. At the same time, she had questions to ask and she knew that he had the answers. ¡°Am I a prisoner here?¡± ¡°No. Do you feel like one?¡± ¡°Yes, if I can¡¯t just leave. So can I just leave?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m a prisoner, yes?¡± ¡°No. But you can¡¯t just leave.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m a pri¡­¡± ¡°I will not banter words with you.¡± His tone was clipped. ¡°My family¡­¡± ¡°Knows that you¡¯re in good hands.¡± He cut in matter-of-factly. Arda panicked again. Did her family really know she was here? What did he tell them? Did he know them? Did they know him? ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all you need to know for now.¡± He said dismissively. Arda decided to ignore his words. She lifted her chin in defiance. ¡°I want to go home.¡± ¡°You cannot. It is dangerous. This is your home now.¡± ¡°What about my school? I have a meeting with my supervisor tomorrow.¡± ¡°You might want to think twice before lying to me again, Arda.¡± His tone was disturbingly mellow, his eyes, stern. Her heart skipped a beat with fear but she pressed on with her only excuse that might pave way for her freedom. ¡°My supervisor¡­¡± ¡°Arda, I have your timetable.¡± Her eyes could not go any wider. She was shocked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is not the time for long stories. You need to rest.¡± ¡°Where is my phone?¡± He retrieved a phone from his pocket and held it out to her. She recognized her phone. Quickly, she walked up to him and received it. Then just as quickly, she backed away to her original spot since his entry into the bedroom. ¡°How did you get my phone?¡± ¡°It fell in the car during your ride here.¡± Arda deliberately refused to offer her thanks. She was upset. She had asked for none of this. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± He said pointedly, letting her know that he had noticed her demeanor. He watched her fold her hands together across her chest, anger turning her face cold and furrowing her brows. Her bright brown eyes were piercing and beautiful. He did not know how to be gentle but he found himself wanting to offer her some sce. ¡°I know how difficult this is for you. But trust me, this is the only way to keep you safe.¡± ¡°Safe from who?¡± she retorted. ¡°You will get answers soon enough.¡± ¡°I need to call my father.¡± She said and began scrolling through contacts on her phone. ¡°He knows.¡± Gillow said quietly and watched her fingers pause in their task. She lifted her eyes and looked at him, confusion marring her brows. ¡°I would ask you what you mean but of course, you won¡¯t tell me.¡± She said sarcastically and watched him sigh. ¡°The night he found you was the night he discovered our kind.¡± Arda was astonished. Her father knew about werewolves? Somehow, she had suspected he knew more than he was telling her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°I know. You should read your dad¡¯s SMS.¡± Arda looked at her phone screen and noticed the new message notification for the first time. It was from her father and she hastily opened it. Arda, dear. We know where you are. I knew this day woulde. You¡¯re safer there than anywhere. I Love you. Daddy. Arda looked from her phone and back to Gillow, her facial features, resigned and weary. ¡°You have a lot to learn. I will be patient and you will have the answers as soon as po¡­¡± Gillow paused, his jaw tightening and his iris turning red. Arda¡¯s eyes widened in fear, her mouth opening with a gasp and she took a step back from him. Gillow bit his lower lip, trying to control his sudden desire. Her blood was calling out to him. He and his pack had settled on animal blood for a long time but her blood group was a huge temptation. The Salutary who was the pack¡¯s healer had given them some concoction to curb it and he guessed its effect had worn off. In a swift move, Gillow had covered the space between them and he was close to her, towering over her, his presence, dominating her. Her eyes were wild with fear as she stared imploringly into the crimson iris of his piercing gaze. ¡°Please¡­Please don¡¯t hurt me, please.¡± She whispered tremulously. She shuddered as he brought his face forward, leaning down and inhaling her scent from the side of her neck. Arda was frightened. She heard a low growl from him and felt his teeth grazing the bare skin of her neck. ¡°Please.¡± She begged, her plea, a desperate whisper. ¡°Alpha, please.¡± It was the first time she was using his title. The fear had brought it out, she knew. And she hoped that it would quell his desire. She could still feel his teeth slowly grazing the soft skin of her neck. ¡°Please.¡± she said gently like one who was trying to appease a domestic animal suddenly gone wild. His grazing teeth moved ever so slowly down her neck. ¡°It¡¯s me, moon child.¡± She said softly but her voice was wavering and she felt his teethe to rest on her shoulder de. ¡°Please, it¡¯s me, moon child, your¡­ your mate,¡± She continued, the wavering of her voice increasing as the pressure from his slowly grazing teeth on her delicate skin seemed to intensify. Chapter 18:In The Alphas Bedroom-2 Chapter 18:In The Alpha''s Bedroom-2 Her voice was soft and cating as she continued trying to calm him down. ¡°It¡¯s me, moon child, your mate. Please don¡¯t hurt me.¡± She knew she would say anything to get out of the dangerous situation she was currently in. Arda could no longer feel the movement of his teeth on the side of her neck and saw that he had gone still. Slowly, he pulled himself off her, letting her go. Then he took a step back from her, the crimson color of his iris turning back to silver. Tears of relief filled her eyes and rolled down her face. Her heart was still thundering with fright as she kept staring at him. His features didn¡¯t soften but at least he was not attempting to hurt her. ¡°You said I will be safe here.¡± she whined. ¡°This is the safest ce for you.¡± ¡°Yet you almost...killed me.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Something inside you, calmed my desire.¡± ¡°And what if next time it doesn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the answer to that question. That is why we have the Elder.¡± ¡°The Elder?¡± ¡°He is our Diviner. Tomorrow, you will meet the pack and settle down here in your home.¡± Before she couldpletelyprehend what he had just said, she saw him standing very close to her, her chest almost mming against his. He could move so fast and unexpectedly and she wasn¡¯t sure if she would ever get used to his supernatural speed. Arda tried to control the slight tremors shaking her body as he put his finger forward and gently wiped the tears off her delicate cheeks. She shut her eyes for a moment, letting him finish. Still, she kept her eyes shut. It was his voice that forced her eyes open. She was so afraid of him. ¡°Open your eyes, Arda.¡± For the first time his voice sounded gentle and the surprise of it hastened her response, her eyes, falling open. Was this truly him or someone else? She wondered, though in sarcasm. Who was she kidding? It was him, alright. ¡°Do not be afraid of me.¡± You¡¯re not making that easy, she wanted to blurt out but decided not to let any tensione before them. If he was being gentle now, she might as well seize the moment and have a conversation. ¡°What¡­what is your name?¡± she asked. ¡°I mean, who are you exactly?¡± ¡°Gillow Rain, Alpha of the South of Homnd.¡± ¡°Are there other Alphas?¡± ¡°Alpha of the North, East and West.¡± ¡°So which of them wants me dead?¡± ¡°All three.¡± For a moment, Arda thought her heart stopped beating and her hand flew against her chest like one who was having a heart attack. He startedughing and she looked at him in confusion. She didn¡¯t think he couldugh. He was always so fierce. ¡°What is funny?¡± ¡°You should see your face.¡± He answered lightly and she couldn¡¯t believe that he had been pulling her legs. Arda breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s not funny.¡± She said indignantly and he smiled at her. Experiencing this yful side of him was still too shocking for her. And he was handsome but even more so when he was in a light mood. Arda liked this part of him and wondered how long it usuallysted. She knew it couldn¡¯t be long. As if to confirm her thoughts, the smile left his face. He couldn¡¯t even disappoint her, she thought. ¡°Who said I was joking?¡± he asked, the humor gone from his voice. His face was expressionless. He didn¡¯t look serious. He didn¡¯t look yful either and she knew that whatever he was about to tell her was just in fact. Good, the earlier she knew about her predicament, the better for her. ¡°I made that joke to calm you down. But what I said is true.¡± Arda silently admitted that his humor had actually helped her assimte the information about the enormous threat on her life. Still, she refused to admit it openly. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± He said and she knew that once again, that he had noticed her attitude. Gillow didn¡¯t me her. Anyone in her shoes would not be happy. He wasn¡¯t the patient kind, but he would give her time to adjust to her new life and learn about her role in this current situation. ¡°The only ce you can be safe is here. For that purpose, I have made up a set of rules you must abide by. It is for your own good. Be that as it may, I will be very disappointed if you break any of them. Do you understand?¡± Tyrant. Arda cursed inwardly and chose to ignore hismanding question. Instead, she decided to ask him the question on her mind. ¡°Where is Karina?¡± Gillow understood what she was trying to do. She was deliberately trying to defy him and he didn¡¯t take kindly to such attitude. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± he repeated, his voice hardened. Arda swallowed hard, unnerved. She could feel her eyes watering. This guy will never mate her, she vowed inwardly. She had decided that a long time ago. He would have to rape her to do that or at the worst case scenario, kill her. ¡°I understand.¡± She whispered, due to her fear. Her voice had lost its volume. He watched streaks of tears run down her face as her beautiful brown eyes stared up at him. He knew she feared him. He could feel her fear but he could not ess her thoughts. He had tried reading it from the first time he saw her but it was nk. He could read other people¡¯s minds but hers was nk. And that angered him. But it also intrigued him. Gillow never made it a habit of reading people¡¯s minds but he felt like he would give anything to read hers. She was of great interest and importance to him. Arda watched him slowly lift his hand and ce a finger on her chest. He could feel her heartbeat pumping against her chest and he listened closely but could hear nothing. ¡°What¡­What are you doing?¡± she stuttered, panicking. Why was his finger in her cleavage, touching her chest? Would he move his hand to her breast and afterwards, start touching her intimately? Dear God, please, not now, she prayed silently and was relieved as he took his finger off her chest. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°What?¡± Arda was confused by his question. ¡°I mean, what are you thinking?¡± Arda found his question odd. ¡°You mean, what¡¯s on my mind? ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I asked earlier. So what¡¯s on your mind?¡± Arda didn¡¯t bother over-analyzing his question. She had already told him she would not be his mate. There was no need repeating it and probably igniting his anger. She feared the vicious part of him and didn¡¯t want to see it. ¡°Nothing.¡± She answered. ¡°There is something on everybody¡¯s mind.¡± ¡°Well, I am not everybody.¡± His eyes took their sweet time sweeping over her body from her head to her toe. She felt like he had just undressed her with them just like he had looked at her in the forest. This time, she felt self- conscious instead of embarrassed. She also felt antagonistic. ¡°I can see that.¡± He said flirtatiously. ¡°Isn¡¯t that pretty obvious?¡± Arda hated his guts. ¡°Well, my thoughts are my own.¡± A small grin split his lips. She really did have some spirit and a mouth on her. He wouldn¡¯t let her get too mouthy though. In a sh, he was holding her against him and pulling her close to his chest. Rapidly, her breasts rose and fell with the rapid beating of her heart. Her fearful eyes stared up wildly into his dominating silver eyes. ¡°I only have two rules for you tonight, Arda.¡± he said darkly. ¡°Henceforth, you will address me by my title. That¡¯s the first. Secondly, I do not tolerate back talk or any other form of disrespect. Do you understand me?¡± Out of fear, she gave him a quick nod. ¡°Yes.¡± Her voice had gone hoarse with fright. ¡°Yes, what?¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha.¡± Her eyes had gone damp again and her quiet decision to avoid his mating was reaffirmed. She couldn¡¯t be with a tyrant like him. ¡°Good girl.¡± He praised and stepped away from her, his gaze still holding hers. Arda could not wait for her escape. She feared him so much. He was nothing but a tyrant. Anyway, she needed Karina and maybe Karina would be willing to help her escape the castle. ¡°Where is Karina?¡± ¡°Paying for her sloppy work.¡± ¡°What did she do?¡± ¡°Long story short, she had a duty to watch over you and report to me. But she failed to report your recent venture at mizing your mark, a foolish move that could have exposed your identity. She also exposed you to a member of the enemy pack.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Jacob Cain, son of Noah Cain who is the Alpha of the North.¡± Arda couldn¡¯t be more shocked. ¡°Jacob? My roommate? He¡¯s a werewolf?¡± A grin passed across his lips. ¡°Like I said, you have much to learn, Arda. Be patient. You are safe with us¡­with me.¡± At hisst two words, Arda sucked in a sharp breath. She hated him even though she was still attracted to him. The warring feelings felt like a curse to her. It was just as well, she thought, because she felt cursed. Anyone fated to marry this tyrant before her would feel the same, she reckoned. But she would not sumb to him because of some threat, mark or prophecy. At the slightest opportunity, she would find her way out. Chapter 19:In The Alphas Bedroom-3 Chapter 19:In The Alpha''s Bedroom-3 In the multitude of Arda¡¯s troubling thoughts of escape, her gaze was cast down to the floor and she didn¡¯t know until she felt his finger lifting her chin. Again, his movement had been swift, sudden and silent. Her breath came up sharply as she was forced to meet his intense gaze. Who was she kidding? She would never get used to his unpredictable moves. ¡°Please.¡± She said breathlessly. ¡°Will you move normally around me?¡± ¡°What is normal?¡± ¡°Like a normal person.¡± Arda said. She didn¡¯t know how else to say it but she knew that he understood what she meant. He was just being difficult. ¡°What is normal?¡± He repeated. ¡°By whose standard is normalcy defined?¡± ¡°You know, like me. Like...like human.¡± ¡°A spade is not a shovel and a lion is not a cat. I am notpletely human. I am a werewolf vampire. Get used to my movement.¡± In a sh, he was at the door, his hand on the knob. Arda¡¯s breath caught in her throat and a small gasp escaped her lips. ¡°Get used to it, Arda.¡± He said dismissively and started to open the door but paused at her next words. ¡°Please...when will you free Karina?¡± His eyes returned to hers. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Please, she took care of me. She always has. You need to forgive her.¡± ¡°You can make a plea, Arda.¡± He said simply. ¡°But don¡¯t tell me what I need to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Arda responded apologetically. She wanted Karina freed and she knew she would not seed by arguing with him. ¡°I will learn to choose my words carefully.¡± She added with an exaggerated tone of humility mixed with sarcasm that she hoped he didn¡¯t notice. Arda gasped as she found herself held against the wall, his body, keeping her against it, his eyes glued to hers. ¡°Do not patronize me.¡± He said and just as quickly as he had moved her body, he was back at the door. She stood there against the wall, her chest heaving and her eyes, wide with rm. ¡°Karina will be free in due time.¡± He said nomittally. ¡°When?¡± ¡°I said in due time and I don¡¯t like to repeat myself.¡± Arda¡¯s face fell. ¡°Freshen up and get ready for bed. There are things you can munch on in the fridge if you¡¯re hungry. Help yourself.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± She mumbled grudgingly. Then she raised her voice to ask a question that suddenly started to bother her. ¡°Where will you sleep?¡± He noticed the panic in her voice. It was sort of amusing. ¡°Where do you want me to sleep?¡± Arda was afraid to sleep on the same bed with him and he knew it. His lips broke into a slight grin which softened his handsome features. ¡°Where do you want me to sleep, Arda?¡± He taunted and she remained silent, afraid of voicing her fears. ¡°Rx, Arda.¡± He said inly. ¡°I won¡¯t be mating you tonight.¡± He hated the sigh of relief that escaped her lips. She should be begging for his touch, not dreading it. But that was issue for another day. ¡°Goodnight, Arda. The room is yours for tonight.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± She was so relieved it was the first time she was genuinely being grateful to him. ¡°Hmn. You¡¯re wee. Oh and Arda?¡± Her gaze concentrated on his. ¡°With your mark, what makes you think that you¡¯repletely human?¡± Arda was speechless and watched him exit the bedroom normally. It helped to temper her shock at his *** When he shut the door behind him, Arda felt exhaustion taking over her body. She had to sleep. Thank God, she was already in her pajamas before she was whisked away or she would have been looking for what to wear right now. That tyrant had not bothered to discuss such basicfort with her. What will she wear tomorrow? Arda didn¡¯t let the thought linger. Tomorrow would take care of itself.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. She walked over to the bed and climbed onto it. Then shey herself down on it and propped her head on a pillow. The first thing she observed was howfortable the bed was. She had thought all beds were beds but now, she knew differently. She had never slept in such a huge bed before. It felt like the mattress was massaging her body. Arda knew it won¡¯t take her long to fall asleep. She pulled the covers over her body and shut her eyes. Truly, it didn¡¯t take long before her tired eyes gave up and she drifted into oblivion. When Arda woke up, it was to the feel of being touched intimately. The Alpha was surrounding her body on the bed. She was lying faced up and he was on his knees, bent over her, his lips nuzzling the side of her neck. Somehow, he had taken off her pajamas pants and it was lying beside her on the bed. Arda¡¯s eyes went wide with rm. At first, she liked the sensation of his lips on her skin but she fought it off. ¡°What...what are you doing?¡± She asked, struggling beneath him but somehow, he held her immobile down on the bed. ¡°Shh. Don¡¯t struggle.¡± He whispered roughly. ¡°Let me have my way with you.¡± ¡°No. Please no.¡± She protested weakly, her voice tremulous. He put one finger across her protesting lips. ¡°Shh.¡± He said and immediately flipped her over onto her stomach. Arda tried to push him off her body but he held her down. ¡°Don¡¯t struggle, Arda and you will actually enjoy this.¡± ¡°You said you won¡¯t touch me tonight.¡± She reminded him. Her voice was shaking so much. She was frightened. ¡°I changed my mind.¡± He replied, his voice, low and gruff and before she could react, he was trapping her wrists in one hand, his other hand on the waistband of her panties. ¡°Please.¡± She pleaded, her heart beating so fast in her fear which was escting with every second. ¡°Please, what?¡± his voice was a seductive rough whisper. His hand slipped between her legs and she shuddered as he pressed a finger on the thin flimsyce material covering her sex. ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this.¡± She said shakily and sucked in a sharp breath as he began rubbing her sex through her panties. Arda bit her lower lip as a moan escaped her but she couldn¡¯t decide if she was moaning with pleasure, pain, hate or love. Is this how easily she would go down? She asked herself. No way, she decided and renewed her struggles but he was much too powerful and she could barely move a limb. His body surrounded hers, dominating her. ¡°Alpha, please?¡± she pleaded again and felt his breath, hot upon her neck, his mouth at her ear. ¡°I can feel your wetness through your panties.¡± He whispered against her ear. ¡°It tells me that you¡¯re ready to be taken.¡± ¡°No, please.¡± She cried and felt him shifting her panties aside. ¡°Alpha, please.¡± She begged and felt his finger caressing her clit softly. Arda couldn¡¯t understand why she was wet. She didn¡¯t want him. What was going on? ¡°Please stop.¡± Her voice came out weaker than expected and she forced some strength into it as she attempted another plea. ¡°Stop, please.¡± She was starting to lose the fight. It felt like he was igniting lustful feelings that had stayed caged for too long and were dying to be released. The more he rubbed her intimately and nted kisses on the side of her neck, the more the feelings seemed to surge and threaten to burst. ¡°Your body is saying otherwise.¡± He responded as mercilessly, he slowly continued his caress on her pleasure knob. ¡°I can make you climax.¡± He said. ¡°All you have to do is say yes.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± she moaned. ¡°What did you say?¡± His voice was low and suggestive at her ear like an experienced tempter. ¡°No, please¡­¡± Arda began and cried out as she felt the material of her panties tear with a sharp tug from his hand. Shame and fear, overwhelmed her as he inhaled the material. ¡°You smell so good. I should taste that garden of yours.¡± ¡°Alpha¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± he taunted and tossed her torn panties aside on the bed. Then she heard him fumbling with his trousers and knew that he was releasing his hardness. ¡°Let me go, please.¡± He pushed her legs apart with his knee. ¡°Please, let me go.¡± ¡°Let you go to cloud nine? Your wish is mymand.¡± He said and kneed her legs further apart. ¡°No.¡± she said as he started humping her from behind without entering her. His long shaft was rigid, the girth thick and fabulous. It jutted out proudly and rubbed her wet sex as obscenely, he seduced her with it, never attempting to prate her wet folds. He lifted her butt and it was so fast she found herself on all fours before she couldprehend that he had just moved. He was already behind her, shrouding her body with his. ¡°God, please no.¡± Arda¡¯s eyes were wet with tears and she knew she had given up. ¡°Not like this, please. I¡¯m a virgin. You can¡¯t take me like this like I¡¯ve done this before.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He whispered gruffly in her ear. ¡°But this is exactly how I want you and I want you now. Brace yourself.¡± He pushed himself forward, his shaft tearing through her innocence and Arda screamed to her wake, d it was a dream. She sat up on the bed, panting and her decision to run away was reaffirmed. She was not waiting around to see the dream manifested. Chapter 20:Life Wakes You Up Chapter 20:Life Wakes You Up Arda took a few seconds catching her breath. Afterwards, she let herself fall back to the bed and managed to fall asleep, her thoughts disappearing with that temporary wee unconsciousness. Arda slept for a long time and when she finally awoke, it was daytime. Her eyes scanned the walls, searching for a wall clock. The Indian ethnic wall clock she found which matched the house¡¯s contemporary traditional vintage style, told her it was 8:07am. She couldn¡¯t believe she had slept so peacefully. But with consciousness came the unpleasant reality of her current situation. She picked up her phone and found a missed call from Jacob. Great, she thought. Maybe he would offer her some exnation. She still trusted him. She was about to return his call when a knock sounded at the door and she sat up quickly, surprised by such show of courtesy. She had already written off the Alpha¡¯s people as brutes, well, except for Karina. The door opened and the guard who had carried her unceremoniously, poked his head through. ¡°Good morning.¡± He greeted as he stepped inside and paused after a couple of steps from the entrance. Arda noticed that he was holding a shopping bag in one hand. ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake. I was sent to tell you to get ready for the day.¡± ¡°By who?¡± she asked even though she already knew who. ¡°The Alpha.¡± He responded. If he was aware of her deliberate questioning, he didn¡¯t show it. ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡± ¡°A change of clothes for you.¡± ¡°When did he get that?¡± ¡°It arrived this morning. It was a special order.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re here to dress me up?¡± she asked with a note of sarcasm. ¡°No.¡± Again, he showed no signs of noticing her demeanor. ¡°Then why did he send a male instead of a female to bring the clothing?¡± The guard looked confused at this point and Arda knew he wasn¡¯t used to being teased. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± He replied. ¡°Well, your condition is quite ring.¡± ¡°What?¡± he asked, looking more confused and she shrugged offhandedly. ¡°Never mind.¡± She responded. ¡°Anyway, are you not the driver? Howe you¡¯re doubling as some sort of a handmaid?¡± He frowned, displeased with the idea of beingpared with a handmaid. ¡°I am not a handmaid.¡± He retorted. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He cleared his throat as though to calm himself down. ¡°Chester.¡± ¡°Nice. Suits you. If I was asked to guess, I would have chosen something different based on your role here.¡± ¡°What name?¡± he asked curiously. ¡°Barney.¡± A frown creased his brow. ¡°You will not call me that.¡± ¡°It would suit your role as a servant in this great castle.¡± ¡°I know my role here.¡± He said indignantly. ¡°I am¡­¡± ¡°Some sort of servant?¡± ¡°I am not a servant.¡± He snapped. Arda could see his patience had thinned and it pleased her to irk him. She would not make her stay easy for them. ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Arda could tell that he was quite a petty one. ¡°Because ever since I¡¯vee across you, you¡¯re busy taking orders diligently like a good little boy.¡± ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want any trouble. If you have any issues, you can just talk to the Alpha.¡± ¡°Thanks for the advice but you¡¯ve not told me about your role here.¡± ¡°I am a hunter in this pack.¡± ¡°Is that a fancy word for servant?¡± ¡°I am not a servant.¡± ¡°So what are you?¡± ¡°I have told you of my role here. I am¡­¡± ¡°Is that so? Howe you¡¯re running around like a servant, waiting on orders from¡­?¡± Arda paused as she saw the Alphae to fill the doorway. He had his hair flowing down each sides of his handsome face and he was dressed in dark cks with a gray long-sleeve sweater vest that matched the color of his beautiful eyes. He looked ready for the day and presented the picture of rugged, pure male perfection. Chester made a face at her, then he stepped aside and turned to Gillow with a quick bow before straightening up. ¡°What is she still doing in bed?¡± Gillow asked Chester calmly but his eyes were on Arda and they looked stern to the core. Arda quickly moved herself off therge bed and stood nervously beside one of the bed posts. Right now, he was the only one that she truly feared. ¡°I gave her the message.¡± Chester informed him. ¡°And?¡± his eyes remained fixed on Arda, his hand held out to Chester. ¡°She was picking on me.¡± Chester reported and handed the bag over to Gillow who received it. He frowned at Chester. ¡°Listen to yourself. You sound just like a child.¡± ¡°She was¡­¡± ¡°Leave us.¡± Gillow said abruptly. Chester turned and exited the room. Then Gillow fixed his eyes on Arda again. Her heart was hammering against her chest with fear. ¡°What did Chester tell you to do?¡± ¡°He said to¡­to get ready for the day.¡± Her voice was wobbling. Arda gasped as she found him before her in one second, surrounding her with his intimidatingly handsome frame. Then his eyes swept over her from head to toe. ¡°You look beautiful this wonderful morning.¡± To her, it wasn¡¯t a beautiful morning. She was not in her home and not by choice. Besides, she didn¡¯t want himplimenting her. It could lead to the horrors of her sex dream about himing to reality. ¡°Thanks.¡± She mumbled. He lifted a finger and caressed her cheek. Her breath came up sharply. His touch was warm on her skin. ¡°I love the feel of your skin.¡± His voice dropped a notch. ¡°It¡¯s smooth and soft.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± She mumbled again, her voice was still shaky. ¡°Do you fear me?¡± Her eyes were fixed on his as she nodded. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t. But when I say, get moving, you move. Do you understand me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes what?¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha.¡± ¡°Sweetheart, I would really hate to remind you again.¡± Arda¡¯s heart skipped a beat at the threat. He took a step back from her and Arda was grateful for that tiny bit of relief. He handed the shopping bag to her. ¡°Get yourself ready for the day. You¡¯ll find basic stuff and something to wear in there.¡± Arda epted the bag from him. ¡°Thanks.¡± She was genuinely grateful that despite his callousness, he had remembered her basicfort. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± He was at the door in one swift second and she drew in a sharp breath. She really hated his unexpected moves. ¡°I know you need to take your time but do not exceed thirty minutes.¡± He said. ¡°I want you to meet the family.¡± He walked out of the door and shut it behind him, leaving her for the time being. Arda breathed a sigh of relief and proceeded to open the bag. She found arge blue towel, a set of G-string panties which she didn¡¯t favor. She preferred full coverage. Didn¡¯t he ask Karina? Arda found a ck dress and one bra. The items looked to be her size. There was no under skirt safety pants for her to wear under the dress. And with nothing but G-string panties underneath the dress, she would be feeling naked. Well, she had no choice for now. She would have to take the matter up with him, somehow. In an attempt not to dwell on her present troubles, she encouraged herself mentally with the belief that her situation couldn¡¯t be the worst in the world. Arda picked up the bag and headed for one of the doors inside the room. Upon opening it, she found a The Alpha seemed to have some fashion sense. She had noticed it from the onset when she first set eyes on him during her first date with Luke. The clothes he wore were not shy but ssy. The closet looked like some sort of boutique. Shoes upied a section. Clothes and male essories like ties, stockings, sunshades, etc upied their own section. The whole ce was spick and span. One part of the closet looked unused with empty shelves and wardrobes. Arda briefly studied her reflection in the mirror. She looked stressed and frightened and she hated her current situation. Where the hell was the bathroom? She wondered and as though invoked, her eyes There, she got it open and was not disappointed. It was the bathroom alright and it wasn¡¯t what she expected. Like the bedroom, she had expected it to be nd but it was far from that. It wasrge and disyed a mix of rustic and modern d¨¦cor. It was airy, fancily lit with recessed lights and graced with mboyant sinks and a sswalled shower room that sat proudly in the middle of the bathroom. The three wallpapers on the wall were of nature- a waterfall, a mountainous terrain and a stream. Arda admired his style. It made her wonder what he did for a living. Well, she didn¡¯t care. Hopefully, she would not be staying long enough to find out. She ced her phone and the shopping bag on the floor outside the shower door and undressed, dumping her nightdress and undies beside it. Then she got into the shower, fumbled about with the controls before she seeded in giving herself a warm bath inside the tub. When she was done, she groaned with annoyance as she remembered leaving the bag outside the shower door and now she needed the towel. Arda stepped out of the tub and out of the shower room. The moment she was outside the shower room, the bathroom door swung open with the alpha filling the doorway. A gasp escaped her lips at the sight of him. At first, he was surprised at the sight of her but then the surprise quickly gave way. Arda watched his gray eyes narrow slightly with unmasked interest and then slowly begin to sweep over her naked body. Chapter 21: A Matter of Trust Chapter 21: A Matter of Trust Arda seemed frozen under his perusal until her phone vibrated as it began to ring. Then her eyes dropped to the ground, focusing on her phone. She saw Jacob¡¯s name shing across the screen. She was eager to speak with Jacob. At the same time, she was frightened, considering what the Alpha had said about him. She was still trying to wrap her head around the information that Jacob was a werewolf and the son of an Alpha who was out for her life. A sudden movement had her looking back up and she found Gillow standing right before her. As her breath continued to rise and fall shortly, he let his eyes drop to the phone. Then in an instant, he had retrieved the towel from the bag, unwrapped it and was handing it over to her. She was afraid but managed to receive it. Arda went from being scared to being shocked as he turned his back on her. Without his words, just by his action, she understood that he was giving her some privacy. Coming from him, she was astonished. There seemed to be some gentility in him. Gingerly, she wrapped the towel around her body. ¡°You¡¯re perfect.¡± She heard him say quietly without turning to face her. It took Arda a few seconds to understand him. Her fear of him affected her so much. ¡°What?¡± she almost mumbled but he heard her. ¡°Your body, the whole of you is perfect.¡± He said gently. Arda appreciated thepliment. Still, she knew he was unpredictable. And it was that trait of his that kept her nervous and still afraid. Her phone stopped ringing. ¡°Thanks.¡± She murmured. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Her phone started ringing again. ¡°Jacob Cain, I imagine.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You can speak with him¡­freely.¡± Arda didn¡¯t gasp as she found him back at the door of the bathroom where he stood, facing her once more. She guessed she was getting used to his supernatural moves. He opened the door, stepped back and with a soft smile and an exaggerated bow of courtesy, exited the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Arda breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, she wondered at the possibility that he could be nice and yful if he wanted to be. She didn¡¯t know how to feel about that. Perhaps she liked that part of him. No, she appreciated it. She needed every show of kindness she could get at this point in her life. Arda quickly picked up her phone which was still vibrating as it rang. Then she received Jacob¡¯s call and brought the phone up to her ear. ¡°Jacob?¡± ¡°Arda is that really you?¡± he seemed to be speaking quietly like he didn¡¯t want anyone around him to hear him. ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s going on? Someone tried to kill me and you left me confused.¡± Arda didn¡¯t really know Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. what to say to him. She had thought she would ask him about his werewolf ties and all the moment she came into contact with him but upon hearing his voice, she couldn¡¯t help but still see him as Jacob, her friend and t mate. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°What is really going on?¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at¡­¡± Arda paused. Somehow, she wasn¡¯t sure about telling him exactly where she was. She felt like she had just woken up to the reality about him. It was time to stop living in denial. She had to try. ¡°Where are you Arda?¡± ¡°I¡¯m safe.¡± Arda wasn¡¯t sure about that but she felt quite at peace, saying the words. ¡°Listen, you can trust me. I need to know where you are.¡± ¡°Maybe I need to know who you really are.¡± There was a slight pause at his end. ¡°Jacob?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Maybe I already have an idea about who you really are.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think the pretense has gone on for too long?¡± He sighed. ¡°Are you really safe?¡± ¡°I am safe. Maybe I¡¯m safe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me.¡± ¡°So who are you, Jacob?¡± ¡°Remember the morning I made you breakfast before you went out to see your project supervisor?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I was reading the newspaper and my attention was really focused on a particr story.¡± ¡°Yes, the one about wolf howls increasing around the forests at night.¡± ¡°Well, it is not the howling of wolves entirely. It¡¯s actually the howling of werewolves and¡­ I am a werewolf.¡± Arda didn¡¯t know she would still be shocked, despite having prior information about his identity. She guessed, hearing him admit it was the real shocker. ¡°Arda? Did you hear me?¡± Arda cleared her throat so that she could find her voice. ¡°I heard you.¡± Jacob sighed. He was speechless at the moment. Arda was also speechless and the silence between them, stretched for a bit. ¡°What¡¯s the whole story J?¡± He let out a chuckle. It sounded weary. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you just called me that.¡± ¡°I still see you as my friend, Jacob. If that¡¯s how you still want it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still your friend, Arda. I¡¯m sorry about all the lies and pretense. It was for a purpose. You deserve a normal life. At least, for as long as you can get it.¡± ¡°Thanks. What¡¯s the whole story anyway?¡± ¡°It¡¯s tooplicated to discuss on the phone. We need to see.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°I thought you would know.¡± ¡°I can only guess. And I guess you¡¯re with the Alpha of the South.¡± Arda refused to confirm it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He went on. ¡°The other packs know nothing about your whereabouts. It has not been easy for me, but they believe I have no idea.¡± ¡°Thanks. And can it stay that way?¡± ¡°Yes. Where is K?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Arda responded, reluctant to exin Karina¡¯s current situation. ¡°Can I speak to her?¡± ¡°Not right now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­she¡¯s busy right now.¡± ¡°You were never a good liar, Arda.¡± Arda swallowed hard and cleared her throat as she searched for what to say. ¡°I know how things work in our world, if you know what I mean. Tell me, Gillow knows about us?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I know she¡¯s not okay.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I guess she¡¯s locked up somewhere in that castle? I know she¡¯s not okay and I¡¯m worried. Karina is my mate.¡± ¡°I already figured that out.¡± ¡°Please use your power to help free her.¡± ¡°I have no power to do that.¡± ¡°Yes you do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t understand it now but you have the Alpha¡¯s love. Learn to use it.¡± ¡°Hmn. I¡¯ll try. And then what next?¡± ¡°You and Karina should find a way to escape the castle. I will keep you both safe. I tell you, the Alpha can¡¯t handle what¡¯sing. It¡¯s three Alphas against one. All I can do is protect you and Karina and your human family.¡± ¡°I thought you said you¡¯re the only one who knows where I am.¡± ¡°True. But it is only a matter of time before they figure it out. Hunters from the three packs are already looking. They won¡¯t stop until they find you.¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± Arda said, fearfully. ¡°Rx. Just do as I say and don¡¯t tell the Alpha anything. You don¡¯t like him do you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Arda denied hotly although, she did like him a little and for no concrete reason except for his handsome looks and carriage but she knew that she feared him more. ¡°Good. So do what I¡¯ve said, please. War ising. Gillow cannot stand it.¡± ¡°War?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all you need to know for now. Talk to youter and when you and karina are finally free.¡± Arda sighed heavily as he ended the call. She stood there, unmoving for a while. Then she put herself together andpleted her morning ablutions. Afterwards, she walked out of the bathroom and back into the dressing room in the ck dress the Alpha had bought for her. There, she briefly studied her reflection in the mirror. The dress was fitting. It was a simple canoe neck, knee length dress with short sleeves. Shebed her fingers through her short hair, allowing the side fringe to rest properly on her forehead. Then she stepped out of the dressing room and into the bedroom where she found the Alpha seated on the huge bed. His beautiful gray eyes were fixed on her and He looked like a king dominating his throne. Arda was intimidated as always by his presence. Jacob had said she had power over him. Arda didn¡¯t think so as she stood, rooted to the spot, just a few feet away from the bed. ¡°You look beautiful.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I love the dress on you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I want to know what Cain¡¯s son said.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Jacob Cain.¡± He reiterated. ¡°I want to know what he said.¡± Arda tried not to lose herposure. ¡°Nothing.¡± She answered. Gillow really hated the fact that he could not read her mind. He also hated that he would have to rely on other means to try and keep himself informed about her dealings around the house. He had no choice. With a finger, he beckoned her forward and Arda stepped closer to him. He could easily tell from her nervous expression that she was a terrible liar. Karina¡¯s report about that aspect of her was absolutely correct. Gillow rose to his feet, towering over her and her breathing became fast paced with increased anxiety. ¡°I want to hear exactly what Jacob said.¡± Chapter 22: I Want You To Stay Chapter 22: I Want You To Stay Arda fought to control her anxiety. ¡°He just wanted to check on me.¡± She said. ¡°Arda.¡± ¡°Alpha.¡± ¡°You are a terrible liar.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± Arda¡¯s eyes watered as her anxiety increased, her voice starting to waver. He paused in silence for a moment as he studied her. She looked helpless and he began to feel sorry for her. Still, he was desperate to see if he had even a tiny bit of her trust. And he would never get used to the fact that he could not hear her thoughts. ¡°What¡¯s going on in that mind of yours?¡± Arda did not miss the note of curiosity in his voice. ¡°This is the second time you¡¯re asking me that question.¡± She responded. ¡°Does it bother you?¡± ¡°It is a weird question, so yes, it does bother me.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± He said and ced his palm on her chest. ¡°I hate that I can¡¯t read your mind. That I can¡¯t hear your thoughts.¡± His voice sounded quiet and contemtive. Her eyes widened as she remembered how he had once put his hands on her like that. So this was the reason. He couldn¡¯t hear her thoughts. ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ability of mine.¡± He said fleetingly and took his palm off her chest. Arda was silently grateful that his mind reading abilities didn¡¯t work on her. ¡°You¡¯re the only one I¡¯ve met that it doesn¡¯t work on.¡± He continued, ¡°And I resent it a lot.¡± Arda remained silent but the information brought forth her confidence and she couldn¡¯t hide the look of pleasure that briefly brightened her facial expression. Gillow noticed that she was happy about it. ¡°It pleases you that I cannot read your mind?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She replied bluntly. ¡°Hmn. Well, not only does that fact annoy me. I mean the fact that you negatively affect that special ability of mine.¡± His finger gently caressed her cheek. ¡°But it also makes me find you intriguing.¡± Her breath came up sharply but she remained silent, their eyes locked into each other¡¯s. Her beautiful light brown eyes as they stared into his, showed confusion and fear but his gaze upon hers was intense. ¡°Tell me what Jacob said to you.¡± ¡°He just wanted to check on me.¡± ¡°Try again, Arda.¡± ¡°I swear, he just wanted to say hi to me.¡± ¡°Hmn. What do I have to do to get the truth out of you Arda?¡± She blinked rapidly and shifted her gaze to the floor. ¡°I could send you to the penance guard but I don¡¯t want anyone else¡¯s hands on you. So maybe I could just torture you myself but why would I want to torture my beloved mate?¡± ¡°I am not your mate.¡± She mumbled, her eyes still on the ground. Then she felt his finger tilting her chin upwards. ¡°Look at me.¡± Her eyes lifted up to his, wet with renewed anxiety. ¡°Say that again.¡± ¡°I am not your mate.¡± She told him, her voice shaky. A small smile split his lips as he held her gaze for a beat. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that in due time.¡± The smile left his lips, his jaw tightening with the fierce look that had crept into his eyes as he narrowed hisshes at her. ¡°Now tell me what Jacob said before I lose my temper.¡± Arda was so afraid, she sputtered as she began to spill the beans. ¡°He said¡­He said not to trust you. He said war ising and it¡¯s three Alphas against one. He said that you cannot stand it. He said he knows you have me but I swear, I¡­I didn¡¯t admit my location to him. He¡­he also said hunters from the three packs are searching for me and that it is only a matter of time before they find me. He also said he won¡¯t reveal my whereabouts.¡± When she finished, heughed, surprising her. Her eyes were wild as she gazed at him, stupefied. Didn¡¯t he hear all she had just said? ¡°Hmn.¡± Hemented. ¡°Is that all?¡± Arda remained silent. She had deliberately left out the part about escaping with karina. ¡°Is that all, Arda?¡± She nodded. ¡°I want to hear your voice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Are you sure that there isn¡¯t more?¡± ¡°No.¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Perhaps you forgot something?¡± he suggested. He ced his palm across her chest again. ¡°Then why do I feel like there¡¯s more?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡± she said, shaking her head again. His palm left her chest and he straightened up. ¡°Thank you for all that information. War ising but that¡¯s not new. That I can¡¯t face the three packs is obvious isn¡¯t it? Poor Gillow, the one and only Alpha of the South. Yet, they have not brought the war to me even though my location is known by them all. Perhaps, they aren¡¯t so sure of themselves yet but everything will fall into ce. I fear nothing.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. He held out his palm to her. ¡°Here, take my hand. It¡¯s time to meet your family.¡± ¡°You mean your family.¡± She said, refusing to take his hand. Noticing that, he simply took her hand in his. ¡°Whatever. In this room, perhaps, I¡¯ll let some of your snide remarks slide but out there, I will not. Do not tempt me, understand?¡± Arda would have ignored him, but she knew when to behave and that time was now because she could sense his patience thinning. Tyrant, she cursed in her heart. ¡°Yes, Alpha.¡± She responded and walked beside him as he led them out of the bedroom. He took her down the flight of stairs Chester had used when he was taking her to Gillow¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Did you like your undies?¡± he asked. ¡°I loathe it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I prefer full coverage.¡± ¡°I know. But I did it to irk you.¡± Heughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll shop for what you need.¡± ¡°Hmn.¡± Arda grunted forck of words. He obviously enjoyed making her miserable. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not any fun.¡± He said lightly. ¡°At least, that¡¯s not the report I got.¡± ¡°Just leave me alone.¡± She said quietly. ¡°Sweetheart, you know that will never happen.¡± He propelled her towards a cozy lit walkway and into arge living room ahead of which sat an empty dining table. ¡°I thought you said, I¡¯m meeting some people?¡± ¡°Family.¡± He said by way of correction. ¡°Whatever.¡± Just so you know, I may be counting your slip ups.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± He chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t want to find out.¡± Arda froze for a few seconds and he paused along with her. ¡°Cheer up.¡± He said, ¡°I will never punish you without good reason.¡± She gulped hard. ¡°Punish me? The nerve!¡± Arda found herself against his chest in one second. Then as she breathed heavily, her eyes wide with shock, he just stared down at her. ¡°Do not provoke me.¡± Fear entered her again and she nodded, then cast her gaze to the floor. Great, so he could punish her if she somehow displeased him? She had to leave his castle and find Jacob as soon as possible. Gillow released his firm grip on her so fast and she found herself beside him again, her hand gently in his. ¡°Why do you even want me as your mate?¡± she asked, her voice croaky with nerves. ¡°It is your destiny.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s not like you love me or something?¡± ¡°I loved you from the moment I set eyes on the image of you.¡± ¡°Image of me?¡± He gently patted her shoulder. ¡°You will get the answers you need, soon enough. Now, let¡¯s go.¡± She followed him through another corridor that led them out of the castle through an imposing door. They stepped onto a well-kept garden of flowers and different kind of herbs. ¡°Is this the back of the house?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± There was ake before the house. A canoe, yacht and speedboat was anchored to the dock. She could see theke because the back gate of the castle was wide open. Arda tried not to hide her excitement at seeing the open gate. She had seen her way out. It was time she really started studying her environment. She paused and he paused alongside her. ¡°What is it again, Arda?¡± ¡°Is that gate ever locked?¡± she asked, pointing at the gate. ¡°Why? You¡¯re nning on escaping the castle?¡± ¡°You sound like I¡¯m a prisoner.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Because you used the word escape.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been through this before. You¡¯re not a prisoner but you cannot just leave because of our enemies out there.¡± ¡°Your enemies, you mean?¡± Gillow sighed. She was quite a handful. ¡°Look, are you nning to run away?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just that since there are enemies, I would have expected a secure environment.¡± ¡°You have nothing to worry about. Now, are you nning to run away?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°It better be so. Because if you try it, you will be in so much trouble with me.¡± Arda¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°I¡¯m not nning to run away.¡± She said in an almost whiny voice. Her fear of him was back again. Gillow saw it and started to feel bad and he never felt bad about being tough on anyone. ¡°I want you to stay, Arda.¡± He said gently. ¡°Will you?¡± ¡°Not by choice.¡± ¡°You will stay by choice or not. All I want to do is protect you.¡± Arda was about to blurt out that Jacob will protect her, but decided against it. ¡°Stay, Arda. Will you?¡± She nodded even though she knew that she will not stay. ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s go.¡± Arda followed him along the stony path along the beautiful garden, her eyes looking back longingly at the open gate which was her promising route of escape from the castle so that she and Karina could go and meet with Jacob. Chapter 24: 23:The Alphas Pack Chapter 24: 23:The Alpha''s Pack He continued leading her along the beautiful stone path of the garden and past a rocky pool that seemed natural with an undying flow of water that cascaded from a heap of rocks and poured slightly sshily inside the pool. Her eyes lingered on it. She could imagine herself sitting on one of the rocks surrounding the pool and writing her thesis. Too bad she didn''t belong there. She would run away. "It''s beautiful, right?" He asked having noticed her interest in the surreal-like beauty of the pool. He often admired it too. "Yes." She responded. "It''s not man-made." "Wow. Well, it seems that way." Arda decided to distract him further from the subject of her possible escape. He may have gotten suspicious and she feared him putting measures to make it impossible for her. "I would love to sit there and work on my thesis." "Okay." "Really?" Arda had been expecting a no. He was a bad guy, after all. This was someone who would still not free Karina for her mistake. " Yes. Really." "Thanks." "As long as you always ask nicely." She resisted the urge to talk back at him. She was trying to build his trust in her not antagonize him. They came onto a tree-shaded space surrounded by a wall of flowers that didn''t close in on therge dining table she saw, upied by a number of people, all of them, tall. They all rose upon seeing them. "This is our family." he said. Arda could barely take time to study them as among them, she instantly caught sight of Karina who was smiling at her. Arda rushed over to her and they embraced each other closely. Gillow watched them with some annoyance. If it were him, he knew Arda would not be rushing over to hug him. Instead, she feared him. "K, I am so happy to see you." Arda told Karina. "Me too, Arda." "When did you get free?" "Two days ago." Arda didn''t bother asking why Karina had neithere to visit nor called her. She wouldn''t put it past Gillow and his orders. "I''m d it''s over. I missed you." "Yeah. I missed you too. My phone is still ceased by the Alpha." "I''m not surprised." "Arda." She heard Gillow call her, causing them to reluctantly disengage. Actually, Karina gently had to force the disengagement but Arda was not offended. She knew that Karina was only trying to avoid trouble. She turned and hastened over to Gillow''s side and he took her hand in his. "Thank you for setting her free." She said, looking up at him with sincerity in her eyes. "You''re wee." He responded. "Because of you, I have reduced her days in that cell." "Thank you. I hope you have really forgiven her." "If I haven''t, she would not be sitting there now, would she?" "No but why didn''t shee and see...?" "Shh...this is not the time." He said, cutting off her words. Arda fell silent and he led her closer to the standing group and started making introductions. They were a total of seven persons including Karina who he introduced as Pack Warrior. The driver whom he called Asher was a Gamma and in charge of the pack warrior. Now she understood why he was so authoritative over Karina the night they hade for her. "They are basically the fighters for the pack." She also met Chester who he said was an Omega. He was basically a servant and did work around the house. He also went on errands. Even though she had been only trying to annoy Chester, she had Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. been right about his role in the pack. She wondered why he had been annoyed, calling himself a member instead. Weren''t they all members? Better still, he could have just said he was an Omega. It sounded more dignified than member. Except perhaps, he was feeling like an outsider. She wouldn''t me him. Gillow was a mean leader. Gillow introduced her to a stone faced man he called the Beta and was second inmand. He also said the man was the Penance Guard in charge of discipline in the pack. Arda hated him on sight. He had tortured Karina, no doubt. He had some scars on his face and looked scary to Arda. There was a friendly faced woman among them who he called the Beta female. He called her Dora and said she was scar''s mate. She was in charge of house keeping in the house. Arda could liken Scar and Dora to Beauty and the Beast. The other female in the group was the Gamma. She was the driver, Asher''s mate and her name was Sue. She had the same eyes as Gillow which intrigued Arda. She also looked snotty and haughty and just a bit older than her. They all gave her a handshake as Gillow introduced them. Thest person he introduced was an elderly man in the group. He wore his beard long and looked like a wise man. Gillow introduced him as the Salutary. They called him Elder. He was a herbal werewolf. He was the healer for the pack and Gillow added that he was full of wisdom and practically a father. The group took their seats after the introduction with Arda still standing beside Gillow. "If you''re so few, why have your enemies note for you?" Arda found herself addressing everyone. They all looked at Gillow as if asking for permission to reveal the reason. He nodded and the Elder cleared his throat. "Because we are not like them." He said and Arda frowned. It told her nothing. "We are hybrids." Karina offered as her own way of being borate. Arda''s frown deepened. It still told her nothing. "We are Werewolf Vampires." Scar said. His voice sounded ominous. "Hence, we are dangerous." He concluded. "And more powerful." Said Chester. "Shut up, Chester." Sue told him. "You will show him respect, Sue." Gillow told her firmly. "Yes, big brother." Arda''s eyes widened. Those two were siblings. Oh, no wonder she had those eyes and haughty air about her. Did she really cook? Arda noticed her artificial nails and impable dressing. She didn''t fit her role. "I have told you, Sue. Chester is not yours tomand. Apologize to him at once." "Sorry, Chester." She said grudgingly and Chester gave her a nod of acknowledgement. "Happy?" She asked Gillow, rising to her feet. "Sit the fuck down!" Gillow bellowed and she fell back to her seat, a pout creasing her mouth. Arda hid her smile. He had a bratty sister. Served him right. Sue looked at Arda, the pout gone. She was grinning now. "Anyway, Chester was right." She said. "We are more powerful." Sheughed. "You could call a small pack of werewolf vampires an entire army." Said Asher. Ardapiled all they had said together in her head and finally understood. When she looked up at Gillow, he was smirking at her. "Now you know." He said, his chin lifted with pride. Chapter 25: 24:Malevolent Creatures and a Dark Agenda Chapter 25: 24:Malevolent Creatures and a Dark Agenda Arda hated the confidence he had in himself and his pack. She also wondered why they were so She let her eyes dwell across the group. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that the enemy packs are not nning anything.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but tell them even though she was sort of afraid of them all. They weren¡¯t humans. She was the only human among them. ¡°She is a wise one.¡± The Elder said. ¡°Sure.¡± Gillow agreed, his eyes on Arda¡¯s face. ¡°Fate has chosen correctly.¡± Arda carefully avoided his gaze, looking at every other ce but him. ¡°Now there is just one person missing toplete this fearless pack.¡± He said loudly, drawing her attention back to him as evidenced by her eyes which had returned to his. ¡°Who?¡± she asked. ¡°There¡¯s someone else in the pack but the one I¡¯m talking about right now is you, my mate.¡± His hand squeezed hers and she knew not to antagonize him by denying him, at least not verbally. Arda felt hot tears stinging the backs of her eyes. Gillow lifted his voice and addressed the pack. ¡°I grow weary of the waiting. Things must be put in ce, starting with the ceremony.¡± The Elder cleared his throat. ¡°What time do you envision?¡± he asked. ¡°In three days.¡± Gillow said with a note of finality. ¡°What¡­what ceremony?¡± Arda asked him, hating how she was stuttering with fear. He looked down at her, his gaze fixed intensely on hers. ¡°The ceremony of our mating.¡± He said determinedly, causing her to swallow hard with utmost dread. She couldn¡¯t hold back the gasp that escaped her. ¡°But you can reject him if you want.¡± A sultry and sonorous female voice intruded. Everyone turned in the direction of the new voice and Arda saw a pretty young woman around Gillow¡¯s age standing at the entrance to where they were. She must have moved in that Vampire speed because she had appeared so fast. The others didn¡¯t look so surprised though. The woman looked wless with her ivory skin, smile and bold makeup. Her lips were covered in a lovely cherry lipstick and she looked really brazen as she walked up to Gillow and hugged him tightly, her eyes taunting as they fell on Arda¡¯s. ¡°Hi, Moonchild, I¡¯m Baby.¡± ¡°Baby?¡± Arda found the name strange. ¡°That¡¯s what he used to call me.¡± She said conspiratorially and winked at her. Arda¡¯s brows came together in a frown. She didn¡¯t like this Baby or whatever she called herself. The irony was that, she had no particr reason for that. Gillow abruptly disengaged from her. ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± He said, frowning with displeasure. She bowed briefly, a sexy smile on her face. Then she straightened up. ¡°Sorry, Alpha. I was not finished with pack duty.¡± Gillow looked at Arda. ¡°Meet Felicia. She¡¯s a Scout. The simplest exnation will be our spy.¡± Felicia winked at Arda again. Her smile seemed mocking. Arda knew the only thing she found she liked about Felicia was what she had said earlier- But you can reject him if you want. *** In the forest, under the full moon, a pack of wolves around fifteen trotted steadily behind a wolf that ran with purpose ahead of them. Chilling howling sounds rose from their midst, overshadowing the cricket sounds of the night. The furs on their bodies, danced under the moonlight as the soft blowing wind kissed their skin. The wolf leading them was darker than the rest of its counterparts. As they approached a low hill, it slowed down and close to the hill, a hut became visible, sitting beside the hill. They growled aggressively as they reached the hill, all growling aggressively. The leading wolf, leaped over, climbing the hill until it was standing proudly atop it. Then it threw its head up at the moon and let out a long howl that silenced the rest of the wolves. They lowered their heads in reverence. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. With another howl, the leading wolf began to shift. It¡¯s skin peeled, exposing human features ¨C limbs, face, head and eyes until the wolf could be seen no more but a muscled naked man who looked to be in his fifties and handsome in a rugged way. Another dark wolf from the pack, leaped over, joining him. It too began to shift and when it finished transforming, the human it became was Jacob. After this, the rest of the wolves began to shift, revealing male and female of different ages, the forest filled with their howls. Jacob¡¯s eyes were green while the eyes of the man beside him was red. Jacob bowed to him like the rest of the others. ¡°Rise.¡± He said and they all straightened up. ¡°All hail Cain, Alpha of the North of Homnd.¡± Jacob announced to the pack. ¡°Hail.¡± They responded in unity and Jacob nodded to Cain. ¡°Thank you, Son.¡± Cain said to him and faced the pack. ¡°Thank you all.¡± The ce became quiet, the silence intruded by night sounds from creatures of the night. ¡°The moon is our greatest gift.¡± Cain began. ¡°From the time the lycanthropy curse was ced upon our ancestor, King Lycaon of Arcadia, it seemed like indeed, it was a curse. We all know how Lycaon served the entrails of his own sacrificed son, Nyctimus to the god Zeus in order to test his omniscience, to see if indeed he was All knowing. Perhaps the god Zeus who cursed him was actually blessing him because many havee to realize that lycanthropy is not a curse but a blessing. The moon is our strength. As werewolves, we are super human, but you all know that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes we do.¡± The pack chorused. ¡°We are not here to go over what we already know.¡± Cain continued. ¡°We are here to felicitate among ourselves, to celebrate ourselves. But one question remains unanswered. How long are we going to do this in hiding? The humans felicitate together in public. Why can¡¯t we do the same? I ask you. Is it fair?¡± ¡°No.¡± came the pack¡¯s chorused response. ¡°And you are all right.¡± Hemended them. ¡°We would have taken over if we weren¡¯t divided but the Southern pack has refused to join our course. Nevertheless, we must force our way into humanity. We are of greater strength. The humans only have weapons but we can tear them apart, limb to limb in our numbers. Best thing is, believing we don¡¯t exist, we can simply eliminate them while in our human form.¡± ¡°Yes¡± they chorused aggressively. ¡°For years, their ancestors hunted our kind and almost forced us into extinction but a remnant of us have survived. Time has passed and the current generation have be ignorant of our existence. They are all babies who now believe that we are a myth. This was foretold in the scrolls and we are living in that age. This is the time to strategize and strike back.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We can no longer hide in in sight but reveal ourselves.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°We must be in government.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°And best of all, we must increase our kind.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We must breed as many humans as we can.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We must raise an army.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Now that the Alpha of the East and West have joined our vision, as one, we will prevail against the Alpha of the North.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°We must not let the edge they have over us as hybrids, stop us.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°All hands must be on deck.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Now, good news.¡± There were shouts of joy that gradually died down as Cain nodded to Jacob who raised an arm in triumph. ¡°The whereabouts of the Moonchild is no longer a mystery. As I speak with you all, she resides with the Alpha of the South. We also have an insider there. My time, disguised as a student at the University of Homnd was not in vain.¡± ¡°Yay.¡± They shouted with joy. ¡°Silence!¡± Cain thundered and the pack fell quiet. ¡®You rejoice like it¡¯s an achievement. Have you all forgotten the prophecy?¡± The silence remained and their faces fell. ¡°She must not live.¡± Cain said forcefully. ¡°Once the three packs be one, it will be done. Do you see the clear goal now? Only one Alpha must be. I Cain will be that one Alpha and when all goes well, we shall berge enough to take down the hybrids because they have vowed to keep the humans safe.¡± His voice became more animated and vicious. ¡°Tonight, we shall enjoy this habitat. We shall hunt and soon, we will shift and hunt in public. Let us enjoy ourselves and prepare for the meeting with our allies.¡± ¡°Yay¡± With a deep growl and howl, Cain¡¯s body began to transform back to a wolf form, his skin, tearing and huddling over. This time, the others and Jacob followed suit, their howling sounds filling the air. Back to their beastly forms, they scattered themselves into the forest, hunting down prey with vicious determination, their vindictive howls filling the night. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!