ã€ŠHUNTEDã€‹


 Chapter 1 - A Run In The Woods

    Her legs were running as fast as they could, her breathing out ragged as she tried to inhale as much air as possible, the burning in her lungs and legs were constant. The pounding of her footsteps on the forest floor and her breathing were the only sounds she could hear. Branches and leaves whipped harshly against her face as she raced through them, leaving cuts on her face and arms as she went, but she did not care; someone was chasing her. No. SOMETHING was chasing her, and she had no clue what her next course of action was.

    The sound of a wolf howling in the background motivated her to run quicker, and as she nced up, she noticed there was a full moon high in the sky. Looking back down, she spotted toost minute that a root was sticking out from the ground, and her foot caught on it, making her trip and fall over onto the wet ground. Groaning, she started to lift herself up, but her back was suddenly heavy as a foot pressed down onto it.

    "Not so fast, little wolf."

    Suddenly, she felt a cold object pushed into the back of her head, clenching her eyes shut; she already knew it was a gun.

    Little wolf? She had no idea who this man was, and why he wanted to kill her, she was just running for her life after a creature was chasing her! And now this!

    "You have the wrong person!" She shouted, but her voice came out muffled; her face was still pushed slightly into the ground, to the point where she almost tasted the wet dirt on her full lips.

    "Quiet mutt!"

    She heard the safetytch on the gun being clicked. This was it; her 23 beautiful years were toe to an end, and she didn''t even make it to graduation; her life was just about to begin. Her dreams, her life, will be over at the pull of his trigger finger.

    However, the bullet to her head didn''te; the weight on her back abruptly left as she heard a muffled scream and the tear of clothes and flesh. Turning back around, the man was gone, but her eyes still widened in fear at what she could see before her. Scattered throughout the dark forest, all she can see are animalistic eyes staring back at her.

    The closest were a pair of silver eyes; as they came closer, its features became more pronounced, ears, a snout, sharp teeth, a huge ck wolf emerged from the shadows, growling fiercely at her, the forest seemed to vibrate at the sound. Her own crystal blue eyes were locked with it, and she could not look away as it walked slowly towards her, each step cautious, its muzzle still showing off its sharp teeth. She reminded herself that this was the part in any horror story where she would be screaming at the damsel in distress on the tv after she stupidly falls to the ground and stares at the thing that is about to eat her.

    Now, she was that stupid damsel in distress. She internally rolled her eyes, oh how the tables had turned!

    But she could not look away; her heart was pounding out of her chest, her chest heaved as adrenaline shot through her body, tensing her muscles. Yet she could not snap herself out of her daze; the power emanating from this wolf was so palpable. Whenever she made any small movement to shift her body out of the ufortable position she was in, the wolf''s head snapped to attention.

    It stopped near her feet, teeth still bared as another wolf came into view behind it; this one was grey with reddish-brown across it. It barked at the ck one before growling in her direction, but the ck wolf snapped its teeth back at it, causing the other one to back away, ears down with a yelp, almost as if this alpha was iming her as his meal and his alone.

    Well, that was just mean; if she was going to be killed and eaten, it could at least share her with the others. She knew how much the wolves in this area were struggling with their natural prey, and humans were destroying its habitat; both predator and prey were dwindling at a rapid pace.

    What was she thinking!? She didn''t want to be anyone''s meal!

    WHOOSH!

    Three silver arrows hit the ground at her feet, the wolf''s ears flickered and lunged towards her, w outstretched, her eyes clenched shut but soon opened them again after feeling a whip of wind sh across her face. It was gone, and so were the others. Another howl erupted through the forest, snapping her out of her daze. She needed to get out of this ce!

    Scrambling up to her feet, she started to jog in the opposite direction she presumed the wolves went. Once she knew there were definitely no wolves near her, she began to run again; the quicker she made it out of the forest, the better. She internally scolded herself; it was her idea to go for a ''pleasant'' run in the woods at 10 pm in the first ce.

    But her mind was in overdrive after she got back home from the vets and she needed to destress, she loved running, it was a great form of exercise, but after this, she did not think she would go again! Or, more to the point, go running in her favourite spot¡ªthe woods.

    Suddenly, she halted to a stop. There stood a hooded silhouette who appeared out of nowhere in front of her. And in their hands, was a-

    IS THAT A FRICKEN CROSSBOW!?

    The figure pointed it straight at her! Instead of standing there like a fool to be shot by this madman, she dashed behind the nearest tree. In hiding, she put her ck hood on top of her head in the hopes of concealing her white hair. It was quite hard to miss. Her friends used to think she dyed it until years of it unchanging; they realised it was her natural hair colour.

    She peeked her head out from behind the tree and quickly retracted it after an arrow shot past her face.

    SERIOUSLY!?

    She slowly backed away from the tree and merged closer into the shadows by her side, out of sight. Her ears strained to listen for any other sounds of her attacker, but so far, it was only her heart beating far too loudly. Taking a deep breath in, she slowed down her breathing against her tense muscles. She could not tell where this madman was, but she continued to creep and hide among the trees.

    Her foot suddenly stepped on a fallen branch, causing a loud snapping sound; she flinched before looking around. After seeing nobody, she sighed and carried on.

    "Never seen a mutt hiding from a fight before," A voice boomed from behind her.

    She jumped at the sound of his voice and spun around to face a guy around the same age as her. Eyeing the crossbow, she raised her hands in surrender,

    "Hey, I just wanted to go for a run. I don''t know what sort of Van Helsing shit you have going on here¡­ But I can assure you...I am no mutt? As you can see, I am quite human."

    "Nice try."

    He pulled the lever only to be tackled to the ground by the ck wolf from earlier. Her eyes widened at the grotesque scene of the wolf tearing him apart, but she didn''t wait to be his next meal and sprinted off from the wolf and the man.

    After a while, she made her way back to the muddy path that split the forest in two. Her eyes brightened after she started to see the streetlights twinkle at a distance, shining dimly onto the darkened trees. Finally, she just needed to make it to her house; she knew the animals would not follow her there. Civilisation was a threat to them.

    Her feet hit the pavement, and she slowed herself down to a walk as she started to catch her breath. She looked behind her to check if there were any wolves or men following her, but it was clear. Although she was scared for her life a couple of minutes ago, she was now more worried about returning home sote and her parents finding out she went for ate-night run.

    Her steps picked up the pace on the pavement as her mind was now deep in thought. First, she was chased by wolves; then she was nearly killed by some lunatic with a gun, then she was shot at with arrows! Could the night get any crazier? Who shot people with arrows anyway? Shaking her head, she let out a sigh; her friends would never believe her.

    At that thought, she absentmindedly started to take her phone out of her pocket to check her text messages from her friends. She smiled to herself at a GIF her friend sent her after returning from a hot date. Unlike her friends, who seemed to have a social life, she preferred to work. If it weren''t for her studies taking up her time, then it was work; she wanted to be a vet and did not mind taking extra shifts to learn more on the job. She finished her finals a few weeks ago and was now waiting to graduate.

    All of this was on her mind as she did not keep aware of her surroundings. Another hooded man suddenly turned up, jogging quickly to catch up to her, and started to follow her from behind. She stopped, stunned, as her eyes nced to the forest at her side, after hearing another howl from the woods, turning her head, it was then she saw the man behind her who was holding a silver baseball bat.

    SMACK!

    The bat hit her on the temple with a loud thud. She sped the sides of her head as pain shot through her and radiated down her neck from the hit. Her mind clouded over at the sudden headache; she could not think properly as her legs stumbled.

    She looked back up to her attacker, who smacked the bat on her head again. This time, she immediately copsed to the ground; her mind went unconscious as darkness consumed her. Thest thing she remembered hearing was not one but many howls echoing around her, calling to her as she was swept away.

 Chapter 2 - Kidnapped

    Her eyes flickered from behind her eyelids as awareness started to seep through her clouded mind. Fluttering them open, her surroundings were nothing but a blur, the light sending a dull pain through her straining eyes, making her close them again. Groaning, she went to move her hands to her head, but they resisted. Strange, she tried to move them again but to no avail.

    Frowning, she forced her eyes to blink open; her mind slowly caught up with her causing her to yank on her hands insistently. As she looked down, she noticed her hands and legs were restrained with thin silver chains pulled tightly against her skin, making the areas red and itchy; the chains were wrapped well around the wooden chair she sat on, making it impossible for her to free her limbs.

    All at once, panic kicked in, images from the night before shed across her eyes, how she went for a run, was chased by not only wolves but men, and then she was hit over the head not once but twice with a fricken baseball bat!

    Kidnapped. She has been kidnapped.

    Well done A, you have royally screwed yourself this time.

    She started to yank her hands and legs continuously, causing the chair to make creaking sounds as her shoulders and chest shook from the amount she moved. Letting out a frustrated yell, she slouched back down into her chair.

    Think, A, think!

    Her body suddenly felt exhausted and weak, her strength diminishing. She did not realise moving so much would cause her to feel so frail. Wait, had she been drugged? There was no other possible exnation of how she was feeling right now, even a hit to the head would not make her feel like melting and being one with the chair.

    A''s eyes searched the room maniacally. To her side stood some nd, brown cabs, and on top of those cabsy syringes and ss tubes. Looking above the surface, she saw torn posters of the human body stuck to the walls, and across from her was a moth-eaten single bed with leather straps attached to it.

    Her nose crinkled at the faint smell of antibacterial and cleaning products. Realisation dawned on her; she was in some type of a hospital. Looking back at the bed, she assumed it was a mental institution because no hospital would restrain their patients, surely?

    Chuckling to herself, a thought crossed her mind; maybe she was in the right ce, after all, what happened to her couldn''t possibly be real. A gun, wolves, crossbow-man, then baseball-bat man, why would they want to kill her then want to kidnap her? Maybe she was overworked and tired, dreamed the whole thing up, and lost sight of reality, and well¡­ here she was. If she ever got out of this ce, she might take some time off for herself.

    Before her thoughts whirlwind any further into that rabbit hole.. the door swung open. A bold-headed man stormed into the room, mming the door shut behind him as he grabbed another chair and twisted it around, so he sat on it back to front. They sat there in silence for what seemed forever in A''s mind, but she did not back down from his searing, intimidating gaze.

    His jaw started to twitch after a while. Nervousness began to bubble up inside her as the overbearing silence became too much in the nd hospital room. A gave in and spoke up,

    "I am a poor student. I don''t have any money."

    The man smiled menacingly at her, "We don''t want money."

    A frowned at his response, then panic set in as her heart started to thud loudly again. If they didn''t want money, then they wanted her body? Her crystal blue eyes widened before tears began to form in them, blurring her vision of the man in front of her.

    "Please-"

    "Stop with the waterworks mutt. It won''t work here."

    She involuntarily gulped, blinking her eyes, so her vision was clear once again; she searched his eyes for any form of humanity, but there was none, just nk eyes stared back at her, devoid of any emotion. There was once again silence filling the room, and she became nervous, she wanted answers, and she wanted them now. Feeling courageous, she tilted her chin up and stared back at her kidnapper,

    "So, what DO you want?"

    His lips twisted in distaste,

    "To get rid of you. But orders are orders."

    "Rid of me? So, this is just some extravagant way to fill your killing tendencies, kidnap an innocent girl, then kill her. I''ve watched crime shows. I know how this works. Psycho!" She spat back at him,

    "Innocent! HA! You are no innocent. You are an abomination to humankind."

    "I will have you know I am a veterinary student. I help animals and people alike. You are the abomination here-"

    SMACK

    Her head abruptly turned to one side; the force of his punch was so hard she nearly fell over, bringing the chair down with her. But she kept herself bnced and nced timidly back at the man who now stood tall in front of her, his own chair dashed to the side with a loud crash. He grabbed her by the front of her hoody, bringing his face closer to hers as he pointed a single finger to her face,

    "I am a hunter. There is no greater honour than killing mongrels like you. You should be fucking lucky right now that I haven''t put a silver bullet in that pretty little head of yours."

    She sucked in a breath, eyes wide as she stared into the bottomless pits that were his eyes.

    "I may have orders not to kill you, but they didn''t say anything else about torture."

    He started to walk to the cabs at the side while A began to visibly shake at the thought of being tortured. When she read books and watched shows on these situations, she always thought that if she were in their ce, she could bear through the pain, but he wasn''t trying to get answers out of her; he was going to torture her for enjoyment. Her eyes widened as he brought a syringe towards her.

    "What.. what''s in that?" She stuttered.

    His eyes gleamed with delight as he held the syringe up to his face; eyeing the clear contents, he pulled on the lever to squirt a bit of liquid out.

    "This right here is wolfsbane." He said as a malicious grin spread on his lips.

    He held up another syringe with silver liquid in it, "And this is liquidised silver. With a few otherponents to make sure it stays a liquid," He said dismissively.

    He looked back at her waiting for a reaction, and when he saw none, his smile disappeared, and he lunged towards her, shoving the syringe harshly into her neck.

    "Ahh!"

    A clenched her teeth together after the syringe''s initial shock of sharply piercing her skin in such a delicate area. But the pain was nothingpared to what was next; he pushed the clear liquid into her. A hot, burning sensation shot from her neck and riveted through her body; she felt herself start to shake as her face scrunched up in pain. She felt as though she was on fire. Her veins in her neck were ready to burst, she could feel it. Tears fell down her cheeks as a scream finally escaped her lips.

    Her kidnapper smirked at the sight in front of him, "Stupid fucking mutt."

    She took another right hook to the face and then to her stomach, making her breath escape her lungs in a loud gasp as she leaned forward from the impact. Her kidnapper pulled an unpleasant look at the proximity of their faces, grabbing her by her ponytail; he yanked her to sit back in the chair. Although his punches were painful, her body was still aze on the inside. It took all of her energy to stay awake and see through the cloud of pain.

    "Why?" She gasped out; she couldn''t understand such a horrible man.

    Instead of answering, hended another blow to her face; stars danced in front of her darkened vision now as she blinked slowly. Just as he was about to strike her again, the door opened, stopping him from his assault. A inhaled deeply, trying to get as much oxygen back in her body as she felt winded from his attack. Her thoughts swirled chaotically in her mind, not paying heed to the neer in the room.

    "Why''s this bitch got special treatment?"

    A sluggishly brought her head up to see what the interruption was. Hell, she was notining; anything was better than having that psychopath beating the living daylight out of her. But hisment caught her attention. There was a reason she was here and why she was being kept alive. However, she could not make out what the neer said.

    She assessed his looks instead while she strained her ears to listen. The new kidnapper was wearing a whiteb coat, his brown hair messy with stubble going across his jaw, and his circr sses kept slipping down the bridge of his nose that he kept pushing back up as they continued in a heated discussion. Their voices were loud enough now that she could hear what they were saying.

    "I thought she was a rogue!" The first kidnapper snapped

    "She''s the one."

    "She can''t be. I can''t even see the wolf in her. The only way she has shown she is one of those mutts is how the wolfsbane affected her. She has to be a rogue."

    "If she were a rogue, do you really think the boss would stop you from killing it? They look exactly the same, Connor. We will be rewarded handsomely for this."

    The bold-man, Connor, shut his mouth at b coat''s''stment. A''s interest was piqued even more after hearing, ''she''s the one'' and ''they look exactly the same'' from their hushed debate.

    "Hey," Her voice came out sluggish, her interruption not gaining their attention, she cleared her throat, "HEY, I hate to interrupt a lovers quarrel, but if you are talking about me, I''d rather it be to my face."

    They both turned to look at her. The man in theb coat pushed his sses up; as astonishment shone on his face. Whereas Connor came towards her and backhanded her. He turned around to face b coat'' again, unbothered by his actions.

    "She is still alive. I don''t see what the big deal is"

    "We need the results to be as urate as possible. You are causing dys by weakening the specimen before I get started. You have orders, now take it to a cell, the boss will not be pleased if it is still in this state when he arrives" Lab coat''s voice was direct before he looked down at his clipboard, muttering to himself about numbers, before turning around and leaving the room.

    A sigh of relief left her as she realised she was not staying in the room with Connor but to be taken to a cell. It was still not her ideal situation, but anything must be better than being Connor''s punching bag all the time.

    He looked back at her and sneered at her reaction before spitting on the floor by her feet,

    "You will wish you''d never been born after he has experimented on you."

 Chapter 3 - Prisoners Club

    A dragged her chained feet down a grungy hallway with her hands bound in front of her. She was jabbed and pushed every few minutes by Connor to quicken her steps. But how could she when she felt so weak? She did not know what the hell that wolfsbane was, but there was a constant burn simmering through her veins, the feeling lessened from earlier, but it never left.

    Although her mind was hazy from the beating and the drug, she still nced around at her surroundings, looking for any means of escape. But all she saw was a darkened hallway with numbered doors on one side, and the only windows on the opposite side were near the ceiling. Connor noticed her head turn to look at the windows and immediately pped the back of her head, which dropped down. A really did not fancy another hit to her head; she felt worse than when she had an awful hangover after New Year''s Eve, and that was saying something. She was a lightweight trying to keep up with her university pals who partied all the time, not her best idea.

    They were now at the end of the hallway. Connor walked ahead and opened the locked metal door by pressing the numbered keypad at the side; A tried to subtly look over his shoulder but to no avail. He blocked her view and was far too quick inputting the code. Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged her through the open door, which led to a concrete staircase. The stairs were dimly lit from the single sidelight stuck to the wall, making it hard for A to ce her footing.

    As they descended the darkened stairs quickly, A found herself raising her arms to regain her bnce many times and to stop herself from falling. This only made Connor angry, and by the time they made it halfway down, he kicked her from behind her knees, making her fall down the remaining steps and crashing down at the bottom of the stairs. Luckily, she kept her head protected; only the rest of her body took the brunt of the fall.

    A groaned on the dirty floor, her body was not only on fire, but pain shot through her as her muscles constricted under the sudden assault to her body. She already knew bruises were forming on her skin, and she may have a cracked rib.

    "Get up, mutt!" Connor yelled from the stairs.

    A breathed heavily as she forced herself to her knees. However, she felt dizzy and stopped herself from moving any further. The flickering of lights above them was the only sound made in the dungy basement room they were now in. Connor yanked her up by the arm and pushed her forwards once again; her legs stumbled, but she managed to regain her bnce.

    Looking up, she saw three silver cells connected at the far end of the room. A gasped after seeing three bodies, one in each room, slouched or lying on the floor in such an inhumane state that she felt like attacking the man whose wicked smile formed on his face.

    As they approached the cells, A noticed a wooden post to the side of the room with numerous chains on the floor. Bloodstains were sttered across the bar and its surroundings. What were they doing to these poor people? What was the point in it all?

    A looked ahead of her once again; they were now standing in front of the middle cell. Her eyes nced up to the small window at the far top of the back wall before they settled on the figure slumped on the floor, their back facing the barred door. It was then she detected the metallic smell and taste that floated in the air, fresh blood; she looked at Connor, who crinkled his nose in disgust. He red at her, making her head face the front again.

    "Well, men, it looks like you have a newdy friend" He spat the word men, then he looked at A and pointed his grotty finger in her face, and mockingly said, "Stay."

    A returned a re in his direction, but he was too distracted by unlocking the cell door; she watched as he put the keys into his back pocket but quickly looked away when he nced at her.

    "Good girl!" His ever-so-sweet voice made her want to punch him in the throat.

    Suddenly, he grabbed her by the hair roughly, making her grimace. If he kept doing that, she would have no hair left! He held her head back while he used his other hand to remove the chains from her wrists, then he threw her in the cell before mming it shut. A scrambled to sit up then slid back to the cold cell wall, far away from the devil at the other side of the bars. He smirked at her before walking away; her body was still tense as she heard his footsteps echo on the stairs, ending with a m of the metal door.

    Sighing, she looked down and went to remove her chains around her ankles, but as she touched the metal, she hissed and brought her hands back. Her fingers felt burnt from where she ced them on the chains. She continued to assess the tips of her fingers; they were now slightly red. It was then she noticed her wrists were red raw from the chains wrapped around them earlier. Did they put a chemical on the chains or something?

    Without overthinking it, A forced herself to bear through the pain of removing her chains; she did it as quick as possible and, atst, threw it across the cell. The crashing sound echoed throughout the basement they were in. Taking a deep breath in, she mustered all the depleting energy she had left and pulled herself away from the floor before jumping up and holding herself against the windowsill.

    Her features fell as soon as she looked outside. The only view was of a grassy field, and further into the distance were a set of trees¡ªnothing to indicate where she was. The sky was dark and ominous as the clouds cried, spitting down ferociously at the ground below it; the weather added to how she felt, depressing her further. Dismayed, she let herself drop to the floor.

    "Don''t even think about trying to escape."

    A bored voice startled her from her reverie. She turned back around and saw a man approach the bars from the left cell. His features came into view the closer he got. The first thing she noticed was a pair of emerald green eyes; the pupils were slitted, like cat eyes. They were bright against his oliveplexion and his long, unkempt, ck hair that reached his shoulders. His small beard hid his sharp jaw, but A could make it out. The clothes he wore were tattered and torn, but they looked something simr to grey coveralls.

    "Trust me, we have been here long enough and tried every possible escape route there is. I am only forewarning you to save yourself from extra punishments."

    A approached the bars herself and wrapped her hands around them but quickly hissed and backed away, grasping her hands as pain shot through them once again; ncing down at her fingers, she found blisters now forming on them. What the hell?

    "Watch the bars. They are made out of silver." ''Cat-eyes'' deadpanned.

    She looked up at him in confusion,

    "Why would silver have an effect on me?"

    Cat-eyes tilted his head at her, a grin forming on his handsome features,

    "Silver affects all werewolves.."

    "Werewolves?" She burst outughing; even saying the word out loud felt ridiculous. But as herughter faded, silence filled the room. She nced back at cat-eyes and saw a genuine expression on his face. A continued to stare into those eyes; they could have been contacts, but who was she kidding? Nobody would keep up that charade for however long they had been there. Yet, if he was a werewolf, why did he have cat eyes?

    "What are you? You are not a were- a werewolf?" She blurted out, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

    "I most certainly am not a werewolf! I am a shapeshifter."

    "You are acting like I already know what that means.."

    "It means I can still transform, but I am not restricted to one animal like a werewolf. Like you."

    A nodded her head as though the conversation they were having was like her asking if he preferred french fries or curly.

    "Look, I don''t think I am a werewolf. I mean.. I have always been allergic to silver. My ex-boyfriend actually brought me a silver ne once, but it caused a rash... It never affected me like that" A nced down at her hands again as little puzzle pieces started to click together in her mind, making more and more sense. When she looked back up, she saw cat eyes looking at her oddly.

    However, A couldn''t help herself, she just stared back at him, she really had never seen such beautiful eyes before, of course, she had seen them on a cat, but this was a man, who was a shapeshifter? Who stood there, casually, holding her gaze.

    Instead of showing unease towards her and her unwavering stare, he perked up and put on a grand voice,

    "Well, why don''t I give you an introduction to the ''Prisoners Club,''" He held his hands out in front of him in a theatrical manner. "Here is our schedule: Gabriel over there gets tortured Monday to Wednesday." The man pointed in the direction behind her, "Finn gets tortured Thursdays and Saturdays." He nodded his head at the man on the floor who shared the same cell as her, "and I get tortured Friday and Sundays. My name is Ajax. I would say it is a pleasure, but well the circumstances could be better. Speaking of which, now you are here, we should have a bit of a vacation."

    What the fu-

    "Stop scaring the poor pup."

    "Oh, my apologies, that''s normally your job Gabriel."

    A turned in the opposite direction to Ajax. In the right cell, a man stood staring down at her from the shadows, his short white hair was nearly as luminous as hers, and his eyes were a deep blue that suddenly widened as their eyes met. His already paleplexion lost even more colour as though he was looking at a ghost.

    "Amelia?" His angelic voice questioned.

    "No, my name is A."

    Pain shed across his eyes, but she could not tell if she imagined it as his face hardened instantly, diminishing any emotion. He looked her up and down coldly,

    "Is yourst name by any chance- Cross?"

    A tensed as she stared wide-eyed at thispelling being in front of her.

    "That is my birth name. I was adopted when I was 8. How the hell do you know myst name? Nobody knows it."

    The white-haired man, Gabriel, shrugged before hiding back in the shadows.

    "Hey, I asked-"

    After hearing a groaning from the floor, she cut herself off, the man, Finn? Was groaning in pain, she began to step towards him,

    "Hey" Her voice was gentle as she approached him, her hands up to show she did not mean any harm.

    "I would leave him, doll. Wolves tend tosh out when they are injured," Ajax spoke from the side.

    The next thing A knew, she was being pinned up against the wall, the man''s hand against her throat as his nails grew ck and into ws, tearing into her skin slightly; his eyes were glowing amber as he growled at her fiercely. A small growl erupted from her chest as her lips pulled back involuntarily, warning the guy to stand down. His eyes widened, the glow diminishing as he released her. Stepping back, he bared his neck to her then kneeled on the floor by her feet,

    "I am sorry." He stuttered.

    A''s eyes were wide in shock, her hand was ced on her lips, "What the hell, I just growled.. What, why is he kneeling?"

    "Looks like you just alpha''d his ass" Ajax grinned; his arms were crossed against his chest as he looked on amused.

    "Alpha?! Alpha of what pack?"

    "Well.. Prisoners Club of course. We tend to stick together" He winked at her.

    Ajax must have a screw loose in his head; he was far too cheery in such a ce. She wondered if she would lose her own mind. At that thought, she sat down and leaned against the wall again, her eyes downcast with a gloomy expression. Her mind spun with one word that caused the chaos in her head.

    Werewolf.

    She was a fricken werewolf.

 Chapter 4 - Werewolves And Other Beings

    A sat staring into space; her thoughts were still consumed by the fact that she was not wholly human. She analysed every little detail about her life if anything out of the ordinary stood out. Being allergic to silver was not umon; people got rashes all the time from petty little things like that, but it was only now that it affected her more.

    Her mind wandered at another minor detail that stood out. She always had a way with animals, more so with dogs than the others; it was one of the many reasons she wanted to be a vet. If an owner brought a dog in that was ''violent'' or was muzzled for their safety, A seemed to have this magic touch that would calm the animal down and obey her, staying on their best behaviour. Henceforth, she would remove the muzzle and cuddle them. She just presumed they were not used to a gentle touch, or they were a very anxious dog thatshed out.

    Her parents-her adopted parents, always joked that she had a gift. Oh, how right they truly were! If being a werewolf was indeed a gift. A''s brows creased together. Did they know? She pondered. She shook her head; of course, they did not know that if she didn''t know herself, that she was a werewolf, how could anybody else?

    Her eyes widened in shock after putting two and two together. She realised that the wolves in the forest must have been werewolves, yet she imagined werewolves to be the kind that stood on their hind legs towering over anybody that faced it. Did they know she was one?

    Tilting her head, she wondered how she went so long without knowing that she was this thing, this animal. She did not understand what a werewolf meant being, but she knew it was not a good thing from the basics she learned from TV shows.

    "You have been very entertaining."

    A looked to her left to see Ajax watching her intently while sitting on the floor next to the bars. Her confused expression made him chuckle,

    "You have been pulling faces for thest hour now."

    "I just found out I am a werewolf. I''m allowed to have a moment." A nced back at Ajax, who continued to stare, "Also, stop being a creep! Staring at someone for an hour is not normal behaviour!"

    Ajax ced his hand on his chest, mock hurt at herment, "But you''ve been the most entertaining thing since I arrived here."

    "Okay, just dial it down a notch," A brought her thumb and finger close together, with only a little space in between, indicating a small amount.

    "At least he will be off our cases," Finn piped up from his slouched position on the other side of the wall to A. ncing at him, she noticed he was clutching his stomach. Instead of approaching him this time, she questioned him from where she sat,

    "What''s wrong?"

    Finn noticed her eyeing where his handy; he unzipped the top part of the coveralls he wore, revealing his stomach. A gasped at what she saw. Dried blood covered his ribs and belly, along with a stitch going from the middle of his chest down to his protruding hip bone. Not only was he covered in bruises, but he was also skinny from being underfed.

    When she nced back up to his face, she saw his brown eyes were sunk in with hollow cheekbones that needed filling out. Looking away, A clenched her teeth together; anger bubbled up inside of her at the sight of him and the situation they were in. She nced from him to the darkened corner Gabriel hid in, to the cell Ajax upied. These men were near the same age as her; they had lives before this, families that were probably still looking for them.

    She did not care if she would be punished. She will never give up hope on trying to escape; after looking at Finn, it only motivated her more to get herself and the rest of the ''Prisoners Club'' the hell out of there.

    "It will heal soon. Don''t worry."

    A looked back up at Finn''s face that was now coated in sweat. Not a good sign that he was healing; it was more of a sign that he could have an infection. Worry lines formed on her head,

    "What did they do?"

    "Robert wanted a rib, and he took another organ out. I am not sure what, though, I passed out."

    "Another organ?!" Ajax asked casually as though this was a weekly urrence.

    A opened her mouth to ask her bubbling questions, but Finn beat her to it,

    "Yep. I don''t know what they keep doing with them."

    A looked between the pair, confused,

    "What do you mean by ''THEM''? How many ORGANS have they taken? How are you alive right now!? And how were you awake when Robert opened you up?! And who the hell is Robert?!" A couldn''t help herself, blurting out question after question to the point that she became breathless.

    "Breathe, A" Ajax reached through the bars and squeezed her shoulder gently.

    Calming herself down, she inhaled deeply and returned Finn''s concerned gaze.

    "I heal quickly. WE heal quickly. This is not the first time he has removed something from me. The only reason I passed out is because of the pain," he spat out thest sentence, "Robert is the man who experiments on us. Unfortunately, you will meet him soon. He walks around in ab coat, scruffy-looking, sses, calls himself a man of science."

    Both Finn and Ajax scoffed at thest statement while A stared wide-eyed at this new information,

    "Again. How are you alive? Quick healing or not. If an important organ was removed, your body would slowly stop functioning, depending on what was taken."

    Finn grinned back at her,

    "Spose it just regrows back," he chuckled then hissed in pain, "You will see. There are jars of them in one of thebs. And I am the only werewolf they have been dissecting."

    A was still stunned at what she was hearing, but her ears perked up then, "Why just you? What about Gabriel?"

    Finn growled at her involuntarily then cast his eyes down apologetically with a sheepish smile. At the same time, Gabriel suddenly emerged from the shadows again. In the blink of an eye, he was leaning on the bars, smiling, showing off his pearlescent teeth. That had a pair of fangs. A took a double take as her eyes widened.

    She will seriously get wrinkles by the end of the evening from the number of faces she kept pulling from all the surprises!

    "Ugh, do notpare me to you, animals," Gabriel said condescendingly.

    Finn growled back at him, and Ajax made a cat-like hiss from beside her while she stared at Gabriel''s sharp fangs.

    "Better than being a leech," Finn retorted.

    "Oh!" Ajax shouted like a jock from the sidelines. Gabriel just red at the pair of them.

    A nodded her head with a pout, her face now skeptical. Gabriel was a pale, oundishly beautiful man. He kept hidden in the dark parts of his cell, avoiding the daylight. He was just insulted as a leech. Of course, why didn''t she put two and two together? If there are werewolves and shapeshifters, then there has to be vampires. She rolled her eyes at herself and the world she was now apparently apart of.

    "Gabriel.." Her voice came out in a whisper; she could not help it. Was she meant to be afraid of him now? She was technically his food?

    "Yes?"

    Her eyes widened again. Gabriel heard her from over there! Wait, they were all some type of being. That means all of them have excellent hearing. Yet, she still didn''t. Was there something wrong with her?

    "I don''t have all day to watch you have an internal battle with yourself," Gabriel calmly said with a hint of impatience.

    "What else you gonna do? Go out for dinner? See a movie? Count the tiles on the ceiling.." Finn piped up again but hushed after Gabriel sent him daggers.

    "Gabriel... it''s quite ironic. Your name is that of the angel, Gabriel, but you are a vampire¡­"

    A seriously needed to learn when and when not to bber such things; she watched as a sh of hurt crossed his features but was quickly reced with a smirk,

    "Known as the devil''s spawn?" He finished her sentence.

    A bit her tongue while the two men at her sides chuckled.

    Gabriel sighed, "It has crossed my mind once or twice over the centuries."

    "Wait, hold up. Centuries? How old are you?"

    Pushing aside her fears of the man, no, correction-vampire, A now stood and made her way towards the bars he leaned against.

    "You know it is quite rude to ask someone how old they are. ESPECIALLY a vampire. But because you are just a pup, I will let you off. Just this once." Although his voice was menacing, his eyes had softened towards her.

    Now that she was just a step away from him, she could see his features more clearly now; although his eyes were the colour of the bluest ocean, there were flecks of red spreading out from the pupils. Suddenly, a veil of fog slowly invaded her mind while staring into those deep blue orbs of his. Gabriel smiled warmly at her as she unknowingly leaned closer to him.

    "A!"

    A yank by the arm forced her away from thepelling being, snapping her out of her daze. Her mind cleared instantly; ncing to the side, she saw Finn now facing Gabriel, his eyes sending him daggers. Gabriel, however, did not pay heed to the other werewolf; he continued to only stare at A.

    "What just happened?" A asked a look of bewilderment settled on her face.

    The tension in the room was now palpable. Gabriel ignored her question as a predatory grin formed on his face; the light glinted off his fangs, sending a shiver down her spine.

    "He tried using mind control on you," Finn spat.

    "Tried," Gabriel scoffed as he openly rolled his eyes, "It''s calledpulsion. Now stop giving away my secrets."

    "You gave your own secret away!" Ajax intervened.

    "I wanted to see if she is weak-willed."

    "Well, you know what they say about curiosity," Said Ajax.

    "Good thing I am no cat." Gabriel finally moved his eyes away from A to look at the shapeshifter across from him.

    Although her mind was muddled with more things to worry about, she only just noticed how Gabriel was not affected by the silver bars.

    "If you are centuries old, doesn''t that make you strong? Can''t you just break free from your cell? Or have all the shows I have watched on vampires got it wrong?"

    Her question interrupted the conversation she tantly did not listen to. Gabriel looked back at her coldly, his jaw now ticked at her inquiry.

    "If I could break through the bars, do you really think I would still be here? They put a drug in the air ducts that purely affect vampires. I am always kept in a weakened state; they release it every 30 minutes. It used to be every hour, but after I ripped a few of the hunter''s heads off on one of my escapes, they increased my dosage." Gabriel''s lips twitched in amusement.

    A''s little hope of the vampire rescue she envisioned dashed out the window after his story. Sighing, she sat back down in her original position near Ajax, and after a while, she realised how fatigued she felt. Even though she was away from Connor, the aftereffects of his morning''s beating and the wolfsbane were still taking effect. As she leaned her head back against the wall, she felt her eyes droop shut. Although her mind was overloaded with all the new information, it did not take her long to fall into a dreamless sleep.

    After what felt like minutes but was hours, a loud bang and some shuffling jolted her body awake; her eyes fluttered open as her heart hammered out of her chest. It took her a moment to realise the noise was from the cell door and Finn was being dragged away by two men dressed in ck military attire. Her jaw clenched as she watched Finn struggle against the men before he was out of her sight going up the stairs.

    A pang of anger burst through her chest. Heating her body as her nails lengthened into ws by her sides, unbeknown to A. She was too consumed by one thought that went through her mind:

    They needed to escape.

 Chapter 5 - Special Treatment

    As the night drew on, A''s thoughts kept drifting to Finn, who was still yet to return. He already had a rib and an organ removed; what else could they possibly do to him in a day? However, she would not know; this was all brand new to her; the whole kidnapped and tortured thing was never really taught in school.

    Although her thoughts wereining about her situation, her bodyined about an entirely different thing. A couldn''t help but shift ufortably in her seated position. Her dder felt like it was about to burst; she held it off all day, but now it came at her in a soaring vengeance; the worst part of it was that they had no visitors all day. Other than the guards who took Finn away.

    Crossing her legs, she searched her surroundings in the hopes of finding a solution; she was busting, but what was she meant to do? She could not wee herself! Standing up, A leaned against the wall, her legs crossed again, and her eyes clenched shut as she began to take deep, calming breaths. This was thest thing she needed to worry about right now. Stupid bodily needs.

    "What''s wrong? Stop making that face. It''s not pretty... Seriously though, are you in pain?" Ajax observed her from his position behind bars.

    "I will be if I continue to keep this wee in!" A blurted out. She might as well getfortable around him; they would be sharing the same space for a while.

    Ajax''s eyebrows shot up, then rxed as his eyes crinkled in amusement.

    "There is normally a set schedule for toiletry needs. Showers are twice a week; we get to actually leave here without being tortured or experimented on. And a toilet twice a day."

    "When''s the next break!?"

    Ajax shrugged and tried to decipher the time from the darkened window,

    "Soonish? We should have our meals delivered by now. It is quitete."

    A gritted her teeth.

    "If you need to go, just go, preferably in the corner on Ajax''s side," Gabriel spoke from the cell door he sat against.

    "I am not peeing in the corner like a dog!"

    "We tend to use a bucket over there anyway, so it does not make any difference. But suit yourself. It does not concern me," Gabriel expressed with dull enthusiasm.

    A BUCKET!? She was not going to go in a bucket!

    Her head dropped as she tried to think about what to do.

    "It seems. There is a new hunter. Now that could work well for you, A." Gabriel spoke again.

    A opened her eyes, desperate to get this new hunter''s attention. But when she opened them, nobody was there. Ah, vampire hearing. His senses were a lot better than hers.

    After a few minutes of waiting impatiently, a young guy with short golden hair who looked to be the same age as them walked towards the cells. He carried two metal bowls and slid the first bowl through Ajax''s cell. A took the chance to waddle over to the cell door.

    This new hunter now stood in front of her. His eyebrows shot up in shock as he looked down from his 6 foot something height; a look of pity shed across his face at the state of her, feeling self-conscious she ced her hand at the back of her head; this seemed to snap him out of the fleeting moment as a mask of disdain slipped back onto his features.

    "Stand back." He barked.

    A took a few steps back while he slid the bowl through the bars by her trainers. He turned around abruptly and walked away briskly.

    "Wait! Please! Sir!" A shouted after him.

    He stopped and stood rigid, his back still facing her.

    "I am new here, and I am desperate for the toilet. I have not been!" She pleaded from the cell she stood in, almost leaning against the bars in distress.

    He turned around, his eyes rounded in shock but returned to her cell, his faceposed once again.

    "Hands," He said gruffly.

    Keeping her eyes downcast, she held her hands out in front of her; she hissed at the contact from the chains wrapped around her wrists. The man then lowered down and looked up at her expectantly,

    "Really?"

    "Oh. You don''t want the toilet?" He snapped back at her.

    A closed her mouth and nodded before stepping closer to the bars; he reached in and wrapped the chains securely around her ankles. Once they were tied, the young hunter opened the cell door and grabbed her by the arm before shoving her forwards. Unlike Connor, his push was not quite so hard, and she found herself walking normally. Or as normal as one could be when they were busting for the loo, with their feet chained up.

    A started to make her way to the stairs but was then held back by a tug on her hoody. Looking back, she saw the hunter pointing at a bucket in the corner, a grim expression on his face.

    "Please. I cannot go there," A begged; his face hardened as he crossed his arms against his chest.

    "Please, I can''t go in front of them or you.." She walked slowly towards him; he tensed at the sudden proximity, "I need to go for a number two", She whispered, then looked away as her cheeks heated in embarrassment.

    She nced back at him after he cleared his throat.

    "Look, I don''t feelfortable telling you that either, bute on, you wouldn''t want to do that with people watching" She looked at him with her big blue eyes, pleadingly and felt a little triumph when she saw his demeanour change and his shoulders rx with a sigh.

    "Come on." He grabbed her chains around her wrists and pulled lightly for her to follow.

    Turning her head, she smiled mischievously to the men left in the cells. Although she genuinely was busting to go to the toilet, she did not need a number two. She was using this chance to get out of the basement and explore the rest of the building. And to check for any possible escape routes.

    After making it upstairs and led down a set of hallways, nothing, in particr, stood out as she vigntly nced from windows to doors and the bare halls. After another turn, she now faced a door with the sign for female toilets. She took a step but was pulled back; ncing to her left, the hunter was looking at her sternly.

    "You have three minutes. Any longer, and I wille through that door whether you are done or not."

    "You don''t REALLY want to go in there, right?"

    "THREE MINUTES. Two minutes 59. Two minutes 58. Thought you were busting?"

    A dashed through the door and went to the closest cubicle. While her body thanked her for relieving herself, her thoughts were one of calction. She was in a public toilet; they were definitely in some type of an institution orpound. The locked metal doors and pin pads at the sides indicated thetter.

    Walking out of the cubicle, she made it to the sinks to wash her hands; as she did so, her crystal blue eyes met her own in the reflection of the mirror and gasped at what she saw. Her hair was covered in blood, presumably from the wound inflicted on her left by the baseball bat or the multiple beatings. Parts of her face were ballooned out with bruises; her eyes had smudged mascara running down from them, which did not go well with the maroon bruise under her left eye.

    She sshed her face quickly, taking a moment to enjoy the coolness of the water against her heated skin. Drying her hands, she quickly nced around the toilets; her heart began to thud loudly as anticipation wed up her throat. She did not know how long she had left, but time was of the essence. This was the first moment she had alone since arriving, and she was not about to waste a second.

    A narrowed her eyes, then nced up at the ceiling. Gabriel was always in a weakened state from the drug they put into the venttion system. Her face beamed after her eyes spotted an air duct near the far end cubicle. Staying light and quick on her feet, she made it to the toilet and climbed on top of the seat. Luckily, she was taller than average for a woman at the height of 5ft8; she reached her hands up and smiled when she discovered the screws were loose; she yanked it towards her, and with a small bang, it came loose.

    A ced the rectangr bar on the inside of the vent, then she pulled herself up to look further into the ceiling. The air blew across her face as she searched the darkened passage.

    BANG BANG BANG!

    "I''ming in!"

    A tensed and let herself drop down; she half-ran to one of the sinks and sshed water on her face just as the door swung open. She calmed her slightly flushed expression and nced in the direction of the golden-haired hunter. Tilting her head, she asked,

    "If you stay there, can I sort my hair out?"

    He looked at her, incredulously, "One minute. I''m not your babysitter."

    "Seems that way to me", She hummed to herself.

    The hunter now stood behind her, watching her intensely as his jaw ticked while she struggled with putting her hair into a messy bun. A noticed how she looked a lot better now, minus the bruises and swelling; the panda eyes and dried blood were now gone.

    They stood there in an ufortable silence, A kept ncing at his reflection, but he kept his gaze impassive. Biting her lip, she started to believe that this newbie hunter was nothing like the others.

    She decided to put her knowledge to the test. In the documentaries she watched about abductions, they always discussed how humanising yourself against your kidnapper helps with your chances of survival. Or, in her case, to make her short stay a bit more pleasant.

    "What is your name?" A queried, meeting his eyes in the mirror''s reflection.

    His lips twitched, and he crossed his arms against his chest. Ignoring her.

    "Mine''s A. You know, my friends used to think my real hair colour was like yours. But they are wrong. This is natural."

    "Why are we talking about your hair?" He responded with a bemused expression.

    "Ah, he speaks." Her eyes gleamed with amusement, "Well, you looked really interested in my hair. Not even my ex paid that much attention."

    "Hurry up."

    "What is your name?"

    The hunter inhaled deeply before huffing, "If you stop talking and do your hair quietly. I will give it to you."

    "How do I know you will?"

    A turned around after more silence filled the room. Releasing her hair, she brought her hands towards him, pointing her little finger out; he frowned, confused.

    "Pinky promise me you will give me your name."

    He groaned.

    "Pinky promise!"

    "Fine!" He snapped, bringing his little finger to hers as they made a quick promise. A beamed up at him, causing him to look away with a small blush on his cheeks.

    A continued to do her hair as she assessed the man in the mirror; he was actually handsome if he stopped frowning all the time, with a decent body, hazel eyes and full lips. She nced back to her reflection after being caught eyeing him. Once her hair was done, she faced the hunter and beamed at him.

    "Well?"

    He kept his lips sealed as he stared back at her.

    "You know a pinky promise is real, right? You can''t take them back. Its bad karma.. or something."

    A watched in stunned silence as the man in front of her cracked a smile.

    "Chase. My name is Chase."

    "Well, it is nice to meet you, Chase."

    He rolled his eyes and grabbed her gently by the arm to return her back to her cell.

    When A returned to her cell, Finn was lying on the floor, facing away from her. As soon as she settled down on the ground, the lights went out.

    Guess that means it''s bedtime?

    **

    A did not tell the others what she discovered in the toilets. She did not want to get anyone into unnecessary trouble, especially if they did not lead to anywhere helpful. Once she knew for certain that the air ducts were a possible escape route, then she would reveal it to them. Until then, she would snoop as much as she could.

    For the next week, she found herself in a routine. Not like the schedule Ajax mentioned, which was, in fact, correct. She watched as each day, one of them was taken away andter returned bloodied, unconscious or in a state of shock. As the days passed, her anxiety increased, she expected to be taken that day and return in the same condition as the others.

    But the hunters never touched her, not even Connor. He turned and sputtered insults at her or took his temper out on one of the others. But he never raised another finger on her.

    So, in the time she was not wallowing in self-pity, she took it upon herself to stay hopeful and to keep scheming. She was ever so watchful on the hunter''s shift patterns; Chase tended to be there in the evenings, who in turn would always take her to the toilet, where she investigated further into the air duct each time.

    However, on the eighth day, it seemed her luck finally ran out. Connor and another hunter turned up outside her cell in the morning, waking her up from a blissful sleep by banging on the bars. A smirk was ced on Connor''s punchable face,

    "The boss wants to see you."

    All eyes were now on A as she stared silently at Connor.

    "Grab her."

    Finn immediately stood in front of A, protectively; his ws had grown, his eyes shining a brilliant amber as a growl left his lips.

    "Move the fuck out of the way, or I''ll shoot. I hear a silver bullet hurts like a bitch" Connor spat.

    A stared in horror at the gun now aimed at Finn. The colour drained from her face as she feared more harm woulde to her friend.

    "Stand down, Finn."

    He continued to growl, so A grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and looked intently into his eyes,

    "I said, stand down."

    "Is that amand?" He growled as he eyed the two approaching hunters.

    "YES"

    A did not recognise her voice, but Finn made a whimpering noise and bared his neck as he stepped away from her. The hunter grabbed her and mmed her against the cell while Connor closed the door. His gun was now pointed at her while the chains were being put around her.

    A began to walk with them nking her sides but was halted by Connor. He turned her around,

    "Hold on. I forgot something." A cruel smile spread on his face.

    A gunshot rang in the room.

    A screamed in horror as she saw Finn fall to the floor, blood spurting out from his stomach. Connor grabbed her by her hair and held her close to his face as his lips twisted in disgust.

    "Nobody gets special treatment. Not even you."

 Chapter 6 - The Boss

    A spat in Connor''s face earning her a smack to her own. Stars danced around her vision with her head now turned to the side. She looked across the floor to see Finn lying in a pool of his own blood, spreading out slowly.

    Her chest tightened with her hands fisting at her side, tears began to fall uncontrobly like a small river as she almost choked on her rising fury, her resentment growing inside like a tumour. Simultaneously, she was manhandled, pushed up the stairs and out of sight from the basement.

    A ignored her surroundings. Her thoughts were clouded with Finn; images crossed her mind of the condition he was left in. Her emotions kept jumping from her boiling temper, seething beneath the surface, to wanting to hole up and cry. She could not do anything for Finn right now, and she felt hopeless.

    Was Finn okay? Would he heal? She had no idea. Her world was turned upside down in less than a week; her werewolf knowledge was nought. She needed a book on ''werewolves for dummies'' or ''werewolf basics, ss 101''. Silver was an obvious irritant, but he was fricken shot!

    That silver bullet would stay in his belly unless someone took it out. Which was definitely not going to be Finn, thest she saw of him, he looked to be going unconscious as Gabriel and Ajax called after him. A low growl vibrated from her chest as she narrowed her eyes. If she even nced at Connor, she knew she would not be able to hold back from decking him in the face.

    And right now, she needed to see how a meeting with the boss panned out. She still got a p across the back of her head after her growl died down. Compliments of fuckface Connor. NOT HELPING. Her veins boiled with anger once again as she began to see red.

    Don''t react. y it cool.

    Don''t react. y it cool.

    She repeated the mantra in her head. Calming her tense, ready to attack muscles, until she felt a little zen and arrived outside a door. Connor tapped the door politely, receiving a stunned look from A.

    They waited then entered after hearing a low voice say, ''Come in'', A''s chains were pulled on roughly, making her almost stumble forward into the room. A assessed the bright room she was now in. The dark blue office was decorated stylishly, unlike the bare halls and the rest of the building she had seen so far.

    A set of dark-red Nordic style bookcases rowed one wall with the asional weapon ced on different shelves ranging from a crossbow to a dagger and a gun. There was an enormous mahogany desk in the middle of the room, and to the side stood a red-brown leather settee set with a coffee table. A''s eyes widened after seeing Chase sitting there casually, one leg over the other, his arm draped across the back of it, looking like a brooding model. He turned his head away from her after a sh of pain crossed his hazel eyes.

    A''s attention then moved to the overbearing presence in the room; a man dressed in all ck walked into her line of sight, his gigantic frame nearly covering the floor to ceiling length window behind the desk. His jet-ck hair with streaks of white was gelled back tightly, not leaving a strand out of ce; his weathered skin added years to his 50 something age, she presumed he was. His hazel eyes looked down at her like a hawk from his pointed nose. There was something oddly familiar about him. But she knew she would remember him if she had met him before.

    He sped his hands behind his back and walked to stand in front of A. After scrutinising her face, his jaw began to tick as his eyes hardened. Suddenly, he backhanded Connor then returned his hands behind his back as though he never touched the man.

    "I told you not to touch her." His icy voice was low and intimidating¡ªhis presence demanding fear and respect from hisrades.

    "She taunts me", Connorined.

    "What are you? A child? Can you not contain yourself?" The boss spat then turned to A with a gentle expression, "My apologies A. Connor is a brute. He will not touch you. You have my word."

    His brows then pulled together after staring at her; he tilted his head,

    "You have been crying. Is Connor the cause of your distress?"

    "Of course, I have been crying!" She screeched; Oh well, staying calm and collected, went out the window. "He shot my fucking friend with a silver bullet!"

    "Nothing he doesn''t deserve", Connor spat from beside her.

    He nearly raised his hand to her but collected himself and stopped, rxing his fingers by his side. But his words only made A fist her own hands from wing his eyeballs out.

    "Subject 2?" The boss queried.

    "His name is Finn" A spoke calmer now after realising the boss''s interest in Finn.

    "Dave fetch Robert. NOW!"

    The other hunter dashed out of the door, leaving it to swing open. A and Connor continued to re at each other, the air bing thin from the room''s rising tension.

    "Get out of my sight. I will deal with youter." The boss spoke in his low voice once again, dismissing him.

    Connor looked like he wanted to argue, but one stern stare from the boss made him shrink back in fear and leave the room. The sounds of banging echoed from the hallway.

    "Sit, please. You look exhausted." He spoke to A, gesturing his big hand towards the couch.

    A didn''t move an inch and stared nkly back at this man they called the boss. A single eyebrow raised at her stubbornness.

    "I won''t rest until I know Finn is okay."

    The boss sighed, walked back behind his desk, and sat down in the leather chair.

    "Again. I am sorry about all of this. I am away for one week, and all hell breaks loose in my absence."

    "Sorry about kidnapping me or how I have been treated?"

    One side of his lips lifted from her statement, amusement shining behind his eyes.

    "It is unfortunate to you, A because you are actually very important to me. To this organisation" He gestured his hands up, making A''s gaze look behind him to the right where a ck g hung with a symbol that had two golden swords crossed together. The letters H and A underneath it. "You are very important to the work that we do here. The kidnapping was never out of the question. Once we knew for definite, it was you who we were looking for, we acted immediately."

    "Why am I so important?"

    Before any more could be said, the scruffy-looking man in ab coat she saw originally on her first day arrived; he was slightly out of breath from running into the room.

    "Ss. You said it was urgent?" ''Lab-coat''- Robert nced from each of their faces in the room,ndingst on A. His eyebrows came together in a deep frown as he reached out and grabbed her by the cheeks in one hand, tutting as he analysed her face.

    "Hmm, you need to put Connor back in line. Not much damage has been done sincest time." Robert spoke to the boss. Ss?

    "Good"

    A pulled back, her head out of his grasp and stepped away from him angrily,

    "Not much damage? He just shot Finn!"

    Robert''s eyebrows shot up by this news; he nced at Ss as his face contorted into one of confusion.

    "Subject 2," Ss confirmed.

    "Ohh. Do you need me to fix subject 2?"

    Fix? What was he? A broken toy?

    "Finn. His name is Finn." A said through clenched teeth, standing from the side of the room. Both men ignored her.

    "Yes. Fix him up and report to me when you are finished. Subject 4 will want to know about his condition."

    Subject 2.

    Subject 4.

    That was all they were to them; they did not see them as the living, breathing and feeling, emotion-filled people they were. They were just unwilling participants in a scientific experiment that she still had no knowledge about. A bit her tongue from speaking out again. The quicker he went to Finn, the better.

    "Oh, and Robert.." Ss spoke quietly, making Robert stop in the doorway and look back, "You better hurry. He might already be dead."

    Robert nodded his head and ran out of the room. Quick footsteps echoed down the hallway from where he ran in the direction of the basement.

    "Chase close the door," Ss ordered.

    "Please, A, we have much to discuss" He gestured for her to take a seat at the couch again, a warm smile on his lips that did not quite reach his eyes.

    She nced at the couch and back at Chase, who went to close the door.

    "Take my seat", He grunted as he shut the door.

    A sat down and nced nervously in Ss''s direction. Chase sat on the opposite couch but did not disrupt her view of the boss. The sofa felt wonderful beneath her, making her want to sink into the cushion and close her eyes from the nightmare that was her life now.

    "Would you like some tea or coffee? I also have biscuits and cake." Ss asked, his voice gentle with that warm smile again. A did not trust it and eyed him suspiciously. But he continued to smile and gestured his hand for her reply.

    "A tea would be nice?" She asked, not convinced with this man''s friendly attitude. If Connor was fearful of him, she definitely had to be careful and y along.

    "Milk? Sugar?"

    "M-milk, no sugar", She stuttered butposed herself once again.

    "Ah, sweet enough as it is" He winked back at her, making her eyes go round, her cheeks go red and her stomach churn.

    Ss used the phone on his desk and ordered someone on the other end of the line for three drinks orders. Two coffees for the men, both ck and the tea that A asked for, along with some shortbread biscuits.

    "I do love my shortbread biscuits, but of course, if you prefer something else. Please let me know."

    A shook her head, still processing this man in front of her; she nced at Chase who''s facial expression was hard to read, but his body spoke for him. He looked tense. Even his ''casual'' slouch, arm over the sofa look seemed forced, indicating he felt ufortable and wanted to leave the room. Ss''s voice interrupted her line of thoughts on the other hunter in the room,

    "Do you need to go to the bathroom? There is one just next to this room. Oh, but you know that one very well. My SON tells me he has been taking you to them. Oh, did you need to use the bathroom?"

    ''My SON'' was still ringing in her ears as she looked back and forth between the father and son in front of her; Chase resembled him only a little. But now it made sense how she thought she recognised the boss before. Their eyes were exactly the same, but Chase''s were full of lifepared to his father''s that were t and dead.

    She did not know why she felt so affected by the news. It was not like her and Chase were friends, but she had started to build a messed-up rtionship with him over the past week. Both of them chatted away to each other after he would burst through the door when her toilet time was up. She knew if the situation waspletely different, they could have been friends and hung out. She banished the thought entirely and replied to Ss''s original question,

    "I do not need to go but thank you. You said there was a lot to discuss. Maybe we should start while we wait for our drinks?" A replied coolly.

    "To the point. I like that" Ss clicked his fingers and pointed in her direction, a lopsided smile on his face that soon melted away with a severe expression.

    "A. There is no way to put this information lightly, so I will just put it bluntly." He eyed her carefully, making her feel nervous.

    "Your birth parents. They were killed by other werewolves."

 Chapter 7 - Tea And Biscuits

    "Your birth parents. They were killed by other werewolves."

    A only stared back at the man behind the desk, his words sinking in slowly. Moving her eyes away from his, she looked to the window next to the couch; her parents died when she was eight and Mandy and Andy, her godparents, immediately took her in. They adored her, and she them. Her chest tightened as she thought about them and what they must be going through right now.

    Yet, it was not that oundish to hear that werewolves killed her parents.

    After all, she was now a part of this world full of creatures. So it was not much of a shock to her. The police report stated their bodies were never found, but the evidence left behind indicated an animal attack.

    "The animal attack was really werewolves.." She muttered to herself, not realising she spoke out loud.

    "Yes. The police found w marks and their blood everywhere, leaving no other traces of them." Ss confirmed her muttering.

    A frowned then looked back at Ss,

    "By OTHER werewolves. I take it my parents were werewolves?"

    Ss looked at her with a perplexed expression on his face.

    "You did not know?" His eyes narrowed. She could see the gears turning behind his eyes as he thought.

    "I kind of guessed in the week that I have been here. Before you guys kidnapped me, I had no idea I was even a werewolf. So, thank you for that."

    A nced away from his intense stare, although she still felt his eyes on her face even from across the room. Her eyes flickered to Chase, who seemed to have gone paler in the small amount of time shest looked at him. He fixed his gaze ahead, not ncing in her direction again while he also looked deep in thought.

    "Why would other werewolves kill them? Are they not pack animals?" A doubted.

    "They are. But werewolves are known to turn on one another, especially if there is a weaker wolf. Different packs also sh if there is no alliance between them, then they do not hesitate in killing a wolf that goes onto their territory. Rogues, however, are at the bottom of the food chain in the werewolf world. They are not a part of any pack and tend to move a lot due to their chances of survival if they stay too long near a pack''s territory." Ss exined.

    "But my parents must have been on their pack''s territory. We lived there for as long as I can remember. We did not move once, so we could not have been rogues. Or killed for being on another pack''s territory." A said.

    There was something about Ss''s statement that did not add up to her. Why would other werewolves kill her parents? Their house was in the middle of nowhere, from what she remembered.

    "We could not have been rogues.." She continued.

    "You are most certainly not a rogue", Ss scoffed; even Chase made a small chuckle.

    A waited for him to resume, but the door gently swung open as an olderdy with greying hair and a kind face arrived carrying a tray with their drinks. Thedy immediately ced the first coffee on a coaster in front of Ss, smiling at him as he thanked her. Then she turned around to make her way to the coffee table.

    "Rogues are more animal than human. They rely on their senses more as a wolf and tend to stay in their wolf form 98% of the time. They are bloodthirsty and will kill humans to survive. They cannot be reasoned with." Chase spoke as he looked out the window, not meeting her gaze.

    A then felt another pair of eyes burning holes into her face. She looked up to see that the kinddy was looking at her in disgust; a look of pure hatred burned behind her brown eyes. It seems looks really were deceiving. A presumed that she would act just as nice to her as she did to Ss and Chase because she was an older, kinder lookingdy.

    But just like the hunters, thedy seemed to hate anything that was not entirely human. It was such a shame to see people with that mindset. To be filled with so much hate, it blinded them. Thisdy did not know anything about her, but she immediately gave her the evil eye because she most likely knew she was a werewolf.

    Well, suck on that, witch!

    A internally sent her the middle finger while she held her gaze unblinkingly, letting her anger simmer beneath the surface of her eyes. Thedy''s mouth fell open, and she immediately left. Picking up her cup, she couldn''t help but feel a little smug. A snicker across from her caught her attention; Chase was hiding it behind his own cup. Was her look that harsh?

    "Please try not to frighten my staff. Especially Milly, the poor old gal, she has worked here for years." Ss upbraided her.

    "Frighten?" A muttered to herself before eyeing her tea and taking a tentative sip. She has never frightened anyone before by a look; that woman was too sensitive. Don''t give out evil stares and shrink back when one is returned back at you then!

    "Your eyes glowed", Chase spoke quietly, looking over the cup he took a sip from.

    A''s eyes widened in shock. They glowed? They never have before!?

    What made her change in thest week that she was now growling and her eyes were glowing when she was angry? Did they go an amber colour like Finn''s? Before she could ask, her thoughts were interrupted by Ss,

    "Chase. You forgot that there are two types of rogues. But thetter is not important. Maybe you should be studying more about the creatures on this earth and the history of the Hunters Association, YOUR heritage, than going to University every day and getting a degree that you will not use."

    Chase openly rolled his eyes, his back still facing his father. He looked back out the window, though, sipping his coffee after A caught his little act. She continued to stare at him, though.

    Was this lifestyle forced on him? She kept getting mixed signals from him throughout the week. She presumed she was just getting attached to how normal he treated her at times; she was delighted by the kindness in his eyes then. But then he would shut her out, his eyes going cold again and a look of disgust masking his features.

    However, even with the hard look, he would give her, he always treated her gently. He stopped shoving and grabbing her roughly; she even heard him asionally whistle outside the toilets. She shook her head to rid her thoughts about him. This was not the time to delve into the psyche of Chase.

    Getting back to their original conversation, A asked again,

    "I still do not understand. Why would werewolves kill my parents?"

    "I ask myself that question all the time. It is an animal thing. A pack will kill their kind if the alpha and luna are too strong or too weak. I suppose you have to be on that middle ground." Ss chuckled.

    But A was still confused; what he said did not make sense. Surely the stronger an alpha is, the stronger the pack?

    "With your parents, it was a different case", He continued. A stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

    For most of her life, she questioned the death of her parents. Animals killed them, the police report said, which made her question how they were in the house in the first ce and then leaving no traces of them except for their blood. But now, in front of her, she was finally getting some answers.

    Werewolves did it, but why would they kill their own?

    Did her parents do something that warranted their death?

    "It was not just your parents they were after.."

    A felt like throwing one of his stupid books from his stupid bookcase at him. It was like he was enjoying her squirm from his vague answers. What the hell were they after that justifies killing them?

    "What was so important they killed for it?"

    "You."

    His answer made her stop breathing. Was she the cause of her parent''s deaths? Her chest tightened, but instead of sadness, she felt rage.

    "What do you mean? Me? Stop with the vague answers and give me what I need to know!" She knew her eyes were glowing this time; her emotions were bing raw.

    Ss stood up and faced away from her. sping his hands behind his back again, he looked out the window behind his desk.

    "Your parents were leaders of the Silver Crescent Pack, or in wolf terms: Alpha and Luna. They were the strongest pack known, but your parents started to be bloodthirsty, almost roguelike. They wanted more and more territories, killing hundreds that stood in their way. The pack became enormous, with the packs that surrendered and were forced to join them. Which, of course, is where they went wrong." He lifted his hand and pointed his finger as he spoke in a matter-of-fact way.

    "Your parents were surrounded by their enemies. But their arrogance knew no bounds; they did not think they would turn on them. Which is how they were easily killed. Now. Youe into the picture because, well, you are their child. You would take their responsibility once you were of age, so naturally, they wanted to kill you too. Once your parents died, their strength immediately passed onto you. Meaning, you are a powerful werewolf from a strong bloodline of alphas."

    A''s head was spinning with all the information she was just given. Her parents killed hundreds, over pack territories. Her frown deepened between her eyes; from what she remembered, her memories of them were always fond.

    Her mother, who she knew she almost looked like now, always seemed to be kind and gentle. Her father was strict, but she never saw any malice or evil in him. But how would she know? She was an 8-year-old child; she may have seen what they wanted her to see.

    But could she trust what this man said? No. She did not. Her adopted parents, Mandy and Andy, never told her about this story. Her kidnapper was the one telling her about her parents. She did not know what to believe, but she would be interrogating her adopted parents if she escaped from this ce.

    Suddenly, her eyes snapped back to the figure standing in front of the window. The hunters kidnapped her because she was important, but what the hell did they want?

    "So, what do you need me for? How does this little story you tell me benefit you?" Her voice came out cold, her eyes hardened.

    Ssughed heartily,

    "Story? That was no bedtime story. Those were facts. And unfortunately, darling, they are facts about your parents. I am sorry you had mass murderers as parents, but at least you did not grow up bing like them."

    A still did not know what to believe, but every wording out of his mouth now infuriated her.

    "Go on." She said through clenched teeth.

    "We need your blood, A. As I exined, youe from a strong bloodline of alphas. After your parents died, we tried getting the strongest werewolves we could to get our hands onto, but it was no use. Robert deduced it down to gics. For years we experimented, but nothing worked. One day, my team was tracking a pack of werewolves and came across you. A girl who looked exactly the same as Alexandra, your mother. It really is uncanny." Ss turned now, looking her up and down.

    A stared back at him as her features slowly turned to one of puzzlement.

    "What do you need my blood for?"

    Ss looked at her incredulously, tilting his head to the side.

    "To make our own werewolves, of course. The battle between our kinds has been ongoing for centuries, and quite frankly, it is getting a bit boring. Our aim has always been to eliminate all the werewolves, vampires and shifters. But there is not enough of us. The poption of the creatures is increasing, and we cannot keep up."

    Their response to the creatures was tomit genocide.

 Chapter 8 - Cooperation

    That did not make any sense. The hunters wanted to eradicate the werewolves, vampires and shifters, yet use her blood to create their own werewolves.

    "That makes no sense. Why would you create your own werewolves when you want to wipe out all of the creatures?!" A said

    A nced in Chase''s direction again, her own face incredulous at what Ss was saying. She hoped to see that she was not the only sane one in the room. Chase frowned back at her, but he drank his coffee instead of contributing to the conversation.

    "They will be under ourmand. Set loose like hunting dogs but bigger, stronger, faster. Then once every single creature is annihted, their part is over. We get rid of them too." Ss clicked his fingers to prove his point.

    A observed him carefully; he truly believed in what he was saying. She could not tell if there was a hint of madness in his eyes or if he was far too gone, and only determination shone back. He looked and spoke as if genocide was your everyday topic. She nced back at Chase, who continued to stare out of the window as though the subject did not bother him.

    A inhaled deeply to calm herself down; her heart was beating far too quickly for thest 10 minutes, and she started to feel a bit dizzy. Taking another sip from her tea, she used the time to calm her chaotic thoughts and put them together. Her mind had been trampled on by a thick book of information that was thrown her way.

    First, her parents were killed by their own pack; they were also mass murderers, massacring other packs that did not surrender. Both the werewolves and hunters were after her because she was some sort of badass werewolf. HA. She felt nothing. There was no surge of power like in the films andic books. Nothing.

    Andst but certainly not least, this man right here wanted to ughter all the creatures in the world. Surely, there was a w in that n? There must be thousands of them; it would take decades, no, centuries?

    However, A kept her thoughts to herself, specifically the part where there were blind spots in his n. She did not want to help or y any role in this vile scheme. Taking another slow sip from her tea, she relished in the taste and the calming effect it had on her nerves.

    Looking up, she saw Ss watching her intently, unnerving her. She took another sip, keeping her gaze locked with his, refusing to look away. His eyes narrowed the slightest, the only indication that he did not like her challenge.

    "Oh! Where have my manners been? You should have said something, A," He eximed, causing her to frown at hisment.

    "Chase, remove her chains! A, you look like you are struggling with that cup. We would not want it to slip and burn your skin now. Tsk, tsk." His overly sweet voice made her unconsciously shiver. Was there a hidden threat in his words?

    Chase immediately got up and grabbed her cup, cing it on the coaster above the coffee table; before removing the chains around her wrists, he watched as she grimaced at his light touch. A did not forget about the chains around her; there were a constant itch and a slow draining of her energy that came with wearing the silver chains.

    Finn was in far worse shape than she was, and so with that thought, she kept herints to the back of her mind. And instead, focused on the lunatic of a man across from her.

    She tried to read Ss and his motivations. He casually spoke aboutmitting genocide against her kind. Yes, her kind. But then he was making sure she wasfortable, providing her with tea, asking if she needed a toilet, getting the silver chains removed. He was trying to make herfortable around him, but instead, it only made her warier of him.

    A nced at Chase as he began to remove the chains from her ankles. Was he also ying a part in it? Chase was much nicer than the other hunters. Memories from the past week shed in her mind, reversing the situations; how he switched from being nice to disgust, was that all a lie and in fact, him being nice was the real mask?

    She unknowingly let her guard down around him, even though it was her idea in the first ce to get HIMfortable with HER. She sighed at herself and her predicament. Chase nced up after hearing her sigh.

    His eyes met hers from his position at her trainers, his hand resting below the raw skin on her ankle. A turned her head away from him, worried that her eyes would give her thoughts away like an open book. She suddenly felt exhausted by her all-consuming emotions.

    Once Chase put the chains on the coffee table and was reprimanded instantly by his father, A decided to stand up and really look outside the window. Her viewpoint from the sofa only showed the sky, which was why she knew Chase kept avoiding her earlier. Unless there was a fricken dragon or a flying pig, the sky was not really interesting. In fact, this morning, it was bright blue and cloudless.

    A unconsciously scratched near the marks on her wrists from where the silver chains were while walking the small distance to the window. Her eyes widened, and she nearly gasped at what she could see. Instead, she took a shaky breath in and crossed her arms against her chest.

    Before her eyes, she could see something close to a military base camp, but a lot smaller. There were assault courses with climbing frames that people were racing across, a track and field, an area where men and women practised shooting their weapons. They ranged from M9 pistols, AK47''s to crossbows and fancy looking bow and arrows. Closer to the building, there was a courtyard where more hench looking people practised hand-to-handbat.

    "Isn''t it beautiful?"

    A jumped at the sound of Ss''s voice; hisrge form now stood next to her. She did not see him sneak up on her. Her heart was erratically beating once again from the fright. Dammit, when would she get these extraordinary hearing skills the others had? That way, she wouldn''t be in situations like this.

    "It is something alright."

    Ss chuckled at her dry response.

    "This is our main basecamp, but we have many others across the country."

    A nodded her head but was observing the hand-to-handbat. Everything about this ce, about the hunter''s operation, showed how organised and skilled they were. She never had a chance if she got caught trying to escape.

    Her eyes looked further back to a fence with barbed wire at the top; her gaze followed it around the little arena in front of her, showing the asional CCTV camera and guards holding assault rifles. She sighed, her escape ns slowly diminishing before her eyes, her heart sank, and tears filled her eyes. But she blinked them back, unwilling for Ss to see them.

    A whirlwind of emotions fought to climb to the surface, anger, denial and sorrow, but A kept her faceposed. They stood in silence for a while, watching a fight between two oversized hunters, ending with one being knocked out cold, blood seeping from his nose. A walked away from the scene; her eyesnded on the crossbow on the bookshelf. After what she had just seen, she was not about to do anything impulsive or stupid.

    "Are you not worried that I will wolf out and attack you?" She queried, turning around to face the father, son duo.

    Ss chucked,

    "From what Connor has told me. There is not much of a wolf in you but-"

    "So, that goes against everything you have just said. I am meant to be this all-powerful werewolf. Yet, I have not shifted. I do not have super hearing or heightened senses. I am barely a werewolf at all." A interrupted.

    His lips twitched in amusement,

    "We have all the time now to do some tests on you. Robert will figure you out. You ARE a werewolf, and you are definitely THE werewolf we have been looking for. There is just the smallplication that something is blocking your wolf."

    Blocking my wolf?

    "Come"

    He gestured for her to follow him out of the room. Excitement swelled up inside her as she saw the open door, no silver chains on her, a small moment of freedom.

    "He''s not very patient", Chase muttered from behind her.

    That feeling of freedom vanished at the sound of his voice, pulling her back to reality. Chase put his hand on her arm gently but waited for her to move instead of hurting her. Leaving the room, Ss was only across the hallway in front of another door. A tensed; she gulped down her trepidation as her heart started to thump quickly and harshly against her chest.

    Was she going to be experimented on now?

    A little nudge from Chase snapped her out of her daze. She did not realise she stopped walking in the hall. Once she was standing behind Ss, he opened the door and stepped inside. A''s eyes widened and flickered from each item in the room as she followed behind him.

    She was standing in arge, stylish bedroom. A queen-size bed was ced on one side with fluffy cushions on top of pillows; the bed''s enormity showed off the bedroom''s spaciousness. There was a white wardrobe, a TV, a white vanity table, and to the right side of the room, there was a white door.

    After seeing A''s eyes wander to the door, Ss walked to and opened it, revealing a stylish ensuite bathroom.

    "Why is there a fancy bedroom in a derelict building?" A asked, her eyes not moving from the bathroom.

    Ss chuckled, "I want you to befortable here, A."

    A wandered over to the full-length window at the far end of the room. The view showed an abandoned parking lot and across from it was a guarded entrance where the fence met. Guards stood with their assault rifles, wearing military clothing. Further back, there was a vast number of trees going as far as the eye can see, concealing the building and the countless hunters training on the grounds. Hiding its secrets from the rest of the ordinary world.

    "What do you mean,fortable?"

    A was not really listening or putting two and two together; her responses were automatic at this point. She was too focused on what the window was showing her than the meaning behind the boss''s words. Plus, a lot of information had been dumped on her; she felt as though her brain was about to fry.

    "This is your room, A. If you would like?"

    A finally turned around to face her kidnapper; her eyes were round as the shock of his words sunk in.

    "M-my room?" She stuttered.

    She felt as though the walls were closing in on her. This room seemed more daunting than being in a cell in the damp basement. The smallforts the room screamed of made her feel more like a confined bird in a cage. If she was to stay in such a room, would she be content with her situation?

    A eyed Ss''s fake kind smile, for that is what it was, fake; she was a werewolf, the very thing he despised. A shiver went down her spine. He was trying to make her sofortable that she would stop looking for ways to escape and eventually develop some type of Stockholm syndrome towards them. But if anything, it caused the opposite effect. It made her miss her home more.

    "Yes, your room. You wouldn''t have to stay in that awful cell. You could have a shower whenever you liked, watch TV, order food, eat pizza! And Chase would be your personal guard. You would not have to see Connor again.."

    The thought of pizza, a shower and not dealing with Connor nearly made her cave in. Unlike the others, she was still yet to shower. Maybe that was a part of their n? Ajax told her they showered twice a week, but A was left to rot in the cell; she felt disgusting. Shaking her head, she asked,

    "Why not leave me in the cell like the others?"

    "Personally, A, I want your full cooperation. It would be in both of our best interests if you stayed in here and obediently went to see Robert when called upon. After all, we will need to keep taking your blood over the years. There are a lot of creatures, as I said before and removing them will not happen overnight." Ss smirked at her as though he read her thoughts.

    The colour drained from her face.

    Years. She would be here for years.

    "And if I chose not to cooperate?" She barely uttered the words.

    "Well, you have seen how Connor can be." A cruel smile formed on his lips.

 Chapter 9 - Choices

    "Well, you have seen how Connor can be." A cruel smile formed on his lips.

    A could only stare at Ss; she knew he was a slithering snake. He sped his hands together in front of him, making a loud pping sound, which made A jolt.

    "I know we have discussed a lot this morning. Why don''t you have a shower? There are clothes in the wardrobe you can change into. And when you are done, we will see Robert and subject- I mean Finn. Chase will, of course, stay in the room."

    And just as quick as his personality switched, he abruptly turned and left the room, leaving no room for arguments. A stared aghast at the empty space Ss left. Her attention then went to the gold-haired hunter standing to the side; he walked to the door, closed it and leaned up against it, crossing his arms in the process.

    A narrowed her eyes at him butposed herself again. Sighing, she sat on the bed, her elbows leaning on her knees as her hands held her head. She nced around the room then darted them away when Chase came back into her view.

    "A.."

    "It''s subject 4", She said vehemently.

    "A.." His voice was stern, making her look in his direction once again.

    "What can I-"

    "Tell me one thing, Chase", She interrupted him, abruptly standing and walking over to his position by the door. She wanted to look him in the eyes as he gave his answer.

    "Do you believe in everything he just said?"

    "Yes." Came his immediate response.

    "So, you believe in killing thousands of innocents?"

    His jaw tightened as he stared back at her,

    "Not everyone is innocent-"

    "I was innocent! I AM innocent! But here I am. Abducted. All to get rid of creatures that share this earth with the humans."

    Chase frowned and parted his lips to speak, but A was seething with anger, and she beat him to it,

    "Can you honestly stand there and tell me that I am an abomination? That I need to be killed, murdered because of how I was born?" A''s cheeks were flushed now from releasing the pent-up energy and emotions.

    "They killed my mother."

    "And they killed my parents."

    "That was different. Your parents ughtered thousands. My mother, she was innocent" He lowered his eyes.

    "I am sorry for the loss of your mother. I really am, Chase. But that does not mean it is okay to get rid of thousands of the same kind. No-"

    He tried to interrupt her, but she held her finger up to his lips, causing him to go wide-eyed in stunned silence.

    "I am not finished. That is like someone annihting the human race because a serial killer murdered someone they loved. Aim your anger, your hatred to the one responsible. Not the whole race or kind. There are good and evil in humans and creatures. If it was a human that killed your mother, would you then kill all of the humans?"

    Chase did not reply; with a frown on his face, he looked away from her. A took a deep breath in after speaking so quickly then took a step back; she could see the turmoil behind his eyes. At that moment, she realised he really was a decent person; he was a victim to his father and the Hunters Association.

    Instead of asking him the many questions on her mind, she decided to give him some space and made her way to the shower. After turning it on, she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink. She was not surprised by how she looked. She kept her hair tied back after not being able to wash it for so long, luckily it was thick, so it did not look too greasy. But after the sixth day, it started to show.

    She looked back at her face; her eyes had sunken slightly, her cheekbones were more prominent than before, but now she looked unhealthy fromck of food. The swelling around her face went down, leaving only yellow bruises across her features, and now she had a new addition of a split lip. Walking back out, she opened the wardrobe, ignoring Chase, who now sat thoughtfully on the end of the bed.

    His ck attire and ''menacing look'' did not really fit in with the lc duvet and fluffy pink pillows- the only unstylish part of the room.

    "Hmm.. No grey coveralls?" A hummed as she assessed the contents in the wardrobe.

    It was bizarre to see everything was in her size, from the trainers all the way to even her underwear and bra size. She shook off a shiver that went down her spine.

    Very fricken creepy.

    Many of the clothes were in bright colours, but she opted for some ck sporty leggings and a ck tank top along with some ck underwear and bra. She would put her ck hoody on after.

    Everything was ck¡ªck like her soul.

    Woah, where did thate from? She really needed her daily dose of Ajax and his bubbly personality because that was uncalled for. She mentally pped herself out of it.

    "All ck? Are you a goth? Figured I would see some snakebite piercings or something.." Chase joked.

    "Ha. Ha. Funny. Actually, ck covers up blood better," She deadpanned.

    A nced at his now pale face but ignored him and went back to the bathroom. She was about to lock the door when she saw no lock. Figures.

    "What the hell! You better not perv on me in here!"

    After shouting through the closed door, she stripped, and only half nced at herself in the mirror. The bruising on her body was almost gone, the remaining brown bruise was on her now protruding ribs; being on a small bowl of rice per day diet was not really going well for her high metabolism; if she wanted to, she could eat a few burgers a day and not put on any weight.

    She stepped into the shower, not thinking more about her unhealthy body and the bruise that obviously was not going away; there was a constant sharp pain there. She knew her rib was probably fractured, but what was she meant to do?

    As soon as she was under the steaming hot water, a sigh of relief left her mouth. Her muscles rxed under the touch of the water cocooning around her. She felt like sitting on the floor and meditating underneath the warm rain of the shower. The whole morning, she did not have one moment to process her thoughts and breathe.

    Even now, she would not take this moment because her thoughts turned to Finn; she needed to know he was okay. Him lying on the floor as blood spilled out on the floor kept shing across her mind. With that, she sped up thether of the soap going across her body. After she cleaned up and washed her long hair, she stepped out and began drying herself maniacally. To the point that little red marks were left warm on her skin.

    Once she was changed, and her hair was brushed. Chase led her out of the room; A halted mid-step halfway down the hallway after seeing a door open with two guards sitting down in front of monitors and machinery. On one of the screens, it showed a high viewpoint of the cells they stayed in. She also saw some switches for the air ducts set on a timer before Chase noticed her not following behind him.

    He walked back, closed the door and faced her, studying her face.

    "A", He stepped forwards and looked around nervously, "What you said earlier about wearing ck. I know you joke a lot, but... You aren''t going back to the cells, are you?"

    A blinked up at him, feigning innocence.

    "You don''t know my dad. If things don''t go his way... Please just do as he asks. I mean, why would you deny a room like that anyway.."

    "Seriously, Chase? This is not student halls and me turning down an ensuite bedroom for half the price. Put yourself in my position. Then ask yourself the same question."

    She shook her head at him before storming off, leaving him with his mouth gaped open. He quickly caught up to her and walked slightly in front to lead her the way to meet Robert. It was not a long walk; they stopped at the other end of the hallway, passing many doors as they went. Chase knocked on a door with a sign reading, ''Medical Room''. He stepped inside with his hand, now wrapped around her arm again.

    As soon as they were in the room, A ran forward and stood next to the bed Finn wasying on. Her hands sped his huge one ced by his side; tears sprung to her eyes as she looked at how pale he was along with the sheen of sweat over his face.

    "Hey", Finn croaked, "What is with the tears? I''m not dead."

    "You could have died", She whispered, knowing well that he could hear her.

    "But I didn''t. You need a little more faith in me; I''m a lot stronger than you think."

    She squeezed his hand then looked up at Robert, who was taking notes from the monitor that showed Finn''s vital signs.

    "Subject 2 is stable. His Obs are stable. He should be good to go by tomorrow. It is a good thing I don''t need him until Saturday." Robert spoke directly to Ss, who stood near the door; he nodded his head once, then nced back down to his phone.

    "He just got shot. He needs at least a month to recover!" A spoke incredulously.

    Robert looked at her, pushing his sses back up his nose,

    "Do you have a medical degree? Or a degree on werewolves? No? Well, if you were half a decent werewolf, you would know that they heal quickly. The silver bullet prevented him before, but now it has been removed, he will heal overnight. Now, take a seat."

    He pointed to a chair across the room near a sink; she frowned, but one cold stare from Ss made her obey. Once seated, Robert squinted at her,

    "Remove your hoody."

    "Why?"

    "This is why I don''t like working on females. They yap too much," Robert muttered under his breath as he put on sometex gloves and grabbed a tray full of ss tubes and a syringe.

    "Hoody. Now." Ss spoke quietly, but his voice spoke volumes. Making fear crawl up her spine as she immediately removed the hoody.

    "Good. Keep your arm rxed. Before I take your blood, I am going to take your blood pressure, heart rate and glucose measurements," Robert said clinically.

    A nced wide-eyed at Finn but calmed herself down after seeing his grim smile. She knew the process of bloods; she has done it herself to animals at the vets. But the situation was daunting for her, she was not queasy, far from it, but it was the official first step of her life here.

    NO, THIS WAS NOT HER LIFE!

    Her anger emerged again, making her heartbeat spike up again.

    "Calm down. The reading will not be urate." Robert spoke with an annoyed expression on his face as he tried to take an urate report of her heart rate.

    Sighing, she focused on the poster on the wall exining why smoking was harmful.

    "Excellent"

    Robert grabbed the top part of her forearm and pressed lightly near the crease at the elbow, rubbing the area where a vein lightly showed; he wiped the area smoothly and pulled his needle out.

    By the end of it, Robert had taken eight vials full of blood.

    "Got enough," A said sarcastically, but her tone of voice went right over Robert''s head.

    "Yes. I can analyse theseter."

    He put a ster on the area then began putting the vials of blood away in a fridge marked as ''Subject 4''.

    "So, A. You have seen Finn. He is fine¡­ You look a lot better after your shower and your new clothes, minus the hoody. What do you say? Cooperate in a well-behaved way and stay in that master bedroom I had done up specifically for you.. Or return to those cells" Ss snickered at the end like his question was stupid.

    "As much as I appreciate the tea and clothes. I prefer to stay with my own kind. Thanks"

    At A''s words, Ss''s face dropped, his nostrils red, and his eyebrows crinkled together.

    "I don''t think you realise what you are saying, A Cross." His voice came out clipped. His knuckles had gone white from how hard he held his phone.

    "I do," A replied just as coolly. She nced at Chase, who was now watching his father warily.

    "Very well, then." A sly smile grew on his face as he put the phone to his ear; he watched A while he spoke quietly to someone on the other end of the line.

    Ss left the room without another word.

    Minutester, Connor entered the room.

 Chapter 10 - The Plan

    A walked back down the hallway, her hands and legs tied back up with the silver chains. She more like stumbled through the hall; every couple of steps she took, Connor would yank on the chains harshly, and she would fall over each time and need to crawl on the dirty floor until he would stop and yell at her.

    "Get up, mutt!"

    Ahead of them, Chase escorted Finn in a much politer way by holding onto his arm, but after the first couple of times A fell to the floor, he looked back at her with a sullen expression on his face. When they reached the stairs that led back down to the basement, A felt relieved when she wasn''t pushed down the steps. However, when they approached the cells with Ajax and Gabriel gripped to the bars on their arrival, A was kept back while the cell door closed on Finn.

    Her brows furrowed as she nced up at Connor, then darted them away when his own lifeless ones caught her looking. He pped her across the face, the force jolting her head to the side. She watched Chase''s back as he continued to walk towards the stairs. Once she turned her head back, that was when the beat down started. A punch to the gut and immediately to the face sent her flying to the floor.

    A heard a growl and another inhuman noise echoing through the basement. Still, her primary focus at that moment was the pain radiating through her body as, kick after kick, her muscles screamed out from the onught Connor brought on her.

    Well, at least it wasn''t her face?

    "AH!" She screeched out; tears spilled down her face.

    Connor was continuously kicking her in the ribs. The sharp pain turned into a feeling of needles cutting through her; she screamed in agony and begged him to stop. Connor grabbed her by the hair, so they were now facing each other.

    "What was that?! Music to my ears, darling! Beg me some more!" Connor spat as he tightened the hold on her hair and smiled while ncing at her tear-stained face.

    Another growl and some shaking on the bars caught his attention, giving A some time to breathe through the pain.

    "Shut it. Or I use wolfsbane on her!" He bellowed to Finn, who paced across the cell. Ajax''s eyes were shining a bright green, and his nails grew into small ws, grasping against the bars. Gabriel was also leaning against the cell, his stare intense, and after focusing on him for a while, A could see his eyes going red and veins protruding out from under his eyes, with his fangs out on show.

    "Please, Connor, please stop it", She cried; every breath she was taking became unbearably painful and talking zapped her of her energy.

    Connor smirked and raised his free hand, forming it into a fist. As he swung it down, A closed her eyes and braced herself.

    "ENOUGH!"

    Her eyes fluttered open to see Chase holding back Connor''s arm, their eyes locked in an anger-filled battle. Connor shook him off and released A''s hair, letting her head hit the floor like a rag doll. She didn''t care; all she wanted to do was crawl into her cell and hideaway.

    "Just because you are his son doesn''t mean I take orders from you."

    Connor''s face changed from a red to an unusual beetroot colour, his anger bubbling to the surface as veins pulsed on his neck.

    "You will when I am in charge," Chase answered through clenched teeth.

    A nced in the hunters'' direction from the fetal position she was now in on the floor. Connor and Chase were squaring up to each other, chests puffed out; they were both well built, muscles bulging out from their crew neck shirts. For some unknown reason, a tattoo on Chase''s wrist caught her attention, her fog-filled brain zoned in on how it looked; it was a small symbol, the same symbol from the g she saw. When she looked at Connor, she narrowed her eyes as she saw the same tattoo on his wrist. So, the hunters marked their own, she thought.

    "She''s a werewolf, or did you forget? Stop letting her pretty human form fool you. She is not innocent. She is the same kind that murdered your mother!" Connor barked at him.

    "I SAID ENOUGH."

    The two men had inched forwards; their hands fisted by their sides.

    "Fine. You wait until Ss hears of this," Connor snapped as he charged away, giving one final kick into A''s back before continuing, stamping his feet up the stairs and shutting the metal door with a m.

    "Come on."

    Chase brought his hands down and helped A to a sitting position; when she could barely hold her own body up, he put his arms around her and lifted her up to her feet. Her knees buckled under her weight, so he bent down and put his hands under her legs, bringing her in towards his chest. Now she was cradled like a baby. Her head fell to the side as she gasped for breath.

    A loud growl erupted from inside the cell.

    "I''m just bringing her to the cell Finn."

    Chase opened the door after a little fiddling with the keys and shifting A''s near limp body about. Once the door was open, the pacing Finn stopped and instantly came forwards, gently collecting A in his arms.

    "You''re warm", A murmured, making Finn chuckle.

    He walked to the far end of the cell, out of the sunlight from the window and crouched down whilst still cradling A and sitting on the floor.

    "Thanks, Finn. I can go from here" She mumbled a thanks.

    Her face then turned to Chase as he locked the cell door. His face was hard to read as he nced at her, but he turned around and left without another word. Finn loosened his arms around her, letting her legs go; she was now sitting sideways on hisp. Her eyes widened, and she jerked forwards to move off him, but hissed in pain and automatically fell back; luckily, Finn''s arm was still bearing the weight of her back.

    "Let me help you" He sighed.

    After some awkward movements between the two, A now leaned against the wall, her hand rested on her ribs. She looked at Finn quizzically. She wondered why he ced her on hisp.

    "I thought you would prefer to use me as heat, and it''s morefortable than the damp floor." He said, his eyes round with innocence.

    "Uhuh, sure you did," Ajax voiced from the side; A looked at him and smiled.

    "I missed you guys," She breathed.

    "You were only gone for the morning," Gabriel''s deep voice resonated from the shadows of his cell.

    "It felt like an eternity," She muttered, her eyes stared ahead at nothing in particr.

    Gabriel scoffed, "Talk to me when you''ve lived for an eternity."

    Noted.

    "Question is, what did you do to be at the hands of Connor''s wrath?" Ajax queried.

    "Breathe?" A replied, earning a chuckle from Finn and Ajax.

    "She turned down a room?" Finn added.

    Everyone''s attention was now on A; even Gabriel stood in view by the dark end of the cell''s bars. A sighed then grimaced, regretting it as pain reshot through her. She hoped her recovery would be quick; she had a n and could not wait to tell the guys about it.

    "It''s a long story," Her answer warranted a silence as all eyes were still on her, waiting for her to exin. Her eyes flickered up to the high grey ceiling as she put all the information she learnt from today together in her head.

    Finally, she spoke, "They need my blood to recreate werewolves they can train. To wipe the earth of all creatures."

    "They are building an army," Ajax murmured.

    "There''s more," Her voice dropped down to a whisper while her eyes surveyed their surroundings. "I was able to look outside, openly actually, with Ss in the room-"

    "Who''s Ss?" Ajax interrupted.

    "The boss," Finn responded.

    "Anyway, we are on some type of a military base; there is CCTV across a fence surrounding the perimeter. Guards were ced at the entrance of an empty parking lot, and trees spread far past the entrance, a long road leading to here." A continued in her hushed tone; she caught her breath and pushed past the constant pain.

    "So, you are giving up on your escape n?" Gabriel guessed.

    A turned her head to his direction, her brows furrowing together.

    "We knew you were putting one together. We all did it in our first week here." Gabriel continued.

    "I have not told you MY escape n," Her eyes gleamed with a mischievous smile on her lips.

    "Please do tell, oh, chosen one." Ajax fake bowed, making her roll her eyes.

    "I found a room with a bunch of equipment. Monitors for the CCTV cameras, controls for the air ducts, for everything. I have also been exploring the air ducts from the female toilets upstairs, but I can only go so far in three minutes," A whispered, "There is also a camera in here."

    "Best to keep whispering. We can hear you," Ajax spoke softly.

    "So, my n is to get to that control room, turn off the air ducts, CCTVs, unlock the basement door, then leave through the air ducts?" After hearing her say it out loud, she questioned her own n. It was a lot.

    "First part of the n sounds good. The second part sounds terrible. We cannot climb through air ducts. One, you are a lot smaller than us. Two, it would take far too long, and three, it''s filthy up there," Ajaxined, his emerald, green eyes flickered to the ceiling in disgust as though he could already see the dirt in the air ducts.

    "Afraid it will ruin your fashionable coveralls?" Finn smirked.

    "Ah, I see. Okay." Ajax directed his words in Gabriel''s direction before turning himself to face the wall while he stretched his arms up and leaned his body one way then the other.

    "Gabriel said there is another w in your n."

    "Oh?" A nced in Gabriel''s direction, but he disappeared again into the shadows.

    "How are you going to get to the control room? You turned down staying in the room upstairs," Finnmented while he lied down on his back, staring at the window behind A.

    "I needed to tell you guys about this n. The only way to do that was to refuse the room. But I can always beg to have it back. Once we have a full-proof n,"

    "If you canst through Connor''s beatings," Ajax added.

    "He can''t kill me. I am ''too important to them''. " A pulled her hoody and tank top up to reveal her already bruised up ribs; the darkened area was spreading across her body from where she was kicked.

    "Doesn''t mean it won''t hurt though, A," Finn said gravely; his eyes were full of concern while he looked at her bruised body. She pulled the hoody back down.

    "Gabriel says if you turn the air ducts off first, then the drug keeping him weak will be out of his system, and he can help us all escape. With vampiric speed and strength. He says he has been here so long that they have bezy and forgotten who he is. Their weapons are solely for werewolves." Ajax said as he assessed his nails.

    "There were at least fifty people out there today. You can''t take on that many," A whispered, she nced back at Gabriel''s cell, and he appeared at the bars with a smug smile on his lips,

    "Want to bet?"

    A''s eyes widened; if he was so strong, how did they capture him.

    "Gabriel, how did they take you?"

    "They caught me in apromising position," He mused.

    A''s eyes widened at the thought of him being in bed with someone, and the hunters busted down the door or-

    "No, it was nothing like that." Gabriel tutted.

    What the fu-

    "I was siring a new vampire. The process takes 24 hours; they, unfortunately, caught her and used her as bait."

    Why would he give his life for hers?

    "We be very attached to our newborns. For the first month anyway. It is simr to a mother''s indistinct. Once our blood is in their veins, we are always connected and be protective. So, I surrendered, stupidly and in the hopes of killing them in the car, but they injected me with that drug, weakening me, and in front of me, she was staked through the heart." He looked away and removed his hands from the bar.

    "I''m so sorry, Gabriel."

    After a moment of silence, A''s mind caught up with her again.

    Wait, can he read minds?!

    "Yes."

    Still not entirely convinced, A asked another question in her head.

    Can all vampires read minds?

    "Only ones from the royal bloodline."

    Her lips parted in shock, and she looked back at his darkened cell.

    Royal? What does that mean? How many royal vampires are there?

    "That''s confidential. Vampires only."

    She sighed, grimacing again at the shooting pain in her ribs.

    "Okay. So, do we have a n?" She asked.

    "If Gabriel is as strong as he says he is, and it isn''t just his arrogance talking. Then yes. Yes, we do," Ajax smiled like the Cheshire cat out of Alice in Wondend.

    "When?" Finn asked.

    "Give me until tomorrow. I think that will be convincing enough for me to beg to go back to the room and away from Connor. We can go through the n again tonight after lights out?"

    They nodded their heads in agreement.

    "Who would have thought, all we needed was a girl." Ajax brought his hand through the bars and pretended to lightly punch her jaw.

    "A woman, Ajax. I am a woman." She corrected with her head held high.

    Ajax chuckled then lied down on the floor. A stared up at the dull ceiling; excitement began to brew in her now slightly damaged body.

    "It''s not going to be easy, but it''s the best chance we have."

 Chapter 11 - Sweaty Hands

    For the remaining part of the day, A was left with the others in the cells. She used the time to rest, and thankfully, Connor did not return at dinner time, neither did Chase. Another unknown hunter turned up, and as usual, they were given a small bowl full of rice, whereas Gabriel was provided with a small vial of blood.

    "Ugh, pigs'' blood. That is too fatty." Gabrielined.

    "Are you watching your waistline?" Finn smirked.

    "It just tastes awful. Nothing like human blood," A could almost see Gabriel salivating at the thought.

    "I can''t believe this is my life now." She stated.

    "At least you''re not a mosquito like Gabe there," Finn replied.

    "Gabriel. And keep up with the insults, and I''ll leave you in the cell to rot."

    "Right. Sorry. Habit," Finn sheepishly smiled in Gabriel''s direction.

    Once the lights went out, they began to n again. Going through each step meticulously. A would make sure to turn everything off in the control room by 8 pm the next day. Giving Gabriel enough time for his body to recover and evaporate any traces of the drug left in his system. This was also the perfect time for A to sneak out of the room when it was dark, and the hunters would have already made their rounds to give them food and settle down.

    The easiest part of their n was the guys busting out of their cells and getting through the door. A, however, would have to sneak across to the control room unnoticed and take out anyone in there. She also stupidly nodded her head when they asked her if she had any fighting experience. Now that she thought about it, no, no, she had not. Unless ''boxercise'' fitness ss counted, then yes. She knew how to hit; it couldn''t be that hard. Surely?

    After that, she would need to figure out how to get the metal door open, CCTV cameras off, and the air ducts she already knew there was a switch to turn them off. Subsequently, she would meet the others outside the metal door that leads down to the basement. They would try to sneak around unnoticed for as long as possible. Once they made it outside, Finn and Ajax would shift, and Gabriel would carry A; unless she spontaneously started to shift, that was their best course of action.

    They would keep running until they found a car and hotwired it; both vampire speed and werewolf speed were just as fast, if not faster than a car. Unfortunately, they were all weak and would not keep up a pace for very long. Finding a car was their next priority.

    That was the n. There was no going back from it now. A tried to calm herself down, but anxiety clutched at her body wickedly, keeping her mind awake with the bottomless questions of ''what if''s, while her nerves formed butterflies tingling in her belly. She needed to get the most rest, to recover and y her part well for their escape.

    When the morning finally came, the sun shone through the window, waking them all up. A sat up, rubbing her eyes; if she thought she felt terrible yesterday, today was much worse. Her muscles felt sore and tight; she groaned as she leaned against the wall.

    "Yep, that is definitely convincing. You look like shit," Ajax hummed happily.

    "Thanks," She replied dryly as she rolled her eyes.

    Momentster, the sound of the metal door opening made them all tense, their minds on the task of what A needed to do in the evening.

    "You''ve got this," Finn gave her a little nudge.

    She smiled nervously in return but inhaled deeply andposed herself. She kept her nerves at bay as she watched Connor saunter his way towards them with a smug smile on his face that she just wanted to p. Slowly, she crawled on her hands and knees to the cell door and pulled herself up using the bars, hissing as she did so and immediately let her hands go once she stopped swaying on her feet.

    "Ready for round two already?" Connor cracked his knuckles as he got closer to her.

    "Please. I need to see Ss," A said in a small voice, her eyes downcast as she wobbled slightly on her feet in front of him. The bars between them her onlyfort.

    He scoffed, "You are making requests now? Looks like I need to teach you another lesson."

    He rolled his sleeves up and brought the keys out of his back pocket to unlock the door. A cowered,

    "NO! Please! Please! I am begging you. Please don''t. I want to agree to the deal Ss offered me yesterday."

    Silence fell down on them like a veil; A nced up to see Connor staring at her with narrowed eyes. She nced back down and lowered her head further,

    "Please," She whispered. When she looked back up, tears were formed in her eyes; one escaped and fell down her cheek.

    Connor stared at her, his eyes hard and cold; he pulled his phone out and dialled a number. He continued to stare at her while the phone was against his ear; his gaze pierced through her, making her hands mmy. A moved her own gaze to his nose; she did not want to keep looking into his soulless eyes. It sent shivers down her spine.

    "Boss, the bitch wants to agree to the deal you made with her," Connor spoke into the phone.

    "Yep. Do you want me to send her to you.." His lips set into a thin line as he listened to the other end of the conversation. Sighing, he put his phone away.

    "Bring your arms forwards," He grunted.

    The silver chains were once again around her wrists and ankles. He hauled her forwards as soon as the cell door was closed, and they were walking again. A put effort into stumbling over, even after she would fall from Connor dragging the chains roughly. An annoyed expression reced the almost continuous smirk on his face; he stopped yanking on the chains as she needed no more assistance in falling onto the floor.

    By the time they made it past the stairs and the metal door, Connor made a phone call, and Chase appeared once they turned a corner.

    "Take it!" That was all Connor said as he threw the chain at him and abruptly left.

    Chase looked at her grimly and began removing her chains.

    "I''m sorry," He whispered after he finished, his head hung in shame. A was not angry with him; he was, after all, one of her kidnappers.

    Without responding, she continued down the hallway, past the toilets and control room to the final destination of the luxurious room. Once she hobbled through the door, she fell back onto the bed.

    "This could have been avoided if you just agreed in the first ce," Chase grumbled.

    "Hmm, did you get into a lot of trouble?" She inquired.

    When there was no answer, she looked up at him. He stood across from her in the room, his arms crossed against his chest. His eyes scanned the room as he replied,

    "Nothing I couldn''t handle." His chin lifted up, indicating he was done with the conversation.

    "Do we have Webflix?" A asked; her subtle way of changing the subject made him chuckle.

    "Course we do."

    For the rest of the day, the pair watched film after film on Webflix and ordered themselves a pizza, which A could not finish. Days on a rice only diet caused her appetite to reduce, and she could only manage two slices. But she enjoyed every part of those two slices. A and Chase became sofortable with one another that they shared the bed, legs sprawled out in front of them, backs leaning against the headboard by the second film.

    However, once the light through the window started to fade, A began to feel nervous again. She walked to the window and looked at the building''s surroundings, she couldn''t see the hunters that trained, unlike the office she previously went to, but she presumed they were packing up after a day full of practising to kill anything non-human.

    "Do you normally train with the others?" She questioned, looking behind her shoulder at Chase, who was now stretching on the carpet. His legs were straight in front of him as his hands reached past his feet.

    "Sometimes."

    She nodded her head, "Do they all stay here?"

    "Why do you ask?"

    "Well, the parking lot is empty. There are no cars. We look to be in the middle of nowhere.." She turned around and faced him, arms crossed against her chest.

    "You are awfully observant," He eyed her suspiciously, making her hands go mmy, yet her face stayedposed.

    "They don''t stay in this building. There''s another building round the back you can''t see."

    "Cool! So like a proper army base then! Must suck for you, though?" She nonchntly brushed his suspicions to the side. Her overexaggerated smile made him look at her in puzzlement.

    "Why do you say that?" He asked slowly.

    "Did you not grow up here?"

    "Only since I was fourteen.."

    A zoned out on the rest of what he said; she held back a small smile after steering his suspicions into a light-hearted conversation. She internally scolded herself after bing toofortable with him again. Soon, very soon, she would not see him again. They chatted randomly about their childhoods and their likes and dislikes for the next few hours.

    When the rm clock on the bedside table hit 7:45 pm, A started to pace, their n did not include Chase, and she began to panic about what to do with him.

    "I never asked, but what will you do when I go to sleep?" She inquired; her voice was slightly high pitched.

    Calm down, A. Jeese.

    "Lock your door and go to my own bedroom."

    She nodded her head. Asking him to leave so she could ''sleep'' was definitely out of the question. Chase suddenly got up and started to make his way to the bathroom.

    "What are you doing?"

    He stopped mid-stride and looked at her,

    "Going to the toilet?" He tilted his head at her, "Is that okay?"

    "No. No, it isn''t. I wanted to have a shower, and I don''t feelfortable with you going to the toilet in there." She held her head high as she looked at him with a snooty expression.

    Heughed, then shock masked his features when he saw how serious she was,

    "Are you serious!?" When she continued to stare at him, he shook his head, "The men''s toilets are on the other side of the building!"

    "If you are busting, I suggest you leave now."

    He looked at her incredulously but dashed out of the door anyway. A sighed; her quick thinking got him out of the door, and luckily, he did not lock it. However, her moment of satisfaction was brief as the tension in her chest tightened after ncing back at the clock.

    7:48 pm

    Shit.

    Although she told the guys she knew how to fight, she was not about to waste any time on anybody that would get in her way. She grabbed the sidemp ced on the bedside table before opening her door gently. Her head popped outside the room as she nced from side to side, her breath was slow and steady, but her heart pounded in her chest and only increased more as she creeped out of the door,mp in hand.

    Her footsteps were light on the floorboards, but she stopped and held her breath every time her foot stepped on a creaky one. The sound was so loud to her ears that she thought even the men in the basement could hear it. However, the seconds passed by, and nobody came out of a door to grab her. Sighing, she continued down the hall. She gulped when she saw the door with the sign that read ''Control Room''. Taking a long deep breath in, she brought her hand to the doorknob.

    Turning it around slowly, she slid the door open and froze, eyes wide open when the door screeched on its hinges. A jumped inside once she saw it was empty and immediately closed the door. She almost cried in relief, but she snapped out of it; her luck may onlyst so long. cing themp down on the side, she leaned in and nced at all the buttons and lights blinking on and off.

    First thing''s first, the air ducts.

    She found the switch instantly and turned it off. Her eyes darted across the various controls and buttons, she hoped to seebels on each of them, but all she saw were numbers by the side of them. ncing at one of the CCTV screens, she noticed the time was 7:55 pm. She grabbed the sides of her face as panic began to set in.

    Time was running out. Her main priority now was to open that metal door for the guys. If she couldn''t do that, then it would have all been for nothing. She mentally pped herself again. That was loser''s talk.

    Calming herself down, she slowed her breathing and let her eyes glide across the buttons and dials in front of her. Her eyesnded on a switch that read NF00 next to it on the far right. She remembered seeing it on the corner of the metal door on one of her many trips to the bathroom.

    BINGO.

    She flipped the switch.

    BANG.

    A jumped at the sudden loud noise and turned around wide-eyed.

 Chapter 12 - Escape: Part One

    A jumped at the sudden loud noise and turned around wide-eyed at the man standing in the doorway; her breathing stopped as her heart leapt out of her chest. The hunter''s look of confusion contorted into one of malice. He stepped into the small room, observing her. In one quick fluid movement, she grabbed themp and swung it at him; he dodged it and smirked.

    His six-foot frame she found was quite hard to smash an object over their head. Especially if they were trained like this man who easily dodged her. On her second attempt, he grabbed themp and yanked it out of her hands, throwing it to the side as he continued with his slow steps towards her. She automatically stepped backwards but then abruptly stopped. She needed to knock this guy out so she could meet the others and get the hell out of there.

    A stepped forwards, meeting his next step. He smirked at her, but not for long; she kneed him in his crotch, causing him to gasp for air and clutch the area, crouching forward. With his height now reduced by his slouch, she punched him in the face, but instead of him falling to the floor like she had seen plenty of times in movies, it only twisted his head to the side and made him livid.

    She punched him again, inwardly cursing at the contact to her knuckles. But his face was hard as steel, and he hardly budged.

    Stupid roid-head!

    He straightened up and backhanded her, sending her flying backwards into the wall. Pushing off the wall, she turned and put herself into a fighting stance, earning a boisterousugh from the man in front of her. She did not care that she was being mocked; her adrenaline was pumping wild in her veins now. A kept herself on the balls of her feet as she bounced slightly; he went to strike her again, but she blocked it with her raised arms this time.

    Boxercise really did teach her something, after all!

    The moment of satisfaction left immediately as another strike she blocked made her twist to the side, free for him to punch with his other fist. She gasped as tears sprung to her eyes. That was the side of her bruised ribs; the vibration from the punch sent needles of pain across her side. Ignoring it, she sent a right hook in his direction, catching him off guard as it made contact with his jaw.

    Just as she went for another hit, Chase burst through the door. Her eyes flickered between the pair; she knew she couldn''t take them both on. Her attention kept jumping between them; which one would strike first? She tried to figure out her next course of action.

    However, when Chase moved forwards, she did not foresee what he did next. He grabbed themp and smashed it over the hunter''s head, then immediately put his arms around him in a chokehold. The man''s eyes bulged in shock as he tried to free himself, scrambling his hands on Chase''s to pull his arms away from him.

    After ten seconds, the hunter went limp, and Chase dropped him to the floor, looking back at the wide-eyed girl before him.

    "W- why? What? Is he passed out?" A stuttered; although Chase just helped her, she did not rx her stance as confusion reced the shock on her features.

    "He''s fine. I should have known you would get in trouble from how you kicked me out of the room. Look, I''m leaving the Hunters Association anyway. This just pushed my ns forwards. I will help you escape."

    A was gobsmacked, her mouth fell open.

    "A, snap out of it! We don''t have time to waste!" His attention was now on the controls.

    "Right"

    She looked back at the screens and noticed the time.

    8 pm.

    "Do you know how to turn the CCTV off?"

    He grinned as he pressed a few buttons, and all the screens went nk.

    "Piece of cake," he winked.

    "Thank you, Chase. I have to go!"

    She began to run out of the room past the toilets, but a hand grabbed her arm. Turning around, she became confused when she saw Chase.

    "Go that way, fewer guards, and it''s quicker."

    The two-way radio suddenly went off from the belt it was clipped to on Chase''s trousers.

    "Chase! Get to my office now!" Ss''s voice roached through the speaker.

    A never really noticed the walkie-talkie before, but she guessed it made more sense than using a phone all the time.

    "I''ll keep my dad entertained."

    A nodded her head, took a step, then stopped,

    "Chase."

    He turned back around, his expression alert as his eyes surveyed their surroundings.

    "I won''t forget this."

    "GO!"

    With hismand, she turned around and didn''t look back as she jogged down the hall away from him. She tried to keep her footsteps light over the creaky floorboards. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breathing became ragged as excitement and anticipation pulsed through her.

    Turning the corner in the hall, she skidded to an abrupt stop. She sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes locked with Connor''s, who stopped walking.

    A cruel smile grew on his face, but then his attention went to the radio he had on his waist. Different voices came through all at once, talking over each other; a gunshot went off and screams red through the speaker. A''s lips twitched into a small smile, Gabriel, they must have freed themselves. She knew she was runningte.

    "Gabriel!" A shouted; she hoped he would hear her wherever he was.

    Her voice made Connor snap his head back up at her. By this point, she was running towards him, jumped, and mid-airnded a blow across his face. The pleasure she felt from that punch was immense as she watched him stumble back.

    "You little bitch!"

    He grabbed her and threw her the small distance into the wall, but he didn''t stop there, he seized her by her hair and went to punch her face, but she blocked it and kneed him. She aimed for his private parts but missed and kneed him in the stomach. He grunted at the impact but reacted by headbutting her in the nose.

    "Ugh,"

    Her hands went to her nose, her eyes teared up at the ufortable pain, she was surprised that her nose wasn''t bleeding. That moment of weakness, however, gave Connor the upper hand, and he continuously punched her in the face. Her vision started to go dark, as her head thrummed, her mind tried to stay awake, Connor stopped his onught once the radio red out,

    "Connor, get that bitch in the car NOW!"

    Her mind went nk as her eyelids drooped shut, her body flopped down. But she did not feel herself hit the floor; she felt like she was spinning and then being lifted up.

    "Get the chains and.."

    Voices kept disturbing her from the calm, peacefulnd of the dark that was her mind. But that one voice, she knew too well, made her want to hide from the noise. The feel of a slight burning sensation spread across her wrists and ankles, and all at once, A''s consciousness began to seep in, alerting her to the situation she was in. Her eyes snapped open.

    She was being carried, her hands were bound in front of her, her arms limp as she watched the ground move below them, her head was resting on someone''s back. Her body was draped over someone''s shoulder.

    "Give her wolfsbane. She needs to stay weak."

    A sharp injection to her neck made her scream out in pain. She felt as though boiling water was rushing through her veins, spreading across her body; every movement on the man''s back also caused jolts of pain bubbling through her. Instead of groaning in pain, however, the burning set fire to a rage inside of her, bursting to get free.

    Instead of passing out like they wanted, she became more alert; the pain simmered as adrenaline pushed past the fog of the drug rushing through her. She swiftly flipped her body to the side, making her fall off of the man who tried and failed to tighten his grip on her. A hit the floor harshly but managed not to hit her head as her bound hands spread out before her.

    Growling, she swiped her legs below the man, causing him to fall down on his back. She immediately jumped on him and pounded her fists into his face non-stop. A feral animal inside her took over; shes of images from her abduction passed through her mind, urging her on. Once she knew he was out cold, she jumped off of him. Looking ahead, she saw she was in the car park.

    Two cked-out SUVs were across the lot from her; Chase and Ss got into the first one and drove off, while Connor and another hunter were going towards the second car. The hunter got into the driver''s seat while Connor threw some bags in the boot. A began to back away as panic settled in. She couldn''t get in that car; she needed to find the others and escape, not just from this ce but from them¡ªthe hunters.

 Chapter 13 - Escape: Part Two

    All at once, a sh of light followed by a force so strong behind her threw her hard to the ground. Her hands and face stung from the sudden impact of the cemented surface. Everything went silent as she blinked her eyes profusely while she tried to get to the bottom of what happened; her eyes thennded on a piece of paper floating down in front of her. It was burning as steam floated off of it. Her ears felt muffled, simr to how they feel before they pop on an aerone.

    Groaning, she turned her body around on the ground and gasped as her eyes widened and her mouth gaped at what she saw before her. The building, the prison of a ce she had been kept in, burnt brightly as mes engulfed it; the windows were shattered, and debris flew up in the air. Another building behind it exploded, making the ground vibrate.

    A''s ears started to ring as a muffled voice increased in volume.

    "Is it done?"

    "All evidence is destroyed."

    "Is the she-wolf out?"

    "Got her here."

    "Good. See youter."

    Her head whipped to the side at the sounds of the voices. Connor hung up on the phone; the noise was loud, indicating he was using the loudspeaker. A tried to back away from him, but he was too quick and jerked her up from the ground.

    "You blew up the building!?" She sobbed.

    Connor didn''t reply and instead stabbed her in the neck with her second injection of wolfsbane. Her head jolted back as she tried to inhale as much air as possible to help breathe through the pain, but it didn''t work; fire burned through her blood from her neck, making her body tremble. When the trembling subsided, A growled loudly; her chest vibrated from the simmering anger she felt.

    Connor gritted his teeth; he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her towards the car, an annoyed expression on his face that she was still yet to fall unconscious.

    "You killed them!" She screamed; she couldn''t hold back her sorrow, her anger, a tidal wave of emotions was now consuming her as reality pped her across the face.

    Ajax.

    Finn.

    Gabriel.

    They were dead.

    They were all dead; these heartless animals killed them. A''s heart dropped to her stomach; her breathing almost stopped as her friends faces shed before her eyes. Each one of them, innocent, taken away from their families, tortured for years and now dead. It was unforgivable, and if she managed to escape, she would seek justice for them, starting with Ss. She was now thest remaining person of the Prisoners Club.

    Connor stopped walking and yanked her hair down, so her chin tilted up; he grasped her face roughly in one hand,

    "Yes, they are all dead. Because of you."

    "No," She whispered; she felt a lump in her throat, making it hard to swallow and breathe.

    "Its. All. Your. Fault."

    "NO!" She roared and pushed him on the chest, but he did not budge and insteadughed at her futile attempt to hurt him.

    "None of this is my fault. It''s yours!" She screamed in his face.

    Her breathing became erratic as her emotions ran wild along with the wolfsbane that urged her temper to bubble to the surface. Connor let her hair go; unaware of the storm whirling inside of her, he backhanded her. Another growl erupted from her chest; her eyes glowed while her nails extended into ws. A kneed him in between his legs, causing him to crouch forwards; she immediately pulled his head down, mming it against her rising knee. Holding him by his shirt, she viciously scratched him across the face, and as she balled her fist up, ready to punch him, she felt another pair of hands on her.

    A was pulled away from him. She felt manic as she struggled against her assant behind her, kicking her legs out and moving her restrained arms frantically. Taking a deep breath in, she pretended to calm down, which made the hunter rx just a fraction. Once she felt his hold on her loosen the slightest, she elbowed him in the ribs, then smacked the back of her head into his; the contact made him release her immediately. When she turned around, he was bent forwards, clutching his nose; she wasted no more time, grabbing his head, she smacked it against the car window and let him fall to the floor unconscious.

    She nced inside the car and saw the keys already in the ignition, and when her attention went to the window''s reflection, she saw how her eyes were glowing a brilliant blue. She wanted to look again at how beautiful they were, but time was of the essence. The sound of mes from the burning building filled her ears, reminding her of her fallen friends and how she needed to escape for them. Stifling a sob, she bit her lip and pushed her mind into action.

    She stumbled around the front of the car, noting how the first car was long gone by now. A almostughed at the thought of driving with her hands bound and her legs restricted, but it was an opportunity she was not going to waste. Freedom was nearly in her grasp; she could feel it. Her muscles tensed in anticipation. She only needed to get in the car and drive away.

    However, when she made it to the other side of the car, Connor also rounded the backside of the car; he reached into the back of his pants and produced a gun. A''s eyes widened as he stopped and pointed it at her.

    "Stop right there, you fucking mutt!"

    A halted and stared down at the pistol in his hands; she then nced back up at Connor''s bloody face. She needed to stall him so she could think about what to do next.

    "How could you kill everyone? Even your friends?" She managed to keep her voice from stuttering as she eyed the gun again.

    Connor scoffed at her,

    "It''s in our line of work. We know what we are getting ourselves into. Now shut. The fuck. Up! Get in the car. NOW!" He opened the door while his other hand still aimed the gun at her.

    A couldn''t help it; she growled back at him, her eyes glowing a bright blue again.

    "Aww, the wolf wants toe out and y? Too bad ytimes over, I will shoot you." He smirked at her.

    A ignored his threat and sauntered her way towards him as if she were going towards the car''s back seat. But she continued to walk,ing closer to the boot where he stood, her head tilted to the side as she scrutinised him.

    "Go on, then, do it!" She shouted, encouraging him.

    He clicked the safety off while he continued to watch her, but she was not afraid, so she kept walking as she stared down the barrel of the gun. She ced her hand on top of it and aimed it directly at her forehead, leaning into it. Moments passed as their eyes were locked with one another''s. This time, she did not look away from the devil''s stare. His finger hesitated on the trigger then moved off onto the trigger guard.

    A burst outughing and stepped away from him. Connor''s lips twisted as he red at her. She began to circle him, each step intently slow, her eyes locked with his,

    "You can''t kill me. You have orders. I''m too important for your little army."

    "idents still happen," He spat back at her.

    "You and I both know Ss won''t believe that. He''s the sort of man who will hunt you down for ruining his ns. Now I don''t know why I am so important, but by the sounds of it, he was looking for me for years. You kill me. Your life is over."

    Where the hell was this confidenceing from?! This was not the time to see if Connor, of all people, was bluffing with a fricken GUN!

    Although her mind was in a panic, her face wasposed. Even staring at the despicable man in front of her, she kept her disgust off her face. He was easily angered, and she needed to keep it under control. Or he would shoot.

    "I don''t give a shit about Ss''s ns. I''ll take much more pleasure in killing you."

    A''s face dropped as she watched his finger go back to the trigger.

    Her eyes widened; she should have known better. Connor was adamant about killing her from the beginning; he disobeyed Ss'' orders on the first day of her abduction.

    BANG!

    A stopped walking and gasped. The air left her lungs sharply.

    The noise reverberated across the parking lot, deafening the sound of the ongoing mes from the burning building in the starry night sky. A''s eyes were still locked with Connors as she clutched her stomach.

 Chapter 14 - A Grand Entrance

    A and Connor stared at each other as blood sttered from the side of his head; his eyes widened in shock before he copsed to the ground with a bullet lodged into his head. A clutched her stomach in disbelief; Connor was dead. The man that took so much pleasure in causing her pain was lying cold on the floor, eyes open with blood spilling across the surface. She could hear her heart beating uncontrobly as the adrenaline and wolfsbane was still pumping through her system.

    With her eyes still wide, she turned her head slowly in the direction of the burning building, where an extraordinarily handsome, dark-haired man walked towards her, his silver eyes gleamed from the light of the moon. He brought his hand down that held a gun and moved his eyes from the body to A; she instinctively took a step back, eyeing the pistol in his hand. He arched an eyebrow and lifted his shirt to ce the gun in his waistband; her eyes lingered on the taut muscles shown beneath but looked away quickly when she saw a smirk on his face.

    "Who are you?" She asked; her voice came out stronger than how she felt.

    Her mind started running wild; she was going from one situation where she was abducted to another where she would again be abducted. ncing around, she noticed now how men started to appear from around her along with quite a few gigantic wolves. Werewolves? Their eyes illuminated in an amber hue.

    She felt her eyes reflect at them in their startling blue glow as she nced from face to face,stlynding on the man who now stood directly in front of her, his arms crossed against his body, the veins bulging out from his biceps beneath the in ck t-shirt he wore. She bit her lip.

    Did he shrink his shirt on purpose? It almost looked painted on, showing off his defined abs beneath.

    "Damon Steel. Alpha of the Silver Crescent Pack. Your Alpha." His deep husky voice rumbled across the parking lot, peeling her attention away from his body and back to his face, his eyes now pierced through her own.

    Your Alpha.

    A growl vibrated from her chest while her back automatically straightened at his authoritative tone. The Alpha''s eyes became hard and stormy, lips tightening as his jaw ticked to her reaction. A bark from the side snapped A out of her locked gaze with his, making her nce in the direction of the wolf who barked at her. Once her eyes found the wolf, they glowed again, making the wolf yelp and lower its head in submission to her.

    Frowning, she looked back at the alpha male, Damon Steel, who took a step towards her, his hands now at his sides balled into fists. She could see him physically shake, almost as if he was having an inner battle with himself to stay in control; his eyes were glowing as brilliantly as the moon now. Yet, A held her own and did not step back this time; she did not know what was wrong with her. All she knew was that she did not like his tone.

    "I have no Alpha." She snapped, "What do you want with me?"

    A man with short auburn hair standing behind Alpha Damon growled,

    "We just helped you. Show a little respect."

    A''s eyes nced from the man to Alpha Damon, ignoring hisment.

    "To take you home." He said while eight cked-out SUVs turned up from behind the burning building. They lined up one after the other in front of them.

    A single nod from Alpha Damon signalled the group of men to get into the cars. Whereas most of the wolves scattered off into the forest, and any remaining ones transformed in front of her. Her face reddened as she nced away from the naked men and women before they climbed into the cars with towels wrapped around them. The only people left in the car park were her, Alpha Damon and the red-haired man who spoke to her before.

    "Get in the car, A," Alpha Damonmanded.

    She did not question how he knew her name; so far, most people knew more about her than she did. Instead, she raised her bound hands,

    "Can I at least have these removed? It hurts like a bitch."

    Alpha Damon looked at the red-haired man, who nodded his head once and came forwards, cing leather gloves on his hands. While her hands were being unchained, A kept her eyes locked with Alpha Damon''s; his cold stare made her involuntarily gulp. However, there was something about him that made her feel like she had met him before, but she knew without a doubt, she would remember a face like that. Although he had a domineering presence and one look alone seemed to make shivers crawl up her spine, she knew she waspletely safe with him. Every instinct in her body said so.

    How odd.

    He just shot a man without blinking an eye and was an Alpha of a well-known bloodthirsty pack. Her pack. Shrugging, she put those thoughts to the back of her mind; she felt exhausted. Everything from the night was creeping up on her, not just from the wolfsbane, silver chains and the physical assaults but emotionally too. She moved her eyes away from the Alpha and looked at the burning building; her jaw tightened as tears filled her eyes. Sighing, she looked back down as the man dashed the chains to the side.

    Alpha Damon walked towards thest SUV and opened the back door, waiting for A to follow. She made her way to the car and stopped just in front of him, searching his eyes, she realised she trusted him wholly, and with that thought, she climbed into the back of the car and shimmied over to the other seat. He followed behind her and closed the door.

    A looked out the darkened window, staring at the emzed prison she was forced to stay in. Clutching the leather seat, her eyes filled with tears again, but she let them fall freely on her cheeks this time.

    "Please. Try not to scratch the leather. I just had the seats redone." The red-haired man spoke from the driver''s seat across from her.

    ncing down, she noticed her ws were extended and clinging to the seat; she inhaled deeply and watched in wonder as they shrunk back to her human nails. Her eyes nced at Alpha Damon, who was scanning her from head to toe, thenstly held her gaze, he parted his lips to speak, but she turned her head away as another tear fell down her wettened cheeks. The car pulled away, making her shift her attention to the burning buildings shrinking in the distance along with Connor''s body left on the ground.

    For the next hour, A sat in a daze. She either stared out the window at the starry night sky and dark bluish fields or at the leather seat in front of her that had another man sitting in it. She began to shiver from the cold emptiness she felt inside. Was she in shock? She felt so numb, as though nothing mattered. She wrapped her arms around each other after putting her hood up over her head, trying to keep the heat from her head leaving. Shrinking into the seat further, she looked back out the window, ncing at the luminescent moon ahead.

    The whole time, she forced herself to ignore the overpowering presence emanating from the 6ft4, built Alpha who sat next to her; she felt his gaze on her face every couple of minutes, but she took no notice of him. Her mind was reeling with her friend''s deaths and everything she had suffered in that ce in such a short period of time.

    "A, what happened to you?"

    Alpha Damon''s deep voice snapped her out of her reverie; she did not realise she began to shake. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down, rxing her body. She turned her head to the side and looked at Alpha Damon, reading the sincere expression on his face. Sighing, she forced a smile on her own that did not reach her eyes.

    "Nothing."

    He scoffed, "That doesn''t look like nothing. You have bruises and blood all over your face, and I can take a guess that your body is the same."

    "It was nothing inparison to what they did to the others," Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, and she looked away before her eyes gave way again.

    "I am sorry for what they put you through."

    She nodded her head once in response but kept her gaze on the view as the car drove quickly on the road. After a while, she rxed again as her body went back to feeling numb. She nced to the side after feeling a light vibration from the leather seat; Alpha Damon''s chiselled jaw was ticking as he nced to the rear-view mirror and met the eyes of the driver. She realised he was angry, but she did not know what for.

    A took that moment to assess the man beside her; she knew he was drop-dead gorgeous the moment sheid her eyes on him, but now she was up close to him, her breath hitched at how the man before her was even real. He must have been sketched by an artist or a gift from the heavens; no one should be that good looking. He pressed all the right buttons for her.

    Her mouth unconsciously parted as her eyes greedily took all of his profile in. His silver eyes shone brightly against his olive skin, thick ck eyebrows and intoxicatingly messy chin-length, wavy ck hair. His chiselled jaw had the perfect amount of stubble styled up to his high cheekbones, and his earthy scent was the ''cherry on top''; she felt like swooning but instead inhaled his scent deeply.

    A smile crept up his face while he looked out the corner of his eyes at her; she immediately closed her mouth and looked away, her cheeks flushed at being caught ogling at him. She kept her face away from him and pretended to look out the window but couldn''t help but asionally stare at the reflection of him. Her body felt an alluring pull towards him, and she knew it wasn''t his attractiveness alone.

    In fact, it couldn''t be his personality, she didn''t know him, and she couldn''t help but dislike dominating males; it was always the same. Unless they could put her in her ce, she never wanted to know. Was that because she was from a strong Alpha bloodline? Every bone in her body couldn''t help but disobey, even with her adopted parents, Mandy and Andy, she would break any rule set in ce, but they neverined.

    Sighing, she leant her head against the window. Her body finally gave in to exhaustion after the high of the adrenaline from earlier wore off; she found her eyes close as the purr of the car''s engine helped her doze off into a dreamless sleep.

    "We will be home soon." Alpha Damon''s husky voice was low but high enough to wake her up.

    A nodded her head; it was only then that she realised she did not ask where home meant; she automatically figured he meant Oakton, her hometown. She internally rolled her eyes at herself and her stupidity; she really did just set herself up. She was sitting in the car with the Alpha of the Silver Crescent Pack, the pack that allegedly killed her parents and wanted to kill her.

    Nice one, A. You absolute melt.

 Chapter 15 - Silver Thorn

    Looking out at the window, a small town came into view. The car''s headlights shone on the signpost that read, Wee to Silver Thorn Town. A''s eyes widened; Silver Thorn was where she grew up, with her birth parents before Mandy and Andy took her away at the age of eight, it was thirty minutes away from Oakton, and she never visited since. For some unknown reason, she did not put two and two together that the Silver Crescent Pack would be taking her back to where her parents were murdered.

    A shiver went down her spine, causing goosebumps on her skin under the hoody she wore. Instincts or not, she still needed to be wary about this Alpha sitting next to her; this pack was the reason for her parents'' death. But she could not delve into that right now; she just needed to do one thing. Survive.

    If she can survive being in the presence of a psychopath such as Connor, then an Alpha werewolf was no problem, surely?

    The car followed the seven SUVs in front; after a minor wait of queuing behind one another, the car she sat in began to move again. Once it was around the corner, A stifled a gasp at what she saw. A mansion the size of a castle lit up from behind some guarded gates. They drove through behind the other cars and went down the driveway, passing by the trees lined beside the path. As they continued towards the mansion, two fountains on either side of the drive were lit up in a marvellous disy.

    Only one other car stopped in front of the building entrance; the others drove off down another path towards a smaller building nearby. The car A sat in stopped, and she felt her breath stop with it; she looked outside Alpha Damon''s window and could not believe her eyes. This was the ce she grew up in, where her parents lived and died. If it weren''t for the sudden m of the front car door, she would have stayed seated in a daze.

    Climbing out of the car, she rounded the boot with her hands in her front pocket, eyeing the building. Her eyes then nced back down as the double doors opened, revealing Mandy and Andy, who walked out; A immediately sprinted forwards and jumped into her father''s open arms. She felt her mother''s armse around her from behind also. Nothing could beat a bear hug from her father; he gave the best ones, what with being 6ft2 and built.

    "So d you are safe, kiddo," He croaked; she looked up and saw tears in his eyes.

    "Don''t cry, dad. Otherwise, you''ll make mum cry, and then I''ll cry. We can''t have that now, can we?" She shifted her attention to her mum, who was already silently crying, her eyes already red and puffy.

    "I''m here. I am fine now," A consoled her mum, who softly brought her hand to A''s face.

    "I wish I could have prevented it," Her mum''s voice came out brittle as she looked down.

    "It''s no one''s fault but my own. But, mum, dad," She gained their attention, looking from each of their faces, "we seriously need to talk. You have a lot of exining-"

    "A!"

    A tensed as her eyes went round in shock. She recognised that voice, turning her head to the side; she gasped and immediately stepped aside from her parents and ran towards two figures in front of the cked-out SUVs. She leapt up and flung her arms around the two towering men before her. Theyughed and caught her, bringing their arms around her. She sobbed in their arms, in Ajax and Finn''s arms.

    "I thought you were dead!" Her muffled voice somehow came out through Finn''s now damp top. Their arms tightened around her,forting her.

    After a while, A felt someone''s eyes on her; ignoring it, she held the men a little while longer until all three of them suddenly looked up after hearing a growl rumble across the ground from behind her. A nced back and locked gazes with Alpha Damon, who stood there, all 6ft4 of him, hands fisted by his sides. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end at the tension between them, but she forced her eyes away after feeling Finn shift ufortably behind her. She eyed Finn, who kept his gaze down; her attention then went to Ajax, who smirked down at her, his eyes gleaming, as though he knew something she did not.

    Tilting her head, she wondered what that was about, but her confusion only made Ajax smile more broadly. Ignoring the Alpha behind her and the apparent inside joke that was only meant for Ajax, she stepped closer to them again and pped both men simultaneously on the cheeks. It was not hard, but enough to jerk their heads slightly. Both men looked down at her in shock.

    "That''s for making me think you were dead!" She pointed her finger at both of them.

    Finn lowered his head in shame and apologised like a naughty school kid, whereas Ajax chuckled.

    "You can''t get rid of me that easy, doll." He winked before bringing her in for another hug as he looked at the Alpha behind her, who crossed his arms, watching them.

    Removing herself from his embrace, her brows pulled together as she realised something, spinning around; she looked for Gabriel but could not find him.

    "Where is Gabriel?" Concern etched her soft voice.

    Silence ascended, she turned back around to face the guys. Ajax scratched the back of his unkempt hair, and Finn kept his gaze down, neither answering her.

    "Look at me. Where is he?" She demanded.

    Finn immediately looked up, his eyes glowing again, "Thest I saw of him, he disappeared into the forest."

    His eyes went back to normal while he gasped for air, body rxing. He acted as though he was forced to speak. But before A could question further about his reaction and about Gabriel''s whereabouts, Ajax spoke up,

    "He left the moment the wolves arrived." A parted her lips, a look of confusion on her face, "Vampires and werewolves.. kind of natural enemies. It made sense for him to disappear. He knew we would be fine." He continued.

    A frowned at the new information and turned her head to look into the distance; trees among more trees surrounded the mansion amidst the vastnd, showing how grand the estate truly was. She was lost in thought as she nced up at the moon behind the clouds and trees. Although she did not know these guys for very long, she felt very much connected to them, as though they were family now. The thought of Gabriel on the run in the forest near that ce made her shiver.

    "He will be okay, A." Ajax put her hand in both of his, his cat eyes staring earnestly at her.

    "How do you know?" She questioned, but her attention shifted slightly after feeling an overpowering presence standing behind her; knowing already who it was, she ignored him again.

    "He''s lived for more than 500 years. I think he can handle himself." Ajax smiled down at her then looked back up, his smile broadening to the man behind her.

    "We have not met. I''m Ajax" He held his hand out for Alpha Damon to take, who disregarded it and kept his eyes trained on A as he spoke gruffly,

    "Alpha Damon. A, you need to get some rest. I will show you to your rooms."

    He turned abruptly, expecting them to follow, and like obedient pooches, they did. A returned to her parents, who hugged her once again before following in behind her. When she walked through the double doors, her head tilted up slightly at the grand hallway, a chandelier hung from the high ceiling, pieces of modern art decorated the walls and straight ahead stood a stylish staircase, wide enough to fit six people on one step. The stairs led to anding separated into two different sides of the mansion. A nudge from behind her snapped her out of her trance, and she continued forwards.

    Climbing the stairs, A started to feel d¨¦j¨¤ vu as she stared at the wall-length windows and how light the surroundings were; everything was modern and stylish. It was still the same ce she grew up in but with a few differences. When they made it to thending, her parents hugged her tightly; her mum pulled back and held her face gently,

    "We will talk tomorrow. For now, get some rest. You look terrible." Her voice cracked at the end as tears escaped her eyes.

    A smiled in return, wiping her mother''s tears away, "I am fine. Don''t worry, I will see you in the morning."

    They walked off to the other side of thending, passing a few doors and disappeared around a corner near another floor-length window. A turned around to see Ajax, Finn and Alpha Damon waiting patiently for her on the other end of the hallway, giving the family some much-needed space. She caught up to them, and Alpha Damon showed the guys their rooms; their eyes lit up when they saw the canopy double beds, TV and an ensuite bathroom. A giggled and left them to explore the luxurious rooms they could call their own for the night.

    When she turned around, she walked quietly by Alpha Damon''s side; he led her to the other side of the mansion. Her brows furrowed together in confusion.

    "Where is my room?" She asked.

    "I am showing you to it." Came his husky reply.

    "Why is it not with the others?"

    He stopped walking and turned to look down at her. He towered over her, his muscr body, making hers feel small inparison; she tilted her head up so her eyes would find his. A cold stare locked her in ce as the muscles in his jaw ticked.

    "You will be near me. NOT with them. By my side is the safest ce for you to be."

    Her heart skipped a beat at the words ''by my side'', but she kept her faceposed as she nodded her head in understanding. He blinked in surprise at her obedience, but without another word said, he turned and continued on. Once they were at the far end of the hall, Alpha Damon opened a door for her, revealing an enormous room with a double canopy bed, settee, TV and an ensuite bathroom.

    A walked to the other side of the room to the wall-length window, revealing the gardens behind it in the dark night. A few long, lost memories shed before her eyes; one, in particr, lingered in her mind. Two children, herself and a dark-haired boy, ran across the field of a garden ying tag, their childishughter filling the air. But as quick as the memory came to life, it faded as her attention went back to the present day. Shaking her head, she turned around to see Alpha Damon standing in the room, watching her.

    He crossed his arms, making A nce at his bulging biceps briefly before gazing into his silver eyes. With their eyes locked at each other, the air in the room thinned, the tension became palpable as the seconds ticked by.

    "There is a lot to discuss tomorrow. A lot of pack politics to go through. We will speak tomorrow." His husky voice resonated through the room.

    With one lingering look between them, he inhaled deeply while his eyes glowed and his hands began to shake by his side. A found herself almost in a trance as she took a step towards him, his scent filling her nose from where he stood. His chest began to heave as he continued to keep her trapped in his molten silver eyes, but as quick as a rubber band snapping, he abruptly turned and left the room. mming the door behind him.

    A released a breath she did not know she was holding in and blinked profusely at what just happened. Not only did she feel like running after him, but she was also very confused by her own reaction to a man she barely knew. However, her body inched closer to the bed as it seemed to almost scream at her to jump under the luxurious silk covers. She caved in immediately, already dismissing her thoughts about Alpha Damon while she removed her trainers and copsed on top of the bed. The sweet bliss of darkness engulfed her almost instantly as she conked out from the world before even climbing under the covers.

 Chapter 16 - An Early Start

    The next morning, A woke up with a killer headache. Her muscles were sore and bruised; any movement she made caused a singe of pain across her body. Her eyes squinted from the sunlight passing through the windows; if she drew the curtains the night before, she knew she would not be grumbling to herself right now.

    She loved her sleep and being on top of a bed sofy; she felt she would soon be one with it. Groaning to herself, she reached out and grabbed the nearest pillow, cing it on top of her head to hide away from the new day.

    Unfortunately, her mind had other ns; she felt utterly awake now and knew she would not be going back to sleep any time soon. Pulling the pillow away from her head, she searched around the bed and stopped when her eyesnded on the rm clock.

    6:30 am.

    A sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes. They arrived just past midnight the evening before, and with the events that led up to her escape, she knew she should have slept in and let herself recover. But she couldn''t and knew she would regret that decisionter in the day and would require a caffeine fix. Shrugging, she decided to get up.

    Once she stood up, a wave of pain crashed through her body, mainly her ribs and her muscles tightened under the sudden use of her legs.

    It''s cool; nothing a little warm water can''t fix.

    Although she wished she was still high from the adrenaline rush the night before, that way, she could walk the small distance to the ensuite without stopping and hissing due to the pain. As soon as she made it to the bathroom, she opted to take a shower; although the bath was big enough to fit four people and looked irresistible, having a bath required her to climb in and out of it. This took little to no effort, but she knew it was not worth the aftermath of pain in her condition.

    After she showered and got changed back into her worn clothes, she felt more refreshed; the heat from the water managed to loosen her muscles enough for her to walk normally again. However, it was no cure to the pain and headache she still felt.

    Next stop: get some painkillers!

    A left her room, her mindset on finding the kitchen and retrieving some painkillers. Yet, as soon as she stood outside her door in the hallway, she stopped and gazed at her surroundings, the natural light glimmered through the mansion, and she began to feel nostalgic. A recognised the hallway she stood in; ncing to the left, she saw a grand set of white double doors at the end of the hall. Frowning, she started to make her way to them, almost as is she was being called towards them.

    Reaching her hand out, she turned the doorknob and nearly smacked her head into the door. It was locked. ncing down, she noticed a key sticking out of the golden doorknob; turning it, the lock clicked, and she stepped through, gasping as she did so.

    The room she stepped into was twice the size of hers, with four lots of floor-length windows and a set of clear white doors leading out to a balcony at the far end, letting natural light shine in on the room. Without needing to walk around the room, A knew that on one side, there was a walk-in wardrobe that then led to an ensuite bathroom with his and her sinks and a waterfall shower. On the opposite side of the room, another set of doors would lead to a private living room.

    Stepping in further, she let her hand glide across the firece mantel, situated across from the canopy, super king-size bed, while her eyes nced around at the room. A was not astonished by the room''s extravagance or the fact that it deemed suitable for a royal family. No, her eyes were wide with shock as the room she stood in was her parent''s bedroom. Her eyes flickered over to the bed with unshed tears as a memory fragment fazed in front of her.

    A small, white-haired girl formed in front of her; she ran forwards, jumped on the bed with two bodies under the covers, groaning at the interrupted sleep. The girl, her younger self, began to giggle after a pair of hands reached out and brought her in between her parents for a three-way hug. The parents and child all smiled happily before her mother removed herself from the quilt and said she would make pancakes with her.

    Her mother walked towards the door, hand holding the younger version of her; she vanished the moment A outstretched her hand. She shed a tear as the memory faded away, and she was the only one left in the room. Her mother''s features lingered in her mind. She was a stunning woman; her white hair and blue eyes matched her own. A wiped the tear away from her cheek and inhaled deeply before walking towards the balcony doors.

    They were also locked, but a key was left in the doorknob''s deadbolt. Unlocking it, A stepped through, feeling the early morning sun on her face; the wind swept her hair back as she inhaled the fresh air. Walking forwards, she ced her hands on the balcony''s white rough surface as she gazed across the garden that was big enough to fit a few football fields. A looked down after noticing more than a dozen men training on some rubber mats. Some were grappling each other, others were fighting skilfully, and further back, wolves were fighting each other.

    Were they crazy!? It was 7 in the morning! On a SATURDAY!

    A shook her head, turning around but stopped when someone caught her eye. Someone who wore nothing but shorts and trainers, their torso bare. A nced around, making sure no one saw her; she leaned forwards onto the balcony and watched as Alpha Damon fought another well-built man. She watched almost in a trance at the two men fighting; it was clear within seconds that Damon was the better out of the two. Not only was he able to tackle his opponent with pure strength, but he was also agile, swiftly dodging attacks and pouncing on him instantaneously.

    After ten minutes, A was now leaning her head on the side of her arms,fortably ced on the balcony, her body crouched forwards. She watched as the sweat glistened off of Damon''s broad back, the muscles flexing as he moved. His hair clung to his face while he made another quick move that ended with his opponentnding harshly on his back. Alpha Damon brought his hand down to help him up. They smiled at each other and joked around, but she could not hear what was said from her position.

    He then picked up his water bottle and began to drink. A took that moment to trail her eyes down from his chiselled chest to his hard eight pack and lingered on the defined v''s that dipped down to his shorts. She flickered her eyes back to his face and almost fell backwards with embarrassment as their eyes met.

    Instead of hiding away, though, A felt her catch her breath as his eyes held her own; she could not free herself away from his intense gaze. Their eyes were still locked together as he brought the bottle back up to his lips, taking slow sips; she unconsciously bit her lip and watched as his eyes visibly darkened.

    "So fricken hot."

    He brought the bottle down and smirked at her. Did she say that out loud? Her eyes widened as heat rose to her cheeks; he could hear her from over there! This time she stood up and immediately turned around, hearing augh behind her as she walked through the balcony doors. She only slowed her steps to lock both doors of the master bedroom before quickly dashing back down the hallway.

    A mbered down the stairs and turned a corner that led through the open reception area, abruptly stopping when she nearly ran into two men.

    They turned around, revealing a clean-shaven Finn and Ajax. A gasped at Ajax''s sudden change in appearance; his short hair was stylishly messy and his face clear of any beard, revealing his sharp jawline. Both men looked normal and did not resemble castaways anymore.

    "Ajax, your hair is short! And your beard!"

    "Shit!" He turned around and looked in the mirror behind him, touching his face and hair, mockingly, "That''s not what I was going for when I decided to cut it all off.."

    He looked back around with his eyebrow arched. A yfully punched his arm in which he clutched at it, pretending to be hurt.

    "Seriously, you look so.." A trailed off as she took his new appearance in.

    "Handsome? Sexy? Suave? I know." He winked at her, making Finn punch his arm a lot harder than she did.

    A giggled in response, "I was going to go with tidy."

    "Oh, let down!" Ajax threw his arms up dramatically, making A purse her lips with raised brows, trying not tough again.

    "We seriously need to get new clothes, though. We still look like prisoners." Finn pointed out.

    "With you on that one! I can pull off anything but grey coveralls?" Ajax shivered; A rolled her eyes at them then watched Finn as he walked away to the other side of the reception hall. His footsteps echoing on the clean marble floors.

    A and Ajax followed him, both happy to roam freely without guards; they eyed up the impressive reception. Ajax continued to check his reflection out in the window, ying with his hair while A looked at a contemporary piece of art that she had no idea what it was about; she then turned to watch Finn abruptly stop in front of a painted portrait. Following his gaze, she made her way to his side.

    There was a light shining underneath the golden frame, making the painting stand out along with a golden que. Finn turned his head to look at her, then back at the image and back at her again, a look of astonishment on his face.

    "What''s up with Finn.." Ajax trailed off once his eyes fell on the portrait before looking down at A.

    A also held a look of shock, but it was not for the same reasons as the other two. The portrait was of her birth parents, standing proudly, side by side. A already knew she was a mirror image of her mother, but she was shocked and confused because, in the Silver Crescent Pack''s house, there was a portrait of her parents still hanging on the wall. The Alpha and Luna were meant to have killed thousands of innocents and were murdered by their own pack.

    Yet not only was there a portrait on the wall, but also fresh flowers in a vase on the mantel underneath it, along with many other flowers scattered on the floor.

    After reading the que, the colour drained from her face.

    It read:

    In loving memory of the Alpha King and Queen of Silver Crescent Pack:

    Alpha Titan Cross and Luna Alexandra Cross.

    May the Moon Goddess look after their souls and they rest in peace.

    -

    A nced back at the portrait onest time before turning abruptly on her heel, following a hallway through a grand living room, and ended up in the kitchen. She heard quick footsteps echoing behind her, but she did not slow down, already knowing that it was Ajax and Finn. She needed answers; she didn''t care if it was seven in the morning, her parents were early risers, and they had a lot of exining to do.

    As soon as she made it to the kitchen ind where her parents sat drinking coffee on the stools, her eyes gradually moved to the tes full of freshly made pancakes. Ajax and Finn immediately grabbed a dish, loading the pancakes up into high stacks before inhaling it as they sat down. A''s resolve on her questions dipped as the smell of pancakes and syrup made her stomach rumble.

    "You need to exin what the hell is going on." Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but A cut her off, "First, I need to eat. Then we are going to have a long-overdue discussion about lying in this family!" A pointed her fork between her parents before devouring her own pancakes.

 Chapter 17 - Lineage

    A''s parents led her back to the open spaced living room once they were done demolishing the food. Her mum gestured for her to sit on the dark leather sofa. After she sat in the middle, a cup of tea in her hand, Ajax plopped down next to her, his arm casually stretching over the back.

    At that exact moment, Alpha Damon walked into the room, his wavy locks damp from a recent shower. Her core clenched at how delectable he looked, his presence once more tugging at her to be next to him. A shifted in her seat as she fought against those urges.

    Alpha Damon''s eyes hardened as they moved to the shifter sittingfortably next to her, their bodies close enough to almost be touching. A nced at Ajax after she felt him y with her hair, a smirk on his face, amusement shing behind his eyes while he stared back at the Alpha. She watched as Alpha Damon''s eyes darkened, a low growl vibrating from his chest.

    A pped Ajax''s hand away and then shoved his feet off of the coffee table he just ced them on top of.

    "What are you, an animal?" She scolded him.

    Ajax hissed back at her, a yful look in his cat eyes; her own eyes glowed back at him, warning him to behave.

    "Those pretty eyes don''t work on me, sweet cheeks. I don''t do orders."

    "Sweetcheeks?! Eww, don''t ever use that again. Not on me or any other female for that matter." A cheeky grin formed on Ajax''s face causing A to smile in return; his smile and yfulness were contagious.

    "Are you guys done?" Finn interrupted while he slouched down on the other seat beside her.

    A grinned at him before her attention went back to her parents. They each sat in an armchair that Alpha Damon pulled together for them to sit side-by-side. The Alpha stayed standing behind them, in all his 6ft4 glory, arms crossed. His powerful presence would be distracting if it were not for the look on her parents faces pulling her back to the topic they needed to discuss.

    "A, honey. We should discuss this alone," Her mum said quietly, her hands holding her cup tightly as she nced at Finn and Ajax.

    "Whatever you tell me, you can say in front of them. Everyone else seems to know more about me than I do anyway," A snapped back at her but regretted the harshness in her voice immediately as she watched her mother look down sadly.

    "AILA," Alpha Damon warned her. His tone sent a chill down her spine, not in fear but delight at his voice, yet she still snapped her teeth together with an audible "Click".

    Sighing, she spoke more gently, "So, I am a werewolf from a strong Alpha bloodline, oh and apparently my parents were King and Queen of this pack? The pack who murdered them."

    Alpha Damon suddenly came towards her like a bull, a growl ripping through his lips, eyes burning with rage. But before he made it to her, Finn leapt in front protectively while she jumped lithely behind the sofa, spilling her cup on the floor in the process. Ajax moved into the Alpha''s line of sight so he couldn''t see A.

    A was surprised that her eyes were not glowing, or her nails had not changed, but she was more concerned with Finn at that moment. She watched only an hour beforehand, the Alpha fighting and knew how lethal he was. Yet what astonished her was that he did not fight Finn but stood in front of him, breathing heavily as he tried to control his temper, almost as if he was reining something in.

    "ENOUGH" A raised her voice in an authoritative tone that she was newly ustomed to. She moved around Ajax so she could see Alpha Damon; her eyes thennded on Finn, who was making a whining sound,

    "A, please¡­ don''t, don''tmand me to back down. I am protecting you. You are my Luna."

    Luna?

    "Finn, I am hardly a werewolf, let alone a Luna.." She muttered under her breath, but everyone in the room heard as they looked at her.

    "You ARE my Luna." Finn retorted; he continued to face the Alpha as he spoke, his stance still protective. A was at a loss for words as she stared at the back of his head.

    At Finn''s words, surprise reced Alpha Damon''s stance as the anger on his face dissipated. He immediately backed away to his original position, but she could see the bristling energy radiating off of him. When she nced back at her parents, she could also see the shock on their faces.

    "Was it something I said?" A half-heartedly joked; her body was still tense, ready for a fight, but she still sensed that Alpha Damon would never hurt her for some very odd reason. Even after he charged at her, she continued to feel that way.

    Her dad sighed, rxing his tense body as the atmosphere shifted slightly. A sat back down with Ajax by her side; Finn, however, stayed standing, his arms crossed as he eyed the Alpha who paid no heed to him. Whose eyes only burned into A''s. She looked back to her parents, waiting for their answer.

    But before they could, Alpha Damon spoke up in his gruff voice,

    "The Silver Crescent Pack would NEVER kill one of their own unless called for. But NEVER the King and Queen. Your parents were well-loved, and their deaths were a tragedy to all of us."

    A sat back, stunned as his low voice rumbled across the room. She gulped down her feelings and replied calmly,

    "The hunters said they killed thousands and in vengeance were killed in return."

    A growl left Damon''s mouth, and her dad scoffed at her statement,

    "The hunters were the ones who killed them. Whatever they have told you is a lie."

    A nodded her head in agreement with her own thoughts being said aloud.

    "But you knew that.." Her mum spoke up gently from her seat.

    "I had my suspicions about what they told me. The memories I do have of them always showed them as loving and caring. Nothing like how those wackos described." A nced down and pulled the sleeves of her hoody over her hands more. A habit of hers she formed over the years when she felt emotional.

    Looking back up, she said, "Tell me everything, don''t leave anything out. I am old enough to know now, especially after what I have been through."

    "Where should we start?" Her mum asked, meeting her husband''s gaze.

    "From the start." A interrupted. Her dad gave her a nod and grabbed his wife''s hand, taking a deep breath in.

    "Your parents, the Alpha King and Queen, ruled over most of thends. The Cross family are royals in the werewolf world, your lineage as a royal goes as far back as the 15th century. When the royals originally emerged, essentially, the royals came into existence through many challenges between Alphas." Her dad spoke confidently as he nced from each person in the room.

    He continued, "The strongest won, but it wasn''t just about strength but also tact. An alpha is an Alpha for a reason, and being able to control not just your pack but to rule over many; now that takes some serious skill. And the strongest bloodlines were able to do so. The Cross family were the strongest of all werewolves."

    A looked down into herp, absorbing the mini ancestorial history lesson.

    "The Cross''s were also well known to have the distinctive features of white hair and blue eyes. Each generation would have white hair and blue eyes, and of course, the only ones who ruled the throne had these features." Her dad continued.

    "I take it I don''t have any other family members?" She asked to see her parents shake their heads. "And the white hair and eyes are not normal?"

    "Come on, who else has white hair and stunning blue eyes like yours?" Ajax interrupted with a wink. She rolled her eyes at him and snapped her attention back when she heard a low growl.

    Jeese, Damon needs to lighten up.

    "Not for a wolf. Most werewolves have amber eyes. Blue eyes are the rarest. The only wolves to have them are the Cross family," Alpha Damon spoke up from his position, his eyes hard as he looked at her. A stared back at him,

    "But your eyes glow silvery.."

    The corner of one side of his lips went up, "The Cross family are not the only royals. The Steel family are also of royal lineage. We rule the other half of the werewolves."

    "So, the silver eyes are distinctive in your family?" A enquired, eager to know more about the deliciously hot Alpha before her.

    "No, that''s just me." His eyes glinted with amusement. A stared back into his dark pools of silver until Ajax overacted a cough by her side, distracting her.

    "Titan and Alexandra, they knew the hunters were up to something. Their attacks across thends were increasing, werewolves were being kidnapped. They worked out what they were looking for and started putting ns in ce. Back up ns in case, they were next. The hunters needed to believe that you did not exist.." Her dad exined. He pulled his hand back from her mothers and sped them together as he leaned back in the armchair.

    "Hold up. If they were after our blood, why did the hunters kill them? Ss intended for me to live out the rest of my days as a blood bank." A cut in, her eyes thoughtful as they stared back at her dad.

    "It was an ident on their part," Alpha Damon growled lowly, his eyes cold. A brought her knees to her chest before ying with her sleeves again. She noted how Alpha Damon watched her every move; she forced herself not to look at him. But she sensed a bit of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    How odd.

    "We had to do everything in our power to make sure you stayed under their radar.." Her dad''s voice trailed off, looking at her face as though he knew what they were about to tell her would upset her.

    "Tell me," She whispered, her voice already betraying how she felt.

    "Titan and Lexa, they begged me to. I didn''t want to, but there was no other option.. As an Alpha, he ordered you to keep your wolf at bay. To make sure you could not shift or even talk to one another. But when he died, you became the next in line, and so, your wolf came back.." Her mum held her cup tightly, looking into it as she spoke, but she nced back up to meet A''s confused expression.

    "There''s no easy way to say it. So, I will show you."

    A''s brows furrowed even further as her brain puzzled over her mum''s words. Suddenly, her eyes widened in disbelief as her mum raised her hand in front of her cup slowly. The brown liquid began to float in the air under her fingertips, the light from the windows shining on it. She then swayed her hand, and the liquid went higher into the air, turning into a small tornado.

    All eyes in the room were on the liquid spinning; A looked back at her mum, who seemed to glow, a small smile on her face as she twirled one finger. Then with a swift action of her wrist, the liquid fell gracefully back into the cup without making a ssh.

    "No fricken way," A said incredulously, not believing her eyes.

    "You''re a witch!" Ajax gushed, his mouth gaping in shock; his expression made A and Mandy smile.

    However, A''s face suddenly dropped as she began to figure out the rest of what her mum was going to say. Her eyes hardened when she met her mum''s; looking away quickly, she calmed herself down. A couldn''t be mad at her; she knew it was to protect her. Inhaling deeply, she met her mum''s gaze and her own softened as she gestured for her to continue.

    "I cast a spell on you to keep your wolf hidden. She has been caged inside of you since you were eight." Her mother confirmed her suspicions, although she was surprised how young she was when the spell was put on her.

    "Eight!?" Finn interrupted. His knuckles had gone white from where they were fisted so tightly, by his sides. A looked over at him, confused as to why he was angry.

    Her dad cleared his throat, "In the Cross lineage, they get their wolf at a younger than normal age, it does skip a generation, but itnded on A. Although A was one of the youngest known to first turn at the age of six."

    The room fell silent while A felt everyone staring at her. "What''s the normal age?" She asked casually, ignoring the strange atmosphere.

    "Between 16 to 18," Alpha Damon, for once, spoke softly. His features softening as he gazed at her. That seemed to make her feel worse than if he were growling at her. She felt numb by the news, but she masked her features.

    "How do I not remember being a werewolf? Or having my wolf?" A spoke coolly, looking at her mum. But once again, she made an assumption that her mum proved correct.

    "I created a spell to lock the memories away." Her mum looked back down, ashamed, "But they shoulde back in time when your wolf is back."

    Instead of wallowing about the past, A caught her mother''s attention again, "So, what happens now? How do I get my wolf?"

    A never thought she would be asking such a question; it wasn''t too long ago that she learned she was a werewolf. Now, not only was she a werewolf but of royal lineage and her wolf was trapped inside of her.

 Chapter 18 - What Now?

    "How do I get my wolf?" A aimed her question at her mum, the person who spellbound her.

    "Well, technically, she is already nearly free," Her mum replied sheepishly; A tilted her head, her brows creasing while she waited for her to continue.

    "The glowing eyes, nails turning into ws.. they are traits from the wolf," Finn intercepted, his attention briefly in A''s direction before he turned his head back, watching Alpha Damon.

    "Being able tomand Finn as well, and other werewolves for that matter," Ajax added. A looked at his face; she was surprised by how serious he appeared. She was unustomed to Ajax being nothing other than fun and loving. Then his words hit her like a ton of bricks, fluttering her eyshes, she looked away.

    "I don''t mean to.. I don''t know how to control that.." She trailed off while she looked down at her hands.

    "I will teach you how to control it," Alpha Damon''s deep voice brought her attention back to his handsome face. She nodded once, grateful to him, before turning her head back to her mother''s direction.

    "How is she nearly free? What needs to be done?" A asked, her eyes searching her mums, who looked at her pained.

    "The only way to break the spell is to have enough wolfsbane in your system."

    A''s stomach dropped as her lips parted in stunned silence. The silence immediately filled with the men''s voices talking all at once.

    "Wolfsbane!?" Alpha Damon roared angrily above the rest; A''s eyes settled on him to see his chest heaving alongside Finn, rage radiating off them both.

    "Why, wolfsbane?" Ajax queried, crossing his legs casually, his demeanour a lot calmer than the werewolves in the room.

    "It proved to be useful. No one suspected A of being a werewolf, and the herb is not exactly public knowledge to the humans. So, it was never going to be in her system, meaning her wolf would be safely hidden away. That was until recently.." Mandy exined herself quietly to the people in the room. Andy put his arm around her protectively from the res she received from Finn and Damon.

    "How much are we talking about here?" Finn piped up, his nostrils ring while he looked to be containing his temper, "You know it will cause excruciating pain for her. Is there no other way.."

    A leaned back into the sofa, closing her eyes as she raised her hand to the bridge of her nose, pinching it at the thought of the poison burning through her body again. Her hand then glided up to the side of her temple as she leant her elbow on her knee, staring into space as the noise of the others arguing and talking drowned out into the background.

    Without taking notice of where the conversation steered to, she spoke up, her voice low but holding a depth of strength behind it that brought attention from the others in the room, "I''ll do it."

    "A, we don''t know how much is needed-"

    "I said," Her eyes began to glow as her voice grew stronger, interrupting Finn, "I will do it. No matter what. I was luckyst night. If the pack didn''t turn up when they did, I would be dead right now." Finn''s eyes widened in shock as the tension in the room became palpable, "I refuse to be in that position again. I will not be weak any longer! Those bastards are out there. They know about me now, that I exist, what I look like.. I need to be the big bad wolf they are expecting." Her eyes looked at each person in the room, holding their gazes,stly, lingering on Alpha Damon; she saw his lips twitch into some semnce of a smile.

    "Do you have wolfsbane?" Ajax questioned Alpha Damon, breaking the silence that fell upon the group.

    He scoffed, "Of course, we use it to interrogate werewolves."

    A looked up, bbergasted by the Alpha''s statement, but it was evident that this was a regr urrence as she looked around. She was new to the world of creatures, so she did not speak up on the questions that formed in her mind. Yet, she wondered what werewolves he was referring to; wolfsbane was no joke; it felt like burning acid shooting through the body. So, they must have done something wrong to be tortured with it.

    Putting her questions to the back of her mind, she jumped up from the couch, causing everyone to look at her confused.

    "Come on then. Let me go get tortured. Again."

    "Oh boy," Ajax whistled, earning a re from A.

    "Right now, honey?" Her dad asked apprehensively. He stood up and came forwards, holding her by the arms as he looked into her eyes, intently, "You still need to recover.."

    "Will wolfsbane kill me?" She asked, her tone of voice light as though she wondered about the weather.

    "No.." He trailed off; his brows furrowed together at his own acknowledgement and how he helped her prove her point.

    "Then I''ll be fine," She squeezed her father''s arms reassuringly before looking in Alpha Damon''s direction, "Where to?"

    "The dungeon," He deadpanned.

    Her face dropped at his statement. He burst outughing, his hearty voice echoing around the room, the depth of it rumbling through his chest. A lit up immediately at the sound of hisugh. She suddenly felt light and warm as she looked at the dazzling smile on his face, making him look younger. He walked past her and spoke over his shoulder,

    "Just kidding, we don''t have a dungeon. This isn''t a castle. Come, let''s go to the basement."

    "I''m not sure that''s any better," Ajax said sarcastically while he jumped up to follow A and Alpha Damon. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes filled with amusement by hisment.

    A quickly looked ahead, startled after Alpha Damon put his hand on the lower part of her back to lead the way. Her body felt electrified by the touch of his hand. Heat radiated from the lower part of her back, his fingertips sending shockwaves directly to her core. Her eyes widened by how raw she felt under his touch; she peeked up through hershes at him to see a smug smile on his face.

    He knew what he was doing to her!

    She nced away, pretending to take note of her surroundings; although she knew the mansion quite well, it was only the d¨¦cor that had changed. Alpha Damon led them to the other end of the mansion. His hand never left her back until they made it to a door that opened up to the stairs that led them to the basement.

    Her back felt cold without his touch, and she internally pouted at the loss of contact. He flicked the light switch and continued to descend the stairs while the lights flickered on.

    "I think I have PTSD. D¨¦j¨¤ vu. ustrophobia.. Hands are sweaty-" Ajax rambled on from behind her.

    "Stop being dramatic," Finn sighed, exasperated. A turned her head after she heard a slight p and bit her lip, stifling a giggle when she saw Ajax rubbing the back of his head.

    Once A made it to the bottom of the stairs, she stopped for a moment as she took in the sight before her. It was very simr to where they came from the day before. Silver cells lined up against one side of the room; each cell had chains bolted to the wall. A subconsciously gulped and quickened her steps to catch up to Alpha Damon''s long strides.

    "Why do you have a basement that looks like it should be in a horror movie?" She looked up at the ''Greek-god'' beside her, "Should I be worried?" She whispered.

    His eyes glinted with amusement as he looked down at her, his lips twitched before he replied,

    "Werewolves still need to be punished for the crimes theymit. Whether that is packw or human. Some packs still don''t abide by our rules or ept the royals as being in charge¡ªthey rebel and cause havoc. There are also the rogues. They tend to stay clear from us, but they also cause us problems, nearly exposing us to the humans. Our existence from humans is vital in staying a secret. You''ve met the hunters.. Imagine if the world knew about us. Not just us but all creatures. We won''t take any chances. "

    "I see your point.." A trailed off as she watched the Alpha go towards some cupboards opposite the cells, opening the doors and bringing a giant, stic toolbox out, cing it on top of the surface with a loud thud. He unsped the side of it, opening it up to reveal jars full of clear liquid and syringes.

    A brushed her hand across one of the jars while Alpha Damon stuck the syringe in one, pulling the lever back to fill the syringe up with the liquid.

    "Are you sure about this?" He held the syringe in one hand while his eyes flickered between hers. She gazed back, almost feeling lost to the depths of his eyes, yet, she snapped out of it and replied softly, "Of course."

    Get a grip, A!

    He gazed at her; a flicker of admiration swept across his eyes before a mask ofposure fell over him once again. Nodding his head, he closed the toolbox.

    "How will I know if my wolfes through?" She asked, eying the syringe in his hand.

    A small smile yed on his lips, his eyes gleaming with amusement, "Oh, you will know."

    His cryptic response made her brows furrow in confusion.

    "She''s not staying in here," Finn came forward while he eyed the syringe in Alpha Damon''s hand.

    "Of course not," Alpha Damon snapped. Looking at Finn irritably, unimpressed by his statement. Finn lowered his head slightly, his gaze to the floor, a sign of submission and respect to the Alpha.

    All four of them made their way back up the stairs and met Mandy and Andy, who waited in the reception. They were whispering to each other and stopped when they noticed the group approach. A eyed the pair suspiciously. She hardly ever saw her parents arguing; if they did, it was over something silly. But from the way they kept ncing at her nervously, told her that they were arguing about her.

    More secrets?

    The news of being a royal werewolf was already extraordinarily out there, let alone anything else they could possibly be holding back from her.

 Chapter 19 - Pain

    "A will take the wolfsbane in her room," Alpha Damon announced. He ced his hand onto her lower back again and steered her towards the staircase. They stopped on the first step; Alpha Damon suddenly turned around.

    "I did not realise this was a group effort," He mused. Ajax and Finn, Mandy and Andy were all following the pair.

    "Thanks guys, but there''s not much you can do. You should go enjoy your freedom," A smiled warmly at Ajax and Finn.

    "Sounds good to me. I might go stretch my legs," Ajax began to saunter away then halted when he noticed Finn still standing in front of Alpha Damon and A, "Finn, she will be fine. Come on, we haven''t shifted in FOREVER!"

    Finn searched A''s eyes then turned on his heels, seemingly satisfied with what he found. The pair walked off in their grey coveralls; Finn with his hands in his pockets and Ajax, who put his arm around his shoulders and gave him a ''noogie'' before Finn pushed him back, and they yfully ran off.

    A shook her head at the pair; her eyes thennded on her parents, "I''ll be fine," She tried to reassure them. Her mother nodded, a weak smile on her face, whereas her father frowned, ncing between her and Alpha Damon; a strained smile went on his face, and they walked off down the hallway.

    A turned back around and was once again led by Alpha Damon, his hand on her back as they walked up the stairs and towards her room. But instead of going to her bedroom, they walked past it to the next door down the hallway. A looked up at him in confusion, but he opened the door and gestured for her to go in.

    As soon as she walked through the door, she immediately knew the bedroom she was in was Alpha Damon''s; his delicious, woodsy and cologne mixed scent was everywhere. Plus, the room looked lived in, unlike hers, with warm, rich colours, a firece in front of a settee set that had a few books scattered about, and to the side was a clear door that led to a small balcony.

    A eyed the small, rounded table and chairs that sat on the balcony. It was cute, and she half-imagined the Alpha seated in one of the chairs on the balcony in the morning with a coffee in his hand.

    With her brows creased, she turned around and faced Alpha Damon, raising her arms in an open gesture, "Why am I here, Damon?"

    A low growl rumbled through his chest as he stalked towards her slowly,

    "Alpha Damon. I am still YOUR Alpha."

    A bit her tongue at the refusal that almost left her lips while she continued to step backwards, away from the Alpha, "Why am I here, ALPHA Damon?" However, she couldn''t help the mockery that came with her answer.

    All at once, he threw the syringe on the bed and cornered her against the wall, his hands ced either side of her, trapping her. She raised her head, challengingly meeting his burning eyes. He leaned his head closer; she anticipated a kiss but was dismayed when his lips brushed the side of her ear.

    "Is there any obedient bone in your body?" His rough voice growled in her ear. Her core clenched from the sound of his voice, their proximity and his hot breath fanning the side of her face.

    She ced her hands on his hard chest, causing him to inhale deeply at her touch and brought his face around, his eyes ncing at her lips. She smirked, her eyes glinting yfully, "Seems to me you like it," A watched as his eyes went darker and began to shimmer slightly.

    She then gently pushed his chest away from her. The small action caused him to lean back, giving her the space she didn''t actually want. But although she was immensely attracted to him and his insatiable body, she didn''t just throw herself at guys because they were pretty. Or, in his case, a bit of a dominant that turned her on.

    "Watch yourself," He grumbled before turning away and gesturing her to the bed while he grabbed the syringe.

    "You gave me a room. Why am I here?" She breathed, still catching her breath as she stayed leaning against the wall.

    "Because you are, A. I''m not about to inject you with this shit and be on my merry way. No, I will be here with you. For the most part." Themand behind his voice made her think twice about arguing. However, instead of going to the bed, she sat down on the brown, leather settee.

    Alpha Damon sighed, "It would befier on the bed,"

    "No part of this will befy," She retorted, moving her hair away from her neck.

    She looked back up after seconds went by in silence; Alpha Damon was staring at her bare neck. His eyes then flickered to hers as a muscle in his jaw ticked. He sat down next to her and ced his hand gently on her shoulder, her skin instantly heated under his touch.

    As soon as the needle pierced her skin in her neck, and the liquid was injected, his touch felt distant inparison to the burning sensation rippling through her body. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and clenching her teeth while her hands gripped at the edge of the sofa as she gasped out at the pain.

    "I''m sorry," He whispered; her tear-filled eyes met his pained ones. She forced a weak smile on her face before curling up into a small ball on the sofa. A could feel Alpha Damon''s eyes still on her, but at this point, it did not matter; she just needed to get through the agonising pain coursing through her.

    For the next two days, A was in continuous agony. Trembling, sweating, writhing in pain. Alpha Damon began injecting her with wolfsbane every four hours, asking her permission each time. By the end of the first day, she passed out and woke up in the Alpha''s bed.

    She noted how Alpha Damon slept on the couch, a book left on top of his chest. Although A was in pain, she felt terrible for stealing his bed that could really fit up to four people in.

    So, the next best thing she could do in her condition was to grab the nket left on the side and throw it over him cing his book on the floor with his leather bookmark put in position of where he was reading. She would go back to her room, but she knew better. Alpha Damon would probably drag her back to his.

    He kept to his word and hardly left the room. When she was conscious, or her fogged mind was clearer, she noticed him shovelling through papers and making phone calls. He also brought food to her in bed, but she could not eat much; the high dosage of wolfsbane in her system seemed to cause her to lose her appetite.

    On one delicious asion, she watched the Alpha walk out of his bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, steam rising off his chiselled body. However, she couldn''t fully appreciate the view as her eyes clenched together from another surge of fire burning through her veins.

    On the second day, she was gifted new pyjamas by him while her other clothes were taken off to be washed. The smallfort of the new garments done nothing against the pain that only seemed to escte as time went by, with the wolfsbane radiating in her system continuously and the dosage increasing.

    At one point, she woke up to amotion outside of the bedroom. She stayed in a foetal position on the bed, not bothered by what was going on outside the room. However, her peace was disrupted when she heard the door swing open,

    "You can''t order me to do anything. I''m not a part of your pack. If I want to see her, then I will! I don''t abide by packw. Where is she?!" Her eyes fluttered open from the intrusion, but after hearing their voice, she didn''t need to turn around to know who it was.

    Momentster, Ajax came into view. He kneeled by the bed''s side, his emerald, green eyes filled with concern as he looked at her.

    "Hey, sweet pea," He spoke softly, moving some of her hair away from her mmy forehead where it clung to. A rolled her eyes at the nickname, but she didn''t actually mind this one. She was getting used to his charming and quirky ways.

    Another low growl rumbled through the room; the pair of them looked over at Alpha Damon, who began pacing, his hand raking through his already tousled hair. Although he did remove his hand away from her head where he left it, Ajax ignored him.

    "You look terrible," Ajax continued; his eyes flickered across her face.

    "Still look better than you," A retorted weakly before moving from her position to lean up against the headboard. She hissed at the slight movement; the wolfsbane made her ribs that much more painful.

    The pair looked over at Alpha Damon again as his eyes pierced into A''s. She could tell something was wrong, but he nced away and stormed out of the room, muttering something about the pack. However, she could not hear the specifics. Once he was gone, Ajax jumped onto the bed and fluffed a pillow before leaning against the headboard, cing it behind his back, his legs outstretched in front of him. He looked to the side at A.

    "So, what''s going on between you and the scary Alpha?" He joked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. A snorted lightly but hissed again in pain.

    "Nothing is going on."

    "Uhuh, yet here you are.. In HIS bedroom, HIS BED. Why are you staying here?" He eyed her suspiciously, his expression mocking.

    "Because he''s so bloody domineering. If I left, he''d just bring me back," A rolled her eyes and continued, "And I honestly don''t have the energy to deal with an alpha male right now."

    "He''s not done anything you don''t want him to.." Ajax searched her eyes, concern etched on his face, "I know how some Alphas'' use their power and take advantage of-"

    "No! No, seriously, it''s not like that. I think he just feels bad about the whole wolfsbane thing." A interrupted in a panic.

    "Good. But I still think something is going on. I felt the sexual tension from the pair of you earlier, making googly eyes at each other.. That was nothing?"

    A grabbed a pillow and smacked him around the head, ending the conversation about Alpha Damon. She honestly didn''t know how she felt about him, let alone speaking out loud to Ajax about him.

    "Don''t you have anything better to do?" She asked irritably.

    Ajax clutched his chest in mock agony and jumped off the bed to y with his stylishly, messy hair in the mirror before replying. "You''re breaking my heart, baby girl. All I do is check in on you, and you don''t even like mypany."

    He walked off, his head dropping down as he pulled a sad expression. A rolled her eyes at his overexaggerated disy of sadness. Just before he left the room, a mischievous glint shone in his eyes, his smile crooked, "You know, if you wanted alone time with him, you only had to ask-"

    A threw a pillow towards him, but he closed the door just in time.

    For the rest of the day, she was left by herself except for the asions where she was injected with the wolfsbane. She did not mind being alone, her mood had dropped immensely, and she began snapping back at anyment made by Alpha Damon. She was lucky he was patient; she knew he would react very differently if another individual spoke back to him the way she did.

    But the wolfsbane had taken a nasty turn by this point. It was slicing through her bloodstream. Her body felt as though hundreds of knives were continuously stabbing at her in random locations across her body. She hardly moved for fear that it would cause another explosion of pain.

    By the evening, A wed at Alpha Damon''s hands. She couldn''t imagine how much worse it could get. However, he easily overpowered her, grabbing her hands in one of his own and roughly injecting the wolfsbane into her neck. She stifled down a groan and was relieved to know that it was thest injection for the night. However, this time, she passed out immediately; her body went limp as she copsed into Alpha Damon''s arms.

    A could not feel any pain as she fell into the oblivion of sleep. The following day, she woke up in bed with a headache pounding into her skull. Sighing, she sat up and reached for the ss of water on the bedside table.

    "Hello A"

    She gasped at the voice. Her eyes widened as she dropped the ss to the floor.

    "Oops, sorry about that! My name is Malia. It''s so nice to finally meet you. Again."

 Chapter 20 - Malia

    A froze on the spot. A voice had spoken to her in her mind. All of a sudden, everything seemed to click into ce; she couldn''t exin it. A stared wide-eyed across the room. She had her wolf, Malia.

    Was that what Damon meant when he said she would know?

    "A, chill, we have been together since we were six."

    "I''m sorry you were locked away," A whispered aloud to Malia.

    Sheughed sardonically, "Well, I am back now. It feels good. Ya'' know, you don''t need to talk out loud to me. I can hear your thoughts, emotions, everything. We are one and the same."

    A nodded her head. Until now, she didn''t realise there was a missing part of her, but now Malia was here, she felt almostplete. It felt right. Leaning back against the bed''s headboard, it was then, like a flick of a switch, that a rushing sensation flowed through her body, almost making her feel a little lightheaded. Once her body calmed down, she flickered her eyes across the room in awe as her mind was overloaded with heightened senses.

    Not only was her 20/20 vision enhanced so much that she could see the smallest of dust particles near the windows, but she could hear the grunts and smacking sounds of the men outside training. It was almost like a whisper echoing through her ears; before, she could not hear anything from this room because they trained opposite her parent''s bedroom.

    "I know it''s cool, right? I have no idea how you went along with your mundane life before this. Because being a wolf is fricken epic!" Malia chimed in arrogantly, making A giggle with delight.

    Smiling to herself at her better senses, she decided to have a shower. Although she still felt bruised and beaten up, her feverish state came to a stop, and a shower was just what she needed to wash away the grit of her two wolfsbane filled days.

    In the shower, her muscles rxed more under the heat of the water. Once she was out, she checked herself out in the mirror, the bruises on her face were gone, and when she checked her ribs, there was only a tiny, green bruise left; the sharp pain was gone.

    "Malia.." She was amazed by her little transformation, "I thought the wolfsbane would slow the healing process down,"

    "It does, but you still heal quicker than a human. I can''t believe we had to take wolfsbane to set me free." Malia moaned, expressing her displeasure at their situation.

    "I know. My head is killing me." A rubbed at her temples before getting changed back into her pyjamas, the only clothes she had, "Remind me to go shopping when we feel better. I feel sozy wearing pyjamas.'' Malia chuckled before agreeing with her.

    As soon as she left the bathroom, Malia became alert, causing A to tense her body in anticipation. She stopped and inhaled deeply to the woodsy scent mixed with cologne, Alpha Damon''s heavenly scent. However, another aroma mixed in with it pleasantly, she couldn''t get a grasp on it, but it was ever so alluring.

    "What is that?" Malia asked, almost drooling at the smell. She was pacing impatiently as though she was ready to w herself out of A''s skin and into the open.

    "Hmmm, I don''t know, but it''s delicious," A replied, taking another sniff of the aroma in the air. Her heart began pounding loudly against her chest, her hands bing sweaty in anticipation.

    In anticipation of what? What was wrong with her? Why did she feel so excited by a smell? By Alpha Damon?

    The smell was bing too much for her now heightened senses. She decided to get some fresh air, and where better to go than her parent''s balcony, the spot where she could put her new imed senses to the test. With that thought in mind, she began walking around the bed and yanked on the doorknob, swinging the door open with a bang. A jumped at her own power.

    Oops.

    She smiled at her new strength.

    "Hey, you seriously going out like that. Put a jacket on at least," Malia scolded her with amusement behind her voice.

    A scoffed, "Sorry, MUM."

    "I''m just looking out for ya."

    A rolled her eyes at Malia''s response before grabbing a hoody from Alpha Damon''s wardrobe. The moment she pulled it out, her face automatically leaned into the clothing, inhaling his scent. For the next few minutes, shepletely lost herself in his scent, rubbing her head into the clothing.

    Okay, that''s weird. What are you doing, A!?

    She abruptly pulled her head back as her cheeks inmed with embarrassment.

    "Well, I was enjoying that, thank you very much." A ignored her wolf''smentary and put the hoody on that was three times too big for her, drowning her from its bagginess.

    She sneaked another sniff of the material, which made Malia go wild in her mind; she decided then not to do it again, the scent seemed to affect both of them, and neither of them knew why. Walking out of the room, she made her way to the balcony.

    As soon as she opened her parent''s room, she felt Malia go deadly quiet; A thought for a moment she somehow left her mind, and it was just her again. But she focused her thoughts on Malia, and there, in the darkest corners of her mind, she heard her wolf making a low whining sound. She was sad about being in the room. The distant memories of her parents brought a saddened smile to A''s lips.

    A realised then that she felt as though she had known Malia her whole life, even though she was locked away from her, unable to talk and shift. Malia was always there; she had always been with her, watching her life from the back of her mind. A was sad for all the lost years without her, but now she was ecstatic to have herpany and thefort she brought with her. If she didn''t know she was a werewolf, though, and a voice started speaking to her, A swore she would have to see a therapist.

    Malia scoffed at thest part of A''s thoughts. Walking forwards, she opened the door to the balcony and went to lean against the rough surface. The fresh air brought her spirits up as well as clearing her groggy mind from the wolfsbane. Though her body still felt weak, it was a lot better than it was the night before.

    Her eyes immediately sought out Alpha Damon and were left disappointed when she could not find him. Even so, she did note to the balcony to ogle at hot guys.

    "Really? I am quite happy with ogling them. The wolves, the half-naked men, hmmm," Malia interrupted her thought process. A snickered at her wolf''smentary.

    "Alright, close your mouth. You''re drooling. I just wanted some fresh air and to test my eyesight out," A feigned innocently.

    "Please do, test away! Maybe just focus on that guy there."

    A''s attention went to the shirtless man with dirty blonde hair tied back into a low bun. The power and authority emanating from him were clear. He seemed to be in charge, but he didn''t quite have the same power that radiated off of Alpha Damon.

    "Ah, he''s the beta of the pack," Malia chipped in. That made sense, considering she could not see Alpha Damon, the blonde-haired man, was left in charge.

    It was then, Alia noticed how big the pack members were. Most of the men were at least 6ft and shredded. There were also far fewer women on the field training. There were only seven from what she could see, and each one of them must have been at least 5ft10 to 6ft. Making her feel small inparison, and she was above average for a woman''s height.

    "There are a few female wolves at the back. But still, there aren''t many." Malia added to A''s observation.

    How strange.

    She knew there must have been more she-wolves; a pack asrge as this didn''te from the ten or so females she could see on the field. A tensed. All of a sudden, her vision blurred slightly as her gaze took on a faraway look, "A, how are you feeling?"

    A jumped with a small yelp. She looked behind her to see nobody there.

    "What was that?" She asked Malia. She began to think that maybe there was another wolf in her head that Malia forgot to mention. Or she was genuinely losing it. She had been through a lot after all. It wouldn''t be too far-fetched.

    "Someone has mind-linked us," Came Malia''s reply, putting A''s rising anxiety to a halt.

    "What''s that?"

    "It means anyone in the pack can talk to you. It''s like those radio things the hunters had. They can only hear you once you focus on them to respond back." Malia informed her about the mind-link power in the pack.

    "A?" The male voice was louder now, so she focused on responding.

    "Who is this?" A heard herself echo along a non-existent line; it was strange. But everything that had happened so far made this little exchange seem small inparison.

    "I''m Kane, the beta of the pack." A turned her head in the direction of the man with his hair in a bun, "You look better," She stared at him, shaking off the surprise from her face.

    A rolled her eyes internally at herself. If she could see him clearly, then, of course, he could see her.

    "Duh," Malia mocked her.

    A leaned forwards again, "Where is Damon?" She stared intently at the man named Kane.

    He crossed his arms, a stern expression recing his kind one a moment ago, "ALPHA Damon. And I cannot tell you."

    "Why?"

    From what A could tell, Kane narrowed his eyes at her, annoyed by her question, "Because he has ordered me not to tell anyone in the pack. Including you."

    A rolled her eyes, causing the beta to raise a single brow at her. The Alpha and Beta were clearly used to the werewolves in the pack, obeying them without any questions asked.

    "You know, you can just overthrow his orders. You are from THEE royal bloodline. Making you, their Luna." Malia piped up with a hint of mischief in her voice.

    "Now, now. Let''s y nice. We just met the poor guy." A smirked. She didn''t want to get onto the topic of being a Luna. She was unsure of how she felt about it.

    "How long will he be?" A mind-linked Kane. She could almost see him sigh before he replied in an exasperated tone, "I can''t say."

    A swell of disappointment filled her, but she kept her face neutral as she still felt Kane''s eyes on her.

    "Fair enough," She replied nonchntly and turned on her heel, going back the way she came.

    A knew precisely where she was going next, the kitchen. Her appetite returned at full force, shocking her with the strong need to eat. She was always a big eater, so going through the rice diet the hunters gave her was hard to go through, especially when she became irritable, or ''hangry'' as Ajax put it- angry because she is hungry, ''hangry''.

    "It''s a wolf thing," Malia yawned before continuing, "we have a high metabolism. You can thank meter. I am the reason you have not put an ounce of fat on that ''hot bod'' of yours."

    A couldn''t help the smile that came to her face; Malia felt like the sister she never had. Once she made it down the stairs and to the kitchen, she smirked, amused at seeing Ajax and Finn already inhaling the morning''s breakfast which looked to be a Full English fry up. A''s stomach growled, giving her position away to them.

    "Hey!" They both eximed at the same time, their faces lit up before their eyes began assessing her.

    "Hey yourselves," She started piling up food on her te to the point that it was the same amount as what the guys had. They eyed her again as she sat down next to them.

    "A?" Finn''s voice floated across her mind. She looked across at him and tilted her head in a yful smile. A broad smile crept up his face while Ajax nced between the two, a puzzled expression on his face.

    "You got your wolf!" Finn eximed aloud, the joy evident in his voice as he got up and came forwards for a hug. A returned his hug and felt another pair of arms go around her from behind.

    "You look a lot better, sweet pea," Ajax whispered next to her ear.

    "Are you sticking with sweet pea?" Sheughed as she pulled away from Finn.

    Ajax rounded her and sat back down next to her, his eyes still set on her face, "Meh, give or take. Seriously though, you look a lot better. How do you feel?"

    "Hungry and restless." She replied before taking a bite from the toast she buttered. When she looked back at him, she saw the excitement behind his eyes.

    "Then we should go for a run," A smile yed on his lips.

    "I think she needs to rest, AJ. She''s just had wolfsbane in her system non-stop for two days. We can go tomorrow," Finn looked over at her, concerned.

    "Oh, he''s such a sweetheart. But I am so ready to go for a run. Pleeeeease, can we go?" Malia moaned.

    Instead of replying to Malia, she spoke aloud for everyone to hear, "Hmm, let me eat, then see how I feel."

    "A, your first shift will be really painful. You are still weak from the wolfsbane.." Finn trailed off as his eyes flickered across her face, the worry lines on his forehead starting to show.

    "I don''t remember it, as our memory has been wiped. But we should have shifted when we turned six," Malia informed her.

    "Well, apparently, I shifted when I was six, so it should be okay. Also, I''ve been in a cell for more than a week. Then in that room for two days. I need to get out," A spoke in a tiresome voice.

    "Try being in that cell for five years," Ajax muttered under his breath before taking a sip from his coffee.

    "But you are weak right now." Finn continued looking at her as though she were a china doll.

    "I''ll be fine," She met his eyes, her words a finality before finishing her breakfast.

    Malia was restless throughout the whole conversation and even through the meal. She was pumped and ready more than anything to get out and taste the freedom she desperately needed. A got up from the kitchen stool and looked over at the pair; her eyes gleamed with excitement. Ajax grinned, his own enthusiasm radiating off of him while Finn pursed his lips in worry.

    "Come on, she''ll be fine! She''s a little warrior!" Ajax remarked as he put his arm over Finn.

    "Let''s go," Her smile broadened before she briskly walked into the living room and out the patio doors that led to a vast garden. One that had a courtyard with a magnificent fountain on disy, and further back were trees in front of a majestic mountain range.

    As soon as her eyesnded on the trees, she inhaled deeply and suddenly felt her body spasm. Falling to the ground, she caught herself,nding on her hands and knees. Malia couldn''t hold back anymore as a guttural growl erupted from her chest; she felt her eyes pulse and glow a brilliant blue. A rippling sensation went through her as her muscles constricted under an unseen force from within.

    Her heart pounded to a beat of a drum she could not keep up with while her back made an abrupt cracking sound as the bones in her body began to break, yet the feeling wasn''t as bad as she thought. There was only a numbing, burning sensation. All at once, her skin pulled and tore from her back as white fur grew out from inside her. She watched as a white snout lengthened before her. Her lips pulled back, baring her sharp teeth as she jumped forwards, the clothes she wore ripped to shreds and fell to the ground.

    A shook her head, stumbling around on the four legs she now stood on. Her eyes bulged as she looked down at her huge, white furry paws. Before her thoughts could process the rest, Malia emerged as though from behind a screen in her mind. A submitted to her wolf and allowed her to take over her body.

    "Mind if I take the reins for a moment," Malia asked, but they both knew she was not asking.

    The striking white wolf raced towards the trees. Nothing in that moment mattered, only her, her paws drumming on the ground, the wind soaring through her fur as she burned through the pent-up energy from within.

 Chapter 21 - The White Wolf

    A ran deep into the forest, her lungs and legs were burning, but she pushed herself on as she darted past the trees. The blissful feeling of running her paws into the earth and taking in all of nature''s details kept the pain at bay. She was still feeling a little weak from the wolfsbane; even so, it was nothing she couldn''t handle.

    Her ears twitched, and she turned her head in the direction of the sound of paws thundering across the ground. Her body stiffened, alert the moment her eyesnded on a sleek ck panther.

    "A, wait for us! You shifted so quickly. We weren''t expecting it!" Finn mind-linked her. His earlier concerns were clearly forgotten about as excitement filled his voice.

    A settled her eyes on the approaching brown, grey wolf she presumed was Finn. It was odd as she appeared to be slightly bigger than him even though in their human forms, he towered over her. The panther to his side made a loud ferocious roar that only those majestic animals could make. The sound gained her attention immediately. Ajax''s eyes reflected back from the sun before he sprinted past her. Malia immediately took over and chased after him yfully.

    As they ran deeper into the woods, A could not help but admire how Ajax ran in his panther form. He was able to shift direction rapidly, his hips bouncing from one side to the other, showing off his agility. She almost ran into a tree or two to keep up with him. Yet, once the woods came to a clearing, she sprinted past him, the power behind her legs pushing her as fast as she could go.

    The three of them ran, yed and hunted in the surrounding forest for most of the day. A and Finn let their wolves take charge, letting them y together and get to know each other, while Ajax continued hunting deer nearby. After a few more hours, Malia melded back into her mind, letting A have control once again. She trotted side-by-side with Finn towards ake that mirrored the mountains behind it.

    They plopped themselves down in front of theke, enjoying the view. Not long after, Ajax appeared, stalking slowly forwards; his mouth was covered in fresh blood that he soon got rid of by drinking from theke. He settled next to them, takingfort in the silence.

    A could see how much they enjoyed the open outdoors; the breath of fresh air was almost like a rush to junkies. She couldn''t me them. Ajax had been abducted for five years, and for Finn, it was eight from what she remembered him telling her in their imprisoned days together. A leaned her head on her paws and nced up at Finn, who was sniffing the air, his eyes squinting.

    Her mind went back to the beginning of her abduction. It felt like years had gone by and at the same time as though it was only yesterday. She knew it had been a few days since their escape but the different scenery and her literally being a wolf right now blew her mind.

    "Finn, did you know I was royalty when we first met?" She mind-linked him. Her question took him by surprise as his head snapped back to look at her.

    "What makes you say that?" He answered with a question, his voice sounding thoughtful.

    "Well, you kneeled on the floor.." She trailed off, remembering the moment vividly, from the crazed man holding her by her neck to submitting to her on the floor.

    "I honestly don''t know. I have never met a royal before. I only knew of them, but I just felt a sense of powering off of you when we met. I knew immediately you were someone I could follow and would protect." Finn ced his own head on his paws so the pair could look at each other on the ground. A didn''t know what to say to that. Instead, she made a joke, "So, it''s just you, me, and Ajax left in the prisoners club now."

    "Yep, and you are the Luna," Finn''s chuckle floated across the mind-link.

    "Hmm, that''s a lot of pressure. Finn.." She caught his attention again after his eyes began scouting their surroundings, "Do you not n on returning to your family?"

    His wolf''s ears went t as a small whimper left its mouth, "They died. The hunters... they massacred my pack, killing my family. I was the only survivor. They decided to take me instead of throwing me into the fire of burning bodies they left. And well, you know the rest. Eight long yearster, and here we are." His voice grew thick with sorrow as he stared off into the distance.

    A inhaled sharply, shocked at what Finn must have been through, "I''m so sorry. They really do destroy lives."

    Their conversation ended there, each gued by their own thoughts. Neither of them felt awkward by the silence, though they were happy in each other''spany in a moment of remembering the ones they lost.

    "A," Kane''s voice echoed through the mind-link, "It''s near curfew. Alpha Damon would not be happy if you are still out in the forest past dark."

    "What the hell? A curfew?" Malia scoffed at his words. She had been quiet after falling asleep in the back of her mind.

    "I suppose we should go back. All this running with wolfsbane in my system has made me tired." A sighed, standing back up on all fours. Malia was ready to grumble back but agreed with A''sment. They had done a lot considering she was bedbound for two days; they needed to recover.

    "Apparently, there''s a curfew," A mind-linked Finn after he watched her stand. He stood up immediately, his ears pointed up as his eyes fixated on something unseen in the distance.

    He was not up because she was preparing to leave, but something had caught his attention. A spun around after she heard a twig snap in the distance of the trees. Her fur stood on end as her ears perked up; all three of them were now standing alert. Ajax stalked around, making small chirping noises. He was restless, his eyes set on the distance.

    "If only he could talk to us, tell us what is wrong. I bet the silence has been killing him," A said, her eyes watching the ck panther and the trees ahead.

    Finn snorted, "He will chew my ear off when we shift again. But just take his bodynguage as a way he canmunicate with us. He can sense something out there as much as we can."

    A tensed the moment her eyes fell on a golden-brown wolf along with others appearing throughout the trees, but the golden-brown wolf strolled towards them, seemingly in charge. Ajax crouched forwards, ready to pounce at the neers, but Finn jumped in front of him, stopping him from attacking.

    "A," The golden-brown wolf stepped forwards while the sound of Kane''s voice echoed through the mind-link, "we will escort you back."

    "Escort? We can find our own way back. Thank you," A said in a diplomatic voice.

    "Alpha''s orders." Kane snapped, his impatience showing as his wolf began to bristle.

    A took an instinctive step forwards as Malia began to emerge from the back of her mind, taking over. Neither of them liked taking orders, and now A knew why. They were never meant to take orders; it was in their blood to be a leader.

    "A-" Kane warned. Her eyes began to glow, her defiance brimming at the surface, yet, instead of charging at him, she took back control and turned around, jogging the opposite way. A sign that although she did not attack him, she would not be obeying his or the Alpha''s orders.

    Ten wolves instantly appeared from the surrounding trees. They weren''t growling, but a group of that magnitude was meant to intimidate anyone that crossed paths with them. A snarled at them, warning them to back off, her eyes still glimmering. A few of them yielded, positioning themselves on the ground in submission, whereas others stepped at a slow pace towards her, their ears ttened as they struggled to fight against the warning behind her lips.

    Suddenly, a howl erupted in the distance, making A stop and look in the direction of the sound. Another cry pierced through the silence, causing the ground to seemingly shake from the depth of the wolf''s voice. The wolves around her howled in response.

    Another howl whipped across thend and pierced through her heart that began pounding immensely, her breathing bing ragged as adrenaline burst through her; she felt excited. Almost immediately after another howl, an animalistic urge took over her; a long howl erupted through her chest as her head went back, her voice resounding through the trees.

    More wolves emerged from the trees, bouncing around her excitedly. Once her head came back down to look at the wolves surrounding her, she immediately felt a zap, and a wave of voices echoed through her mind. All of them were excited or arguing amongst themselves, she realised she was in a type of ''pack-mind-link''. A few words stood out to her, though.

    "The white wolf has returned"

    "...the Cross Princess"

    "She''s not my Luna.."

    Her howl was a sign, a sign that the lost princess of the Cross family had returned and would take her rightful ce. However, although the pack were both excited and seemed to be angry at her appearance, her mind was elsewhere. The howling wolf that caused her to instinctively howl in return had stopped.

    The howling wolf that she could not see felt like a piece of her, the small jigsaw piece that was missing. His voice called to her as though he whispered enticing words just next to her ear. While the pack continued to talk among themselves or stare openly at her, she ran straight for the covering trees of the forest. Her mind on one thing, to find that wolf.

    A could not exin why she felt this absolute need to meet him. But she was excited and nervous by the thought of finding him.

    "He''s our mate," Malia eximed, thrilled at the thought of meeting the mystery wolf.

    "What does that mean?" A asked, her big paws pounding against the ground.

    "I think it means he''s the one? Like our soul mate," Malia tried to exin, but she was also not fully aware of the facts. Like A, she was also sheltered away from the other werewolves and their upbringing.

    "A, wait up," Finn''s voice echoed through her mind. She was so excited, she did not realise Ajax and Finn were running behind her, but by quite a distance. It seemed, even with wolfsbane in her system, she was still able to outrun them.

    A continued to sprint forwards as though her life depended on it; there was something within her that felt pulled towards the wolf. She sniffed the air after catching a distinctive scent, the smell of fresh rain on dirt with sandalwood mixed together and possibly a cologne she recognised. Malia became more animalistic; she was panting at the thought of meeting their mate.

    The scent became stronger as she climbed up a hill and onto a rocky terrain that overlooked thend, including the mansion and its vast estate. Malia whined, the other wolf was not there, but his scent was undeniably strong; they may have just missed him. A began to trot forwards, but Kane''s wolf jumped in front of her.

    "It''s dark. You need to go back where it is safe." He growled through the mind-link. A halted her stride; she wanted to continue her search, but something in Kane''s voice made her relent and turn back around. He followed her down the hill. Two other wolves nked her sides while Ajax and Finn jogged behind her.

    Once the mansion came into view from beyond the trees, the wolves by her sides darted off and shifted into men, running naked ahead into the house. Among them, Kane revealed his tanned skin thatplemented his dirty blonde hair, almost giving him a ''surfers'' look. A came to an abrupt stop, still hidden by a few trees.

    She realised her clothes were destroyed when she shifted earlier, and she could not run around naked. Unlike the others who appeared to be used to open nudity, she, for obvious reasons, was not.

    "A,e on. We won''t look." Finn mind-linked as he came into view. A watched as Ajax sprinted ahead and shifted into his human form; she immediately turned around and heard himughing at her.

    "You need to get me some clothes. I am not shifting in front of you guys." A was adamant about her nudity staying as a private event. In contrast to the other werewolves and shifters, she was not brought up like them. She would happily wait for clothes and shift in her own time. Finn ran off and shifted into the open patio doors, leaving A to sit behind the trees. Her eyes searching the surroundings while she waited.

    Finn returned fully clothed and ran back out with her ck hoody and some shorts, clothes that could easily be put on. Once he ran off, she shifted. This time, it was quicker and a lot easier. Within seconds she stood there barefoot, naked in the cold night air.

    A grabbed the clothes and inspected the shorts, a pair of female shorts in her size. She wondered if they were hers because Alpha Damon already brought her some pyjamas that were unfortunately shredded to pieces now.

    Pulling on the shorts, she suddenly stopped. An earthy, woodsy scent drifted across the air from behind her. A powerful presence emerged, its energy causing the hairs on the back of her nape to stand up while the heavenly scent wrapped around her like a cocoon. She almost melted from the pang of desire building in her core. A did not need to look behind her to know that Alpha Damon was standing there.

 Chapter 22 - Desire

    Alpha Damon''s presence was strong; she became instantly alert to the man behind her. A nced to the side, trying to keep the rest of her body from his view. Although she could not see him, it did not stop her from speaking aloud, "You know it''s pervy to gawk at a woman getting changed."

    "It''s quite stalker-ish, really," He purred. The closeness of his deep voice made her jump. His chuckle rumbled through his chest, making her core clench. She closed her thighs together after feeling a little wet from his proximity and the thrill of him seeing the back of her naked body.

    Goosebumps bubbled to the surface as she heard him step closer; the heat from his body radiated off of him to her. A continued to hold the hoody in her hand while her heart thudded erratically. She felt her cheeks blush at the thought of him hearing it. He took another step closer, making her tense in excited anticipation, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as her chest rose and fell rhythmically.

    A satisfied hum left his lips, his hot breath fanning the top of her head, making her eyes go wide from how close he was now. Suddenly, hisrge hands ever so lightly wrapped around her waist, making her gasp at the foreign feeling of his fingers on her bare skin. But willingly leaned back into him, her head against his bare chest as one of his hands went to her breast while the other slowly went down south and under her shorts.

    Her nipples erected at his touch as her breath left harshly. She heard him moan, "You are perfect for me." As he leaned into her slightly, a low moan escaped her lips at the feeling of hisrge erection sticking into the back of her shorts. The end of his nose skimmed from the bottom of her neck and up into her hair. He inhaled deeply before a low rumble of satisfaction left deep within his chest.

    A felt as though he was teasing her. His other hand only hovered above the area where she felt wet; in her mind, she was begging for him to touch her. The pleasure from his warm hands brought upon a raging inferno within her, making it nearly impossible for her thoughts to be coherent. But on the surface, she held herself back from her primal needs by biting her lip.

    "Keep biting that lip, and I will do it for you," He growled before giving her a featherlight kiss just above her corbone. The moment his lips touched her skin, she gasped as a fire ignited throughout her body, coursing through her veins. She instantly grabbed his dark locks as though he was kissing a very different part of her body. He made her hungry for more.

    A low growl left his chest, and he nibbled across her neck, making her mind spiral while a soft moan escaped her lips. She heard his breathing be ragged as his hand in her shorts cupped her roughly, the other hand squeezing her breast hard that caused her arousal to shoot through the sky. A growl left his lips, his biting bing strong on her neck, directly above a spot she wanted him to sink his canines into.

    Canines? Why would she want that?

    Alpha Damon growled again, his voice deepening before it turned into an annoyed moan. He abruptly pushed back and away from her, making her gasp and ce her hand on the tree in front of her for support. A felt dizzy in a lustrous haze from the Alpha. Her body was aching for his touch again, her desire burning through her. It was then she noticed a smell. It was a smell of arousal, and it wasing from her. Her cheeks burned from embarrassment.

    "It''s normal. Your sense of smell is stronger now. It was always there. You just couldn''t tell before," Malia chirped in a love-struck voice. She had been very quiet in the heated moment between her and the Alpha, "I really hope he was our mate because oh Mumma, THAT is going to be hard to top. He has hardly done anything, and you were putty in his hands. His wolf as well.. he wanted toe out and y.." Malia continued to drool.

    A snorted while the haze slowly evaporated; she couldn''t believe how much she lost her mind then. Malia was right, he touched her and kissed her, and she just let him. She grabbed the hoody back from the floor, where she dropped it and held it against her chest as she turned around to tell the alpha male off. But as she did, she found herself standing alone in the woods.

    A''s brows creased. She didn''t know if she felt relieved or sad by his departure. On the one hand, she was relieved because she seriously needed to calm down, but on the other hand, she felt a slight pang of sadness that he abruptly left her. To say she was confused was an understatement. She threw her hoody over her head roughly, messing up her already dishevelled hair.

    Instead of going back towards the mansion, she turned in the opposite direction, she guessed Alpha Damon went. Her emotions were in turmoil between sad, frustrated and angry while she searched the surrounding trees for the scoundrel. She was not just any she-wolf he could y around with, and she deserved much more respect than that.

    Although it was dark and the only light came from the moon and stars, she could still see perfectly fine except for everything being in a bit of light blue hue. She wondered if her eyes reflected blue as the other werewolves'' eyes reflected amber in the dark.

    A howl erupted in the distance, making her still on the spot. She became on guard immediately because that was not the wolf she was looking for earlier. The wolf nearby was not meant to be on thend, and something about it made her feel territorial; Malia growled and tugged on the reins, trying to emerge and shift. Yet, A was more strong-willed and kept her in check.

    A shuffling of leaves made her turn on her heel, with her eyes fixated on what it could be. A few wolves appeared and ran around her, heading in the direction of where the howling came from. A rxed after realising they were part of the pack and seemed to be on guard duty.

    "A, get inside. NOW," Alpha Damonmanded her through the mind-link. She almost jumped by how loud his husky voice was, but she refused to reply to him. A eyed the retreating wolves and wondered if he was one of them. However, her anger red up by the sudden change of events, and she did not care. He teased her, made her lose her mind and then left before ordering her about.

    Huffing, she turned back around and strolled purposely slow to the mansion, hoping to get a reaction from the Alpha. Yet, there was radio silence which made her be the one to get annoyed. Frowning, she began to scold herself and how she was acting. She let him touch her in such a way and THEN chased after him! If he were another guy, she would have kicked him in the balls before heid a single finger on her.

    "But he''s not just any other guy, A. He''s the Alpha, and he''s so freakin'' hot, I could melt." Malia was daydreaming at the back of her mind, thinking of other scenarios that she and the Alpha could get into.

    "I thought you found Kane hot?" A smirked as her eyes found Kane, who stood outside the patio door, his arms crossed against his chest. He wore khaki shorts and a ck t-shirt, showing off the tribal tattoo that strained against his arms'' big muscles.

    "Pfft, please, who? We just had our minds blown, and that was without sex! Tell me someone else who could do that?" Malia was particrly happy about the Alpha''s attention. A internally rolled her eyes at her. But her wolf helped her with her spiralling mood.

    "About time," Kane red at her, this time speaking aloud.

    "I was getting changed," A grumbled. She hated being scolded like a child, and she had to fight against her and Malia''s urges to fight him and challenge his dominance. A realised she was bing quite an angry and violent person; she never had these issues before being kidnapped. Although, she never noticed, as she used to take out her frustrations on the ice rink when she used to y ice hockey.

    Malia felt a pang of guilt, as it was partly her fault that her temper was bing progressively worse, but she didn''t stay down for too long. She believed it was their right to put people in their ce. After all, it was A''s birthright, and it was more of an instinct than her being an elitist.

    "Uhuh, is that what you call it," His eyes glinted with amusement as he smirked, e on, dinner is being prepared. It''s about time you meet some of the others."

    A''s face heated by the thought of him knowing what happened between her and the Alpha until she realised the rest of what he said.

    Others?

 Chapter 23 - Pack Leaders

    Others?

    A stopped but continued to follow Kane after he looked back over his shoulder, a confused expression on his face.

    "There are more than just an Alpha and a Beta as leaders in a pack. Though there are not many, just the Gamma and Delta left. But, unless we are busy, we tend to have dinner together. We stay in the packhouse. Kind of like a family." Kane shrugged as he led her past the kitchen and to a big dining room with one huge window that viewed another part of the estate.

    Modern art hung on the opposite wall with a low hanging crystal chandelier above the long dining table that could fit twenty people. Kane pulled a chair out at the far end of the table and gestured for her to take a seat, but she opted for the seat in between Ajax and Finn, causing the Beta''s eyes to go hard and inhale deeply. A''s attention then went to two women that walked into the room.

    The first was a woman of simr height to A, with curly brown hair brushing past her shoulders in beautiful waves, her eyes dark and captivating on her olive skin. She smiled at her before she skipped to Kane''s side and kissed him on the lips.

    His stern features immediately softened as they gazed at one another and sat down, still staring lovingly at each other. Malia pretended to be sick, causing A to roll her eyes; she found it sweet that the Beta had someone, although she had a feeling that they were pr opposites. However, her attention instantly moved to the second woman who sat down across from her.

    She was tall and slim. If it weren''t for her athletic build, A would have guessed she was a supermodel, with her short ck bobbed hair, dark blue eyes and stunning face. The only ''blemishes'' that interrupted her otherwise smooth skin were two scars. The first was a w mark cut across her neck, and the other was a scar going from her eyebrow and curving around to the bottom part of her eye. It wasn''t just her looks that caused A to stare but the intimidating aura she projected.

    "She must be a warrior or something. I''m afraid to keep looking at her. The guys are drooling at her looks, but the ''evils'' she is giving them are making them nearly pee their pants!" Malia whisper-shouted, afraid that the woman would detect her words. A silently snickered at her wolf.

    The woman gave her a single nod as she began to cut the roasted meat in the middle of the table. The brte pped her hand away with a ''tsk'' before smiling broadly at A, "Hey A, my name is Nairi, I''m Kane''s mate. It is such a pleasure to meet you. This here is Chiara-"

    "Gamma Chiara," The stunning woman named Chiara interrupted.

    "Nice to meet you both. This here is Ajax and Finn." A pointed towards the guys next to her. She smiled politely at Nairi and Gamma Chiara, but the Gamma did not look interested in small talk as she once again went to slice up some meat. Neither did the guys who sat by her sides as they, too, were piling up their tes again.

    Shrugging, A began to do the same, although she wondered if Alpha Damon would turn up. But from the way Kane did not order anyone to wait, she guessed not. Relief flooded her as she could not face him just yet, and even if she did, she wasn''t sure if she could hold herself back from punching him in the face or wanting more of his advances.

    "Not much of a dilemma there A, you would definitely jump his bones.." Malia snickered, causing A to sigh at her wolf. She was almost as bad as her, or possibly worse.

    A took a bite from the food while another figure she recognised from the day they rescued her walked into the room and plopped himself down in a seat near Gamma Chiara. The red-haired man who removed her silver chains. He red at her before scooping some mashed potato onto his te.

    "Darren," Kane''s voice wasced with a warning. The red-haired man rolled his eyes, causing Kane to growl at his disrespect.

    "Yeah, yeah. We already met. A, all you need to know about me is that I am the Delta, Delta Darren, and I won''t be taking orders from you."

    Gamma Chiara dropped her cutlery on her te; the noise made everyonee to a halt and look at her. Her cold gaze was fixed on the Delta. He smirked back at her, which caused her to smile and flutter her eyshes at him before grabbing her steak knife and stabbing it into his outstretched hand; the force was hard enough for the de to pierce through muscles and stick to the table underneath.

    He screamed in pain as the knife stuck out of his hand, blood trickling out along the table. A and the guys sat there stunned with wide eyes as they nced between the pair. The Gamma stood up and grabbed him by his dress shirt, bringing her face close to his.

    "Do I need to teach you some more manners?" She growled into his face, her voice slurring into one of an animal''s. Delta Darren shook his head.

    "Good. Next time I will aim for your balls," Gamma Chiara''se hither-me smile made a shiver crawl up A''s spine. The colour drained from Delta Darren''s face as his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Gamma Chiara turned her head to look over her shoulder, giving A a wink before walking out through the double doors and shouting through the halls, "I''m going to help Alpha Damon and the others."

    "I LIKE her," Malia apuded the act of violence shown at the dinner table.

    "Of course, you do," A grimaced as she watched Delta Darren yank the knife out of his hand. She nced at Kane to see he was unconcerned with the events at the table and went back to talking fondly to his mate.

    "Was it like this in your pack?" A mind-linked Finn while she drank from a ss of water.

    He moved his wide eyes away from Delta Darren, who grabbed some bread and stormed out of the room without another word said, "I know leaders have a lower tolerance for disrespect, but even that was a bit extreme."

    "I meant the whole, having dinner together thing," A replied nonchntly. She already moved on from the scene that happened moments ago. If that scene unfolded before her two weeks ago, though, she knew she would be acting in apletely different way.

    Finn looked at her as though she had gone insane, but he looked back down and yed with his food so as not to raise suspicion about their secret conversation. Although, if the others focused on them, they could tell from their slightly misty-eyed look that they were in a mind-link.

    "I think so. I wasn''t a part of any of the lead families, so I didn''t stay in the packhouse," He took a bite from the meat on his te.

    "Packhouse?" A questioned him aloud, which made Ajax nce between the pair.

    "This is the packhouse, A," Kane interrupted, "If you want to read up more about werewolves, you should go to the library."

    Ajax snorted, "Yeah, you can find a bunch of fictional books about it,"

    "I meant from the library in the house," Kane gritted his teeth in annoyance. Ajax raised his eyebrows at hisment but didn''t say anything else.

    Apletely forgot that there was a library in the house. She remembered an early memory from her childhood sitting on her mother''sp in front of the grand firece. A would read through a book while her mother yed with her hair. The memory brought some tears to her eyes, and she dismissed herself from the table to go back to her room.

    Halfway up the stairs, she felt her hoody yanked back, and she smacked into a hard chest. Looking up, she found a pair of emerald-green cat eyes looking down at her before she was enveloped into a hug.

    "What''s this for?" She whispered into his chest.

    "You looked like you needed a hug, sweet pea. I know there is a lot happening but remember you have Finn and me to confide in. You don''t need to take it all on your shoulders," Ajax said sincerely. A looked up at him and smiled, grateful to have found a friend like Ajax, even if it was through disturbing circumstances.

    "Ahem," Kane fake coughed, interrupting the pair who jumped apart. A felt the heat from Kane''s eyes on her face.

    "Alpha Damon would not be pleased with this little disy of affection," Kane reprimanded her through the mind-link.

    "Fuck the Alpha. He does not control me," She spat before storming off to her room. She heard his growl as she mmed the door shut behind her.

    "Let''s hope that doesn''t get back to him," Malia said wearily; for once, there was no sarcastic or funny remark. Her wolf was actually a little bit scared of the Alpha. As it were in the wolf hierarchy, if she acted out of line too much and she was not injured anymore, then the Alpha could potentially cause some severe harm to put her in her ce.

    "Kane''s probably already told him like the good littlepdog he is," A muttered back to her. She was leaning against the door, sighing; she slung herself on her bed, looking up at the white canopy above the bed.

    A didn''t know how much she could get away with, but like the first day she had met him, she could tell he would never hurt her. A crease formed between her brows as she thought harder; there was something at the back of her mind that felt like an itch. An itch of some information that would help her understand more about her rtionship with the Alpha. However, for now, she just needed to get through another day seeing him without her body and mind-melting.

 Chapter 24 - Mandy And Andy

    For the rest of the evening, A''s frustration grew, and she became restless, to the point where she would stare out her window at the darkened surroundings and long for running outside again. However, she didn''t know what was happening with the new wolves on their territory as Alpha Damon sent a pack mind-link to each member, informing them to stay inside.

    A long sigh left her lips as she looked outside once again, this time watching the guards change shifts. A began to feel a little imprisoned, almost as if she had switched one prison for a more luxurious one without the brutality. Her eyes then caught her own reflection in the window; her face soured after seeing her eyes begin to glow from the simmering anger she felt beneath.

    Turning away, she walked towards the wardrobe to see if there were any clothes she could use to sleep in. As soon as the doors opened, she saw a few pieces hanging up, all in her size.

    "Now that seems a little too familiar," Malia smirked, reminding her of the room she stayed in for a day at the hunter''s base camp. A grumbled to herself while she went for a shower.

    Once she was out, her hair hung wet and loose over the silky pyjamas she wore. A knock at the door gained her attention, stopping her from drying her hair with a towel. She tensed for a moment, believing it could be Alpha Damon, then she shook her head in denial. He would just walk in if he wanted to see her. Opening the door, she was surprised to see her mum at the door. A gestured for her toe in before closing the door behind her.

    "I heard your wolf has returned, and you shifted," Her mum turned abruptly to look at her, concernced in her voice and on her face.

    "Yep, I went for a run earlier," A smiled gently, hoping to smooth away any distress her mum was feeling. Though she did not know why her mum was concerned, she knew from her two days of wolfsbane injections that the next phase would be for her to shift. Her mum sat down on the sofa, gesturing for A to join. Once she took a seat, her mum stopped looking at the room and put her full attention on her daughter.

    "A, dear. We are going home tomorrow," She spoke gravelly to her.

    However, A did notprehend the full extent of what her mum meant; creasing her brows, she asked, "Can we not stay a bit longer? There is so much I need to know before I return-"

    "A," Her mum interrupted, taking her hands in her own, rubbing her thumbs soothingly over her hands, "you cannote with us. You need to stay here. It is not safe anymore for you to be in Oakton."

    A''s eyes widened, "But how can it be safe for you? Shouldn''t you stay here also?"

    "We are perfectly fine there. The pack still runs there, and Alpha Damon has guaranteed more warriors on patrol. The hunters do not know who we are, so they will not attack us." Her mum held her hand up, stopping A from interrupting her, "Your ce is here. You are a Cross, and once you find your way.. you will be ruling like a true queen."

    Queen!?

    A gulped as her eyes widened. Malia rolled her own eyes at her; she was pumped and ready to take on the role.

    "Oh honey, don''t look like that. It''s in your blood. You will find your own way of ruling, and once you meet your mate, they will be strong enough to rule by your side," Her mum squeezed her hands reassuringly.

    A nodded her head glumly, deep in thought about being queen and ruling not just one pack but many. Was it as simple as it being in her blood? Sure, she was captain of the ice hockey team at University, but that was a team of six yers at a time, not hundreds or thousands.

    The remainder of what her mum said just registered with her, "What''s it like?"

    Her mum looked at her confused, so A reiterated, "What''s it like meeting your mate? I take it that you are dad''s mate. He is still a werewolf.."

    Her mum smiled before staring off to the side, her eyes softening at the fond memory, "Yes, your dad is my mate. He was the first werewolf I had ever met. I knew of them, of course. Your grandma had many grimoires and books about them."

    She chuckled to herself, causing A to smile at the thought of her grandma and her quirky ways.

    "I was in the shopping centre with my friends. They went into another shop while I went to grab a coffee, I wasn''t watching where I was going, and we bumped into each other. Almost as if it was fate. As soon as our eyes met, everybody else seemed to disappear. He took my breath away. Everything seemed to snap into ce, and I knew then that this man was who I was meant to marry," A''s eyes lit up. She had never heard the story of how they met before.

    "That sounds like something out of a romance novel.." A trailed off with Malia nodding in agreement.

    Her mum chuckled, "Well, it wasn''t fate at all! I found outter on that he sniffed me out the moment he entered the centre. He didn''t wait for a second and purposely bumped into me."

    Both A and her mum burst outughing, "That''s so typical of him! He''s so impatient."

    "He said once he smelled my scent, there was no going back. He just HAD to meet me. That was all he thought about," Her mum smiled again before looking at A, "Are you worried about meeting your mate?"

    A sighed, "I nearly met him, but Kane got in the way and then Alpha Damon.." Her cheeks burned, and she looked away from her mum, hoping she would not see. Malia snickered at her embarrassment.

    "So, you already saw Alpha Damon?" Her mum''s eyes were wide with excitement before they became concerned, her eyebrows creasing together, "That can''t be right. I thought he would be.." She muttered to herself before sealing her lips.

    "I didn''t really see him. I just.. felt him. I mean, I felt his presence there. It was too dark to see him," A stuttered; she looked down at her nails, ying with them as though they were more interesting than the fluttering butterflies in her stomach at mentioning her rendezvous with the Alpha.

    Malia was now roaring withughter, the noise almost too much for A to listen to. She rolled her eyes at her and shushed her as her mum began to speak again, "Oh! So, you never made eye contact?"

    "Nope, your daughter was far too interested with what his hands were doing than to see his beautiful eyes," Malia snickered, causing A to bite her lip, holding back a small giggle from her wolf''s lewdness.

    Although, A was now more focused on her mum, whose eyes shone in excitement from the discussion. A narrowed her eyes at her, "No, we never made eye contact," each word was said slowly, suspicion creeping into her voice, "why, dearest mother?"

    "No reason! Oh, look at the time! I need to finish packing," Her mum jumped up from the couch, excusing herself. A wanted to ask more after her mum acted so strangely, but she resisted the urge. She always knew more than she let on, and now A knew her mum was a witch. She did not want to pressure her if it was not needed.

    Her mum walked towards the door and suddenly stopped; turning around, she brought A in for a hug. Pulling back, her eyes searched A''s features, "You are so much stronger than I ever anticipated. Such a strong and brave girl.."

    "Mum.." A groaned yfully, "I will see you in the morning before you leave."

    "Yes! Don''t bete! We have lives too, you know. We need to get back to the shop and reopen it," Her mum spun back around and closed the door behind her.

    Her parents owned a cute little bookstore named "The ult", where she would happily sit reading for hours. There was also a small coffee shop inside of it, which attracted many customers along with the quirkiness of the shop. Her mum loved ''ying'' a witch to new customers or customers who did not know what book they were looking for. It wasn''t until now that she realised the funny side of it. She presumed beforehand that it was to add to the shop''s many appeals.

    As part of a ''ritual'', her mum would ask the customer to grab three gemstones that stood out to them. Once they showed her the stones, she would find five books that may interest them. Nine times out of ten, the customer would pay for all five. A never thought much about it because her mum always said that each stone represented something that indicated what they were looking for. Either way, it was a little spooky.

    A made her way back to the bed and climbed under the covers. All she needed was a distraction, to talk to someone, and her frustrations had melted away. However, her thoughts Alpha Damon nearly bubbled up again, and she became restless once again, almost to the point that she debated getting out of bed in search of him. She could still smell his scent, and she knew it wasn''t from any of her clothes; sighing, she turned over onto her side.

    "Well, tonight''s gonna be a delight," Maliamented sarcastically. She too, was beginning to feel vexed.

    The following day, A pulled herself out from the twisted sheets wrapped around her legs. Her hair was tangled with her arm that hugged one of the pillows. She groaned before yawning and stretching out. Her night consisted of her twisting and turning, thoughts flickering between Alpha Damon, meeting the leaders to her mum leaving, and back once again to Alpha Damon.

    Although she could not sleep properly, the natural light shining through the windows woke her up easily. A began to think it was the best way for her to get up; she really did not miss having an rm. Jumping out of bed, she immediately got changed into some ck jeans and a top, although Maliained about her choice. It meant she wouldn''t be shifting for a while.

    "I can''t live in sportswear all the time," A tsked back to her wolf as she left her room and made her way down to the kitchen, where she presumed her parents were having a coffee. Walking through the hallway that led to the living room, she checked the clock on the side, reading it to be 7am. As she predicted, her parents sat down on the stools at the ind with cups, two suitcases by their sides.

    To her surprise, Gamma Chiara was standing across from them, her own cup in her hands. She gave A a nod before her eyes clouded over, indicating she was mind-linking with someone. A looked at her parents with raised brows.

    "Gamma Chiara has been kind enough to escort us back to Oakton," Her dad eximed before taking another sip from his cup.

    "That''s nice.." A looked back at the woman warily in front of her while she took a seat beside her parents.

    "It gives me a chance to scout the surrounding area. The hunters have not yet made an appearance, but there are still rogues dipping past us. Once I know the perimeter is secure, I will return back, and we can start your training," Gamma Chiara said before scrutinising A''s body.

    "Training?" A blinked back in shock while crossing her arms against her chest, feeling ufortable under the Gamma''s gaze. She should have known that training would be next on the agenda. A now had her wolf and was meant to rule. How could she lead others if she couldn''t even look after herself?

    "Yes," Gamma Chiara picked up some keys and walked off, not adding more to the conversation, "I will meet you outside in ten?" Her question was directed at her parents. They nodded their heads in return for Gamma Chiara to continue walking away.

    After afortable silence of her parents sipping thest of their coffee, they stood up and began to walk back through the living room. Her dad carried both suitcases while A linked her arm with her mum''s. Unlike herself and the other she-wolves she had seen, her mum was more of an average height with a petite build; she leaned her head onto A''s shoulder as they continued through the double doors that led outside the front of the mansion.

    Her parents each gave her a hug, her dad holding onto her tightly, squeezing to the point where she could not breathe. Releasing her, he gave her an apologetic smile, "This decision was not made lightly. I hope you know that A. My job as your father is to always protect you even if you have a whole army at your disposal. But you need to learn what it is like to be a werewolf, to be a Cross and unfortunately, although we were best friends with your parents, we left the pack years before the attack. Our knowledge is limited."

    "We cannot help you with this part of your journey, but you will be just fine," Her mum added with tear-filled eyes as she grabbed A''s hand and squeezed lightly.

    Just then, four ck SUVs turned up one after the other. Gamma Chiara walked around the second car and leaned against it casually while she waited for their goodbyes.

    "We will miss you a lot! Try and phone us as much as you can. The pack mind link takes a great deal of effort to get in touch with me at that distance. We need to know you are safe!" Her dad eximed as worry lines formed on his forehead. With another quick hug, he picked the bags up and began putting them away in the car before opening the door for her mum and climbing into the car.

    A waved her parents goodbye; her chest tightened at the sight of the cars leaving as they became smaller, the further they drove down the long path that led them to the gate and then out of sight. She stood there for a few more minutes, unsure of what she was meant to do next.

 Chapter 25 - Whos That B*tch

    A turned around and climbed the steps up before entering the mansion. Closing the enormous double doors behind her, she took a few steps that echoed across the marble floors. Although others were living in the mansion with her, it felt lonely in that moment of stillness.

    "Lonely for now. Not for long! Pretty sure Damon wille find us about our ''bad'' behaviourst night," Malia snickered, interrupting A''s thoughts; she smirked at her wolf and began walking again with a light skip to her step. At the mention of Alpha Damon, she decided to make her way to the balcony to see what sort of training she would be ongoing.

    "More like to see how the Alpha flexes his muscles," Malia interrupted excitedly. A rolled her eyes; she knew that was more on her wolf''s mind than her own.

    Although she observed how Malia acted differently than the night before. Her wolf was both excited and scared by the Alpha and his overbearing dominance. She waited for Malia to speak up, but for once, she stayed quiet, making A all the more suspicious at what her wolf was thinking. Malia somehow blocked A out of her thoughts; she shook her head, not even going into how that worked.

    As she began to walk past her room, loud footsteps running from behind her made her tense and jump around swiftly, hands fisted out, ready in a fighting stance, "Oh", A rxed once she saw Ajax and Finnughing in front of her.

    "Good reflexes, but did you think we were going to mug you or something?" Finn chuckled at her reaction again before searching her eyes.

    "I honestly didn''t know what to expect," A admitted as she removed some of her white hair from her face and back behind her ear.

    Ajax tilted his head to the side, amusement shing across his eyes, "Where were you going so early in the morning?" He queried.

    "To see what training I will be doing. What about you guys?" Suspicion crept into her voice as she eyed the pair already covered in dried mud.

    "We shifted- oof," Ajax elbowed Finn, causing him to re back at him as he rubbed his side.

    "We were also going to see how the pack trains-"

    "We were?"

    "Care if we join you?" Ajax ignored Finn''s interruption and spoke confidently. A nced between the pair, a little confused as to why they were covering up the fact that they shifted. Shrugging, she replied in a nonchnt tone, "Sure, why not."

    Turning around, A began walking in the direction of her parent''s bedroom.

    "Shouldn''t we be going to the garden?" Finn asked, confusion mixed in his voice. A turned to see his hand up, thumb pointing behind him. She shook her head and gestured for them to follow her; Ajax and Finn nced at each other before following behind her.

    "There is a better viewpoint from my parent''s balcony," A trailed off as she led the way to her parent''s bedroom. She watched as their mouths dropped at the luxurious suite.

    "I keep forgetting that you''re royalty. This room is fit for a king!" Ajax gasped in awe, his eyes wide in astonishment. A let them absorb how grand the room was while she opened the balcony doors. The sun warmed her skin immediately; closing her eyes for a fraction of a second, she soaked up its rays. Forgetting the weight of her worries for that single moment.

    Until a handnded on her shoulder, disrupting her peace, A frowned at Ajax before sighing and walking to the end of the balcony. Once again, leaning onto the surface, she looked over at the pack members sparring and fighting roughly. A immediately sought out Alpha Damon and found him further away, his back to her as he walked arms crossed while hemented on each sparring partners forms and techniques.

    A sucked a breath in after he twisted his torso slightly to check on another fighting duo. There was a long bright red scar going from his ''v'' muscle and up to his ribs. A frown formed between her eyes as she realised it was a brand-new scar, most likely from the night before. She wondered what actually happened the previous night. It was clear now, after checking out a few other men, that it was a rough night.

    "You''re frowning again!" Ajax flicked her on the forehead, causing A to re at him, "Woah, what''s got you so worked up?"

    "From the looks of it, the pack took quite a beatingst night. I want to know more about what is going on," A''s face hardened as she continued to observe the other pack members before resting her eyes again on the Alpha.

    "Ah, I wouldn''t worry about him. He''s an Alpha for a reason. He can''t be taken down easily." Ajax smirked while his eyes lingered on Alpha Damon.

    "From what I heard, it was a few rogues causing trouble," Finn mind-linked her, his voice cautious. A knew he didn''t want the other pack members to listen to their conversation, although if they whispered, she guaranteed that they would not be able to hear them. She nodded at him in response and leaned forwards more to watch training.

    All three of them stayed to watch the training session for the entirety of the two hours. A was absorbed in the different techniques she presumed she would be learning. Finn and Ajax, near the end, began wrestling on the side, nearly smashing the nt pot that stood on the corner of the balcony. A was quick to scold them, causing them to stop their y fighting. Rolling her eyes, she began to turn around, preparing to leave until something caught her eye.

    The training session was over, yet some women stayed and began to gather around Alpha Damon, gushing at him and asking him questions even A knew the answers to. Malia began to seethe with pure jealousy, "They better back off."

    Although A''s eyes were piercing into the back of Alpha Damon''s head, she replied calmly to her wolf, "He is not ours, and it''s all harmless."

    Malia scoffed at her response, not convinced one bit by A''s reasoning. The one person she could not lie to was her wolf; she felt everything she was feeling, and it was only her wolf expressing herself in her own way. But A knew her feelings were unreasonable.

    Ajax whistled in appreciation, his eyes looking at someone in particr. A followed his line of sight and saw a stunning woman with long raven hair that went down in curls to her waist. She remembered her earlier when Kane lectured her about her hair not being tied up after it was grabbed and she was pulled to the ground.

    Like the other females surrounding the Alpha, she had a lot of bare skin on show. But this woman, who sauntered her way to him, pushing others out of the way as she went, wore the shortest and tightest of shorts along with a tiny sports bra that pushed up her assets more on disy. Granted, she had an incredible body any woman would dream of having. Even A gazed at her in awe.

    "How tacky," Malia growled. A was about to reprimand her until the woman openly touched Alpha Damon''s scar, her face close to his. A''s lips twitched in agitation.

    "A!" Finn shook her abruptly.

    Blinking, she looked at him, confused. She followed his gaze down to her arm and realised, where her arms were now crossed, her nails had elongated and pierced her skin. Blood began to trickle across her hands. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her fury at the woman and retracted her ws.

    "Looks like they are trying to make a im at the Alpha before you swoop in," Ajax joked, but his smile dropped when he saw Finn and A''s re.

    A turned her back on the scene, unaware that Alpha Damon turned around after hearing her name and what Ajax had to say.

    "Alpha''s tend to get a lot of¡­ attention until they are mated." Finn rubbed her shoulder up and down in aforting manner, above the now healing wound. He then eyed her as her eyes began to glow with a low growl leaving her lips. She looked back at him and could see the gears turning behind his eyes as an idea formed in his head, "Unless you and Alpha Damon are mates?"

    A scoffed and looked at Ajax, who wore a knowing smile. She frowned and looked back at Finn, "Ha, good one. You nearly had me there! We''ve already met. Pretty sure he would have ''imed'' me by now." She muttered, then pushed off from the balcony and walked through the bedroom doors.

    "You met before your wolf came through.. remember, there has been a block from your shifting powers." Finn continued as the pair trailed behind A''s quick steps down the hallway.

    "I highly doubt it." She held her hand up, stopping the pair from continuing with their bizarre theories, "Enough. I am going to the library."

    "We''lle with!" Ajax piped up before skipping to her side and slinging an arm around her shoulder.

    "Don''t you have anything better to do?" She asked, her tone slightly annoyed.

    "Ugh, A, you really do know how to wound me!" A gave him a pointed look, and he dropped the melodramatics, pulling his arm back from her shoulders, "No, actually. Finn is your guard, and I don''t have any other friends here."

    "So, you want to annoy me instead?"

    "Exactly!"

    "Interrupt me reading once, and I will kick you.. in the shin. Hard!" A warned him.

    "Ohhh, scary," Ajax held his hands up in fake horror. A growled in return, causing him to roll his eyes, "Not gonna work on me, honey-"

    "I know, I know. Shifters," A rolled her eyes. Although she wasn''t using her domineering growl, it was more of an instinct to his disrespect. She wasn''t even bothered by hismentary.

    By this point, they were at the bottom of the stairs and walked down another hallway. One, the guys had not been down before. However, A''s steps slowed down, a crease forming between her eyebrows as a fragment of memory surfaced. There were drops of blood on the floor before her and sprayed across the wall. When she looked down the hall, a body was slumped to the side.

    A stopped abruptly and blinked her eyes; as quick as the memory came, it went. The guys nearly bumped into her while they continued to talk enthusiastically.

    "A?"

    She continued to stare at her surroundings. The body was gone along with the bloodied wall and floor. Ajax came into her view with a concerned look on his face. She shook her head and put on a smile, "Sorry, I forgot where the library was for a moment there. Silly me."

    Ajax eyed her, the concern on his features apparent, but he flipped it to one of mock annoyance, "Well, try and lead the way properly! I don''t want to get lost in this ce, left to starve for days.. found and eaten by Alsatians¡­ I haven''t even had children yet!" Ajax continued with being melodramatic. A chuckled before zoning out from his rant while Finn sighed loudly, showing his annoyance.

    She continued and turned around a corner; her thoughts were going back to the blood she saw on the walls until all thoughts vanished, and she stopped her steps. Both men bumped into her this time, but she did not budge. Her eyes were locked with the raven-haired beauty from before, in her short shorts and sports bra. She was standing a step too close to Alpha Damon, whose broad back was facing A, Kane by his side, arms crossed.

    "Move out of the way, Lydia," Kane demanded.

    Lydia lowered her head but then looked directly at A again, a malicious smile creeping up her face. She took another step towards Alpha Damon and whispered into his ear, "But I want to continue what we were doing the other day after training," Her hand wrapped around his neck and into his hair, causing him to tense, "I''ll even drop to my knees.."

    A couldn''t hear the rest of what was said. A ringing sound went across her ears while her eyes misted over with a blue hue, her ws extended, and a low growl escaped her lips. She watched as Alpha Damon grabbed Lydia''s hand and yanked it away from him.

    "Who''s that bitch!" Malia roared this time though, her voice merged with A''s, and the words left her mouth. Kane looked in her direction and paled when he saw A. She couldn''t hear what Alpha Damon said to Lydia, but every time A looked at Lydia, her rage was all-consuming.

    Malia wanted to rip her into pieces.

 Chapter 26 - Mate

    Malia wanted to rip her into pieces.

    "Malia¡­" A spoke out loud, groaning as she fought over the reins to her own body. It was a tug of war between them, along with immense pain constricting her chest from the scene before her.

    Alpha Damon and Lydia¡­ The other day..

    "A!" Ajax shook her shoulders but released her immediately after seeing her shake.

    "Shit, I think she''s gonna shift," Finn warned.

    Pure rage was coursing through her; fury burned beneath her skin, making her want to rip her clothes off from her feverish state. While Finn and Ajax were wary and talking to each other on what to do, A and Malia were arguing.

    "She needs to die!" Malia growled once again as she paced against the edges of A''s mind.

    "We can''t go around murdering people because they fancy the alpha! He''s not ours!"

    "Yes, he is!" Malia roared, trying to push through and almost seeding as A felt the skin on her spine rip slightly, some white fur sprouting out.

    A knew she was losing control over Malia, so she did the only thing that any normal person would do. She stabbed herself in the stomach with her ws. Hunching over from the contact, she gasped from the pain. Malia yelped, and the skin on her back went back to normal as blood dripped to the floor.

    "A!" Alpha Damon''s deep voice reverberated across the hall.

    A turned around, not meeting his eyes as his long strides went towards her. She retracted her ws before running from the scene while hearing some scuffling noises behind her; she didn''t need to look to know that Ajax and Finn were most likely holding him back. A loud growl erupted through the halls, making the walls vibrate. Alpha Damon''s frustrations were apparent.

    "We can''t hold him off for long," Finn gasped through the mind-link. This gave A more drive to sprint through the halls; she was thankful to her friends and hoped they wouldn''t get too badly injured.

    "We need to get out of here," A''s mind was racing, her emotions conflicting as her heart pounded and clenched in pain. Malia was pacing again in the background, salivating at the thought of shifting and ripping that woman, Lydia, apart.

    "No killing," Amanded aloud, "otherwise, no shifting!"

    "Fine," Malia snapped.

    "A," Alpha Damon growled through the mind-link, e back and face me. Don''t make me chase you!"

    A intentionally blocked him out, a power she never knew she had. She could feel him trying to probe her mind for any weakness to enter, but she kept a strong wall up between them. By the time she made it to the patio doors, her shoes and top were flung on the ground behind her. Malia ripped through her skin, shifting and crashing through the patio doors, leaving ss shards on the floor behind them.

    "Could you not have waited?" A snapped at her wolf.

    "NO! You wanted distance. I''m about to put some in between us and that whore."

    She lunged forwards and ran so quickly that her strides became long, her paws thudding across the earth as she raced past the trees. A few wolves patrolling stopped and watched her.

    "Princess A, please-"

    A blocked the pack mind-link, it was clear their Alpha was trying to get her to see reason, but at the moment, there was none. Shutting them out caused the nearby wolves to whimper at her disregarding them; their cries made her heart clench, which she also could not understand. Putting those thoughts to the back of her mind, she continued through the thickness of the forest.

    Her sharp hearing picked up footfall from behind her, catching up with her at a wicked pace. She decided to zig-zag in and out of the trees, changing directions abruptly. A knew well after chasing a panther how hard it was to keep up. The footfall fell into the distance then the forest became quiet; the only sounds were from her own paws hitting the wet ground and the birds chirping in the trees.

    A smiled triumphantly. She just wanted some time alone and where best to do that than theke. She arrived at the clearing to theke and sprinted to the other side, closer to the mountains. She turned around so the majestic beauty of them was behind her.

    Trotting forwards, she climbed a vast rock that emerged from the ground and out over some of the water. Sitting down, she peeped at Malia to see how she was and felt the anger radiating off of her-

    "Pissed off, A! I''m pissed off!" Her wolf interrupted her thoughts.

    But although she was angry, she knew that Malia would let A take the reins back. Her wolf relented and merged to the back of her mind; she felt a little better after letting off some steam from running. A sighed and shifted back into human form. She sat back down and brought her legs to her chest while watching the breeze whirl across theke''s surface, distorting the view of the mountain''s reflection.

    The coolness of the wind made her shiver, but she needed her body temperature to cool down along with her temper. She had no right to feel the way she was feeling. If he was sleeping around, then that was no business of hers, but she was not going to be any part of it, even if she did have this weird attraction to him.

    Such a yer.

    Malia whined in the background; she was having a hard time with it as she was adamant that there was more to their rtionship than a brisk in the woods. Her eyes nced up after hearing footsteps from behind her. She tensed but already guessed who was approaching her; he was, after all, the man she blocked from her mind.

    His scent began to wrap around her in a warm cocoon, making her bite her lip at the smell. She stopped herself immediately after easily falling under the spell that was Alpha Damon and the fog that began to invade her mind.

    "Go away," Her voice came out strong as her face looked to the side to confirm her words reached him. But she didn''t want to see him right now and faced the front again. Not to mention she was sitting naked on a rock.

    "A, turn around," Alpha Damon''s silky voice was soft that tugged at her heartstrings and brought goosebumps to the surface of her skin.

    "I''m enjoying the view," She retorted, refusing to budge from the anger she still felt that mixed with hurt at the thought of him with another woman.

    "I did not chase you all this fucking way A for you to ignore me and look at the view. TURN AROUND," His voice shook their surroundings, causing the birds to fly out from their nests nearby. Malia whimpered and begun submitting to her Alpha, but A was stronger and refused to back down.

    "I did not ask you to chase me," A said coolly.

    The next thing she knew, she was grabbed roughly and spun around on the spot, causing her bum to graze from the hard surface of the rock. She pped Alpha Damon in the face, earning a growl in return and being flipped onto her back, her arms pinned together against the stone under his weight. Her breasts sprung forwards that made him look down hungrily at them before putting his hand on her waist to hold her down more. She tried to push him off but to no avail. Her crazed eyes then met his and her struggle, her feelings, everything immediately dissipated.

    She gasped as she watched his silver eyes seemingly swirl then darken under her gaze. In that single moment, it was almost as if a rubber band pinged into ce as a tidal wave of feelings mmed into her at full force. Her eyes were trapped in his thunderous gaze.

    "I will not chase my MATE again," His deep voice growled while his eyes gleamed in delight.

    A rxed her body, almost melting into the rock; the feel of his heat rolling off of him warmed her. Making her feel safe and protected with his broad shoulders and body covering most of her sight. She couldn''t help but appreciate the view of his chiselled chest, muscr arms and, of course, his Greek-god like facial features. Malia howled in the background; she was ovee with joy at finding their mate, almost leaping to the surface of her mind. Impatiently waiting to meet Damon''s wolf.

    A met Damon''s eyes again, the silver orbs glinting with amusement as he smirked at her, knowing well the power he had over her. She blushed, realising she was openly ogling at him AGAIN. She moved her head to the side until the hand at her hip gently grabbed her chin and turned her head, so she was looking at him again.

    "Don''t hide away from me, A. I am yours, and you are MINE," An almost animalistic tone merged with his voice. She watched as his silver eyes glowed and became darker, causing her own to shine in return. Their faces were inches apart now as she felt Maliae forwards for a few seconds, then rx and go to the back of her mind again. Their eyes went back to normal, and A rested her head against the ground again. Malia was sighing in happiness as she had a glimpse at Damon''s wolf.

    Damon rxed his hold on her wrists and brought his hand back down near her waist to hold himself up. In normal circumstances, A would have attacked him by now to get him off of her. But these were not normal circumstances. She enjoyed having his body in between her legs; blushing again, she realised just how naked they were. ncing down, she saw his length on her belly, her eyes widened, both from the size and the predicament she was in. Panic set in, and she nced to the side, looking at her surroundings.

    "I have ordered the pack to stay away. No one will disturb us," Damon answered her unspoken question. She rxed her head again and looked back up at him, bing very aware of how their bodies were reacting to the other. Their arousal floated in the air making the sexual tension much harder to ignore.

    He chuckled when her wide eyes looked back up at him. His voice calmed her, putting her into a trance. She raised her hand to his face and glided it down his strong jaw. She watched in fascination as his jaw muscles ticked, and a shiver went through him under her touch.

    A was delighted by the small reaction. She continued to trace her fingers along his features from his lips, nose, eyebrows and then she brought both hands down to his neck. He groaned lightly, then nipped one of her hands yfully, "Keep doing that, and I won''t be able to control myself." His husky voice was breathless.

    "Maybe I don''t want you to control yourself," A responded, gazing up from under her eyshes and meeting his gaze, challenging him to do something.

    A growl erupted from his lips, making A yelp. His eyes darkened as he brought his face closer to hers. "You should never ask an Alpha to lose control. Even if we are mated," His voice was low with a dangerous edge to it, but it only thrilled her more.

    Before she toyed with the idea of trying anything, Damon lowered his face to her neck. She watched as his canines elongated the closer he got to her skin. But instead of pain, she felt the gentlest of kisses above her corbone, sending shockwaves throughout her body. Her breath hitched, and her heart pounded loudly in anticipation for those canines to bite her.

    "Why do I want you to bite me?" She breathed as her mind begun to spin.

    "It''s a werewolf''s way of marking their mate. Once I mark you, the bond will beplete," His voice was gruff as he began trailing his nose along her neck, making her squirm underneath his touch, causing him to smile.

    He pulled back abruptly with a sharp intake of breath. His eyes darkened almost to the point of them being ck. He mmed his fist next to her face making her jump and bing confused by his sudden outburst. It also seemed to snap her out of her lust-filled haze and made her very aware of how quick everything was going between them.

    "Why do I smell another male on you?" His voice again was animalistic. By now, she guessed it was his wolf as Malia did the same thing to her earlier.

    The only man she could think of was Ajax, who put his arm over her. Why was he so pissed?

    "It''s the equivalent to Lydia touching him," Malia growled, defending their mate.

    "That''s different. Ajax is a friend. Lydia obviously wants Damon," A replied drily.

    "It''s only Ajax. He is harmless," She responded to Damon, pleading with her eyes for him to calm down.

    He brought his face close to hers again.

    "No one touches what is MINE!"

 Chapter 27 - Strong Willed

    His words snapped her out of the spell that enthralled her, making her very aware of how quick everything was going between them. It hadn''t been long since she discovered that she was a werewolf princess- if none of this was true, she would haveughed at using the term. Now, she had an Alpha who seemed to be very controlling on such a small matter of her friend putting his arm over her shoulders.

    A growled at Damon in response, who in turn growled louder as the power of his Alpha''s voice pushed down at the defiance rippling behind her eyes. Malia was cowering and wanted to submit to her mate; however, A only smirked, causing him to narrow his eyes at her. Although she struggled to push back against his will, there was still a sense of power behind her disobedience. She was, after all, a Cross.

    With that thought, she swiftly pushed him and rolled him on his back, immediately straddling him. She mmed her fists into his hard chest to gain his attention. But his eyes were already wide with excitement as he ced his hands on her hips and squeezed roughly.

    "You need to get a grip, Alpha. Ajax is a friend and has not touched me in any romantic way," She growled while yanking his hands off of her and jumped up before turning away.

    His response was immediate as he leapt up and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against his chest. He lowered his head next to hers, the wavy locks of his raven hair brushing against the side of her neck as he whispered in her ear, "Fuck the Alpha, was it?"

    Damon''s words made a shiver go down her spine as Malia groaned in response to the words A said to Kane after Ajax hugged her.

    "You cannot control me, Damon. And you''re not being fair. You and Lydia.." A whispered. She was afraid of raising her voice any higher in case it betrayed how she was feeling. Not only was she hurt by the thought of Lydia, but his scent and hands were distracting her, and she feared it might lead to something more.

    He scoffed, "Lydia lied. There is nothing between us. But you are very lucky that my wolf hasn''t tried to kill Ajax. He is more feral than most, and I won''t stop him if he feels the need to put him in his ce. As for you.." His ws elongated and dug into her skin, causing her breathing to hitch, "I am a very patient man, and you WILL submit to me."

    He sniffed her hair again and breathed out slowly as though he was savouring her scent. If this was any other situation, she would think he was weird for smelling her, but she waspletely content. The fact that he and Lydia were not a thing made her rx further in his embrace. He brought his lips to her neck and left a featherlight kiss that made her melt and almost made her relent to his domineering words.

    NO, NO, NO! Control yourself, woman!

    However, once his lips left her skin, he released her and walked to stand in front of her. A tilted her head back to keep her eyes locked with his, knowing too well that if her eyes strayed down to his chiselled body, she would lose her bearings. He took a step forwards, closing the small gap between them, and put his hand on her cheek gently, his eyes softening as he gazed into her own, "I am not your enemy A. I am your mate."

    She looked away from his molten silver eyes, still trying to understand what being a mate meant.

    "I''m not going to mark you YET. But don''t make me regret that decision," Damon continued, as his hand glided down, and his thumb brushed against the length of her lips slowly. A looked back at him and saw his eyes darkening as he lowered his head and brought his lips towards hers. That was until he stopped abruptly and straightened, letting his hand fall by his side as his eyes misted over.

    Leaving her to stand alone in silence while he spoke to someone via mind-link. A sighed as she eyed his full lips that nearly touched her own; she bit her lip then crossed her arms against her chest. She suddenly became fully aware of how she was standing nude in front of this beautiful naked man she had only known for two days.

    Damon nced back down at her once his eyes cleared again. His face hardened, and the muscle in his jaw ticked. "Go back to the house and stay inside," He demanded in a growl; his voice wasced with his wolf''s. Themand forced A not to fight against his words. She could, if she wanted to, but she felt exhausted and relented to his wish.

    "Why? What''s happened?" She asked, her voice firm as she searched the Alpha''s eyes.

    "I don''t have time to exin myself to you. Now, go! Darren will meet you on the way for protection," He abruptly turned and shifted into an enormous, majestic ck wolf. He turned his head, showing his silver eyes glowing. A''s eyes widened after recognising the beast before her, who sprinted off in the direction of the mountains.

    A was still in shock as she stood there, the wind blowing across her, causing her to shiver and her hair fall over her face in a mess.

    Was he the wolf she came across on the night of her kidnapping?

    Instead of waiting to find out, she mind-linked him while she watched his retreating form shrink into the distance, "Damon."

    She waited a while, but there was no response, so she blurted out what was on her mind, "Did we meet on the night of my kidnapping?"

    Once again, there was silence on the other side of the mind-link. This only made her irritated at his tant choice of ignoring her. She could still see his wolf and the direction he was going in.

    Fine. If he wants to ignore me, then let''s see him do it to my face!

    "A, he ordered-"

    A shifted into her wolf form before Malia couldplete her sentence. It came naturally to her now, the cracking of bones swift enough that it only took a few seconds until she was entirely covered in white fur and on all fours. She ran after the Alpha, making Malia moan at her tant disrespect for his orders.

    "If we die.. it''s on you!" She whined.

    A rolled her eyes, "You''ve been spending far too much time with Ajax. So dramatic."

    "There must be a reason why he ordered us to go back to the house," Malia tried reasoning with her. A didn''t disregard herment, she knew her wolf was right, but her stubbornness won over reason.

    "Well, we will soon find out!" A continued to push harder and faster to catch up to Alpha Damon. Her wolf didn''t want to admit it, but A could feel how she was excited to see her mate again, even though he only just left them.

    It didn''t take her long to catch up to Damon; he took a sharp right back into the forest, which she followed and immediately stopped when she couldn''t see him anymore.

    What? Where did he-

    OOF!

    She was mmed into and tackled to the hard surface of the ground. Damon''s beast of a wolf stood over her, barring his teeth with a loud growl.

    "A, what-" He stopped his mind-link after the noise of footfall caught his attention. Turning, his ears stood up alert along with his fur standing on end. A rolled to her feet and searched their surroundings. Damon growled in the opposite direction to where A was looking.

    "A, stay behind me. That''s an ORDER!" He put a lot of emphasis on thest word, his tone making her instinctively bare her neck, a sign that she would follow hismand. He stepped forwards and was met with five wolves; A knew from his bodynguage that they were not a part of their pack.

    There was also the fact that all five of them had glowing red eyes matching the dried blood around their muzzles. They growled at them and began to disperse and surround them. But as soon as two of them went past Damon towards A, he lunged at one, immediately snapping his teeth into its neck and ripping flesh away, leaving the wolf to fall at his feet. He looked at the other one and growled, challenging him to take another step closer; this made the other wolf halt its actions.

    However, the leader barked at the remaining two by his sides, and all three of them came charged towards Damon. He, in turn, growled at each of them. It was then, A decided she needed to help, training or not; she was a werewolf and a Cross for that matter. Wasn''t the Cross bloodline meant to be the strongest?

    Although Malia was petrified of being reprimanded by their mate after, she agreed to A''s thought process. She wanted to please him at all costs, even if it meant her staying behind him but then she also didn''t want to see him get hurt.

    "ENOUGH. Let''s help!" A barked to her wolf.

    Their thinking only took a matter of seconds before all the wolves lunged simultaneously at Damon. He jumped head-on towards the leader, straight away going for his neck while A tackled down the wolf to his right, who tried to sneakily assault Damon. The wolf paid no heed to A as the ck wolf was a much bigger opponent to take down. The brown wolf stood back up immediately after being tackled.

    A and the wolf in front of her circled each other slowly, both sussing the other out. It was clear that she was the bigger and more powerful wolf from the size of her inparison. Her growl was a warning not to mess with her, but instead of backing away, it only became provoked. Even though she was stronger, the brown wolf was more feral and did not think twice about attacking her.

    They crashed into each other, both going for the other''s neck. When neither could get a good hold on the other, the brown wolf tackled her to the ground. A yelp left her lips as she hit her head on a rock, her eyesight became blurry, and in an instant, the brown wolf had the upper hand and pounced on top of her, going straight for the jugr.

    It mped its teeth into her neck, immediately making Malia roar to life, pushing the dazed A out of the way and taking over their body. At thest minute, she used her legs to kick him off of them; rolling to the side, she jumped and mped her jaws down into its neck. It yelped and tried to move her off of it, but she mped even harder, and the sound of bones cracking was enough to make Alia nauseous. With ast whimper, it fell ck to the ground.

    Looking up, she saw Damon taking down thest wolf of the group. Malia stayed alert, searching their surroundings; once she sensed there were no more threats, she merged into the back of A''s mind, knowing that she was now capable of moving. It was bizarre for A; although Malia has taken the lead before, this was the first time she paid more attention. The thought of dying by the other wolf was reason enough to watch what was happening.

    But in those final moments between Malia and the other wolf, it was as though she was watching it through a T.V screen. Like an observer of sorts. Now she was back in control, and she was pacing along the mud; her white fur was now filthy with blood and dirt covering it.

    Thest wolf fell, and Damon turned to face A. His eyes shone bright like two full moons. He walked towards her and sniffed her neck before giving her a lick on the nose.

    What the hell?

    Was that an action of endearment?

 Chapter 28 - The Black Wolf

    The ck wolf continued to sniff at her neck and made a whimpering sound before he stepped back and looked directly into her blue eyes, it''s own burning in intensity.

    "Hello A," A low growl rumbled through the mind-link. It was Damon''s voice, but it was extremely animalistic. She looked into his eyes more and watched as the silver glow of his orbs flickered and hardened. This was the wolf she met that night.

    "I''m Damon''s wolf, Darius," His voice was deep and majestic sounding, causing A to be slightly in awe and in a daze. Malia stirred in the background, wanting toe to the surface, but A kept her at bay until Darius said, which made Malia grumble in agreement.

    "Hi," A heard the nervousness in her voice; she didn''t know what to say to him. He stepped closer to her again and licked her neck, making her realise her wound was slightly bleeding.

    "You are injured. You did not need to intervene; we would have been fine." He grumbled in annoyance; the deepness of his voice vibrated through his chest. But there was also a hint of admiration rolling off of him.

    "I was not about to sit by and watch you get hurt," A eximed.

    "And now you are hurt. It is our duty as your mate and your Alpha to protect you. But you are making it very difficult," A didn''t know if his calm demeanour was the ''calm before the storm''. Damon made it sound like his wolf was vicious and near enough untameable.

    "Make no mistake, A. Damon has been very patient with you. If it was me, I would have marked you the moment we set our eyes on you," Darius''s voice went dangerously low, sending a shiver down her spine. Malia whimpered in response which came through the mind-link to Darius; his eyes softened a fraction before they went back to normal as the glowing diminished.

    "You met Darius that night, A. He was the one chasing you; he found it incredibly hard to stay away from you. It was the hardest thing I had to do, reining him in," Damon was the one now speaking through the mind-link. A rxed more after hearing his voice return back to normal.

    She thought back to her first encounter with Damon or, well, Darius? And all she remembered was him growling at her and then attacking the crossbowman, which aided in her escape.

    A sigh then came through the mind-link, "Will you please go back to the mansion now?"

    Well, seeing as he asked so politely¡­

    "If you replied to me in the first ce, I wouldn''t be here," A said stubbornly.

    So much for taking the high road.

    "I was scouting for those rogues," He growled.

    "Well, maybe next time, tell me that!" She raised her voice. Damon was incredibly annoying. All he had to do was tell her that, and none of this would have happened.

    "But then he would have taken on those wolves by himself," Malia added as she continued to listen to their conversation.

    "We didn''t really help that much," A retorted.

    "Hmmm, if I remember correctly, that wolf tried a sneak attack and didn''t expect us to go for him," Malia scoffed, "as if we would let him do that to our Alpha. Seriously, how stupid?"

    A smiled at her wolf; she was right, muttering, "How stupid indeed."

    "Next time!? Oh, there won''t be a next time, A. You deliberately disobeyed me! Those were type 1 rogues, AILA. Do you know what that means?!" Before she could say anything, he continued, "No, you don''t. Because you''ve only been in this world for a few fucking days!"

    By this point, he toppled her over onto her back, his paws holding her down with his teeth barring.

    Seriously? That needs to stop.

    Malia rolled her eyes at A''s thoughts. However, A was fuming, she was back in the mud, and she hated being pushed around, especially by an overbearing Alpha.

    "He''s our overbearing Alpha, though.." Malia piped in.

    Two more wolves came into view by their sides, making A tense, ready for another attack but then rxed when she saw their eyes were not red. She also recognised the golden-brown wolf to be Kane, though she guessed who the ck wolf next to him was. It had fur missing on one side of its neck where there were clearly w marks showing.

    Damon released her and turned to face the neers.

    "Train with me, and you''ll be invincible in no time," A feminine voice she recognised came through the mind-link. It was Gamma Chiara.

    "Take her back," A low growl erupted from Damon''s chest, causing Gamma Chiara to bow her head in response. A did not realise that the four of them were in a mind-link together. She began to follow Gamma Chiara.

    "And A," Damon''s voice filtered through a private mind-link between them. She stopped to look at him while Gamma Chiara continued to trot off.

    "I''ll deal with youter," His voice was menacing, making her gulp. But instead of showing how nervous his words made her, she straightened up, tilting her nose slightly higher while her ears stood up.

    "I can''t wait," She said drily. The sarcasm did not go unnoticed by the Alpha. He growled in response as his eyes glowed again, showing his temper and his wolfing forwards.

    Oops, hey, Darius.

    Malia whined in the background as A turned away and caught up with Gamma Chiara, who waited patiently deeper in the forest. Once she made it to her side, they set off at a fast pace A presumed was towards the mansion. The mind-link was quiet between them; A was unsure if Gamma Chiara was a quiet woman or if she was giving her some space; either way, A was grateful. She took the time to try and process her whirlwind of thoughts as her paws pounded into the wet earth.

    She finally met her mate, who turned out to be Alpha Damon. Her strange attraction to him was making a lot more sense now; even before she had Malia, there was a peculiar electrical buzz between them. However, she still had a lot to learn; it was easy saying they were mates, but after the subject of marking her was brought up, she didn''t know what to expect or how to feel. As he mentioned, she has only been in this world as a werewolf for a few days, and although her dad gave her a rundown of the Cross history, she still didn''t know any more specifics on actually being a werewolf.

    Until this point, she had been improvising and figuring everything out as she went. That was only going to take her so far. Even with the rogue attack, she attacked the rogue without knowing how to use her strengths to her advantage. A looked to her side at Gamma Chiara, who pelted through the trees by her side; the Gamma said she would train her, so at least that was something she could tick off of her list of things to do.

    Then there was Darius, who seemed to have a darker edge to his personality than what Damon had. She was still trying toprehend what that meant for her. He said he would have marked her by now. What did that mean? Would that make her submit to the Alpha? Malia certainly submitted to him quite easily, which really surprised her, A was a Cross, and she thought Malia would also be stubborn and strong-willed against an Alpha. She didn''t like to submit to anyone, yet here she was-

    Malia growled at where A''s thoughts were leading her, "I don''t submit to anyone, A. But he is our mate and our mate for a reason. We should be able to submit to him and lean our trust into him."

    A snorted, "Malia, unlike me, you haven''t been in any rtionships. This, I don''t know how this will go but, in the past, if someone has been particrly bossy with me, I don''t tend to stick around. And Damon ticks that box massively! From what I can tell, it''s in his nature to be in charge, including in his rtionships."

    Malia was seething at A''s words, "You forget I was stuck inside your head for most of our lives. Don''t tell me about your stupid rtionships that I could almost immediately see failing. If you knew about me and the werewolf''s existence, I doubt you would have had a rtionship until now. He is our mate. Trust the Moon Goddess''s choice!"

    A nked at Malia''sst words.

    The Moon Goddess?

    Malia sunk back into the depths of her mind again, almost as if she was running off and mming a door in A''s face. But her wolf stayed quiet, letting her words sink in. A knew her life would be immensely different if she knew about this world she was now a part of. She also wondered if her personality would be the same or different.

    A stopped and realised she was now standing in front of the broken patio doors. She did not pay much attention to her surroundings, solely relying on the Gamma, which, again, she was thankful for the escort. If there were any more rogues about, she would have definitely been easy prey. A nced to her side, the spot now empty as Gamma Chiara was nowhere to be seen. She must have seriously been deep in thought; after all, she was arguing with Malia.

    A ''humph'' noise came from the dark depths of her mind, indicating that Malia was still annoyed with her, but she could tell she was slowly warming to her again. A hopped over the shards of ss still on the floor and walked into the house in her wolf form. Thest thing she wanted to do was shift and run around the house naked, so she nned to wait until she made it to her bedroom. A cringed a couple of times after hearing her ws scratch the floor; she hoped it wouldn''t be held against her. But there was no way she wasfortable being in the nude.

    Unfortunately, SOMEBODY shifted too soon and tore her jeans apart.

    Malia snickered at her thoughts. With her bedroom door closed behind her, she shifted and went straight to the bathroom. After turning the shower on, she looked back in the mirror and gasped at her reflection. There was dirt smeared across her body, dried blood covering most of her shoulder and a wound that was nearlypletely healed on the side of her neck. Werewolf healing really was something magical. She touched the surrounding area of it in awe but hissed at the slight pain she still felt.

    When she met her eyes again in the mirror, a small smile crept up her face as she saw her eyes were lit with a wildness she had never seen before. The adrenaline from today''s fight was still pumping through her veins, and although it didn''t go particrly well, she was exhrated by it. Malia howled in agreement; she was happy to see a wilder side of A. She used to y hockey before, and even then, she somehow didn''t get into that many fights.

    "That''s because I was the captain. I had responsibilities.." A chided her wolf.

    "As Luna, you will still have responsibilities. But if anyone challenges us, we don''t need to hold back from being physical," Malia gleamed with excitement at the thought. This brought back the memory of Malia''s physical reaction to Lydia earlier. A nodded her head in acknowledgement as she climbed into the shower, weing the heated water on her skin.

    Malia surely was a violent beast.

    "I take that as apliment," She spoke proudly, "next time though, Lydia won''t be getting away."

    After showering and removing the dirt and blood from her hair and body, she changed into leggings and a hoody. Her ''go to'' outfit, it now seemed. Malia was happier with this choice, in case she shifted unexpectedly. A tsked her and went down the hallway, her goal being the library to learn more about herself.

    Unfortunately, once she made it to the bottom of the stairs, a bristling Alpha stormed towards her, wearing nothing but shorts. A stopped and drank the sight of him in. Her eyes wandered down his eight pack and to his ''v'' muscles, revealing how low his shorts clung to his hips. When she looked back up, she expected a smirk to be ced on his face, but all she saw was his jaw set, lips thinned, and his eyes burning into hers.

    Oh, he is pissed!

    Without missing a beat, he grabbed her and flung her over his shoulder, her backside in the air. She immediately pounded on his back and began kicking her legs, embarrassed at being thrown over his shoulder like a doll, "Put me down!"

    He pped her on the bottom, hard, making her yelp. She looked up and realised Ajax, Finn, Kane, and Nairi had walked into the hallway and watched with amused expressions as the Alpha carried her up the stairs. Her face heated immediately, and she pounded even harder, but he pped her again, this time with a low growl that vibrated through him to her.

    "Don''t do anything I wouldn''t do, kids!" Ajax shouted after them.

    This earned her another p on the bum, making her jump. It stung, but it was mixed with pleasure as her core tightened.

    "Hmmm, I can smell your arousal, A. But this is your punishment for tantly disobeying me," Damon''s voice was deep and husky after caressing her backside gently. She raised her head and realised he was taking her past her room and to his own. This made her suck in a sharp breath.

    But not from fear. No, it was from anticipation at what her punishment could be.

 Chapter 29 - Punishment

    By the time Damon threw his bedroom door open, A had covered her face from embarrassment. He smacked her on the bottom multiple times to humiliate her in front of others who passed them by. At that moment in time was five people; a few maids and two men who smirked but then cowered after their Alpha gave them a cold re. They immediately bowed their heads, mumbling an apology to Alpha Damon.

    He threw her on the bed and closed the door behind him. A sighed and sat up, watching him stalk towards her. She couldn''t help it; her eyes strayed down his body again.

    "Eyes up here, A." He snapped; his harsh voice made her look into his eyes, and she was immediately trapped under his stone-cold gaze. She couldn''t move her eyes away from his as he stepped closer to her, his movements slow as though he was ready to pounce on her, his prey. Without thinking, she stood up from her position, prepared to bolt, but he grabbed her and pinned her hands against the bed. Half her body was on the bed, with her legs dangling over the edge.

    He moved his knee forwards, parting her legs that resisted only for a second before allowing his knee entry. He pushed it slowly into the spot between her thighs, making her gasp from the sudden contact.

    "Do you like disobeying me, A?" He growled; she was confused for a moment until she remembered how easily she defied hismands. Was he really still angry from earlier? But when she searched his face for an answer, she soon found it. He was definitely mad from earlier.

    "To be quite honest, Damon. I do. It puts you in your ce," A smirked when she met his zing eyes. He brought his face down closer to hers, the pressure from his knee in between her legs increased, making her bite her bottom lip.

    "Wrong answer," He growled before biting her lip apart from her teeth. Her eyes rounded from the contact of the light touch of his lips that sucked on her bottom one. She moved towards him to steal more of a kiss, but her hands were bound, restricting her movement, and he released her lip, backing his head away. His eyes gleamed in amusement at her annoyance from his refusal to kiss her.

    A''s chest heaved from their proximity and from her hands being restrained. Her body was now burning under his touch, her lip tingled from where he had assaulted hers. Her underwear dampened from the intensity of his stare, not being able to kiss him and now, from his knee that started to move in small circr motions, teasing her sweetly. She released a breathless, "Ah," only for him to stop the movement in between her legs. His eyes never left hers as he watched her be frustrated.

    She dropped her head onto the bed, not realising she raised it after feeling her core begin to build up. She didn''t know how it was affecting her so much. He hadn''t done anything except touch her with his knee on top of clothing. He smirked as amusement shed across his face.

    He''s really enjoying this!

    He began to move his knee again, his faceing closer to hers; this time, she kept herselfposed and waited for him to meet her lips. She watched as he eyed them, but as soon as his own lips brushed hers, he moved to the side and brought his head down to her neck, his hair brushing against her skin, sending small shockwaves across her body. She felt so sensitive; even his hair was teasing her! He brought his lips to her neck and began trailing light kisses down to her corbone.

    A low moan left her lips, and he bit her lightly in the spot she so wanted him to sink his teeth into. But he grazed it and pulled himself up again; she looked at him in a lust-filled haze. The pressure on her wrists increased from his grip, and his knee stopped again, she saw his eyes burning with desire, but he kept himself in check. Her eyes narrowed at him as she figured out what he was doing. A grin broke out on his face as he realised she caught on.

    "I won''t go against your orders," She breathed, rolling her eyes which seemed to make his smile drop and his eyes harden again.

    "I don''t think you mean it, A," He mocked as he put both her wrists under one of his hands and brought his other hand down and under her hoody. Her skin immediately heated under his touch as his hand glided up and under her bra, groping her breast and massaging it.

    "I do, I mean it. I''m sorry," She breathed. Damon scrutinised her face then released her hands. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips; it seemed her little lie worked.

    "Do NOT move your hands," He growled; his voice was filled with dominance, thrilling her so much that she felt her clit twitch in response and her core bing wet.

    She kept her hands above her head as he started to move his knee again while he removed her hoody. He brought his face down, pulling the cups of her bra down as he did so. One hand went to her left breast, squeezing before his thumb circled her nipple, while his mouth found her right nipple, and he began to suck and nip on it.

    A moan escaped her lips, and he stopped; he raised his head and looked at her through the stray hairs that went across his steel eyes.

    Shit, he really did mean for her to be quiet.

    mping her teeth shut, she met his eyes, and he continued with his assault at her breasts while his knee continued to rub below. She felt herself building up and begged for a release but not by his knee; she wanted his hand or, even better, she craved to be filled up by his length.

    Her eyes began to close as she felt her core build-up; he released his knee and brought his hand down, lightly stroking the outside of her leggings on her sensitive bud. He rubbed in slow circles, hitting the right spot that sent sparks of pleasure across her body. He continued to y with her nipple, his tongue swirling on the pink bud. She bit down on her lip, stopping herself from moaning as her body heated, her back arched, and her core clenched together. The pressure built up, and just as she was about to release a blissful orgasm, he removed his hand and face from her body.

    She slumped into the bed, releasing a harsh breath instead as her body was left wanting for more. Damon stood up and walked to his couch, grabbing a shirt left there and throwing it on. A sat up, stunned at the turn of events.

    He..

    She..

    What?

    Confusion was written across her face; she adjusted her bra and quietly brought her hoody back down. Her focus then went back to the man in front of her, who now seemed more like the devil. She met his gaze when he sauntered back to standing in front of her.

    "It''s a punishment, A. See how much you frustrate me?" His deep voice filled the quiet room. He palmed his hand on her face, caressing her gently before he brought his face close to hers, his silver eyes meeting her blue ones as they continued to stare intensely at one another, "follow mymand, and you will be rewarded. Disobey, and you will be punished."

    A scoffed at hisment causing his eyes to darken a fraction. Damon brought his face even closer to hers, "I think it''s in your best interests if you are good," he whispered before nibbling on her earlobe, making her gasp at the sudden touch. He pulled back with a chuckle and walked to his mini-fridge.

    A was left in a shocked daze as she watched him bring a bottle of water out and poured it into two sses. He gestured for her to take the other ss left on the coffee table while he sat back on the couch, crossing his ankle over his knee. His eyes stayed on hers, waiting expectantly for her to join him. Gritting her teeth together, she grabbed the cool ss from the table and sat across from him.

    She waited a moment for him to exin further while she sipped on her refreshing water, but after there was more silence, she looked back at him and saw that he was now deep in thought. His eyes were settled on the unlit firece across from him; she gripped her ss tighter as she began to feel her temper rising from the silence of this intoxicating man. She was both thrilled and angered by what happened moments ago on the bed. He already said she would be punished, but for what? Because she chased after him? Because she swore about him in front of Kane?

    Shaking her head, she didn''t know what to think. Damon was still a mystery to her, and why wouldn''t he be? They barely knew each other. Mate or not, all she felt for this man was a powerful pull and sexual desire to be with him. A wondered what he was thinking about after he ''punished'' her because his normally stoic face shone with conflicting emotions.

    The anger she felt was slowly diminishing as she could almost see a weight on his shoulders. Oh, she still felt angry at him after he inflicted his punishment on her-

    "A punishment you enjoyed, I might add," Malia interrupted; unlike A, she was not mad at their mate.

    "I didn''t expect to be left wanting more," A added; with that, Malia backed down. She was also feeling frustrated by how he left things with her.

    But A was angry; he was trying to control her, and that was something she could not sit back and take. Alpha or not, he had to earn her submission to him. If he thought that one little near orgasm was going to punish her and teach her to submit, then he didn''t know her very well.

    With that thought, she put her ss down and stood up; pulling her shoulders back, she walked towards the door to escape from the brooding Alpha. As she grabbed the doorknob, he finally spoke, "This is your bedroom now as well. So don''t even think about releasing your frustration in your old room. Because I will know, and I will punish you even more." A retracted her hand from the door handle and looked at him with furrowed brows.

    "I have other matters to sort out regarding the pack. Is there anything you need?" He asked. Concern shed across his face, but it was gone swiftly, reced with an unreadable expression. A found it hard to read him but decided to show him that his punishment was pointless and blurted the first thing that came to her mind, "A good fucking. But I guess that is off the table."

    He stood up instantly and stalked towards her. Her heart rate increased to an incredible tempo as she watched his eyes go from silver to almost ck. Adrenaline spiked through her, and she stumbled her hand to open the door; as it opened, it immediately shut from Damon''s forceful hand. She stayed facing the door as she felt him breathing down her neck, making her body all the more alert at his powerful presence.

    "Do as you are told, and I will happily oblige."

 Chapter 30 - Escape To The Library!

    His words elicited a full-body shiver at the thought of him taking her. But although his words whispered to a sensual spot needing for release, she kept herselfposed. She would not be controlled by him or her sexual desire to have him; if she did not agree with something, then she was not going to sit by and be quiet.

    A turned and faced him, her body t against the door from the small space he gave her. She met his eyes; her own reflected fiercely as she stared back, challengingly as she tilted her chin up, "If you think not giving me an orgasm will bend me to your will, then you have another thinging, Alpha," She mocked the word Alpha just so she could see his eyes glow and lure his wolf out. She pushed off the door, watching Damon''s form begin to bristle as he took a step away from her while he tried to keep Darius under control.

    A took another step closer, and he grabbed her waist roughly, pulling her into his hard chest with a snarl leaving his lips. The vibration of his voice and the feel of his hands on her waist made her secretly yearn for more, but she had a point to prove. Reaching out, she put her hand along his jaw, which quietened the beast within him as his chest vibrated in approval.

    With her hand still there, she spoke quietly and gazed into his molten silver orbs, "I have been kidnapped, tortured and put through two excruciating days of wolfsbane injections. You''ll have to work harder than that to get me to submit to you," A growl erupted from his lips as he brought his head closer to hers, a menacing look behind his eyes as they darkened.

    A went on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "If you want me to submit, you have to earn my respect. So far.." She stepped back and pped him lightly on the cheek, "You have not earned it." She growled loudly, her eyes glowing. She turned abruptly on her heel, taking advantage of the shock on his face by hurrying towards the door again.

    As she opened the door, A heard a low growl vibrate through the walls and Damon replied, "You need to learn how to be a werewolf first before you talk to me about respect."

    A looked back over her shoulder at him, a retort on her lips, but she bit her tongue after seeing the state she was leaving him in. His fists were balled by his sides, shaking, as his eyes glowed and became darker, but before she took another step out of the room, she also saw admiration on his face. Leaving the door wide open, A walked off at a leisurely pace, putting on a show that she was not fazed by his actions or his words. But as she continued down the hallway, she couldn''t help but sigh in relief after not hearing his footsteps following her.

    Her heart had been pummelling against her chest the whole time as she faked her confidence and put strength behind her words. pping Damon was spontaneous, and she couldn''t believe she done it and got away with it. But A hoped her words didn''t go on deaf ears, and he considered what she said.

    A''s steps echoed while she descended the stairs; her intention was to go to the library like she wanted to that morning.

    "That was so risky. You are lucky he is our mate," Malia sputtered, shocked herself at what A said.

    "At the moment, I am not sure if that makes a difference. He seems to want me to behave," A replied to her wolf as self-doubt began to eat at her.

    Malia scoffed, "Yeah, the punishment was brutal!"

    A''s lips twitched at the thought of intentionally getting in trouble. But then she realised she would most likely do it without intention. It was, after all, in her blood not to follow orders. Her eyes lit up at the thought of what else he might do to her, although her body was still yearning for him to release the tension she felt in her core now. Maybe she could be good once and get a quick release-

    "Make up your mind! Either be a boss and set your own rules or be good and be rewarded for it," Malia eximed, her patience thinning at A''s whirling thoughts.

    She sighed as she turned the corner she stopped at earlier before panic hit her like a ton of bricks. Realisation dawned on her, she was now sharing a room with Damon, and she had pped him.

    "Twice now, actually," Malia said joyfully. She had no problem with them going back to the roomter; it meant they were back with their mate. A groaned in response to her stupidness, but she knew she could not hide from him. One, because it was a coward''s way out and two because she knew he would find her.

    Shaking off her gloomy thoughts, she continued down the hallways towards the library, this time without any interruptions from a certain somebody. She wondered what happened to Lydia but quickly brushed the thought off as jealousy pped her like a wicked whip. A really needed to get her priorities straight; her emotions were like a rollercoaster, and the cart just flew off it. She could not keep up with them.

    A made it to the far end of the mansion and slowed her steps when she saw the double doors to the library. A feeling of nostalgia washed over her as she traced the delicate carving in the wooden doors with her finger. She was happy to see that they did not change this part of the house. Unlike the rest of the building that was modern, these doors were from the 17th century. Although they were old, they aged well and were looked after.

    A remembered asking her father how old it was while she sat on his shoulders as a young girl. She smiled gently at the memory and pushed the doors open, making them creak loudly in the enormous library. A inhaled deeply, relishing the old book smell mixed with incense that always seemed to emanate the air. She walked further into the serene room she held a lot of love for.

    The high ceilings had a magnificent painting spread across the entirety of the room with a chandelier that hung in the middle that was also exquisite but did not steal the limelight from the ceiling. When A looked back down, she saw therge stone firece in front of two leather sofas and the infamous armchair from her memories. She was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling shelves of books, and to the far right was a spiral staircase that led to another floor with rows of books.

    A''s shoulders rxed as she felt her worries disintegrate as pure happiness filled her. After taking a moment to look at the library''s grandness and reminisce about a few memories that came to mind, she released a breath and walked to the nearest bookshelf. She was not sure where to begin, there were so many books, but she needed to know about the pack basics, rogues, the Moon Goddess and the mate bond.

    A rubbed her fingers against her temples by the thought of how much she needed to learn. She was still processing what her dad told her a few days back about the Cross family history and the werewolves. Let alone the little checklist she now needed to tick off.

    "Stop whining and get to work," Maliamanded; her excitement spurred A on to find out more about themselves.

    Suddenly, the door flung open, and Darren waltzed inside, his arrogance filled the air and immediately made A frown, but sheposed herself and smiled kindly at the man. In return, he scowled and stood off to the side, his arms folded.

    Okay, that''s odd.

    She ignored him and continued searching each shelf on the first bookcase. When she couldn''t see anything specific on the above criteria, she moved onto the next bookcase. A loud crunching sound interrupted the peaceful quiet A had be ustomed to. She tensed at the sound and turned around, immediately clenching her teeth together when she saw Darren eating some crisps. Her eyes followed one that didn''t make it to his mouth and fell to the floor.

    Her eyes hardened when she saw him do nothing and identally step his foot on it as he made his way to the bin on the side. A watched him return to his position, disregarding the crisp on the floor. Her eyes burned into his head, making him snap his head in her direction, "What?" His annoyed voice irked her.

    "What are you doing here, Darren?" She asked him in a strained polite voice.

    "Alpha Damon has asked me to guard you," He spat, as though it was a waste of his time. His eyes travelled the length of her body before tutting and shaking his head. A nked at how he openly disrespected her and her body, was the man that stupid to look down on her in her own home?

    "Obviously is," Malia growled, her immediate instinct was to attack him, but A intervened the violent ideas running through her wolf''s mind, "We need his help. You can attack him after."

    Malia unwillingly agreed but only because the books were more important than putting a mutt in his ce.

    "Well, seeing as you aren''t doing anything important¡­ Mind telling me where I can find all books to do with werewolves," A''s voice was stern as she looked at him.

    He snorted at her question and pointed to the second floor, "Up there. Can''t believe you have to research about your own kind. And you expect me to follow you and your orders?"

    A turned her back on him, hiding how much her face heated up from both embarrassment and anger.

    "Who does this guy think he is?" Malia growled A''s thoughts.

    "Well, unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of growing up with the knowledge of my origin-"

    "Boohoo! Who cares? I told you where it is, now let me stand here in peace," Darren interrupted as he leaned up against the far wall closest to the doors.

    A refrained from throwing a book at him; she didn''t want the book to be damaged for his idiocy. Instead, she growled loudly at him as she made it to the top of the stairs, "Clean the floor up. This isn''t a cafeteria."

    "We have maids for that."

    "I''ve asked you. Now do it," A''s voice boomed across the room as she looked down at him from the wooden balcony bars she stood behind.

    He opened his mouth to argue, but her eyes glowed, causing his mouth to shut immediately, and without another word, he left the room. A smug smile reced the hard look on her face from dealing with Darren. She did not know why he had such an issue with her, but she would learn the pack politics and figure out if there is a reason or if he was just a jerk.

    Shrugging, she went back to scanning the shelves, and immediately her face lit up when she saw a whole row on werewolf origins and basics. Who would have known that everything she needed to learn would be inside the leather-bound books left in the library?

 Chapter 31 - Origins

    A grabbed a few books and piled them on top of each other; she bnced the tall pile and descended the spiral staircase. It took a lot of her concentration for the books not to fall or for her to misstep. As soon as she made it safely to the ground, she headed towards the firece and sat on the fur rug covering the floor. Although there was a perfectly good desk on the side, she preferred her little spot and the warm memories that came with it. With her legs crossed, she opened the first book in the pile.

    The book she picked up seemed ancient in her eyes from the tattered leather-bound cover, the weaved stitching on the side that was loose and on opening it, a sweet, musky smell wafted in the air as her fingers delicately turned the darkened pages. A knew to be gentle with such a book, and from reading the title, she realised why.

    ORIGINS : The Moon Goddess, Queen of Night.

    If A needed to start from anywhere about her newfound werewolf powers, reading about the Moon Goddess seemed like the perfect beginning. Malia mentioned her in an awestruck way earlier, and on her parent''s memorial painting, the Moon Goddess was also mentioned. This meant that she was an important figure in the werewolf world, and now she was going to find out why.

    After skim reading a few sentences and flicking through the pages, she soon found that there was a lot more history to the werewolves than the mini-history lesson her dad taught her. When she flicked to thest page and found the chapter, it dated the year 1918, proving that the entire book revealed the crucial events of the werewolves. However, she was not about to read through a book she knew would take more than a week to read the information provided.

    Flicking back to the first pages again, she began at the beginning, where it spoke about the origins of the werewolves and how important the Moon Goddess was in protecting their people.

    It read:

    ''The origins of Werewolves dates back to 3000 BCE (Before Common Era) when the Gods were celebrated and praised with feasts and banquets. The Moon Goddess, Selene, was one of three siblings, Helios, the God of Sun and Eos, Goddess of the Dawn; though they are significant figures for day and night, they were looked upon as the lesser of, the moremonly known Gods such as Zeus, Athena, Apollo and others.''

    A pulled back from the book. She was a little shocked that the Moon Goddess, who was such an important figure in the werewolf world, was found in Greek mythology books in the human world. It was a startling revtion that the Gods could, in fact, be real, though she wondered where they were now as religion certainly had changed since then. A looked back down at the book and began reading again, only to be startled when the double doors opened again with Darren walking through them with a dustpan and brush.

    She hid the smile that twitched at her lips as she watched him bend over and clean up the mess he made. She let her long locks fall into ce, covering half of her face when his eyes tried to burn through her. However, she was unconcerned by his presence as long as he kept to himself.

    ncing back down at the text, she continued to read.

    ''However, a rising power began to emerge quickly along thends, ughtering anyone they came across. This power was of stone-cold killers that lured humans to their deaths with their captivating, good looks. The creature was amia- a vampire. Civilisation quickly learnt the destruction the vampires left in their wake and the revolting revtion that they fed on the blood of humans. Though there were less than fifty of the creatures, in the beginning, their bloodshed was that of the hundreds and increasingly into the thousands.''

    A sucked in a sharp breath. Gabriel came to the forefront of her mind with his stunning good looks and his piercing blue eyes with speckles of red in them. She remembered the first time she met him and how she instantly found his presence alluring before he usedpulsion on her. A rolled her eyes at thest thought, then nearly jumped after hearing Malia growl in response to A''s thoughts.

    "What? You cannot deny that he is good looking. He''s not Damon, of course, but he is still good looking." A defended herself.

    Malia grumbled about how disgusting a vampire was before she settled back down in the depths of A''s mind. A chuckled at her wolf and her defensive attitude towards her, thinking of another guy than their mate. Shaking her head, she nced to the right and realised that the fire was lit. She looked around, wondering when that was set alight and how she never noticed someone prodding at it.

    So that was why she felt a little warmer than what her hoody was offering her. A eyed Darren on the side, who looked to be nearly dozing off in his upright position against the wall. She definitely didn''t see him warming up to her and trying to be friendly by lighting the fire. Either way, she felt morefortable with the mes by her side.

    A gazed into them in a daze, longing for her mother to be there and teach her everything she needed to know. Malia whined with heartbreak; the thought of their mother was too much for her, so A dismissed the fleeting thought. She nced back down to the book and continued reading.

    ''Though the vampires seemed to be indestructible, the hearts and beliefs of mankind were strong. One of the creatures travelled to a fisherman''s vige and took the life of the chief''s daughter. After hearing the horror stories of such creatures, they did not believe it was true until one of their beloveds was left dead with puncture wounds in her neck. The tribe mourned and begged the Gods to help them. But none responded until the day of the full moon. The blessed Moon Goddess, Selene, visited the chief in person. It was said her beauty was otherworldly, and no artist would ever be able to capture such a sight that was she, the Queen of Night.

    The Moon Goddess bestowed the whole tribe with the gift of the wolf to defend themselves against the vampires. With their new powers, the tribe set off righting the wrong of the sinful acts the vampires divulged in. After hunting many down, they halved the creature''s numbers into two; the arrogance of their own powers was their downfall. However, the dwindling numbers soon spiked up at a rapid rate. The vampires were not only able to procreate but turn humans into their own, which they did to increase their numbers.

    The chief of the tribe prayed to the Moon Goddess, asking for more powers to gather more warriors. His wish was granted, along with the Goddess choosing multiple tribes she deemed worthy of such a gift to protect the humans. The Queen of Night also left another gift for the chosen ones, which was for their ancestors to be protected against such a creature. The gift could be passed down through the generations. This left the werewolves praising the Moon Goddess who helped save them from such a terrible fate of the vampires.

    After years of trying, the werewolves found that they could not destroy the vampires, for there were too many. They learned to coexist with one another once the vampires formed a hierarchy. With the new king on the throne, he disciplined any who were out of line and could not control their thirst for human blood. Though there were still many cases of their cruelty against the humans, they were less relentless in reducing the human poption. Thus, the stories of vampires and werewolves began but turned into legend and horror stories as the humans soon forgot the existence of such deadly creatures.''

    A put the book down on the rug; her thoughts went from the Moon Goddess to the vampires and how Gabriel was allegedly a royal.

    "To think, the sole purpose of the werewolves origin was to protect humans from the vampires," A muttered aloud.

    "It seems not all humans forgot about us, though," Malia added, referring to the hunters.

    A nodded her head in agreement. She then searched through the pile of books for any history on the hunters but came up empty; she wondered when the Hunters Association was formed. If they had one of manypounds, she was curious to know how they were under the radar from the government and where their ie came from to afford such a group. Shaking her head, A knew she would not get any answers, and her priority was to learn about being a werewolf.

    Piece of cake.

 Chapter 32 - The Mate Bond

    A skimmed through the different books; she didn''t realise that some of them were actually diaries from past generations of werewolves. They were of men who were not aware of what they were, such as herself, and noted down everything they experienced. She was absorbed in what they wrote. Some spoke of how they were cursed by the devil, others praised their newfound gifts, while some presumed they were mad and ended up taking their lives. A bowed her head in sadness andmiserated before putting the diaries to the side.

    A did not realise how the time flew by. When it became dinner time, she stayed in the library while Darren left to eat; he never returned, for which she was thankful. By this point, she was sprawled across the floor on her belly, legs kicked up as with another opened book. Ajax and Finn waltzed into the room and took a seat on the leather couches; A was aware of their presence, but she did not look up from the book she was now searching through.

    "Hey, little wolf, you weren''t at dinner," Ajax spoke up from his rxed position.

    A shrugged, still flicking through pages before closing the book and picking another up. She wanted to know more about her mate bond with Damon, but so far, she found more about the history of the tribes and how the hierarchy was forming between packs. This she did not feel the need to learn; her dad summed it up nicely for her.

    "Alpha Damon was there.." Ajax teased yfully, which made her lookup. A felt her heart clench at the thought of missing him at dinner but dismissed it. She needed to know more about the bond before she saw him again. A looked back down after a few seconds of staring into space with her own thoughts.

    "Earth to A.."

    She jumped back from the hand waving in front of her face, making her look at Ajax with a scowl forming on her features. With a sigh, she put the book down and gave him a hard stare, "Yes?"

    Ajax put on a charming smile that did not dazzle her one bit. He shimmied down to the floor and ced his hand behind her, leaning in close, too close to her personal space; as he did so, he continued to stare into her eyes. A narrowed her own as she wondered what he was up to. He moved his hand forwards slowly, his eyes still holding hers as he ced some stray locks of her hair in his fingers before scooping it back behind her ear.

    He sighed dramatically and flung himself on the couch, his back on the seat and legs sprawled out as he ced his hand over his face. A looked across at the other couch where Finn sat and gave him a questioning look, which he returned with an almost identical confused expression.

    "She''s mated alright!" Ajax spoke gravelly from under his hand, "My charms didn''t even make her blush. No one can resist this face! No one!" He waved his hand around his face to prove a point before hiding under his hand once again.

    A rolled her eyes at his vanity and went to grab the book again; as she opened it, she spoke quietly, "Yes, I found my mate, and yes, it is Alpha Damon."

    "I knew it!" Ajax eximed as he swung his feet back around and sat back up. He leaned his chin on his hands that bnced on his knees, putting on a mocked dreamy expression on his face, "it was the way he threw you over his shoulder that gave it away. Well, along with growling at any form of touching on my part. ying with your hair in front of him was the funniest-"

    "You did it on purpose!" A mmed her book down, looking at him bbergasted.

    "Of course, I experimented with the theory I had," Ajax smirked, unconcerned with his bold actions.

    Before A could reprimand him, Finn interrupted, doing just that, "Jeese, did you lose some brain cells while in that cell all those years? You''re lucky he didn''t attack you or worse, kill you."

    Ajax sighed, "This is why I don''t hang out with werewolves. You guys are so dramatic."

    "Did he just say WE were the ones who are dramatic?" A mocked astonishment as she looked at Finn.

    "Yeah, he did." Finn shook his head in disbelief.

    Sighing to herself, she grabbed the book up again and looked back down to the page that was titled, The Mate Bond.

    Before she could continue, Ajax snatched the book from her fingertips. This time her patience flipped, and she got up and kicked him in the shin.

    "Ow! What was that for!?" He screamed in pain.

    A rolled her eyes again, "Such a baby, I didn''t even kick you hard. I warned you, if you kept interrupting my reading, I would kick you!"

    "I didn''t think you''d actually do it!"

    "Well then, that''s your mistake for underestimating me," A retorted.

    "Such a cruel woman to me," He moaned but then raised his hands up in surrender when he saw her re at him, "Okay, maybe that was too much."

    A took the book back and sat in the armchair next to the lit firece.

    "What are you reading anyway?" Finn asked politely; A began scowling at the interruption again, but it didn''t irk her as muching from Finn. He didn''t intentionally go out of his way to annoy her.

    She looked up at him and replied, "I have so much to read, Finn. I need to learn everything there is to know about being a werewolf, the mate bond, being a royal, a luna.." She whispered thest word as though the term could sting her. But both men perked up at what she said. The pair stared at her in wonderment, making her self-conscious.

    "What do you want to know?" Finn asked, "I can help with some of it."

    Closing the book shut with a thud, she didn''t think about asking an actual werewolf about these things. Even with the books'' reliability, if Finn could provide the information in less time than reading the books, she was happy to ept his offer.

    "Tell me everything I need to know about the mate bond and being marked. I presume you haven''t found your mate?" She queried.

    Finn scoffed, "Well, I''ve only seen the inside of that cell and the rooms we were experimented in. So no, I have not found my mate."

    A eyed him; although he joked, she could also see the sadness behind his eyes. Was it the years torn away from him or because he has not found his mate?

    "The Moon Goddess gifts us with a mate. She pairs us with the other half of your soul. That is why it is a gift. Unlike humans who may or may not find their actual soulmate, werewolves nine times out of ten always will. The goddess aligns our paths with each other so that we will one day meet," Fin began exining the finer details of the mate bond. He stood up and walked over to the firece, cing his hand on the mantel as he looked down into the mes. A patiently waited for Finn to continue, crossing her legs in the armchair as she did so.

    "Once you find your mate, you have the option to reject them. Although it is a gift, our goddess would never force it onto us. However, the pair always tend to end up together. There are no mistakes when ites to a mated pair, you see, and from what I have heard, it is very hard not to ept your mate. The bond immediately pulls the pair together. The longer they go without being marked, the harder it will be to go without the other. Their wolves be harder to control, and if they are already quite feral, then it won''t be long until the mark is forced onto their mate."

    A instinctively gulped; she already knew from meeting Darius that this was the case. From what she could tell, both Darius and Malia were quite feral; but she could onlypare them to the other werewolves she had briefly met. There was not enough to look more into the matter. At some point, she will be marked either way unless she rejected her mate. Malia growled at the idea, but she settled down again, realising that A was only acknowledging the idea.

    "That''s it?" Ajax asked, his voice almost bored as he went back to lying on his back.

    "Well, the basics. You can only have one mate. Once the pair have marked each other, it bes official, the pact is sealed for life. They can tell how the other feels, and they can sense when their mate is nearby. Another thing, mates are very protective and possessive of each other. An Alpha is even more possessive over their mate than the average werewolf. I have heard of Alpha''s killing for their mates in the past. Something as small as touching has caused brawls between werewolves. As for a royal couple," Finn stopped and looked at A with uncertainty, "I am not sure if that makes you both highly susceptible to fighting or not. Your position is even higher than that of a normal Alpha and Luna."

    "In other words, Ajax," Finn now looked at Ajax sternly, "you should not be pissing Alpha Damon off."

    A began ying with the sleeves of her hoody while she nced from Finn and stared into the mes of the fire. Finn and Ajax continued chatting to each other while she was lost in thought; she couldn''t help but have mixed feelings about the mate bond. On the one hand, A couldn''t see herself with anyone else. Damon already felt like a piece of her that she couldn''t go without. But then, the human side of her rebelled against the idea of being tethered to someone against her will.

    Malia snorted, "Against your will? Really? Come on! Damon hasn''t kidnapped you and forced this onto you. It''s a natural process. Stop being scared."

    "That''s easy for you to say. This feels like the equivalent of getting married. Almost like an arranged marriage by the Moon Goddess herself," A grumbled, although she felt warm butterflies in her stomach by the thought of having Damon by her side always.

    She immediately shook the idea away, her rational self taking form. That man was the reason why she couldn''t release any tension in her lower region; she really would go off to her room and sort the ''issue'' out, but at the same time, she didn''t want to see how much further he would take her teasing punishment.

    A looked up then, after realising the room, became quiet. Ajax had stormed out, leaving Finn to take his spot on the couch by her side.

    "What happened?" She asked.

    "Ajax being Ajax," Finn sighed. She couldn''t help but giggle, imagining Finn ageing before his time solely because of Ajax.

    For the remainder of that evening, A and Finn stayed in the library. She still did not leave to get anything to eat, which caused her stomach to growl every five minutes. But her stubbornness to stay away from Damon for the night outweighed her hunger. Finn didn''tment on it, sensing there was something she was annoyed about.

    When the clock hit 11pm, A was on the floor again, reading a book about her roles as a Luna and Queen. She turned the page to see that there were ceremonies in ce for both in the Silver Crescent Pack, but her mind and body finally caught up with her, and before she could read further into it, she found her eyes drooping and her face buried into the book.

    The next moment, A stirred after feeling intense heat and woodsy scent wrap around her like a cosy nket. Her body immediately rxed and snuggled closer into the scent. Her mind tried to resurface to reality, but her body pulled her into a cloud of darkness, weighing her down like an anchor.

    Before she was wholly consumed by her peaceful dreams, she heard a silk-like voice vibrate across her body, sending small tingling kisses across her skin.

    ".. you finally burned out. My little spitfire."

 Chapter 33 - Acting Obedient

    A woke up, slightly disorientated. She bolted upright in the huge bed she had been sleeping in; her eyes scanned her surroundings sleepily until theynded on the shirtless, muscr back of Alpha Damon. He stood, watching outside of the balcony door, a cup of warm liquid in his hand while his other hand raked through his dishevelled hair. He turned his head and looked at her, almost as if he could sense her staring at him; she felt her face heat up as the day before shed across her mind.

    Damon left her feeling agitated, and in need of a release, and in return, she pped him in the face. A looked down, too tired to challenge him so early in the morning, but as she did, she saw the clothes she had been sleeping in. They weren''t the leggings and hoody she was wearing in the library. A wore silk shorts and a matching vest top; she felt quite exposed and self-conscious at the thought of him undressing her. A looked back up when she heard the ''clink'' of a cup being set down to see Damon leave the cup on the firece and stroll towards her.

    There was no anger in his posture or his eyes, which made her tense shoulders rx. Yet, she still brought the duvet cover up to her chest protectively as she watched his eyes drink her in; this only made him smile as amusement shed across his handsome face.

    "Good morning, A," His deep voice rumbled, sending a shiver directly to her core.

    "Why did you change me out of my clothes?" A asked, her eyes hardening. She didn''t want him to catch on to how much she wanted to jump him and ride him senseless. It was highly embarrassing; he only said good morning to her.

    Damon climbed onto the bed and crawled towards her; she watched hungrily as his muscles flexed. Her eyes then met his again, and she was nearly knocked back from the smouldering look he was giving her. He reached out and ced a finger under the string of her vest, sliding slowly with a featherlight touch that caused goosebumps to surface on her skin.

    "I thought you would befier in this. Should I have left you in your hoody?" He questioned her; her heart fluttered from the genuine look in his eyes.

    She nced away as she answered, "This is fine, thank you."

    A''s cheeks heated again at the thought of him changing her and by the fact that she slept so deeply through it. A then felt his finger under her chin and moved her head, so she faced his breath-taking face again. His eyes were lit with amusement, "Why are you blushing?" she could see his lips twitch into a smile.

    A tried to move her head away again, but his finger must have been made out of steel because she couldn''t move. Sighing, she whispered, "You changed me. Saw me naked."

    Damon''s chuckle made her look up, her cheeks flushing all the more but with her rising temper at beingughed at. Yet, once she met his molten silver eyes again, she saw that they had softened and crinkled slightly at the sides. Damon almost looked younger than he is; he was far from old, he was possibly a few years older than her, but his consistently stoic or angry features made him seem older.

    "You have a beautiful body A, you should never be ashamed of it," He spoke softly. A was surprised by how he read her vulnerability so easily. She hoped it was the bond or his key observation skills; she never thought of herself as a book, easy to read. But if that was the case, then it could make it harder for her as a Luna and Queen to keep her thoughts to herself.

    Damon brought his hand to cup her cheek while he stared at her and then looked down at her lips. Instead of kissing her, like she began craving for, he pulled himself off the bed and walked towards the wardrobe.

    "You should get changed. Chiara is training you today," His voice had deepened, taking on a more serious tone.

    A looked for the rm clock and saw that it was 6:30am. She should have guessed her'' lie ins'' were no more. Bringing her feet out of bed, she made her way to the wardrobe, where Damon pulled some shorts out. A was quick to follow Damon and get changed. Choosing some sporty leggings, a sports bra and a baggy vest; all new clothes were thanks to the man now sitting on the sofa. He wore his shorts, trainers and a tank top that showed his extensive muscles; as casual as he looked, his face was stern while looking at some papers.

    A sat down next to him, "You always have paperwork to go through. What is it?"

    "All sorts of shit. Laws that have been broken and by who, packs fighting over territory or in general, housing issues, families to be taken care of, etcetera." He replied, his eyes still on the papers.

    A blinked, astonished at the duties he had to take on as an Alpha. It made her wonder about her own duties once she became Luna. The thought made her still again. Instead of facing her thoughts about being a Luna, she jumped back up and began making her way to the door.

    "Hold on," Damon''s voice rumbled through the room. A turned to look at him just as she reached out for the doorknob. He dropped the papers onto the sofa and sauntered over to her position, cing his finger under her chin, "Can you promise me one thing today, please?" He asked her; his eyes were swirling silver, almost hypnotising A as she stared into them.

    "That depends on what it is," She replied, slightly breathless. Damon''s lips twitched, holding back a smile.

    "Can you behave yourself in front of the pack?" His tone was serious; all humour had left his face. A watched as his eyes shimmered slightly, meaning Darius was very near the surface, ready for a rebellious reply.

    A put on a seductive smile and internallyughed when she saw his eyes darken from lust, "That depends on you," She purred.

    He narrowed his eyes at her, "Remember what I told you, A."

    She almost heard him click his tongue after saying her name. A stepped closer, keeping her eyes locked with his, "And remember what I told you." Her voice was solid and calm at the same time. A waited for him to reprimand her, but he stepped back while his jaw ticked as he continued to stare at her.

    "It''s for your own good," Damon muttered under his breath; A knew she was not meant to hear his response. A swung the door open and replied just as quietly, "I''ll be fine, Alpha. I have read some of the pack rules."

    It was true if she kept disobeying the Alpha of the pack, even if she was his mate, he would still have to punish her. If his Luna wouldn''t obey him, how could the rest of the pack follow him?

    A walked down the hallway, and Damon quickly caught up to her. He ced his hand around her waist, almost protectively, when they came across a few pack members, both males. They bowed their heads at the pair and let them walk ahead of them before following behind. Although A felt like rolling her eyes at Damon''s possessiveness, the feeling of his hand on her waist was quiteforting when she was about to go into the unfamiliar territory of ''werewolf training''.

    In the time it took them to make it to the grassy field where the mats were alreadyid out, A reminded herself of each pack leader''s role. When she saw Gamma Chiara already flipping someone over her shoulder and leaving them with a punch to the throat, she knew they had the correct Gamma for the role. However, Chiara was the first female to take the title from what she read, making the woman that much more impressive.

    In the Silver Crescent''s pack, the Gamma was a strong leader in charge of training their best warriors, border control and helped the Alpha deal with punishments and inputting war strategies. The Delta, from what she remembered reading, was much more like a bodyguard to the Luna and didn''t hold much authority. They were the fourth and lowest ranking of the leaders and would only step up to the Gamma''s role if the Gamma stepped down from their position, lost in a challenge or died. For a female being in a higher rank than Darren, she didn''t need to guess that he did not like Gamma Chiara.

    "I would love to meet her mate. He must be super bold or scary to be with someone like her," Malia finally spoke up. The wolf had been there the whole time. She was rather happy watching the morning''s drama. A agreed with her; that was someone she was looking forward to meeting, if, of course, she had her mate. She presumed if she had one, he would have been at dinner.

    As they continued to approach the Gamma, a crowd began to form around the mat she was at, where Chiara finished off a man twice the size of her. A felt herself getting pumped at the idea of being taught by her and bing just as good. Damon let his hand drop from her waist, which made her nce at him before starting to walk off to meet Gamma Chiara. He called after her, "A."

    A turned around and was shocked when she nearly bumped into his chest. Raising her head, she almost fell back until he grabbed her by the back of her head and waist, pulling her closer to him and smashing his lips onto hers. The moment their lips touched, a spark of electricity went through the both of them, and A''s wide eyes closed as she responded to his touch.

    Her own hands glided up to his stubbled jaw as he deepened the kiss. Damon pulled back slightly and waited for her to open her eyes; she calmed her breathing down as she found herself melting into those silver orbs of his again. A faintly heard human calls of howling, but she ignored them as the pair kept their eyes locked on each other.

    "You''re MINE," Damon growled, his eyes then nced up, moving slowly as though he was announcing to anyone else who''s she was. He released her and stormed off.

    A felt as though a tornado smacked her in the face, spun her around, and she was now left dazed as it stormed off and began barking orders. When A turned around, she saw most of the pack had seen their kiss, and all began dispersing with broad smiles on their faces. Except for a few females that were obviously jealous of her being mated to their Alpha. Her eyes thennded on a pair she recognised immediately. Finn and Ajax. They both jogged to her; Finn looked in shock, and Ajax was grinning like a child in a sweet shop.

    "You know how to make an entrance!" Ajax boasted.

    A rolled her eyes and realised that the little spectacle''s sole purpose was for the Alpha to show off his mate to the pack, and any male to touch her outside of training would be dead. Unlike Damon, A had ignored any attention the men were giving her, which was only them ncing in her direction. But being the Alpha, he had to show who she belonged to.

    It grated at her a little, but she decided she didn''t mind it after seeing the looks on all the women''s faces. A also didn''t want to challenge the Alpha in front of the whole pack, not about something so trivial.

    Not yet anyway.

 Chapter 34 - First Training Session

    A approached Gamma Chiara after the little show she and Damon gave the pack. She couldn''t help but notice and be surprised by what the Gamma was wearing; she was such a badass but wore a simr outfit to the rest of the women who were trying to catch the eye of Alpha Damon. Most of her physique was on show with a pair of shorts and a sports bra; although it was nothing like what she saw Lydia in, she couldn''t help but think they were simr in looks. Except for the hair, scars and the scary aura the Gamma seemed to portray at all times.

    Gamma Chiara shouted a few orders, letting Darren take over training with the small group of thirty while she met A halfway. Her arms were against her chest as she eyed the two figures behind her.

    "I didn''t realise I was teaching your.. friends as well," She stated.

    "We''re just here to cheer her on!" Ajax replied with a cheeky wink.

    Gamma Chiara ignored him and set her eyes back on A and showed her to some mats further back. Nobody else was using them, and A could see how some of the pack members scrutinised her as she approached them. Her excitement to start began to turn into nervousness, but A quicklyposed herself and reminded herself how she was an athlete before everything went down. Although she hadn''t really been in many fights, she knew this would be technical.

    Her face now portrayed no emotions to the continuous onlookers who nced her way, but Gamma Chiara quickly picked up on A''s apprehension.

    "Tomorrow we will train in the hall. Today, you need to show them how much of an opponent you are even when you aren''t trained. You''re going to be challenged a lot while you transition into their Luna. They need to know that you can handle yourself and handle the pressure of ruling," Gamma Chiara mind-linked her, though she spoke to A; her hands were busy with putting chalk on them.

    A did the same before replying, "Thank you."

    "Don''t thank me yet. You''re going to hate me once I''m through with you," Gamma Chiara''s response brought a small smile to both of their faces, although A''s was more of an eptance to the challenge.

    "Okay, today I will assess you more than anything. I need to see how you fight and where we need to start from," The Gamma spoke aloud, as though she was announcing to the pack that they were beginning.

    "Okay, but I have to tell you, I haven''t trained inbat before," A replied sheepishly. She also wished that they were in wolf form; maybe then Malia could take control.

    "I can''t keep fighting your battles for you, you know. Would be nice to see you winning them for a change," Malia snickered.

    She has a point.

    "I know I do, now watch it!" Malia shouted.

    A barely dodged an oing attack from the Gamma; she used her distracted form to her advantage and from there continued an onught of attacks. Though she had not trained, A knew the basics of stances from ''boxercise'' and how to block blows. Gamma Chiara, though, was relentless. She caught her multiple times with a right hook to her unprotected ribs, then sent a swift kick to her ankles. A fell back on the mat but was quick to roll to the side, where Chiara''s foot immediately stomped in the space she was at.

    "Do you think she is taking it easy?" A asked her wolf but was sidetracked again as she jumped up out of the way of another kick.

    This time, A decided not to stick to boxing. Gamma Chiara was obviously doing some form of mixed martial arts because she switched between punches, swipes to kicks. A lunged forwards and tackled her to the ground, instantly sending a left hook to her face but was blocked and somehow was spun, so she was now on her back. Gritting her teeth, A immediately covered her face and blocked the blows there; Chiara then went for her stomach, but A had quite strong abs and could take the hits. Especially after the beat downs she kept taking from Connor.

    The thought of Connor and how he treated her made her temper rise, and she was instantly motivated more to take it out on the person fighting her. She kicked Gamma Chiara in the back of the head, sending her flying over her; A''s eyes began glowing, showing off how brilliantly crystal blue they were. She scrambled up and faced the Gamma, who was already going towards her; the pair kept blocking each other''s blows. A made sure to be quick enough that her opponent didn''t wrestle her down to the ground again.

    She found that her speed and strength was much greater than before she was a werewolf. Even though she had no prior training inbat, she easily kept up with Gamma Chiara; the difference was that the Gamma was analysing her moves, and she knew how to fight. Chiara flew towards her with a flying kick which A dodged and swiftly turned around, smacking her square in the face. Gamma Chiara''s nose began bleeding, and she put her hand up to it before looking back at A, who took a step back with her hands raised in surrender.

    "I''m so sorry. Are you okay?" A asked her with concernced in her voice.

    Gamma Chiara smiled, a full grin, teeth showing smile. A would say that she was beautiful but the blood trickling into her mouth was not a pretty sight. The Gamma came forwards and brought her hand out; A eyed it suspiciously before bringing her own out to shake it. She braced herself when their hands connected, but nothing happened.

    The Gammaughed at her reaction, "I''m not that much of a bitch, you know. Good job! Your speed and strength are simr to an Alpha''s. Tomorrow, I will teach you how to fight but for now, let''s go for a ten-mile run."

    A''s mouth nearly dropped open.

    Ten miles!?

    Gamma Chiaraughed at A''s expression again, "I would say I''m joking. But I''m not. You''re a werewolf now! Come on!" She wiped the blood from her face before jogging; and waved her hand for A to catch up to her.

    The pair jogged off at a decent pace. A couldn''t help but watch the other pack members who fought each other. Gamma Chiara then mind-linked her, "I put my warriors through ten miles a day before exercises, then we scrimmage after, and if anyone is still capable, we then fight in wolf form. Don''t get me wrong, we still train as wolves. I tend to n those sessions out. But everyone prefers fighting in their wolf form, to ''release their beasts'' as it were. The fighting is a lot more bloodthirsty. Pups aren''t allowed to join in until they turn sixteen."

    A looked at Gamma Chiara and saw a glint in her eye when she spoke of the fights being bloodthirsty. Her attention then went to some of the wolves they jogged past, and she saw how simr it was to her fighting those rogues. There was no difference between the two scenarios; they appeared to be trying to kill each other. Her eyes then settled on Alpha Damon, whose arms were crossed as he scrutinised a pair of men fighting. He nced up after feeling her gaze; his features were unreadable as he stared at her before he looked back to the fight before him.

    "Stop giving each other googly eyes. You''re slowing down!" Gamma Chiara barked aloud, snapping A out of her daze and increasing her pace to the Gamma''s. She swore the Gamma increased it on purpose, but she was not about to argue with her.

    The pair ran for ten miles; the circuit consisted of them going out of the mansion''s grounds, running nearer Silver Thorn town and back to the woods, near the mountains before returning. A was out of breath but was surprised that she actuallysted the ten miles; her usual runs were three lots of 5km runs a week, which was only because ice hockey season was over.

    When they made it back to the mats, A was allowed to grab some water before she was ordered to do push-ups, crunches, skips using a skipping rope and other exercises that consisted of eight rounds toplete them. By the end of it, A had ditched the shirt and came to understand why most of the pack were nearly naked. Not only was the training so intense that she sweated so much, but werewolves seemed to have a higher body temperature than humans.

    Aid on her back on the mat while she breathed heavily afterpleting the insane workout. It was then that a certain someone decided to show their face. Lydia. She passed by with a few other girls walking behind her. A sensed trouble when her eyes locked with Lydia''s and saw a sly smile on her lips.

    "I''m not quite sure what the Alpha sees in her. Her hair is so freakishly white," Lydia sneered; her shrill voice was loud enough to catch a lot of the pack''s attention. The two girls trailing behind her giggled; the scene was bizarre to A. If she didn''t think Lydia was the same age as her, she would believe her to be a teenager with a crush on her man.

    A sat up and rolled her eyes, "Seriously? What are you? Thirteen?"

    Lydia strolled towards A, who began standing up. Malia was already pacing in her mind, ready to pounce at any given moment. Lydia put her hands on her hips, and her friends behind her did the same; if the situation was different, A would haveughed at how ridiculous they all looked.

    "This", Lydia raised her hand toward A, "is who our Luna is meant to be?" She scoffed.

    The next moment A shifted into her wolf form and ripped Lydia''s head off from her body-

    "Malia!" A interrupted Malia''s fantasy that distracted her.

    "I swear, if you don''t sort her out, I will," Malia growled back to her, which caused A''s eyes to glow again as she stepped up to Lydia. Although A was above average height for a woman, she still had to tilt her chin up slightly to meet Lydia''s gaze. Gamma Chiara stepped behind A, which caused Lydia to narrow her eyes at her.

    "I think you better stop while my wolf is still restrained. She''s not as tame as me," A spoke in a quiet and menacing tone.

    Lydia took another step towards her and sneered, "I''m not scared of a nobody stealing my crown,"

    A immediately punched her in the nose hard enough that they heard the bones crunch. Lydia gasped out and ced her hands around the area. Her eyes were wide as they teared up, "You bitch! My nose is broken!" She screeched before running off with her minions behind her.

    Malia was cackling in the background; she had taken control over A the moment Lydia took that step towards her. A smirked at her retreating form and turned around to face Gamma Chiara, who wasughing heartily. She also found Alpha Damon approaching them, his eyes were lit up in amusement, but he quicklyposed himself with a neutral expression.

    He stopped suddenly when Kane caught up to him, and they seemed to discuss something via mind-link; Damon''s demeanour changed, and he looked at A directly, giving her an apologetic smile.

    "You did really well today," His deep voice pierced through the mind-link to A. She smiled mischievously, which caused him to chuckle before turning around and jogging off with Kane. They both shifted, shredding their clothes as they did so. About ten wolves followed behind them, which made A look in rm.

    "Don''t stress, it''s nothing they can''t handle," Gamma Chiara smiled at her before she raised her voice to the remaining members of the pack who were scattered around the field, "Practice is over! Make sure to eat before you leave! There is plenty of food in the kitchen. And please, pleeeeease take your shoes off or wipe your feet before entering. You''ll have me to deal with if you don''t!"

    A decided that although Gamma Chiara was scary, she could see herself bing friends with her. Or maybe it was because the woman was helping her and found it hrious when Lydia was punched in the face. Women really do bond over someone they both hate, and from how the Gamma and Lydia had spared each other a re, she guessed that was the case.

 Chapter 35 - Brunch: Part One

    A walked next to Gamma Chiara, forgetting that Ajax and Finn had been standing on the sidelines throughout their fight. She was unsure how she forgot, Ajax had been cheering her on through her sparring session, and Finn ended up joining in with some other pack members. A had nced at Finn a couple of times and found that he was a decent fighter; she presumed he was taught how to fight in his old pack. The pair followed behind the girls and were animated about both A''s fight and Finn''s fighting techniques.

    As they made it to the broken patio doors, with one side still needing to be reced, Nairi skipped up to them. She, too, was wearing workout clothes, though she stuck to leggings and a sports bra, simr to A now. Although A was still feeling a little self-conscious about walking around without her top, she also enjoyed the cold breeze against her skin that cooled her down beautifully.

    "Hey! Good work out there today! But we need to train you in heels as well," Nairi said excitedly.

    A looked at her bbergasted, "Heels?"

    "Of course! You aren''t always going to be in gym gear when you need to fight, you know. We could be shopping or clubbing. You need to be able to fight in all sorts of footwear and clothes," Nairi eximed as they walked through to the kitchen. A couldn''t help but smile at Nairi; she was like a little ball of sunshine that immediately made you like her.

    Gamma Chiara shook her head at herment, "Seriously? We don''t need to train in heels," She retorted.

    "Also, who wears heels to go shopping? Wouldn''t that hurt?" A added. Nairi stopped and looked at her wide-eyed.

    "Please do not tell me, our soon to be Luna doesn''t always wear trainers? Please, please, please tell me you have some sort of fashion sense?!" By this point, Nairi had grabbed A''s hands in her own as she looked at her pleadingly.

    A bit her lip to stop herself fromughing, "I''m sorry, but clothes to me are just a means to an end. Most of the time, I was working, and I would be in my workout gear anytime outside of work. asionally I''d throw on some jeans and a top."

    Nairi''s mouth gaped open into a visible ''o'', this time, A couldn''t help butugh at her.

    "That''s it! We are going to brunch! And then, we are going SHOPPING!" Nairi almost screeched at the word; her voice was so high pitched as her arms were out theatrically. A winced at her voice and then turned to look at Ajax, who wandered off to grab some food. The pair seemed to be quite simr in being melodramatic.

    "We have food here. There''s no need for us to go out," Gamma Chiara interrupted with a bored tone to her voice.

    "Nonsense! I bet you want to get out of this house for a while, right!?" Nairi asked A; her face was so excited, she found it hard to refuse her.

    "I mean, we can eat here and then go?" A negotiated.

    "Nope! We don''t have time to spare. We will go once we''ve showered and can eat when we are there," Nairi was not taking no as the answer.

    "I hate to be a giver of bad news. But I don''t exactly have my purse or any money for that matter-"

    "All on me, baby!" Nairi showed her ck card and winked at her, "Well, actually, it''s on Alpha Damon. This is yours. I swiped it from him and told him we are going out!"

    A''s brows rose, "I can''t spend his money!" She crossed her arms and nced around, realising most of the pack were in the kitchen or just outside eating food. A knew they could hear their conversation; she didn''t want them thinking she was a ''gold digger''.

    "Of course, you can! He''s your mate. He provides for you. If you need new clothes or whatever, he will get it for you," Nairi said in her sing-song voice and ced the card in A''s hand. Gamma Chiara suddenly tensed, and A could see her mood drop to the point that the air seemed frosty around her.

    "I''ll meet you outside in thirty," Gamma Chiara muttered before walking off stiffly. A''s brows drew together; she wondered what that was about.

    "Don''t worry about her. She gets like that sometimes." Nairi smiled gently at her, "Meet you outside in thirty! Oh my gosh, THIRTY MINUTES!? Make it an hour, no an hour twenty minutes! I won''t be ready in thirty minutes! She''s crazy!"

    A''s eyebrows were raised again as she watched Nairi sprinting off and shouting out to Gamma Chiara about the meeting time. A shook her head and didn''t realise how much she was smiling from the pair.

    "Can wee? We really need some new clothes!" Ajax suddenly appeared by her side. His face was just as excited as Nairi''s. A couldn''t help but look with a grimace at the coveralls he was still wearing.

    "Ask the girls. I''m not sure if it''s meant to be a girly trip or something," A replied hesitantly. She loved the guys, but she needed some time with a few girls to remind herself not to be such a tomboy.

    "On it!" Ajax hurried off after the girls with Finn trailing behind him. He smiled back at A before rolling his eyes.

    A turned around; although she was going to brunch with the girls, she still wanted to grab a little something. Her stomach was growling so loudly, she missed dinner the night before, and now she was regretting that decision as her metabolism was so high, and she worked out so much this morning. A walked over to the ind and grabbed a pancake and some strawberries to throw on top.

    Looking around, she tried to look for a space to sit, but once again, she came to the realisation that the Silver Crescent Pack was massive and there was nowhere to sit. Shrugging, she decided to eat it in her room before a shower. However, it took A nearly ten minutes to get out of the kitchen as some of the pack members crowded around her. They congratted her, weed her to the pack, or simply introduced themselves.

    A few even seemed in awe at her, calling her by ''Princess'', ''your majesty'' or ''The white wolf''. The men looked at her lustfully and some of the women who, she guessed wasn''t after the Alpha, looked at her in admiration. As she walked off, A again repeated herself, "Seriously, guys. Gamma Chiara kicked my ass. I don''t know why you are congratting me,"

    "Because you actuallynded a few punches on her! That was badass! No one gets a hit on her, and you did it on your first day!" One of the guys replied excitedly; she remembered his name being Tommy.

    "Yeah, you are so quick! It was eery! If I didn''t know you were a werewolf, I''d think you were a vamp!" Another guy shouted from the back of the group, who had them turn around and clip him over the head.

    It seemed their hate for vampires was still strong..

    Either way, A''s cheeks heated at thepliments, and she rose her te higher to show she was going to eat her now cold pancakes. She wandered up the stairs and felt a lot better after meeting a few other werewolves who weed her into the pack. That wasn''t to say there weren''t a few who looked at her distrustfully or giving her the ''evil eye''. Although, she couldn''t help but feel a little bit like a celebrity from the way they were gushing around her.

    A was quick to finish her food in her room, showered and got ready in the thirty minutes as Gamma Chiara suggested. Although, she rxed after hearing from Nairi via mind-link that it would be another thirty minutes until she was ready. A spent that time changing out of the leggings she once again went with and roamed through the clothes left in her wardrobe.

    By the time she met Gamma Chiara and the guys outside by the SUVs, she was wearing ck skinny jeans, a top along with a leather jacket and some ck knee-high boots.

    "Well, that''s a lot more fashionable than trainers and leggings," Malia snickered.

    "Not sure if I will regret the boots, though. Nairi seems like she'' shops until she drops''," A replied.

    Ajax interrupted Malia''s reply by cat whistling A as she approached them, earning a smack from Finn and Gamma Chiara. Making A burst out intoughter.

    "Seriously, you have a death wish," Finn muttered as he nced around. A assumed he was looking for the Alpha.

 Chapter 36 - Brunch: Part Two

    Gamma Chiara, A and the guys waited outside for another twenty minutes. Much to the Gamma''s annoyance, who grumbled about waiting Nairi her again. Once Nairi made it outside, she was looking girly in a flowy light green dress, heeled boots and a jacket; the girliest out of the women, as Gamma Chiara also stuck to wearing ck in her skinny jeans,bat boots, crop top and leather jacket.

    The girls got in the first SUV, and the guys went into the second. They had their own chauffeur as Gamma Chiara didn''t trust them to drive after being imprisoned for so long and not driving in that time. It also provided the girls to have a bit of space to chat openly without them listening in.

    A sat in the back seat and looked outside excitedly. Since being kidnapped and then being taken to the mansion, this was the first time she felt a little bit of independence and freedom, other than when she shifted and went running in the woods. After ten minutes of driving, the car finally stopped in a car park outside a shopping centre. A opened the car door and looked around. Silver Thorn was exactly as she remembered it, a bustling citypared to Oakton. She was quite happy seeing a bit of civilisation, even if it meant people being a little bit ruder.

    As the three girls began walking, Ajax and Finn followed behind them. A could hear the guys bing just as excited about getting some new clothes as the girls. Their eyes were wide as they took in the sights of new shops they hadn''t heard about before. A told them that she would buy their new clothes. Meaning, Damon would really, but A guessed she could just put it down as expenses for the pack. As that''s what they were, a part of the pack now.

    She was happy to get them clothes though, they were either wearing the coveralls or ''hand me down'' shorts and tops. To which Ajax, being some type of a diva, refused to wear, eximing that he would not be dead wearing them. But he was happy wearing coveralls? A shook her head at how her friend''s mind worked.

    The group found a restaurant specifically for ''brunch'' and sat down at a table near the back. It was quite a snazzy restaurant that caused Ajax to moan about what he was wearing. However, it didn''t stop him from charming the pretty blonde waitress who wore heavy make-up and obviously received a lot of tips. Before she could even open her mouth to ask the group for their drinks order, Ajax shone his brilliant smile, snatching her attention straight away. He began asking what a beautiful girl like she was doing as a waitress and was not a professional model.

    The waitress fluttered her eyshes and giggled with a blush to her cheeks. The remaining group looked at each other, unimpressed after Ajax flirted with her for the next 5 minutes.

    "Yeah, yeah, we get it. Can we order now?" Gamma Chiara interrupted a tale Ajax was telling the waitress. He sagged back in his seat and gestured for her to deliver her order. The group ended up ordering their food and their drinks, thanks to Ajax distracting the woman.

    The waitress smiled broadly after taking their order that consisted of each person ordering two mains each and sides, making her believe that they were also wealthy tippers. Which they were, once they finished their tes and left a hefty tip. A was walking behind the others when she turned to see Ajax leaning against the bar counter and putting a loose hair strand of the waiter''s behind her ear. A rolled her eyes; she didn''t want to keep waiting for him each time he came across a pretty woman.

    "We should go out sometime-"

    A grabbed him by the arm and dramatically eximed, "I can''t believe you! Flirting with a girl right in front of me! It''s disgusting! Why did I ever get back together with you!"

    She pulled him away and rolled her eyes again when he still winked at the distraught waitress. As they left the restaurant, A began to let go of his arm, but he gripped her hand with his own, keeping her on his arm, "Oh no, my beautiful girlfriend. You just said I was flirting with others in front of you. I am changing my ways, and I won''t ever look at another girl again!"

    A huffed at his words; when she looked at his face again, she couldn''t help but smile at his cheekiness. They continued walking, arm in arm, and she asked the next thing that was on her mind, "Ajax."

    "Yes, my sweet hunnie bun?" Came his too sweet reply.

    A rolled her eyes then continued with her question, "Can none of the humans see your cat eyes?"

    He smiled broadly at her, "Nope. Only creatures can see these babies," He pointed at his eyes.

    "So, what can the humans see?" She whispered. Ajax made her stop and bent down, so they were eye to eye. A almost took a step back because of their close proximity until she saw his eyes swirl and turn into normal human eyes. As normal as they could be, they were still emerald green and beautiful but without the pupil being one of a cats. She couldn''t help but stare back at them in awe.

    "Uhum!" Gamma Chiara stepped between the pair and grabbed A roughly by the arm, "Let''s go in here," She led A into a lingerie store that immediately caused Ajax to stop and back away to stand next to Finn.

    "What!? I don''t need any-"

    "Try these, these and these!" Nairi interrupted, cing underwear, bras, and skimpy night dresses in A''s hands, "These are also for you! Now go!" She also put some other garments in Chiara''s hands and pushed them off towards the changing rooms.

    "She doesn''t waste any time!" Maliaughed. A, too, couldn''t believe how quick the girl was in not only going into a shop but finding the undergarments in their sizes for both of them. She swore they had only been walking for two minutes since leaving the restaurant.

    Nairi followed behind the two girls, with her own lingerie she wanted to try on. While they were in their separated cubicles, Gamma Chiara spoke through the mind-link to A, "Look, I know you and Ajax are friends, but he seriously needs to back off. Not just for the sake of Alpha Damon killing him but also to stop the girls, especially Lydia, from using it as an excuse for you not to be Luna."

    "Chiara has a point. I like Ajax, even from our little brunch, I can see he doesn''t just flirt with you but almost any girl he sets his eyes on. But for his sake and your own, you need to be more careful. Lydia is after one thing, and it''s not just Alpha Damon but power.." Nairi spoke up through the three-way mind-link.

    A was staring at her reflection in the mirror, admiring thecey ck bra and underwear that entuated her body even more. On hearing what Gamma Chiara and Nairi said, she replied, "I''ll speak with Ajax. But you saw how he is, he''s naturally a flirty guy. Plus, I can deal with Lydia. Maybe another punch to the face will put that bitch in her ce,"

    Malia was happy to agree with what A said; though her thirst for blood was quenched so far, she still wouldn''t mind going for her when she was in her wolf form. A heard a sigh from the cubicle next to her, then the door opening. She opened her own, keeping it to, so she wasn''t on show.

    However, Gamma Chiara had no issue revealing her drop-dead gorgeous figure that once again made A think she could be a model.

    The Gamma put her hand on her hip in the bright pink nightgown she had on and spoke aloud, "Lydia is a conniving bitch alright, and she will do anything until she gets what she wants. Don''t underestimate my sister. I did, and now I am left with these hideous scars on my neck."

    "Your sister!?"

 Chapter 37 - Sisters!

    A stared at Gamma Chiara wide-eyed as her words sunk in. This whole time, she insulted Lydia and even punched her in the face! And the Gamma and Lydia were sisters. Yet, they seemed to hate each other; could they really hate each other, though? They were blood-rted. She nced at her scarred neck again, and an involuntary shiver went through her.

    What was wrong with that girl? How could she do that to her own sister?

    A looked back at the rest of the Gamma''s stunning features; sure enough, she saw the resemnce immediately.

    At that moment, Nairi opened her door across from A''s, and the pair looked at her in stunned silence. The interruption was quite a wee, though, as the atmosphere became gloomy.

    "What do you think? Too much?" She asked. Nairi was wearing a red corset, matching underwear, garter and stockings along with a pair of heels.

    Gamma Chiara crossed her arms against her chest, but A could see how embarrassed she felt in her own outfight as well as looking at Nairi''s.

    "I mean.. you look amazing.." A breathed in astonishment. She truly did; she had a fantastic figure, olive skin tone and beautiful curly hair that A was slightly envious of.

    Nairi''s face dropped ever so slightly, "But..?"

    "No ''buts'', it''s whatever you and Kane are into, with or without that on. Pretty sure that would just be ripped off in seconds," A said. She blushed at herment as she realised she didn''t know these girls well enough to say such things. But from how Damon acted with her, she wondered if all werewolves were just as passionate.

    Nairi giggled in delight, "You''re right! I might get the bow instead. It doesn''t cost as much, and I wouldn''t care if it was ripped to pieces," she went back behind the door and spoke through it, "oh, we should also grab a coffee."

    "We just had brunch," Gamma Chiara retorted.

    "Yeah, that''s true, but I didn''t think you''d want to tell A about your bitch of a sister in the changing rooms of an erotic lingerie store," Nairi spoke through the mind-link again.

    A snapped out of her thoughts, which swirled between her passionate Alpha and the fact Gamma Chiara had scars from her sister. The Gamma was so scary; she was surprised Lydia was alive. If memory serves her, she did stab Darren for being rude. A closed the door and begun getting changed.

    "Also, A. You''re getting all of those sets I gave you," Nairi added in a sing-song voice.

    A picked up a stringy,ting type undergarment that looked to connect the crotch to the upper body area and shook her head. She was NOT buying that. Nairi was so open with her tastes, she couldn''t help but admire the girl''s boldness.

    "Maybe you and Damon can role y. You''re a fish, and he a fisherman-"

    "Nope!" A interrupted her wolf, who began snickering.

    "Spice up your sex life, be adventurous!" Malia continued teasingly.

    A dropped the piece on the chair, leaving it in the changing room, "I''m quite happy not being a fish," She replied to Malia.

    After buying their undergarments, they left the store and found the guys standing off to the side, talking to each other. When the girls approached them, A gave Finn the ck card and told them to get what they wanted, after telling them the girls needed to gossip over some coffee. She gave the card to Finn as she sensed Ajax would go on a massive shopping spree, and as much as she would love to let them buy what they wanted after so much hardship, it was also not her card.

    The guys and girls split to set off on their destinations. After the girls ordered their coffees, they found a booth and sat down. A was across from both Gamma Chiara and Nairi. All of them held their cups on their hands, gripping onto the warmth it bestowed upon them.

    A took a sip from hertte, grimacing when she remembered she didn''t put sugar in it. While she plopped some sugar into her coffee, she looked up at Gamma Chiara and could tell that the Gamma was not phased at all about what she was about to tell A.

    A was only a little apprehensive because Nairi was the one to suggest a coffee shop and the big reveal about Lydia''s scheming ways. The fact that Lydia was the Gamma''s sister and she did THAT to her face..

    "It''s not even a long story, really," Gamma Chiara begun.

    [ <strong>Gamma Chiara </strong>]

    As she sat there in the booth, across from A, she started to think of where to start, where it all began. To this day, it still felt a little surreal. Chiara looked off to the side as she began to tell A all about her and her sister''s past. She felt as though she was telling a story about somebody else because she was a fricken idiot for thinking she and her sister were once best friends, and Lydia was a nice person.

    <em>Five years</em> ago:

    Chiara just finished her training session in the hall with Kane. She had been training with him on top of the pack''s regr sessions daily for thest three months. Chiara was grateful for him to take more time out of his day to help her, and it also showed that the Alpha and Beta were happy with her taking on her role as Gamma. Even if she was a girl.

    That night, she was to partake in the ritual for the Gamma role. Her dad, who wanted a son, was more than happy to pass down the leadership to his first-born daughter. This was only after years of training and teaching her war tactics and the importance of the role in the pack. He gave his approval the moment she turned 18. Chiara knew the significance of the ritual and that she would be the first female to take on such a role, but she knew she would prove anyone wrong that thought she wasn''t suitable for the position.

    Chiara was training extra hard to prove she was strong and so she could take on any challenger. As it were for most leadership roles in the pack, they were allowed to be challenged. This wasn''t some fancy boxing fight, and the winner was thest person standing. No, when a werewolf fought another werewolf, they fought to the death. Only rarely did the other wolf leave alive; they were almost immediately banished to be a rogue.

    Before she was to get ready for the ceremony, she returned home. Although usually, the pack leaders stayed in the packhouse, her parents decided to move out a year earlier when she turned 18. They knew Chiara would be taking the role as soon as she turned 19 and wanted to live like a normal family for the year. This would be before she had to move out and live in the packhouse by herself.

    Fortunately, the mansion built a whole estate nearby, inside the protective walls of the mansion''s grounds. They were allowed to stay in one of the empty homes, making it easier on her dad, who would dart backwards and forwards from the mansion to their house.

    After having a shower and getting changed, she slumped down on the sofa in the living room where Lydia was already eating a sd for lunch.

    "I don''t know how you can diet. You will be skin and bones soon!" Chiara said as she eyed the lettuce leaf her sister was nibbling on.

    "Hmm, but my bod'' looks hot, right!?" She replied, twisting and turning on the spot for Chiara tough and roll her eyes.

    "Of course it is, but you don''t need to eat like a rabbit to have one! Look at me, I eat whatever I want, and we look the same," Chiara said as she munched on a bag of crisps. It was true, they were both known as being stunners, and many thought they were twins as there was only a year apart between them. It didn''t help that they both had long waist-length hair.

    Lydia humphed, "Well, if you ate like me, then you''d lose all those pounds and have an even better bod!" She eximed. Chiara stopped mid-bite into her crisp and looked at her sister oddly. Maybe she''s grumpy; poor sis needs to eat some carbs.

    Lydiaughed and waved her hand, "You should have seen your face! I''m joking!" She got up and began walking off, "Oh, good luck forter. I will do your make-up and hair beforehand," She spoke over her shoulder before leaving the house.

    That evening, Chiara sat staring at herself in the mirror on the vanity table. Lydia really did make her look amazing; she was a little bit worried because her sister tended to put a lot of make-up on, with dark eyeshadows. It didn''t look bad, but Chiara wanted to still be herself when she went through the ceremony.

    Luckily, Lydia knew her so well that her make-up was light and looked as though she had hardly any on, just enough to make her beautiful features stand out even more. Her hair was in waves around her face, and she wore a light blue mini dress that fitted well against her curves and showed off her long legs.

    Lydia wrapped her arms around her and gave her a light hug before whispering, "After tonight, everything changes."

    Chiara smiled broadly at her sister''s words. Little did she know that Lydia was talking about them, not her bing the new Gamma.

    Chiara, Lydia and their parents walked through the woods to a clearing with four giant wooden stands that held benches for the hundreds of pack members to sit at. Though, their pack was so big that many had to stand on the sides. Chiara was happy that it didn''t rain, although they would have to sit out there until the ceremony was finished, as the pack rules state. It was still nicer for everyone to keep warm by the huge bonfire in the middle of the area.

    Her mum and Lydia pulled her into a hug and wished her good luck before Chiara followed her dad, and they stood in front of Alpha Damon and Beta Kane. The pair stood tall on their own separate stall, with Delta Brion at the back. The Alpha started the ceremony, asking Chiara for her allegiance and to swear an oath that she would always protect the pack. After reciting her words, she looked at her dad, and she swore she could see him bing teary-eyed. Which was a sight to behold. He was a scary man with many scars across his body, showing the many fights he had been in.

    Lastly, Alpha Damon asked the words she held her breath to:

    "Is there anyone here that wants to challenge Gamma Chiara for her new title?"

    There was a short pause until Delta Brion stepped forwards. A few of his men on the side smirked as the over muscr man spoke up, "I challenge Chiara Gattoni for her role as Gamma!"

    The crowd surrounding them cheered. They were excited to watch a fight to the death. Even if that meant losing one of their own, it was the werewolf way.

    "Do you ept this challenge?" Alpha Damon asked Chiara; his voice reverberated across the forest for everyone to hear.

    "I do." Chiara pulled her heels off and put her hair in a messy bun. If she forfeited, she would live the life of a rogue. It wasn''t just her pride talking, but she was confident in her abilities. Unlike Brion, she came from a family of Gamma''s, meaning she had extra strength behind her skills. Although he was a skilled fighter, Brion was no match for her.

    The pair confirmed they would fight in wolf form. Chiara was happy to let her wolf run wild; she was as vicious as her when she fought. Within two minutes, Brion''s grey wolf form went limp after Chiara had him pinned to the ground with her teeth sunk into his neck. The crowd screamed wildly and began chanting Chiara''s name; she could see that she earned her title, not just because it was passed down to her.

    She walked around the bonfire on all fours, Brion''s blood covering her mouth, and barked as she went past a few of her friends. As she went to shift back into her human form, a shrill voice whipped across the air, silencing the pack.

    "I challenge Chiara Gattoni!"

 Chapter 38 - The Reveal

    Chiara whipped her head to see Lydia standing opposite her. Her arms crossed against her chest and a smirk stered on her face. After hearing Lydia''s challenge, the crowd silenced with a few murmurs that swept away with the breeze. The tension in the atmosphere became thick as the pack members kept ncing between the ck wolf and her sister. Their faces were filled with both confusion and anticipation as they held their breaths.

    Their dad came forwards, his face mirroring his wife''s, both shocked and bewildered by the turn of events.

    "Lydia, honey. You don''t mean that.." Their mum began sobbing when she saw the conviction on her younger daughter''s face. Her mum''s tear-filled eyes gnawed at Chiara''s heart, causing her wolf to start whining quietly before her attention snapped to their so-called sister.

    "Oh, I do! I don''t think Chiara is fit to be Gamma. But I am," Lydia smiled maliciously. At that moment, Chiara didn''t recognise her sweet sister at all.

    She silently cursed herself as memories surfaced to her mind; there were so many signs that her sister wasn''t who she appeared to be. But Chiara was so distracted and set on her path to bing a Gamma that she ignored them. Her friends often said her sister was a sly bitch, and she stuck up for her on multiple asions. Chiara thought what her friends told her was so bizarre, but little after little, it all began to add up in her mind, especially as she looked into the burning hatred of her sister''s eyes.

    "Gamma Chiara, do you ept this challenge?" Alpha Damon looked at her, his face unreadable.

    "No!" Their dad intervened, "Lydia, forfeit right now! What are you doing?"

    "Silence!" Alpha Damon stood up from his chair as a growl erupted through the forest, causing the pack to bow their heads in submission. Including their dad, who bowed even lower as an apology for his intrusion.

    "Chiara?" Alpha Damon asked her in a softer tone.

    "I ept," Chiara growled through the pack mind-link for everyone to hear. Her dad backed away slowly then pulled his wife in for a hug after she fell to her knees.

    Sister or not, she was the Gamma of this pack, and she had waited her whole life for this moment. If she died at the hands of her sister, so be it, Lydia would have been right- she was not fit to be the next Gamma.

    Everyone turned their head to the Alpha, waiting for him to announce the fight to begin. Yet, he was looking at Beta Kane, presumably in a mind-link. While the Alpha and Beta had their discussion, Chiara began to pace as her fur started to bristle. Any time she looked at Lydia, who stood there looking smug, she began to growl. Her wolf, Gia, was barely under control; she wanted to rip her to pieces and be done with it.

    Chiara was not about to back down. Lydia childishly showed up the Gattoni family name and made it seem that she was not fit for the Gamma role. This could make the pack question her leadership, especially if her own sister challenged her. Disrespecting and challenging her prideful wolf, Gia, was also thest thing Lydia should have done.

    Her sister walked towards her, her hips swaying from side to side, with her face still smug as though she won the fricken lottery. Their parents called out to her but stayed in their position, scared of any reprimand by the Alpha. Gia growled loudly and through Chiara as she inched forwards, restrained by Chiara, who barely held onto her.

    Lydia opened her mouth, ready to bait her into a rage, but Alpha Damon raised his hands to silence the crowd''s chatter, "After talking to Beta Kane. I have decided that the fight will be tomorrow night at midnight instead. Chiara, Lydia, pleasee forwards. Everybody else, return to your homes."

    The pack began leaving the stalls, and Chiara could hear the hushed whispers about the ''Gattoni sisters''. She growled and snapped her teeth at a few people that tried to stay and watch for more drama. She returned to stand in front of Alpha Damon; her parents stood behind her and Lydia, who were but a meter apart. He gave them the extra time, believing that it was a family matter and would not host the fight if the issue was resolved before the following evening.

    But the matter was never resolved. In fact, the next 24 hours for Chiara ended up being excruciating as she learnt more about her loving sister. After hours of family fights at home, her parents finally went to bed, leaving Chiara and Lydia to scream it out. Chiara was much more of a physical person than wanting to open up emotionally about things, making her feel drained after going over past endeavours.

    Lydia was smoking a cigarette by the time they had gone through three rounds of tiring screaming matches. Another thing, Chiara did not know about her. It turned out, her sister loathed and resented her.

    .. "I was training. I haven''t been taking this so-called ''lime light'' of yours. You have had a normal life that a teenage girl should have! You have friends, your family, a social life FYI that I never had, you''ve been able to go to parties, hook up with guys, have boyfriends.. I couldn''t have that."

    Chiara was pacing again, feeling agitated by the turn of events on an evening she had been preparing for her whole life.

    "I was always training, learning politics, battle strategies outside of schoolwork. Our time together was not us bonding but dad ordering me around. I am not our parent''s golden child, okay.. I am just taking on a title that has been passed down through the generations. What else could you possibly want?"

    "Power! To have someone bend to my will. You may have had your training, but I taught myself. When I wasn''t partying, I was studying. From time to time, I watched you and dad see what was so special about you and what you needed to know as a Gamma. Guess what, there''s nothing special about you, and I will do better than you once I''m through with you."

    "You mean when you''ve killed me?" Chiara asked; her voice was cold and distant, with her face showing no signs of sadness or hate. Even though she felt as if a knife had been stabbed and twisted in her heart.

    Lydia scoffed, "You''d think after all this arguing and me CHALLENGING you¡­ that you would get it into that thick head of yours. My life will be better once you''re dead."

    Chiara looked into her sisters'' eyes, and she saw pure hatred burning behind them; the many years of resentment were there painted on her face. Her loving sister that she always used to think was so beautiful, turned ugly and vile as her true self was revealed. Chiara nodded her head and walked closer to her sister, so they stood close to each other.

    Lydia immediately tensed after seeing Chiara''s cold and scrutinising gaze on her before she smirked, "Well, one of us will be dead tomorrow, and it''s not going to be me."

    Chiara continued to the stairs, keeping her indifferent expression stered on her face. The whole time, she felt her heart restrict andbust, and as soon as she closed her bedroom door behind her, the tears fell down her eyes. She searched her room and found countless photos of the pair smiling and posing at the camera. Thest image her eyes settled on was of them as children, both at a park wearing matching pink dresses. That night, she fell asleep with swollen eyes, exhausted from crying over the heartache she felt over her sister.

    The following day, her ordinarily cheerful self was gone and reced by somebody of indifference about something she had to do ¨C kill her own sister. The pair stayed clear of each other all day, and Chiara even did a mini session with Kane that helped alleviate the stress she was feeling. Kane was quiet throughout the session, letting Chiara vent through her thoughts through the power of a kick or a punch.

    Once she returned home, she went to prepare a shower for herself but saw the bath was already run. Turning around, she called out to no one in particr if they were having a bath, but there was no response. She swore there was nobody in the house. Shrugging, she turned the shower on and went to undo the plug in the bathwater when suddenly her hand sprung back out from the water.

    "Ah!" She screeched. Her hand was sizzling, with steam rising off the surface, as the water began melting her skin to the raw flesh underneath.

    The next thing she knew, her head had been grabbed and thrown into the water. When she tried to back away with the screams that left her lungs, she felt unable to because of a hand keeping her head in the water. She unintentionally gulped down the water from her scream and began sputtering. Her lungs, insides and face erupted into an excruciating burning sensation. Her heart pounded, and she felt her vision beginning to go; ck dots were growing until one of her eyespletely went nk, and she couldn''t see outside of it.

    The bath was filled with wolfsbane. A shocking revtion shed through her mind, was this Lydia?

    Gia howled and was shrinking into the darkness of her mind. Gradually, both their consciousness was fading out. But her head was pulled back out, and she gasped for breath.

    "You know, I think you should forfeit. You''re not capable of winning now!" Lydia spoke slowly with malice, and just like that, her skin by her neck was ripped by her ws. The tearing of flesh was loud and much more agonising as the liquid of the wolfsbane went into the wound, causing Chiara to cry out even more.

    Lydia then smacked her head into the side of the bathtub, and with a loud thud, the darkness consumed her immediately, ripping her from consciousness. The next time she woke up, she heard her name echoing across her mind, and when her eyes fluttered open, she saw her dad nudging her in a panicked state. Chiara sat up slowly and leaned against the bathtub, the lights were on, and the dark windows implied it was evening, and she had been knocked unconscious for quite some time. Although, she could only tell from one eye. Had she gone officially blind?

    Her head felt groggy, and her body was aching and tired. She gripped her head and moaned in pain before epting the bottle of water and painkillers from her dad. His eyes were on her throat as he spoke, "I think you have to forfeit, sweetheart."

    Chiara''s eyes flickered to her dad''s and red at his suggestion, "I will not back down, dad. This pack doesn''t need a pyscho like her in charge!"

    "I don''t want to lose you.. How can you evenpete?" Her dad''s gruff voice was low as sorrow filled it.

    "I will NOT lose. This just proves how much Lydia needs me to be weak so she can fight against me.."

    "You''re sisters.."

    "Not anymore," Chiara said icily before standing up and refusing her dad''s help to lift her up.

    In the remaining time she had left, Chiara rested and made sure to eat and keep her fluids up. She hoped that drinking water would flush the wolfsbane out of her system, but it didn''t work like that, and she still felt her wolf was in a weakened state.

    When the time was 11:50pm, Chiara walked with her head held high in her ck shorts, sports bra and her long hair, now cut into a bob, revealing her barely healed neck. She heard pack members gasp as they looked at the condition of her face and neck. Her normally smooth and olive skin was now red and covered in blisters from second-degree burns. Her left eye was white, showing her sight had gone. Chiara hoped it would be temporary because her other eye healed while she was knocked out.

    The two sisters walked towards each other while they watched the other calctedly. Alpha Damon stood up once again and quietened the crowd, "Lydia Gattoni, do you still wish to-"

    "Yes."

    "Gamma Chiara-"

    "Fuck yes." She growled before looking over the crowd slowly, showing the pack that she was serious about her role, and show what sort of a person her sister was.

 Chapter 39 - The Gamma

    Chiara was ready; she psyched herself all evening since the attack in the bathroom. She did not recognise her sister and the acts shemitted to be the next Gamma. It was only fitting that she finished what Lydia started.

    "As you have been challenged, Chiara, I will give you the choice. Human or wolf form?" Alpha Damon asked. His voice stayed strong though his eyes wavered slightly after assessing Chiara''s condition quickly.

    She could see the anger behind his eyes, but he was quick topose himself. Though they rarely spoke to one another, she knew her Alpha was an honourable man who did not like the idea of a cheat. Especially a cheat that used wolfsbane to weaken their opponent; the drug was illegal except for the use on enemies.

    He could easily banish Lydia for the act she pulled, but Chiara smugly smiled after he mind-linked her privately for her to ''have at her''. It made her more confident about taking her evil bitch of a sister down.

    "Freestyle," Chiara announced clearly.

    There were gasps and murmurs once again from the crowd; freestyle was one of the most brutal and challenging forms of fighting. Both contenders could switch between human and wolf form at any stage. Chiara listened to some of the conversations. Most were shocked, and others worried about her sanity. She was, after all, injured, half-blind with wolfsbane in her system. But she wanted to show them that they would not get a weak Gamma; even while injured, she would show everyone, including her sister, how hard it is to beat Chiara Gattoni.

    A ''freestyle'' fight would begin with them in their human forms- with a knife thrown into the arena. They could either shift or find the knife and use it on their opponent.

    Lydia giggled, "You''re just making this easier for me, sis."

    Chiara did not answer her and instead walked to the opposite side. Alpha Damon stood, holding a butcher''s knife in his hand, ncing between the girls, then threw it into the bonfire. The sisters sprinted forwards, both searching for the knife in the fire.

    Chiara found the knife, but instead of grabbing it, she felt her temper rise. She ran around the fire and jumped, kneeing Lydia straight in the face. The contact made a loud crunching sound, causing the crowd to simultaneously suck in a breath and say, "ooooh".

    Lydia swung a fist at Chiara, but she grabbed her knuckle and twisted it before striking at her arm. A snapping sound echoed through the woods, and everyone knew Chiara broke Lydia''s arm. A swift kick to the belly and another one to her head, and Lydia flew to the ground. Chiara turned this time and reached for the burning knife in the bonfire, only to drop it as her hand throbbed in pain.

    Instead of using the knife herself, she wanted to make more of a fool out of her ''sister'' and kicked the de to Lydia''s hunched over body on the ground. More murmurs in the crowd arose, making Chiara smirk.

    "I''m not going to beat a girl while she''s down. Go on, pick up the knife. I''ll give you a fighting chance." Chiara said mockingly. While her sister took some deep breaths and grabbed the knife, Chiara took her trainers off. She was done in her human form and didn''t want to ruin her brand new trainers.

    Lydia ran straight for Chiara, the de in one hand and lunged forwards that Chiara was quick to dodge. Lydia continuously tried swiping the knife at Chiara, but she was too agile and kept evading the de. They kept blocking each other, then Chiara swept her leg under Lydia''s knees, and she fell over. She grabbed Lydia by the shoulder and immediately screamed out in pain; the knife stabbed through her barefoot and stuck to the ground at a force.

    Lydia stood back up and punched Chiara in the face multiple times until Chiara shifted on the spot, yelping as she did so, ripping her paw through the de. Immediately, she snapped her jaws at Lydia, who also shifted and backed away.

    The ck wolf approached the slightly smaller brown one that was her sister. They began circling each other widely as they assessed the other; Chiara made sure not to limp from her new injury and growled at Lydia. The crowd was roaring in the background, excited by the fight of the Gattoni sisters. But in these moments, time had slowed down as Chiara heard her heart hammer loudly in anticipation.

    Gia had stayed quiet in the background, watching what was happening the whole time, she was a prideful and vicious wolf, but she tended to observe and assess before making her move. That was one of the differences between a Gamma wolf and a normal werewolf; they were naturally tactful. Chiara and Gia were well bonded, and she knew her wolf was waiting for an opportune moment to resurface.

    "Release me, Chiara." Gia''s voice was low and had a dangerous tone to it. Usually, her wolf was loud and passionate; hearing her calm voice even made Chiara shiver.

    "Okay."

    Chiara''s eyes shone amber, indicating that Gia had taken over, causing the pack to go wild and in an uproar. The ck wolf immediately leapt forwards, making the first move, and the pair began tumbling and rolling, snapping their teeth at the other. On most asions, even in her weakened state, Gia was on top of Lydia, ready to rip her throat out, but her sister was sneaky and kept going for her damaged arm or neck.

    After ten more minutes of Lydia receiving many bites and scratches from Gia, she managed to sink her teeth into her neck and rip into her newly healed scar. Both Gia and Chiara yelped in pain, leaving her open for Lydia to tackle. Before she went for the jugr, she decided to toy with her sister''s despair and bit into her ear, ripping it off.

    Chiara cried out and saw red; just as Lydia went for her neck, she twisted her onto the ground and immediately snapped her teeth into her neck. She dragged her up and began shaking her head around. Her teeth sank in deeper, ready to snap her neck.

    "Please!"

    Gia didn''t release her hold and growled further before letting Chiara take back the reins who kept her in her deadly grip.

    "Please what!?" She growled through the pack mind-link.

    "Please, have mercy! Don''t kill me! I''m your sister!" Lydia begged and cried into the pack mind-link.

    Chiara dragged her sister''s almost limp body forwards and looked at their Alpha.

    "It is your choice, Gamma Chiara." Alpha Damon''s voice boomed across the pack mind-link. The crowd was silent and waited in anticipation at what Gamma Chiara would do.

    "Remember this day! This is the day Lydia tried to take down her own sister and failed. On this day, she stooped so low as to burn my face in wolfsbane and w at my neck before this fight. Lydia Gattoni does not deserve to be in a pack such as this! Because Lydia is not honourable¡­" Chiara mind-linked the pack before throwing her sister to the side and stepped over her again, her fur bristling, "Mercy would be me killing you, sister. And THAT you do not deserve."

    "I hereby banish Lydia Gattoni from the Silver Crescent Pack. Leave immediately. If not, you will be killed on sight. This banishment also includes the Blood Moon Pack.. You will now live as a rogue," Alpha Damonmanded, his voice reverberated across the forest, his words a finality.

    Lydia looked at Chiara before mind-linking her privately, "You think this is the end?" She scoffed, "This is only the beginning. I will be more powerful than you, and when I do.. I wille back and destroy everything you ever loved."

    With that, she turned around and immediately jogged off until her wolf''s silhouette became one with the darkness. She didn''t even say goodbye to their parents, making them both sad and ashamed to have such a daughter. They hugged Chiara in her wolf form before the ritual was continued for her to be the official Gamma after fighting her rivals.

    From that day onwards, Chiara was respected and feared in the pack. The Silver Crescent pack was known as the deadliest, but her fight against her sister caused rumours to spread far and wide across the packs, rendering the pack more feared. There were other instances that ''added fuel to the fire'', but the fight between the Gattoni sisters was one always whispered about when a new arrogant wolf wanted to take on the first female Gamma.

    ..

    "Lydia was a rogue for two years before returning to the pack bringing back two kids that some rogues took in a hostage situation. I am pretty certain she was the mastermind behind it and killed the rogues she was in league with." Chiara finished her story and looked back at A as the sounds of the coffee shop they sat in began to get louder once more, and she became more aware of her surroundings.

    "But, that''s Lydia.. she earned some trust within the pack. Well, some younger members of the pack who are na?ve and fell for her charms," Nairi added before taking a sip of her cappino.

    Chiara''s face and tone were indifferent to such a memory as she told it. One look at A, and she could see the shock and disgust at what became of her sister.

    "So, if I were you. I''d always watch your back. Not that you need to, you have me," Chiara grinned mischievously.

    "That''s messed up!" A blurted out; her eyes were wide as she looked at the Gamma, "I''m so sorry that happened to you!"

    Chiara shrugged in nonchnce, "It is what it is."

    She finally took a sip from her cappino and grimaced at how the drink was now barely warm. When she looked back at A, she realised the girl hadn''t looked away; she wasn''t used to people openly staring at her for so long. Chiara would give them a death re, and they would scamper off, too afraid to say anything. Nairi, Beta Kane and Alpha Damon were the exceptions. The only other person she would blush and felt beautiful under his gaze was her Xander.

    No, don''t go there.

    Gia cried, and her eyes became watery at the thought of her mate. She took a deep breath in and calmed her racing heart. This was not the ce to be emotional. She turned her head to look at Nairi, who began talking about Lydia, and how even being blood-rted didn''t stop Lydia from trying to gain power. It didn''t matter if it was by killing her sister; power was everything to her.

    After the minor distraction of her friend''s voice, she then began to zone out; she didn''t need to continue listening. After the night her sister tried to take her down, she found herself trusting people less and less and started getting a reputation as a stone-cold killer. She didn''t care; whatever kept people from trying to stab her in the back and turning the knife while smiling to her face.

    Chiara also became a very patient woman. Once she saw how calctive Lydia was, she started to think more like her and knew as soon as there were signs that Alpha Damon may have found his mate, she would try and take him and the crown. So, Chiara waited and decided to befriend A; she wasn''t fake, far from it. Her acts so far were what she would do as a Gamma anyway, and she did like A, but now she was relying on the Luna to kill Lydia.

    Chiara nced back at the stunning girl before her; her long white hair fell past her shoulders and nearly to her waist. No marks were blemishing her wless skin; even her doe-like eyes were such a shade of blue that made Chiara''s deep blue orbs feel nd inparison. The girl didn''t need makeup either; she was naturally beautiful, with her sharp features and pink, full lips.

    Chiara mentally pped herself; she was meant to be assessing her physique, not how good looking the girl was. A was around 5ft8, she guessed as both Nairi and herself were taller than her, and her curvaceous body was already toned. Meaning A was physically active before being kidnapped and turning up to the pack as a newbie. That, she could work with. Her fighting still needed improving by a lot, but the girl had guts, and she was happy that her future Luna was her. Chiara couldn''t imagine it being anyone else.

    She knew that Lydia was not about to let the ''neer'' ruin her ns of being a Queen. Chiara did wonder if her bing a rogue drove her delusional to the point where she believed that Alpha Damon, even without a mate, would ever go for her. The day she stooped as low as to half drown her sister in a bathtub of wolfsbane was the day she lost all respect from the pack, especially from the Alpha.

    Chiara sighed; she never bothered thinking too much about how her sister''s brain worked. It normally caused her to get a frightful headache, and as a Gamma, she would never show weakness. Unfortunately, Lydia was precisely that, a weakness.

    Lydia''s time was running out, and Chiara couldn''t wait to be finally rid of her.

 Chapter 40 - Cover Story

    [ <strong>A</strong> ]

    A trailed behind the girls from the booth and left the coffee shop; she was lost in her thoughts about Gamma Chiara and Lydia. She was an only child, but she couldn''t understand how somebody had so much resentment towards their older sister; they were blood and trying to tear the other down. This, however, did make her wary about Lydia and decided she needed to be more cautious about the things she did towards her. Although, so far, she hadn''t really done anything to warrant some sort of revenge from the girl.

    "We punched her in the face.." Malia boasted.

    "Well, yeah, technically, that would make the girlsh out. But I meant, there''s nothing I have done that she could use against me for the pack," A replied to Malia, who nodded her head in agreement.

    A once again was consumed with her thoughts about the sisters and her newfound leadership she would be taking on that she bumped into someone.

    "I am so sorry-"

    "A!?" A girl with brown hair and sses nearly screeched in her face.

    Malia whined but quietened after feeling A''s angst.

    "Sarah?" A eximed after being pulled into a tight hug that made her breathless.

    Sarah was a girl in her ss at university; although sses had finished, the two girls had stayed in touch. That was, until a few weeks ago when she had been kidnapped.

    "Where have you been!?" She screeched, pulling away. Her brows drew together, showing concern etched on her cute features. Sarah had freckles across her sun-kissed skin, making her look a lot younger than what she was.

    Gamma Chiara and Nairi stopped ahead and looked back at them, alerted by the exchange.

    "I''m so sorry, Sarah. I-"

    "You literally went M.I.A! Missing in action if you don''t know what that means-"

    "I know what M.I.A means-"

    "Seriously! I texted, messaged on FacePal, tried Stargram. Nothing. I was worried then I thought, oh my gosh, you were ghosting me! But then the others said they hadn''t heard from you.." Sarah bbered on.

    "No! Sarah, I would never ghost you or the others. It''s been a really crazy couple of weeks.." A began and trailed off when she noticed the people behind her took Sarah''s attention. A looked around and saw not only the girls but Ajax and Finn, who were carrying a few bags.

    She rolled her eyes while her head was turned away from her friend and continued with the lie she was about to tell, "They''re my cousins.. Well, not all of them. It''s kinda mixed and a long story!" A could see the confusion and hurt on Sarah''s face, "There was a family emergency, and then in the same night, I was going to the hospital.. I was also mugged."

    Sarah gasped, "I''m so sorry! Your luck is terrible! Wait, why haven''t you got a new phone? I would have gone nuts without mine for so long!"

    "I was literally about to go get one now. I honestly.. to be frank, it''s been such an awful and busy time that it just never came up. I was quite happy being without it for a while.." A felt awful lying to her friend.

    "What else are you meant to do, though? Tell her you''re a werewolf and was kidnapped!" Malia joked.

    "Let mee with you! Unless I am interrupting.. erm?" Sarah trailed off as she watched Ajax and Finn y-fighting and causing a scene.

    "You''re in public! Try not to stand out! Can you not see I''m in a bit of a situation," A snapped at Finn in an open mind-link. She could almost hear his wolf whining back on the ''line''. The pair immediately stopped what they were doing once Finn spoke to Ajax.

    "Hey guys, I''ll meet up with you after? I need to catch up with Sarah here," A said as the group began walking over to where the two girls stood.

    Sarah waved at them all shyly and even became rosy-cheeked after eying up both Ajax and Finn.

    "Sure, no problem!" Ajax began but received a re from Finn.

    "What store are you going to?" Finn asked while his eyes surveyed the area.

    "TopNotch Phones," A replied before looping her arm in with Sarah''s and almost dragging her away from her werewolf friends.

    Sarah fanned her hand in front of her face, "Which ones are your cousins? If it''s the guys.. sorry to say A, but both of them are gorgeous, and I wouldn''t mind climbing-"

    A burst outughing, "No! It''s not the guys-"

    "Mind setting me up with them!?" Sarah wiggled her eyebrows, causing A to shake her head at her shameless friend.

    "I would, but they bothe with A LOT of baggage," A replied yfully, already knowing that they could hear everything they were saying. She received a "Hey!" in a mind-link from Finn. He sounded genuinely hurt by the notion while the girls beganughing from behind them. But only A was able to hear them as the pair had walked too far away.

    Sarah sighed, "Ugh, well, most mene with baggage now. Unless it''s really bad?" She looked at A questioningly.

    "It''s really bad. Really, really bad!" A eximed, making her friend sigh again.

    "Oh well! Didn''t mean to intrude anyway.." She trailed off as they went into ''TopNotch Phones''.

    A was seen almost immediately; her white hair seemed to always stand out and attract attention. Two guys arrived simultaneously, putting on their killer smiles to find the perfect phone for her. Sarah rolled her eyes when their backs were turned and whispered about how she couldn''t take A anywhere without at least one man bending over backwards for her. Which made her blush and yfully p her on the shoulder before exploring the other phones.

    At one point, Finn turned up and gave her the ck card after he presumably heard them ask politely at the till for her card. A whispered a quick thank you before returning to the cashier.

    Finn mind-linked her, "You didn''t really think we were going to leave you unprotected?"

    "Of course not. It just looked a little weird that you turned up exactly when I needed a card," A half reprimanded him via the mind-link.

    "Woah! A ck card?? When did you get one of those?" Sarah asked, her eyes wide as A finished paying for her new smartphone. She ced the card quickly in her jean pocket.

    A shrugged nonchntly, "It''s not mine. As I said, I was mugged, so everything was taken. It''s just my sweet cousin, Chiara, that gave it to me."

    "Oh, that''s so sweet!" Sarah began before looking at her own phone and nervously smiling, "So sorry, A, I have to go! But send me your new number on messenger when you have your phone set up!"

    The pair hugged before Sarah dashed off, leaving A in the store. She sat down and started setting her phone up immediately as she began to worry; she declined the help of the two guys that initially helped her choose the phone. They red in her direction when Finn showed up and sat next to her, eying the pair up protectively.

    "Can''t you wait until we are back?" He asked.

    "No. I need to call my mum," She looked around warily before whispering, "you know, to make sure our story matches."

    Finn nodded, "Riiiight. Yeah, I don''t have that issue."

    A reached out and squeezed his hand tofort him, which made him tense slightly, causing her to tilt her head and look at him questionably.

    "Thank you, A. I don''t want to be on the Alpha''s hit list.." Finn tried to joke it off in a mind-link as he smiled.

    She stillughed even though she could hear the nervousness in his voice. "I think Ajax is the main hit on that list!" She replied in the mind-link with a giggle.

    Finn shook his head, "Seriously, I don''t know what to do about that guy."

    A didn''t reply as she, too weren''t sure what she could possibly say. Ajax was such a friendly and light-hearted person, she didn''t want to change that about him, but she also didn''t want him to get in trouble with Alpha Damon. From what she read, he could easily be killed, although she hoped that wasn''t the case with Damon.

    A finished setting up her phone and immediately called her mum''s bookstore. On the third ring, her dad picked up, and she was instantly in a conversation with him for five minutes before she asked him kindly to let her know what they had both been saying about her ''disappearance'' from social media and the town. Luckily, they said the same thing, ''family emergency but didn''t go into any other details when her friends asked after her if they were ever in the town. A few of her closest friends stopped by to check in on her.

    This was also something she needed to put on her checklist of things to do:

    - Get in touch with friends and reassure them.

    - Talk to Ajax about her possessive and aggressive mate.

    - Sort out her own strange rtionship with her possessive and gorgeous mate.

    - Take on her role as Luna and.... as Queen.

    - Don''t get kidnapped again by the hunters!!

    By this point, A walked through the shopping centre with Finn by her side while she continued to speak to both her parents alternatively.

    "Wait, what about the vets?" A asked; she unconsciously began ying with her zipper on her leather jacket. This was the first time her mind wondered about her job; she began to worry that she was fired. Her thinking spiralled further as she began to think about her old human life.

    Was she meant to quit her job? Her dream of being a vet?

    She looked to Malia for guidance, but for once, she stayed quiet. A didn''t know if that meant her wolf knew something and was afraid to speak her mind, or she genuinely didn''t know what her future held.

    "Don''t worry, honey. We told them the same as well. They said for you to call them and let them know when you are ready to return," Her dad replied. A released a breath she didn''t know she was holding. She hung up after more pleasantries were exchanged and continued in silence by Finn''s side.

    A felt much better after hearing her parent''s voices, but her mind began racing with thoughts about how her future would turn out. Up until this point, she had very much been a human, and the only concern she had was making it to graduation.

    Now she was a princess werewolf that would be an Alpha''s mate to help take charge of not only their pack but also multiple packs across the country.

    Oh, and she had the hunters to worry about..

 Chapter 41 - Hi

    A shook her thoughts off after the others caught up to them, and they continued with their day of shopping. By the end of it, A''s feet were hurting, and her stomach was growling. They spent the whole day shopping and didn''t stop since to eat or sit down. She didn''t know how Ajax and Finn kept up or not showing their own boredom when the girls went into a store to buy makeup.

    "Gamma Chiara-" A mind-linked, but the Gamma cut her off, "Just Chiara. Please, I''d like to think of us as friends after going through the same exhausting experience!"

    A giggled in reply and stopped when Nairi looked over suspiciously at the pair of them before continuing with their shopping. She forgot what she was going to ask the Gamma and ended up trudging through the rest of the day at the back of the group.

    A and Chiara felt like naughty school children every time Nairi told them off and to try something on. A swore by the end of the day she was bruised from how much she tried on from all the outfits Nairi kept throwing her way.

    After their day of shopping, they returned to the mansion. They all dispersed to their own rooms with the many shopping bags in tow. A still held six bags even though she already had plenty of clothes in the wardrobe- all from Nairi ordering her to buy them.

    Next time, she would send Nairi by herself; that way, she didn''t need to deal with the hassle of such daunting tasks. Although she was exhausted, she enjoyed herself with the group, even with the crazy story about the Gattoni sisters.

    As soon as she made it to her room, she dropped the bags and copsed on the bed face down. She giggled to herself at the idea that she now had enough clothes to have an outfit each day for a month. This was without them buying dresses for balls and ceremonies that the pack held. Grabbing a pillow, she ced it above her head, takingfort in the darkness and the soft sheets. The only thing she needed now was Damon.

    Hmm, where is he?

    Thest she saw him was from their kiss in the morning, then he ran off as something urgent appeared to show up. She hoped he was okay.

    "A, move your ass!"

    Hmm, maybe she shouldn''t wonder where her beloved mate is..

    "Come eat. Now," Damon demanded through the mind-link.

    A rolled onto her back, a mischievous smile on her lips, "Nah, I''m okay."

    "What are you doing?" Malia perked up at her disobedience.

    "A.." He growled in return. His voice sent a carnal ripple through her body and down to her core.

    "Yes?" She replied breathlessly.

    "Get down here now, or I will help youe down," He growled his ultimatum.

    "Hmmm," She ced her hand on her chin as though he was there in the room, "It would help me move. I''m afraid Nairi has worn me out, and I am out for the night now. Thank you!"

    "A! I am not-"

    A shut off the mind-link, something she found out was only an Alpha and Luna could do.

    "What are you doing? You know he wille for you.." Malia said sceptically.

    "I know," A smiled at the thought.

    Her wolf moaned, "Really!? Remember the part in the books where it said Alpha''s could punish their mates.."

    "He won''t do that."

    Malia moaned and grumbled as she began pacing in her mind; all the while, A kept her hands behind her head and looked up at the ceiling with her legs crossed.

    A grin formed on her face as she heard the loud footsteps of Alpha Damoning down the hallway. A low growl vibrated through the walls and straight to A''s core; she licked her lips in anticipation, thenposed herself and closed her eyes. She was looking forward to seeing him, she didn''t know if it was the bond or if it was her, but she didn''t mind ''rattling his cage'' to get a stir out of him.

    "I''m not sure teasing him was a good idea.. Well, I hope you''re happy.. I''ll see you on the other side¡­" Malia whispered.

    "Really? You''re such a drama queen.."

    "Am I!? I th-"

    The door swung open and hit the wall with a loud thud. A opened her eyes to see all 6ft4 of Damon in the doorway, his chest heaving, jaw tight, nostrils ring and fists by his sides as his eyes flickered between shining and staying at their normal gorgeous silver. Another growl escaped his lips as their eyes met; she felt herself be wet from looking at him alone.

    Damon stormed towards her, picking her up easily and mmed her against the wall roughly. His fingers dug into her jacket as he brought his face close to hers. A''s chest rose and fell with his now as she stared back at him.

    Before he could say anything else, A leaned forwards and smacked her lips onto his. His eyes went wide from shock but automatically closed as he rxed his hands on her arms. She slid her hands up his muscr arms and through to his wavy hair, earning an appreciative growl vibrating through his chest.

    His tongue came forwards, and she opened her lips, letting him dominate her mouth. Their tongues met, almost fighting the other for control, but soon she relented after feeling him lean into her, his leg parting hers open. His hands were leaning against the wall by her head now as they continued to kiss. He ripped his lips away from hers, leaving them both gasping as they looked at each other.

    "A", He growled her name, his anger rising to the surface again. His hand snaked around her neck, the grip tight but not tight enough to restrict her breathing or leave a bruise.

    "Hi," She breathed, causing him to frown in disbelief.

    "HI?! You made mee all this way.. to say hello?" He asked incredulously, his grip on her throat tightening slightly.

    "Yep. I missed you and wanted to say hi without any onlookers," She replied, not bothered at all by his hand; she was actually a little turned on by it.

    Oh gosh, was there something wrong with her?

    He removed his hand and brought his face closer to hers again, but this time he gently ced his rough hands on her smooth cheeks, stroking them simultaneously as he nced between her eyes, "You could have asked for me without the dramatics."

    "I''m not the one that came up here all guns zing because I didn''t want toe to dinner.." She pouted then quickly continued when she saw his eyes burning into hers again, "I am tired, though. Nairi can seriously shop!"

    Damon''s eyes crinkled from a smile he was trying to hold back before he inhaled deeply and stepped away from her on the wall; he grabbed her hand and tugged her slightly towards the door. "Having something to eat will do you some good," His deep voice made her internally smile.

    But instead of following him, A nted her feet and refused to move, causing him to turn around with an annoyed expression on his face. She looked him up and down, and only just this second realised he wasn''t in any gym gear or shorts. But wore jeans, smart shoes and a button-down ck shirt, the sleeves rolled up slightly, revealing his thick arms beneath. The top two buttons were undone, exposing a part of his muscr chest.

    "Enjoying the view?" He smirked; she rolled her eyes but was happy to see his temper diminishing.

    "Does everyone dress up normally?" She asked nervously.

    His face softened before replying, "We can wear tracksuits if you want?"

    "No! Let me put something else on, and then I''lle down," She replied excitedly as she began searching through the bags for something smarter to wear. Today it seemed, she really wanted to wear clothes other than her workout gear.

    Damon ended up waiting for her even though she suggested he should go down and see to the others. A walked back out of the bathroom, wearing a ck dress that was fit snuggly on her upper body and flowed out down to her knees. She put on a pair of pumps and then ced her hand in Damon''s outstretched one. But instead of them strolling through the halls, Damon yanked her forwards and slung her over his shoulder.

    "What are you doing!?" She screeched while cing her hand on her bottom. The skirt wasn''t short, but he was racing through the halls like he was only carrying flowers, causing the dress to ride up slightly.

    He smacked her bottom before gliding his hand up her bare thigh, causing her to inhale sharply by the tingling sensation.

    "I told you I would help youe down to dinner," He chuckled.

    "That''s not helping!" She pped at his hand and felt his growl vibrate through him.

    "Next time, princess, just call me like a normal person."

    "Oh, there won''t be a next time, Mr!" She started kicking again before he smacked her on the cheeks again.

    Damonughed at her reply, "You know, I''m quite happy you chose this dress."

    He suddenly dropped her down, so she stood in front of him before the kitchen. He pulled her towards him and cupped her bum before lowering his lips to her ear, "Not only do you look sexy, but I now have easy ess..."

    A gasped and looked up at him, her eyes wide as she took in his devilish grin.

    She gulped before receiving a long kiss on the lips and his hand intertwined with hers as he began pulling her gently towards the dining room.

 Chapter 42 - A Tense Dinner

    They walked through to the dining room A went to previously, but this time was led to her own seat. She didn''t refuse his silentmand and sat down quietly after receiving a stern look from him beforehand. Damon sat at the head of the table, while A sat to his right and Beta Kane to his left with Nairi and Chiara, followed by Darren, who kept himself quiet as he sat next to the Gamma.

    That left Ajax and Finn, who sauntered in next after A mind-linked Finn to hurry up. The pair looked a lot better outside of their coveralls or shorts and t-shirt. Ajax sat next to A, causing Chiara and Nairi to tense slightly as he slung himself down and smiled broadly at Damon.

    He looked good in jeans, a button-down navy shirt that he left three buttons undone, revealing some of his toned chest beneath. Finn stuck to a ck t-shirt and jeans and stopped mid-stride next to where Ajax sat and looked nervously to the Alpha at the end of the table. Ajax looked back at Finn, who showed mild annoyance by his carefree attitude and the smile on his face.

    A smiled at the pair in greeting, feeling morefortable with their rxed presence but then looked away after Damon''s hand found its way onto her knee and gripped it tightly. A looked at him questionably, but he was not looking at her; his gaze was on the neers.

    As Finn sat down next to Ajax, Damon looked across the table before asking politely, "Chiara switch seats with Ajax, please."

    Chiara immediately stood up while Ajax almost choked on the water he was drinking and looked at Damon with furrowed brows, "Is there something wrong with me sitting here?"

    A looked at Ajax, baffled by his questioning. She had to remind herself that he was not a werewolf, and although Damon had a robust and authoritative presence, he couldn''t actually force his Alphamands onto him. Damon''s grip on her knee tightened even more, and she knew from his fingers alone, there would be a bruise forming on her skin. She looked back at Damon and saw his eyes swirling a molten silver, flickering ever so lightly.

    "Yes. Now move," Damon snapped with a low growl.

    His tone sent a shiver through A, but this one was more out of annoyance than anything else. What was wrong with Ajax sitting next to her? Although she knew it would annoy him, she didn''t think he would boot him to another seat. She literally kissed Damon upstairs, and now he had his hand on her knee and demanded another man not to sit next to her. Surely his jealousy wasn''t this silly?

    "A," Malia warned, already seeing where her thoughts were leading her.

    Ajax scraped his chair back and stopped when A spoke up.

    "Ajax," A kept her eyes locked on Damon as she spoke, "Stay where you are. There is no need for you to move."

    Damon''s eyes darkened, and a low growl escaped his lips, sending a small vibration across the table. The dishes and sses clinked together while Damon and A looked at each other, neither wavering their gaze. She could almost feel the tension rising in the air as the others looked on at the pair in shocked silence.

    "Alpha? Luna?" Gamma Chiara questioned.

    A felt terrible as their Gamma was given a direct order from her Alpha, but she wanted to make a point and allowed Ajax to sit next to her. And why shouldn''t he? Malia moaned in her mind at A''s stubbornness. She would have been better for Damon, someone who submitted to his every order and whim, whereas A would disobey him at anything she didn''t agree with. On this asion, she disagreed with him; he needed to calm down and stop being so possessive. Ajax was only sitting next to her, nothing else.

    "If you want your friend to live. I suggest you don''t undermine my order.. Mate," Damon growled ferociously through the mind-link as his hand sped on her knee aggressively; she could feel his rage vibrating through her leg where his hand shook. His words alone made her relent immediately, and she dropped her eyes from his.

    "Good. Ajax, Chiara, switch," Damon ordered aloud while he kept his eyes on A, who was now looking at her te in front of her while they changed chairs. She was seething with anger, but she couldn''t let her stubbornness be the reason for Ajax''s death.

    Even though her mind and body fought each other about Damon and his domineering ways, she still had to remind herself that he was an Alpha of the most feared pack in the world. The day she met him, he shot someone in the head without flinching. Granted, he saved her life, but it was another reminder of how their worlds were so far apart. However, that little fact did not stop her from speaking her mind to him.

    "Jealousy doesn''t look good on you, Alpha," She mind-linked him, meeting his prating gaze once again.

    His grip on her knee lightened, and slowly his hand slid up to her mid-thigh, causing her to inhale sharply as tiny tingles shot through her body. All the while, their gazes were locked, and his own was darkening by the second from dominance and lust.

    "There''s nothing to be jealous about. You are mine," He growled back through the mind-link.

    A gulped slightly; her mouth felt dry from the strong pull she felt towards her mate. Damon didn''t miss that small action as his eyeszily went from her bare neck and back to her face. She licked her lips that caused him to growl aloud, making the others nce in their direction mid eating. The pair''s power struggle was sending surges of power that caused the dinner guests to shift ufortably on their seats.

    Even Beta Kane and Nairi, who always seemed in their own world, looked in the pair''s direction. However, they weren''t looking at them in concern but were grinning and gave each other knowing nces before returning to their food.

    "I won''t be if you keep acting this way." A snapped back at him. Malia whined at what she was suggesting; her wolf was distraught even by her words. A watched as Damon''s eyes flickered with hurt before they glowed and darkened at the same time.

    "I won''t let you reject me, A." His voice was deadly, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

    A''s eyes began to glow as she replied, "How would you stop me? It''s my choice."

    The challenge was evident in her voice over the mind-link, but Damon only narrowed his eyes. "Because you''ll be marked the moment you start that sentence." He snapped. His voice deepened, even more, indicating that Darius was close to the surface again.

    "Stop ying games with us, A," Darius took over as Damon''s eyes glimmered. His grip on her thigh tightened once again before sliding further up and closer to her core. A''s eyes widened before she nced around the table. The only pair of eyes she met were emerald-green, but she quickly looked away, not wanting Darius to straight-up kill Ajax at dinner.

    "She didn''t mean it!" Malia ripped through the mind-link, mming A to the back of her mind. She was annoyed even more now by the interruption. Damon and Darius''s possessiveness needed to take a chill, and she needed to show him how serious she was. Of course, she would not reject him, but she didn''t want them to know that!

    "What are you doing!?" A gasped at her wolf for ruining something she had barely begun.

    "Making sure you don''t piss him off so much that he would force you into this! You''ll end up hating him, and I couldn''t stand to see yourselves put through a lifetime of misery. Stop being so stubborn," Malia scolded her.

    "Malia," Darius breathed huskily, "my darling."

    Damon moved his hand away from her thigh and caressed A''s chin adoringly. His eyes went back to their normal, strikingly silver eyes; he kept his hand on A''s chin and searched her eyes.

    "Please send A back. It is her who I have an issue with. I promise you and Darius can go for a run tonight." Damon''s voice had returned to normal, even softer towards her wolf. A tried not to roll her eyes. She started to believe that he really did need a more submissive mate and not her.

    Malia relented and let A retake the reins; her eyes immediately hardened, and his grip on her chin became tighter as he leaned in closer to her, so they were but a few inches apart, "Do not threaten me about such things. You do not know what you talk of." He somehow came even closer to her, to the point that their noses were now touching, "I can already feel the bond pulling us together to make it official. If you struggle against it, it can be painful, and if you reject it¡­" He trailed off as he searched her eyes. Her heart clenched at even suggesting rejecting him.

    A''s crystal blue orbs softened as she realised how much she genuinely hurt him. Maybe they were doing everything wrong? She was used to not answering to anyone but herself, and he was used to getting his way without any backchat. He let go of her chin dismissively and grabbed his knife and fork, ripping into the steak aggressively on his te.

    A twisted in her seat slightly to face her own food- steak, chips, and some vegetables on the side; she began to eat tentatively and did not raise her eyes throughout the meal. Finn and Ajax both nced in her direction plenty of times that made Alpha Damon narrow his eyes at them. She was not sitting quietly from defeat, more so from being deep in thought.

    "You okay?" Finn asked via mind-link.

    A continued to chew on her steak as she replied, "I''m fine. Does everyone know we were.. having a disagreement?"

    Finn chuckled, "Oh, we could tell, alright. I''m pretty sure the whole pack knew you were."

    "What do you mean?" A identally nced his way, revealing their secret conversation to Damon and Chiara. Damon tried to mind-link her, which felt as though he was muffling Finn''s voice out.

    Finn replied after A ''pushed'' Damon away in her mind, "What I mean to say is that both of your powers as Alpha''s was charging us with energy to get ready for a battle! It was so weird and exhrating at the same time. I wasn''t sure if you were going to fight each other or romp each other!"

    "Finn!" A gasped in response. She stopped cutting into her steak abruptly, causing her cutlery to make a slight ''clink'' noise. She looked around, but the others continued to talk with one another, except Darren, who cut angrily into his food. Finn chuckled in response before returning to his own food and chatting happily with Ajax.

    A nced at Damon and done a double-take, not realising that his brooding gaze had been on her the whole time she was mind-linking Finn. He drank from a ss of what appeared to be whiskey and stared at her as he did so. A looked back at her food and tensed when she felt his hand once again on her thigh, but this time it slid up her thigh slowly, making small circles as he did.

    She looked back at him and saw the dangerous glint in his eyes and the smirk forming on his annoyingly beautiful lips.

    Oh no..

 Chapter 43 - Under The Table

    A leaned forwards, cing her elbows on the dinner table as she held onto her knife and fork in front of her. She looked at him as his hand slid up her thigh, inching closer and closer to her heated core. Luckily Chiara was now in a debated discussion with Darren about something stupid he probably mouthed off to her about. Otherwise, she may have sensed the little interaction going on under the table.

    A tried to swat his hand away, but his grip tightened on her inner thigh where the touch of his hand sent shockwaves across her body, making her clench her legs together as she looked at him pleadingly.

    "Hmmm, if you don''t ept this punishment, I will make it even worse for you, A, and I don''t think you want to see what I will do to gain your submission and to show your little boyfriend there. Whose you are."

    A suddenly feared what else he might do. The calctive look and smirk on his lips made her shiver and immediately rx her thighs. His eyes lit up, and his voice was silky as he spoke through her mind again, "Now, I think you should continue to eat your food. It will get cold."

    On instruction, she began cutting up her steak but caused the knife to screech into the te after she felt his finger skim the side of hercey underwear. She felt exhrated from what was happening and became wet from his teasing hand and how in public they were.

    "Easy," He said huskily in the mind-link. A nced at him and blushed before returning to cutting up her meat. She had no intention of eating if he was going to do what she thought he would do. Surely her arousal was already bing too much for the people at the table. Either their noses did not work, or they were ignoring it.

    The moment her eyes identally met Ajax''s, she heard the loud growl of Damon''s voicemanding her full attention. She looked back at Damon and was instantaneously locked in his darkened gaze as his hand found its way under her lingerie. She tensed slightly as his fingers began rubbing slowly and gently against her already wet folds.

    "That''s it, baby. Only me," His whisper went across her mind, sending a slight shiver of goosebumps across her body.

    She held herself back from moaning when his thumb found her clit and started to make slow circles, hitting just the right spot. Not only was she hot and needy, but she was still lustful from herst punishment. She felt her nipples harden against her bra as she started to close her thighs again, but one small growl from Damon in the mind-link told her otherwise.

    A gulped as she nced nervously around the table. To everybody else, nothing unusual was going on. She yed with her food on her te, trying to make it seem like she was doing something other than being teased and controlled by this demon of an Alpha. She gripped her cutlery to the point where her knuckles went white after his index finger entered her excruciatingly slowly.

    A heard Damon hum in delight from how wet she was after such a minuscule movement. She inhaled sharply as his finger continued to slowly tease her and went deep enough that his knuckles brushed against her sensitive flesh. His eyes flickered to her chest as she unconsciously arched her back slightly, pushing her breasts out, all the while holding onto her knife and fork. She looked at him, her eyes almost begging him, begging him for what, though? Release?

    Oh gosh, what if he didn''t let here?

    Oh gosh, what if he did!? They were in a room full of people!

    Just as her thoughts started to be panicked while her core clenched hungrily around Damon''s finger. He pulled out abruptly and leaned back as he replied to Beta Kane''s question. A leaned back against the chair, feeling as though she was about to burst and was quite happy he didn''t take it any further. She was beginning to lose her cool.

    It was then she noticed that most of the pack leaders had finished their meals and were chatting with one another. She felt a little rude, but at the same time, she wanted to crawl into bed and hide under the covers.

    "And romp under the covers more like!" Malia spoke up after hiding since she told A off.

    "What do you think, A?"

    A snapped her eyes open and looked at Beta Kane; she didn''t realise she had closed them after trying to calm herself down. She nced at Damon, who looked ridiculously smug, making A want to p him, but she ignored him and looked back at Beta Kane, "I''m sorry, Beta, I didn''t hear you. My wolf was talking to me."

    "Ah, I see. Please, you don''t need to call me Beta here. We are all friends around this table,"

    "Is that including the shithead at the end of the table?" Malia enquired genuinely in the back of A''s mind. She held back a chuckle while Kane continued.

    "What is your wolf''s name?" He smiled earnestly, and A opened her mouth before Ajax interrupted, "Don''t."

    Everyone turned to look at him questionably. Damon stayed quiet as he, too, looked at the shapeshifter at the table and gestured with his hand for Ajax to continue.

    "Never give your wolf''s name away to anyone, A. The moment they have their name, they have a power over you. It''s some weird freaky witch type thing. But if you give your name to anyone that isn''t your mate, then they could control your wolf." Ajax exined.

    A raised her eyebrows in disbelief before turning her head back to the Beta. Why did he-

    "Sorry, I wanted to see if you knew. Damon would never have let you speak her name anyway." He held his hands up in an apology, to which Nairi pped him gently on the shoulder. Once again taking his attention away from A and the rest of the table.

    "How do you know so much about werewolves?" Chiara pointed her question at Ajax.

    "Well, I dated a few she-wolves before they found their mates and well, when the obvious happened," Ajax replied, keeping his gaze level with the Gamma''s.

    "How interesting.." Chiara muttered before drinking from her ss of red wine.

    Ajax then leaned his elbow on the table and ced his cheek on his hand as he continued to gaze at Chiara, "What about you, beautiful? Do you have a mate?"

    Everyone stopped what they were doing and snapped their heads in their direction. Chiara looked up at Ajax''s charming smile that he put on. The tension at the table became palpable as silence ascended and the remainder of the group looked on with their breaths held. Except for Damon, who seemed to smirk slightly; A wanted to smack it off him as she was worried that Ajax would be the next victim with a steak knife in their hand.

    Instead of any form of violence from the Gamma, she replied icily in a low voice, "I had a mate." She rose in her seat as her words sunk deep into the hearts of all that were seated there.

    She excused herself from the table and left the dining room without another backward nce. A removed her gaze from the door where Chiara exited and looked back at Damon; she felt her heart clench at the thought of actually losing him and wondered what Chiara''s story was. However, the Gamma already told her one painful event of her past, she did not want to probe further.

    Darren was quick to follow, and he left the room at a brisk walk. He seemed well behaved in front of the Alpha, keeping his chat light without sending any insults or evil stares towards A. After ten more minutes of chatting to one another and A getting to know Beta Kane more, they decided to call it a night and leave. One after the other, they began to rise and leave the room.

    A was about to follow suit, rising in her seat when she felt Damon''s rough hand reach for her own. She looked at him and sat back down after seeing the look in his eyes. For once, they were not hard or shooting outmands to her but almost pleading her to stay. A couldn''t leave quietly and hide away under the covers; she needed to sit with her mate and face the music. One look at his genuine expression, though, and she immediately caved, rising again in her chair and reaching for him.

    Their little power struggle earlier seemed to have affected them both, and after Chiara announced herself mate-less, the Alpha and future Luna found themselves forgiving the other. A''s hands found the back of his head, gripping lightly into the roots of his luscious locks as she stared down at him. His hands snaked around her waist and rested just above her bottom as he looked up at her.

    A stopped herself from pouting and met his lips instead of letting him speak; he immediately deepened the kiss and pulled her forwards, opening her legs as he did so. She opened her eyes, surprised by the act but even more so by herself as she climbed on top of him, their eyes now locked in a heated gaze while she felt his hard length straining against his jeans and fittingfortably against her sensitive and now dampdy parts.

 Chapter 44 - ON The Table

    A and Damon gazed into each other''s eyes as she continued to straddle him on the dining chair. Although they were in quite thepromising position, A felt herself melting underneath his gaze of adoration. It seemed the shift in topic earlier about Chiara''s now non-existent mate extinguished the pair''s power struggle and instead tookfort in each other.

    "Damon," She whispered while continuously ying with his hair.

    "Hmm?" He purred, closing his eyes to the feel of her hands on the back of his neck. His own hands were sittingfortably on her round bottom.

    "What happened to Chiara''s mate?" She asked; her whisper was barely audible, but of course, he heard it and stilled. Her heart pounded, and she held her breath as dread began to consume her about the thought of her newfound friend.

    Opening his eyes, he nced between the infinite hues of blue that were her eyes. A could see his once rxed face slowly masking over, hardening along with his silver orbs as the muscle in his jaw began to tick.

    "He died."

    A gasped, "How!?"

    "A rogue attack," Damon looked away before somehow pulling her closer to him again and resting his head on her plump breasts, inhaling deeply.

    "Why do rogues keep attacking? I thought they were meant to be lone wolves that stayed clear of packnds?"

    Damon sighed and looked back up at her, squeezing her butt cheeks roughly before replying, "I''m not sure. It''s only been over thest three years that the attacks have be progressively worse. Xander- Chiara''s mate, was one of many that day to die."

    "Three years, huh?" A muttered, her thoughts began to spiral into some dark ces.

    "Three years ago was when Lydia returned.." Malia growled, also thinking in the same direction as A. However, she was not about to make usations, especially after only being in the pack for barely a week. Lydia had roots there, and although A didn''t like the girl, it could be a strange coincidence. She would bury the idea for now.

    A yelped after feeling a light nip on the top of her cleavage.

    "No more far away looks or talking about sad subjects. I thought you might want to take advantage of me," Damon said huskily, his lips brushing her skin from where he spoke. She felt a low vibration go through her from his chest before he thrust slightly, making A giggle.

    "You, sir, are very bad," She yfully reprimanded as she pped his chest lightly.

    He grabbed her hand and bit into it lightly, sending a small shock wave across her body.

    "If memory serves me correctly, it''s you who breaks my rules around here.."

    A made small circles with her finger on his chest as she said in a sultry voice, "Tonight, I was good."

    This earned her a look of disbelief from Damon as he leaned back, but before he could reply, A continued, "I kept my legs open for you."

    A small mention about their little under the table fiasco made his eyes darken, and his hands squeezed her butt roughly again.

    "Then I suppose I should finish what I started.." He purred before iming her lips with his own. He instantaneously bit into her lip roughly, causing her to gasp, giving him the small entrance he needed to invade her mouth with his tongue. Their tongues met and explored each other''s mouths, losing themselves to the sensuous feeling and the throbbing, heated area between their lower regions.

    They continued to kiss while Damon''s hands made their way up to her hair as he grabbed it roughly and began turning her head one way so he could deepen the kiss even more. She instantly reacted by gripping harder on his own messy hair and moaned into his mouth after grinding on his pelvis slightly. She couldn''t help it; he was taking her breath away and making her lose control, her body now sensitive to him. She needed him. She needed to feel him and so badly wanted toe; A knew it wouldn''t take much for her toe undone under his touch.

    Damon''s hand made its way down to her leg and began crawling up her thigh again, massaging, gripping and even cupping her round bottom before going back towards her core. They were so absorbed in one another that just as his hand made it to her panty line, a voice startled them. Or her, more like. Damon only sighed and looked in the direction of the man whose voice interrupted them.

    It was then, A nced around and saw maids leaving the double doors with the remaining tes from the table. It was now utterly spotless in the dining room.

    "Is there anything else you need, master, madam?"

    A looked over at the man with greying hair, clean-shaven, wrinkled face with kind brown eyes that crinkled when he met her gaze. She instantly blushed and hid her face in Damon''s chest.

    How embarrassing!

    She had been panting and almost dry humping Damon on the chair while the maids tidied up, and a man, who seemed to be the butler from the way he dressed in a ck suit, stood there and asked if they needed anything.

    "How about a room?" Malia smirked.

    "Oh, shut it." A snapped in return and kept her face in the warm embrace of Damon, who only chuckled at her reaction.

    "That will be all, Charles. Thank you."

    A heard the man''s footsteps retreat, and the doors close quietly behind him. She looked up, still mortified by her embarrassing actions, and asked, "How have I not met your butler!? I didn''t even know there was one!"

    "He was on a break. That''s why it''s been a bit chaotic and untidy around the cetely." Damon shrugged nonchntly as though having a butler was normal to the average person. A rolled her eyes; they weren''t normal.

    She stilled then and looked at Damon oddly when she realised what he said, "Untidy?"

    "The patio door.." He sounded exasperated and irritated.

    Oops.

    "That was only yesterday?" A looked at him incredulously. How quick did he expect the door to be fixed?

    "Charles would have reced it in the same day," Damon grumbled.

    A went to open her mouth, but Damon stopped her, "Now.. where were we?"

    She shook her head and muttered under her breath, "A butler.."

    His grip on her thigh and bottom tightened again, making her realise that he never removed them in the presence of the cleaning staff and butler.

    "Do I need to get rid of him?" He growled; the vibration rippled through his chest and onto hers. She rolled her eyes at him and instead kissed him to distract him from his silly, possessive ways.

    Their kiss deepened again, and this time Damon grabbed A''s underwear and ripped them away into two pieces, leaving them to fall to the floor. She gasped while being lifted up and ced on the table behind her, her bare bottom on the wooden surface.

    A gasped again as she felt his hand immediately cup her lower region before sliding a finger into her core, pumping in and out at a slow pace that made her breathless instantly. She ced her hands behind her and dropped her head back to the feeling.

    "So wet for me," He breathed.

    She licked her lips and closed her eyes to the feeling of his hand increasing the speed.

    "Look at me," He snapped; she immediately opened her eyes and stared into his darkening gaze, "You are mine, A. Only mine. I want you to look at me as I finger fuck you. That it''s me making you feel this way, no one else. Understood?"

    She nodded her head but replied to confirm, "Yes,"

    "Yes, what?"

    "Yes, Damon. I understand."

    "Good. Now, don''t¡­ move."

    She groaned; he better not y that game with her again. She already wanted to explode from the pace he was going. Keeping her eyes on him, she saw his other hand gently push her shoulder down, so she was lying down, her elbows holding her up slightly on the table now, her legs dangling at the edge. He opened her legs wider as he said, "Good girl", after checking her eyes were still on him.

    His head lowered as he slowed his finger inside of her and began kissing and nipping up one thigh up to her core, hovering over the area, letting his hot breath make her even more sensitive and increasingly wet from how close he was. His face then retreated and began leaving kisses and bite marks across her other thigh.

    A immediately took a shaky breath in as she watched him kiss his way back to her centre, and his tongue met her clit. She jerked from how sensitive she felt from his tongue that began licking on the already moist area while his finger continued to pump inside her. Only this time, his finger asionally twisted and turned before abruptly removing it as he beganpletely devouring her. She had trouble keeping her moans down as he sucked, licked and fucked her with his tongue.

    Just as she felt her core clenching and almost to the point of orgasm, he removed himself and looked at her, "Whose are you?" He growled. She couldn''t believe-

    "Yours!" She almost screeched; he chuckled and grabbed her roughly by her bottom and pulled her closer to him. His tongue crashed into her at a force that made her instantly grind on his face and moan from his rough treatment; she breathed out, "Only yours, Alpha."

    Her hand entangled into his hair as waves of tingles and shivers rippled through her; she continued to watch him eat her, and at longst, from a final lick, she felt herselfe undone around him. He greedilypped up her juices, keeping his gaze locked with hers.

    FUCK. Why was he so fricken hot?

    A tired moan escaped her lips as he leaned over her, hands by her sides, and he asked again, "Whose are you?"

    "Yours. Only yours."

    "Don''t you ever forget it." He growled before crashing his lips against hers.

    As soon as he parted from her, she felt her legs still shaking as she copsed her arched back and head onto the table,pletely spent from Damon''s devilish ways.

 Chapter 45 - Fighting Urges

    A felt as though she was floating and was immediatelyforted by the warm muscr arms that held her tight against his rock-hard chest. She didn''t need to open her eyes to know whose arms she was in; she inhaled his scent deeply. His cologne and woodsy scent mixed together made her rx even more.

    He carried her bridal style but with her headpletely cushioned against his chest and her arms resting on her belly. A snuggled into him more and felt the vibration of his chest, a purr of appreciation. She kissed his exposed chest and rxed again, feeling his hand pull away some of her hair from her face.

    "I don''t know what I like more, my little spitfire. Calm and rxed, almost angelic or the demon you be when you''re passionate and disobedient." Damon spoke with a smile in his voice. His steady heartbeat was something she could listen to and happily fall asleep to anytime. She felt his lips kiss her forehead as she began to drift into a slumber.

    It was not evente, but all the pent-up frustration, the shopping and training all took their toll on her. The next thing she knew, she was under the silky duvet, her head resting on the pillow. A opened her eyes to see that the firece was lit, curtains closed, but nobody was in the room with her or the bathroom. She felt her heart clench at the thought of being by herself; even if she had been asleep, she wanted to wake up to him.

    Where is Damon?

    She sighed and sat up in bed, and as though her thoughts had been answered, Damon burst into the room, the door swinging open. He looked at her rmed and immediately flung himself on the bed, grabbing her by the cheeks and nting a kiss on her lips.

    "I only went to get.."

    He trailed off when he saw the confusion on her face. She looked at him questionably with her brows knitted together.

    "You mind-linked me.."

    "Did I?" She breathed.

    His eyes flickered between hers and replied in his deep, rich voice, "I think it is the bond getting stronger. If you didn''t mean to mind-link me, then.. your.. need for me might have put your thoughts into it."

    A instinctively gulped from his words and looked down with another frown.

    "Hey, what''s wrong?" Damon tipped her chin back up with his fingers and stared intently into her eyes, making her stomach do a mini somersault.

    She bit the inside of her mouth before speaking up. "I am just uncertain about this bond," She whispered nervously, then continued when his hand dropped from her chin, and his face hardened; his eyes bing steely, "I mean.. Everything is.. I don''t know, it''s a lot. This bond.. that I had no idea about a few weeks ago is now such a big deal in my life.."

    "You.. you''re here now. I''m your mate.." A rushed her words, recovering herself and watching Damon''s face soften once again.

    "A," His deep voice rumbled slightly, making her almost rx instantaneously as she continued to look into his silver swirling orbs, "Nothing will be rushed between us."

    She looked at him pointedly and raised one of her eyebrows about the obvious that happened at the dinner table.

    "What I mean to say.. is I won''t do anything you don''t want me to," His voice was strong behind his words. A''s mind swirled again with a few instances between the pair; even though he had teased her and ''punished'' her, she never said to stop. She didn''t mind what he had been doing to her.

    "Of course not. You were lost in your own orgasmic heaven," Malia chirped in.

    "Well, that was just today. I was thinking about the other time as well," A replied to her wolf.

    It was then she also realised that she may have been a little selfish in this weird rtionship, and maybe it was time for her to give him some pleasure. A wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her. He kept his gaze on hers, but he looked as though he was sussing her ns out; she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

    Surely, he knew when she was initiating something, this Greek god of a man with a devilish tongue that sent her to heaven in all its orgasmic glory had definitely been with other women before her.

    A brought her lips to his, a spark ignited between the pair almost immediately. What went from a tender kiss turned into something more as they began to hungrily devour the other. Damon was pressing into her as he moved over her, and she sunk down onto the covers; her hands slid down his shirt and began undoing his buttons. When she reached thest one, he pulled back and slung the shirt to the side.

    A stopped him from lowering himself down on top of her as she bit her lip at the man''s sculpted body. A low growl erupted through his chest, and she looked back up to his eyes, seeing them darken with want as he looked at her. A reached up and trailed her fingers across the ridges of his chiselled abs before grabbing him by the hips. He brought himself down, flinging the covers away from her, and she watched in dismay and excitement when his nail extended into a w, and he ripped through the fabric of her dress.

    Ay there in her ck lingerie that pushed her assets up and stared up at him in want. His eyes flickered and shone, showing off his strikingly luminescent orbs. He immediately crashed his lips into hers, clinging onto her hair and kissing her as though he couldn''t breathe, and she was his oxygen.

    Their chests were heaving, and she panted when he finally ripped his lips away from hers and straight away began trailing kisses, nips and sucking on her skin from her chin down her neck and then to that tender spot on her corbone. Her heart leapt against her chest, and she pulled him closer to that spot; she wanted him to mark her. Her mind was clouded with the thought of him finally iming her, and they could be officially mates and-

    A growl ripped through them, and A snapped out of her lustrous daze to look at Damon. His face was contorted in pain, his mouth was open, and she could see his canine teeth long and sharp. A stared at them, falling back onto cloud nine and turned her head almost robotically to the side, exposing her flesh even more for him. She could hear her heart pound against her chest, and she slowed her breathing down as he brought his head back down to the spot just below the corbone.

    A gasped as she felt a slight sting but then almost cried out in anger as he snapped his head back and sat on the back of his legs, staring wide-eyed at her. Damon''s glimmering eyes dulled and returned to their normal silver; his chest was still heaving as he looked at her. She reached her hands out to him, but he jumped back, "No, A. Snap out of it!" His thunderous voice made her drop her hands, and she blinked up at him in a confused state.

    She didn''t realise her own eyes were glowing until just now.

    "What.." She trailed off as she looked down at her ripped dress; her eyes widened, and she grabbed the sheets. It was pointless in covering up; he had seen her most private parts already, but putting something between them made her feel a little bit better. At that moment, she could almostugh as they looked at each other as though it was the following day of a one night stand they did not expect to wake up to.

    Damon came forwards again, his strides long and slow as he assessed her.

    "Shit," He cursed, raking his hand through his already dishevelled hair.

    A was breathing heavily still as the images of what happened flew across her mind.

    What sort of sorcery is this?

    A already knew. It was just her mind trying to process how quickly things led from the other.

    "It''s the bond. You both want to be marked," Malia stated the obvious in a dry tone.

    "What''s up with you?" A asked her while she kept her eyes on her mate, who was now climbing back onto the bed. But sat back on his legs at a distance as he too seemed deep in thought. Or was probably talking to Darius as she believed he had some sort of control just then; Damon''s eyes were glowing, yet so was hers. Was this also their wolf''s doing?

    Malia huffed, "I want to be one with him! It''s really frustrating! You''re mates, and instead of doing the obvious and iming each other, you''re having power struggles and being stubborn."

    A couldn''t believe it, "So you were pulling the strings?"

    "It''s a little bit moreplex than that. The bond is pulling us together, and yes, just before he NEEEARLY marked you, we were the ones in control."

    A watched as Damon''s eyes darkened but not from lust, with anger.

    Yep, he knows what happened as well.

    "A, I didn''t mean to," His deep voice made her body warm up immediately, and she knew, of course, he didn''t mean for things to go the way they did.

    So much for not rushing, the bond and their wolves were fighting for them to make it official. She wondered if Damon really was okay with not marking her.

    "I know. It''s okay-"

    "It''s not. I told you I wouldn''t do anything you didn''t want to, and I know you don''t want to be marked¡­ not yet anyway," Damon murmured thest words after expressing his anger.

    She crawled forwards towards him and stopped when she saw him tense and sat back herself before reaching her hand out and caressing her hand across the stubble on his jaw, whispering gently, "You still stopped, though."

    After leaning into her touch, his eyes nced down to her neck and sighed, "Barely."

    He jumped off the bed, walked to the bathroom, returned after with a slightly damp cloth, and wiped gently on the area where he pierced a bit of her neck. His brows furrowed as the small wounds did not heal.

    "What''s wrong?" She asked.

    "Your neck hasn''t healed. With small wounds like that, it would have healed straight away.."

    A gasped, "Wait.. have you marked me?!"

    He shook his head, "No, it doesn''t look like that, and we would know."

    A rxed with a sigh of relief. It wasn''t the end of the world if he did mark her, but she was still afraid, even after learning more about the bond and being a werewolf in general. The whole thing was out of this world, and she was still trying to get a grasp on it all, let alone being marked and imed by someone.

    Malia growled, "He''s not just anyone, though."

    A didn''t reply to her. It was only her thoughts, and she didn''t mean anything by it. Of course, Damon wasn''t just anyone. He sighed and pinched the top of his nose before opening his eyes and looking at her again. His lust-filled eyes looked her up and down, and he took a deep breath in before a low growl left his lips.

    "It''s getting hard to control these urges." He said huskily.

    A was still in a bit of a shock; they only found out they were mates two days ago?! And he already nearly marked her ''without consent''. At this point, she doesn''t know if she would have felt fine with it or not. If he marked her, would she have felt satisfied and whole? Or would she resent him for basically putting a leash on her?

    Her wolf and everything in her gut went against the idea that she would resent him. When she looked at him and saw how sincere he was about the situation, it only made her chest swell with emotion that she couldn''t quite identify.

    Two days! That''s how long it had been, and she was already putty in his hands.

    This werewolf business really wasplex stuff.

 Chapter 46 - Release The Wolves

    A crawled back out of bed and walkedzily to the bathroom. Ignoring the pull, she seemed to feel from getting further away from Damon. Turning the tap on the sink, she sshed water on her face to calm her racing thoughts and heart. As she looked back up to the mirror, A found her eyes glowing again.

    "Malia?" She called her wolf in her mind.

    "It''s not me. Maybe it''s the bond?" Malia replied.

    A shook her head from the tingling sensation her body felt and dabbed her face with a towel. When she looked back up, she dropped the towel and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Damon''s reflection in the mirror, standing behind her. She turned around to face him, and he looked down at her intently, his own eyes glowing. He caressed her cheek, and their eyes flickered back to normal as a small electrical current surged through the pair.

    "Come on, we can either rest up or let Darius and Malia go for a run," Damon said in his deep voice; his eyes flickered darkly at the mention of running. Both of their wolves seemed eager and were close to the forefront of their minds again.

    A fidgeted on her feet; although her body was tired, she could feel how restless Malia was bing. Her wolf was also staying quiet without interrupting her thought process, meaning she really wanted to go, especially if it meant running with their mate. She couldn''t me her; not only had she not spent time with Darius, but she also hadn''t been out to let off some steam unless punching Lydia in the face counted.

    Malia snickered at that.

    Damon continued to watch her patiently, ying with a strand of her hair; his cologne and scent cocooned her delicately, making her decision process take a lot longer than it should have. But she couldn''t help it from how close their bodies were; the buzzing feeling of being near him and the intoxicating way he was looking at her right now made her bite her lip-

    "A, stop looking at me like that," He said huskily; she released her lip and could see he was also bing affected by their proximity and from her lip biting. ncing to the side, she wondered if it would always be like this or if it was like a ''honeymoon period''.

    A cleared her throat, "I''m tired, but I know Malia needs a release. Especially after what nearly happened.." She breathed, daring to look into his eyes and being captivated by not only their colour but his long darkshes surrounding them.

    She instantly snapped out of his alluring pull and turned back around to face the mirror. He dropped his hand from her hair and stood taller again, watching her as he spoke, "With Malia taking the reins, you can rest."

    A had leaned forwards, observing the two tiny white wounds below her corbone from where Damon identally began marking her. They didn''t stand out; they looked like two small scars from how they shined. But if anyone was looking to see if she was marked, then it was noticeable.

    "Sounds good to me!" She smiled at him in the mirror, then tensed slightly after he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his head down next to hers, only to let his stubble and hair tickle her before leaving a long kiss on her neck just below her ear. She almost closed her eyes and let herself melt into his touch, but she stopped herself and tapped his hands around her. A was still only wearing her lingerie, which could easily lead them to do more than just a simple kiss to the neck.

    Damon chuckled and released her from his hold and gaze in the mirror. A walked back to their room and threw on one of his shirts that dropped past her bum to mid-thigh. She decided to remove her underwear, and her bra underneath the top with her back turned, dropping them to the floor. They would only get wrecked if A shifted in them and did not fancy stripping in the woods. She heard a groan from behind her.

    "Are you trying to kill me.." Damon spoke huskily from behind her and began striding towards her again, him the big bad wolf and her his prey, little red riding hood.

    Although she didn''t retreat, standing her ground and smirked at him, "Death by blue balls.. that''s a new one."

    He went to grab her, but A ducked and dashed for the door as a giggle left her lips. She sprinted down the hallway at full speed after hearing his thunderous steps behind her; she felt exhrated by the chase. One nce over her shoulder as she descended the stairs, and she could see he was enjoying the chase just as much as her.

    Oh my¡­

    She nearly missed a step after checking him out again. He was chasing her in just his boxers now after stripping his jeans off at some point.

    "You know, you will slip on your drool.." Malia smirked.

    A turned her head facing forwards again and giggled again as she made it to thest step of the stairs, instantly crashing into a brick wall. She blinked and looked up; Damon grabbed her roughly by the waist. "I''ve got you now," His voice was low and deadly.

    A looked into his darkening eyes and replied just as low, "What do you n on doing with me, Alpha?"

    "All sorts of things," He said with a low growl rumbling through his chest; he put his nose next to her neck, inhaling her scent as his hands caressed her bottom "but," he released her with a sigh, "we need to let our wolves out."

    A pouted but decided she enjoyed the chase too much for the game to be over; she slipped past him and opened the front door before running off and going to the back of the mansion towards the woods.

    "Do you mind if the shirt rips into pieces?" She asked as she heard him catch up to her.

    He grunted as a response, meaning he didn''t care. So when they made it to the woods, she decided to tease him a little instead; she threw the top off while she continued to run forwards and smirked when his figure went missing from the corner of her eyesight.

    "A!" Malia moaned.

    "Okay, okay. I''m sorry."

    Before A could even hand the reins over to Malia, she seemed to snatch it from her and immediately ripped through and shifted into the white wolf as she continued to run forwards. A was content with Malia taking the lead. Malia let loose and was releasing her pent-up energy; after an hour of running, she finally slowed down for Darius, who continued to chase her through and around the woods.

    That was something A did not expect; they were faster than the Alpha and slowed down so he could catch up. She knew he would never let her get away for too long, and his asional mind-links asking for her to slow down confirmed that she was quicker.

    "You''re very quick," His deep, majestic voice boomed through the mind-link when he nudged into her.

    Was Dariusplimenting her? Whaaaat?

    Maliaughed at A''s response, still listening to her thoughts. Instead of replying to either of them, she rubbed against Darius, earning a low, appreciative growl and a lick on the nose.

    A continued to watch Malia and Darius behind the scenes and was intrigued with how they were interacting. They chased each other, yed and even tumbled around a little, each time ending with Malia submitting to Darius. She also watched while they spoke lovingly to each other, as though they had been together years.

    It seemed their wolves were very much in sync with each other, unlike their human counterparts. A loved seeing her wolf happy, but she couldn''t just follow her basic animalistic needs and ept the mate bond immediately, unlike Malia. Of course, she could feel the pull of it, and this day made her feel lighter when she was near Damon and even began to feel the need to always be with him.

    It was such a strange feeling, one she never felt with her past rtionships. When they ended, she had never been upset, and she put it down to herself that something was wrong with her. They never seemed to have that ''spark'', and within minutes of meeting Damon on her day of escape, those men seemed minuscule inparison; she immediately felt better in Damon''s presence. Even with her doubts about the pack, she felt safe with him, and there was obviously her heavy attraction towards him.

    But she was brought up as a human and was used to dating and getting to know the other person first beforemitting to a man, well, werewolf for the rest of her life. That was a huge deal. It was like a marriage contract. When she was back to her human self and had the reins again, maybe she should suggest a date where they could get to know each other without trying to rip each other''s clothes off.

    After a few hours of watching her wolf roaming freely with her mate, A became sleepy.

    "A, you should sleep. You can while we go hunt. It will probably be another few hours anyway.." Malia said in a hushed voice, keeping her voice low as A was very tired.

    "O-okay.." A replied with a yawn. She was quick to fall asleep to the sound of her paws pounding on the ground below, and darkness seeped in.

    A fluttered her eyshes open after the early morning light and the sounds of birds singing and echoing through the forest as the wind blew through trees rustling the leaves, making the woodse to life. Lifting her head up, she found herself naked, lying on the damp earth, slightly dirty with blood covering some of her hands and parts of her body.

    Her heart sped up when she saw a tree trunk of an arm wrapped around her waist and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw Damon facing down with his bare bottom on show. She bit her lip, feeling an overwhelming need to bite that sculpted ass. But she didn''t cave in to her needs as she assessed the rest of him.

    He too, was covered in blood and mud. Frowning, A sat up and looked at their surroundings, feeling quite dizzy and disorientated. To their side was a carcass of a deer; she believed this must have been what Malia and Darius hunted.

    A was about to speak to Malia when she realised her wolf was now sleeping andpletely conked out. There was almost a calmness to her mind as though she was never there. But she could still feel her presence which made her smile to herself.

    "Good morning," A gruff voice from behind her spoke. She turned her head to see Damon stirring and snaked his hands around her waist, pulling her back down to the ground.

    "Damon!" She squealed after he turned her around, so theyy there facing each other.

    A brought her arms up to cover her upper body, although it was quite useless by now.

    "Stop hiding yourself from me," He growled, "you have a stunning body." His hands on her waist tightened as he pulled her closer to him. Their bodies were so close together that their legs became intertwined, her hands on his chest.

    A felt content in this position but then tensed and looked up into his dark silver eyes, "Did we.. what happenedst night?"

    Panic began to settle in as she couldn''t recollect any of Malia''s memories from the night before. Thest thing she remembered was her wolf telling her to go to sleep, and they were going hunting.

    Damon''s brows drew together as his eyes hardened, jaw ticking before he replied, "You let Malia takeplete control."

    A blinked back at him with a confused expression on her face, "Yes? I know. I let her do that sometimes, so do you?"

    Damon shook his head, "A, we hardly ever go to sleep while our wolf is out. It is extremely dangerous for both of you."

 Chapter 47 - The Alpha King

    Damon shook his head, "A, we hardly ever go to sleep while our wolf is out. It is extremely dangerous for both of you."

    A frowned at what he said, "Why is it dangerous? Didn''t you do that?"

    "No. I was awake most of the night, making sure you.. Malia didn''t gopletely feral. We CAN go to sleep and let our wolves roam, but it was your first night doing it.. it could have gone wrong.." He continued as his hand trailed up the side of her waist before moving a strand of hair out of her face.

    "What are you saying?" A whispered back as she searched his dark eyes.

    "Their feral side can start to merge with you, the human, and can make you animalistic. Sometimes rogues be rogues because they let their wolves take over for too long. It''s not the wolf''s fault. It just happens if you can''t take the reins back, and they fall back onto their instincts. The rogues we came across were type 1 rogues. That is how you could end up if you are not careful. Have you read up on them?"

    A shook her head guiltily, but there was only so much information she could take in from a book. However, she remembered something Chase also told her when she was kidnapped; she wondered if he was talking about these ''type 1 rogues''.

    "Type 1 rogues are the wolves with red eyes. They are extremely feral and will attack anyone, even humans. Their humanistic side has all but merged with their wolf. They stay in their wolf form all the time. I haven''te across one in their human form yet, but I can take a guess that it isn''t pretty," Damon exined. Recognition shed across A''s eyes; that was precisely what Chase said until his dad told him off for forgetting the two types.

    She gulped at how things could have turned out, but at the same time, she rxed; Damon did say she could sleep. It was just her first time doing it. Meaning she would have to practice this with him if he let her.

    "What is the other type of rogue?" She queried as her finger began drawing little designs onto his taut chest.

    "Type 2. These rogues are not as dangerous. They are just werewolves who don''t have a pack or a ce. They can be quite weak, or their circumstances have caused them to be without a pack. We are more lenient with them crossing our territory as long as they do pass the territory without causing issues¡­" His voice trailed off at a rumble.

    She looked up to see that his eyes were closed and his face rxed. She stopped her fingers on his chest, but he grabbed her hand, his eyes opening and began moving her hand again. A smiled and returned to her doodling. The tiny movement sent a tingling sensation through her, and she presumed it done the same to him.

    "I''m sorry you had to stay up all night," A whispered; his eyes opened again, and he smiled, making her almost stop breathing from how devastatingly handsome he looked with that breathtaking, boyish smile.

    "You do not need to thank me," He raised his hand and caressed her cheek while he looked into her eyes, "I can''t let you get too wild on me." He winked, making her blush.

    Clearing her throat, she asked, "Maybe we should go to bed?"

    She watched as his eyes lit up in amusement before he smirked, "I thoughtst night might be enough for you." He rolled over, so hey above her, his hands ced by the sides of her head. "Hmmm, should have known you''d want more."

    A''s mouth fell open in shock, "I am not that horny!"

    I don''t think..

    "I was suggesting to get you to bed. You haven''t slept all night!" She eximed, keeping her eyes on his face and trying very hard not to look down at his incredible body or what was lying hard on her stomach.

    Damon burst intoughter, "I know,e on."

    He began to get up, but A ced her hands on his shoulders, "Erm, don''t you want to calm down before we go in.."

    Damon frowned at her, baffled by her sentence. She looked up to the sky, then pointed with her finger to his lower region, "You''re a bit excited."

    His heartyughter made her snap her eyes back to his face in shock.

    "I''m not hard, darling. I mean, one touch from you and I will be, but I know you don''t want to do anything.." His deep voice became husky. A''s eyes were wide in shock at what he just said; blinking, she looked down and away quickly with a rosy hue warming her cheeks.

    He wasn''t hard! He was just.. big.

    He chuckled again at her reactions and jumped up, pulling her up by the hands with him, "To bed it is."

    The pair walked hand in hand, naked through the woods infortable silence. A couldn''t believe she was casually walking without any clothes on. Surprisingly she felt okay with it, even enjoyed the cool breeze against her skin.

    There was also nobody in the area to worry about seeing her nakedness. Damon would make sure that any wolves on patrol would not be near them. As they neared the mansion, the trees became scarce, and Damon left A standing alone only to return with some clothes he grabbed from behind a tree.

    He threw a shirt over to her, sighing as he watched her put it over her head, covering her luscious body, while he pulled on some shorts. They walked back, and A once again felt Damon''s hand slide over to her waist and pulling her closer to his side, resting it there until they made it to their room. They passed a few werewolves who bowed and greeted them formally.

    A was still getting used to hearing the terms ''Princess'', ''Luna'' and asionally, ''King'', which was directed at Damon. She never actually thought about his title; she only knew him as the Alpha of the Silver Crescent pack. But if he took over the pack, it must mean her father''s title was passed on to him. But how?

    A shiver of doubt passed through her as she nced up at him. Yet his fingers on her waistforted her. Shaking her head, she scolded herself for doubting her mate for a second; it made her feel physically sick. This bond was magical; it didn''t even allow her to express anything negative towards him.

    Damon released her waist as they walked into their room. Closing the door behind him, he grabbed her immediately and pulled her down to the bed. Their legs became entangled already on the sheets.

    "Hey," A giggled in delight by his embrace.

    He inhaled deeply at her neck before backing away and climbing under the covers. She did the same and found him turning over and wrapping his arms around her, like a cocoon, pulling her back into him, so they were spooning. She wiggled into him, embracing his warmth and making herselffortable.

    "Keep doing that, and I won''t be able to control what happens next," Damon''s deadly whisper tickled her ear.

    A halted her movements, then smiled at his ''threat'', easing her head into the pillow they were sharing. The warmth of his body rxed her further into the plush bed. Although she rested her body, she was fully awake; after all, she slept all night while Malia hunted. Once again, guilt formed in the pit of her stomach; Damon did not sleep after making sure Malia didn''t do anything too animalistic orpletely take over A''s body.

    Sighing, she turned over to face him. His grip on her tightened, and his eyes opened sleepily; she traced her hand over his jaw full of stubble and asked what else was ying on her mind, "Damon.."

    "Hmm.." His sleep-filled eyes blinked more as they roamed over her face. After assessing her features and seeing the seriousness on her face, his eyes became alert, and he asked, "What is it, my love?"

    A''s eyes lit up, and her lips twitched at his words, "You''re the Alpha King.." For some reason, her heart sped up at her words.

    "Yes, I am," He replied; his eyes searched her own as he waited for her to speak.

    "How did you.." Her eyes flickered down to her hands that rested on his chest, away from his intense stare, "How did you be King?"

    She felt his chest rise and fall, almost squishing her as she was pulled tightly against him. A sigh left his lips before he kissed her head and raised it with his hand under her chin, so their gazes were locked.

    "Your dad and mine were best friends. Before he met your mum, he was Alpha of another pack- the ''Moon Valley Pack'', which merged with Silver Crescent when they met. Normally, the future Luna would join the Alpha''s pack, but your mum was a royal, whose parents, your grandparents, stepped down for them to rule."

    A looked at him intently as she absorbed more information about her parents and his background. She was fascinated and wanted to learn more about him; their sexual chemistry and the bond was great, but this, right here, cuddling each other and talking, was just as amazing as their physical needs.

    "The packs- Moon Valley and the Blood Moon, which my dad is Alpha of, lived close together. They were allies against any rising packs against the royals or helped each other when they were in need. Silver Crescent and Blood Moon were always on good terms; they both are of royal blood and are allies," He sighed and raked his hand through his hair before continuing, "When your parents died, they had a will prepared. Normally the throne would be passed down to you, but with the hunters lurking about, they passed it down to me."

    A frowned, "To you? Not your dad?"

    Damon tilted his head and looked at her as though he was holding a secret, but the look was quickly reced with a tender smile, "No. My dad ruled both packs until I turned eighteen, then I took over the Silver Crescent Pack."

    "Eighteen!? You''ve been running this joint for .. wait. How old are you!?" A asked, her eyes wide.

    Damon chuckled at her question, "I am 27."

    "You were so young when you took on such responsibilities," A eximed, looking at him in awe.

    "If you were in the picture, it would have been you taking on the responsibility," He replied gently, "Most Alpha''s take on their roles between 18 to 22 years old. Dependent on the pack. Sometimes they are challenged by an older pack member for the role and lose."

    A''s eyebrows raised at the shocking news, "So, they fight to the death?"

    Damon nodded his head.

    "Did anyone challenge you?" A asked as worry began to seep into her voice.

    "Yes. As you can see, I am fine. No one can take me down," Damon''s voice deepened at his words.

    Wow, he was confident. But he is the Alpha King; why wouldn''t he be?

 Chapter 48 - A Two Week Battlefield: Part One

    [Little note from Author: part two will be released tomorrow]

    The pair continued to cuddle in bed, and soon after, Damon''s breathing became slow and long as he dozed off. A began to drift off as well until the door burst open, startling the both of them. Damon growled at the intrusion, and A only gawked at the Gamma werewolf who stood in their room, arms crossed against her chest, wearing her shorts and sports bra.

    "You have training," She said coolly.

    "Beta Kane is leading today," Damon snapped back before covering his head with a pillow.

    "I was talking to the future Luna.." Chiara''s cool gaze moved from the giant in the bed to A, who now sat up alert in the covers.

    Before she could say anything, Chiara went to the other side of the room, rummaging through the chest of draws and wardrobe until she found what she was looking for and threw some shorts and a sports bra at A''s head.

    "You need to be able to protect yourself. From other werewolves, vampires and the hunters. So, get up! I''ll wait outside," Chiara said before closing the door behind her.

    It seems her quiet morning had toe to an end; even if she could order the Gamma to leave her in peace, she knew it was best to go. Chiara had a point, if she was randomly attacked, her Delta would have to protect her, and she didn''t want that, even if it was his job. She needed to bepetent in fighting; there was no way she was going back to the hunters again.

    After getting changed, she left Damon in bed, sound asleep, who only stirred when she turned the knob on the door.

    "Thank you for looking after mest night," She whispered before shutting the door.

    "Of course. I''ll always protect you," Damon mind-linked back in a sleepy voice.

    A smiled from the sound of his voice; that smile dropped immediately when she saw Chiara''s stern face.

    This is going to hurt¡­

    The pair walked side by side across the grounds, making their way towards a building at the far end, where part of the driveway led there from the mansion''s entrance. The power of the two she-wolves was evident as they walked past pack members sparring and training. The ones who rested on the sides would bare their necks to A, and if they were close enough, she would hear them greeting her as ''Luna'' or ''Your highness''. Any time their eyesnded on Chiara, they instantly tensed and looked away.

    "Why do I get the feeling that you''d stab someone if they look at you?" A mind-linked the Gamma.

    Chiara chuckled, "I would never stab someone for looking at me¡­ I did punch someone in the throat and then another time poked someone else in the eyes for staring too long."

    A looked at her in mock horror as the Gamma smirked at her response.

    Well, I did think she was stunningly scary when I first met her. A waited for her wolf to make a snarkyment but realised she was still asleep. It was now very strange to have no one inside her head talking. Very strange indeed.

    Chiara opened the door to the building and let A go through first to see a high-quality sports hall. To the far left were some stairs that led to a gym that was clearly seen through the high ceiling windows that overlooked the hall. There was a boxing ring along with punch bags, mitts, and gloves to the opposite side of the hall. There were also mats piled on the side, ready for when the weather would not allow the pack to train outside.

    Chiara nodded her head towards the boxing ring area. A walked ahead, and once she made it past a few punching bags, she found herself turn swiftly and blocking an attack from Chiara. Her eyes were wide at the sudden ambush but quickly recovered when Chiara''s leg swung round to kick her in the face. A ducked and rolled to the side out of the way.

    Chiara hmphed and scrutinised her, "Your reaction time is good. But you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Even if you are with friends."

    The Gamma walked around and grabbed a pair of mitts, "Warm-up using the skipping rope, then we''ll get down to business."

    After going through the basics and learning more advanced moves, the pair began going through them, increasing the speed and tempo. Chiara would shout out abo, such as "4-2-2-3", and A responded with the moves, going from punches, kicks and grappling. After a few hours, they went back to boxingbos so A would still get a cardio session from the training.

    The pounding of fists to mitts at a rapid speed was the only sound in the hall. Chiara swiped overhead, which A dodged before side kicking her in the ribs.

    A grunt left Chiara''s lips but still stood there solidly, "Good. Again!"

    A repeated the newbo she learnt from the Gamma and found that she was actually a quick learner. Instead of the workout they did the day before, the pair focused on A''s fighting skills. The Gamma didn''t mention running or doing any push-ups, which A was relieved about. She found fighting fun, and it was considerably more fun being taught by a badass Gamma like Chiara.

    Another two hourster and the pair of them drank thirstily from their water bottles, sweat glistening on their bodies and hair. Chiara was an animal to A and barely gave her any breaks, but she didn''tin. It was the Gamma''s job to toughen her up.

    "Good job today. We''ll do the same tomorrow. Go through what you''ve learnt, then go from there.."

    "I want you to be ready for anything. You can''t rely on your powers alone. Your speed is impable, even for a werewolf.. I haven''t seen anyone that can react as quickly as you or, from what I saw the other night.. how fast you can run. It is a good thing we are training alone," Chiara continued through the mind-link as her eyes nced around the hall where a pair of men walked together towards the boxing ring.

    A followed Chiara out of the hall and back across the grounds towards the mansion.

    "You think I should keep my abilities to myself?" A replied in their mind-link.

    Chiara nodded her head, "For now, maybe until you officially be Luna. All Alpha''s and Luna''s are gically stronger and faster than the average werewolf. But it seems, maybe because you are a Cross, you are incredibly quick. But yes, for now, you should keep it away from unwanted eyes. Lydia may not be your only challenger."

    A nodded her head, her expression bing serious after the Gamma''s words. Although Lydia is the only one who has mouthed off to her in front of the pack, she had a feeling there were others who looked at her like an outsider unworthy of the role. But that only motivated her more to be better.

    Not to mention that if she was challenged, it would be a fight to the death. And she quite liked living.

    **

    That was how her routine went for the next two weeks; A would be at training with Chiara from 7am to 11 and sometimes to noon. She would also eat with the pack members who stayed after their own sessions to eat. The pack was so big that bodies on top of bodies sat in groups around the field, and only a few ate in the kitchen. A took the time to get to know more about the pack members.

    This took quite a bit of her time, and many wanted to officially meet her. Her instincts told her that the pack were 50/50 with her. They either adored her or the idea of her, or they looked at her with calctive nces, snarls or did not bother talking to her at all.

    A knew she needed to win them over, but she had to deal with their judgment until then. They were not stupid enough like Darren or Lydia to make anyments to her; as a Luna, that would be challenging her position. But Darren and Lydia also knew that she was in no position to fight when they backchatted her at the time.

    Although her first-time training session with Chiara was still being discussed in hushed whispers. From what A did hear, the haters were wary of her and could see how powerful she was. Even without any training, A was a force to be reckoned with.

    Initially, their whispers were the only thing that encouraged her about how ''powerful'' she was, that and the fact the hunters kidnapped her precisely for her bloodline. However, she still couldn''t quite believe it. Until after her first week of training, she started to believe in herself. A was improving at a rapid pace andnded more and more hits on Chiara; in the end, it was the Gamma walking off with more bruises to her body than A.

    But A knew that a leader wasn''t just about being able to protect the pack; it was also her decision making. Their loyalty was not yet ced in her because they didn''t know her or her capabilities as a leader.

 Chapter 49 - A Two Week Battlefield: Part Two

    The rest of her days consisted of going into the library and reading as much as possible about being the pack, their rituals and ceremonies. Damon also took the time out of his busy schedule to go through certain aspects of her powers with her. Including her shifting and going to sleep while Malia took control. This was only done for an hour at a time.

    Each time Malia woke her up, she would find some source of blood on her, and when she looked at Damon''s wolf, he was perfectly clean. This made her worry, but Malia couldn''t help herself and would hunt until Damonmanded otherwise. When they weren''t letting Malia take the reins whilst A slept, she would follow Damon and listen to his instructions.

    "It''s easy to run and fight in wolf form, but you also need to familiarise yourself with your senses. Everything is heightened anyway, in wolf form- It can be overwhelming," He said on one asion.

    A found herself closing her eyes, taking slow, deep breaths, her heartbeat decreasing, and she listened to the foreste to life. From the sound of birds chirping in the trees to the children ying by theke and their parents scolding them for going too deep in the water. A sighed in content at the magnificent powers she now had.

    Damon''s seriousness only made her want him more as he instructed her on how to control some of her Alpha powers. One power, in particr, was to order another werewolf to do something without giving them a choice.

    This was the first power she initially had and previously used on Finn without realising it. Damon taught her in the library away from other pack members, not that any lingered in the packhouse unless they were pack leaders or guarding the area. Finn agreed to be A''s test subject for these times, making both A and Finn happy. A didn''t have to see Darren, who was technically her bodyguard, and Finn was more than happy to step up.

    This also meant that Ajax woulde along; the pair seemed a little inseparable, much to Damon''s delight. But the shapeshifter only caused a few minor power struggles between the Alpha and Luna, after he made small sillyments that were annoying but did not warrant him to be attacked by the bristling and possessive Alpha.

    "Deep breath and close your eyes," Damon''s deep voice filled the room. He stood to her side while Finn was in front of her. Ajax slouched on the sofa watching the werewolves in interest.

    With her eyes closed, she felt the surge of power deep within her, the pit of her stomach hardened as a rushing feeling grew and grew; she opened her eyes and knew immediately they were glowing. Without saying anything, Finn bent his knee and bared his neck.

    "Okay, now breathe deeply. You don''t want to control him," Damon''s words felt like a whisper in her ears, like the rushing feeling of power coursed through her dulling out the sounds around her.

    Breathing deeply, she rxed her muscles and felt her abs release the tension she felt. She drooped forwards, as did Finn before they looked at each other. A''s eyes were back to normal and the powerful energy radiating from her dialled down.

    "It''s getting there. Soon you won''t need to do the breathing techniques. It wille naturally to you," Damon nodded.

    A''s lips stretched into a grin, but she felt fatigued from ''holding herself back''. Controlling someone came naturally to her, and she didn''t like it; she could see how easily some Alpha''s abused their powers. She also realised that Damon never used his own power, meaning hismands were followed due to his natural leadership and impact on the pack.

    A was left exhausted and exhrated by the time evening came. Being a mate to a dominant Alpha was like being jolted around in a cart on a rollercoaster ride that never seemed to end. Most of their evenings or when they saw each other ended up in power struggles and debates that always finished with A being ''punished''.

    On one asion, she didn''t know how it escted so far, but she ended up throwing dishes at him, which smashed into the wall behind him. His look alone made her immediately run out of the kitchen but was soon grabbed roughly and mmed into the hallway wall. The next thing she knew, her legs were wrapped around his waist as they kissed passionately, biting each other with growls erupting from their chests.

    Beta Kane and Gamma Chiara dashed down the hallway, alerted by the noise of dishes, and halted, turning around instantly when they saw the pair grinding each other in heated passion against the wall.

    The bond and Malia were also a constant nag to A. The pull was strong, and it caused her to be agitated by the most minor things. But she immediately melted and calmed down whenever she was touched by Damon. He ignited a fire in her and, at the same time, cooled her down after their heated power struggles.

    Malia was also bing harder to control. Sometimes when she saw Damon, Malia would snap and take the reins from A, leading her to march up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down into a kiss. Her wolf would also shift when she became restless, which was quite often. A didn''t realise how hard it was going to be, resisting the urge to be mated and marked. But there was a lot on her mind about how her future would be.

    Her phone was also a constant reminder of her old life. Once she announced she had her phone again on her social media profiles, it blew up with messages from her friends. This died down after a week, but she still received messages from them who begged to see her. Even calling her parents would make her sit down and contemte everything. This and the worries of pack lifeid heavily on her shoulders.

    A could also see how hard it was for Damon to resist the need to mark her. Their fights always rattled him to the core, and he always ended up storming off after their heated make up session after to then returningter when he calmed down, and they would snuggle in bed under the covers.

 Chapter 50 - Nairis Logic

    A returned to the mansion after going for a run in her wolf form. It seemed now she was a werewolf; she could exercise a lot more without getting too tired. Of course, Chiara''s sessions helped improve her stamina. But she was constantly feeling frustrated from the bond, Malia''s restlessness was also bing hazardous, and they began going for runs in thete afternoons.

    After showering and changing into some leggings and Damon''s hoodie, which now became her favourite hoodie, she found herself in Nairi''s room. Shey down on the couch while Nairiy on her stomach on the bed with herptop in front of her. Nairi, as per usual, looked amazing in some white trousers and ck off the shoulder top that clung to her body, entuating her curves.

    Her attention was on theptop, her hands typing back to emails and some new orders that came through that morning. Nairi had an online business selling jewellery, and it did very well. Although she concentrated on her work, it didn''t stop her from interacting with A.

    "I don''t know what to do. I feel like our fights will get worse," A continued telling Nairi her trepidation about the mate bond and Damon.

    It was true; she never thought in a million years she would ever get so angry as to throw dishes at someone! Either she was bing an enraged werewolf-

    "Hey!" Malia whined.

    Or she was so exhausted and agitated from the mate bond that it was making her a little loopy. She couldn''tin though, the punishments after were incredible, switching between him teasing her to devouring her. Damon knew how to put her back in line, but it was only under the sheets because their routine of her disobeying orders or acting out would start all over again the following day.

    It''s pretty hard when two mates are from royal Alpha bloodlines.

    "Maybe you should just mate.. I mean, it''s not just the two of you that are affected by this. The pack is restless as well. They need their Alpha in sync with his mate, AND you are their Luna.. and their Queen," Nairi spoke her mind to A. She nced up from her screen to look at A, who yed with the long sleeves of her hoodie in thought.

    "Just sleep together. No mark?" A questioned; her eyes were narrowed at Nairi as she watched a knowing smile form on her friend''s face.

    "Marking makes it official.. and any she-wolves would back down from Damon. Although, I don''t think anyone other than Lydia is circling him now.. Mating would make the bond stronger, though," Nairi muttered thest sentence.

    Lydia''s name made A''s teeth grind, and her wolf snarl in her mind. But her attention then went to the rest of what Nairi said. The bond would be stronger.

    "The bond bing stronger means that I will be more agitated.." A frowned at where Nairi''s logic was going.

    "True.. I didn''t say my suggestion was going to be good! I just thought you both need to release a little bit of your .. frustrations." She wiggled her eyebrows with a smirk on her lips, "You''re both going at each other anyway. He''s also been grilling the warriors in their training sessions, those poor guys. I think it''s best if you just.." She made an okay sign with one hand and moved her finger in and out of it, indicating intercourse.

    A rolled her eyes; her suggestion was not helpful. Sighing, she dropped her head back down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling with her dilemma. She did feel bad, though, for the pack; she knew Damon was frustrated. A watched in shock the previous day at him barking orders at his men after five hours of training and then sparring at an incredible speed, leaving the other man to hobble off.

    The only reassurance she felt from watching his men walk off with groans was the smiles on their faces after. She couldn''t understand it, but their faces were beaming, and they began yfighting as they made their way to get food. Only to stop again when Damon barked out that ''if they can still fight, it meant he didn''t push them hard enough''.

    Shaking her head, she tried not tough. Their pack was waiting for her and Damon to mate. Maybe she should return the favour to him; that way, he wouldn''t be as frustrated and taking it out on his men.

    "I wouldn''t mind getting up close with his ''python''," Malia snickered.

    "Malia!" A burst outughing, "You''re worse than me!"

    "I''m only saying what you are thinking!"

    Her phone buzzed in her hands, and she nced down and read the new notification.

    [ Iing message from Hollie ]

    A sighed again, not wanting to open the message. Hollie was her best friend from school; she was now dating the hottie from her first date the night she was kidnapped. A loved her friend, but now anytime there was news from her, she was reminded of her old life. Maybe she should meet up with her, but then once again, she would have to hide half of herself to someone she had known her whole life.

    "A. Come." Damon''s deep voice filled her mind, distracting her from her reverie.

    Jumping up from her position on the sofa, she said goodbye to Nairi, who winked at her as she closed the door, making A roll her eyes at her suggestiveness. A began making her way to their room when Damon told her to go to his study.

    A opened the door without knocking to find Kane and Chiara sitting in the seats across from Damon. She nced at the pair, who turned with their stern faces softening after realising the intruder was their future Luna. Damon had a ss of whiskey in his hand and was sitting in his brown leather chair, facing the floor to ceiling window that viewed part of the gardens.

    His office very much suited to him, dark colours with a mahogany desk, brown leather seats and an even bigger leather chair he sat on. Most likely to amodate his significant form. He also had a bookcase to the side, which baffled A due to the fact the library was next door. Internally shaking her head, she focused on the man before her.

    "Is everything okay?" A asked; she looked at the back of his head as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Kane rose to let her have his seat, but she waved him back down with a smile on her face.

    Damon took a sip from his ss before spinning around in his chair; his eyes were as hard as steel, and his jaw taut as his gazended on her.

    "Tomorrow, you will be my sparring partner."

    A''s mouth flopped open in disbelief, rendered speechless by hisment.

    Malia also sputtered in her mind.

    Sparring partner!?

    Her mind wandered off to what she saw the previous day and shuddered.

    She was done for!

 Chapter 51 - Sparring Partner

    A''s eyes travelled down from his face to his broad shoulders and muscr arms.

    He''s kidding, right?

    "Nope. Come on, we can probably take him.." Malia eximed. She was thrilled by the idea of sparring with him, his body soaked in sweat, showing off his perfect eight pack-

    "Malia, sparring with him won''t be anything like that. I do hope you know that.. He''s the Alpha King for a reason."

    "Well, I don''t mind my ass being beaten by him," Malia continued daydreaming.

    Her wolf was lost in her own sexual fantasies. Whereas A pulled herself together and finally found her voice, "Come again?"

    "We will train together tomorrow. I want to see how you hold yourself up against me," Damon''s voice rumbled through the room that made the silence that much thicker as she stared at him. Without replying, she looked at Chiara in question.

    "Chiara said you have improved incredibly quick-"

    "It''s only been two weeks. I can''t spar with you.." A intervened, which immediately caused Damon''s jaw to tick, and his eyes darken from her interruption.

    "Yes, you will. That''s not a request," Damon growled, making themp on his desk rattle.

    This time it was A who narrowed her eyes at him, "Why?"

    The pair stared at each other, causing Kane and Chiara to look at each other nervously.

    "Because I said so," He spoke slowly with conviction.

    "That''s not a reason-"

    "I am your Alpha. If I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it." Damon snapped back. His eyes shone like two luminescent moons.

    Great.

    She was dealing with Darius.

    "Gamma, Beta. Please can you give me some time alone with your Alpha." Her eyes didn''t leave Damon''s as she pushed off from the wall and strolled to the side of his desk, her hand gliding across the smooth surface as she did so.

    Chiara and Kane were quick to get up. A waited until the door was closed and narrowed her eyes at Kane after he smirked at her as amusement shed across his eyes. The door closed behind him, and she whipped her head back around to face Damon.

    "Why are we sparring tomorrow? You know I''m not ready," She angrily whispered.

    "It''s training. Why do you insist on arguing with me? If Chiara thinks you are ready, then you are ready," Damon said in exasperation.

    "I personally think you like it when I argue with you. It gives you the means to punish me openly.." His growl made her smile falter, and she rushed to continue, "You just had a meeting with the Beta and Gamma, correct?"

    He nodded once as he watched her carefully; she walked back around and sat down in the chair opposite him, her eyes on his as she elegantly crossed her legs and rxed further in the cushioned chair.

    "What was the meeting about?" She enquired casually.

    He took a sip from his ss before cing it on the desk and leaning back in his own chair. A waited patiently as his eyes flickered across her face. She knew he was probably going to dismiss what was discussed, but not only was she now going to be sparring with her beloved Alpha, she wasn''t called upon for meetings.

    She was the pack''s future Luna, and she deserved to know what was going on in the pack to help it.

    Damon sighed after seeing her resolute gaze and raked his hand through his already unkempt hair, "I don''t need to repeat everything to you." He held his hand up when she opened her mouth to argue, "But it hase to my attention that the pack are still.. uncertain about you. I want to put them at ease. Chiara said, you will be fine, and I trust her judgement."

    "So, to resolve the pack''s uncertainty about me, you want me to spar with you?" A asked, baffled by his resolution.

    "Yes."

    A blinked and pouted before responding, "I think, if anything, that will make them even more uncertain about me."

    "A." He tsked, "You should have more confidence in your abilities. I do."

    "You have not seen me fight.." She muttered as she looked down and started to y with the sleeves of his hoodie.

    "I have." He stood up and walked around the desk and leaned against it with his hands on the edge before continuing, "That first session you had with Chiara-" She opened her mouth to interrupt, but he beat her to it,

    "Was incredible."

    A frowned at his words, "I don''t understand. I wasn''t even trained then.."

    "Exactly. And you did well then. I have no doubts about you tomorrow."

    A bit the inside of her cheek. How bad could it be? She uncrossed her legs, stood up and ced her hands on his chest, staring at his delicious features, "Okay. But next time you decide to have a meeting with the other pack leaders, I''d like to be involved."

    His face softened as he looked down at her; his hand came up and cupped the side of her face, "I''m sorry, angel. I am not used to having.. well, a mate."

    She smiled up to him at this new nickname he called her but hid behind her words as she said, "That''s okay. I am trying to get used to you too. Just, next time, call on me befooore the meeting."

    He chuckled before bringing his face down and leaving a tender kiss on her lips, his hand still cupping her face. He pulled back, so their faces were but inches away from each other and gazed into her eyes, "I will. It''s about time you started pulling your weight around here.."

    A''s mouth fell open before she pped him lightly on the shoulder, "So cheeky!"

    She then brought her hand down and found his other hand leaning against the desk, intertwining her fingers with his before leading him away from the desk, and opened the door to the hallway. She looked back after feeling a little resistance from him.

    "I need to finish with these papers.." He trailed off after seeing her pout. The corners of his lips twitched into a smile, and he let her drag him away from the office.

    That night was the first in two weeks where they didn''t end with a power struggle followed by a punishment. A couldn''tin about the punishments; they were either an excruciating tease or heavenly bliss.

 Chapter 52 - Alpha Vs Future Luna

    The following day, the pair woke up and got ready for their morning training session. A was quiet as she pulled her sports bra over her chest and put her hair into two French braids that still nearly fell to her waist. She hoped, if anything, her body may be able to distract him frompletely attacking her. Although, her shorts and sports bra did attract a lot of attention from the men, who hid their gazes the moment Alpha Damon snapped his eyes at them.

    They walked to the grounds, where the mats were scattered across the field. Instead of going to the area where Chiara stood already stretching on the floor, they continued to a group further back. This was the group she recognised as the elite warriors; she had watched them train a few times and was always in awe at their skills.

    She knew without a doubt that Chiara trained with them when she was done teaching others. A felt slightly out of ce among them; for one thing, she was the only female there, and secondly, she was also the smallest. They were all giants, bulked out, rough-looking, with scars on different parts of their body.

    Although she felt apprehensive, her appearance did not look fazed at all. Crossing her arms, she watched as Damon walked to the front of the group; everything about him, his demeanour, and the power emanating from him demanded respect. As he stood in front of them, she could see how the men would follow him anywhere. Hell, she would follow him anywhere.

    "I feel like we are fangirling at the moment," Malia squealed. A could feel the excitement rolling off her from looking at Damon also. Sighing, she focused on what Damon was actually saying.

    "As you can see, A is joining us today, making the numbers uneven. So, I will be her partner today." He looked across at his men, his biceps bulging, crossed against his chest. A saw a few nervous nces sent her way at the mention of Damon being her partner. She kept her eyes trained on Damon, ignoring the nervousness sprouting in her stomach.

    "As usual, you will spar with your partner for 30 minutes, then rotate. We will finish at noon today."

    A expected a few moans or murmurs by the extra hour added to their session, but she heard none. Was this what it was like to obey? Even if they didn''t want to train for that long, they did anyway, no questions asked, noints. Damon pped his hands once, a signal for everyone to begin. Without another word said, the group dispersed into their pairs.

    Damon walked to the centre of the pairs who spread out, making way for their Alpha and future Luna. Luckily there were many mats on the grounds; otherwise, their wrestling and ms to the ground would hurt even more. A stopped across from him and surveyed the size of him. He stood there in only his shorts, baring his chiselled chest, eight pack and ''v'' lines.

    For once, she was not checking out the ripped muscles on him appreciatively, more so, in rm. But again, she kept her trepidation to herself. It seemed Damon was doing the same; she watched as his eyes trailed across her body calctedly. Unlike most of the females in the pack, she was on the smaller side, but this did not make Damon look down at her or show any signs that he thought she was weak.

    They stalked towards each other, and without missing a beat, Damon charged at her with incredible speed, swinging a right hook towards her. A blocked it and grimaced at the impact, her arm almost swung away from the force, and her nted feet skidded back slightly on the mat. He was that powerful.

    He threw a couple more hits to her face and body, which she managed to dodge. He was fast, she didn''t expect him to be for a big guy, but she was quicker and used that to her advantage. Anded two rapid blows, one to his face, and then she spun and side kicked him in the ribs. Damon grunted and grabbed her foot before she could drop it and twisted it.

    A let herself fling over and fall onto the mat; she kicked with her other foot, making him release her ankle and rolled out of the way just in time as he mmed his knee to the ground.

    Malia winced at the sound, "He''s not holding back." She muttered breathlessly, noticing that if she hadn''t rolled out of the way, his knee probably would have cracked her ribs.

    Since her two hits, A defended herself for the remainder of the session, blocking and dodging his blows. Any time she made the decision to strike out, he would beat her to it and made her tactfully change her mind and avoid his hits and kicks. When he finally stopped his onught of attacks, he called it time.

    A ced her hands on her hips, wholly exhausted with her bodyining from the aches and pains. Her bruises had bruises on top of them, and she wondered if her skin would always be a row of brown and green blotches now from her training. She moved her head to the side and didn''t realise, some of the pack members who finished earlier came and sat down to watch the warrior''s train.

    But as she looked, she saw a lot of eyes were on her and Damon with wide grins on their faces. Ajax and Finn also stood among them, arms crossed in their workout gear and talking excitedly. She smiled at them but heard a low possessive growl that made her roll her eyes.

    Her eyes thennded on Damon, who was already watching her with a proud glint shining in his eyes. Her lips pulled up into a small smile as he stalked towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. Standing in front of her, he cupped her cheek and brushed her smooth skin with his thumb, admiring her.

    "If we didn''t have a point to prove, I would take you here and now," Damon growled through her mind; his eyes wandered from her lips and down her body. Making a shiver run through her at his words and lustful look.

    A smile yed on his lips as he watched her lean into his hand and bite his thumb yfully, "Maybe we should have our own private sparring sessionter," She purred back to him. Damon''s eyes darkened at her suggestion; the pair unknowingly had leaned closer together after feeling the bond tug at them. Damon blinked his silver orbs and snapped out of it, pulling away.

    "Pack meeting today at 5. DON''T bete." Damon''s authoritative growl filtered through the pack mind-link. Even with hismand to hundreds of werewolves, he didn''t once move his eyes away from hers.

 Chapter 53 - No To Heels

    After their spar, A felt her legs bing stiff and stepped back from Damon so she could stretch out on the ground.

    "Good job today," Damon praised in a mind-link.

    "At getting my ass kicked?" A retorted yfully. She knew she couldn''t actually take Damon on, although she felt pretty good about herself fornding a few blows and blocking his for five hours.

    FIVE HOURS!

    She never dreamed of being able to train for so long. Although, her body was screaming at her now and demanding a minimum of five tes worth of food.

    Damon chuckled, "Yousted the whole session. And done better than anyone else I have sparred against." A looked up at him from her position on the ground as she stretched her hamstrings, "But don''t let it go to your head," He winked at her before squatting by the side of her and cing a quick kiss on her cheek.

    Even with a little kiss like that, she felt the sparks surging through her as her gaze lingered on him; her chest started to rise and fall quicker, simultaneously with his.

    "Fuck," He growled; his eyes darkened as his face drew closer to hers. A closed her eyes, ready for him to possess her mouth, but all she felt was his warm breath tickling her skin. Opening her eyes again, she saw him inhale deeply and bring his head back and sighed, "I have work to do."

    "Maybe, I can help you some time.." She said in a low sultry voice.

    "I won''t bore you with the paperwork," He replied dryly.

    A cracked a smile and held back augh as Damon did not catch on to her innuendo.

    "I think I can find other ways to help relieve you from your stress," She tried again. Damon''s eyes locked with hers, with a slight frown forming on his face. So, to make herself clearer, she grazed her hand against his chest and trailed it down his defined abs, stopping only at his waistband while leaving a few kisses and a bite along his neck.

    He stilled and looked back at her in excitement, "Oh. Yes, maybe you can help me."

    He pulled away again, but this time his eyes zed over, indicating he was in a mind-link. After a few minutes, A sat cross-legged in front of Damon when he returned to focusing on her.

    "Shit. Raincheck?" He growled.

    "Hey, it''s your loss. I can just go sleep on the couch now," A joked.

    Damon growled back in frustration before grabbing her face and kissing her on the lips, and leaving abruptly. Her lips were still puckered as he stormed off, hands fisted by his side.

    Hmmm, I think he just bruised my lips¡­

    "Don''t bete for the pack meeting," He mind-linked her; she rxed her lips and watched his retreating form, rolling her eyes at hismand.

    "Yes, boss", She saluted.

    "Alpha," He snapped back. She cracked a smile at his response.

    A went to shower, ate A LOT of food and rxed in the living room for the rest of the day. Chiara and Nairi came into the room to see A lying down on one couch, sideways with a nket over her, Ajax on another couch with his nket, and Finn chilling in a bean bag, slurping on a smoothie while they watched ''Van Helsing''.

    "I see your training session went well with Alpha Damon today?" Chiara smirked as she sat down on the couch and lifted A''s feet, cing them on herp.

    A yawned, "Hmm, I am ck and blue now. I won''t be able to move for a week!"

    "You have training tomorrow," Chiara pointed out, and after seeing A''s grimace, she quickly added, "with me. Like usual."

    A rxed after hearing her words; Chiara was still a challenging opponent, but after today''s session with Damon, she would quite happily be beaten by her instead.

    Nairi giggled and sat in one of the armchairs, "Why are you watching Van Helsing? It doesn''t show werewolves in a great light you know.."

    "At least it has werewolves! There are no shapeshifters in this.." Ajaxined.

    "Yeah, but it''s a ssic. Plus, Hugh Jackman is rocking that haircut," A replied as she sunk her head back down into her pillow.

    Finn chuckled, "You really do have a thing for long-haired men."

    "I''m settled only on one long-haired man," Malia drooled.

    A pouted and replied to Malia, "I like something to grab onto."

    "Oh, there are plenty of other things to grab onto.." Malia snickered. A bit her lip and didn''t respond to her dirty-minded wolf.

    "There''s nothing wrong with a man with longer than average hair," A replied aloud.

    "Maybe I should have kept my hair long," Ajax piped up.

    "No, you done well to cut it all off. Your castaway look was just depressing," Finn smirked, causing Ajax to ce his hand on his chest and gasp.

    "I''ll have you know I look good in almost anything!" Ajax eximed as he tilted his chin up.

    "You weren''t rocking that beard well either," Finn retorted.

    While Ajax and Finn continued debating about Ajax'' looks, Chiara nudged A for her attention.

    "You should be getting ready," Chiara criticised.

    "Ready?" A snapped her head towards Chiara after watching the guys in their typical daily debates.

    "The meeting.. it''s quite an important one. You should get out of your pyjamas and get changed."

    A looked down at the top and leggings she wore. Were her clothes that basic andfortable that they looked like pyjamas? Or was it because she was lying down with a nket on her?

    "What should I wear?" She queried; Chiara looked at her with a nk expression and was saved by Nairi, who sat down on the armrest near A''s head.

    "How about I help you get ready? I''m bound to find the perfect outfit for you," She suggested.

    A looked up and beamed at her, "You are the best, Nairi! Seriously, I have no idea about these meetings. But please¡­ no heels?"

    Nairi sighed and shook her head before raking her fingers through her curly hair, "Honey, someday I will have you in a pair of heels.. Not today though, it''s only a pack meeting."

    A scrambled up from the couch, following behind Nairi, who briskly walked away from the living room.

    "What should I wear? Is a suit too much?" A heard Ajax speak up from behind her and chuckled at his question.

    "Please do not tell me you used A''s card to buy yourself a suit!?" Finn asked in astonishment.

    "Ajax, you''re not a werewolf and a guest to this pack. I''m sorry, but you can''te to the meeting." Chiara said coldly.

    "What!? That''s ridiculous¡­"

    Ajax''s voice trailed off as A walked down another hallway that led back to the bifurcated stairs at the front of the mansion. Once she was in her room, Nairi went through her clothes and ced white skinny jeans, tanned pointed heels, and a light blue halter neck top onto the bed, along with some golden dangling earrings that screamed expensive. Normally, A stuck to ck only, but she epted Nairi''s help, and that was her choice.

    "I thought you said no heels!?" A crossed her arms and pouted at the choice.

 Chapter 54 - Not Wearing Black!?

    A pouted at the idea of wearing heels. Nairi gave her false hopes of wearingfortable shoes.

    "These aren''t even high. They also go well with what I chose. Now, stopining!" Nairi scolded her.

    After another twenty minutes, A was dressed, her long hair up in a messy bun with tendrils ced out by the side of her face, earrings in ce, and light makeup on with a pale pink lipstick dabbed on her lips. The mascara and eyeliner she wore made her eyes pop even more, along with the snug-fitting halter top that showed off her curves and outline of her abs. Nairi pped her hands and spun her around, praising her own handiwork.

    "Now you look the part," She winked. A shook her head and smiled; she also wobbled a bit in the heels Nairi provided her.

    "Okay, the meeting starts soon. Darren is outside." Nairi grimaced before walking towards the door.

    "Wait! Darren? Why is Darren here?" A asked, baffled at the appearance of the Delta.

    "He''s your bodyguard.. He should be with you at all times," Nairi looked back at her also in surprise.

    A nced to the side.

    "I prefer Finn," Malia snapped.

    A and her wolf didn''t like the guy, and although she had Damon and Finn by her side most of the time in thest two weeks, there were a few times she was left by herself. The times, he no doubt, was meant to keep watch over her. She didn''t mind at the time, but he was cking from his duties.

    "His only duty as a Delta, I might add," Malia added to her thoughts.

    Nairi walked back to her, looking at her questioningly. A shook her head and smiled, "Of course. I just didn''t expect him to need to escort me to the pack meeting."

    Nairi nodded, "Ah yes, well, those things can get a little heated sometimes, and you know, we are werewolves. It''s better to be safe, you know?"

    A nodded her head and followed behind Nairi but stopped to quickly pick up her ck trainers.

    "Better to be safe than sorry," Malia snickered, "you might fall t on your face on those heels. You know they aren''t even high.."

    "Did you want to take over and walk in these goddess forsaken things?" A snapped.

    "Nah, you got this!" She replied in amusement.

    Leaving her room, she looked at Darren, who wore jeans and a blue shirt that contrasted against his auburn hair. A smiled politely, "Hello Darren, thank you for waiting."

    He let her pass him and stayed quiet; she turned her head back to look at him, waiting for some form of a reply either by ament or a nod in the slightest. Their eyes met, and she saw a dangerous glint sh across his eyes, and one side of his lips curled up.

    "No problem. Your highness," Darren replied; he said each word slowly and in disdain.

    A narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and instinctively tensed; there was something by the way he was acting that was more dick-ish than usual. But she put it to the back of her mind and kept herself aware of the man walking behind her. She treated him like an enemy and was wary by every little movement he made.

    They made it outside and walked towards the hall where she trained with Chiara. A threw her heels off after sinking into the grass. She held her hands up when Nairi scolded her and picked them up, rubbing them like she threw a kitten to the ground.

    "There there, she didn''t mean it!" She red at her, "For shame."

    With a huff, Nairi marched off, making A pick up her pace behind her and Darren behind the pair of them. Ajax and Finn sprinted to her side, and she instantly felt better from their appearance.

    "Hey! You''re not wearing ck!?" Ajax widened his eyes and gasped, "that right there is a miracle. Well done, Nairi!"

    Nairi giggled, "I do try!"

    A rolled her eyes at her friends. She didn''t wear ck all the time..

    "Yes, you do," Malia piped in.

    "ck always looks good, though," A retorted. With her joking aside, she nced back at Darren and faced forwards again as he cracked his knuckles in his hands.

    Finn, being ever so vignt, saw the minor change in her demeanour and mind-linked her, "What''s wrong?"

    "Darren."

    "Don''t pay attention to the jerk," Finn pped her shoulder as he walked by her side and Ajax next to him.

    "Not that. There''s something off about him. I dunno, I can just sense something is wrong.." She replied.

    Finn kept his face impassive as he replied, "Okay, maybe Ajax shoulde along. A little extra protection.."

    "Isn''t that what he''s doing?"

    Finn scoffed, "No, this is him just ''stretching his legs''."

    "That won''t work on Alpha Damon.." A eyed Ajax, who was smiling mischievously.

    "I know. Tell HIM that," Finn rolled his eyes before grabbing Ajax by the arm and marching off.

    "What was that about?" Nairi asked; she fell back in line when the guys approached.

    A shrugged nonchntly, "I dunno, Ajax being Ajax?"

    Nairi chuckled, "Ah yes. That makes sense."

    They stood outside the hall now, and Nairi passed her the tanned heels. A tried not to grimace when she looked at them again. Slipping them on her feet, she left her trainers to the side, looking forward to when she would wear them again.

    A didn''t ask why she had to wear heels, but she reminded herself again that technically she was meant to be a princess. In fact, if she was a proper princess, A doubted she would be wearing jeans right now and something even more ufortable.

    "Are you going in or gonna keep giving yourself pep talks?" Darren scoffed from behind her.

    A didn''t bother turning around, hisment annoyed her, but she needed to keep a calm and collected face.

    "Luna, please allow me to open the door for you," Finn suddenly showed up and opened the door for her as he red at Darren. She rxed her shoulders and smiled at Finn before stepping through the doors.

    On entering, she saw hundreds of werewolves standing and sitting in chairs in front of tables. The loud atmosphere of chatting among themselves slowly died as all eyes looked at her. A rolled her shoulders back and smiled as she looked across the hall as though she was smiling at each and every person in the room.

    If it weren''t for the tall and muscr men and female warriors scattered around the hall, she would say it looked like a charity event. This was the first time she saw her people in something other than workout gear.

    She looked to the side. In front of the fighting area, there was a long table with Chiara, Kane and now Nairi as she raced towards her mate and flung herself at him. Darren sauntered over to the far end of the table, leaving two spaces in the middle.

    Where is Damon?

    She sensed him but couldn''t ce where he was.

    A jumped as she felt a hand slither around her waist, and when she looked up, she saw her Alpha lean down and nt a kiss on her lips.

 Chapter 55 - The Seer

    Damon led her towards the table where the pack leaders sat. Off to the side, she noted an elderly man with a middle-aged man with brown hair and eyes sitting next to each other at the end of their table. The pair of them stood up and approached A, bowing their heads as the elderly man took her hand and shook it.

    "A Cross?" His raspy voice asked. She nodded and smiled at the man. His back straightened as an electrical jolt travelled through him; she could tell a form of power shot through him as her hand felt the powerful energy radiating off him.

    The man pulled her into a mind-link, "Ah yes. You are your mother''s daughter. You may be a mirror to her and her kind heart, but I also see your father in you, courageous, strong, a leader. May you use the power of your ancestry wisely. Once knowledge is found, it cannot be unfound. Others in the past have struggled with such knowledge and abilities." He tilted his head to the side as he stared at her nkly.

    A was about to ask further on what he spoke, but the small pause was filled once again with his words, "Hmm, I cannot fathom your future. It is not set in stone. The outlines of the puzzle pieces are visible, but the image flickers and distorts. Each time I reach for it, it scrambles away and returns in ce, mocking me, taunting me¡­"

    He withdrew his hand and looked back at A as though a cloud passed across his eyes, and he could see clearly again. Before she could make sense of what he was rambling about, he grabbed her hand again, clinging onto it tightly as his eyes misted over again.

    "My powers do not work how they used to¡­." He stiffened again as a shock passed through him, "You have been through a great deal.. I am sorry for the part I yed in your pain.."

    A frowned.

    "His part?" Malia asked her thoughts.

    "Ah, hello sweet Malia¡­. I .. I .. The hunters.. seek for you.. The Moon Goddess is waiting for you¡­A man.. Will not stop until he has you again."

    He was saying so much. But A caught on to what hest spoke; she questioned, "Ss?"

    "¡­" He paused and closed his eyes.

    "I cannot get his name.. let me look.. deeper," His voice whispered through the mind-link.

    A waited patiently; she could feel Damon''s grip on her waist tighten after seeing the worry forming on her face.

    "White hair. Shoulder length white hair, lean body. Or, no, his hair is ck and gelled back. NO. Power, power. There is power. He.. is ¡­ powerful. Very powerful," He rambled, but before he could continue on, his hand was pulled back by the middle-aged man next to him.

    "Sorry about him. He can''t help but use his ability. And why wouldn''t he for you, princess," The man held the elderly man by the shoulders and rubbed them gently before an elderlydy came forwards, and they walked off together.

    "He is a seer of sorts," Damon exined while his hand gently massaged the side of her waist. What he meant to probably beforting only sent shockwaves of desire through her body.

    Dammit, Damon.

    "So he can ''see'' the future? He certainly had some interesting things to say.." A tried to disperse his words into meaning.

    Someone wasing for her. It had to be Ss. Who else would be after her? His words were jumbled, someone with white shoulder-length hair, maybe he is an aplice of Ss. What did he mean by the Moon Goddess waiting for me? His words started to give her a dull ache of a headache forming.

    After zoning out of it over the questions filling her mind, she focused on the brown-haired man still standing before them. He scratched the back of his head and extended his hand, "Anyway, it''s amazing to meet you and to see the woman you have be."

    A tilted her head at his words. A crease formed in between her brows before she shook his hand.

    "You look exactly like Lexa, and I see Titan in you too. Sorry, where are my manners.. My names John. I was friends with your parents and beta of Moon Valley," He smiled. A rxed her shoulders and retreated her hand.

    "It''s so nice to meet someone who knew my parents. Thank you, I would love to hear more about them sometime," She replied genuinely.

    "Of course! I have many stories of your dad before he met your mum. I bet you are just as rebellious as him!" He boasted, making A chuckle in delight.

    "Very rebellious," Damon smirked.

    John looked at Damon and bowed his head, "Anyway, I have taken up too much of your time already. Your highness, Luna A."

    John scampered away into the crowd, meeting a few of the other older pack members, sitting down and raising a pint of beer with them.

    Damon shook his head and looked at her, "Your first meeting, and you are already messing up my schedule.. What will I do with you," He drawled with a rumble behind his voice.

    "Well, I was here on time!" She eximed.

    He chuckled before motioning her towards her seat. Damon pulled her chair out from the table, and she happily sat down, and he scooted her forwards. Her mind was swirling with the thoughts of the seer, and by John, it was nice to finally meet a friend of her parents. He was another person she could ask him more about them.

    A nced around at the different faces in the room, wondering how many of them knew her parents. She felt her stomach knot and hoped that her parents were proud of her, even if it did take 23 years to finally be a werewolf. The weight of the pack, their old friends and their legacy now rested on her shoulders.

 Chapter 56 - Personal Questions

    The loud atmosphere echoed through the hall again as conversations were once again picking up. A felt Damon''s warm hand glide onto her thigh; she felt her back straighten up and looked at him, but he was talking to Beta Kane. His hand did not travel further, and she felt herself rx under his touch; it wasforting her under the gaze of the pack.

    A began to wonder why there were tables, but the multiple buffet tables on the side already told her that they would be eating after. A didn''t know what to expect for a pack meeting, but it wasn''t that.

    She presumed it would be them in the woods or something. It was a good thing she weren''t wearing her top and leggings. As she sat there in front of everyone, she felt the weight of what her role truly meant, her heart spiked up, and her hands felt mmy as she sped them together under the table. Damon reached his hand out and squeezed her own; she looked at him and instantly felt better.

    "I swear the pack is bigger than this.." Malia trailed off as she assessed the numbers in the hall.

    "Where is everyone?" A whispered; although she knew the others at her table could hear her, she couldn''t help but whisper from her many years as a human, and no one typically could hear her.

    Damon removed himself from the conversation with Kane and leaned closer to her, cing his hand on the back of her chair.

    "As the pack is too big, we had to establish a few rules. One person from each household should attend the meeting and can keep their family members in a mind-link so they too can hear what has been said," He exined.

    "So, the mind-link is like a radio?" A mind-linked him. She didn''t want the others to think of her as stupid or by still not knowing such basic things. In the past two weeks, her time mainly consisted of her training, getting to know the pack, understanding her powers, and the continuous arguments and punishments with the Alpha. But there was nothing in the books about this. So the pack was increasingly growing, and this was a new system.

    "Exactly," Damon nodded his head before speaking aloud, "you look beautiful, by the way."

    A blushed by hispliment and looked down. His fingers tilted her chin back up so he could look her straight in the eyes, "And you''re mine."

    "Yours," She responded instantly. Damon''s lips pulled up into a broad grin before kissing her cheek and leaning back.

    He stood up and pped his hands once, gaining everyone''s attention immediately. A looked up at him, admiring his stature and the power emitting off him. In an instant, everyone''s eyes were on Alpha Damon, and the conversations stopped, leaving the hall to be silent for their Alpha.

    "I''ve called this meeting as by now, you must have seen the neers in the pack. Of course, this pack is big and continuously grows, but I wanted to make a formal announcement, to stop any rumours or guessing," His voice rumbled over the hallmanding the pack''s attention.

    Damon extended his hand out for A, his eyes still on the crowd. A gulped and forced herself not to cringe under the eyes of everyone as she ced her hand in Damon''s and stood up.

    "This right here is A Cross." He continued, a few hushed whispers and murmurs sprung up from the announcement of her name. She didn''t understand why; they already met her the night she shifted and from her greeting members daily. In all honesty, she was tired from speaking to so many people.

    "The White Wolf, my MATE, your Luna and future Queen," His eyes roamed the hall as his voice reverberated across it. A kept her eyes trained ahead under the scrutiny of the pack. Whether they looked at her in awe or hate, she didn''t want to know right then. All that mattered was for herself to keep her cool.

    Damon gestured for her to sit down and done the same. A didn''t know how it worked but waited as the silence in the hall ascended until an annoying voice spoke up from the side.

    "Have you mated?" Darren asked.

    A blinked in surprise at his audacity to ask such a question; she tensed and waited for Damon to knock him out.

    "He''s the Alpha. He can''t just go around knocking everyone out," Malia tutted, but A could tell Malia wanted Damon to also.

    Damon looked at him and replied in a clear voice, "No."

    "Have you marked her?" A shrill voice from the crowd asked, and Lydia walked forwards, so she stood in the hall''s centre, across from the leader''s table. She wore a tight-fitting gold mini-dress with a deep plunge neckline that caused many males to look in the direction she purposely wanted them to.

    Malia snarled, and A inhaled deeply to stop her ws from extending. Why were the questions so personal?

    "No."

    "Good, as part of the pack rules, it states the mate of the Alpha cannot be marked until they are challenged if they are challenged," Lydia continued, one side of her lips twitched up as her eyesnded on A.

    Damon stood up, mming his fist on the table, "I know what the rules state. Do you think me dim-witted?"

    "No-"

    "Do you think I am incapable of being in charge of the pack?"

    "N-"

    "Do I give off the impression that I do not know the rules of MY pack?"

    "No."

    His fury sent a shockwave of nerves across the pack. But Darren stood up and spoke calmly to the Alpha, "I think Lydia was just concerned as you two seem so enamoured with one another, and from what I have observed.. she has a partial mark already.. Does this mean she has been marked?"

    The pack started murmuring to one another again at this new information. A''s eyes widened, both by how she didn''t know a simple rule. Was this a new rule? And by how quickly things changed in the direction of Darren questioning the Alpha in front of the pack. How did he know she had a partial mark? She was wearing a halter neck top that covered the area.

    "We have barely seen him over the course of thest two weeks," Malia muttered with a growl forming into her words.

    "You think he was watching us?" A wondered.

    "Possibly. The area around your corbone is almost always covered, and you''d need to be close to see it properly," Malia murmured in thought. A shiver went down her spine at the idea of Darren spying on her.

    Her heart also sank; she believed Damon was holding back from marking her for her. She was the one who didn''t want to be marked, yet there was this rule in ce. What a stupid rule.

    "It''s to give others a chance to challenge you," Malia exined.

    "I know, but challenge me. Don''t have a rule that stops mates from officially bing one with each other," A replied sadly.

    Damon stalked towards Darren, his strides long and slow, his presence demanding respect and submission. He was now a step away from Darren; as he looked down at him, Darren dropped his gaze but did not step back. A low growl left Damon''s lips, "A is NOT marked."

    "Why does it matter if I am marked or not?" A spoke up.

    Lydia scoffed and stepped forwards, "Have you not been listening or are you dumb? I try to keep an open mind about blondes and their reputation for stupidity.. but this.. oh wait. I apologise; your hair is white.."

    A stood up slowly and locked her gaze with Lydia''s, "You dare speak to me like that," Her voice was low and icy, making a few pack members shiver, "I AM your LUNA."

    A kept her eyes on Lydia, but she could see many pack members baring their neck at her words.

    "You are not my Luna," Lydia spat.

    Damon growled at her words, he took a step forwards, but A ced her hand on his bristling chest and walked around the table, so she stood a few meters away from Lydia.

    "Is that a challenge?"

 Chapter 57 - Pack Meeting

    The pack broke into hushed murmurs at A''s words; excited energy buzzed through the hall,nding on both girl''s ears. A watched as Lydia''s eyes widened and instantly started plotting. A kept herself from smiling; this was not part of Lydia''s n tonight. She definitely wants to challenge her, but not yet; she wondered why.

    Is there an easier way than a challenge?

    "No, A, that is not a challenge-"

    "That is Luna to you," A man''s voice shouted from the crowd.

    Lydia tsked and waved her hand, "I am only here for the sake of the pack."

    "Is that so.." A trailed off; she could feel Damon''s growl from behind her. She knew Lydia''s disrespect towards A was something that could earn her a punishment. A real punishment in the form of the cells in the basement.

    "And if this was another pack, would that rule still apply? That mates HAVE to wait until the Luna is challenged before being marked?" A queried pensively. Malia hummed in the back of her mind, liking where A was going to steer the conversation.

    Lydia scoffed and flicked her long hair behind her shoulders, "This isn''t any other pack. This is Silver Crescent, and the Luna has to be correct-"

    "I am not right for this pack!? That is what you are implying.." A''s eyes glowed, and a growl erupted through her lips. Power surged from the pit of her stomach. Lydia smirked and opened her mouth to continue, but A held her hand up, which caused Lydia to forcefully stop. Her mouth was gaping like a fish out of the water while she tried to resist the simple order from her Luna.

    "Not only have you disrespected our beloved Moon Goddess, Queen of night," A tapped her forehead then her chest before forming her hand into a ''C'' and let her hand glide down her body and away. The religious sign of respect to the goddess.

    This made the pack gasp and bend the knee, with their heads bowed and repeating the sign, murmuring the recitation, "Beloved Moon Goddess, how we love thee and thank thee for thy gifts."

    A continued, "But you have disrespected my family name. One that has upheld this pack way before you were born."

    Malia growled and came through A''s lips. Her eyes glowed again; this caused the pack members to bare their necks to her. Lydia''s eyes widened at how the tables were turning and how the pack was responding to A.

    "Our beloved Moon Goddess does not make mistakes by choosing our mates. It is even sphemous to even suggest such a thing-"

    The crowd gasped, and Lydia interrupted, trying to win them over again, "I never suggested such a thing-"

    "Yes, you did. You have openly made it clear that you have been against me bing Luna from the beginning. Now, I understand your worries at a neer joining the pack and sharing the duties of the Alpha," A nced at Damon, who now stood tall and proud, his arms crossed against his chest with a small smile on his lips as he watched A take on Lydia.

    A looked back at Lydia with more confidence. Seeing her Alpha, her mate, silent and letting her take charge empowered her.

    "But our Queen of night never mistakes who is mated. Being marked is to signify our union and our eptance of Selene''s choice," A made the sign again, which others followed, "I am a Cross, and this IS my pack by birthright. If you don''t think I am capable of leading and protecting this pack.. Then challenge me, instead of trying to use this rule to not only kick me out of this pack.. but also, YOUR ALPHA," A''s voice boomed at the end.

    Damon''s growl erupted from his chest and resounded through the hall, making the tes on the buffet tables shake. Others in the pack also growled while A and Lydia stood across from each other in a locked gaze. Lydia''s face hardened, and her hands fisted by her sides.

    A small smile twitched on A''s lips as victory settled on her shoulders.

    Check.

    "I''d say, checkmate," Malia smirked.

    "Not yet. Lydia probably has a n b and c," A murmured back to her wolf while her gaze left Lydia''s and swept across the pack.

    As it were, Darren was the one to next speak up. A bit her tongue in annoyance, but she stered a neutral expression on her face as she looked at him.

    "That is all well and true. And you make some excellent points. I don''t think Lydia ever MEANT to suggest kicking you or Alpha Damon out," He paused, waiting for the crowd to settle back down in their seats.

    He nced towards Lydia knowingly before continuing, "But our concerns do need to be answered.. You''ve barely been a werewolf for a month? And now you expect the pack to ept you as their Luna?"

    A stalked towards him; the heels she wore made her steps echo in the silenced hall as the pack seemingly held their breath simultaneously.

    "I EXPECT you to show me the same respect as you would any other werewolf here. Which you also have not shown me. I may have only been a werewolf for a month, but I was raised with manners and to respect others," A''s voice grew cold as her eyes scrutinised his features. The locked jaw and hard look behind his eyes showed he was not yet done trying to ''stir the pot'' as it were.

    Darren closed the small gap between them; it took everything in A not to step back. She tilted her head back, so her eyes stayed locked with his. He came forwards slowly before whispering, "Raised by your adopted parents, away from the pack.."

    A''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Where was he going with this? A smirk formed on his lips as his eyes nced back at Lydia before returning to A gleaming in amusement.

    "You know, I heard about you.. the missing ''princess''," He mocked in a whisper.

    "And what did you hear?" A drawled.

    Darren brought his face forwards slightly, so she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. She had to stop herself from gagging at how close he was.

    "That your parent''s death was all your fault."

 Chapter 58 - Your Fault

    "That your parent''s death was all your fault," Darren''s words resonated through her mind. Her.. fault? A felt as though her heart stopped beating, and the silence in the room became thick and deafening. At that moment, no one else was there in the room with them; A''s attention was solely focused on the smirk on his face and the evil glint behind his eyes.

    "You''re the reason they''re dead¡­ You just stood there.." He whispered maliciously, sending a chill down her spine.

    An image shed before her eyes, blood. There''s so much blood! As quick as it came, it went, and she couldn''t fathom the rest of what she saw.

    Her lips parted in shock before her hand covered her mouth after Damon grabbed Darren by the neck in one hand and mmed him down on the floor, "DID YOU WANT TO STAY IN THIS PACK?!" Damon roared, "At the moment, you''re lucky to be alive!" He squeezed his neck as his ws grew and pierced his skin. Blood seeped from the wounds and began pouring down his neck and to the ground.

    A watched on in shock as Darren''s face gradually went red, and he tried removing Damon''s hand. Damon shoved Darren into the ground again before ripping his hand away, leaving Darren to gasp and stutter on the floor. His wounds were not lethal, and he would recover.

    Unlike the rest of the pack, only the people standing nearby, such as Damon and the pack leaders, heard what Darren said. The pack members looked on in shock, but at the same time, they were unconcerned. There was always some form of a fight at one of these events.

    No matter how much they dressed up, the clothing couldn''t hide the wild beast within. The only time they stayed on their best behaviour was if another pack was visiting or one of the many royal balls and celebrations.

    A looked around wide-eyed at the other members of the pack. Her thoughts were swirling with what Darren said. Her fault? How did he know such things? A jumped and spun around at the touch of someone''s huge hand on her shoulder. She backed away from Damon, fear filling her eyes.

    "A.." He kept his voice gentle as his hand reached out for her.

    She looked at his bloodied hand..

    Blood. There was so much blood.

    She felt sick, her throat tightened up, Malia whined in her mind causing A''s eyes to glow, and her wolf almost came forwards, taking the reins and shifting. But A held back, forcing her wolf to stay put; she knew how Malia was feeling by what Darren said, but now was not the time and ce to loseplete control. A spun around and darted towards the exit.

    She smacked the door wide open and ripped her heels from her feet, and started to run. Her heart hammered against her chest; adrenaline coursed through her.

    "A, baby,e back!" Damon''s voice filled her mind; she could hear the pain in his voice.

    Why was he hurt? She shut him out of the mind-link; she knew it was wrong to, but she needed some air and space away from what just happened. Even though the bond was pulling on her heartstrings to go to him, she couldn''t.

    It was merely a month ago she was kidnapped and found out this whole other side of the world that was kept secret. Her parents'' death, which reports said was an animal attack, was, in fact, a murder, but there was no justice to be found through the human system. Now, she listened to the words that no one should ever hear. Even if they were ridiculous, it didn''t mean it did not hurt.

    "Oh, look at that! Your so-called future Luna just ran out on a pack meeting when things got tough," A could hear Lydia''s words even as she got further away from the building.

    "She is no leader!"

    "Lydia, continue talking, and you will lose your tongue, permanently!" A heard Damon''s growl vibrate the ground even from the earth her feet pounded on.

    A grimaced then zoned out on the rest; she felt her heart pumping in her ears, or was it her brain? She couldn''t tell; her wolf was whining as shes of blood on her tiny child-like hands popped into her mind and contorted before going nk, and she was left staring at the mansion before her.

    A slowed her steps, choking on the air that she breathed. Tears fell down her face, and she felt flustered, too hot for the clothes she wore. She took a deep breath in, trying to calm her racing heart and her wolf. But her breaths were short. Was she having a panic attack?

    Her body began to shake as she hunched over. Malia was desperately wing at her mind for an escape, a release. She wanted to run to the mountains and keep running until they would copse. The skin on her spine began to stretch and tear as white tufts of fur began to protrude through her back.

    Taking a deep breath in, she felt the tight knot of power surging from her stomach. A knew she couldn''t control Malia any longer. Not unless she used her power on her; she felt awful at the decision, but it was the right thing to do. The pair of them were not in their right state of mind, and it wouldn''t do them any good if they came across rogues in the mountains or worse.

    Sensing where A''s thoughts were going, Malia instead stopped reaching for the reins. A sighed in relief and closed her eyes. She focused on her wolf, her white wolf that now was only pacing at the edges of her mind. Together they slowed their breathing, their heart rate and listened only to the breeze rustling through the trees.

    "A, hold up!"

    Her eyes snapped open, and she turned around to see Ajax jogging towards her, holding her ck trainers by his side.

    "Looks like you left your trainers, Cindere," Ajax winked and handed them to her. His smile faltered when he saw the look on her face.

 Chapter 59 - A Slice Of Normality

    "Looks like you left your trainers, Cindere," Ajax winked and handed them to her. His smile faltered when he saw the look on her face. A slipped the trainers on all the while Ajax continued to stare at her.

    "Did you want to get out of here for a while?" He asked; A nced up at him and shook her head. Words were lost on her while her mind was still reeling over what happened.

    Did Darren make it up? Or was it just him trying to weaken her? If so, it worked. One word about her parents and she tripped. If he made it up, Damon would not have attacked him so aggressively. Does Damon know something? Or did he lose his temper over someone saying such a wretched thing to his mate?

    There was also the blood.. So much.. blood. It was on her hands.

    The image was so vivid; it must have been real.

    She subconsciously lifted her hands and looked at them. They were clean, but there was blood on them..

    "Hey."

    A''s eyes snapped up to a pair of emerald-green orbs before her. She was startled to see his hands were gently ced on her shoulders while he stared down at her in concern.

    "I think it will do you some good, sweet pea." Ajax squeezed her shoulders in reassurance.

    "If you''re thinking about bolting, I''ming with!"

    The pair turned to see Finn running towards them. A nodded her head and slipped away from Ajax''s reach. They continued walking around the mansion in silence; Finn and Ajax looked at each other as they walked down the slope into the garage. A opened the door to the side of the garage and stopped, causing the guys to halt behind her.

    Her jumbled thoughtspletely vanished as her eyes lit up immediately after seeing a caf¨¦ racer motorbike sitting in front of her.

    "Who owns a Wonda cb750 caf¨¦ racer motorbike!?" A screeched, approaching the shiny, jet-ck bike; she wanted to stroke it but didn''t want to leave fingerprints on such a polished bike.

    "A what?" Ajax asked; she turned around to see both guys staring at her in surprise, "How do you know what bike that is?"

    A sighed, "You''re not the only one to have dated, you know. My ex used to do motorbikes up. So, you know, I took on a little bit of his knowledge. But this bad boy right here is a beaut!" A eximed, her whole demeanour changed into one of excitement. The guys smiled after seeing her solemn expression turn into one of a beaming child in a candy store.

    "Wanna go for a ride on it?" Ajax wiggled his eyebrows. Finn sighed and hit Ajax hard in the chest, hard enough that he stuttered.

    "Little¡­ hard¡­ Finn," Ajax voice came out raspy as he rubbed the area Finn hit.

    "Not hard enough," Finn muttered.

    "No. Now get in the SUV. I''ll drive," A dismissed Ajax''s idea as she grabbed some keys hung up on the sidebelled with the license te above it. She didn''t know if Ajax was flirting or actually meant to take the bike out. But unlike the many ck SUVs, vans and some snazzy sports cars, she knew a man''s bike should never be stolen.

    That was his pride and joy. It didn''t leave the garage a lot from what she observed of the tires.

    "I thought I''d drive, let you recover from whatever happened between you and Darren," Finn suggested, reaching for the keys in her hands.

    A clutched them harder and moved them out of reach, "Nah-ah. I am fine driving. Plus, I don''t trust either of you to drive.."

    The two men looked at her nkly.

    "You haven''t driven in how long? Do you even know how to drive?" She gave them a pointed look before opening the door and climbing behind the driver''s seat.

    "I have my license!" Ajax dered as he took the passenger seat while Finn climbed into the backseat and muttered, "I have done my lessons, I know how to drive."

    "And pass your test?" A asked while holding back a giggle when she looked in the rear-view mirror at Finn''s disgruntled expression.

    She clicked the button on one of the keychains for the garage door to open and set the car in gear before driving out and down the long path that led to the gates.

    "Ah, we are rebels!" Ajax pped his knee and smiled while he looked out the window at the approaching guards.

    A looked at him and burst outughing, already feeling better in thepany of the pair and away from the stresses of pack matters.

    "Rebels escaping in an SUV going at 10 miles per hour?" Malia giggled.

    "A stolen SUV..." A replied to her wolf.

    "Whats Damon''s is yours!" Malia couldn''t stopughing.

    A stopped the car in front of the gates, rolling her window down; she ordered the guards on patrol to open the gates. While they waited, Finn observed A''s side profile.

    A was clueless to the fact that she was using her powers so naturally. Their men would never let the princess leave without the ordersing from Alpha Damon. She did not yet have the rolepletely to have authority and overrule Damon''s orders. Although she had been working on this, Finn was worried about the consequences; the pair were mated, but already there were conflicting issues from only one pack meeting.

    After ten minutes of driving, A parked the car outside a coffee shop and slouched in dismay when she saw the closed sign.

    Ajax smiled, "Baby girl, the Goddess is smiling down on us.. Look," He pointed down the road at a bar.

    A shrugged; she didn''t want to return just yet. Maybe a bar and a bit of normality will help clear her mind. Even as she thought that nothing could distract her from the pulling feeling in her stomach. The mate bond had been continuously tugging at her to return to the mansion and to Alpha Damon. Even with her cancelling out his mind-links, which came through a few times, she still had the urge to return to him and hide in his chest.

    But this was for the best, for now. Malia was content even though she howled at the distance between her and Alpha Damon. Would it feel like this every time she was separated from him?

    While A was lost in her thoughts again, she was on autopilot as they set off towards the bar. Their footsteps on the pavement floor echoed through the silent street. The evening was still young, yet the town looked like a ghost town; it made A quite wary, so she stayed extra vignt of their surroundings.

    Plus, if anything were to happen, not only would Alpha Damon be incredibly pissed, but so would Chiara and the many hours spent teaching her to always be on her guard.

 Chapter 60 - Lost In Thought

    After ordering their drinks and some food at the bar, they sat down at a table next to the window. The bar they sat in had that typical bar-like smell; a mixture of stale ales and beers, polish, and cleaning solution to hide the age of spilt alcohol over the years. The music ying was from an old jukebox, adding to the charm of such a ce. The only other bars A had ever been to would be back at the student bars and clubs; even then, the smell was the same but covered with sweat, but the d¨¦cor was more of a modern finish, unlike this ce.

    A was content though, it was away from everything happening, and it felt nice to be in a slightly busy bar. She satfortably in silence as she people watched; their spot was the perfect location to do so. Whether that was from the near-empty streets outside or some regrs in the bar who asked the barmaid personal questions only a regr would ask about.

    A continued to look outside the window and watched as a mother and child holding hands came into view and darted across the road, reaching a man who the mother kissed; she presumed was the father or father figure. They were an adorable family.

    A''s mood darkened, and the guys watched her in concern. She sighed, then nced back at Ajax and Finn before taking a sip through a straw from her fizzy drink. She stared at the table as she slurped on her drink, getting lost once again in her own thoughts.

    Her parents, the Alpha King and Queen, were so loving towards her and each other from what she remembered. As a child, she would sometimes sit and watch them happily, smile when they smiled,ugh when theyughed, even if she did not understand why theyughed. Little A was happy because they were happy.

    Even then, she was unaware of her full potential. Or so she thought? Who knew? There were parts of her memories missing. She wondered if it was her witchy mum''s doing by putting a spell on her or if her mind could not handle such painful memories and blocked it out. If she was there at her parents'' death, or if she was the one at fault, she would not want to remember such gruesome scenes.

    Her parents¡­ Who left her a kingdom to run¡­

    Lydia''s words suddenly came back to her, "Your so-called future Luna just ran out on a pack meeting when things got tough."

    Even with the set-up from Lydia and Darren, who she suspected was working together for this exact scenario, Lydia was right. One sentence from Darren about her parents and she fled the scene. A leader, a Luna, A QUEEN would never do that. She scoffed at herself.

    "What happened in the meeting?" A jumped slightly by the sudden interruption of her reverie. She looked to the side to see Finn eying her with concern.

    "You were doing so well. The pack were behind you, they still are.. but.. what did Darren say?" Finn probed; she nced at him, released the straw from her lips, and sat back in her chair.

    "He mentioned something about my parents.."

    Finn and Ajax waited patiently while A put her thoughts and words together.

    "He said it was my fault they''re dead."

    A''s head snapped to the side when she heard a ss break. In Finn''s hand was the ss he was drinking from; he identally broke it. He opened his palm to let the shards, liquid, and blood fall onto the table. Finn wiped them off as though they were crumbs and gestured for A to continue.

    "Erm," A looked away from Finn''s slightly bloodied hand. So much blood.. The image was as clear as day; the blue dress she wore was covered in blood. A shook her head and continued, "Apparently, I was there.. But I don''t remember, or so I thought. I''ve only had a few distorted memoriesing back to me."

    "The first showed a body on the ground in the hallway.. The second.. I don''t really remember. But there was so much blood on me," A looked at her palms as though the warm liquid was still there on her hands.

    "That''s nonsense," Finn spat. A looked at him in surprise.

    "Your parents'' death was not your fault. Whether you were there or not.. You were a child, A.." His face had hardened, and he clenched his fist together again, scoffing at the idea.

    "I know, I think.. It''s just.. what I saw," A sighed. She felt so drained, and it wasn''t just from the sparring session with Damon.

    Ajax reached his hand out and gently rubbed hers on the table, "Whatever happens, me and Finn are here for you."

    "Thanks, guys. I''m sorry about all this mess," she replied and coolly removed her hand away from Ajax''s, smoothly grabbing her straw as a means to why she pulled away from his gesture. However, the small action made Ajax scowl and look at A like a hurt puppy. A grimaced on seeing his handsome, usually cheerful face look at her with such hurt.

    "I know you mean well, but you have to be more careful. I don''t want you to lose your hand," A stated.

    Finn burst outughing from the shock written all over Ajax''s face.

    "Come on, you know I''d never actually make a move on you.. For one thing, my charms would be too overbearing for you, and you wouldn''t be able to resist me.. I''d feel bad for Damon."

    A arched her eyebrow, "Is that so?" she muttered drily.

    "And I don''t go after anyone who is already taken," All jest was gone from his face as he looked at her genuinely, "I do have some morals, you know." He cracked a smile.

    "Aaaand he''s back," Malia chuckled.

    The food arrived then, and they dug in immediately. Ajax and Finn ordered two burger meals, whereas A wasn''t very hungry and only nibbled on her own chicken burger. The waitress also cleared up the broken ss and looked at Finn questionably.

    A''s phone buzzed again, and she saw another message from Hollie. Instead of opening it, though, she faced her phone down and looked glumly at the remaining fries on her te.

    "What else is wrong?" Finn mind-linked her while he devoured thest of his burger; his mouth filled up like a roon stuffing food in its cheeks.

    "I miss doing stuff like this. Chilling without any worries. This past month has felt like six months. Everything that has happened.. Everything I am about to take on.."

    "Enough," Ajax mmed his girly cocktail down. A and Finn jumped in surprise. "Oops, I didn''t mean for it to be so dramatic."

    "Now he worries about being too dramatic?" Finn muttered under his breath, making A''s lips twitch as she held back a smile.

    "We took you out of that ce so you can cheer up and have fun.. Waitress!" He waved her over, "Darling, what''s fun around here? And still open?"

    The brte waitress blushed under Ajax''s gaze and pinpointed a few ces.

    "Excellent! An escape room it is!"

 Chapter 61 - The Minion

    [ Lydia''s minion: Hailey ]

    Hailey stood to the side in the crowded hall while Lydia''s n unfolded before her. Lydia was doing exactly as she said, disturbing the peace in front of the pack, making A seem weak. She waited as Delta Darren whispered in her ear, her face paled to whatever he said; she looked like she had seen a ghost when all of a sudden, Alpha Damon grabbed the Delta wolf by the throat and mmed him to the ground.

    She could not see some of what happened; the pack members were now standing, looking to see what was going on. They loved a good fight; there was a type of blood lust within them that they needed to fill at least once a month. The pack meetings were required to update the pack of any dangers and information they needed, but they were also a good time for someone to beat the living hell out of another wolf. It was not its point, but it somehow became a bit of a tradition.

    Hailey barged through two warriors who growled at her rudeness, but she flipped them the bird on both her hands, not paying them any attention. She stopped and looked on at what happened next. A sprinted out of the door. Hailey scoffed; what a coward. Seriously, THAT was meant to be the amazing White Wolf, the Cross Princess? She couldn''t understand everyone''s fascination with her.

    At least Lydia could show the pack how she is. But they needed to keep breaking her in front of the pack for it to really hit home at how she is not capable of running the Silver Crescent pack, let alone other packs. Her lips formed into a malicious smile at the thought of A dead; it meant she could take her ce.

    Hailey knew Lydia wouldn''t be able to take the spot as Luna. Who the hell would want that nutcase to lead the pack. Everyone thought the same; even without A, a Luna was bound to be needed to serve by Alpha Damon''s side to help rule over the packs. A lone Alpha was weaker than one with a mate or chosen Luna.

    That Luna was going to be her.

    It was so easy to befriend Lydia when she returned to the pack; the girl needed someone, and she was stupid enough to think she was her minion. On the contrary, she was the puppet master, and Lydia was ying her part perfectly. When the time was right, she would take the crown for herself.

    Once A was dead, the Alpha would be heartbroken for a while, but he was smart and needs someone by his side. She would be there to pick the pieces up,fort him. It wasn''t going to be easy, and it would take some time, but she was a very patient woman.

    "Follow her. Keep to the shadows. She won''t be alone for long," Lydia mind-linked her.

    Without another word, she slipped away from the now roaring crowd after Lydia''s and Alpha Damon''s words while Delta Darren was on his hands and knees. The doors swung behind her, and she watched from a distance at A''s retreating form before running to the side. How the hell is she running so quick? She could barely keep the girl in her sight.

    As she approached the mansion, she hid behind a bush and watched as the handsome shapeshifter gave A some trainers. Hailey watched their exchange and shook her head before a smile crawled up her face. She bit her tongue to stop herself fromughing. It really was too easy. The guy, Jax? Whatever his stupid name was, he really didn''t know the extent of how possessive Alpha''s were.

    To touch his mate so openly and on his territory. She huffed. Such a waste, the fine man would be killed. Hailey snuck towards the mansion after the other werewolf, who always followed her around like a lost puppy, turned up, and they went around the corner of the building. Keeping her distance, she listened to their conversation¡ªboring shit.

    "Lydia, I think.. I think I found something that can help. I''m not sure. I don''t want anyone to be killed," Hailey mind-linked her, making sure her voice sounded meek and helpless.

    "Haha! Who cares? What is it?" Lydia replied; she could hear the smile in her voice.

    "That shapeshifter.. he put his arm around her and dragged her away. They are leaving the estate together with that other werewolf.. What should I do?" She asked timidly as she jogged and jumped under the closing garage door. A and herpanions were already halfway down the path in one of the SUV''s by then.

    Grabbing the keys, Hailey chose one of the vans they used on stakeout missions. She started the engine and waited while the garage door began opening again.

    "Follow them, you imbecile! And report what you said to me to Alpha Damon. He won''t believe iting from me right now," Lydia''s agitated voice came through her mind again.

    "Oh, okay!" She yed the fool once again.

    Most of the time, Hailey wanted to strangle Lydia for her voice alone. Soon, that bitch won''t be able to talk.

    She followed behind the SUV the princess was driving, making sure there were a few cars in between them.

    "Alpha Damon?" She mind-linked in a hesitant voice.

    A growl came through the mind-link. Hmm, he seems pissed.

    "I uh, I thought I would let you know.. A, I mean the Luna princess. Princess A. Her and Jax? The shapeshifter. They, uh, erm-"

    "Spit. It. Out." Damon''s feral voice came through the mind-link.

    A sly smile crept up her features as she nced at her reflection in the review mirror. Her hazel eyes stared back at her, an evil glint shining behind them.

    "S-s sorry. I caught them leaving the mansion together. They were.. I mean, he had his arm around her. I f-f-followed them. It was just a little suspicious.." She trailed off and kept herself fromughing in joy at the ferocious growl she received back.

    "WHERE ARE THEY!?" His thunderous voice made her grimace.

    Hailey parked on the side of the road across from the SUV that parked outside a caf¨¦. Instead of replying just yet, she thought about letting him sweat a little bit more. Let his mind run wild with what his loving mate could be up to with another guy.

    A guy who was very handsome and seemed to have a bit of a reputation for flirting with A and a few other she-wolves.

 Chapter 62 - Alpha Damon

    [ Alpha Damon ]

    Damon paced back and forth in the training area. As soon as A left, he wanted to chase after her. But his duties as an Alpha meant he had to stay behind and console his pack. The pack seemed to go in an uproar by A''s exit and Lydia''s words. This was not how tonight was meant to go. He nned it specifically to introduce his mate formally to the pack.

    But as per fucking usual, the cockroaches of the pack emerged from the shitty shadows whence they came. If people thought being Alpha was easy, they had another thinging. There were so many rules he had to uphold and stick by. He wanted so badly to rip the spineless piece of shit of a Delta into pieces; he could, and the pack couldn''t do anything to stop him.

    Unfortunately, Darren was from a family line of Delta''s, and Damon couldn''t kill him unless Delta Darren openly challenged him, physically attacked A or betrayed the pack.

    Politics!!

    He raked both his hands through his unruly hair.

    "There is another way to deal with that arrogant prick," Darius growled. Damon already knew where his wolf''s thoughts were heading.

    Damon sighed, "No one has challenged their family in years."

    "But there is a perfect new candidate," Darius replied thoughtfully.

    "Finn?" He nced to the side. No one except the pack leaders was now in the hall, except for Delta Darren. Damon ordered him to be thrown into the cells. He couldn''t kill him, but he sure as hell could punish him for a few days.

    "Exactly. There is something about him. I have noticed he is naturally submissive and protective of A," Darius'' voice rumbled through his mind.

    "Most wolves are naturally submissive and protective of their Luna and Queen?" Damon reminded his wolf.

    "This is true. But I sense he is from a leader bloodline. Maybe Delta?" Darius said pensively.

    "Is that so?" Damon''s lips curled into a smile at the idea of getting rid of Darren without making his own hands bloody.

    While Damon and his wolf talked to each other, Damon did not stop his pacing. Even with the discussion about Delta Darren, his mind was still filled with A, his angel. His angel that at this moment was nothing but. He was informed by a she-wolf named Hailey a few minutes ago that his mate had left with Ajax, being far too friendly together.

    He already knew A had left the estate; even without his men reporting to him about her location, he could tell from the bond that she was getting further away from him. It was tugging at him to go to her. Although the bond''s powers were still not in full effect due to not having mated nor marked her, there were still some advantages and a few already forming.

    Maybe the partial mark that was left on her skin was taking effect?

    "Fuck what Darren and Lydia said. WE are the Alpha. If you want to mark her, then you should. And if you don''t, then I will be taking it into my own paws. It''s been two weeks!" Darius snapped, "Any longer, and Malia won''t be able to control herself."

    "Not yet."

    Darius roared in his mind, making him sigh in agitation. The thing about being an Alpha was the wolf was just as short-tempered as him.

    An hourter, and Damon was in the living room. His tscreen tv was smashed on the ground, the distorted colours and lines flickered on the cracked screen. He was pacing and barely keeping Darius under control. Typically Darius only took the reins if he was needed, buttely, since A joined the pack, he had be harder to control.

    His pacing turned into him wrecking some of the furniture in the house. He didn''t care about such items; they could be reced within a few hours. Chiara and Kane watched him in concern and waited on his instructions.

    As soon as that mutt mind-linked him, he would go straight to his darling angel. Damon would also discipline this she-wolf who dares to not mind-link for an hour without any updates. He didn''t care how little it was. To tell him A left without any protection other than a shapeshifter, who, quite frankly wasn''t a lot of muscle, then to stay quiet, was not on.

    "They went into an escape room" A female voice came through his mind once again.

    About fucking time, he had waited far too long. He stormed through the mansion, his Beta and Gamma following behind him without any exchange of words. Once they made it into the garage, he halted.

    Hailey sent an image through the mind-link. Ajax and A were sitting at a table in some bar; his hand was on top of hers. He couldn''t see her face, only the back of her head and the length of her white hair. Rage consumed him. Darius almost bolted to the surface, making his eyes glow, but Damon snapped at him, "HE''S MINE."

    He barked his orders to his Beta and Gamma to get in an SUV and follow him. He rounded the corner and climbed onto something much faster. His ck motorbike: Big Bang. He climbed on with nothing but a leather jacket and the helmet he always left on it.

    As soon as the garage doors opened, he sped through the small gap and barked orders in a mind-link to his guards after making it to the gates within a few seconds. The roar of his bike resounded through the countryside as he sped down the roads, diving in and out of traffic. His reaction time was impable and much quicker than the average werewolf''s. With his speed nearing 200mph, he was in the small town within a few minutes.

    He parked his bike on the side of the road across from one of his SUV''s. Near a van that looked to also be one of his. But his attention was not on his pack members, though he knew Kane and Chiara were a few minutes away. cing his helmet on the side, he leaned against his bike, arms crossed and waited.

    And waited.

    And waited¡­

    How long do those fucking escape rooms take? Are they stupid?

    "Rip open the door," Darius snarled.

    Damon shook his head, "I''ll rip someone''s head off instead."

    "Much more satisfying," Darius grinned.

    Finally, his darling mate walked down the street with Ajax by her side. A growl vibrated through his chest, making the ground rumble around him. Damon watched as A stopped and locked her gaze with his.

    Damon heard her curse under her breath.

    Good.

 Chapter 63 - The Alpha And Shapeshifter

    A pushed open the double doors and walked onto the street,ughing at something Finn said. The escape room was exactly what she needed to get her mind off what happened at the pack meeting. It did, however, remind them all of their time they spent with the hunters. This was only because of a metal door and that they needed to escape within a specific time limit.

    As they walked down the street, A felt a pulling sensation, as though an invisible rope was around her and pulling her forwards. Her pace increased, and she put her arms on her shoulder from how the wind had picked up and the temperature dropped. Ajax took his jacket off and was about to put it around her shoulders, but she stopped him.

    "Thank you, though, AJ," She smiled at him.

    They continued walking down the street; A focused on the pavement and abruptly stopped when she felt the ground rumbling. Her eyes snapped up, and she looked directly at a furious looking Alpha Damon.

    "Shit," She cursed under her breath.

    "Angry.. but sexy," Malia whispered before running away and hiding into the depths of her mind.

    "Pussy," A insulted her wolf. There was no response; it looks like she will have to face whatever wrath there was by the Alpha. Although she was unsure as to why he was so angry.

    Malia was right though, the bristling Alpha that was her mate looked devilishly handsome, leaning against a motorbike under a flickering streemp. Her eyes suddenly bulged. Was that a Big Bang!? She looked back at Damon, who was now marching towards them, his hands fisted by his sides. From the look on his face, she was surprised his eyes weren''t glowing. Or was Damon''s anger worse than Darius''?

    "Damon," She whispered, then cleared her throat and spoke up, "What are you doing here?"

    "What am I doing here? What are you doing here, mate? With another guy.. on a date?" Damon spat. She could see his body trembling as he stood in front of them.

    A''s eyes widened, "A date!? What are you talking about?"

    She was so confused. If she was on a date, why was there three of them?

    Damon didn''t respond to A and instead charged towards Ajax. Surprisingly, Ajax dodged Damon''s strike, but before any more could be done, A stepped in between them, blocking Damon''s next blow. Their eyes locked, fire meeting ice. Damon growled at the interruption, but a noise came from another street indicating some humans were rounding a corner, so he stopped.

    A reached her hands out, cing them on his arms and slid them slowly up to his shoulders, chest, neck and rested them on his chiselled jaw. Her eyes never wavered as she kept his burning gaze in her hold. She could see his temper and the dim luminescent glow behind his eyes; Darius was watching her as well.

    His chest was still heaving, but as they stared at one another, his breaths calmed down.

    "Hey," A whispered, "This was not a date."

    A snarl left his lips.

    "It wasn''t," She said sternly, "I am yours and only yours, Damon Steel."

    And with those words, she crashed her lips into his, almost instantly making him melt in her hold. He deepened the kiss immediately with a growl vibrating through his chest and onto hers. He roughly grabbed her ass and pulled her into him at a force that she felt his bulge against her, instantly making her sigh and her legs bing jelly. He dominated her mouth, biting her bottom lip, she moaned, and his tongue slipped in aggressively met hers.

    They broke away from each other, breathless, their chests rising and falling rapidly after Finn ''coughed''. They continued to gaze at each other, and he whispered through her mind, "Say it again."

    One side of A''s lips twitched into a nted smile before she whispered aloud, "I. Am. Yours. Always."

    He hummed appreciatively at her words. Feeling satisfied by Damon''s change in demeanour, she stepped back, ready to stand by his side. But his hand squeezed her right butt cheek harshly before grabbing her waist and turning her around to stand next to him. His hand staying securely on her as his gaze rested on Ajax.

    "There have been multiple times where you have crossed the line, shifter." He spat.

    A sucked her breath in; although she had calmed him down, it seemed his temper was barely below the surface. She didn''t know what to do other than just watch the exchange between her Alpha and Ajax.

    Ajax stepped forwards, making both A and Finn tense. Both men scrutinised each other before the shifter scoffed, "There is no line. She is yours. I have not once made a move on her, but your possessiveness has gotten out of hand.. Alpha."

    Damon narrowed his eyes and took a step forwards, but what happened next shocked them. Ajax disappeared. Or more so, he shrunk, and the clothes he wore crumpled to the ground. The remaining three looked at the clothes with widened eyes.

    "Where did he go?" Finn asked, bbergasted.

    His question was quickly answered as a ck mouse ran out from the area, making A and Damon jump out of the way and watch the little furball sprint away, squeaking.

    A tilted her head to the side as they watched the mouse turn into a majestic ck eagle. Ajax, the ck eagle, took a few steps on his ws, click-cking down the pavement before he stretched his wings and flew off into the night sky.

    "Not gonna lie, guys. But that was a pretty sick exit."

    A and Damon turned their heads to look at Finn, their expressions still one of shock.

    "I knew he said he could.. but It''s another thing seeing him shift into two different animals," A said in wonder as a smile stretched on her lips, "That''s so cool! Why couldn''t I be a shapeshifter?"

    Damon snapped his head to look at her; his eyes burned into her head, making her feel as though they would burn two holes through her.

    "What!?" She shrugged, "It would be cool to turn into anything-"

    Damon pped her on the bum, making Finn walk towards the SUV, whistling as he looked away from the Alpha and Luna.

    "You wouldn''t be mates with me, though," Damon growled.

    "I could have been?"

    "I also wouldn''t be here," Malia added. Her wolf sounded hurt and sad at A''s words.

    "Hey, I didn''t mean anything by it," A shrugged, talking aloud to Damon but meant her words to Malia also.

    She then turned around and wrapped her arms around Damon''s waist, looking up at him. His angry expression softened only slightly.

    "Damon," She whispered, "I''m sorry about what happened earlier."

    She looked down from his prating gaze; she did not want to see the disappointment on his face. A''s lips parted when she felt Damon''s finger under her chin to tilt her head back up as he gazed into her eyes, "There is nothing to forgive. Darren was out of line and will be dealt with."

    A nodded her head, "I shouldn''t have left you, though. Things were just.. too much."

    "No, you shouldn''t have left. It was reckless of you to leave the estate, order my guards to let you through and not tell anyone where you were going.. Anything could have happened to you.." Damon''s voice cracked at the end, making A''s heart clench.

    "I know, I''m sorry. I won''t do it again. I promise," A stroked his jaw again and kissed him sweetly on the lips. When she pulled away, she blinked her eyes after seeing Damon closing the distance between them again.

    He leaned down and brushed his lips against her neck, making her heart thud erratically by the sensuous feeling, "I know you won''t. But you will make it up to me."

 Chapter 64 - Oh My Goddess..

    "I know you won''t. But you will make it up to me."

    Damon''s lips were still resting on A''s neck, inciting a shiver down her spine from the warmth of his lips and breath. She bit her bottom lip and ced her hands on his biceps. This man was shameless, but at the same time, she felt herself wanting ''to make it up to him.''

    "What do you suggest?" A whispered breathlessly.

    Damon chuckled into A''s neck, the small vibration a delight to her already inmed skin from his touch. He inhaled deeply, smelling behind her ear before stepping away. A felt herself leaning in after him but regained her senses once more and rebnced herself. Damon''s eyes gleamed in amusement by her small action before replying,

    "Go on a date with me."

    A looked at Damon in surprise by his suggestion. She was expecting something more.. sexual; man, was she bing a horny bugger. Either way, she felt ecstatic by his request. Her lips curled up into a full-fledged smile, brightening up her stunning features.

    Damon chuckled, "I take that as a yes.."

    "Yes! I mean.. I will see. I''m quite busy these days.. I will need to check my calendar.." A tried to nonchntly reply.

    "Oh yes, very cool and collected," Malia barked out intoughter. Her wolf was also a little worked up by the events with Damon.

    "Oh, hello, Malia. So nice for you to return," A replied sarcastically.

    "My absolute pleasure, A!" Her wolf replied upbeat. A rolled her eyes.

    "Good, nowe." Damon turned around, not waiting for A to decline or not follow. She obediently followed behind him towards his ck motorbike, only to stop a few paces away.

    "I have ordered Finn to return to the packhouse," Damon said, interrupting her thoughts; his back still turned. A closed her mouth from the question she was about to raise.

    "He can''t drive.."

    "Kane will drive him," Damon replied as two SUV''s reversed and sped off.

    A caught up to Damon, who now stood in front of his bike; she bit her lip, looking at its beauty and the powerful man who handled it. Damon raised his hand and beckoned her toe to him with a single finger.

    "Someone told me you know a thing or two about bikes?" Damon grinned.

    A scoffed, "Not really.. Are we.. going home on that!?"

    A smile lit up his handsome features, "Yes."

    Her eyes rounded as excitement filled her features. Damon took his jacket off and held it out to put her arms into it. He done up the zip and handed her one of the helmets ced on his bike. She looked at the one he gave to her questionably.

    "Luckily, Chiara thought ahead and brought this with her." He exined.

    A shook her head, "Not just that.. But.. we are werewolves, if we fall off, we''ll be fine?"

    Damon burst out into a peal of throatyughter, "We aren''t invincible, A! And besides, it would still fucking hurt to fall off this. Now put your helmet on."

    On hismand, she ced the ck helmet on her head and epted a backpack from him also. A frowned but ced it on her back anyway; she, of course, was the only one who could wear it if they were sharing the bike. She swung her leg over the bike and settled behind him on the seat, wrapping her hands around his waist.

    The sound of the engine starting caused a pounding against her ribcage and adrenaline to pump through her veins. The rumbling and the vibration made her anticipate the ride ahead.

    "Hold on tight," Damon mind-linked.

    Damon kicked the kickstand and set off; the instant speed made A fling back slightly. She held onto him tighter and squealed in delight, bringing her head closer to his back. He didn''t hold back from speeding off. The wind blew the remaining hair of hers out of the helmet out of the way.

    Instead of going back towards the mansion, Damon zoomed past the entry gates and continued.

    A didn''t realise it, but she felt quite relieved to not be returning just yet; not only was the ride thrilling, but it also cleared her mind even further about the pack politics. Here and now, with her mate made her heart and stomach warm up. He knew she needed more time away, and what better way than to enjoy the open road.

    He sped past any cars on the road, but at that time of night, most people were now settled, and the only drivers out would be lorry drivers and workers who started evening shifts. A breathed in and closed her eyes briefly as Damon overtook a truck, the feeling of leaning to the side and back upright was something simr to being on a rollercoaster.

    A was ted at the time alone, and the peace and quiet other than the roar of the engine. The darkened countryside whizzed past them, and she tookfort in the sights by her sides; to a human, they could not see much, but to a werewolf, she could still see the outlines and most of the scenery up close. The mountains were a sight to behold, and as they drove closer to them, the bike began to slow down.

    He drove towards an area on the side of the road meant for drivers to take a rest on the long road. Parking up, he died the engine down and the rumbling stopped. A leaned back and climbed off the bike before removing her helmet, shaking her hair out as she did so. She bit her tongue as she watched Damon remove his helmet and flick some of his hair out of his face.

    After cing the helmets on the bike, he reached out and gestured for the backpack. Putting it over his shoulders, once A handed it to him.

    "I want to show you something," He said mysteriously. He walked off towards the side of the road, jumping down the small ledge that led into the forest. A followed behind him, traipsing through the woods and staring up at the moon and stars that twinkled in the distance. The woods were alive with the night animals as the wind breezed through, ying with A''s hair, and the only other sound was their footfall.

    A was quite happy with her choice to ditch the heels; if she wore them now, she would hide them behind a bush. She narrowed her eyes; that would never stop Nairi from getting her more, though!

    They continued further into the woods until there was a clearing that disyed a vastke with a stone formation of a cave on the side. It was very peaceful, and from A''s brief observation, the area looked almost untouched. There were no trails other than prints of animals in the area.

    Damon turned around and found her hand to gently pull her forwards.

    While she stared at the scenery, she was fully aware that he was staring at her, "This is where Ie sometimes to get away from everything. Only Kane and Chiara know of it. In fact, they are patrolling the surrounding area as we speak."

    A''s forehead creased, "They don''t need to do that."

    "A, they are our friends, but they also have a job to do. You need to get used to their roles as well as your own. You need to be protected at all times." By now, his other hand had found hers, and they stood staring at each other.

    "Do they do this when youe here?" She queried.

    Damon kept his face impassive; the only indication that he came here alone without any extra protection was his silence. A resisted the urge to roll her eyes, she knew it would annoy him, and at the moment, she was enjoying the peace. An angry Alpha wouldpletely disturb the peace. Instead of replying, Damon let go of one of her hands and pulled gently for her to follow.

    They walked towards the cave, and Damon undid his backpack to reveal a pic nket he threw out onto the rocky terrain. Hey down on his back and pulled A down gently to rest beside him. Yet she sat for a moment and overlooked theke. A was enchanted by the moon''s reflection on the water''s surface, along with the stars that shimmered gently. Sighing, shey down beside him and stared at the night sky.

    "This is really nice," Amented dreamily. She waited for Malia to make a remark, but for once, her wolf seemed content with everything.

    "Yeah, I thought this would be nice for a first date," Damon replied as he put his hands behind his head, showcasing his bulging biceps against the now tightened shirt he wore.

    A swallowed slowly after watching his small action and taking in his features once again. Would she ever get bored of such a face? No, no, she would not. Shaking her head, she joked, "So you have taken plenty of girls here. You''re right, though. It''s perfect first date material."

    Damon chuckled, "If you are trying to find out if I have been with anyone else before you, I hope you are not disappointed. I don''t date. This is my first ever date. And I have not taken anyone here, besides you."

    A''s head snapped to the side and looked at him in shock, "I''m your first ever date!? You''re 27.."

    "And I knew I had a mate somewhere. There''s no point wasting time with anyone else when the perfect soul mate was out there, waiting for me," Damon shrugged nonchntly.

    Oh My Goddess..

    A held back a smile she felt tugging at her lips; she really did get quite the catch from this whole mate mrky. Not only was he drop-dead gorgeous, built with muscles upon muscles, but he was also a romantic and a gentleman under that hard and domineering exterior. Not to mention a devil with his tongue.

 Chapter 65 - Feral Confessions

    [Authors Note: Music Rmendation: Hard For Me by Michele Morrone (if you want!) I will leave an AN when to y it from ;) ]

    **

    Biting her lip, she rolled onto her side, leant on her elbow, resting her head on her hand, and looked down at her mate. HER MATE. She searched his face, taking in his breath-taking features while lost in her own thoughts. His molten silver eyes met hers, and he reached his hand out to caress her cheek.

    "So, for 27 years, you were just waiting.."

    "I won''t lie, I''ve been with other women before you. But it was never anything serious. The wait was excruciating," He smiled at her, before grabbing her hand and leaving a chaste kiss on the back of it, before dropping it on his chest,cing their fingers together, "but it was worth it."

    A felt her cheeks redden under his smile; instead of replying to him, she leaned down and ced her hand on his jaw, leaving a sweet kiss on his lips. She pulled back slowly, inhaling deeply as though if she left him, she would be in agony. It didn''t help, his burning gaze was hooded, and a low growl escaped his lips, sending a pleasurable shiver down her spine.

    "So this is our first official date.." A''s words trailed off, trying to distract herself from the burning desire to do more than kiss him.

    Her words snapped him out of the spell, ever so slightly, and he nodded with a grin.

    "We have definitely done this the wrong way around.." She continued.

    "Oh? How so?" Damon was now mirroring A as his eyes glinted mischievously and roamed her face.

    "Normally, I don''t kiss on the first date.." A pouted.

    "I think we are well past trying to make each other''s acquaintance, don''t you?" He yed with a strand of her hair, and he stared with an intensity that made A melt.

    A sighed dreamily, feeling herself sumbing to the bond and the urge to rip his clothes away from his chiselled body. Damon smirked as though he read her thoughts. A shyly nodded after her mind was bing foggy with lust. Biting her lip again, she forced herself to look away from him and instead asked something that yed on her mind earlier.

    "Damon.."

    "Hmm.."

    "What happened earlier.. you haven''t marked me because of.. a rule?" A''s voice dropped to a whisper while her eyes drifted off to the view of theke.

    Damon sighed and raked his hand through his hair, "Believe me, that rule hasn''t once entered my mind."

    Her head whipped back to look at him.

    Damon shook his head in exasperation, "Seriously, A?"

    A blinked back at him, specting what his following words were going to be. While she pondered, Damon took the chance to push her shoulder down gently, so shey on her back, and he now towered over her. His knee spread her legs so he could bnce himself correctly,cing their fingers together and pinned them by the sides of her head. Her eyes went wide from the abrupt change, but she couldn''tin by the change in view.

    [AN: Music Rmendation: Hard For Me Michele Morrone]

    Damon brought his face close to hers, their noses nearly touching, "I''m crazy about you.. Can''t you see that?"

    His eyes flickered and began to glow with a low growl erupting from his chest, "I don''t give a shit about that stupid rule. If I want to mark you.. I will."

    A shudder passed through her, and it was nothing to do with the cold wind. Damon''s words were like a spell she couldn''t shake; even though she wanted to spend more time with him before making it official with the mark, she felt herself being enticed to let it just happen. F it.

    Her thoughts made Malia perk up from the position she was chilling in, in the depths of her mind, "Do you mean it!?"

    A didn''t respond; her wolf could feel the conviction in her chest. It was warm and felt filled to the brim with so much emotion towards the Alphaying above her.

    Without receiving her response, Damon crashed his lips into hers. Then he sucked on her lower lip as his hand slid down her chest, undoing the zip to his jacket; he grazed his hand against her left breast and started massaging it tenderly, "You drive me fucking crazy, A," He growled against her lips. A small gasp left her lips as her eyes darkened with lust.

    It was too true; thest two weeks had been agonising for him and Darius. The need to ravish her to the point she couldn''t walk anymore was incessant. Every time she disobeyed him, he wanted to bend her over and teach her a fucking lesson. And boy did she disobey him; he could see the fire burning behind her eyes each time she wanted to defy him, a fire he never wished to diminish.

    Yes, he was the Alpha, but she was his Luna. His mate, the other half to him. A was his little spitfire, always tempting him, whether that was from her disobedience or by just curling up into him. He couldn''t imagine it being anyone else.

    Damon had been holding back for so long; he wanted to take her the moment he found out she was his. Again his steely resolve melted tonight when she walked through that door in her tight-fitting clothes, showing off her voluptuous body. Then she ran off, and that bitch- Hailey said his angel was on a date with Ajax and didn''t mention Finn..

    He bit into A''s lips, to the point where he tasted a little bit of blood. He did not realise how rough he was being with her. He broke away from the kiss as Darius growled through him, their temper rising again at how the nights events went. She was gasping and looking at him with a wild glint in her eyes.

    That wild look he had seen so many times and wanted to help relieve both their cravings for the other. It wasn''t just about mating; he wanted to be one with her, and once he officially marked her, that was where their rtionship could really begin.

    "You''re my drug, A. My addiction. I can''t get enough of you, and I haven''t even had all of you¡­ Even when we are marked, this feeling won''t go away. It''s taken everything in me to not mark you or make love to you," His eyes searched hers; he hoped she could see the mess he was bing because of her.

    "Then do it."

 Chapter 66 - For Him

    [AN: Music Rmendation: Feel It by Michele Morrone]

    **

    Damon stilled at her words, not believing his ears. He searched her crystal blue eyes and saw the passion behind them transformed into blue mes burning wildly. Burning in need, burning for him. Was she giving her consent to im her?

    Before he made a move, A used some of her wolf''s strength and flipped him over, so she now straddled him. A smirk formed on her lips at his shocked features. A was also stunned by the words he spoke; she knew actions spoke louder than words, but she believed everything leaving those beautiful lips. Damon wasn''t just some f-boy; he was an Alpha that always got what he wanted; his patience with her, even at the stretch of his struggles to dominate and im her was what made her officially give in.

    A leaned down and captured his lips in hers, her body grinding against his while his hands entangled in her hair that fell around them like their own personal waterfall. Their kiss deepened, and she felt the tingling of power pulse between them, as once again, the power shifted, and he took control. His hands left her hair and trailed down her body, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps and the burning sensation from his touch.

    Before she knew what he was doing, he lifted her, and she clung to him, her legs wrapped around him. Their kiss did not break as she felt the vibrations of his legs carrying her somewhere. Somehow the jacket she wore slipped away from her and fell to the ground; she was too consumed in the moment, in him, to analyse everything.

    A gasped; a cold object was behind her back, and when she opened her eyes, she realised Damon had carried her to the cave, and she is now lodged between the cave wall and him. His hips kept her securely against the cave wall. While he reached for her top, she lifted her hands up, and he pulled it over her head and dropped it to the ground.

    Damon stopped briefly to appreciate her body before unsping her strapless bra swiftly and without trouble in one hand. His eyes looked at her plump breasts hungrily, and A yelped when his head leaned down and went straight for one of them, immediately sucking on one of her buds, while the other hand began massaging the other breast. As his finger grazed her nipple and his tongue flickered on the other, pleasure shot down to her core, and she leaned her head back with a small gasp.

    A was in a pleasurable bliss, and it was only from him ying with her breasts. Her underwear was already damp with desire, and she wanted him, but as she looked down at him, guilt suddenly red up in her stomach. Even after the trouble she caused him tonight, how angry she made him, and he was the one putting all the effort in to make her night pleasurable. Or was this him punishing her?

    Damon had spent weeks dominating her with his fingers or mouth to the point of her submission. Now she wanted him at her mercy beforepletely being consumed into the blissfulness that would be of the night. She wanted to do this for him.

    "Wait."

    Damon watched her through some of his hair; he wanted to devour her. Her plea made him stop and look at her; he bit his tongue and hoped she wasn''t backing down now. His cock was already pulsing, and he was ready to explode. Damon wanted to be inside her, hear her moans while he ravished her senseless. But of course, if she said stop, then he would stop.

    A grabbed his hair tightly; her eyes were burning with so much desire as she whispered, "I want to repay the favour of all that you have done for me thest few weeks." Her hand trailed down to the waistband of his jeans.

    Damon''s eyes widened slightly from her words; her touch set ame his skin. He recovered himself and responded, "This isn''t a point system A."

    "Then let it be my punishment.. For all the trouble I have put you through." Her sultry voice made his eyes darken. With swiftness, she unwrapped her legs and dropped to her feet while he stepped back.

    Without needing any prompting, he took charge, "Get on your knees, A," He murmured, his tone soft.

    When she stepped back and began to lower, one of hisrge hands entangled in her hair, tugging lightly. His action caused her core to throb; she felt so turned on right now. His grip didn''t falter in her hair as she sank to her knees. His other hand came out, and his thumb glided along her bottom lip, his eyes darkening as he did so.

    "Undo my jeans," Damon''s voice was low and husky. His eyes were locked with hers, ensnaring her; she couldn''t look away.

    A began undoing his jeans and dropped them to the ground with their eyes locked. Her heart thudded against her chest, and her breathing became a little short as she eyed the bulge in his boxers. A couldn''t resist and trailed a finger up the entire length of his bulging shaft, earning a sharp intake of breath from Damon. A smile yed on her lips before she dropped his boxers down.

    Her eyes were glued to his shaft as it sprung free, realising what was about to go in her mouth. She had no idea how it was going to fit in her mouth, let alone her pussy. Her lower region dampened and throbbed even more by the idea of it.

    A opened her mouth and flickered her eyes up to meet his after he tightened his hold in her hair. He pressed the head of his shaft against her tongue, and his eyes became hooded. She took the lead a little from there; teasing him by trailing her tongue up and down the length of him, he growled lowly before leaning his hips forward more for her to take it.

    "Wrap your lips around it." Hismand was low and husky.

    A opened her mouth and closed her lips around the head. His cock slid inside her mouth, and she tried to amodate for his thickness. Damon thrust slowly into her mouth, his hand guiding the back of her head as he did so. Their eyes met, and he picked up the pace; her eyes widened as his length mmed in and out of her mouth. She ced her hands on his thighs for bnce against his thrusts.

    A tried not to choke on his thick member as her throat constricted at his brutal assault, but after a few more relentless thrusts, her throat opened up even more to amodate all of him.

    Damon looked down at A and was in awe at how she took and handled his brutal assault. He watched his cock sliding in and out of her at a rapid pace; her eyes became watery while his own roamed down to her bare chest. Such a beautiful sight. He knew he was hungry for her, starving for her, but he didn''t realise how much he did want to punish her and get even more enjoyment out of it.

    Her moan vibrated against his shaft and sent him over the edge; he groaned out, "Swallow it." His grip tightened in her hair.

    Warm liquid sshed against her tongue as Damon''s rough pace slowed down. Her eyes never left his, and she watched as awe ran across his features while she swallowed his seed. His hands left her hair as he pulled out.

    "Fuck, A," His thumb brushed against her slightly swollen lips. Her lips curled up into a smile.

    Damon bent down and lifted her back up; her legs wrapped around him again, and she found herself once again leaning against the wall. Shock filled her features as he began to undo her jeans.

    "Don''t you need like 15 minutes or something?" She questioned as a rosy hue tinted her cheeks.

    Damon chuckled, "Not with you." He smashed his lips into hers and breathed against them, "You''re so beautiful, and you''re all mine."

    A moaned into his lips as his finger found her wet slit, "And always so ready for me."

    As he locked her with his hips into the wall, he began pulling her jeans and underwear down, enough for his newly hardened shaft to press up against her entrance. She gasped and bit her lip, ready for the intrusion.

    "Alpha, Luna. There''s a problem."

 Chapter 67 - Cooling Off

    "Alpha, Luna. There''s a problem." Beta Kane''s voice echoed through a mind-link to both of them. They stilled in their position, and A bit her lip while trying to lure Damon over with her eyes- not to answer Beta Kane.

    Malia growled through her mind, "The problem is him! GO AWAY, KANE!"

    A gulped as her dampness coated his shaft, and she could feel the warmth off the head of his length at her entrance. She bucked her hips slightly with a frustrated growl, which Damon growled in return. His hands on her butt cheeks gripped harder, and his ws extended, piercing into her skin.

    A watched as Damon''s eyes became strained and glowed as his voice mixed with Darius'', roaring through the mind-link, "It better be a big fucking problem Kane, we are in the middle of something right now."

    A leaned her head back into the cave wall, a groan leaving her lips in frustration. Damon moved one of his hands to her core and slid his finger over A''s clit, while they waited for Kane''s response. Small gasps left her breathlessly immediately as he yed with her.

    Damon watched her, his gaze darkening and enjoying her losing control from him. He began to trail kisses and bites across her chest, feeling the urge to go for that tender spot where a partial mark was already left. They were losing themselves again to their desires and the bond, losing their senses in one another.

    He sucked on the area below her corbone and almost immediately felt A''s creaminess explode over the top of his shaft. He lifted his head to see her biting her hand, stopping herself from moaning; he ripped her hand back and watched her erratic breathing as her wild eyes found his.

    A just orgasmed; he only yed with her clit and sucked on the marking area. A growl escaped his lips as he so wanted to just thrust into her; A''s wetness was all he needed to enter. When he was about to give in, Kane remerged in the mind-link, causing him to curse.

    "There''s a vampire on our territory."

    "What?!" Damon pulled back and stared at A, who looked back in confusion, her forehead creasing. "Where?"

    A unwrapped her legs, and Damon let her drop down while he grabbed his boxers and jeans and put them on. A was still leaning against the wall for stability; her legs felt like jelly, and she didn''t trust herself to walk, but the wind that suddenly blew across her reminded her of her clothing situation. She pulled her underwear and jeans up, readjusting them before looking around for her bra, top and jacket.

    "These woods." Beta Kane''s voice came through gravelly. Damon''s head whipped to the side, suddenly alert as his eyes scanned their darkened surroundings.

    "What''s wrong with one vampire here? He could be passing through like a rogue?" A suggested, gaining his attention as she found and put her bra on.

    Damon slowly moved his eyes away from her breasts and shook his head, "As part of an agreement made long ago, we don''t go on each other''s territories. Unless it ismon ground or a known ce such as Chester, where vampires and werewolves mix and live together in the same area. As long as they don''t fight too much.." He muttered thest sentence before continuing on,

    "Silver Thorn is known for being inhabited by the Silver Crescent pack, a royal pack. So no vampires pass through unless they want something."

    "What if the vampire didn''t know?" A asked while she pulled her halter top down into ce.

    "Most vampires do."

    "So, we are going to find out?" A asked.

    "Looks like we are going vampire hunting!" Chiara mind-linked them.

    It was nice to hear the excitement in Chiara''s voice, but at that moment, A could only sigh. The timing was fricken impable; not only were they both pent up, but their wolves were as well. Damon''s eyes kept flickering and shimmering to a stunning luminous colour, but it also meant he and Darius were fighting over control. She wondered if her own eyes were glowing, but Malia wasn''t fighting over the reins; she was.. happy?

    "Why are you happy? We haven''t mated or been marked?" A queried her wolf suspiciously while she nced around the area, watching the trees for any dark shadows.

    "It is ridiculous that you haven''t mated yet. But¡­" Her wolf trailed off, smirking at A''s impatience, "You want to."

    A blinked and scoffed, "That''s it?"

    "Yep. Thest two weeks, you have been getting hot and dirty without hitting that mark or ''getting some''. But now¡­ you do. Meaning, even if right now you aren''t mating.. it won''t be long until you do!" Her wolf squealed in delight. A chuckled and looked at Damon before blushing and looking away.

    Damon tried to put a little distance between him and A. Not emotionally, but he was fighting the urge to just turn around and im her. It wasn''t even about mating now; even though he released some frustration earlier, it wasn''t nearly enough. No, he and Darius were fighting over control; Darius wanted to mark her. Hell, he wanted to mark her, but there was a vampire on their territory.

    "AT LEAST DO THAT! MARK HER!" Darius roared through his mind. Damon sighed in frustration, it wasn''t just Darius, but his canines kept lengthening; he felt like a fucking vampire.

    Darius growled, "Don''t even think those words. Vampire.." He scoffed, "All you have to do is bite that area and then you can go chase the loner vampire in the woods."

    Damon nced at A, who by now had taken off her trainers? And made it to theke, putting her feet in the water. He walked towards her back but kept his lips sealed, even though his canines had grown the closer he made it to her. Now their sharp points stabbed into his tongue, releasing a little blood.

    "Kane," Damon snapped in the mind-link, "Bring Finn, Nairi and Ajax here."

    "The shapeshifter?" His Beta queried.

    "Yes," He snapped again, "tell him to shift into his eagle form and scan the area. I don''t want anyone else here. This is mine and A''s spot. It''s off-limits to everyone else."

    "On it!" Kane responded, and Damon could hear his breathing as he ran off in his wolf form.

    "Do you think it''s wise only to bring so little?" Chiara mind-linked him.

    "As I said to Kane, I don''t want anyone else here," Damon now stood by A''s side, but he walked away and stayed at theke''s edge. He didn''t want to be too close to her, in case Darius had any ideas. His wolf was still bristling and fighting at the fringes of his mind, trying to gain control and take the reins.

    "Gamma," He reached out to Chiara after realising she would not reply, "I want you by A''s side, and when Nairi is here, she will join you."

    "Okay," Chiara instantly replied, and within a few minutes, her ck wolf appeared.

    Damon''s jaw was aching, and his canines still long. But he had calmed down due to the rude awakening of this vampire threat. Darius, on the other hand..

    "STOP," Damonmanded, "This threat is more important than marking her. A needs to stay protected. The quicker we get rid of the vamp, the better."

    Darius grumbled but stopped beating at Damon''s control. A golden wolf, a brown-grey wolf and a reddish-brown wolf arrived; Beta Kane, Finn and Nairi. The golden wolf nudged the reddish-brown one, and she licked his nose before departing from him.

    Damon turned around and mind-linked A, "I have to go. But stay here. Chiara and Nairi will keep youpany until the threat is cleared."

    "Bodyguards?" A''s immediate response made him grit his teeth. He could already hear her defiance.

    "Yes," Damon snapped; he took a deep breath to calm down. He knew his temper was from his frustration as well as her disobedience. He strode towards her and cupped her cheek, leaving a peck on her lips quickly.

    It took him a great deal of strength to release her and turn back around.

 Chapter 68 - Night At The Lake

    A watched as Damon set off at a jog and disappeared into the trees, with Beta Kane and Finn trotting behind him on all fours.

    "Ajax is covering the sky, A. We won''t be long," Finn mind-linked her. A nced up and chuckled to herself, realising she wouldn''t be able to see a ck eagle in the night.

    Sighing, she turned to the remaining wolves standing on guard before putting her feet back in the water. She was cooling off from earlier, but the kiss he left her, even though it was quick, still left her flustered and caused a stirring in her core.

    I''m acting sex-deprived..

    "Because you are.. when was thest time you did it.." Malia chirped. A didn''t even want to think how long it had been, two years? Either way, she didn''t have an issue until she met Damon. I''ll just me it on him..

    Malia snorted at A''s thoughts.

    A sighed and squatted down to scoop some water up and ssh it on her face. She didn''t care if she was wearing makeup; her body needed to calm down. The water was fresh on her face and seemed to do the trick; she shuddered as the iciness pped her awake. Turning back around, she decided to sit down near theke and watch the night sky for a bit.

    Nairi positioned herself near her while Chiara patrolled the surrounding area, only to the point of the treeline. A lost herself in her thoughts as she stared at the moonlight''s reflection, it was calming and also quite nostalgic, but she couldn''t think what for. After frowning and trying to interpret her memories, she gave up and decided to just take it all in.

    The moonlit water and the surrounding sounds of wildlife seemed to make her feel sleepy. Maybe all of the excitement from the night finally caught up to her.

    With a yawn, she stood up and walked towards the cave where the pic nket stilly. A grabbed the backpack and checked the contents, delighted in finding a sk, and when she took a tentative sip from the near-boiling hot drink, she found it to be hot chocte. She sat down, crossing her legs and offered the drink to Nairi, who chuckled in the mind-link, "No thanks. Most of us can''t handle chocte.. maybe it''s an Alpha and Luna thing.."

    "Huh? Wait.. you can''t have chocte?" A looked at the reddish-brown wolf who nowy down next to her. Now A didn''t need to strain her neck by looking up at her all the time.

    "Duh!" Nairi chuckled, "we are wolves! Just like dogs.. we can''t have chocte! We throw up, have diarrhoea, stomach pains and can sometimes have seizures.."

    "Jeez, well so far.. so good. I mean, I only took a sip?" A grimaced at the thought of getting an upset stomach, but she shrugged it off and took another sip.

    "We are fine. Damon wouldn''t put something in there that would make us sick," Malia added, letting A enjoy her hot chocte under the starry night sky.

    A yawned again, "I think I might take a nap, Nairi."

    Nairi nodded her head beforeying it down on her paws, her eyes still alert on their surroundings. With the night drawing on, A took her nap, although she felt terrible for Nairi and Chiara guarding her. Still, her fatigue won out as she curled up on the nket, using the backpack as a pillow and Damon''s jacket as a cover before closing her eyes.

    Darkness consumed her almost immediately, and she swore for a moment she heard Malia calling out to her, panicked. But she, too, drifted off into the background, almost like an enchanting dark fog took over.

    When A next opened her eyes, it was still nightfall with the twinkling stars out. She wondered how long she had been asleep for; reaching into her pocket, she checked the time, only to see it turned off. Shit, the battery must have run out. She was terrible with phones now. Since being in a pack, she rarely used one; the only times she did was to get in touch with her parents or her human friends.

    There were no sounds of birds to indicate it was nearly early morning; that was a sign at least. Sighing, A put on Damon''s jacket and realised Nairi was fast asleep in her wolf form. That was strange, was her wolf also sleeping? A shrugged. Maybe she has mastered the art of staying in wolf form for long periods without there being consequences.

    From what she had observed so far of Nairi, she was a kind-hearted soul, and her wolf didn''t seem to be feral, unlike Chiara''s, Kanes and, of course, her own and Damons. Speaking of her wolf, she tried to get a grasp on her, but she felt nothing. Hmm, Malia must be asleep.

    With that thought, she decided to stand up and stretch her legs. She knew Chiara was roaming about somewhere. Unlike Nairi, she more than likely didn''t have the luxury to sleep. Maybe they were taking turns sleeping? Again, she felt awful for taking them away from their evening.

    As she took a pleasant stroll in the cool night air, A felt herself feeling lighter as she breathed in the freshness around her. She could hear an owl hoot every few minutes, the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves in the trees and the odd cricket chirping. The scenery was something magical, and she couldn''t wait to spend more time with Damon in such a spot.

    A could see why he liked toe to such a ce when things became overbearing in the pack duties. Or for an Alpha King.. duties of many packs.

    She stopped after getting to the other side of theke and looked back to see Nairi still fast asleep.

    "Chiara?" She spoke through her mind. But there was nothing; she didn''t even feel a connection to the mind-link.

    Her forehead creased in concern. Did something happen to her? A suddenly became fully aware that the calming sounds of the night went to a deadly silence, almost all at once. The hairs on the back of her nape stood on end, and her body tensed up.

    There was a predator nearby.

    And she had a feeling it was a vampire..

 Chapter 69 - A Night In The Woods

    A stayed still while she assessed her surroundings. There was nothing nearby that she could see, but her instincts and the silence of the night told her otherwise. Turning on the spot, she looked back across theke and saw Nairi still asleep.

    She knew to stay on guard; if there really was a vampire nearby, and neither Chiara nor Nairi could help, then she had to be able to take it on. Although she hoped it didn''te to that, she didn''t know enough about the creatures to hate them so abundantly like the other werewolves. They were on good terms, right? The werewolves and the vampires?

    "Malia?" A tried to nudge her wolf awake, but there was nothing but silence like the surroundings. There wasn''t even a peep from her wolf; it felt like she was truly alone. Her mind was empty.

    Sighing, A decided to find Chiara; when shest saw her, the wolf was only patrolling the perimeter where A could still see her. She was more alert by the fact that her ears had not picked up any sounds, nor had she seen the Gamma since falling asleep earlier. With her ws extending and sharpening out, she felt a little better while searching for her friend.

    A kept her footsteps light, which was somewhat tricky to do on a pebbly terrain and even more so when she walked further away from theke and closer to the woods where roots, twigs and leaves spread among the ground. The worst part was the silence, it made every breath she took to be noisy, and the sound of her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

    Ducking under a broken tree branch, she didn''t see a twig on the ground until thest minute. The twig snapped under the weight of her foot, and she immediately flinched; the sound echoed through the woods. A nced around and tiptoed over more twigs, rushing to a tree and leaning against it. She tried to calm her racing heart as her eyes scanned the area; when nothing jumped out and grabbed her, she sighed in relief.

    A felt an odd sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Thest time she was alone in the woods, she had been chased by werewolves and hunters, which didn''t end well. But tonight, she felt more confident than back then; that was why she didn''t mind searching for her friend. Chiara was a tough cookie and would respond instantly to A if she mind-linked her. The Gamma would even scold her for entering the woods unguarded. The fact that she had not heard from the she-wolf worried her.

    A''s brows creased in concern as she stepped away from the tree. She followed an old path meant for hikers; it was barely used, except for some fresh footprints. A looked across the track and saw the footprints leading the way; she kept herself vignt as she followed the trail. While she walked around a few trees, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the sight of droplets of blood among the forest floors.

    Her eyes then caught sight of a big ck wolf slumped on the ground. A took a sharp intake of breath from the sight; her heart thumped against her chest rapidly and instantly, without thinking, she sprinted towards the wolf. Jumping over a fallen tree and ducking immediately under another branch. Was this Damon or Chiara?

    Clenching her teeth together, she jumped down and skidded on her knees to the wolf''s side. Her hands hovered above the beast; it was breathing slowly. After assessing it for any wounds, she found none, and her observation made her realise it was Chiara. Her wolf was more significant than the average werewolf, but it was nothing inparison to Damon''s magnificent form. It was her panic to make her think it could be either of them.

    A rxed only a fraction; knowing Chiara was breathing and alive without any wounds was something she was ever so grateful for. But after shaking her and calling her name through the mind-link, she became baffled and fearful. Why wasn''t Chiara waking up? She was alive¡­

    A suddenly tensed and slowly looked up as though she sensed the predator nearby. Her eyes widened when she saw the man standing across from her. His celestial beauty took her breath away, and his eyes shone brightly against his pale skin and pale, white hair. He took a step forwards into the speckle of light granted by the moonlight. His hair was longer than she remembered it, dropping down to his shoulders, elegantly straight.

    A didn''t realise her mouth had dropped open by his presence. But she snapped her teeth together with an audible ''click'' after seeing his mouth and hands covered in blood. It contrasted against his white shirt that was sttered with the red liquid. As he emerged more out of the shadows, A began to stand up, almost in a trance, but she shook her head, already knowing that skill.

    "Gabriel," She whispered.

    Gabriel tilted his head to the side with a smirk crawling up his face before chuckling in delight. His response was oddly frightening; it went well with his blood-soaked shirt.

    Gulping, she took a slow, steady step towards him, "What did you do?"

    "I solved one of your issues," He replied coldly while a charming smile grew on his face that didn''t quite reach his eyes. Those blue eyes that looked as ice-cold as the way he spoke. His demeanour sent a shiver down her spine and goosebumps across her body. Not in a good way.

    A watched in shock horror as he raised his hand and sucked on one of his bloodied fingers, all the while staring at her, "Although, the blood.. tastes like dirt. It''s not up to my standards.." He waved his hand away, "But it was worth it. To see you.. to see your face at my small offering."

    Offering? What does he mean by that?

    Gabriel tilted his head to the side again as though he was intrigued by her. Maybe the years of imprisonment made him lose his mind, or the many years alive made him lose his mind..

 Chapter 70 - Gabriel?

    Gabriel tilted his head to the side again as though he was intrigued by her. Maybe the years imprisoned made him lose his mind, or the many years alive made him lose his mind..

    He took a step towards her, and A instinctively took one back. His eyes narrowed at her action before locking his gaze with hers, "Do not move from me, little wolf. I have onlye to y."

    A suddenly felt unable to move, she tried to move her arms and legs, but they were stuck as though there was an invisible rope around them. She couldn''t understand why he was using his mind control on her, or was it another vampire power she was unaware of? Thest time he used pulsion'' on her, it didn''t feel like this.

    Gabriel also tried to keep a lot about himself and the affairs of vampires quite a secret. Was this the real Gabriel? In the short time she spent with him, she didn''t really get to know him; he was quite aloof even then. But she still felt a sense of loyalty and friendship to him; they did, after all, go through the same thing. If not, he went through a lot more than her.

    "Gabriel.."

    In a sh, he was standing in front of her, making her gasp at his speed. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her head up, so she looked directly into his eyes. Those eyes that were a sea of blue hues with speckles of red in them, making him look even more otherworldly.

    She watched in a daze as his eyes flickered across her face, "It is extraordinary, really. Seeing you up close.. You look almost symmetrical, mirror images.." He murmured, "except for your eyes. They give you away.."

    A''s brows creased together, "M-my eyes? They''re the same-"

    "Oh no, sweet A. They are not¡­" His hand stroked her hair as though he wasforting her, "You are nothing like her." His voice became hard, and her mouth fell open, which she shut immediately. His words hurt her, cutting her like a de to her heart. She blinked away the tears filling her eyes as her wounded heart became heavy.

    He released her from his control, and her head flopped down, her hair falling forward.

    "It is a good thing."

    A looked up, confused by his words, and watched his retreating figure.

    "It appears our time is up, sweet wolf. It was a pleasure. If you need anything, anything at all, princess.. feel free to reach out." Gabriel turned around and looked at her longingly, "Until next time A Cross." He bowed at her before stepping back and merging into the darkness of the trees.

    The moment he was gone, three wolves leapt in front of her, snarling; she didn''t flinch nor look at them; her eyes were fixed on the area Gabriel left from. Damon''s majestic wolf sniffed her and growled before barking back at the other two, who ran off in the same direction she was staring at.

    A felt so confused by what happened. Gabriel.. her friend.. He acted so strangely. The words he spoke were hurtful. Wasn''t he talking about her mother? But then, he said it was a good thing she was nothing like her. From what she remembered, her mother was kind-hearted, and no one has said a bad thing about her. Damon even stood up for her parents when she reiterated what the hunters spoke about them.

    So, am I the opposite of my mother? Was that what he meant? A frowned at her thoughts. Like thest time she was with the vampire, he left her reeling with more questions than answers. Gabriel must have known her mother, but the first time they met, he mistakenly called her Amelia..

    "AILA"

    A''s eyes snapped away from the trees, and she became aware of the two ck wolves in front of her. One of them considerablyrger than the other. A looked at Damon and then at Chiara, her eyes still wide. But before she said anything, a howl was ringing through her mind. She clutched her head in pain.

    "Malia?" She gasped.

    "Yes.. remember me bitch!? Youpletely ditched me." Malia growled.

    "What? I thought you were asleep?" A asked, bbergasted.

    "No. Your leech of a FRIEND blocked our link!" Malia yelled, causing A to wince.

    "I''m so sor-"

    "What happened? WHY are you here? In the woods?" Damon''s growl came through the mind-link while a growl left his wolf''s lips, interrupting her apology to Malia.

    A parted her lips then closed them again with a crease forming on her forehead.

    "Things were really strange.. So I went looking for Chiara.. And then she.. I found her asleep?" A sounded confused by her own statement and looked at Chiara.

    "That''s right. I don''t know what happened. I caught sight of a vampire, and then it went ck. I woke up a few minutes ago," Chiara responded.

    Nairi suddenly burst through the trees and skidded to a stop by Chiara''s side, her tongue out, panting from sprinting, arriving as though she could hear what had happened. Nairi gasped. "I was also put to sleep."

    "Can a vampire do that?" Damon muttered through the mind-link, but he knew the others didn''t know. He wanted to follow Kane and Finn to hunt it down, but after seeing A''s pale face and the look of shock on her features, he decided to stay by her side. If the vampire was as good as staying undetected while they were in the same area searching for it, then he didn''t believe Kane or Finn would find him anyway.

    Either way, he sent a pack mind-link, telling families to stay inside and any wolves on patrol to stay wary. Damon looked back up at A in concern, she had blood in her hair, but after sniffing her initially, he knew it wasn''t hers. However, he smelt another man on her, something sweet, like strawberries. The stench made him growl again.

    "A, what happened? Did you see the vampire?" He asked, trying to keep his voice soft, but Darius was growling and itching to take the reins. This time, so he could hunt. He, too, didn''t like to see his mate acting as though she had seen a ghost.

    A gasped as her memory caught up with her, "Damon.. I don''t know what Gabriel has done.. But he was covered in blood."

    "Gabriel?" His voice boomed at the mention of another man''s name. His enormous paws stepped forwards, closing the tiny gap between them, and he towered over his mate.

    "Gabriel is the vampire.." She said in a small voice, looking away from the imposing wolf in front of her.

    Damon''s head came down, so his face was in front of hers. A felt his warm breath on her neck, so she turned her head and looked up, eyes widening when she saw how close they were. She tilted her head slightly to see hisrge snout and baring teeth in front of her. Reminding her, once again, of the first night, she technically met him.

    "How do you know his name, A?" Damon snarled through her mind; the thought of her interacting with a vampire made his blood boil.

    "Because he is my friend.."

 Chapter 71 - The Massacre

    "Because he is my friend.." Her whisper came through their private mind-link.

    Damon''s wolf form was bristling; his chest heaved up and down as a heavy silence filled the air. A kept herself calm andposed as she stared the Alpha down, and before there would most likely be another argument, she exined further, "I met Gabriel when I was abducted by the hunters. He was meant to escape with us that night."

    "If he is your friend," Damon growled at thest word, "then why has he caused so much trouble? He put your guards to sleep¡­"

    That was an excellent question, and although she felt like Gabriel needed to exin himself further, she decided to defend him, "He probably felt threatened. This IS werewolf territory. He escaped without us when you turned up with the pack for the same reason." A shrugged.

    Again, there was a heavy silence hanging in the air as Damon stared down at her, "You said he was covered in blood, A. Even if he is your ''friend'', there will be no exceptions if he has killed anyone."

    The depth of his words hit her again as she envisioned how Gabriel looked. While she began to retrace what he said and how his behaviour was, Beta Kane''s voice floated through her mind, "Alpha, Luna.. There''s been a massacre at the packhouse."

    All colour drained from A''s face as she recalled Gabriel''s words, "I solved one of your issues", "to see your face at my small offering.."

    Her lips parted and shut as she stood there looking at Damon; he snapped his jaw shut andmanded through the mind-link, "Chiara, Nairi, head back to the packhouse, keep checking for the vampire but don''t go off track. If you see him, alert me."

    The red and ck wolves turned immediately and sprinted in the same direction Kane and Finn left earlier. Damon nudged A in the shoulder, which snapped her out of her trance and spiralling thoughts. Shaking her head, she mind-linked him, "Are we taking the bike back?"

    "Do you know how to drive one?" He asked.

    "I haven''t in ages, but I can drive-"

    "I''ll drive. Come on." Damon interrupted before walking off. A followed behind the huge wolf, contemting on climbing on his back like a horse.

    Now that would be fun¡­

    "Not the time or ce," Malia snapped, bringing A back to reality.

    Gabriel did something, and more than likely was the reason for the massacre at the packhouse. Malia was right; with that thought, she set off at a jog, passing Damon, who caught up to her, trotting by her side.

    When they made it back to the cave where the nket and backpack was, A scrambled to put things away while Damon got changed. Once he emerged fully clothed, they rushed off towards his motorbike. He handed her the spare helmet, but before A put it on, she held Damon''s hand to gain his attention, leaned forwards on her tiptoes and ced a kiss on his lips. They searched each other''s eyes for a moment, almost in wonderment, before A pulled back and put her helmet on.

    Without any words being shared, they climbed onto Big Bang and sped off down the road. A swore he was going faster than before, but she couldn''t tell. The ride wasn''t as pleasurable as earlier; there was a sense of urgency and apprehension. She clung on tighter and clenched her eyes shut; she was not scared of the speed they were going. More so, she was trying to calm her racing thoughts.

    The gates to the mansion immediately opened on their arrival. A noted more guards were by the gates and wolves patrolling in the woods. She saw a few of them the closer they made it to the packhouse, running through parts of the forest and countryside. Damon drove them to the front of the garage before switching the engine off; A climbed off and put the helmet down.

    Beta Kane and Gamma Chiara sprinted to their position, their faces grave. Kane was the first to answer the untold question, "There are 13 dead and one casualty."

    "Show us," Damon''s clipped voice sent a shiver down A''s hollowing body.

    The Beta and Gamma led Damon and A across the grounds, their strides long and rushed, as though every second away from the scene could cause another death. Chiara fell in line with A, letting Damon charge ahead with Kane.

    "A letter was left for you," Chiara mind-linked her. A nced at her, her eyes wide in shock. Her brows raised after looking down and seeing Chiara pull out an envelope from her leather jacket pocket. A grabbed it and put it in her pocket, reminding herself that the jacket she wore was not hers but Damon''s.

    A nodded her head in thanks, but she could see the concern and confusion on the Gamma''s face. But what could she say to make her feel better? A didn''t know what was in the letter, but she could take a guess at who left it for her. The person who orchestrated the whole thing, or was it done on a whim?

    A''s steps slowed down and faltered when her eyes set on the bodies spread on the floor. Kane''s voice made her jump as he exined further the positioning of the bodies, "From what some of the warriors have analysed so far, they were murdered then brought to this specific spot."

    Damon''s face darkened, and his brows drew together as he walked by Kane''s side, his body rigid while he observed the bodies lying on the grass. A searched deep inside herself, pulling some strength from her wolf, to push herself forwards. She caught up to Damon and immediately looked away, willing herself not to throw up at the grotesque scene. Her stomach churned angrily, and Malia howled in anger at what they saw.

    Although it was nighttime, the area where they were ced was conveniently by some gardenmps, lighting up the ground. Before themy the 13 dead werewolves in their human forms, on their backs. Blood was sttered on the trees and on the floor. Ten of them were decapitated, and when A stepped closer to one of the bodies with their head still in ce, she could see two holes in their neck and their lifeless body, already greying. Looking almost mummified, as though the blood had been drained from them.

    "Three of them have been drained of blood," Chiara''s low, solemn voice confirmed A''s suspicions. A raised her hand to cover her mouth as her eyes flickered to each of the dead''s figures. Some of the decapitations were worse than the others. The gashes on their necks were deep and left the flesh and skin shredded. There was even one where the head was more than likely ripped from their body at force; the man''s nerve endings and esophagus trailed off from the neck towards the head. It was as though the murderer was in a frenzy of blood lust.

    This was a vampire''s doing. Gabriel''s doing, it had to be.

    A jumped and yelped simultaneously when a pair of handsnded on her shoulders. Turning around, she saw Ajax. Luckily, Damon was too involved in a discussion with Kane, their backs turned away from them, to notice the exchange between the Luna and shapeshifter. Or the matter at hand was more important than his jealousy to take form.

    "Hey, you''re okay," Ajax said in a soothing, calm voice, "you look like you''ve been through hell, though.."

    A parted her lips, her brows creasing in confusion until she saw his eyes nce down to her white jeans stained in mud and her white hair bloodied on one side. The side where Gabriel stroked her. A shiver ran through her. The blood in her hair was from one of the victims.

    Finn suddenly appeared next to Ajax, snapping her out of her daze. The pair were talking, but she didn''t pay them any heed. She watched their lips move before looking back at one of the drained bodies on the floor. Her hazel eyes were still open, looking straight at her, those ssy eyes that showed no signs of life¡­

    Damon sensed his mate was not following him and the pack leaders. He knew A was nearby, but when he turned around, his eyes searching, his teeth clenched together at what he saw. For once, he was not angry that Ajax was touching his mate, but because they did not sense the distress on her face nor see how she was not looking at them but staring at the bodies on the ground.

    "Finn! Take her inside!" He snapped and watched as he shook his head, and the pair walked off with A towards the mansion.

    Darius was growling profusely in his mind; they could understand why A was in shock. The scene before them was like nothing they had dealt with before, but death was something they had been ustomed to, just not to this magnitude. Thest time there was more than one death, it was the time when the rogues attacked, taking many, including Chiara''s mate.

    Damon looked at Chiara, and he could see her impassive face cracking ever so slightly; her eyes were showing a vulnerability he did not darement on.

    "Gamma Chiara," Damon barked, snapping the she-wolf out of her reverie, "You and Nairi make hot drinks for the family members in the packhouse." Hemanded.

    The Gamma nodded, her eyes showing relief before returning to the packhouse, where Nairi was already making hot drinks in the kitchen. Chiara helped serve them to the family members who sat in the living room and the two dining rooms.

    A was sitting at the kitchen ind with Finn and Ajax by her sides, each drinking a hot drink. A and Ajax opted for hot chocte, and Finn stuck to a tea. A knew she had to be better at such situations in the future-

    "There better not be any more like this in the future," Malia growled.

    A nodded her head, "I know. But I need to be stronger than this. I didn''t know them, but this is my pack, and I need to be there for the family members."

    "What''s going on?" Finn asked gently.

    "Gabriel was here," A whispered. Both men took a sharp intake of breath.

    "Did he do this?" Finn queried, scrutinising her face.

    "I think so.." A whispered again before reaching into her pocket for the letter.

    Unlike earlier, she hadn''t paid too much attention to it as she hid it in the jacket. It stared at her in her hands; she could see blood sttered on the top of the paper.

    "What''s that?" Ajax looked over her shoulder, as usual, a little too close. A rolled her eyes and began opening the envelope.

    All three of them raised their brows when they read the words on the paper:

    <em>They were plotting against you. You''re wee, - C</em>

 Chapter 72 - The Letter

    A stared at the neat, cursive writing left on the letter from Gabriel.

    "Plotting against you.." Ajax muttered.

    Finn shook his head, "Even so, you don''t murder them all like that."

    "There''s a better way in murdering them!?" Ajax retorted.

    "Why is everything a joke with you-"

    While the two men argued and discussed further about the letter and Gabriel''s actions, A kept reading it and re-reading it as well as going through what he said in the forest.

    "He''s signed it with a ''C'' though. Are you certain it was Gabriel?" Ajax directed his question at A, gaining her attention away from her thoughts.

    A whipped her head to look into his emerald, green eyes, "It was definitely him. I saw him in the forest."

    "Passing by?" Ajax probed further, still not convinced by her words.

    "No. He usedpulsion on me not to move, and he just.. talked to me." A nced down at the letter again before continuing in a firm voice, "It was him."

    Finn took the letter from A, bringing it close to his face and analysed it, "I wonder, his writing style is neat. This looks like he used a fountain pen. He could have been in a rush and not finish the letter properly. After all, he did kill 13 people."

    A sighed in frustration. She leaned her elbow on the countertop, her head atop her hand while taking a sip from her mug of hot chocte. A nced around and was relieved to find no one near them to listen to their discussion. It was times like these that she wished Ajax was a werewolf so they could mind-link with him.

    "Let''s keep this to ourselves. The pack does not need to know about this." A lifted the letter back up, "Or that I am the reason for their losses," She whispered harshly.

    "It is not your fault. They were plotting against you. You are their Luna!" Finn whisper-shouted, "They sealed their fate the moment they decided to make ns."

    "Either way, honey, they would be dead. Gabriel just brought their execution forwards," Ajax added with a grim smile that didn''t reach his eyes.

    "What was that?" A deep voice reverberated through the kitchen. A turned around in her seat, already knowing who it was, and grimaced when she saw Damon and Beta Kane marching into the kitchen. Before she could respond, more pack members entered the room with Chiara and Nairi, who turned on the kettle once again and leant against the counter side across from A and the guys.

    "There is something we need to discuss," A said, ncing at the neers "in your office?"

    Damon narrowed his eyes a fraction, not enough for others to see, but A could tell. Damon knew something was up, especially after A mentioned knowing the vampire in the woods and now they had graves to dig.

    "Come." Damon turned his back on them and led the way to his office. Beta Kane walked by his side, while A, Finn and Ajax followed behind; the letter ced inside her jacket pocket again.

    Along the corridor towards the library, A suddenly stopped, and like before, the guys halted, nearly bumping into her. She stared wide-eyed at nothing in particr in front of her. Damon heard the squeak of trainers behind him and swivelled around to see what themotion was. He blinked in surprise by the look on A''s face. Once again, the colour drained from her face as she stared at the ground and the walls.

    "This is where we stoppedst time.. Is her memorying back?" Ajax whispered.

    "I don''t know," Finn shrugged nonchntly, but his face was full of concern, "she''s been through a lot. Again."

    "So much.. blood." A barely whispered.

    Damon''s brows drew together after hearing Ajax and Finn talk about A''s lost memories. Her words, however, caught him off guard. Damon was hit with the realisation that the hallway they were in was one of few when her parents were murdered, to have been left with countless bodies. The wolves that stayed to guard them.

    A gulped with unshed tears in her eyes. Before her, her vision flickered in and out from the present to what she initially presumed was her hallucinating. But it was too much of a coincidence. There was not one but a few bodies scattered around the hallway, fresh blood staining the walls, bloodied w marks, bullet holes and shell casings along the ground. She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes, calming her erratic heart.

    "That''s it. Just breath," Malia coaxed her softly.

    Damon stepped slowly towards her, raising his hands as he looked down at her gently, "A, baby."

    A tear escaped her eye as she blinked them open and came back to reality, ncing up at her mate. Without uttering another word, she rushed forwards and into Damon''s open arms. He wrapped her in his arms immediately, his embraceforting her, warming her chilled body.

    "I''m here, angel." Damon kissed her on top of her head, away from the bloodied hair. Pulling back, he brought his hands down to her face, so she looked at him; he could see the fear behind her eyes at the unknown. At something, he hoped she would not remember.

    "I''ll always be here for you," He whispered before leaving a gentle kiss on her lips and deepening it after feeling the burning desire to protect her from not just her enemies but her shadows of a bloodied past.

    Once they parted, Damon linked their fingers together, and they walked side by side towards the office, followed by the others who smiled at the pair. Damon opened the door for A to enter first, who cheekily took his seat on the other side of his desk. His eyes burned immediately at her spot, causing her to smile innocently at him. Shaking his head, he switched the sidemp on and walked behind her, leaning against the window ledge.

    His study was dark and only lit with the partial moon behind the clouds shining through the window and themp that still could not kill the shadows in the room. It was how he liked it, but he still sensed the fear in A; she was good atposing herself, even after having a minor breakdown. But the bond seemed to be growing stronger, even without mating or marking. Or he was just more attuned with her; they had spent every day together, sleeping in the same bed since it was known they were mates.

    A watched as the others entered the room. She knew sitting in Damon''s chair was a little risky, but she wanted something else, even if it was Damon''s wrath, to distract her from the shback she witnessed. If that was what it was. Sighing, A shook her head and paid attention to why they were in the room.

    She brought the letter out of her pocket and held it up; Damon took it straight away and read, "Who is C?" His deep voice merged with a growl resounding in the room.

    Beta Kane came forwards and also read the letter, "Do you know the vampire that done this, Luna?"

    A gulped and exined to Kane what she told Damon. Finishing off with the letter she received from Gabriel. By the end of it, Kane had let his golden locks out of his bun, leaving them to fall down to his shoulders in waves. He looked up at Damon, "What do we tell the pack?"

    A spun in the leather seat to face Damon; she could see him deep in thought, his brows creased together, and the muscle in his jaw ticking, "We tell them it was a blood-crazed vampire. Nothing else."

    Finn was the next to speak; from the wall, he leaned against, his arms crossed over, "There is one survivor.. They might find it suspicious that their co-conspirators are all dead."

    "That''s another issue," Kane added, making A swing back around to look at him, "the survivor is Lydia."

    A snarled as Finn snapped, "Of course it is."

    "She''s been rallying werewolves to do what? Stage a mutiny?" Ajax eximed.

    "It would never work," Damon''s growl filled the room, sending a small vibration across the furniture and books, "there''s 13 or 14 who didn''t want A to be Luna against the rest of the pack."

    "That''s 659 to 1 now. Or actually, if Darren is working with Lydia, then 658 to 2," Kane backed Damon up.

    "Lydia''s smart.." A began, her hands were sped together, with her elbows against the desk, her head tilted down, while she spoke pensively, "Conniving and smart. But even if she doese up with Gabriel aiding me.. she has no proof¡­ What happened to Darren?"

    "He''s in one of the cells," Kane answered.

    Silence ascended the group, all lost in thought and tiredness forming on their faces. A nced at each of their faces; shadows were starting to grow under their eyes.

    "So, I will burn this note. And the pack will only know that it was a crazed vampire," A reiterated what Damon said before dismissing them. Wishing them all to get a good night sleep.

    A turned back around to see Damon looking down at her, an eyebrow arched with a slight smile on his lips, "I should just let you run the pack.."

    "Ugh, don''t, I seem to just bring bad luck to it," A raked her hands through her already messy hair.

    "No queen is without her enemies," Damon answered gravely.

    "I''m not even queen yet!" A eximed.

    "But you will be, and Gabriel just helped get rid of some of them," Damon pointed out, "I don''t agree with his methods. But I can''t say I am fully angry with him. Whatever they were nning was big enough for him to wipe out a small group of my werewolves. This also brings about the point that there are vampires powerful enough to take out 13 of my pack members."

 Chapter 73 - Acts Of War

    A rose from the leather seat and walked into Damon''s embrace, leaning into his chiselled chest while being cocooned in his muscr arms along with his woodsy scent that now soothed andforted her aching heart. A sighed in content; her eyes closed as fatigue started to swarm into her mind and body. It had been a very long day. Although she wanted nothing more than to go to bed like the others, they still needed to discuss a few things.

    Pulling back, she looked up at Damon, halting her parted lips when he caressed her cheek. Leaning into his hand, she asked, "Are not all vampires that powerful then?"

    Damon chuckled off a low growl that began escaping his lips, "You were thinking of another man, a vampire, while in my arms?"

    "What!? No! Nothing like that!" A began to protest.

    "He has a point, you know.." Malia smirked; A growled back to her in her mind. A was too tired to deal with her wolf and a jealous mate.

    Damon chuckled again, "I was only teasing."

    His words made A do a double-take at his face; he was serious? Huh, okay.

    Damon sighed and rxed his hand, moving it down her arm and to her hand, while he walked to his chair and sat down, pulling A down with him. She sat sideways on hisp, hooked her arm around his neck and subconsciously began ying with his hair at the back of his neck while she stared into his silver eyes.

    "We havee across rogue vampires before. Even groups. It''s not a first for the pack and most likely not thest at the rate they are going.."

    "What do you mean?" A queried, searching his eyes for the answers.

    "Over thest ten years, the vampires started to be sloppy at leaving bodies, a number of bodies and attacking the packs. But they have never seeded in killing multiple werewolves in one sitting.. Even in the groups. They couldn''t kill so many. And a rogue vampire would.. feed," His face darkened, while his lips twisted in disgust, "and move on."

    "Hmmm, Gabriel did say something about a hierarchy in the vampires. Obviously, we know about the vampire king, if he still exists?" She eyed him, and his nod confirmed the king was still alive, "but there are also other royals. He is one of them."

    Damon narrowed his eyes, "If I didn''t believe he was a friend of yours, his actions could have led to an act of war between the species. I''m still not entirely convinced if he is a friend or foe. You may have been together in the cells, but why would he go out of his way to help you?"

    "I look like someone he used to know.." A spoke her words with weak conviction. But for now, that was what she needed to believe. They became friends in the cells, and he helped get rid of enemies she didn''t know about...

    However, Damon''s words made A shiver. If Gabriel did do it as ''an act of war'', then it wasn''t just the hunters they needed to worry about but the vampires also. She looked off to the side as she began to wonder how many casualties and deaths there would be on both sides, not to mention there would be human casualties too.

    "Hmm, maybe he knew your mum. Or an ancestor of yours? Hey, it''s nothing to worry about!" Damon calmed her swirling thoughts with his soft tone, "For now anyway. We will need to speak to the vampire king soon enough. Something needs to be done about the hunters and the vampires who have been rebelling against his system. A system set in ce for the safety of the humans and werewolves.."

    "And if the king doesn''t listen.. there will be war?" A added, knowing where his thought process was leading. She sighed, "Do we even have the numbers for that?"

    Damon shook his head, "I''m not sure. When the tribes first became werewolves, there weren''t nearly enough of us. But now¡­ there is a hell of a lot more of us, but it could be the same for them."

    A nodded her head, "Well, Gabriel didn''t do it as an act of war. So, I think, for now, we should focus on the hunters and what we should do about them."

    Damon chuckled, "No, angel. Now, we go to bed."

    A blinked at him in surprise, automatically pouting her lips as his softly met hers. Damon pulled back and said, "We don''t need to solve all of the pack''s issues right now. I love that you want to, but it''s gone three in the morning. We need to sleep."

    "What about the families? Don''t we need to check on them?" A asked as worry formed in the back of her eyes while she stared into his darkshed silver orbs.

    "I mind-linked Chiara, and she said they have all gone back to their homes now. We can check in on them tomorrow," He replied before leaving a kiss on her cheek and began to rise up.

    A stood up and sighed, "Okay. Sleep sounds wonderful right about now.." She stretched her neck one way and then the other before following Damon back out of his office, turning themp off as she went.

    They walked in afortable silence; however, there was still a sexual tension surging through them, but their fatigue was winning over their urges to sleep together. The pair began walking past the grand doors that were to the library, and A came to a sudden stop. Her brows drew together as she felt this burning urge to go in there.

    "A?" Damon''s deep voice almost snapped her out of her reverie. She could hear him, feel his presence behind her, but there was something in her mind, telling her to go inside the library.

    A relented to this spell that consumed her mind, and she opened the doors in front of her. Her legs walked forwards almost robotically, as though she was not the one in control of them.

    "Malia, is this you?" A asked her wolf.

    "No.. But I don''t feel threatened.. it feels.. like we need to go in here.." Malia said dreamily.

    "Same.."

    "A, what''s going on?" Damon rounded to face her, but he stopped when he saw her eyes glowing an electric blue and looked at him without truly seeing him. She did not register who Damon was at that moment except for a person in her way.

    Without responding, she walked around him and towards one of the bookcases. Damon followed behind, and his brows raised when he saw her move a few books in a pattern, a pattern he too knew about. A secret design he had only seen twice before but never used. It was not his ce to use it.

    At that moment, he realised A''s memories woulde back to her soon, especially being in her family home and the path that they would soon be walking down.

    A grabbed a thick, blue leather book and pulled it out at an angle, which immediately caused a loud mechanic ''click'' sound from behind it.

    The bookcase opened a fraction.

 Chapter 74 - Hidden Truths : Part One

    [Music Rmendation: The Imitation Game by Alexandre Dest, London Symphony Orchestra]

    **

    The bookcase opened a fraction, so A hooked her fingers over the wood, where the small entrance was. Just before she started to prise it open, another ''click'' sound made her jump and yelp as she felt something prick her finger. A pulled her hand back and looked down at the small wound on her index finger that had a small pool of blood raised on it now. It also caused A to snap out of the spell she was in.

    Suddenly, a small rumbling sound came from the bookshelf, and the pair stepped back as the furniture opened by itself, showing a darkened, grey stone hallway behind it. A peered into it, but even with her heightened eyesight, she could only see a long medieval type of hallway that seemed to go on and on.

    She stepped back again and analysed the mechanics of the bookcase. In a tiny slot on the side, she could see the small sharp end that stabbed her finger, now folded together so as not to prick anyone else. A took a step forwards to the long hallway entrance, and it lit up immediately by the torches on the wall''s sides. In shock, she looked at Damon, who in response took a deep breath in and lent her his hand.

    His small action made A''s brows knit together. He seemed nervous; she had never seen that look in his eyes before, so before they took that next step, she asked, "What is it?"

    Damon curled his lips up into a small smile, a smile that didn''t reach his tired eyes, "Nothing. I am just worried about you." He squeezed her hand before raising it up and leaving a kiss on it, "Come on. You need to see what''s behind here."

    "You know of this ce?" Her eyes were wide now, more in shock that Damon knew of this little secret in the Cross-family home.

    "I have only been here twice¡­" He trailed off. She waited for him to expand more on his answer, but he did not and instead took a step forwards, urging her to do the same.

    As soon as her feet made contact with the hallway, she nearly jumped back at the two small figures she saw in front of her. Were they ghosts? It was a small outline, but it was vaguely familiar. Instead of being fearful, she watched in wonder and curiosity as their shapes began filling out with their features.

    But before she could get a grasp on what their faces looked like, the small boy and girl turned around, holding hands, and ran down the hallway. A expected to hearughter, but dread ensnares her when she hears the girl''s cries and the boy trying tofort her and motivate her to keep moving. A reassuring squeeze on her hand lured her back into the present; she looked up at Damon and immediately feels better by his presence.

    If she was alone right now, could she do this by herself? Whatever led her to this ce seemed to lead her to something crucial. Maybe, something that would unlock her memories.

    The pair continued at a slow pace through the hallway; they were walking down a gradual slope that led to some near crumbling rocky stairs by the end of it. A ced her foot on the first step tentatively, and gradually put her weight onto it, while Damon held onto her elbow as well as her hand for stability in case it did break away. She let go of him and led the way. The stairs were not big enough for two people to walk side by side.

    When A looked down, she could see it was quite a steep drop, but the torches kept lighting up, five sequentially before her as they descended the steps. She could see the bottom, and the height was not that great, so if they did fall, the injury would be minor.

    Once they made it to the lower level, there was an arch before them that led to a grand room. Before A took another step, the two small children flickered in front of her again; she stared into the space they were at while Damon looked at her with creased brows. A was not moving, but her eyes widened as she stared into the dark room.

    Before her eyes, the room lit up to show the grand space in all its glory. The children ran and stopped in front of a ss case mounted on the wall, which seemed to hold shotguns. There was a lock on the front with no signs of a key. A watched in horror as the small boy grabbed amp and smashed it into the case. The ss shattered and flew across the ground; the girl turned her head away from the flying shards.

    A''s brows raised when she saw the little girls face. She narrowed her eyes, trying to absorb the girl''s details. Although she could see these children, she did not realise who she was watching was herself as an eight-year-old child. A presumed they were ghosts as there was no colour in this memory of hers. If so, she would have figured it out earlier due to her hair colour being snow white.

    The girl''s face turned back to the little boy, who now held a shotgun in one hand and grabbed the girl''s hand in the other. The pair sprinted off down another hallway. A blinked, and the figures faded away like smoke in the wind. She realised she had not taken another step, and the grand room was still in the dark.

    A took a deep breath in before stepping forwards, and all at once, the room lit up. The magnificent chandelier with all its candles set alight, and the torches on the walls were aze. A didn''t pay any heed to the rest of the room as she walked towards the far end and raised her hand to the shattered ss case. There was a missing space next to four shotguns clipped inside.

    A nced back down after a crunching sound filled therge room; she had identally stepped on the shattered ss that still remained on the floor. Turning around, she found Damon watching her. A frowned and tilted her head to the side. A flicker of recognition shed across her eyes.

    When she first met Damon, she felt as though she had met him before¡­

 Chapter 75 - Hidden Truths: Part Two

    When she first met Damon, she felt as though she had met him before¡­

    A stood across from Damon in the hidden room below the mansion. The pair watched the other. A''s face became curious as she stepped closer to him; the bond was tugging at her to go to him also.

    "Damon," She whispered.

    He stepped towards her, almost breaking her away from the shock of realisation that she knew Damon as a child.

    "You and I were childhood friends?" Her voice was low as her eyes flickered across his features.

    "Yes, we were."

    "W-why didn''t you say anything?" She stammered.

    Damon took another step towards her, "Some of our memories together are dark, filled with blood, A. I didn''t want to bring something up that could be a trigger for you. You''ve been through a lot in a short period of time."

    A looked to the side, understanding his reasoning, but he could have been another source offort when she first re-joined the pack. It may have also sped up the agonising, mate and marking process. A sighed to herself. Her memories were still jumbled, with only flickers of images appearing of the pair of them as children. However, she was more confident now that Damon was her childhood friend; his appearance was evident in her mind now.

    "I understand," She said tiredly.

    "What do you remember?" Damon queried.

    "We were running through here from something? You broke into that case and took a shotgun.. That''s as much as I can remember.." A trailed off. She wished her memories woulde back to her already, even in one go. Get it over with, cry if they were that bad, then move on.

    Damon nodded his head before raking his hand through his long, tousled locks. He searched her eyes, "We were escaping the mansion from the hunters.."

    A tilted her head to the side and felt a headache forming.

    "It was the night of your parent''s murder."

    The pounding in her head intensified; she clenched her eyes shut, and sping the bridge of her nose, willing the pain to die down. She opened her eyes, and her vision flickered as a memory fragment formed before her.

    [15 years ago..]

    Footsteps pounded across the marble floors, echoing through the halls. Gunshots sted in the distance, making A jump and cower down to the ground, her little hands over her head.

    "Come on!" A young boy''s voice reached her ears. She looked up to see Damon rushing back to her side and lifting the frightened girl up.

    "We need. We need to keep going. Follow Dam Dam," Malia wailed in A''s mind.

    She nodded her head and clung to Dam Dam''s hand. More gunshots rang down the halls, but A kept up her pace with Dam Dam as they snuck between hallways. He suddenly came to a halt at a corner and yanked her hand back behind him when she continued to go further. Once behind him, he turned and raised a finger to his lips. A nodded her head and kept herself against the wall while Dam Dam leaned his head out.

    BANG

    BANG

    A jumped at how loud and close the shots were. Her forehead creased, and fear kept radiating through her body; she was shaking. But one look at Damon''s calm demeanour pacified her. He would protect her. They would protect each other. They made a pinky promise after all, and no one breaks a pinky promise.

    A looked down after something shiny caught her attention; It was a silver bullet shell rolling past them.

    "Boss thinks they had a kid."

    "Do we know what he or she looks like?"

    "No."

    "Then how the hell are we going to find the mutt?"

    "It has white hair, like the wolf queen."

    The goons grumbled some more before A heard their footsteps running off. A tug at her hand indicated it was safe to leave their hiding spot. They began to run again.

    "Don''t look down, A. Keep looking at the ceiling!" Dam Dam warned. She pursed her lips and, for once, followed his orders.

    The only issue was, A couldn''t see where she was going. Only relying on Dam Dam, following behind him by his hand. As they passed by some objects on the floor, A didn''t see the liquid coating the surface and her pink shoe slipped.

    A''s hands iled out to stop the brunt of the fall. Her knees smacked harshly onto the wet ground, and her handsnded in something warm and sticky. Her doe-like eyes widened even more when she caught sight of the blood her hands and knees were in. She looked to her sides and saw two bodies; the one on her right was one of her bodyguards. Hey there, with holes in his chest, blood seeping out, his ssy eyes looking up.

    A gasped, inhaling deeply and felt herself about to scream until a hand covered her mouth. Her tearful face looked up into a pair of fierce stormy eyes. Dam Dam.

    "That''s right, A. Just watch me. You''re okay.." He helped her up and, this time, put her on his back. Her arms clung around his neck and hid her face in the back of his hoody, clenching her eyes shut. She felt the vibrations and jarring of her body from where he ran through the halls.

    "Dam Dam will save us. We will be out soon.." Malia consoled her, and it seemed like she was reassuring herself. A could hear the thickness in her wolf''s voice. She, too, had been crying.

    "We a-are safe. But mum.."

    "I know," Malia interrupted with a hup.

    "And daaaad¡­" A clenched her eyes shut even more and let the silent tears flow down her face. Soaking the top part of Dam Dam''s hoody.

    A gasped as her vision of the present-day reformed around her. She found herself standing in the mysterious room below the mansion once again. The here and now settled around her; she felt slightly disorientated, going from a little eight year old''s height in her mind to her adult height now.

    Tears glistened in her crystal blue eyes; she was staring back into Damon''s perfectly sculpted features. His eyes were filled with concern, and his huge hands covered her shoulders.

    "A, are you okay? I''ve been calling your name.."

    A searched his eyes and raised her hand, brushing across his stubbled jaw.

    "Dam Dam."

 Chapter 76 - Hidden Truths: Part Three

    "Dam Dam."

    Damon''s eyes crinkled at the nickname A used to call him when they were kids. They first met when she was five and stubbornly changed his name, not because she couldn''t pronounce it. No, the girl said she didn''t like his name. She ignored his constant protests until he relented, and it finally stuck.

    "You remembered?" Damon asked her.

    "Not all of it. Just parts of that night.." A trailed off, "I guess we escaped?" Damon nodded his head, "Thank you."

    His brows drew together in confusion, "For?"

    "Rescuing me? Helping me escape.. That''s twice now, actually¡­"

    Damon shook his head before closing the small gap between them; he lowered his head so their foreheads were touching, "There''s no need to thank me, A. We pinky promised to protect each other," He winked before iming her lips and tangling his hands in her hair. She responded with a small moan and let him dominate her mouth. When they parted, breathlessly, A could see his eyes flickering like a light between Darius trying to take control and Damon. What was evident was the desire burning in them.

    A desire that reflected in her own. But she resisted the urge to get hot and sweaty in a strange room. Pulling back, she sighed and slipped past Damon; she swivelled around in the grand room. Her eyes settled on a ss counter, revealing a crown on the inside of it.

    Her brows drew together; she was so focused on her lost childhood memories that she didn''t register the furniture in the room they were in. A nced around at her surroundings; she felt as though she''d found the ''bat cave''. It looked simr to a museum with relics showcased and weapons hanging on the walls.

    Not to mention the dead, rich parents..

    "Oh, honey. That was too dark, even for you.." Malia said. But dark humour was what got her through things, sometimes.

    "What is this ce?" A stepped up to the ss with the golden crown in, admiring it and guessing how old it was. She used her arm to wipe away the top coat of dust from the ss so she could see the crown better.

    Damon came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, letting his nose rest in the nape of her neck and inhaled deeply, "Hmmm, I don''t know what it''s called, but these underground rooms have been here for centuries."

    A turned her head to look at him, her lips parted in shock, "Centuries!? The mansion isn''t that old, surely?"

    Damon shook his head, "No, it''s not that old. There was a fire in the original building, but these underground rooms and tunnels didn''t get caught in it. It holds all of the Cross diaries, old weapons like the swords over there.. I guess anything you need, even escape routes, like the passage we took."

    "And you''ve only been here twice?" A spun on the spot, leaning against the ss counter now, Damon''s hands still rested on her hips, sending little sparks of desire to her core. Again, she ignored it and focused.

    "Yeah. The first time was with your mum.. and then the second time was with you.."

    "My mum?" A waited for him to exin further.

    "Yeah, a week before.. well, before they were killed, actually. She was the one to show me the escape route.. As a kid, I didn''t think much of it. Until the hunters attacked.. As we''ve said before, your parents knew something was going to happen and needed to secure your safety.."

    A bit the inside of her cheek in thought, "That''s a lot of responsibility for a 12 year-old.. But in the years you were here without me.. you never thought about returning down here? I mean, no offence, but you could have at least cleaned the ce up.. there''s ss still on the floor, dust on the counters.."

    Damon chuckled, "You had guards as well. I think they knew the escape routes as well, but they died along the way, and it was just us two.. And If I could enter here, I would have."

    "What do you mean? If you could?" A wasn''t sure if fatigue was making her silly, and she couldn''t keep up with him or if there was some information she was missing.

    Damon sighed, "You have to be a Cross to enter down here. Or, in our case, have someone of the Cross bloodline to gain entry down here. Looks like your ancestors knew some witches back then as well.. It''s bound by magic, and the only way to open the bookcase fully is with your blood. The Cross blood."

    A lifted her hand up and looked at her small bump on her finger where she had been pricked, "Hmmm, looks like my ancestors were tough on security even then."

    "It seems like it. But there is quite a lot down here that does need to be in a secure location. Look around, relics that historians would cherish and want in a museum, and you have your family portraits in another room looking like an art gallery."

    A looked at the grand room; the candlelight chandelier gave it a spooky and rxed atmosphere. Damon stepped back when she started looking at some of the pieces in the counters and the weapons on the walls. Her crystal-blue eyes were lit up in awe at such wondrous objects. Turning around, she asked, "Where are the paintings?"

    Damon began leading her down another hallway that lit upon their entry. There were cobwebs above them, but A tried not to look for the spiders that spun them. She shuddered and distracted herself, "Are my parents in there?"

    "Yeah, when I was here with your mum.. I saw it, and the ce used to be spotless. I think she used to use one of the rooms down here. It looked quite lived in."

    A''s brows drew together, "What a strange woman my mum was.. The mansion is huge! What would she want down here?"

    "Maybe peace and quiet from the pack?" Damon shrugged before opening a door for her to enter.

    "True, but mind-links don''t really give you that option of hiding away.." A trailed off as she walked to the first portrait in the room that stood out to her.

    In a golden frame was a painting of her parents, and in between them was her as a child. A sighed,paring her eyes to her mothers, seeing the resemnce and no difference in their eyes at all. What did Gabriel mean? She nced at her dad and felt the tears fall again. Her makeup was definitely ruined from the night.

    Her dad sat there with the eight year-old A sitting on hisp. Like most of the men in the pack, he was a big man, but he looked to be an impressive 6ft6, his body wide, packed full of muscles that you could see underneath the suit he wore. A tattoo covered one of his hands, the image of a wolf furiously baring its teeth. She knew her dad was a good-looking man, anyone could see that, and to look at the couple, her parents, sitting next to each other was quite a sight. They were both beautiful and powerful.

    His dark features shed against her mum''s paleplexion, but together they somehow matched. Her dad, Titus, had dark green-brown eyes that swirled with knowledge among his years, yet his face was young looking for his age. His brown hair and beard went well with his oliveplexion. Sighing, she looked between the pair, not seeing any resemnce of her father in her, but from what a few pack members had said, she somehow did resemble him, and that at least made her feel better.

    Damon was walking past and observing the other paintings, shaking his head at how one person had white hair in each image. As was what the Cross'' were well known for. He continued walking until thest painting, a painting that seemed the oldest and possibly one of the first to be put in the room. His eyes widened when he nced from the male in the picture to the female standing next to him.

    "A¡­."

    A turned around from another painting she was checking out and reached out for Damon, only toe to a short stop when she saw the painting he was looking at. The white-haired female looked exactly like her, and when she looked at the golden que nailed to the wall, she read the name Gabriel initially called her.

    Amelia Cross.

 Chapter 77 - Ancestry

    [Authors Note: All updated now!]

    **

    A''s mouth flopped open, but she quickly recovered herself and walked to stand by Damon''s side. The painting in front of them showed a couple, her ancestors. The paint and styling of the portrait seemed to be of the ssical lighting and use of paints from the medieval era. A nced back down to the que that read:

    The first Alpha King and Queen of Silver Crescent Pack:

    Alpha Mathias Cross and Luna Amelia Cross.

    1549.

    There was no doubt that Amelia was her ancestor; they looked identical. Amelia''s features were sharp and very pale, even with the dark lighting and dull paints used. What stood out the most, other than her luminous white hair, which was pulled back in a half-up hairstyle, was her eyes. A stepped closer to assess them, they were also crystal blue, but there seemed to be another colour in them.

    A stood on her tiptoes to observe even more. Amelia''s eyes had flecks of brown in them. The artist did a brilliant job capturing them and putting so much detail into his craft. So, was that what Gabriel meant? Her eyes were more abnormal than her own.

    She couldn''t help but turn her head one way and then the other. The painting also captured a hardness, a coldness to Amelia''s striking features, as though the woman was strict or calctive.

    "Was this who your vampire friend knew?"

    A jumped on the spot and stepped away from the painting. Her eyes not leaving the image in front of them. She forgot Damon was in the room with her; she didn''t even know-how as the bond felt like a tethered rope wrapped around her stomach and constantly pulling on her to be closer to him. It was an evesting reminder of who she belonged to, along with her tiny scar that was a partial mark on her corbone.

    "I think she''s the one. Gabriel called me Amelia when we first met.." She replied, her eyes still analysing the painting.

    Amelia wore a dark red dress with long sleeves, almost showing off her fair skin and pale hair more, the small tiara dazzling with blue gems. While by her side, Mathias wore a ck tunic and jacket embellished with golden patterns at his sleeves and wore a golden crown on his head of short curly raven hair. His dark blue eyes had minor wrinkles in the corner, showing off his older age to that of Amelia, or they wereughter lines, something she couldn''t see Amelia doing with that cold look.

    A shuddered after ncing back at Amelia''s face.

    Damon nodded his head in thought, "How well do you think they knew each other?"

    A removed her gaze from the painting and turned her head to face Damon, "What do you mean?"

    "A, I think your friend is up to something. No one. Especially a pureblood vampire does what he did to ''help you''¡­"

    "Wait.. wait. Hold on," A rubbed her temples, the shadows under her eyes growing, "What''s a ''pure blood'' vampire? Gabriel is a royal? And please, try and exin more.. my head feels like it''s about to explode."

    A knew she was getting cranky and emotional; she felt her eyes stinging because she was frustrated at not understanding something basic and needing Damon to spell everything out for her. Fatigue does that to a person. Malia agreed with her; A could feel her wolf''s bubbling aggression very near the surface, and there was nothing to be angry with.

    Damon raked his hand through his hair, messing it up even more but flicking it back out the way of his face, "Maybe we should go to bed for now. We can speakter.."

    "No," A replied stubbornly. Damon raised a brow with amusement shing across his eyes, "tell me now and then we can go to bed."

    Damon reached out and pulled her into an embrace, making her stiff posture immediately melt. Her head was against his chest, and she could feel the steady beat of his heart and feel the warmth radiating off him, almost luring her to go to sleep in his arms, there and then. Damon leaned his face into the side of her neck before responding,

    "What I mean is.. Gabriel may have been a very close ''friend'' of Amelia''s. They could have been lovers.."

    A pulled back immediately and searched his eyes that reflected back the seriousness behind his statement. Her forehead creased, "But she was mated to the Alpha King.. to," A turned her head around and checked his name, "to Mathias Cross."

    "They might have been something before Mathias was in the picture. Just how you had boyfriends before me.."

    A''s eyes narrowed, a splurge of paranoia coursed through her, "How do you know I had boyfriends before you?" Although she felt paranoid, she kept her hands on his waist.

    "Jeese, A. It was a guess.. You''re 23.. I didn''t expect you not to be with anyone else before me," His voice broke at the end, hurt shed across his features and left within a blink of an eye.

    "I mean.. I could have been single.." A began and stopped when she saw him look at her pointedly. She relented and dragged her hand over her face, "Sorry, sorry," she muttered quietly, "but Amelia looks to be the same age as me, maybe even younger? Back then, it was improper to have rtions other than with your husband or, in this case.. her mate?"

    "I''m sure that didn''t stop people, though.." Damon disagreed while ying with the zip on his jacket she wore.

    That''s true.." A sighed, remembering the look of longing in Gabriel''s eyes and the pained look he gave her when they first met. Maybe Damon was right. But what would he possibly gain from helping her? Shaking her head, she was happy with the idea that he did it out of friendship. Ignorance was bliss right now.

    "What did you mean by a vampire being pureblood?" She asked.

    "It''s just a term they use for the royals. It means a vampire with pure blood.. Born as a vampire. Not created by turning a human into a vampire.." Damon exined.

    "Oh, I see. Okay, I think that''s all the exploring I want to do for tonight.. I feel like a walking zombie or something." A yawned at the end, covering her mouth with her hand.

    Damon chuckled and lifted her up bridal style.

    "Hey," A squealed, "I didn''t mean you had to carry me.."

    "Are you reallyining?" Damon''s head lowered, so their faces were close together, making her cheeks flush a rosy hue. A also felt slightly flustered; every movement of his sent vibrations through her, and all she could feel was the firm muscles beneath his clothes. That little detail seemed to wake up her body. It was like throwing cold water on her face, except it wasn''t water but a me setting alight in her loins.

    "Hmm, if we want to sleep, I suggest you put me down.." A bit her lip and looked away from his devilishly handsome features and his dark silver orbs that seemed to prate straight through her. The look in his eyes was irresistible, and if she continued looking into them, she would cave into what they both wanted. But their bodies would not handle it, or maybe just hers?

    A got the sense that he would bang her hard to the point that he would not let her walk for a week. She needed to make sure she had eight hours of sleep, food in her system and water by her side, ready for that pounding.

    Damon chuckled and let her down once they were in the hallway again. A skipped ahead, putting a little distance between them with her slightly renewed sexual energy. But she came to an abrupt stop. Another door to the side was padlocked and covered in years of cobwebs, which caught her attention.

    "A.. you wanted to sleep.."

    Her eyes were drawn to the lock. They were literally underground, away from anyone discovering such items unless they had her blood to enter. So what would her parents or ancestors need to hide? From the door''s appearance, it looked like nobody had opened the door for ages.

    "A.." Damon knew that look; he sighed, not even needing to ask her if she wanted to go inside. Instead, he said, "This is thest room we check out before bed."

    He checked his phone, "It''s gone 4am. If there wasn''t a massacre in the packst night, we would still get up for training. And there are no excuses allowed."

    A nodded, but she was excited to see what was behind the door. Damon put his phone away and grabbed a torch from the wall, waving it across the webs, removing them. A jumped behind Damon''s back after seeing a giant spider crawling away.

    Damonughed, "Still afraid of spiders, huh?"

    A was taken back by his question. It was surreal that he knew her when they were kids. Later she would ask more about them growing up. But for now, she wanted to see what was behind the mystery door and then go to bed.

 Chapter 78 - The Mystery Door

    Damon continued to use the torch as a means to move the cobwebs out of the way. A stood behind him, watching in anticipation; she felt like Indiana Jones on a quest for treasure or artefacts, whatever it was that kinky professor with a whip did. A shifted her weight from each foot, deciding if Damon looked good with a hat on or not.

    "Damon with a hat and whip.. Hmm, quite the hench Indiana Jones there.." Malia snickered.

    "I know who I''d pick. Damon is definitely hotter.." A murmured as her eyes were locked on the door that had a silver padlock on.

    Damon finished removing the cobwebs and the spiders that fled to the ceiling. She shuddered again and then reached forwards to touch the padlock; she hissed in pain and retracted her hand.

    "What did you do that for?!" Damon growled and grabbed her hand, turning it over to see the burnt skin slowly healing.

    "I wanted to check if it was pure silver.." A grimaced and pouted, looking down at her fingers.

    Damon looked at her bbergasted, "I am quite certain it was silver.. I wouldn''t have even tried to check!"

    A looked back up at his robust features, "But why is there silver in a house full of werewolves?" What was her family hiding?

    Damon looked back at the door with narrowed eyes, "I guess we will find out. Hold on." He jogged down the hallway grumbling about how A was troublesome and went out of her way to hurt herself. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, waiting patiently with her foot tapping by the disappearance of her mate.

    He arrived back with a shotgun in his hand. A did a double-take, "I''m sorry.. what do you expect to do with that?"

    "Shoot the lock off¡­" Damon looked in the barrel before cocking the gun and aiming at the padlock.

    A backed away and covered her ears, "Are you sure that works? I feel like movies fake this sort of-"

    BANG!

    She jumped on the spot from how loud the gunshot was. It elicited the memory of gunshots from the night of the hunter''s attack on the mansion and the night when she escaped them a month ago. The padlock opened and dropped to the floor; other parts of the door had bullet holes scattered across it, also from the shotgun.

    Damon kept the gun raised as he tentatively walked towards the door; with one swift kick, the door swung open. Tension filled the air from the ominous presence in the darkened room. They held their breaths, waiting for something to jump out at them. When nothing did jump out at them, A strolled forwards against Damon''s grunted wishes and walked through the doorframe.

    The moment her foot passed the entryway, the torches set alight on the walls along with the wooden chandelier filled with candles. Cobwebs were woven across parts of the torches and chandelier, making A nce at the high ceilings in case a spider decided tond on her. She stopped and looked around the chamber made from stone; the room had a chill to it, causing a shiver to run down her spine. The arched ceilings were held up with pirs, and the sound of the wavering mes and the dripping of water was all that could be heard in an otherwise silent room.

    Damon was close behind her now, his hands still on the shotgun, but pointed down by his side. A stepped forwards; her eyes were now locked on a stone coffin raised above the ground at the far end of the room. Her brows drew together as she approached it, her hand reached out towards it, but Damon smacked it away. She looked at him, confused.

    "Don''t touch anything, A. Have you never watched any adventure films?" Damon chastised. A bit her lip, holding back a chuckle. This was the first time she had seen Damon seeming normal, like your everyday hunky man that liked to watch movies without the weight of a pack or two on their shoulders.

    She raised her hands in surrender, "Okay, okay. I just want to see who''s in there. And why the hell was this ce locked up?"

    A continued to walk forwards and looked down at the stony coffin:

    <em>Herein lies Amelia Cross, mother, wife, and Queen.</em>

    That was it; there was no other writing on the tomb. Across from Amelia''s grave was Mathias''s with the exact engraving:

    <em>Herein lies Mathias Cross, father, husband, King.</em>

    The tension left A''s shoulders, and she sighed, "Well, that was disappointing. What''s through there?"

    A pointed her chin at another door adjoining the room. This was also covered in cobwebs and a silver padlock. Damon removed the cobwebs with the shotgun before sting another set of bullets into the lock. He kicked the door open and marched straight through this time. A followed behind and peered around his broad back, another tomb was in the middle, but the top seemed to be broken.

    Rubble was scattered on the ground. A crept forwards by Damon''s side as she nced around the chamber before her eyesnded on the skeleton lying inside the tomb. A rolled her eyes as if she would find anything else in a grave. But her eyes narrowed when she saw a bloodied handprint on the side of it.

    Damon inspected the walls, where some shelves seemed to be attached to the wall along with some dusty books. While A went closer to the tomb, she removed her eyes from the handprint and nced at the rubble on the ground. Unlike her ancestor''s tombs in the other room, this one still had some writing engraved into the stone though it was in pieces. Though bits were missing, it only appeared to be part of a name: Cass

    Her brows knitted together, Cass? What could that be short for? Who was this? Why were they locked up even more than Amelia and Mathias? There were rusted chains on the ground as well, looking as though the tomb wasn''t enough to keep a dead person in.

    "Unless they weren''t dead? Maybe they were buried alive?" Malia suggested. A''s brows raised as she blinked slowly, contemting what could have possibly happened in the past.

    "But if they were sealed in a tomb made out of stone.. something they couldn''t lift.. Unless, of course, they were a werewolf.." A trailed off as she approached the tomb again, inspecting the inside of it and finding even more chains at the bottom, where the skeleton''s feety.

    She sighed and muttered aloud, "These chains must have been wrapped around this person.. There''s no way they could have got out of it.."

 Chapter 79 - Nearly Made It To Bed

    Damon walked back to her side; after assessing the tomb and the bloodied handprint, he asked, "What do you think happened?"

    A''s eyes flickered across the tomb, "I think whoever was in this escaped."

    Damon frowned, tilting his head to the side, "But there is a skeleton in there.."

    "True. But I think this person made the mistake ofing in here and was reced as a body in there. Look, the chains are by their feet, the top of this tomb is destroyed, and there is a bloodied handprint.." A pointed out.

    "Okay, detective.. then what?" He asked; his tone was yful. She looked up at him and saw a flicker of amusement sh behind his silver orbs.

    A shrugged with a chuckle, "I don''t know! I wasn''t there! It just seems a little fishy.. But whatever it was, it happened centuries ago, so I''m not worried."

    Damon chuckled, "Okay, I think, now that we have checked out the spooky room, which is, in fact, a crypt underneath your mansion.. It''s time for bed."

    "Yep, I am happy with this choice. Lead the way!" A pped her hands together, excited to soon be under the covers and snuggling with her Alpha. She followed behind him in the cold, eery crypt and felt much better after closing the door behind her. Damon ced the shotgun back in the broken ss case, reached for her hand, intertwined their fingers, and led her down another hallway.

    "Where are we going? Isn''t the exit the way we came?" She asked, exhrated by seeing more of the underground secret rooms but at the same time feeling her eyes beginning to get droopy. Maybe he was leading her to one of those rooms her mother used to use.

    "There are a few exits. This is quicker," Damon''s deep voice echoed through the dark corridor that lit two torches ahead of them as they walked up a long slope.

    More like a hill!

    A was bending her knees a lot and was muttering to herself about how she would have preferred the stairs. Damon''s fingers squeezed her own, silencing her whining as they approached a locked door; he looked at her expectantly. Her eyes went from the entrance to him, wondering what she was meant to do when there were no instructions.

    "Are we just gonna stand here?" She raised her hand toward the door.

    Damon shook his head, "It needs your blood to exit."

    "I''m sorry, what? I''m not going to keep stabbing myself to enter and exit this dam area!" A eximed in disbelief but put her hand on the cobwebbed doorknob anyway.

    Grimacing when a thick, ck spider scattered away, and the palm of her hand was suddenly cut. The sound of locks opening indicated the door was now open. She pushed on the door, and it swung open, revealing Damon''s office. A walked through with her forehead creased. Damon closed the bookcase behind him, and she walked back to it, cing her hands on the side of the wall to check for any signs that it was a door. But she detected none.

    "You knew about that the whole time?!" A asked, stunned. She didn''t know why, though she was bing dramatic due tock of sleep. She wiped her clean, non-bloodied hand over one of her dry eyes.

    "I did," His baritone voice rumbled through her as he crossed his arms, showcasing his bulging biceps. Now, she wouldn''t mind him carrying her; maybe she could fall asleep in his arms.

    A didn''t realise her eyes were lingering on Damon''s arms and not answering something he said. Damon chuckled with one brow raised, "A¡­ A.."

    "Hmm?" She sighed dreamily.

    Damon rushed over to her and swept her off her feet, so she was once again bridal style in his arms, "Better?"

    She snuggled into his chest, "Much." And within seconds, her body went limp and her breathing long and deep. Damon shook his head, she really was tired, and he couldn''t me her. It had been a very long night, with parts of her memories returning to her.

    He carried her effortlessly through the mansion as though she weighed like a feather. Once he made it up the stairs, he stopped and turned around with a scowl on his face, "Going against an order is normally A''s thing. I hope this is not catching on," His deep voice whipped through the mind-link to the man standing in the shadows.

    Finn walked towards him and bowed his head, "I apologise Alpha. I was making sure A made it back okay."

    Damon felt his stomach tie into knots and fire burning through his body; Darius growled in his mind, once again wanting to im his spitfire with the simple bite into her corbone. His canines began growing, but Damon reimed control and narrowed his eyes at Finn, "As you are aware. A is my mate, and I will always protect her. If she is with me, then she is in the safest ce possible." His voice was low and icy.

    Finn bared his neck, even more, keeping his face down, "I do not mean to disrespect you, Alpha. But what about when she isn''t with you? I know she is more powerful than me and others, but.. Darren cannot be trusted to keep her safe." He rushed thest words, waiting as though he was about to be beaten up by the almighty Alpha before him.

    Damon''s lips curled up into a smile, "You are right."

    Finn looked up at him in surprise.

    "Let''s have a talkter about your part in this pack. I may have a proposition for you," Damon continued; he turned around, not waiting for his response.

    "Of course! Call on me anytime, and I will be there!"

    Damon chuckled, "As I expect you should be."

    Damon opened the door to their room and carefullyid A down on the bed. Her hair sprawled out across the covers, and he couldn''t help but move a piece of it out of the way. He remembered the first time they met; other than a young boy''s annoyance at a younger child, he found her fascinating even then. But, as he did as a child, he put it down to the colour of her hair and eyes; she was extraordinary even then.

    He was impressed the first time he saw her shift into a wolf, such a small wolf to go with the child within. After seeing A as a wolf, it only made him want to be one that much quicker. Much to his dismay, he found out the average age of receiving your wolf was in your mid-teens.

    But, after A was taken away for protection, Damon became adamant about receiving his earlier. He promised to protect her, and he needed to be stronger than what a 12-year-old child could offer.

    With that determination, he received Darius when he was 14. The pain was tremendous, not like anything he had dealt with before, especially as a 14-year-old, but since then, he had trained and trained, being the youngest werewolf to join the warriors in the pack his dad was in charge of until it was time for him to take over.

    Damon shook his head. He was delving into the past when he should be resting with his princess by his side. But, just as those thoughts went through his head, A''s eyes snapped open, and he was lost in the stunning hues of blue pools that were her eyes. She smiled meekly before getting up.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" He tried to grab her by the waist, but as usual, she was quick when she wanted to be and fled to the bathroom.

    With a squeal, she said, "I need to at least wash my hair."

    Damon walked into the bathroom to find her looking in the mirror, her hands on her face shocked at her appearance. A did look tired, but to him, she still looked beautiful. She removed his jacket and handed it to him before slowly bending over to remove her trainers and then her halter top.

    A growl resounded in the bathroom, causing A to look up at Damon''s reflection in the mirror and see his eyes darken as he looked down at her nearly naked body, only to return with desire burning in his gaze.

    "Don''t give me that look, Damon. I''m serious. I''m going to have a quick shower, remove the blood from my hair and then crawl into bed." A''s hands were on her hips as she looked at him sternly. Though, she felt her lips betraying her and twitching into a small smile as her Alpha came forwards and snaked his hands around her belly before whispering softly in her ear,

    "Then let''s shower."

 Chapter 80 - Squeaky Clean

    A shiver erupted through A''s body from the touch of Damon''s hands and the closeness of his body to hers. She nced back at his reflection in the mirror and even now was still in awe that this man was her mate. She started undoing her jeans with her gaze locked with his and slowly pulled them down, revealing her thong. Damon''s gaze darkened again as he broke his eyes away from hers and looked down at her body, stepping back with appreciation filling his features.

    Once she threw her dirty jeans to the side, Damon turned her around to face him, and as though on cue, she slowly pulled his shirt off and slung it to the ground. Her gaze went to his chiselled chest, and she couldn''t resist but leave a few kisses on his pecs and trailing her lips down the ripples of his abdominal muscles. A felt him inhale sharply as she began undoing his button to his jeans.

    "A, if you want to sleep any time soon, I''d get back up here and turn the shower on," Damon''s husky voice growled; she raised herself back up, and his hands went on her bum, squeezing roughly as his face looked pained at letting her go. A smiled and sauntered over to the walk-in shower, and turned the faucet on.

    She stripped her thong off and threw it at Damon''s chest with ae-hither smile; a low growl rippled through his taut chest as he stalked towards her. A bit her lip and stepped back until she was under the waterfall shower head, the warm water pounding down on her head and shoulders like a masseuse beating away the knots in her muscles.

    A looked him up and down, causing him to stop for her to appreciate the view; her eyes lingered just a fraction too long on a certain hardened muscle between his legs. She unconsciously licked her lips and looked back into Damon''s swirling molten silver eyes.

    A smirk twitched on his lips, "Hmm, I think you are just using me for my body, A."

    A burst into a giggle as he smoothly backed her into the cool ck marble wall, his hands ced by the sides of her head, caging her in.

    "Alpha Damon, I think that''s what you want me to do," She replied yfully as her hand trailed down slowly towards his lower region. Just as her finger touched the tip of his shaft, Damon snatched her hand away and kissed it to soften the blow of his harsh action. His eyes were now cast down at the blood coating the water towards the drain. It was the blood from her hair. Taking a deep breath in, he stepped back.

    "Come," Hemanded softly. A automatically stepped forwards; her lips were set in a pout at following orders instead of what she nned on doing. Damon smiled at her annoyance and sped her face in his hands while water sprayed down them both. His hair clung to his face and neck, droplets sticking to his longshes as trickles of water ran down his stubble, showcasing his sharp features.

    "Let me take care of you, Angel. You''ve had a long night," He spoke softly; A''s eyes widened slightly from his sweet words as he reached out to a shampoo bottle on the side. One, that was ''coincidentally'' her favourite brand.

    "Turn around," His baritone voice alone made her core clench. A spun around, facing away from him and felt hisrge fingers slowlyther the shampoo into her head. She closed her eyes to the feel of his fingers and unconsciously started moving her head to the areas that felt amazing. Damon''s fingers were magical, massaging the top of her head. So magical that a small moan escaped her lips.

    Damon chuckled as he released her from his spell and began putting the shampoo through the tips at her waist. When he was done and let the water wash away thether in her hair, he began massaging her neck and shoulders, making her head slowly lean down, letting out a small, "ohhhh", "ahhhhh".

    What did she do to deserve this!? If he continues, she will surely fall asleep right then and there.

    Damon released her from his massage and began applying the conditioner. When that washed away with the help of his hand softly raking through the rest of her hair, he grabbed her hips, spinning her back around. A opened her eyes again and looked up at him through hershes; she could see his eyes gleaming with amusement, his lips curling into a small smile. While A continued to stare into his eyes, Damon squirted some soap in his hands.

    A was so consumed with the swirling molten that began glowing into two luminous orbs that she was not paying attention to Damon''s activities. She gasped when she felt his hands touch her chest and lower down. Her eyes widened as they softly and excruciatingly slowly rubbed her plump breasts; his thumbs rotated around her pink buds, making her groan and flop her head back.

    But he stopped with his tease and softly caressed her stomach and kneaded her waist before bringing his hand lower to her core. Her lips parted, and she met his eyes again, watching his darken as his whole hand began rubbing her up and down slowly, but again, he moved on too quickly. A bit her lip in frustration while Damon began washing her inner thighs and caressing each cheek of her bum slowly before going down and cleaning her feet. A''s eyebrows raised at the notion; she didn''t think he''d actually wash her properly.

    Her stomach warmed at the sight of him bent down washing her feet; he looked up and met her gaze, that made her core heat and dampen. Damon stood back up and turned her around again by the hips. She made a small yelp at the swift action before groaning again from his hands, kneading into her back and then at her bottom. He moved part of her hair out of the way, flinging it to one side of her face and began nibbling on her neck.

    The next thing she felt was his hand go through her butt cheeks, reaching to the front of her core, and inserting a finger slowly at her entrance, "Hmm, always so ready for me," He whispered into her ear, "but I am just making sure you are squeaky clean, A." His finger slipped all the way in and twisted, making her lean her head against his chest, not caring about the water flowing down her face. Her eyes already closed. But after a few more times of his finger turning and going in and out at a slow pace, he stopped, removing his finger and stepping away.

    "All done," He said in an infuriatingly innocent voice. Her heavy breathing turned into a groan and she turned abruptly on the spot.

    "Oh no, Alpha," She mocked, "now it''s time to clean you."

    A wicked smile lit up her face, and Damon smirked, "If that''s what you want. But our bed awaits us.."

    A already had the shower gel in her hands, squeezing the bottle andthering it before caressing his chest in small circr motions, her eyes not leaving his, "I think you need to be cleaned before climbing into bed. We don''t want those sheets getting dirty."

    He smirked again at her words and watched intensely as her hands caressed his chest, kneaded his eight pack and lingered on his ''V'' lines that made him suck in his breath sharply. A knew he was sensitive there and loved seeing every time she stroked it, his cock would twitch.

    "You know, it won''t hide if you keep staring at it," A looked up to see Damon''s brow arched in amusement. She narrowed her eyes at him; she was not about to give him the satisfaction ofing, only a nice tease, as he did to her. After all, they were meant to be going to bed straight away.

    With her eyes locked with his, she smiled slyly and grazed her hand down to the tip of his length. A low growl emanated from his chest, urging her on to not just touch it but climb on top of it. Her core dampened again, and she licked her lips from the dryness she felt in her throat.

    A grazed her hand down further, barely touching his shaft, and watched in satisfaction as he made small gasps at her tender touch. It seemed, although they came earlier in the evening, their longing for each other had not gone away and only burned harder within them. Finally, she wrapped her hand around his shaft and began to slowly pump it up and down the long length.

    With their eyes still locked and watching his darken again, she couldn''t resist and crashed her lips into his, increasing the speed of her hand slightly, circling the tip of his shaft with her thumb, and almost melting at the feel of his pre-cum. He bit down into her lip, and she pulled away, satisfied with his frustration. A let go of him and raised her thumb to her mouth, and sucked on the small creaminess, her eyes unwavering from his.

    "I think your squeaky clean now," A smirked and left the shower, grabbing her towel and not looking back at her growling mate.

    Check and ah mate!

 Chapter 81 - Duty Calls: Part One

    A was dressed in her silky nightdress in bed when Damon marched into the room, showing off his glorious naked body that she did not mind eying one bit. As soon as his eyes locked with hers, a low growl emanated from his chest. He stalked towards her, climbing onto the bed and crawling to her, so hey above her. His hips trapped hers beneath him; his forearmsy next to her face, keeping her nice and snug under the covers.

    "That wasn''t very nice, A," He growled. His face was close to hers now, and she could feel the warmth radiating off of him. A sighed after feeling his lips on her neck, leaving small kisses trailing down her corbone and back up to her face. He left a light kiss on her lips before moving on and repeating his kisses on the other side of her neck. Leaving behind a trail of tiny fiery sparks in their wake.

    A removed her arms from under the covers and wrapped them around the back of his neck. Damon pulled back and lifted her up from her clinging onto him alone before grabbing her bum and shifting. She now had her legs wrapped around him, and the covers still leaving a thin line of protection between their lower regions. Their lips crashed into each other, and their kiss became passionate; the fatigue they felt immediately swept away. For their desire to mate burnt brighter.

    A small moan escaped her lips as she felt his tongue exploring her mouth, sucking on her, making her tremble from underneath his touch causing a small throbbing in between her thighs. A couldn''t help but grab onto his toned back; her body became heated, ready for him, and she urged him on by raking her nails into his muscles slightly. A low growl erupted between them, and he threw her back down on the bed, his eyes glowing as he ripped the silk bed sheet away.

    Damon''s hand crawled up her thighs, slowly getting closer to her core; her breathing became short in anticipation until his hand stopped from the sound of his phone going off. He cursed under his breath and met her eyes, his own suddenly back to normal as he looked at her apologetically.

    "You can text them back after.." She whispered and bit her lip when he pulled back with an exasperated sigh and reached for his phone on the bedside table closest to the door.

    "I''m sorry, but no one messages me thiste unless there is a problem.."

    A watched as the screen light from his phone beamed on his face, and his eyes began reading what the message said.

    "Would they not mind-link you.." A began but then quietened when she realised it might not be someone from the Silver Crescent Pack.

    "It''s my dad." He replied and abruptly stood up, pulling some boxers on before cing the phone against his ear. His back was stiff, and his whole demeanour had changed as he began to pace in front of the bed.

    "Hey, what do you mean there''s been another attack?" Damon began speaking to the man on the other side of the phone call.

    With the mood ruined and the tension radiating off Damon, A remembered her phone had a dead battery. She searched for it while casually listening to one side of the conversation:

    "How many has that been now?"

    "Do you think they are working together?"

    "Okay, okay."

    A plugged her phone in to charge and sat cross-legged on the bed, watching Damon, who now leaned against the high bedpost of the canopy, his hand grasping the wood tightly, his eyes flickering between hers, face hard and unreadable.

    "We were attackedst night.. No, no.. a vampire.. yes, a vampire. Look," He palmed his face and rubbed his tired eyes, "we need to get a few things straightened my end. I can''te until that is sorted¡­"

    Damon sighed and looked away from A, "And I have my pack to run." He snapped, "I will be there Saturday." He hung up the phone and threw it on the sofa before turning back to A. Damon''s expression darkened from the conversation, and he climbed onto the bed, resting his back on the mattress, and raised his arm above his head on the pillow.

    A scooted over to the side andy down, sideways, facing him, her elbow keeping her head up as she assessed his features. He sighed and looked at her, "There have been more rogue attacks, but my dad said there was something different about these ones. They haven''t attacked his pack but the packs hemands. We are setting up a meeting with other Alphas on Saturday.

    "So, when we get upter, I need to speak with the families and organise a burial for the deceased for Friday." He continued.

    A stroked the side of his face, an action that made him look at her adoringly, "Then I will help you. That''s in two days. Tell me what I need to do to help, and then we can leave on Saturday without any issues."

    Damon softly grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it before cing their hands on his chest, "Angel, I appreciate you helping. But Saturday, you cannote. Not yet."

    A parted her lips to argue, but he continued, "They can only meet you once you have had your coronation."

    Her mouth shut together with a huff, and she grumbled, "Well, that''s just stupid.."

    "I don''t think you want to be there anyway. It will be a long discussion with arrogant Alpha''s trying to show off how superior they are. Unlike myself, who is used to your¡­ disobedience. They would not act kindly to it and see it more as a challenge."

    A''s lips thinned at his response, "Okay, well, I need to go to these things when I am ''officially'' Queen." She air quoted with her fingers, "and I will work on my social etiquette before then." She pouted at the amount of work she still needed to do.

    "Hmm, maybe I should create a schedule for everything I need to learn.."

    "I can speak to Charles about that,"

    A blinked; she didn''t realise she spoke out loud. A small smile crept up her lips, and she nodded her head, "Okay."

    "Now,e on. We need to sleep. There''s a lot to be done before my departure." Damon yawned and reached out to her, rolling her towards him, so her heady on his chest. A made herselffy, bringing her leg over his and wrapped her arm around him.

 Chapter 82 - Duty Calls: Part Two

    Within minutes, she felt Damon''s breathing deepen and his heartbeat slow down. Usually, his steady beat put her to sleep almost instantly, but although her muscles were tired and she was sleepy, her mind, for some reason, was alert. Even with the lights off and her eyes closed, thirty minutes had passed by, and she justy therefortably snuggling Damon. She sighed and was thankful he at least was capable of getting some rest.

    He, too, had a long night; it was not just her. While she ran into Gabriel, Damon was out searching for him. Her forehead creased as her thoughts went to Gabriel and then to the secret rooms beneath the mansion. It was bizarre to find out that her ancestors also seemed to have issues, such as the escapee werewolf in that tomb. The werewolf named Cass..

    A pulled back from Damon and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, bing absorbed by the light shining against the darkened room. Shadows trying and failing to reach out and cover the only form of light provided by the lowering moon. She was exhausted, her body was craving for sleep, but her mind wanted to go through everything she had learnt in such a small amount of time.

    Malia yawned, "Well, while you figure that out, I am hitting the sack. Because girrrrl, it''s not good for you to be staying up sote. We will be grumpy tomorrow.. You better get a decent breakfast in us because otherwise, I will NOT be happy. Or let me go hunting tomorrow night."

    "We''ll do both, don''t worry. Go to sleep; tomorrow night, you can go hunt."

    Satisfied with A''s reply, Malia instantly went quiet, and A presumed her wolf had fallen asleep. Hmm, unlike her wolf, she thought now was the best time to go through a few things. For when she would awake again, it would be another day, and most likely another new adventure¡­

    Why was Amelia, Mathias and this Cass locked away? Cass, in particr, seemed to have been buried alive. Her mind was racing and trying to grasp at something, but with the sound of birds chirping in the forest, it was clear, her mind, though awake, was also tired. Whatever it was, she gave up on trying to put a puzzle together. A mystery that seemed to be of no importance.

    This Cass person was dead; though she would have loved to read about their story, it would be something to investigate another time. A time when her vampire friend had not massacred 13 people, all in the name of protecting her. A time when these rogues were dealt with, and a time when the hunters were not out looking for her. Or so she presumed. She was, after all, meant to be someone of importance.

    At some point, A drifted off to sleep, and next woke to something warm on her cheek. She groaned and slowly peeped out of one of her eyes to see Damon smiling down at her and cing a kiss on her lips. A pouted automatically for him and opened the other eye to look at the light room and the man looking down at her. A sighed; she was quite happy waking up to that face every morning.

    "Time to get up. I let you sleep in until noon!"

    A blinked her eyes slowly, the sleep in her eyes still trying to leave, "Hmmm, when did you get up then?" She mumbled.

    "At 10. I still had other work to do. Come on, I brought you some food up."

    At the mention of food, A sat up quickly. Her eyes lit up immediately after seeing the tray filled with a cooked English breakfast, "If I keep eating so much, I am sure to get fat." Even with herint, it didn''t stop her from tucking in with her fork.

    Damon chuckled, "I don''t think you will. But I can always send it back, and the chefs can get some muesli for you."

    A''s face dropped, "That''s not even funny. Don''t ever say that again," she pointed her fork at him threateningly. He held his hands up in surrender before leaving a peck on her head.

    While Damon went to shuffle through some papers and making phone calls, A sat eating her food and grabbed her phone once she was finished. Her brows drew together when she saw five messages from Hollie and two missed calls. A would have to phone herter, and for now, leave her a quick text. Without reading Hollie''s messages, she replied:

    [ 12:20PM Hey, sorry I''ve missed your messages and calls. Let me phone youter. It''s been a bit hectic here. Ly xx ]

    She dropped her phone back down and got changed. Damon was correct; there was a lot to do. For the remainder of the day, the pair visited the grieving families, consoling them and going through the details of the funeral. It was a long day, but it was now a part of her duty to make sure her pack members were cared for. Even if their kin were betrayers of the pack and new Luna, they did not need to know that.

    By the evening, they were again exhausted, but like the power trooper Damon was, he had other matters to attend to. The pair held hands walking through the hallway towards the stairs when Damon let go, "I need to see Darren."

    A''s brow arched up, "Did you want me toe with you?"

    He reached out and stroked her face, "No. Not for this. Go, join the others for dinner."

    A nodded her head, but with uncertainty behind her eyes. She knew Darren was in the basement, but she was d that Damon did not need her for this. She would most likely attack him for causing so much drama the night before.

    Damon turned around and walked away, leaving A to walk towards the living room. She grabbed her phone and called Hollie. Her friend picked up on the first ring.

    "Girl! where have you been!? We need to meet."

 Chapter 83 - The Thirteen

    Damon left A and started heading towards the basement. He used these spare minutes to get his thoughts in order before he had to deal with the prick downstairs. He had no words to describe the night before.

    It went from him officially introducing A to the pack as his mate after showing how much of a fighter she was during training to chasing after her, nearly mating, to searching for a vampire. A vampire that ended up taking out 13 of his pack members because he had a crush on A or wanted something in return. He had no doubt about it.

    Damon didn''t know what to think, whether that made Gabriel an ally or an enemy. An ally to A but an enemy to him. A was his and no one else''s. Nobody dared to touch her now, not that they did before, except for Finn and Ajax, which initially made his blood boil.

    Yet, he felt the mate bond growing stronger, and he could feel A''s feelings growing more for him. This seemed to calm Darius and his ugly jealous side that he never had until he saw A again. Of course, as children, they only felt friendship towards each other; in all honesty, he initially found her annoying. But after she received Malia, something changed, and he wanted to hang out with her. Although he discovered their parents observing them from time to time, as though they were waiting for something.

    When he grew up, his mum told him how they nned to set him and A up. If things didn''t go the way they did or if A wasn''t his mate, then they were going to be put into an arranged marriage to officially set up a union between the royal families.

    Damon shook his head at how things turned out. He opened the door to the basement and felt a smile tug at his lips; at least a few good things came out from the night. A remembered him. She didn''t remember everything, which he was pleased about. The night her parents were murdered was not something Damon wanted her to remember; he didn''t want her to be haunted by it. At least, though, she remembered their friendship. He could feel from the bond that she whole-heartedly trusted him now.

    As he descended the stairs, he found Beta Kane already leaning against the counter, arms crossed, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with rubber gloves on his hands while looking at Darren threateningly. Kane turned his head and smiled, approaching Damon as though they were meeting in a bar. He pped Damon on the back, "Took your damn time. I''ve had to stare at his ugly face for thest 5 minutes."

    Damon chuckled, but his eyes hardened as he looked down at Darren sitting on the ground leaning against the wall, his hands hung by his sides from the silver shackles tied pinned to the wall.

    "Well, there are much nicer things to look at in here.."

    "I didn''t fancy looking at the dirt on my shoes. Not sure what''s worse. It''s still ugly.." Kane continued with his insult.

    "Ha. Ha. I get the point. I went too farst night. Look, I''m sorry, Damon. Can you let me out? I''m sorry, alright?" Darren spoke through clenched teeth. Damon tsked at his words, and Kane smacked the bars repeatedly with a silver crowbar. The sound rang in Damon''s ears, and he grimaced.

    "That''s Alpha Damon. Or did you lose some brain cells afterst night?" Kane growled, his eyes burning as he looked at the Delta in disdain.

    Stepping forwards, Damon narrowed his eyes with a sardonic smile; he said, "Now, why would I let you out?"

    Darren''s eyes widened before panic settled on his features, "Wait. Wait, Alpha, please. You cannot be serious? I''m not staying in here?! I am not your prisoner! You cannot keep me in here!"

    "Oh.." Damon drawled; a flicker of amusement lit his eyes. He was enjoying the Delta squirming like the worm he was, "Are YOU telling me how to run things around here?"

    Darren leaned forwards, grimacing as the shackles cut into his skin more, "No, no, of course not. Please," he bared his neck, "I did not mean to challenge you¡­ But Alpha, you have nothing on me to keep me in here. I was merely speaking on behalf of the people."

    Damon tilted his head slightly as he let Darren''s words sink in, "On behalf of the people.. you say. Give me their names so we can speak freely about their worries."

    He watched as Darren''s eyes flickered, as though he was deep in thought. This made Damon''s temper begin to surface.

    "Even now, he disrespects us. If he truly followed us, he would tell the names of these people. Let me take over, and you can me it on me for his ''idental'' death," Darius growled, echoing through Damon''s mind.

    "Let''s see how this ys out first."

    Darius settled back down, waiting eagerly for the ''go ahead''. Damon approached the bars and crossed his arms, ready to order the Beta to give him wolfsbane, when the basement door swung open.

    "Is anyone else meant to be here?" Kane mind-linked Damon.

    "Yes, and he''ste," Damon snapped back. His temper already beginning to show.

    Without turning his head to the neer, he said slowly, "You arete. This is not a promising start for you.."

    "I''m sorry, Alpha. A-"

    "Enough, just watch", Damon mind-linked Finn. As soon as he mentioned A''s name, Damon didn''t have an issue with his tardiness.

    "Tell me, Darren, and I will set you free," Damon continued.

    It was true; he couldn''t keep Darren in there for long. There would be more issues from his family, which was a headache. The previous delta: Darren''s father was fine, a little arrogant, but nothing Damon couldn''t put up with. Whereas Darren was a cocky bastard that needed putting in his ce. He acted as though the world owed him everything and everyone else was inferior to him.

    Darren finally conceded and listed a number of names. Damon looked to Kane, who had the names of the thirteen who perished the evening before on his phone; he nodded his head after thest name was mentioned, "And Hailey Bassil.."

    Her name made Damon whip his head back and look at Darren, "Hailey?" the Delta nodded his head, "Lydia''s friend, Hailey?"

    Darren paused and gulped, "Yes."

    Damon clenched his teeth together; he should have known that bitch, who he had no recollection of, was part of the thirteen. She made an effort in making A and Damon''s night more eventful by showing him images of A and Ajax on a date, when in actual fact, Finn was sitting next to them. The image was clear in his mind, making his body burn with anger again, Ajax with his hand on top of hers..

    He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and closed his eyes, calming down. It was a misunderstanding, and A was his. A was his mate, and he was not jealous.

    "Will this be your mantra from now on?" Darius snickered.

    "There is no need to be jealous, is there?" Damon asked as he tried to convince himself.

    "The jealousy will go once she is marked," Darius replied with ament he often repeated to Damon.

    It seemed Gabriel''s intel, however, he got it, was correct. Yet, Lydia was left alive and Darren not touched. Although Darren was most likely the hardest to get to and the most protected, the vampire may have run out of time.

    "As much as I hate the bloodsuckers.. He could have helped us with this cockroach," Darius sneered.

    "Unless it''sing from A.. I don''t think he is taking requests," Damon joked, "but even still, we could not. It would make our pack look weak, and we are not."

    While Damon and Darius were chatting, Kane strolled forwards and continued with their interrogation, "You know, she survived the attackst night."

    Darren looked up at him, "W-what attack?"

    Kane scratched the back of his head, "Shit, sorry, man. I forgot news doesn''t travel down here.." His voice dripped with sarcasm before he continued, "A vampire attacked the packst night, killing thirteen people, leaving one survivor."

    "Fuck! How is she? Shit, I need to get out of here and see her. Please, Alpha, I can''t stay in here while she''s.. How bad is it?" Darren began blubbering.

    Damon and Kane looked at each other just as Finn mind-linked them, "It seems they are lovers."

    "Well, who can me him. He''s an ugly fuck, and she''s a beaut. An ugly fucker on the inside, but a beaut. I wouldn''t put it past her to spread her legs for him," Kane continued in the mind-link.

    "Lydia is maniptive.." Damon replied.

    "Lydia''s okay. In the hospital, having a blood transfusion. The leech that did it drank from her. She was not meant to survive," Kane spoke aloud to Darren.

    The men watched as Darren''s eyes filled up with tears.

    Well, shit. He has a heart. A heart to a cold-hearted bitch.

    Damon turned his back on the Delta and looked at the briefcase left on the counter. He nned with Kane beforehand to use wolfsbane on Darren in punishment. The smallest ounce of guilt crept inside him at torturing him when he was emotional.

    But he still nned on doing it, reminding himself, the shit storm Darren stirred up the evening before and being the cause for A to have a mental breakdown.

    "Finn, get the wolfsbane ready. I want you to inject it all," Damonmanded through the mind-link.

    Finn looked at him in surprise, "Now?"

    "Do you have a better time?" Damon knew why he was asking, but rules were rules.

    Lydia wasn''t dead, and it was now confirmed that the thirteen, along with Darren and Lydia, were all rallying together to do something against A. There was not enough proof to condemn them, and having a vampire do their dirty work did not look good for Damon or A.

    Finn shook his head and turned around with pursed lips, and grabbed a syringe from the briefcase. Damon mind-linked him again, "This is for A. I don''t need to remind you why we are here. He might be a sniffling mess right now, but he is here for a reason. And he confirmed what was on that note."

    Damon''s words seemed to have reassured Finn as he watched his face harden before approaching the cell doors.

    It was going to be a long night.

    Unlike the shotgun noise that was smothered in the underground rooms of the mansion, the man''s scream resounded across the building, causing anyone nearby to stop what they were doing and look around. A minuteter, a mind-link from the Alpha reassured them everything was fine.

    [ Little Authors Note: I noticedments on webnovel being removed due to ''inappropriatenguage'', even for words such as ''sex'', apparently, die and hell also. I love seeing your passionatements, but the site does not :-( Try and use stars ** or for example recing bitch with bish. I know, I know, I feel odd leaving ament about this, but I don''t like seeing your funnyments removed!! P.s - note has been added in after and has not affected the price of the chapter! XOXO]

 Chapter 84 - Hollies Messages

    "Girl! Where have you been!? We need to meet. What''s up with you? I went to your mum''s shop, and she said you are out of town.. I was so worried, you weren''t replying to me.." Hollie rushed her words out.

    A pursed her lips as she rounded the corner and entered the living room, only to go to the patio door that Charles reced after seeing Ajax and Finn ying an army game on the yBox while snapping at each other where to go on the map. Closing the door behind her, she walked a few steps before sitting on the ground.

    "Sorry," A began to mumble until Hollie cut her off, continuing to bber on about A''s disappearance.

    There was something off about the way her friend was talking. She sounded nervous. Nervous about what?

    ".. Ugh, look at me going on and on. You haven''t even said a word! A, let''s meet. Are you free at the weekend?"

    A paused a second before replying, "Yeah, I can meet you Saturday?"

    "Sweet! We need a good catch up! Okay, and no cancelling! For all I know, you''re hiding a pregnancy... Are you pregnant? Is that why you''ve been avoiding me? You know if you are.. I am here for you.. Whatever you need.."

    "Hollie!" Aughed, albeit a little forcibly, "I am not pregnant. I have just been busy. I''ll see you Saturday."

    "Promise?" She whispered.

    A frowned, letting the line go quiet for a moment. All jest had left Hollie''s voice. A tried to listen to Hollie''s background noise, but there was none. She usually had music ying or was shuffling around doing something. The girl couldn''t sit still and hated wasting time, normally getting bored even if she was on the phone to A gossiping.

    "A?" Hollie''s voice removed A from her reverie.

    "Yeah, I''m here. The line cut off. Are you in a bad area?" She probed a little.

    "Oh, yeah, I guess I am," Hollie breathed back.

    "Where are you?"

    "A, I have to go. Do you promise me not to cancel?"

    "Yeah, yeah. I promise," A said begrudgingly. Hollie knew A always kept her promises. She found it odd that she was asking her to make a promise only to meet up. It wasn''t like she has cancelled on her before; if A was busy or working, then she never made ns with her or her other friends in the first ce.

    "Pinky promise?"

    "Jeese, Hollie! I will be there. You''re starting to sound paranoid or something.."

    "Haha," Hollie chuckled, yet the sound didn''t sound natural, "send me the details, yeah?"

    "Sure."

    "See you Saturday!"

    Before A could reply, the phone went dead. She looked at it for a few seconds as rm bells seemed to be going off in her head. Something wasn''t quite right. There was something off about her friend.

    "Hollie was acting strange," Malia interpreted where A''s thoughts were going.

    "Yeah, she sounded nervous," A unlocked her phone and checked her messages from Hollie the evening before.

    [8:20PM Hey it''s been a while. I haven''t heard from you. Are you okay? Message back please, I am worried about you xx]

    [9:00PM Not cool, A. Txt me back! Where are you? xx]

    [10:00PM Nevermind. We need to meet up though, I have some juicy gossip for you ;-) x]

    [11:00PM A this isn''t funny. I hope nothing terrible has happened to you. Please call me. ]

    [ 12:00AM Call me. ]

    [Today 11:30AM Are you avoiding me? That hurts real bad. Call me if you are still my friend ]

    Paranoid indeed.

    A and Hollie had a mutual system whereby if the other did not reply for a few days, even a week or two, it meant they were busy. That was why, when she went missing initially, Hollie was not the first to message her.

    A stood up and went back to the living room. She slumped down on the sofa and crossed her ankle over her knee, tapping her phone on top of it, lost in thought. The seat next to her dipped as she felt the weight of someone sitting next to her. This pulled A out of her reverie. She looked to the side and saw Finn looking at her and Ajaxining about him leaving the game and ultimately dying.

    "What''s wrong, A?" Finn asked. A grimaced; it seemed like Finn asked her this a lot.

    She forced a smile, "Why do you think anything''s up?"

    "Your bodynguage shows you are anxious about something." A looked up to the two women entering the room. Gamma Chiara and Nairi.

    "Hmm, looks like I need to get better at hiding my feelings," A muttered.

    "Aww, no, honey. Not in the packhouse. It''s only us. You can trust us," Nairi sat down elegantly, crossing her legs and sipped from a hot drink as she stared at A intently with her big brown eyes.

    A leaned back on the sofa, rxing her arm on the back of it, as she eyed everyone in the room, "Chiara, are you going with Alpha Damon on Saturday?"

    Chiara shook her head, "No, it''s only him and Beta Kane. I need to stay here with you. Help protect the pack while they''re gone."

    "Okay," A nced at Finn, "I''m meeting my friend on Saturday for a catch-up. But something seems off, maybe I''m getting paranoid, but I think It''s best if I had some guards."

    "Can we wear suits?"

    A looked at Ajax bemused and raised a brow in question.

    "I want to look the part.." Ajax continued.

    "How old are you, Ajax?" Chiara scrutinised him from head to toe, making a chill pass through A.

    "26, why?" Ajax smirked; he looked as though he wanted to say more but stopped.

    "Because you act like a child wanting to y dress-up¡­" Chiara rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.

    "Don''t hate a man for always wanting to look good, doll," Ajax winked.

    Chiara took a step forward, "Don''t. Ever. Call. Me. Doll." She emphasised each word threateningly.

    A held back a smile as Finn mind-linked her, "Here we go.. the day Ajax goes too far.."

    Ajax gulped before his usual easy-going smile reced his fear, "Baby, you tell me whatever you want to hear, and I''ll say it."

    "I think that''s my cue to leave. A, you don''t need to ask; I''ll be there," Finn said as he looked at his phone, "Shit, I''mte."

    Without another word from Finn, he dashed out of the room, leaving A to watch theical scene in front of her. Finn was right; Ajax may be going too far this time, unfortunately for him, he couldn''t stay to watch the show.

 Chapter 85 - Small Distractions

    Although A was still feeling a little odd from the short conversation she had with Hollie, the atmosphere in the living room right now was something that easily distracted her. Even though Chiara has made it abundantly clear that she does not wish to get involved with anyone, hell, she''s attacked people for just looking at her. Ajax still stood in front of her, flirting with her.

    He was either the bravest man she knew OR the most foolish.

    "It''s Gamma Chiara to you," The Gamma took another step towards Ajax, her face looking deadly and her aura emanating a cold hostility.

    Ajax, not paying attention to the vibes Chiara was emitting, sauntered towards her, putting on his killer smile, and grabbed her hand, shocking everyone, including the Gamma, who tensed up by his action. Ajax leaned down and kissed the top of her hand, his eyes not leaving hers and said in a sultry voice, "Well, Gamma.. I''ll follow you anywhere."

    Chiara snatched her hand away, her face darkening, recing the look of shock as though she finally found her senses again, and pped him across the face. The sound was loud in the silent, tense room.

    She pointed her finger at him and said menacingly, "Touch me again, and I''ll cut off your balls."

    "Darling, if you wanted me to strip, you only had to ask," He winked.

    Chiara narrowed her eyes and stormed out of the room.

    "I think she likes me.. What do you think, A?" Ajax turned to face her, a cheeky smile on his face.

    "I think you''re going to lose your balls," A replied drily before shaking her head at him. She was beginning to wonder if the shapeshifter really did lose his mind in that cell.

    Ajax plopped down next to A, his eyes wild with excitement, "I do like a challenge."

    "Seriously, Ajax. I''d drop it," Nairi spoke hesitantly, as though she wanted to say more but dropped it and looked down at her drink, taking a tentative sip.

    "Just because our loved ones are dead doesn''t mean we shouldn''t love again," Ajax spoke to no one in particr as he looked down, ying with his hair. "That would be a tragic life," He muttered.

    "We?" A asked, scrutinising his face. The face that always smiled and looked as though there was no care in the world had darkened. Even in their darkest moments inside the hunter''s base camp, Ajax was their annoying light, keeping their spirits lifted. Yet right now, A frowned at how much sorrow filled his green eyes. But like the flick of a switch, his usual smile reced his suffering. It was as though he ced a mask on his face, covering the pain within.

    "Fancy putting a film on? I got the butler to order us some popcorn," He feigned ignorance to her question, ignoring it and changing the subject.

    "Actually, I thought I''d go for a run," A replied, deciding to drop it for now. She did not want to push him if he didn''t want to talk about it.

    "Then I''ll join you," Ajax jumped up from the sofa.

    "Me too, if you''ll have me?" Nairi asked meekly.

    A and Ajaxughed at her silly question. "Of course, you cane. It''s a free country. Plus, it would be nice to run with another she-wolf. It''s too quiet with Ajax," A said as she pulled herself up from the sofa.

    "I''m just checking!" Nairi eximed.

    All three of them started to walk towards the patio door. "You know, I think I might speak to my mum about that," A trailed off, speaking her thoughts aloud.

    "About what?" Nairi asked.

    "To see if there is a spell to get Ajax into a mind-link with us," A said, looking up at Ajax as he opened the patio door for them.

    The pair looked at her, their eyes wide. Ajax came forward and ced a hand on her shoulder, "Look, I know I have a sexy voice, but you are taken now.."

    "Ajax-"

    "Shh, shh. I''m sorry, A. But it''s just not meant to be.." He turned around and sauntered off.

    A looked at Nairi, speechless at the shameless shapeshifter. Nairi burst into a fit of giggles until a man''s scream rang through the mansion, stilling all three of them.

    "I think that''s Darren.." A muttered.

    Alpha Damon''s deep voice came through a mind-link, telling them not to worry. A knew he only spoke to the pack members in the house. Everyone else was in their own homes now.

    "I think Alpha Damon and Beta Kane will be a while," Nairi added.

    Ajax looked at them confused, "Was that Darren then?"

    A threw her hands up, "This is what I mean! Right! After I meet with Hollie on Saturday, we are going to see my mum."

    Ajax took a step back, "I don''t know how I feel about that.. Witches.. spells.." He moved his fingers in front of him, acting spooked.

    One look from A, and the shapeshifter shut his mouth and raised his hands in surrender. She then continued walking towards the forest, watching as the sun began to set and the day slowly faded into night. As she approached the first few trees, she hid behind one to remove her clothes, putting them in a bag she started to leave there.

    A felt Malia beginning to pace in her mind, her patience thinning as A removed her underwear. Within the next second, her wolf ripped through her skin, and A was looking down her snout at her enormous white furry paws. A happily let Malia take the reins. While she instantly sprinted off into the darkening woods, A took that time to think through her friend''s odd behaviour.

    However, after another five minutes of her brain overheating from thinking so much, she gave up and enjoyed her wolf''s happiness at being set loose. A had an odd sense that something ominous was to befall them very soon, so little moments like this, running through the woods chasing after a panther and tackling down a red wolf, was something to treasure. And when she was back in the mansion, she would cherish her moments with Damon because although he was only going away for the weekend, she dreaded being without him.

 Chapter 86 - Hitman?!

    Damon washed his hands in the sink at the counter in the basement. The clear water flowed onto his hands and dropped to the drain tinged in red. He grabbed the bar of soap on the side, making sure to thoroughly clean his hands. He didn''t n to have Darren''s blood on him, but after a few more hours of interrogating him, with Damon watching from a distance as Beta Kane and Finn tortured him with silver and wolfsbane, the Delta finally snapped.

    Although he already gave the names of the treacherous thirteen, Damon wasn''t satisfied. They were dead, and he knew they weren''t the masterminds. Lydia was; even Darren was just a pawn in her game. But just because Darren snapped didn''t mean his information was helpful. He began shouting nonsense, then he told them what he already knew, she didn''t tell him anything.

    Lydia only told Darren what she wanted him to know. She only told him when she wanted something done by him, and in return, they hooked up. A sweet deal and a sweet ride. Darren''s words, not his.

    But that was it, Darren only gathered the followers for Lydia, and they met up as a group around Lydia''s house to go through ways to make life harder for A. None of it included her death. That was what Darren told them, but Damon did not believe it one bit. He was just a tool and only listened with his dick.

    Yet, when Darren confessed the only information he knew, he then began insulting A. So, it seemed he still had an issue with her bing his Queen. After the second line of insults left Darren''s mouth, that was when Damon lost it and beat the living shit out of him.

    Damon turned around and looked at his handiwork. He never liked torturing people, but shit had to be done sometimes to get results. But when Darren openly insulted his mate, that was it. And now, he leaned against the counter, wiping his hands with a cloth Beta Kane handed him, and stared at Darren.

    He was chained to the wall, his white shirt drenched in his own blood, the scars from silver chains around his neck and silver earrings pierced through his ear lobe made the scene gruesome. His blood was sttered on the ground, the skin around his eyes purple and swollen enough for them not to be open. He hung his head, barely able to keep his body up.

    "Keep him in here until Saturday morning. His wounds should heal by then," Damon ordered Beta Kane, "Go to bed. Finn,e with me."

    Damon turned and began walking, with Finn following behind.

    "I''m on patrol tonight," Kane replied as he closed the briefcase on the counter and ced it back inside the cab.

    "Oh yeah. Okay, well, make sure to put someone on guard outside the basement," Damon mind-linked him. He didn''t want to take any risks, whether that included Gabriel turning up again and killing Darren or him trying to escape. But thetter didn''t seem like a possibility, Darren still wanted to be Delta, and for now, he was.

    As they left the basement, Damon and Finn separated from Kane, who waited for a guard to post up outside the basement.

    "You did well, Finn. How do you feel?" Damon asked, ncing at Finn, who walked by his side down one of the many hallways of the mansion.

    Finn looked at him confused, "Thank you. I''m okay. Should I not be?"

    Damon chuckled, "Considering you were tortured for however long by the hunters?"

    Finn nodded his head, "Ah, I see, it was fine. This is business, nothing else. There is no pleasure in torturing someone. And I can see you don''t get a kick from it, so I am fine doing it."

    "You would have an issue if I did?" Damon queried, scrutinising Finn as they stood outside his office.

    Finn faced him directly, "Yes, Alpha. I would not follow someone like that."

    The corner of Damon''s lips pulled up into a small smile, "Well, it''s a good thing I''m not like that. Otherwise, this conversation would have turned into you unknowingly challenging me."

    Finn blinked in surprise, "Alpha, I didn''t mean-"

    Damon held his hand up and opened the door, gesturing for Finn to go in, "I know nothing was meant by it." He closed the door, turned hismp on, rounded to his side of the desk, and sat down.

    "The thing is, though, Finn. I want you to be my next Delta," Damon continued; he reached inside one of his drawers in his desk and brought a decanter of whiskey out along with two crystal tumblers, cing them on his desk.

    Finn shifted in his seat then reached for the ss Damon pushed towards him. He took a sip and held it in his hands as he sat back, waiting for the Alpha to continue. Damon sipped his own and savoured the taste in his mouth before rxing in his leather seat, looking at Finn. He liked the guy, that much was decided, and after having counsel from his wolf, he knew Finn was the next man to be the pack''s Delta.

    "And with bing Delta, you need to also know how to talk to different Alpha''s. Now Darren doesn''te with me anywhere. He never has. I barely even consider him as one of my leaders of this pack. He is just someone filling a spot, and although it may seem like a bodyguard position for A, it''s not.

    "When A bes Queen, she will be by my side, and it''s very chill here in the pack and on mynds, but when I am meeting with other packs, hosting a damn ball, or some shit us royals have to do.. I need you to y a more significant part than just her bodyguard. The Delta position is still an important position, you have to not just always be on your guard to protect her, and only her, but also to talk to asshole Alphas and werewolves.

    "And to do that without insulting them or causing an issue, such as challenging them. Because at the end of it, if you won, then I would have to officially take over that pack. And if you lost, meaning your death, then A has lost a friend and another form of protection, and I would officially take over that pack," Damon finished his exnation by drinking his whiskey, staring at Finn expectantly.

    Finn''s eyes were wide, and Damon could see his mind absorbing everything he just said. Or the whiskey got to his head, and he couldn''t think straight. It was very strong.

    "I understand, Alpha. Thank you and thank you for considering me for the Delta role. But what''s going to happen with Darren? You''ve made it clear that you can''t get rid of him," Finn asked.

    Damon smiled, "I can''t get rid of him. But you can."

    "You want me to challenge him?" Finn asked, being thorough with exactly what Damon was asking of him, something the Alpha liked.

    "Challenge him. But, if the opportunity ever arises, then take him out," Damon''s eyes gleamed dangerously at what he was suggesting.

    Finn took a while to digest what he meant, taking another sip from the whiskey as he did so. He tapped the side of the tumbler, "So, you want me to kill him, like a hitman?"

    Damonughed heartily at Finn''s choice of words, "Yes. That''s exactly what I meant."

    "I think it maye sooner than you think," Finn replied as he looked at Damon intently.

    Damon narrowed his eyes and tipped his tumbler to the side, gesturing for him to continue while he took another sip from his drink before pouring another ss for himself and leaning forwards to top Finn''s up.

    "Thanks. Darren is being released Saturday, and at the moment, he is the Delta.. A is meeting up with someone then, meaning Darren will have toe along. I already agreed to go with her, and so is Ajax. She seemed anxious. Said her friend seemed off," Finn disclosed some of A''s angst from earlier.

    Damon''s face hardened by this new information, "Who is she meeting up with?"

    Finn shook his head, "She just said it''s a friend."

    Damon sighed. This was just what he needed; why didn''t A mind-link him? He was not going to be there when she was meeting this friend, and she even asked Finn and Ajax for extra protection. He didn''t like this one bit and knew that he would be having a word with his little mate after he finished this meeting.

    "Thank you for telling me, Finn. I have no choice but to keep up appearances and have Darren as her Delta¡­" He trailed off as his mind begun to spin in the form of a n, "Finn. Take one of my handguns with you Saturday. Do you know how to shoot?"

    Finn nodded his head, "Yeah, I was taught in my old pack."

    "Good. Have the gun as extra protection. We only have silver bullets here.. So, if shit goes wrong¡­"

    "Take Darren out," Finn finished Damon''s sentence.

    "Exactly."

    Damon watched as Finn''s features darkened. Damon''s jaw began to tick as he could see something was on his mind, something Finn didn''t want to speak aloud in fear of disrespecting him.

    "Spit it out," Damon demanded.

    Finn grimaced and knocked back thest of the whiskey, taking Damon by surprise, who forced himself not tough when he saw Finn''s eyes water.

    "I don''t mean to disrespect you, Alpha. But, A''s protection is of the utmost importance. You didn''t see how she was earlier. I think getting rid of Darren will have to wait," Finn said hastily.

    Damon mmed his hand down on the desk, "A''s protection is all I care about, Finn." His eyes glowed now, and Damon tried to keep Darius at bay, but his wolf took over and growled through his voice, "Darren endangers her. He needs to be dealt with. This IS an order."

    Finn immediately bared his neck, "Alpha."

    Damon blinked his eyes back to normal and let Darius pace in anger. He knew Finn only had A''s best interest at heart, but it pissed him off that he didn''t think Damon was thinking of her security. He stood up and left the room, waiting for Finn to follow.

    "So, we have an understanding?" He asked. Finn nodded his head.

    "Good, now if you''ll excuse me, I need to see my mate." Damon snapped and marched down the hallway, heading towards their bedroom.

 Chapter 87 - Dealing With Your Mate

    Damon swung the bedroom door open and marched into the room. A looked up from her phone and at her mate, surprised by the bristling energy emanating from him. A arched her brow expectantly and waited for an exnation.

    Instead, he rushed forwards and picked her up, swinging her around until she next found herself sitting on top of Damon on the sofa, her knees on either side of him. A looked down into his molten silver eyes, "You had a long night, I see.."

    Damon nced down at the blood drops soaked into the navy top he wore, "Darren is just a tool for Lydia. She doesn''t tell him anything of importance, but once again, he showed how much of a prick he is."

    A nodded her head; she didn''t feel bad for Darren at all. He put himself in that position and seemed to just keep digging a bigger hole as he goes. The Delta was stupid enough to think he could upset her in front of Damon. She didn''t expect him to be tortured; at the most, he would be left in the cell for a few days.

    "Speaking of torture.." Malia interrupted A''s train of thought, "Do you think the pack puts up with the yelling and screams? Maybe Damon should get a separate building built for prisoners.."

    "Hmm, it depends on how much they actually use it," A trailed off before speaking aloud to Damon.

    "I think we need to make the basement soundproof. Especially if you are going to be torturing someone," A grimaced and looked down at the bloodstain again. She shifted on top of him to move away, but his hands gripped tighter around her bum, refusing to let her leave from his embrace.

    "It needed to be done. You were out running though for most of it?" Damon searched her eyes as he spoke.

    A sighed, "True. But I think it would be best to get it done. You still have maids, and what happens when another pack visits?"

    "Torturing is a rare urrence. Most of our enemies end up being killed on the spot unless we need intel. And if I had guests, nobody would be getting tortured at that time. But I will get Charles to sort it out," Damon mumbled at the end. A watched as his eyes went nk, and she realised he was organising it now with the butler. For some odd reason, she didn''t think Charles was a werewolf but a human.

    Once Damon''s eyes cleared, his face darkened, "A. Why didn''t you mind-link me about Saturday?"

    "You were busy. I got it sorted; the guys will be my backup. Did Finn tell you?" A asked; she knew Damon was meeting him.

    "Of course, he told me. I''m his Alpha. Something I think you keep forgetting..."

    "Oh, you remind me all the time that you''re the Alpha," A interrupted drily. Damon''s jaw began to tick, and A smirked. Although they were mates and getting much closer, she couldn''t help but find his frustration at her entertaining. Plus, she didn''t mind the little punishments she received from him; they were quite delightful.

    Malia snorted at her thoughts.

    "I don''t like it," Damon ignored hermentary and continued, "if you think something is off, then go with your gut and don''t meet up."

    A''s brows drew together, "Something may be off, but I''m not going to abandon my friend. She might be the one that is in trouble.."

    Damon narrowed his eyes at her and pulled her closer towards him, his eyes began to glow, and a low growl rumbled through his chest, the vibrations going through her.

    "Postpone it, A," His voice deepened, sounding regal and majestic.

    It was Darius.

    "Hello Darius," She said pleasantly; her eyes were alight in amusement. Damon''s wolf really did lose it over the most minuscule of things.

    "A, for once, do as you''re told," He growled ferociously.

    A gazed down into Damon''s radiant silver orbs, which burned furiously at her. "Darius, and Damon, I know you can hear me.. I have Finn and Ajax as protection. If I was stupid, I would go by myself. I don''t know what to expect. It could be something silly or minor. Maybe, the new guy she is seeing has made her a little crazy. I don''t know. But if she is in serious danger, then I need to be there. She''s my friend, and I don''t abandon my friends."

    A sigh escaped Damon''s lips, and he raked his hand through his hair before analysing every inch of A''s face, nearly to the point that she shivered from the intensity. Lifting his hand, he moved a strand of her hair away from her face and rested his palm against her cheek,

    "You will not be abandoning your friend. If she is in serious danger, then she would have asked to meet earlier. She has not. Postpone it," Darius attempt at speaking softly to her gradually turned into a demand.

    A growl left A''s lips as she kept her burning gaze locked on his, "Do not tell me what to do, Darius." She snapped and watched as his face darkened. In the next second, she was spun around and flung down on the couch. Her hands were held together by one of his, pinned against the leathery surface.

    Damon growled at her, his face close to hers and eyes that shone as bright and mysterious as the moon. A''s body burned now from the desire deep in her core throbbed from the position they were in and from her rising temper.

    She thought her decision was a good call, yet her mate was acting like it wasn''t and tried to get her to submit through physical force.

    Well, two can y at that game.

    "A.." Malia warned, but it didn''t stop A.

    She crashed her lips against his, and within a second, she already felt the bristling Alpha rx ever so slightly and happily kiss her back. A peeked through her eyes and saw his luminous orbs flickering and bing darker. She internally smirked and bit down onto his lip before sliding her tongue in to meet his. Their passioned kiss led to his hands loosening, and she immediately ripped his shirt away from him, revealing his chiselled body.

    Damon''s smouldering gaze turned her on, as much as his hands gliding down her breasts slowly and resting on her hips as they kissed and grinded against each other. With Damon now distracted, she put all her strength behind her and flipped him over, making them fall to the floor. A made sure to straddle him and smacked his chest.

    Damon''s eyes widened at the sudden change, and he looked befuddled. A lowered her face and murmured next to his ear, "I''m not postponing it, and that''s final. I made a smart call to get protection, and like I said, it is probably nothing and me just being paranoid. I will keep you updated throughout the day."

    Damon sighed and searched her eyes; she could see the unease emitting behind his eyes.

    "I will be fine," She added and kissed his lips softly.

    "Okay. But message me before, during and after," Damon said sternly, relenting after the little power struggle between them.

    A nodded her head before squealing in delight after Damon grabbed her and lifted her up while getting up to stand. He threw her over his shoulder before flinging her onto the bed. She looked up at him with excitement, but Damon''s eyes were misted over.

    "Oh, for the love of our beloved moon goddess!" Malia whined in her head and stormed off somewhere in the darkness of her mind.

    Damon nced down at A, "Lydia is awake."

    He turned around, searched through their wardrobe and threw a ck t-shirt on¡ªone of A''s favourites. Not only did it enhance his dark features, but the shirt was nice and tight. She looked up after making sure she wasn''t drooling. Damon smirked before a mask ofposure slid onto his face, "I need to go with Beta Kane-"

    "Go. I''ll be okay," A replied as she sat up. Although she felt an excruciating ache between her thighs, she knew he needed to see the bitch before the burial of the thirteen, and the weekend he was away.

    Damon kissed her quickly on the cheek and then her forehead before rushing out of the bedroom door. A sighed and copsed back onto the bed.

    By the time Damon returned, A was asleep and wrapped up like a cocoon by the nket. Damon slid in and pulled her into his chest, leaving a kiss on her neck, waking her for a moment before she snuggled further into his warm embrace.

    For the next two days, the pair were too busy helping the families organise the burial for the thirteen to deal with their needs for one another. It was definitely there, scratching at the back of their minds, but duty came first.

 Chapter 88 - The Burial

    On the day before Damon was to leave for his father''s pack and A was to meet up with Hollie, the pair stood together in front of the family members and friends who attended the funeral for the fallen thirteen. More like the treacherous thirteen. Malia snickered, but A kept her faceposed and was respectful as she stood next to Damon.

    It was tradition for the Alpha and Luna to stand before the families to express their condolences to the werewolf''s families and show their respect to those who passed away. Or, in this case, they were murdered by a vampire. For once, A was content standing there looking pretty on Damon''s arm, as it were. Damon, on the other hand, had to give a speech.

    As he said his final words, pack members began to throw some dirt onto the coffins in the ground. With the grieving rtives sobbing by the newly dug grave''s side, A began to walk away and provide them with some space. There was a wake for them at the mansion, and they were using the ballroom for the reception. The roommonly was used for the asional royal ball, yet, they used the ballroom when the rogues attacked the pack and many lives were lost.

    Other pack members retreated and began making their way towards the mansion. A turned back, waiting for Damon to join her, but he mind-linked her to tell her that he still needed to finish a few duties. This left A to lead the remaining pack members to the ballroom.

    A walked nearly unsteadily in her ck heels and knee-length, long sleeve ck dress with Finn suited up by her side. She found him more and more by her side following the day of the massacre. A wondered when he would finally rece Darren, but it needed to be done smoothly or for him to challenge him. However, she knew today was not that day. Even as she saw Darren stalk past them, A knew there would be no ''funny business'' from Darren or Lydia; it was a day to mourn their friends.

    A was surprised when she first arrived with Damon and saw the pair standing side by side. Darren with his bruised face and Lydia looking ghostly pale with a bandage around her neck. It seemed her healing had slowed down to the same amount of time it would take for a human to get over such wounds. Although, a human would never survive such an attack.

    A received a mind-link from Damon at the time, after he saw her slightly confused expression, which she quickly reced with a mask ofposure. He exined that Darren was released early due to circumstances; he was, after all, friends with the thirteen who perished.

    A walked through the mansion, mind-linking Charles to confirm the ballroom was ready. Which it was. The room wasn''t too fancy and was kept subtle for such an asion. It was the only room that could fit such an amount of people in one room. A met Charles outside the ss double doors, and he opened them for her.

    Once A walked through them, she stood to the side and greeted anyone that entered. Finn stood next to her, silently watching their surroundings. It was quiteforting for her to have her friend by her side; she could mind-link him about random stuff without feeling bad due to the sorrowful atmosphere.

    A nced around and felt her lips tug up into a small smile; she couldn''t help it. The ballroom still looked as magical in her eyes from when she was a kid. She may have been young, but she remembered one of the balls her parents held. A fond memory was of her standing on her dad''s feet as he swept across the marble floor, making her giggle in delight.

    She sighed and nced at her surroundings. The light filtered through the floor-length windows at the far end, yet the gigantic crystal chandelier in the middle of the room sent sparkles of light across the floor. Thest object her eyes rested on was the ck piano in the corner of the room with a pianist ying a beautiful song.

    "Everything okay?" Finn mind-linked her.

    "Yeah, just reminiscing from thest time I was in this room. The event was a much more cheerful one," A nced at him and continued, "I thought I was doing a pretty good job at keeping my face expressionless.. Am I really that easy to read?"

    Finn chuckled, "No. But I have known you longer than the others in the room. And I pay more attention to you than others."

    A parted her lips, then shut them again before nodding back politely, "Then I suppose I am lucky to have a good friend like you."

    "Friend and future Delta," Finn mind-linked back with a wink. A smiled, and raised her ss of wine towards Darren across the room, who downed his own and skulked off instead. She almost rolled her eyes at how pathetic he was, but she stopped herself and sipped from the floral alcohol.

    As the wake was drawing to an end, A decided, with her duties now done and Damon mainly leading most of them, that she could officially go to the bathroom. She kept it in for a while now, and it was bing a bit too urgent for her to stand talking to multiple pack members. She managed to convince Finn not toe with her unless he intended to assist her in going to thedies room.

    As she made her way towards one of the bathrooms, her phone began to ring. She nced down to see it was Hollie calling, and instead of picking up while she was inside, she decided to make her way towards the gardens. Once she walked through another set of patio doors that led to the right side of the gardens, she answered the call, "One second, Hols."

    A walked a little further towards a maze, and after her heels sunk into the grass, she decided to take them off. She knew talking on the phone with Hollie would only cause her to pace or want to take a little stroll, so she took her heels off. It was better to stretch her feet and not cause the heels to get any dirtier, or she would get an earful from Nairi.

    Yet, from doing this, her footsteps became silent as she now walked on the cold concrete ground as she entered the maze. She moved her hand towards her ear then paused after hearing some hushed voices.

    "Baby, I''m so sorry he beat you up. It saddens me to see you this way."

    "Don''t cry, Lyds. I''m fine. He only beat me up because I said a few home truths about that bitch, A. She thinks she''s all that, looking down at me.. Anyway, let''s not let her ruin our evening. I am just so happy you''re alive."

 Chapter 89 - B*tches Still Scheming

    "Baby, I''m so sorry he beat you up. It saddens me to see you this way."

    "Don''t cry, Lyds. I''m fine. He only beat me up because I said a few home truths about that bitch, A. She thinks she''s all that, looking down at me.. Anyway, let''s not let her ruin our evening. I am just so happy you''re alive."

    A peered around the corner of the bush and saw the two pack members she was expecting to see. Darren and Lydia were in an embrace, his hands on her hips and her hands wrapped around his neck. The heels she wore made her the same height as him, and her ck dress barely covered her bottom.

    The darkening of the sky and a breeze swept across them, flinging A''s hair back at the sudden iing force. The loud rumbling of thunder was the first sign for A to go back inside, but she couldn''t not when Lydia and Darren were right in front of her and stupidly talking out in the open. This was the perfect opportunity to listen to their conversation.

    The pair nced up but paid no heed to the oing stormy weather.

    "It was awful, baby. All I thought about was you. Before I passed out and thought I was leaving this world, I visualised your face. I love you, Darren," Lydia said dramatically. A wrinkled her nose; it was evident she was using Darren, her acting skills were ridiculous, but the man couldn''t see it.

    Malia gagged, and A rolled her eyes as the pair began kissing. She was about to leave, believing they were just going to make out in the maze until Lydia pulled back, almost forcibly and pulled Darren into a hug instead. Darren stroked his hands on her bum, content with the new position.

    A watched as Lydia''s ''sweet face'' turned sour while resting her chin against his shoulder.

    "I missed you. If I wasn''t in that cell, I would have visited you the moment I knew you were attacked," Darren sniffled.

    Lydia rolled her eyes and replied in an overly sweet voice, "Oh, I know you would have, baby." She pulled back and stroked his face, "Now, I hear Alpha Damon is away this weekend¡­"

    Darren frowned, "How do you know that? Only the leads would know if he were leaving. It''s always kept on the down-low. Otherwise, anyone could attack the pack when its Alpha is not there to keep the order."

    "I know, I know," Lydia rolled her eyes, her voice agitated by Darren''s interruption, "but anyone can be bribed for a price¡­ I bribed one of the staff members for any interesting info she could give me, and if she kept spying, then the rewards would be greater. People are so easy.. she told me he is going. Which means.. A is left unprotected.."

    Darren shook his head, "I can''t touch her, Lyds. I''m the Delta. Damon''s even told me to protect her tomorrow.."

    Lydia bit her lip, "What for?"

    "I dunno, Damon didn''t say. It''s normal Delta duties. He didn''t seem anxious," Darren shrugged.

    Lydia stepped back and began pacing, her hand on her chin as she looked deep in thought. Then suddenly, she snapped her fingers, "I''ve got it! I have a few friends who can help.. I''ll get a hold of them. I want you to-"

    A''s phone rang, cutting off what Lydia was about to say. She jumped back behind the bush and scrambled with her phone, her fingers fumbling to press the decline button. As soon as she turned the ringtone off, A sprinted out of the maze before Lydia or Darren could find her. She picked her heels up and crept back through the patio doors, cursing under her breath.

    A walked towards the bathroom, her thoughts swirling in her mind. She knew Darren and Lydia were a possible couple or just working together. She was unsure of who was manipting the other more, but it didn''t matter; the pair needed to be dealt with. Even after nearly dying, Lydia seemed to already be plotting against her.

    A shook her head and went to the ''public toilets''. They were three luxurious mini bathrooms inside another room that held a sofa with a woollen nket atop it, all for show, and presentation, of course, that went along with the mirrors at the wall and some paintings on the remaining walls.

    After finishing her business, A flushed the toilet and left the mini bathroom, grabbing her phone and checking the number that phoned her. Shepletely forgot she answered the phone before listening to Darren and Lydia''s conversation. Just as A was about to phone Hollie back, she looked up after hearing the quick click-cking of heelsing towards her.

    Lydia marched towards her and stood directly across from her. A rxed her hand holding the phone, and waited for Lydia to speak.

    "You have some NERVE to be here," Lydia crossed her arms and looked at A menacingly.

    A arched a brow, "Hello to you too, Lydia. It is good to see you are feeling better."

    "No, it''s not," Malia chirped in.

    "If you wanted me dead, A, all you needed to do was challenge me.. Not use your pet vampire to do the job. Or are you a pussy?" Lydia goaded.

    A rolled her eyes, "I can assure you, I have no issue challenging you. But I do not know what you mean. You cannot me me for a rogue vampire attack, Lydia.." A took a step forward and made her face look sincere, "I truly am sorry for the loss of your friends."

    A began to walk around her, but Lydia grabbed her by the arm as she walked past, making A halt her step and look at her.

    "Don''t think me stupid, A. The only people against you wound up dead. That''s not exactly a coincidence. What would the pack think if they found out their future Luna used a vampire to deal with her enemies?" Lydia hissed.

    A leaned closer to her, "What do you think they''d do if they found out you were a mastermind behind a plot to take me and their Alpha out?"

    Lydia narrowed her eyes, "You have no proof-"

    A grabbed Lydia''s hand and slowly removed it from her arm before pping it away from her. A''s eyes never left hers, "I didn''t have proof about your friends.. yet here they are.. dead." She leaned even closer to her, continuing with the mind-link she started, making sure that no one heard her, "I suggest you learn more about your enemies before waging war with them. You just lost your pawns, and if you continue.. you will lose your ''knight''."

    Lydia was rendered speechless; she parted her lips and closed them again, like a floundering fish gasping for air out of water. A smirked and sauntered off, her hips swaying from side to side. She couldn''t resist but go with Lydia''s suspicions that she asked Gabriel to murder those werewolves. Maybe it would make Lydia think twice before scheming again.

 Chapter 90 - Alphas Orders

    A returned to the ballroom immediately, seeking out the other pack leaders. After finding them, she was then once again in Damon''s office with Alpha Damon, Beta Kane, Gamma Chiara, Finn and Nairi. It was a good thing his office was a decent size; otherwise, it would be too crowded.

    Alpha Damon stood, leaning against the desk with his hands resting on the wooden surface, his eyes stormy after hearing A tell them about Lydia and Darren''s private conversation and the fact that Lydia calcted that the rogue vampire was someone A knew. Estimating that Gabriel was doing A''s bidding.

    "Well, he was.." Malia piped up.

    "Yes, but I didn''t ask him to," A murmured back to her wolf.

    A took a step towards Damon, her eyes locked with his as she tried to guess what he was thinking. It was not only the evening before he was to leave to meet with his father, the Alpha of the Blood Moon pack, but she was also meeting up with Hollie. Now, they stood facing each other about another obstacle, Lydia.

    "Maybe we can put some guards around her house-"

    "She already has them," Chiara interrupted; A frowned at this information.

    "She thinks it''s for her protection from the rogue vampire," Kane exined, who stood off next to Nairi to the opposite side of the room to Chiara. A looked back at Damon, whose features seemed to be darkening while his eyes flickered. A could see him thinking hard and possibly discussing with Darius what their next action should be.

    "If Lydia has guards around her, then she can''t be much of a threat. Maybe over this weekend, she could be on house arrest?" A suggested.

    "The pack won''t like that," Kane started.

    A removed her eyes from Damon''s and looked at Kane again, "We could still say it is for her own protection?"

    Kane looked at Damon, not answering A. It was, after all, going to be his decision.

    "Have her under house arrest. As soon as she returns from here. We can deal with her when I am back," Damonmanded. Beta Kane nodded his head once and hastily left the room with Nairi in toll. Damon then looked at the Gamma, "Kane and I won''t be here. I want you to set up a perimeter around Lydia''s house but out of sight." He then nced at A before continuing with his orders, "I also want a perimeter set up around wherever A is meeting her friend tomorrow."

    "Damon, I don''t need that much ''manpower'' I am only meeting up with her and have already got Finn, Ajax, and now Darren," A started. She took a step back, almost tumbling down into her chair when Damon pushed off from the desk and towered over her; his domineering presence alone nearly knocked her off her feet. His chest was rising and falling slowly, but his hands were fisted by his sides, and his molten silver eyes hardened from what she said.

    "You will have this protection, A. End of fucking discussion. I told you I don''t like it, and now we have a scheming bitch trying to take advantage of this. You are the pack''s future Queen; you shouldn''t be going anywhere without protection. Finn, Ajax and Darren are not enough. Even if this doesn''t end up being a threat, there is still that small chance that it is," Damon''smanding tone left no room for defiance.

    A nodded her head and sat down in the chair behind her; now was not the time to argue. He was the Alpha of the pack, and it was disrespectful of her to defy him in front of other pack members. Damon was also only making sure she was protected in case something did happen.

    Gamma Chiara coughed, gaining the pair''s attention away from each other, and they turned their heads to look at her. "A, where are you meeting with your friend tomorrow?" Chiara asked; her face was neutral as though Damon''s overpowering, angry presence was not making the air thin and the room grow smaller. Or was that just her perception?

    "Hold on, let me call her now. I missed her call earlier," A replied as she scrolled through her contacts on her phone. She put the phone next to her ear, waiting for Hollie to pick up, all eyes were on her now while she waited, but only one set of eyes was making her shift in her seat.

    The phone went to voicemail, so she hung up. Damon leaned back against the desk after hearing the rings turn to voicemail.

    "Hollie said to text her the details. So, maybe Silver Thorn shopping centre? It''s in public and will be easy to set up a perimeter of warriors around," A said as she nced up to Damon from her phone.

    He nodded his head, "Chiara." He didn''t need to say anything else as the Gamma nodded her head once and left the room, most likely following through with her orders. That left Damon, A and Finn in the office.

    Finn had been quiet during their little meeting and finally spoke up, "What about Darren?"

    Damon turned his head to Finn and arched a brow, "What about him? You have your orders, Finn."

    A was typing out her text message to Hollie but stopped and nced between the pair before asking, "What orders?"

    Finn parted his lips, ready to tell her, but Damon shook his head, "Nothing for you to worry about. Just find out what Hollie wants tomorrow and leave the security details to Finn and Chiara."

    A sighed and went back to finishing her text message before leaving the office with Damon and Finn. They weren''t needed now at the wake, not that there were many pack members left there, it only seemed to be the families and close friends remaining, but even they were dwindling, and they began going back to their houses. A walked by Damon''s side but stopped and turned to look at Finn when she realised something.

    "Can you tell Ajax everything that we have discussed, please? I should be meeting Hollie at 1-" Her phone vibrated, and she looked down at the text received from Hollie, "Okay, she just confirmed it. Meeting at 1. Maybe beforehand we can go see my mum, try and get Ajax able to mind-link us."

    "Are you sure you really want Ajax to mind-link you, A?" Finn jested, but his smile left his face when Damon turned around, looking as though he would murder someone, that someone being Ajax. It was odd; she thought Damon was over the shapeshifter, but then, their mate bond was something of a rollercoaster, making their feelings enhanced. A minor temper could seem like he had anger issues. Which A did not believe was the case.

    A rolled her eyes at her mate, "It will make everything easier. He''s part of the security tomorrow and will need to keep inmunication with Finn and me," A exined and saw Damon''s bristling energy simmer down. A knew she was right; it was far better to have Ajax able to talk to them, especially if he suddenly turned into a fricken owl or something and flew off. Although Ajax wasn''t part of the pack, he was starting to be someone of use to them, or well to A.

    She would never get rid of Ajax unless he wanted to leave. A knew the pack was wary of him, but Ajax and Finn now came as a package deal with her, and he would soon earn their trust; she was sure of it.

    Once they were at the bottom of the stairs, Damon and A parted ways with Finn, who took off searching for Ajax. That left the pair to rx in the bedroom. Or more like, A rxed as shey down on the sofa kicking her heels off again and massaging her feet while Damon began packing.

    "You know I don''t want to go now, A. But I need to. I have to see what is going on with my dad''s territories and the rising attacks from the rogues. If it wasn''t important, then I''d being with you tomorrow," Damon spoke through gritted teeth as he rummaged through their wardrobe and threw a few clothes he needed into a leather duffel bag.

    "Don''t worry about me. I will be fine. Just stay safe tomorrow. You are taking more than just Kane, right?" A''s forehead creased in angst as she started to worry about the journey and this uprising of the rogues. She was unsure of the specifics or if thend was swarming with rogues ready to take any pack members out, including the Alpha King. But, just how Damon worried for her, she, of course, was concerned about his safety.

    Damon turned around and smiled before lowering himself down into a crouch next to the sofa. He raised his hand and stroked the side of her face, "We have ten of the finest warriorsing with us. Just as you will have the other ten with you."

    A sighed, "Do you normally have twenty with you then?"

    She felt uneasy at the idea that he was halving his protection for her.

    Damon shrugged, "They''re never needed. What matters now is that you are safe, A. If anything happens to you.." He paused as his eyes searched hers. A could see how much he cared for her at that moment, and it warmed and broke her heart. She didn''t want to be separated from him, but it had to be done.

    A leaned forwards and kissed his lips before pulling back, "Nothing will happen. I promise."

    "Don''t make promises you can''t keep," Damon lowered his voice, leaning his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes, inhaling her scent as he did so.

    "I always keep my promises, Dam Dam."

    Damon smiled at his old nickname. He knew A well, and she always kept her promises. The problem was this one she couldn''t possibly keep. Unlike A, Damon had been a werewolf for longer; if they counted the years'' Malia was locked away from A. From his years as a werewolf, he knew never to doubt any senses or strong feelings, it was a wolf''s instinct, and it was always right.

    So, when A said something was off, he knew straight away something was indeed off. With that thought in mind, he mind-linked Chiara and doubled the guards on the perimeter that would surround the shopping centre.

    "It''s better to be safe than sorry. And you know, if anything happened to our mate, I will take over Damon. You have my word on that," Darius growled through his mind.

    Damon had no doubt that Darius would take the reins. He would dly give it to him because if something happened to A, then he would happily let Darius kill anyone in their way of seeking vengeance.

 Chapter 91 - Strong Feelings

    That evening A and Damon settled down early and done something extra ordinarily normal. They cuddled in bed while watching a movie on Webflix; there was no ''Webflix and chill'', just cuddles. Something both of them seemed to enjoy that much more than trying to jump each other''s bones. There was a simplicity there thatforted them, as though they were your average, everyday couple having a Friday night in.

    But that was not the case because, in the morning, their little bubble of tranquillity and normalcy popped. A stood at the double doors to the mansion''s entrance and watched as Damon threw his bag into one of the middle SUV''s lined up, ready for their exit. It was early in the morning, nearing 6am, before the pack''s training schedule, and the sun already shone brightly on them, making A''s hair that much more luminous.

    A leaned into the doorframe, her arms crossed over; the ck crop top and shorts she wore showed off her toned stomach and arms, along with the tan she now had that also made her eyes and hair pop that much more. Damon returned to her and immediately pulled her into an embrace; he leaned his head down and inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. She did the same but smelled his chest and snuggled her head into it more.

    His arms tightened around her, and his hug was almost bone-crushing, but A didn''t mind; if anything, it was moreforting. The next thing she knew, Damon lifted her up, and he now held her by the bottom. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he pushed her up against the wall.

    A rxed her arms around his neck and looked down into his swirling silver orbs, and hid a smile. Damon was dressed in a very expensive suit, making him look that much more dashing and suave. Only his hair and stubble, along with his dark eyes, were the only things identifying him as wild and dangerous. Heck, he was dangerous just by looking sexy in those clothes. But what made her bite her bottom lip and eyes crinkle was the fact that he didn''t care about putting wrinkles in his designer suit from hugging her.

    Damon flickered his eyes between hers, "Keep me updated at all times. If I don''t hear from you, I will turn my car around and return. I''m not joking, A."

    "I will, don''t worry. I love you," A blurted out. He stilled, and her eyes widened at what she just said. It came out so naturally to her, but now she felt panicked.

    SHIT

    Her heart raced against her chest, and she felt her hands be slightly mmy. Although she had past rtionships before, this was actually the first time she had said those words. Guys had whispered those words to her, and at the time, she only smiled back or awkwardly responded. Now, it was her turn to feel embarrassed. But, surprisingly, she didn''t feel ashamed. It felt right to have said ''I love you'' because she meant it.

    Damon''s face split into a full-fledged smile, as though her words made him the happiest man alive. It was quite a sight, and she couldn''t help but smile back at him. Her smile quickly fell when he closed the small distance between their faces, and his lips crashed into hers, immediately deepening the kiss and biting on her lower lip. One of his hands went up through her hair and tilted her how he wanted her, she moaned, and his tongue slipped in, making her moan that much more by his sensual attack of the mouth. Her hands went through his hair, tugging on the ends, making him growl into her.

    He pulled back, and the pair were left gasping as they looked at each other. A wanted nothing more than for him to carry her back into the house, away from the cars and for them to make love all day and night. The partial mark on her neck itched and almost throbbed at the idea. She felt the tug on her stomach yanking on her to follow through with it. A knew that if she continued, then there was a high chance that Damon would arrivete to his dad''s pack. Yet a small part of her also knew he had his duties as the Alpha King to be punctual.

    The mate bond was such an odd feeling, but as soon as she was marked and they mated, she knew the overbearing sense of almost being in pain from not being by Damon''s side at all times would fade away. But she wouldn''t know until it was made official.

    "I''ll be back soon. And when I am, I''ll show you how much I love you," Damon replied, his voice husky and filled with desire. He let her down gently and left another kiss on her lips, smacking her on the bottom before turning around and climbing smoothly into the car.

    A was left reeling with what just happened. Did he just say he loved her back?

    "Yes, and why wouldn''t he? You''re fricken soul mates.. jeesh sometimes, A, I swear you and me are not on the same wavelength.." Malia mocked her. A was still too stunned to reply and watched with a heavy heart as her mate''s car drove further away from her. The moment it left the gates, she sunk back into the wall, her eyes still not leaving where he was.

    They loved each other..

    She said she loved him..

    He said.. Well, she knew what he meant. A felt her cheeks burn at the thought. She jumped on the spot when Ajax and Finn sprung into her sight. Theyughed after seeing her shocked features, her hand on her racing heart, "Do that again, and I''ll smack the pair of you."

    "You know, I thought werewolves were meant to have good hearing?" Ajax smirked.

    "It''s not our fault you were looking off into the distance all starry-eyed.. Mates," Finn rolled his eyes.

    A narrowed her eyes at them and turned around, "Come on, I want to go see my mum before meeting with Hollie."

    "It''s a bit early.." Ajax began but saw the direction A was going.

    All three of them found themselves in the kitchen in their usual spot on the kitchen ind with piles of cooked food on their te. Chiara sauntered in and eyed the food with an arched eyebrow, "Are we going on a marathon?"

    "Need to make sure we are fit and ready for anythingter," Ajax said while still eating his food.

    "And you need all of this for that?" Chiara said, her eyes lit up in amusement.

    Ajax nodded his head, and much to A''s shock, Chiara continued making light conversation with him, "I know we can eat through whatever we want because we burn thousands of calories a day.. But aren''t you worried about getting fat?"

    Her question was directed at Ajax. He gulped his food down and smiled, "Nope, I may be a shapeshifter, but I have the same thing going for me." He stood up and lifted his t-shirt up, revealing a lean body and a six-pack of abdominal muscles. Chiara rolled her eyes and turned away from him, making a coffee as A smacked him over the head.

    "What? She asked, and I showed what she was missing out on.." Ajax winked.

    Chiara turned around and sipped from her coffee, her eyes unwavering as she looked directly at Ajax. When she was done, she said, "Ajax, if I wanted to see your body, I would have asked you. There''s no bullshit with me. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do."

    She began walking away before calling over her shoulder, "We''ll leave here at 12:30."

    A nced at Ajax with a smirk.

    "I think I''m in love.." Ajax raked his hand through his hair while he continued to stare at the spot Chiara left.

    Finn snorted, "Love? More like you want a challenge, and Gamma Chiara is that for you. Don''t go chasing her, AJ. I don''t want to be attending your funeral next!" Finn jested, but he looked concerned for his friend, as though Chiara would cause him some serious harm.

    Ajax didn''t pay any attention to what Finn said as he sighed and looked down at his food. A continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye, noticing his mood shift once again to something much darker. She could almost see the conflict behind his beautiful green eyes as they flickered back and forth while he yed with some scrambled egg on his te.

    It was now, she was sure he had been in love before, and although he flirted and joked with Chiara, she had a hunch that his feelings towards Chiara were actually quite real. Love? Maybe not so much, lust? Yes. But that was something she was not going to get involved in.

 Chapter 92 - To The Bookstore

    After they finished their breakfast, the group dispersed to their rooms to get changed. A decided it was better to go straight from her mum''s shop to the shopping centre to meet up with Hollie. Once she was changed into ck skinny jeans, a crop top, a leather jacket and some ck trainers, she ced some light make-up on her face, with red lipstick and eyeliner. Unlike herself, Hollie was not a tomboy and was much like Nairi; she was her savour on nights out when she did turn up to them, and the girl would help her get changed and make sure she looked fashionable and sexy.

    Once A was done with her appearance, she took a moment to look around the room. Her mood shifted, and she felt as though there was a missing part of her. A knew it was the mate bond; it was a constant tug, trying to get her to go to her mate. But with or without the bond, she felt the overbearing weight of Damon''s absence.

    Sighing to herself, she went through their wardrobe and made ast-minute decision of grabbing one of his hats. A ck one, of course. She wondered if wearing it made her look more suspicious and for people to stare more. A shrugged and threw it in her tiny ck backpack that held everything she needed in it. It was better to have it, just in case. But she did not need to wear it until they made it to the shopping centre.

    As A descended the stairs, she mind-linked Chiara what her n was, who instantly replied, "You have to bring Darren with you."

    A stopped at thest step and sighed while ncing between Finn and Ajax, who stood waiting for her in the reception area. Finn tilted his head by her reaction, but she didn''t say anything and instead mind-linked Darren, "Delta."

    She nced down at her phone; it was 9am, so he should be awake. Maybe he was at training? But from how he looked the night before, she didn''t expect him to be back so soon, even if he was, in fact, her security detail for the day.

    "A?" His response finally came through. He sounded breathless.

    "I''m leaving the packhouse. I need you toe with me. It''s going to be a long day," She replied, her tone neutral as she kept herself professional when speaking to the jerk, even if she did not expect the same from him.

    As expected, she heard a sighe through the mind-link, "Fine. When are you leaving?"

    A rolled her eyes, "Now."

    "I''m not even home!" Came Darren''s frustrated response.

    "Where are you? We''ll pick you up?" She said through gritted teeth. She wondered if he could hear her patience thinning.

    There was a long pause until he finally replied, "Lydia''s."

    "Of course he''s at that bitches. Seriously, if there weren''t any fricken rules A, I swear she would have been dead meat by now!" Malia roared through A''s mind.

    A sped forwards and left through the double doors, making her way towards the SUV''s in the garage. Finn and Ajax followed behind, she could tell they wanted to say something, but they stayed quiet about her tumbling mood.

    "At some point, she will slip up, Malia. And when she does, we''ll be right there to take her out," A said while climbing into the driver''s seat and turning the key in the ignition.

    "Woah, wait¡­. Are you out for blood as well!?" Malia asked excitedly. A rolled her eyes, so far, Malia was the one to take the lead in such matters, but she found herself slowly agreeing to her methods. This wasn''t the human world anymore, it was the wolf''s, and if she was hell-bent on trying to make herself Luna and Queen, then she didn''t mind what course of action was needed to get rid of her.

    Now A knew she was in love with Damon; there was no more thinking twice about it. When the timees, Lydia was dead. She would not let some bitch try and take not only her man but her kingdom that was rightfully hers.

    "A¡­"

    She nced in the rear-view mirror at Ajax.

    "You look like you are plotting something wicked.." He sounded concerned. A looked to the side and saw Finn also looking at her, worried.

    She smirked, "Jeese, guys. Calm down. There was nothing wicked about my thoughts.."

    "Liar!" A looked at Ajax again in the mirror as she drove towards Lydia''s house.

    "Wicked looks good on you," He winked.

    She burst outughing at his response. Only Ajax would say such a thing.

    "Where are we going?" Finn subtly changed the topic.

    "We need to collect Darren.. from Lydia''s."

    Her words set the car into a heavy silence. As she pulled up outside the heavily guarded house, Finn spoke up through gritted teeth, "You won''t need to worry about him for much longer."

    A turned her head to look at Finn and the seriousness his face portrayed; before she could respond, the door to the house flung open, Darren, along with a near-naked Lydia, walked out. She was in a ck lingerie set, with stockings and a garter belt clipped together; her shoulders were covered from a light pink satin dressing gown that barely covered her bottom.

    "Close your mouths. You''re drooling," A said without even looking at the guys in the car.

    She clenched her teeth together as Lydia wrapped her arms around the back of Darren''s neck, and they kissed passionately in front of her red door. When they were done, Lydia looked at A with a sly smile, as though she was challenging her to make a move. This was Lydia''s way of showing that she had Darren right where she wanted him, and A was not safe with him by her side.

    "That''s a bold move," Malia muttered. A''s nose wrinkled at her wolf''sment.

    Darren sauntered towards the car with a satisfied and smug smile on his face. A pressed the window button, and it rolled down as he approached her side of the vehicle.

    "You shouldn''t be driving. Let me," Darren grunted.

    A arched her perfectly shaped brow, "You don''t know where we are going. Get in the back. You can drive to the shopping centre after."

    Darren climbed into the backseat and grumbled about how Finn or Ajax should drive the future Luna.

    "I don''t trust them driving just yet."

    "Why?" Darren nced at the two men beside him.

    "Because they were kidnapped and behind bars for five-plus years," A snapped. Even though his question wasn''t sarcastic, she still didn''t like the guy. His mere presence annoyed her.

    "You know," Ajax interrupted the rising tension in the car, "you got a fine bit o'' ass right there!"

    A sighed as she continued to drive out of the heavily guarded estate. She nced in the rear-view mirror at Ajax. He was a flirt and outspoken, but he never spoke about girls in such a way, which was why she didn''t mind his typically cheekyments. He never disrespected a woman, no matter who they were.

    Darren burst into a peal of heartyughter and pped Ajax on the shoulder approvingly, "You got that right!"

    Finn rxed his tense body in the passenger seat, and A nced at Ajax again.

    "How''d you do it? You must be doing something right in the bedroom!" Ajax chuckled.

    "Dam straight! She can''t get enough of me," Darren joked again. A had to suppress a gag at the men''s talk. She knew what Ajax was doing, and it was pretty brilliant of him. Already his ''banter'' showed that Darren was happily sleeping with Lydia. Not only because of her ''bang-able body'', as Darren just said while they continued talking, but also because it seemed he wanted respect from other men. Having Lydia by his side showed that he could get such a woman.

    "Basically, he''s a pig," Malia added.

    "Yep, but we already knew that," A replied.

    It was quiet for the rest of the journey, but from Ajax''s talk with Darren earlier, it seemed there was no tension now, but this did not stop A from telling Darren to wait outside the shop once they pulled up. Which almost instantly made the pressure rise again between them.

    "I''m your Delta, meant to protect you," Darren growled.

    "And you are, these are my close guards, and you.. you are my far guard. Keeping a lookout," A said lightly and turned around, ignoring his grumbles.

    A opened the door to the quirky shop, and the bell rang, revealing their arrival to the owners.

    "Wee!" Mandy came out from some multicoloured chains dangling down through one of the back doors. She stopped her sentence when she saw A and the two guys behind her. Immediately, she quickened her step, a broad smile on her face as she pulled A into a hug, "You should have said you wereing!"

    A sighed into her embrace, "I know, but it was kind ofst minute." She pulled back and looked down at her mum, "I''ve alsoe for a favour."

    Her mum narrowed her eyes yfully, and said in a mockingly spooky voice, "Hmmmm, what is it you seek, my dear?"

    A opened her mouth to ask further but was pushed to the side as Ajax came forwards and pulled Mandy into a big bear hug, lifting her up and cing her back down, "Mandy! You look lovelier every time I see you!"

    He pulled back, and A was gobsmacked as she saw her mum blush and Ajax flirting with her!

 Chapter 93 - Witchy Ways

    Finn ced a hand over his eyes and sighed at Ajax'' shamelessness. A rolled her eyes and turned after hearing a low growl, her dad had entered the room, and Ajax backed away, rubbing the back of his head with a smile.

    "Well, now Ajax has made his entrance... mum, dad, you remember Finn?"

    A continued as though nothing happened. Finn came forwards and acted as an appropriate adult and shook both of her parents'' hands. A nced around the little bookstore and smiled at how it had not changed. Well, it shouldn''t have; she had only been away for over a month, although, to her, it already felt like a year. So much had changed since shest sat in here.

    The brick walls were stylishly left the same. The only pictures hanging on them were one with a woman sitting in front of a table with tarot cards syed out, and the other was a boat upside down in the sea with the sun also in the ocean, as though the world had turned upside down. The store had rows and rows of books on ancient-looking bookshelves; there weredders set on the side for anyone wishing to collect a book from one of the higher shelves. There was a spiral staircase that led to a second-floor which also had a coffee shop at the back.

    There it was more for anyone wishing to read and drink a beverage. On the ground floor, where the group stood, was the main counter where people paid and, of course, also asked Mandy to find them a book if they didn''t know what they wanted. Finn inspected the counter, looking at all the different stones, he reached out his hand, and A pped it away.

    "Ow"

    A tsked him, "They are not to be touched until said so."

    "Would you like me to find you a book, Finn Sol?" Mandy came forwards and ced her hands on her hips, "Please," she gestured with her hand over the stones, "pick three stones."

    "Finn Sol?" Ajax whispered to A, who shrugged in return and watched Finn pick out his stones.

    Mandy smiled at his choices and left the group to collect Finn''s books. While Mandy was gone from the group, Andy turned to look at A and patted the top of her head rather roughly, but he was a big man, unaware of his own strengths sometimes.

    "Howe you''re here?"

    "What a lovely wee, father," A replied sarcastically before smiling broadly, "we need mum''s help. If she can, of course, help."

    Her dad''s brows drew together, and he nced around the quiet shop before whispering, "witchy help?"

    A nodded her head.

    "Are you sure?" He asked, but before A could reply, Mandy returned and gave Finn two books of love poems and the novel: ''The Three Musketeers.

    A smiled at the books, and Ajax startedughing, "Is Mandy trying to tell you, you need to learn a bit of poetry to find someone?"

    Finn''s face and the tips of his ears went a crimson red.

    "Actually, you are quite right, Ajax. One of the stones he chose shows that he is searching for something, the other indicated love, and thest stone showed strength. So, books of poetry and the three musketeers was a guess," Mandy shrugged, "now, let us go through the back, and we can get started on what you are here for."

    Finn tried to nonchntly shrug it off, "I haven''t found my mate, so it''s bound toe up with love.."

    A smiled at how cute Finn was acting, but she realised her mum had already begun walking away. All three of them looked at each other questionably.

    "But I didn''t tell you what we are here for.." A trailed off as she followed behind her mum and went through the multicoloured chains of the back door.

    Her dadughed behind her, "You know she is a witch now. She doesn''t need to hide her odd ways with you."

    A turned to look at him with a frown, but he kissed the top of her head and went back out to the shop, "Someone has to keep an eye on the store," He mind-linked A.

    It was quite odd hearing her dad''s voice in her head, but strange was bing an ordinary thing by now. A walked around the lc painted room and sat down on the brown couch, covered with an orange nket that contrasted brightly against the walls. Ajax and Finn sat next to her, and they watched Mandy began going through a bookcase in front of them. A looked at the books and realised they were like nothing she had ever seen before.

    Standing up, she walked over to where her mum was scanning them with her finger, touching each by the spine. A went to reach for a big, leather looking book with intricate details on it, but her mum pped her hand away.

    "Do not touch a witch''s grimoire, youngdy. Those things can leave a nasty sting, although you actually picked out the one I was looking for.. well done!" She gushed and grabbed the book A had been looking at; she motioned for A to go back and take a seat as she sat on the floor in front of the mosaic surface coffee table that had two iron brass candle holders atop.

    Mandy ced the book on top of the table, put her bright pink reading sses on her nose, and skimmed through the book.

    "Mandy, do you know what we are here for?" Ajax enquired.

    Without looking up, she replied, "Yes, of course. You want tomunicate with Finn and A, like how they can as werewolves. Is that correct?" She looked up through her sses.

    Ajax nodded, and A couldn''t help but chuckle as hisplexion paled.

    She gave him a nudge, "Everything''s going to be fine.."

    "Not being funny.. But witches.. are a whole new area for me. What if something goes wrong?" Ajax gulped, his eyes wide as he watched Mandy flipping through the pages again.

    "Stop being a scaredy-cat.." Mandy rolled her eyes, then gasped and pointed at a page, "There! Found it!"

    A leaned forwards and read the top of the book upside down; it read:

    Bound By Blood.

 Chapter 94 - Mind-Link

    A leaned forwards and read the top of the book upside down; it read:

    Bound By Blood.

    "Bound by BLOOD!? Nah ahhhhh," Ajax stood up and immediately went towards the chained door but stopped when it shimmered and turned into a metal one, shutting before he could leave.

    "Sit," Mandy clicked her fingers and pointed back at the couch, "This will not take long at all.."

    "Ajax," A stood up after the shapeshifter did not move from his spot, "you want to mind-link with us, right?" His gaze drifted from what Mandy was doing, and he looked at A, "This is the only way.."

    Ajax nodded his head, and A ced her hand in between his quite muscr shoulders, assisting him to the couch. She removed her hand quickly and watched in fascination at what her mum was doing. Now, on the coffee table, was a small cauldron-

    Malia barked out augh, "A cauldron! Next, we will see green skin and a wart on her nose!"

    A held back a chuckle and couldn''t help but check her mum''splexion.

    "I heard that," Mandy replied, making A and Malia still. The guys looked around, trying to see if there was a ghost or someone her mum was talking to.

    "Did she mean me?" Malia asked.

    "Yes, I did mean you. And no, I do not have warts nor green skin," Mandy chuckled.

    A''s eyes widened, "You can hear our wolves!?"

    Ajax and Finn tensed upon hearing this.

    "Sometimes, if I focus enough. Although, your wolf seems incredibly loud. It didn''t take a lot of effort on my end to try and listen." She replied.

    So fricken bizarre.

    Malia stayed quiet, afraid now at opening her big mouth. She could no longer insult people with a witch in the room!

    A continued to watch as her mum threw different liquids together in the cauldron, along with some already cut up herbs and the asional flower petal. Somehow, the liquid was bubbling in the pot, and A could see her mum chanting something incoherent under her breath. Was it Latin? She couldn''t tell.

    "Okay, each of you, bring your index finger out, please," Mandy instructed.

    They raised their fingers, and one by one, their fingers were sliced quite deeply. A flinched at the pain; it felt like a paper cut.

    "Now squeeze as much blood as you can into the cauldron until your skin re-heals itself," Her mummanded. Grimacing, they each squeezed on their fingers, pointing downwards into the bubbling liquid. Mandy continued with her chanting, and A watched as the liquid formed into a glowing pink form. After two minutes, their minor wounds healed, and Mandy finished her chanting.

    They pulled back their hands while Mandy poured the form equally into three sses.

    "This will bind you three together. There is nothing more to it. I removed parts of the spell that would bind you fully together. Meaning, if one of you got hurt, then the other would feel it. If one of you died.. then so would the other."

    At the mention of this, Ajax leaned away; his normally slit cat eyes were now dted. A rubbed his back gently, and a small purr began to erupt from his chest; she watched as his eyes went back to normal.

    "All you need to do is drink.. drink all of it.. And that''s it.. you can mind-link one another," Mandy concluded.

    A grabbed one of the sses, and the other two followed suit, "Bottoms up!"

    Ajax, A and Finn each downed the glowing liquid, grimacing as they did so. It tasted sweet, then acidic and back to sweet again; they could not tell if it tasted great or not. The potion didn''t give enough time to tell in between each taste. Once they drank it all, they looked at each other, not feeling any different.

    A looked back at her mum, lost on what to do.

    "Well, try and mind-link him!" Sheughed.

    A turned to Ajax and tried to reach out with her mind. She tried to feel that tether that keeps a mind-link together. Ever so slowly, A could feel the faint line forming, and like invisible fingers, she gripped onto the line, "Ajax, can you hear me?"

    Ajax gasped and pped his hand, "A!? So this is what it is like to mind-link. You guys, this is awesome. Wait, is Finn here? Finn? Hello?"

    A rolled her eyes, "Ajax, hold on. We need to reach out for him to get into the link."

    After a bit of fiddling between the tethers, A could almost feel the knot tying together, forming the three-way mind-link.

    "Finn? Can you hear me?" Ajax mind-linked.

    "Well, shit. Now I have to put up with you in my head as well.." Finn replied.

    "Guys.. It looks like the ''Prisoner''s Club'' has gone to a whole new level! Mind-linking!!" Ajax almost screeched in their minds, causing A and Finn to flinch.

    "What have I done?"

    A and Finn stared at each other before bursting intoughter.

    "Hey! None of that!" Ajax jumped up and looked at them sternly, speaking aloud, "We just drank that awful potion so we can mind-link! Don''t go having your own private conversations now. Otherwise, I will do the same.. But with A.." He winked at her.

    And as though on cue, Mandy stood up and transformed the door back into the chains before packing everything up. A nced at her and frowned. She seemed paler than earlier and had a slight sheen of moisture on her forehead.

    "Are you okay, mum?" A asked and came forwards, cing a hand on her arm.

    "Yes, yes.. don''t worry about me," She waved her off.

    But A was still concerned, "Was there a lot of magic used? Or did you put too much strain on yourself?"

    Mandy chuckled and ced the grimoire in its spot on the bookshelf. Turning around, she sighed and ced her hands on her hips, "It was a hard spell. It wasn''t something simple you asked for. But with some chocte and a good night''s sleep.. I will be as good as new. It''s like working out. I am only fatigued."

    A''s brows rose at her mum''s exnation; she hugged her, "Thank you. I didn''t realise."

    "It''s okay," Her mum ced a strand of A''s hair behind her ear, "I know you need all the help you can get today. I am happy to have helped."

    A''s eyes widened, "You can see the future?"

    Mandyughed, "No. But I know you are about to do something reckless.. call it a mother''s instinct. But I also know you won''t back down now. Even your mate couldn''t change your mind."

    Another thing A never told her about. Damon was her mate.

    "How did you.. are these some witchy senses?!" A blurted out.

    Her mumughed heartily, and to the point, her eyes teared up, "Oh, A.. not everything is supernatural, you know.. John phoned your dad, and he told us. But we really shouldn''t have had to hear it from John! You should call more often!"

    A smiled sheepishly. "I know, I''m sorry, it''s just been a little messy right now. I promise to call more, okay?" She apologised before pulling her mum into a hug.

    For the remaining part of the morning, A spent time with her parents and, with Finn''s help, taught Ajax how to mind-link. There wasn''t much to it, but Ajax, of course, made it seem harder than what it was. She was thankful that he was only linked to her and Finn. Otherwise, she could only imagine the amount of mischief he would get into.

 Chapter 95 - The Meet

    A left the shop and texted Damon they were going to the shopping centre now, which was 20 minutes away. When A looked up, she saw a very grumpy Darren, leaning against the SUV with his arms crossed, looking a little red from the sun. She walked forwards, and he opened the door to the backseat. A climbed in without questioning him; she did, after all, say that he could drive them to the shopping centre.

    A''s phone buzzed, and she looked down at it; two messages came through:

    [ 12:00pm Message from Damon ]

    [ 12:00pm Message from Hollie ]

    She opened Damon''s text:

    [ 12:00pm Be careful. Any sense of danger then GET OUT. So help me goddess. If something happens to you, you will be punished for a week. Got it? ]

    A raised her brow and replied instantly:

    [ 12:01pm Aye aye, captain! Don''t worry. I will keep you updated x ]

    His reply was instant:

    [ 12:01pm Alpha ;-) ]

    A smiled from the winky face; at least he knew how to lighten the mood, even if she knew he was worried about her, just as she was concerned about him. She scrolled to the next message from Hollie.

    [ 12:00pm See you soon! xx ]

    A replied, not that she needed to, but after Hollie''s bizarre and, quite frankly over the top messages, she decided it was better to text back.

    [ 12:03pm Can''t wait! xx ]

    She sighed and leaned her head into the cream leathery seat while the car was in motion. Ajax arched a brow and mind-linked her, "You ready, sweet pea?"

    A nodded her head, "I just hope Hollie isn''t in some serious trouble."

    "If she is, then we are there to get her. Chiara is meeting us there now?" Ajax asked. A pulled Finn into the mind-link, who was sitting in the passenger seat, his elbow on the window sill, and his head leaning on his hand as he stared at the scenery zooming past.

    "She can''t. She will be protecting the packhouse. But we are getting ten warriors to surround the building. So, even you guys will have protection," A replied.

    The pair of them nodded their heads, and Darren said aloud, "Is there something going on I don''t know about?"

    A pursed her lips before replying, "Nope. But when we get to the shopping centre, stay on guard with these two. This is just a precaution, and my human friend doesn''t know anything about werewolves."

    Darren nodded his head, "Okay. Well, you have me and these two bozos. So, you are well protected."

    A nced at the rearview mirror and saw his bruised face looking at her. She looked away and nced out the window. He seemed.. quite professional.

    "Remember the shit he said to you, A. He''s a Delta. This is his job. If he doesn''t do it properly, then he will be punished," Malia piped up angrily. Her wolf wasn''t indulging in any fantasies about the man maybe not being as bad as they thought.

    "He''s a dick," Malia replied to her thoughts. Her tone indicated the end of the discussion or ideas about the man. Her wolf was right; she had to focus on what was about to happen.

    A opened her little backpack and checked the contents; her hand rummaged around the kitchen knife and gun and grabbed her ck hat.

    Ajax eyes widened, "Jeese A, you n on robbing a store?"

    She swiftly zipped her bag up and smiled sheepishly, "Alpha Damon would be pissed if I didn''t take extra precautions."

    Darren drove through thest parts of the countryside and sped past the sign for Silver Thorn. The car slowed down as they approached the shopping centre; Darren made sure to park at the far end of the car park. A pulled her hair into the ck hat and checked her appearance in the rearview mirror, making sure her white hair was hidden while Finn and Darren got out of the car and scanned the area outside the vehicle.

    A nced at Ajax after feeling his hand above hers; he gave it a quick squeeze, "Remember, you have a pack of wolves out there and, of course, the best shapeshifter looking out for you." He winked at her, and she squeezed his hand back.

    They climbed out of the car, and A ced her small backpack on her back.

    "It''s showtime!" Ajax eximed, making A smile and settling her nerves.

    She hoped it wasn''t ''show time'' and just her friend being dramatic. She continued to walk away from the car without turning to wave them off or say goodbye. They could always mind-link.

    A approached the shopping centre and nced at people rushing past her with their bags in tow. Girls giggled and chatted animatedly on one side of the buildingpared to an old couple holding hands and walking ahead of her towards the doors.

    A walked through the double doors, gliding in and out of happy shoppers while her eyes scanned her surroundings as she did so. There was a possibility that something was very wrong. Still, even if it was, she couldn''t let her friend be in any trouble, whether that was because of a current rtionship Hollie was in or if it had anything to do with A being a werewolf.

    She headed towards the meeting point and as Hollie came into view, sitting down on a fountain''s ledge. A knew immediately it was her friend. Her long brte hair went down in waves, showcasing the blonde ombre style well. She turned her head towards A, her hazel eyes popping against the smoky eyeshadow she wore and smiled with a wave of her hand.

    A rxed a fraction at her friend''s bubbly smile; it really was great to see her. She sped up her steps, but her attention then went down to her phone. It was ringing with an unknown caller ID. She picked it up, halting on the spot.

    "Hello?"

    "A, it''s a trap. You need to get Hollie and run," A guys voice came through the other end of the phone call. A voice she recognised instantly.

    "Chase?" She whispered and looked around again.

    "Get out of there, A! You don''t know what else they have-"

    The phone line went dead, "Chase? Chase!?" She nearly shouted down the phone.

    Panic struck her. What happened to Chase? She shook her head; there was no time for her to waste worrying about him. She could do thatter. Right now, she needed to get to Hollie and find a way out of the area. She hastily walked towards Hollie, who didn''t show any signs that something was wrong.

    A hugged her, "Hey," and before Hollie could respond, A grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along towards the lingerie shop, "I forgot, I really need to buy a new dress, let''s go to All Devils. We can grab a coffee after, yeah?"

    Hollie nodded her head but frowned when she saw they were going into the lingerie shop instead of All Devils, which was a two-minute walk away. But she did not resist and followed A. They hastily made it through the store; ignoring the store worker who greeted them, A grabbed a corset randomly, without missing a beat and went towards the changing rooms. She knew from thest time she was in there, there was a fire exit door at the end of the changing facilities.

    A continued to pull Hollie lightly by the hand, but she stopped after feeling Hollie pull back. A turned around and saw Hollie raise her finger to her lips before pulling her ck top up, revealing a wire and microphone stuck to her stomach.

    What the f-

    "Ajax, Finn. The hunters are nearby. Finn alert the pack members," A barked through the Prisoner''s Club mind-link.

    "A, where are you?" Ajax replied.

    A didn''t reply as she kept guard while Hollie began ripping off the wire, she tapped A on the shoulder when she was done, and the pair sprinted off towards the fire exit. They closed the door behind them and looked up; the ''heavens had opened'', and the rain poured down on them, sttering against the pavement.

    "We will round the corner. Meet you at the car," A mind-linked Finn and Ajax.

    "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" A quickly scanned Hollie as they rushed to the side.

    "I''m fine. Those guys are fricken insane, A! Talking about werewolves and needing you! I was kidnapped, A!" She screeched. A could hear her bing emotional.

    Shit.

    She turned around and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking at her intently, "I know, I know. Right now, Hollie. I need you to keep a cool head. Otherwise, both of us are returning to those assholes. Got it? You with me?" A shook her slightly, and Hollie nodded, her lips parted in shock.

    "Okay."

    A turned around and pulled Hollie by the hand again; they jogged forwards, rounded a corner, and instantly bumped into a man. A parted her lips, ready to apologise until she nced at the well-built man before her, reaching for his gun.

    A let go of Hollie and immediately kicked the gun out of his hand before punching the man in the throat. Hollie picked up the gun and pointed it at him, but A smacked the man''s head into the wall, knocking him unconscious. She bent down and moved the man''s coat sleeve up, revealing what she expected¡ªthe Hunter''s tattoo.

 Chapter 96 - Chaos

    Back at the packhouse on the grassy grounds, Chiara stood with her arms crossed, wearing leggings, a vest and a rain jacket as she watched her training session of 12-15 year old''s attacking and defending each other. She held more sses on a Saturday and felt it necessary for werewolves to start from a young age to know how to fight. All the pack leaders did due to their heritage.

    But Alpha Damon and Chiara agreed that the youngsters of the pack should know how to fight. If they were ever attacked to the point that their warriors and trained pack members could no longer defend them, then the pups would be on their own. The sses were not as intense as the 16+ sses, but she still made sure they worked hard.

    One of the young girls mmed a boy into the mat, earning augh from another boy. Chiara raised her brow at the boy whoughed; he immediately went wide-eyed and continued sparring with his partner. She shook her head and nced up at the sky; the dark clouds wereing closer, and after the first drop of rain, she called it time.

    While she and a few other pack members began packing away the mats and carrying them towards their sports centre, the rain started to be heavy. As she ced the mat down, her phone began to vibrate; she grabbed it from her pocket and flicked a strand piece of her hair out of the way.

    Chiara checked the caller ID; it was Tommy, one of the warrior''s stationed near A. She pressed the ept button and ced the phone to her ear. "Is everything okay, Tommy?" She asked.

    "Gamma, the hunters are here, and they''ve brought some werewolves with them. I don''t know if they are rogues or what," He replied. Chiara could hear his breathing bing ragged and shuffling soundsing through the phone.

    "Tommy?" Chiara stared ahead. Her brows drew together as she heard more shuffling, the sound of grunts and fighting. She walked forwards and nced at some of the men remaining with her.

    "Mind-link those patrolling the surrounding woods. They need to be extra vignt in case theye here," Chiara ordered one of the men. He nodded his head, and she watched his expression be vacant.

    "Tommy, how many are there? Do you need backup?"

    Bang!

    Bang!

    Bang!

    Chiara gritted her teeth at the sounds of gunfire.

    "Gamma! Shit, the silver bullets, they don''t-"

    "Tommy!" Chiara heard a crashing sound. The phone dropped to the ground; she listened as several shots were fired one after the other until the round was up.

    Chiara raced through the doors and stopped when she heard one final shot and the phone bing muffled before the line went dead. Her eyes hardened. Twenty men were surrounding the shopping centre, as directed by Alpha Damon, yet it sounded chaotic. She marched forwards while her mind was set in gear.

    Did they need more men?

    She speed dialled A, but it went to voicemail. SHIT. Chiara knew A would pick up, especially today, knowing Chiara would be checking in on her. She had to make a judgement call. Their pack was huge but if Tommy, one of her best warriors, might be dead, then would sending the standard guard be helpful? Or was she sending them to their deaths?

    "Send more. The hunters won''t be able to deal with loads of us there, and they will retreat. Our Luna and Queen is there," Her wolf, Gia growled.

    Chiara immediately sent a pack mind-link out, "I need thirty wolves, ready to fight at the gates in two minutes! This is an emergency. Your Luna is in trouble!"

    Chiara pressed the speed dial on her phone just as she received a mind-link from Brock, one of the wolves on guard patrolling the woods, "Gamma, there''s a pack of rogues."

    "A pack? They don''t do packs.. How many are there?" She replied; her voice stayed calm, but her mind was racing.

    "There''s twenty, maybe more", He grunted back.

    "And it''s not a pack-pack?" Chiara asked, bbergasted by the number of wolves.

    "Nope! They''ve got those red eyes.. but wait, hold on. Some of them seem a little bigger than your average rogue. Like they''re on steroids. Wait. Those ones aren''t with these.." Brock cut off the mind-link.

    "Shit!" Chiara said aloud, raking her fingers through her hair, forgetting she was holding the phone to her ear.

    "Chiara, what''s happening?!" Damon snapped through the receiver.

    "We are being attacked at the packhouse-"

    "Send more men to help the ones on patrol," Damon began barking orders.

    "Damon, I wasn''t phoning about the packhouse," She sighed, ncing around, "the hunters are here. They are after A. It was a trap."

    "FUCK!" Damon roared. Chiara brought the phone away slightly after flinching from his loud voice. She could tell he even pulled the phone away from him as he swore. She waited quietly as Damon told whoever he was with that something more important hase up. Chiara could hear a muffled man''s voice on the other end, possibly Damon''s dad.

    "This meeting isn''t done!"

    "My MATE and pack are in danger. Do not tell me to wait it out."

    Another man''s voice, Chiara didn''t recognise, spoke up next, "She is a Cross. Capable of taking care of herself, Alpha Damon."

    The phone dropped, and Chiara once again was waiting impatiently as she heard a scuffling sound and a few growls. Was Damon fighting? Now was not the time! A few momentster, Damon picked up the phone, a little breathless, and she heard the mming of a door on the other end of the line.

    "Are they all working together?" He asked in a deadly quiet voice. Chiara knew this voice, and it was more dangerous than if he was yelling or throwing things. It meant his wolf was close to the surface.

    "I don''t know," Chiara replied honestly; she watched some men running towards the gates.

    "I''m on my way back. Stay in contact with someone at the shopping centre. I need you to stay in human form. I know you don''t like it, but I''ve left you in charge. I''ll be back as soon as I can." The phone went dead.

    Chiara sighed and put her phone away, and jogged towards the men at the gates while sending another pack mind-link, "The woods are being attacked. I need 50 men to make their way there. Another 50 to surround the estate, and 20 toe to the mansion."

    Although she barked out many orders regarding the number of people needed, the pack had been trained well enough to know what groups should go where. The warriors though were spread thin, and she made a mental note to train more up when this little fiasco was dealt with. Especially now, they have a Luna, and the pack was constantly growing.

    They didn''t just have trained men and women, but families to look after.

    Chiara arrived at the gates and began barking orders. All at once, the group of thirty men transformed into wolves and started running towards the town. Although their world was kept a secret, the town folk was one of a few that had historically always had werewolves, meaning any humans cohabitating with them knew of them. It was hard to keep big wolves out of sight, especially if there was an attack on the town.

    The humans never said a word to anyone and continued to live happily in the town. If they weren''t rudely attacked by the hunters, that is.

 Chapter 97 - That Thing: Part One

    Two hours away from Silver Thorn, the ck SUV that contained Alpha Damon and Kane in the backseat pulled up outside the castle-like mansion. With its grey bricked walls and ck beams running down the pointed roofs. This was the packhouse of the Blood Moon pack, the house Damon grew up in. Much like the Silver Crescent packhouse, the estate was surrounded by trees andkes.

    But in contrast, the interior of the house was filled with dark, warm colours, along with old wooden beamed fireces and fur rugs scattered in alternate rooms.

    Alpha Damon and Beta Kane climbed out of the vehicle, along with their warriors, who kept guard of their surroundings. Typically, when Damon revisited his family home, there was more of a grand weing, with pack members paying their respects, bowing at the Alpha King of the northern territories. But today, there was no such thing; it was an urgent request from his dad, the Alpha King of the southern territories, toe to him. An emergency meeting of the Alpha''s was needed.

    Damon walked forwards with Kane by his side and his men following behind him, he caught sight of his mum first before his dad, and he marched past the Blood Moon pack''s guards, who were lined up towards the entrance of the mansion and brought his mum into a big bear hug.

    "Oh, Damon, I have missed you," She grinned broadly at her son, pulling back and raising her hands up to his great height. He lowered his head slightly, so she could grab him by his chiselled cheeks, turning his face from side to side.

    "Mum,e on, it hasn''t been that long. You make it sound like I visit once a year," He grumbled but put his arm over her shoulders. It wasical; his mum was a petite woman, reaching near his armpit but could still take down a man the same size as him. Her dark brown hair went straight down her back, and the white dress she wore was befitting to her role as Queen of the Southern territories. Even with age barely catching up with her, she was still beautiful with her chocte brown eyes and a kind smile.

    "When you have pups of your own, you will understand-"

    "Damon."

    Damon looked up and saw his dad''s stern face. His ck hair was now gelled carefully back, cut shorter than Damon''s, with white hairs protruding through here and there. The man was handsome, in a rugged way, and putting the pair together, anyone could see they were made for each other.

    "Magnus," Damon replied curtly. He got on with both his parent''s but one look at his dad''s face told him Damon was there for business. The pair shook hands ceremonially, and his dad patted him on the back and led him the way to the dungeons at the other end of the estate.

    Kane followed behind and ordered the guards to stay by the cars.

    "Where are the other Alpha''s?" Damon asked, his eyes set ahead at the approaching old building meant for prisoners. He didn''t need to wonder why they were going there, but who was getting tortured.

    "They have been waiting on your arrival, son. Once I have shown you this, we will get straight down to business," Magnus replied as he opened the door and led the way down the darkened stairs. This dungeon was different to his basement, whereby the only light filtered through the room was by one lightbulb, and the building was old and damp. Anyone unlucky enough to be captured would either die from their injuries or infection.

    Damon walked towards one of the rusted silver cells and jumped back immediately from the sharp teeth that snapped towards him and growled at the Alphas on the other side of the bars. His eyes widened when the beast in front of them towered over them on its hind legs, its furry hands wrapped around the bars showcasing the sharp brown ws, and its eyes glowed a brilliant blue. It was like a lycanthrope, its body a twisted version between a man and a wolf.

    "Do you see why I wanted you toe ASAP?" His dad''s voice rumbled from behind him.

    "This was one of the rogues attacking the packs?" Damon asked calmly while he assessed the stature of the wolf now pacing before them.

    Magnus scoffed, "Rogues? It wasn''t a part of the rogue attacks. We interrogated them before getting rid of them."

    "And?" Damon turned his head to face his dad.

    "He wasn''t a part of the fucking rogues. It fought them before turning on the pack," Magnus snapped back before rubbing a hand over his eyes tiredly.

    "This was the only one?" He asked, dismissing his dad''s rage. Sharp words never hurt him, actions did, and he could see his dad was exhausted.

    Magnus looked at the beast that settled back down onto all fours, although it looked odd with its back almost arching over like it was meant to always be on its hind legs.

    "Yes. But there have been a number of rogue attacks. You told me previously how there have been more on your territories also.." He trailed off, looking intently at his son.

    Damon sighed, "The rogues have never been this out of hand. Either someone is controlling them like an Alpha would, or they are being set loose, to raise havoc."

    "That''s what we are here to discuss. We need a strategy in ce, and we need to work out what the fuck that is," His dad pointed his thumb behind his back as he walked away from the cells.

    Damon turned his back on the beast in the cell and scratched the back of his head, "I think I might know, but it needs to stay between us. For now."

    His tone of voice made Alpha Magnus turn and look at his son with furrowed brows.

    "A was kidnapped by the hunters-"

    "Shit! After everything we did and you did to keep her safe. Is she.." His dad interrupted, then sighed and continued his question, "Is she still alive?"

    "She''s alive, dad," Damon couldn''t help but smile fondly about his mate, "and she''s my mate."

    His dad smiled broadly and brought him into a hug, patting him on the back, "Congrattions! Ah, your mum was beginning to worry. 27 without a mate.. I''m so happy she''s the one!"

    Damon grinned again, but it fell as he heard the growling from behind him again. It was like a bucket of icy water thrown on his back. He raked his fingers through his hair, "She said the hunters done experiments. They took her blood.."

    Damon didn''t need to finish his sentence; his dad turned his head and looked back at the beast in the cell.

 Chapter 98 - That Thing: Part Two

    Damon sat in therge meeting room on the western part of the mansion. He grabbed his coffee from the colossal table ced in between the Alpha''s gathered around it. In the middle was a map with pins stabbed into it and highlighted areas on different pack territories. Damon looked at the map. The areas covered by these attacks showed how much of an uprising there was from the rogues. If it was the rogues nning these attacks.

    But it was doubtful that type 1 rogues were attacking them. They were more wolf than human and tended to onlye on theirnds if they were hunting for their food and attacks anyone in their way. Whether that is another wolf, prey or even a child. He also considered the hunters may be the cause of these attacks; that thing in the dungeon was evidential.

    But until he had a n, he didn''t want the others to know the full details just yet. So far, they only knew of a strange beast that was more powerful than them. Which was rming, to say the least.

    They spent a few hours debating on their next course of action. Damon only paid 50% of his attention to the discussion; at least ten of the Alpha''s in the room were arrogant assholes and just wanted to chat shit, swinging their balls about, making itst forever. The other 50% was him worrying about A or mind-linking with Kane about their own security detail, along with the other packs he needed to help keep protected.

    Damon nced at his phone, and without apologising for his interruption, he answered it after seeing the caller ID was Gamma Chiara. His brows arched together after there was a silence, and then she swore through the phone in agitation.

    "Chiara, what''s happening?!" Damon snapped, and stood up from his seat, turning around, so he faced the window, outlooking the grounds with the swimming pool.

    "We are being attacked at the packhouse-"

    "Send more men to help the ones on patrol," He immediately cut her off.

    "Damon, I wasn''t phoning about the pack," She sighed, "the hunters are here. They are after A. It was a trap."

    Damon stilled for a second, his stomach dropped, and he felt ready to burst with rage, "FUCK!" he shouted away from the receiver and raked his hands through his unruly hair. He turned around and looked at the room full of Alpha''s, Beta''s and the lone Luna.

    "Unfortunately, I have to leave. Something urgent hase up in my pack, and it needs my attention. I apologise, but I can see that we have everything covered.." He trailed off and grabbed his suit jacket, flinging it behind his shoulders. Beta Kane pushed off from the wall where he stood and began to follow him to the far end of the room to exit.

    "This meeting isn''t done!" His dad roared. He could see the anger ring behind his eyes and the disappointment that his son was leaving so abruptly.

    "My MATE and pack are in danger. Do not tell me to wait it out," Damon spat back at him. His own temper was much greater than his dad''s. A was in danger.

    "Our beloved mate," Darius growled through his mind.

    "Will not be able to walk for a fucking week," Damon growled just as fiery back to his wolf.

    "She is a Cross. Capable of taking care of herself, Alpha Damon," Alpha Ethan from the Dark Wood pack raised from his seat and sauntered in front of Damon, blocking his way.

    "If you gave a shit about your own mate, you would not be in my way right now, Ethan," Damon growled lowly, removing his title purposefully.

    Ethan immediately swung at Damon, but he blocked his fist and punched him twice as hard in the gut before kneeing him in the face and throwing him onto the table. He flopped down, crashing into a chair and another Alpha.

    "Does anyone else want to get in my way!?" His burning gaze searched across the faces of the room, and he grabbed Ethan up before flinging him back on the table, pointing at his face, "Challenge me again.. you will not leave alive, and I will take control of your pack."

    Ethan groaned, and Damon pulled him by the shirt closer to his face with a snarl, "Got it?"

    Ethan nodded his head, and Damon dropped him down before picking up his phone from the floor, where he dropped it mid-action. He marched through the door and ced the phone back to his ear, and turned when he saw Beta Kane m the door behind them. He, too, was bristling and seemed pumped for a fight.

    "That arrogant prick should know better than to challenge you. Right when A is in trouble," His wolf growled and chuckled at the same time, a deadlybination.

    "He must have a death wish," Damon replied drily to Darius.

    "Are they all working together?" He asked calmly as they exited the double doors; his men fell in line with him, already alerted by Beta Kane on the situation.

    "I don''t know," Chiara replied anxiously.

    "I''m on my way back. Stay in contact with someone at the shopping centre. I need you to stay in human form. I know you don''t like it, but I''ve left you in charge. I''ll be back as soon as I can." Without waiting for her reply, he hung up.

    The cars were already parked out front, ready for them. Instead of climbing into the backseat, Damon took the keys from one of his men and opened the driver''s door. As soon as Beta Kane and the others jumped in, he put the car in gear and sped off. It was better for everyone he was driving; if he sat in the back, he would lose his shit.

    His hands gripped on the steering wheel, going white, and he only wished he had his motorbike. It would take him half the time to get to A, but he also knew that bringing his men would aid them.

    He mmed his hand against the steering wheel and cursed under his breath as he overtook a car, the horn blurring with the wind and the roar of the engine. Damon kept his eyes focused ahead as a storm swirled behind his shimmering orbs and with his teeth clenched.

    A, I''m on my way. Hold on, baby, until then, please. I won''t lose you again!

 Chapter 99 - The Rogues

    The rain cascaded down from the darkened sky of grey clouds leaving the water droplets to pound against the pavements in the streets of Silver Thorn. A pair of footsteps ran in haste across the wet ground, jumping over the deep puddles formed by the sky that barely begun its downpour. A was almost dragging Hollie at the pace she was going; she forgot that one of her strongest powers was that she was incredibly fast, even faster than the Alpha King. It was no surprise to her when she heard Hollie gasping for air behind her.

    "We are nearly there," A bit out, her eyes were searching therge busy car park.

    Why did they park so far away again? Where were Ajax and Finn?

    Her thoughts were disrupted when she was pulled into a mind-link, slowing her pace down to run by Hollie''s side and still having the ability to swerve in and out of people and moving cars.

    "A, the guards set up on the perimeter are holding off some rogues. And so far, I haven''t seen the hunters," Finn''s voice whipped through her mind.

    "I''m scouting from the sky. I will keep an eye out for them, but it''s hard unless I see them carrying an AK47 or military attire.. They seem to be hiding.." Ajax said, his voice for once sounding serious.

    "Thanks for the update, guys. Finn, where are you? I''m running towards the car now," A queried as she stopped and sidestepped a couple who she nearly crashed into.

    The sound of gunfire rang across the street, causing the locals to jump and cover their heads, looking frantically before all at once, chaos erupted around them. People scattered and ran desperately for cover and to their cars. A yanked on Hollie''s hand again and dodged in and out of pedestrians who also had their hearts set in different directions.

    "What''s the update?" She asked Finn through the mind-link, but there was no answer. Her brows drew together while her eyes scanned their surroundings. She couldn''t see Finn, and her mind began to race, forming ideas of something happening to him. She nced to the sky, ready to mind-link Ajax on Finn''s whereabouts, looking for his ck eagle-

    "A!"

    She whipped her head back to the side and realised it was Hollie''s cry. She followed her gaze, and they came to an abrupt stop.

    In front of them stood eight rogue werewolves, each growling viciously towards them, almost foaming at the mouth, and their red eyes were dead set on the Luna. A nced to the side and was relieved to see people turn around immediately on sighting the wolves. The car park now had almost cleared.

    Another round of gunshots fired into the early afternoon, causing A to shift slightly to the sound, but her eyes did not move from the wolves before them. She pulled Hollie behind her, almost shielding her from their view.

    "Hide behind a car. Out of sight. Go!" Amanded quietly, her gaze still locked with the wolf in the middle that began walking towards her. She felt Hollie''s presence leave her side, hearing her scurried footsteps and sshes through puddles off to the side. One of the rogues watched her, she could see its head moving and its first step going forwards. The rogue''s instinct was kicking in to hunt and kill.

    "Hey!" A shouted; its attention went back to her, immediately snarling at her.

    She unwrapped one of the straps to her backpack and pulled it forwards; she kept ncing between the wolf now bounding towards her and shakily undoing the bag to grab her gun.

    "A! Shift!" Malia roared and immediately took the reins. She ran forwards, and just before the rogue mmed into her, she shifted. White fur ripped through her skin, her snout formed before her, and the moment she was entirely a wolf, she jumped on the rogue. A took it down swiftly, snapping its neck before instantly colliding with another that made the pair tumble to the side.

    Malia merged back into the shadows of her mind, pacing and waiting. She was ready in case A couldn''t handle anything. In fact, Malia was quite proud of A.

    A was quick on her four legs to evade the rogue''s snapping jaws, but she could see out of the corner of her eye that the other wolves were closing in around her. Then a blurring figure shed by her side, and one of the wolves were gone, immediately followed by the other being tackled down by a dusty brown wolf. Finn?

    A snapped her eyes back to the red-haired wolf before her, dodging its jaws again and made a final lunge forwards, sinking her teeth into it. The wolf went limp in her mouth, and she released it, letting it drop to the ground dead.

    There were four left and another scruffy looking one that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Finn was still fighting the other rogue, and A could hear fighting in the surrounding area, meaning it was five to one.

    Another blurring figure appeared and removed another wolf. What the hell? Four to one.

    "We can take them," Malia snarled, and A''s eyes shone against her white fur. A eyed her backpack and the knife that had fallen out onto the cemented ground closest to her.

    "Maybe with a little help!" A turned and sprinted towards it, the rogues immediately chased her, but she was quick. Her paws pounded against the wet ground, sshing dirty water against her white fur. She looked as wild as the rogues, her fur covered in mud and blood. Just as she neared the knife, she was tackled to the side.

    I just need to take this wolf out before the others catch up!

    However, the grey wolf that tackled her seemed to sense her urgency to take it out before the others arrived. It growled, and they ended up circling each other after a few attempts from each opponent to take the other down; A found it was more tactical than the others. Then, she saw her opening while ncing at the knife again.

    She leapt forwards and bit into her opponent''s ear, jumping over it as she did so and shifted mid-air,nding on her two bare feet. A lunged for the de, scraping her body against the grit on the ground and rolled onto her back, instantly stabbing the leaping wolf in the back of its throat. Her hand was still in its mouth as its jaws mped down around her arm before it went ck, and the light faded from its crimson red eyes.

    A pushed it aside and flipped up onto her feet; without thinking twice, she jumped over the next wolf pounding towards her and crashnded on its back, stabbing the knife into its spine. The poor creature yelped before copsing.

    "Poor creature," Malia scoffed, "they''re trying to take you down. LUNA!"

    Her wolf''s growl made A''s eyes glow as she went into the depths of her mind and pulled on a part of her that was wild, violent, and thirsty for blood. The next moves werepletely animalistic and came to her like second nature.

    A jumped on the wolf to her right, tackling it to the ground. She snapped her canines into its neck, so much so that the head was nearly decapitated from its body. She pulled her head back, her hair flicking out of her face and growled at the oing wolves. Running forwards, A shifted mid-stride into her beautiful but dirty, white fur coat.

    Without wasting a second, she instantly jumped on the wolf, watching out of the corner of her eye as Finn started attacking the scruffy-looking rogue. A snapped her jaws down into the brown coat of the rogue, it whined, and she sank her teeth in further while watching Finn struggle even more so with this other wolf.

    Dropping the brown wolf to the ground, A took a few steps forwards; her attention was now on this scruffy ck wolf. A wolf with startling blue eyes.

    "Blue¡­ eyes¡­" Malia whispered. The pair were stunned at this wolf that seemed to be much bigger than Finn.

 Chapter 100 - Casualties

    "Blue¡­ eyes¡­" Malia whispered. The pair were stunned at this wolf that seemed to be much bigger than Finn.

    Did she have a blood rtion? No, A shook her head.

    Finn yelped as he was flung into the side of the building by this wolf. A instantly started to charge towards it but stopped when three wolves came forwards and attacked it all at once. She felt her blood turn cold when she watched it pull up onto its hind legs and let out a guttural roar with slime at its jaws flinging out to the sides as its voice echoed through the town. The streets quietened further; the only sounds came from the rain continuously pouring down on them.

    "You don''t think¡­ is that thing with the hunters?" Malia stuttered.

    A''s eyes were wide as she watched its powerful strides and swipes at the three wolves. "I think that thing has been created¡­ from our blood," A''s eyes became pained as one of the wolves yelped after being bit into the neck and flung to the side like an unwanted toy.

    The sound of the wolfnding on the ground and hearing its bones break snapped her out of her daze. A sent out a mind-link to Tommy, one of the warriors she knew was on the perimeter surrounding the shopping centre, "Tommy, what''s happening?"

    A few moments passed, and A became twitchy as she watched the wolves bing tired before her. She nced to the side and saw Finn still on the ground, unmoving. While A waited, she decided to see to him. Running forwards on all fours, she grabbed her backpack by her teeth and made her way to Finn, dropping it next to him. She went around the corner, checking her surroundings, now fully aware that she had fought stark naked in town.

    "Hmmm, I hope I don''t get a fine for public indecency.."

    "I think that''s thest of your worries right now," Her wolf replied drily while A shifted and changed into shorts and a sports bra she stashed in her bag. She went back to Finn and checked his pulse by his neck. It beat steadily under her fingers, she sighed in relief. He was knocked out, that was sure.

    She flicked her wet hair behind her back and ears, stopping her movements when she heard back from Tommy.

    "There''s still a few near us. I haven''t seen the hunters yet."

    "So, they were using the rogues to do their dirty work.." Malia trailed off in thought.

    A looked at her grey surroundings and let her eyes glow to enhance her eyesight even more through the pelting rain. There were still civilians hiding in the shadows of buildings and others trying to get inside shops with their closed signs up; either the owners truly weren''t in, or they weren''t helping anyone. A shook her head and clenched her teeth.

    "We have reinforcements. They arrived not too long ago," Tommy''s voice echoed through her mind again.

    "Good."

    A reached out to the pack mind-link, "This is A Cross speaking. The reinforcements who have just arrived split into two. There aren''t many rogues left, and there are civilians here that need to be evacuated. The hunters are still about. They could use one of them as a hostage."

    A heard multiple responses from different wolves; she still didn''t know the names of or identifying who was who from the various voices. Responses of "Luna" and "Yes, your highness" floated through her mind.

    Satisfied with her first official order, she then turned around and scanned some of the parked cars for Hollie, with her eyes still ncing back at the beast that was wearing her wolves down. At the moment, she couldn''t help them until she was assured of civilian safety and what the development was at the packhouse and surrounding areas.

    "Ajax, where is Hollie?" She mind-linked the shapeshifter, ncing around the skies again as though she might see him.

    "She''s safe, but I think I see the huntersing!"

    A low growl erupted from her chest in response; Malia had merged briefly with A, her own aggression seeping through. A quickly went through her bag, looking for her phone.

    Shit. A realised she dropped it when one of the hunters jumped them. She couldn''t let Damon know what was happening or get in contact with Chiara.

    "You can mind-link her.. you can reach her from here," Malia stated.

    A frowned and cast a wary nce about before reaching out with her mind and finding the line of the mind-link that connected her to Chiara, "Gamma?"

    Her voice echoed across as though Chiara was not there. Her mouth went dry, and she swallowed an imaginary lump down her throat as she nced back to the remaining two wolves that were still fighting the one with the glowing blue eyes. She sighed with a heavy heart after hearing nothing from her friend.

    A sprinted forwards and could only hope that the Gamma was okay. She was a tough cookie and taught A everything she knew, only able to defeat her 50% of the time now. A tried reassuring herself before zoning in on the 8ft or 9ft tall wolf. While the scruffy beast flung another wolf away by its enormous ws, A used that time to leap forward, her nails extended and punch through the beast''s chest, grabbing at what she guessed was its beating heart and ripping the organ from its structure. Landing elegantly, she turned away, dropping the heart as the beast fell to the ground.

    A had watched from a distance how any scratch, biting or ripping of flesh did nothing to this wolf; its healing appeared to be at a high eleration rate, healing on the spot within a second. Removing its heart was a sure thing. How would it heal now? She nced behind her shoulder at the beast''s stature on the ground.

    So much for being all-powerful. Yet, A''s thoughts ran short as she sighted the dead man on the ground. It was the wolf the beast took out. Her eyes thennded on the red-haired wolf that trotted towards her.

    "You just went straight in for the kill, didn''t you. Taking all the fun!" A female''s breathless voice mocked her through the mind-link.

    "Nairi?" She asked in shock, then shrugged in response to herment.

    "Why do you sound so surprised?" Nairi mind-linked her and tilted her head to the side.

    In all honesty, she didn''t actually think Nairi was a fighter. She asked, "Are you a warrior?"

    "Yes! Why did you think I was guarding you at theke?" Nairi''s red-haired wolf began pacing.

    "To keep mepany?" Aughed and shook her head, d to hear her friend''sugh through the mind-link. But theirughter dropped as they both looked in the same direction after hearing footfall.

    Across the street, three men and two women strolled towards them in the middle of the road, each wearing ck military attire and holding pistols. So much for the crossbow, they used thest time they hunted her down. A internally rolled her eyes at the thought.

    Suddenly out of the corner of her eye, she saw that same blurred figure zoom past her and in a blink of the eye, only three hunters were left standing before them. Whatever that thing was, or whoever it was, really was helping. With that assistance, Nairi and the other wolf raced across the road towards the hunters, with a grey wolf that appeared and attacked one of the men on the side.

    "A, go to the car! Hollie is waiting!"

    A blinked and realised it was Darren''s voice that rung through her mind. Where was he? In her state of confusion, she saw the grey wolf with red patches on it lift its head up from ravaging the hunter it took down. His amber eyes gleamed with their bloody teeth snarling at her.

    "Darren?" She asked aloud and took a step forward.

    The wolf growled, and she heard his sigh through the mind-link, "A, you are this pack''s Luna. Now get in the damn car."

    He actually helped..

    A pursed her lips, forcing herself to turn around, away from the fighting, only to stop mid-motion as a gunshot rang through the air. Her breath caught as she looked back and saw Nairi fall to the ground with a yelp that echoed through her ears and stilling her heart.

 Chapter 101 - Race Against Time

    The squealing of tires burning on the tarmac of the road resounded down the street after the ck SUV swerved out of the way of an oing lorry. Damon had run a red light, one of many in his haste to get to A and the pack. The closer he was making it to her, the stronger the mate bond was pulling at him.

    As soon as he was on the countrysidenes again, he pushed the elerator pedal down even harder. The car was filled with thick tension smothering them like tar on their skin; even the warriors seated in the back were stiff and tense with a murderous glint to their stares. The lush greenery of fields and trees zoomed by in a blur of green sea.

    Damon was brooding quietly with his jaw muscle ticking and his stormy eyes staring past the windscreen wipers swiping rapidly against the torrential rain. He will kill everyone that thought they could get away with attacking his beloved. Rip them to pieces-

    "Burn them all to the ground," Darius growled in his mind.

    "Either way. There will be no survivors today. Those c*nts thought they could attack Silver Crescent when we are away and using her friend.. if she is her friend.. to lure A to them." Damon snapped, trying to keep his boiling rage from bubbling over to the point he might identally crash.

    "Whoever orchestrated this knew we would be separated," Darius snarled, causing Damon to growl aloud with his eyes focused on the road ahead. His men didn''t say anything; he had been brooding since they left with the asional growl erupting from his lips.

    Kane sat in the passenger seat looking outside the window, his brows furrowed until suddenly he flung his head back into the padded seat and let out a guttural cry. Damon whipped his head to look at him, watching as the Beta''s eyes began to glow and a growl vibrated from his chest. Kane clutched at his chest and began breathing heavily to the point of hyperventting.

    "Kane, what is it!?" Damon growled and nced back at the road.

    "Nairi!" Kane''s cry turned into a howl as his nails grew into ws and the golden fur of his wolf began to slice through the back of his neck. He was losing control and shifting in the car.

    "Kane! We are twenty minutes away-"

    "She won''t have twenty minutes, Damon!" Kane growled back and undone his seatbelt, "I have to go to her. I have to go to her, Alpha!"

    "Do NOT shift." Damon''s voice deepened from using his Alpha''s powers, causing the car to shake from the intensity of his order. He heard Kane and his wolf''s whining leaving his mouth as he fought against themand. He nced to the side again, his face hardening at the tremendous pain on Kane''s face. His eyes flickered back and forth, filled with unshed tears, and his eyes switching to and from a glowing amber and back to his own dark brown colour. The fur on his neck retracted as his head leaned forward, his eyes clouding over with a sudden darkness.

    Damon hated using his Alpha''s voice, but he couldn''t have Kane shifting in the car, causing them to crash and then leaving. It wouldn''t do him any good; even if he changed into his wolf, it would take the same amount of time to run there on all fours as it would for him to drive there. He didn''t know what the situation was, Nairi and A could be surrounded, or their pack was not enough. Was A okay?

    There was no contact from his pack, making it hard for him to stay in control. Darius was continuously pacing in his mind, but he could feel his feral side brewing as well as remaining dangerously calm. Darius wanted nothing more than to rip something or someone into pieces, but he kept himself in check because A was at risk of being taken or killed. Now was not the time for rash actions.

    Damon gripped the steering wheel even harder; his chest tightened at not being able to feel his matepletely. He needed to mark her. His canines began to grow again at the thought, but he took a deep breath in and tried to rx his hands. If he continued holding the steering wheel any harder, then it would definitely break.

    "Why.. Damon.. Alpha¡­ please.." Kane''s voice cracked as his body trembled under the restraints of the Alpha''smand.

    Damon gritted his teeth as he felt his own heart clench tightly at his friend''s pleas, "I will send a mind-link, Kane. Find out what has happened to Nairi. For now, I need you to stay in the car with us. You won''t get there any quicker, and we need to assess the situation once we are there."

    "Assess the situation," Kane chuckled without humour behind his voice. "My mate is dying, and you want me to assess the fucking situation.." He whispered with a scoff, "if it was A, you wouldn''t be sitting in this car right now."

    Damon''s brows drew together at hisment, but he did not take his friend''s words to heart. Backchatting the Alpha was dangerous, but Damon knew Kane was in insufferable pain right now. He wasn''t bonded with Apletely yet, and he was barely keeping it together. So he could only imagine what Kane was going through.

    He narrowed his eyes after hearing the sound of another car behind them. When he looked in the rearview mirror, he realised there were three cars following behind them. Where were his other warriors? He knew he was driving ridiculously quick, but he presumed they would at least be two minutes behind them, still able to guard the car. Did these bastards take his men out?

    "Jake, Zeke, did you bring the guns?" Damon grunted.

    The warriors, Jake and Zeke, grinned in response and pulled out their pistols. They looked behind them and reloaded them before rolling down the tinted windows. As they were about to raise their hands out of the window, Jake, who sat on the right-hand side, looked at the crossroad their car was passing,

    "Alpha! Watch-"

    Another car mmed into the side of the SUV, causing the metal to crunch inwards and the loud crash to resound on the empty road. All four of the werewolves jolted to the side at an incredible force as the car flipped over and rolled them over until they were left upside down. Steam rose from the bo as the road became silent once more.

    Kane was the first to crawl out from the car sluggishly. His ws grew out to assist in pulling his body across the dusty road. Blood trickled out from his head and mouth, dying the earth beneath him with dark red droplets. The car had hit Damon''s side of the vehicle. Kane tried to turn over onto his back to see if his Alpha was okay, but the driver''s seat was empty when he checked.

    Where was Damon?

    **

    A heard a pounding in her ears before feeling her heart thrumming against her chest. To see Nairi fall to the ground crushed her and without hesitation, she sprinted towards her at a phenomenal speed that she was unaware was in her. Her figure blurred in the sight of the others, and A reappeared, crouched by the side of Nairi''s red wolf. The hunter who shot Nairi pointed their gun at her but just as quick as she made it to Nairi, another blurred figure ripped them from her eyesight.

    With tears in her eyes, she moved the wolf slightly, "Nairi, I''m going to try and take the bullet out.."

    Nairi didn''t mind-link her but just breathed heavily with the side of her head resting on the pavement. A could see her eyelids drooping and her breathing bing slow. She grew her ws and psyched herself in a matter of seconds. It was just like doing an operation in the vets, she kept telling herself.

    "You''ve got this, A," Malia cheered her on in a gentle voice.

    A inhaled deeply and ced her un-wed hand gently down next to the wound, spreading the fur away from it. A low whine left Nairi''s mouth, a small sign that she was still with her. With her other hand, she slowly reached with her thumb and finger, breathing slowly again after seeing them tremble. It was hard separating herself from the situation and the wolf whose life rested in her hands.

    Finally, she stabbed the ends of her ws through the wound and seeping blood, watching the red liquid rise and trickle further down Nairi''s fur as she inserted her thumb and finger deeper. After some time, her ws felt the edge of the silver bullet. A had to stop herself from getting too excited, already Nairi had lost quite a bit of blood, and the pellet was lodged in her chest, luckily not too close to the heart.

    While A scratched at the end of the bullet, Darren and the other wolf took out the remaining hunter. Their ears flickered up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Ten hunters strolled in the direction of A and the fallen wolf; Darren and the other wolf race towards them.

    But they stopped after seeing the guns pointed at their Luna as their leader tutted at them, moving his finger from side to side, mockingly scolding them. The man with gelled salt and pepper hair stepped forwards at a leisurely pace, his face cold as he lowered his hand and raised the other with a pistol at A.

    She was so consumed by Nairi, she was unaware of how drastically things had changed until her eyes saw the end of a gun pointed at her forehead. She did not stop what she was doing; however, the hunters would not kill her. So, A continued to slowly pull the bullet out from Nairi''s chest.

    "It is so good to see you again, my dear."

    That voice.

    She knew that voice.

    It was a voice that chilled her to the bone, and she tensed on the spot. Raising her eyes up, the man who asionally haunted her dreams stood before her.

    Ss.

 Chapter 102 - An Unexpected Hostage

    Although A felt nothing but fear from the intimidating man in front of her, with his menacing gaze and overly muscr stature. She still felt confident that Ss would not kill her. He needed her for his little experimental wolves that were raising havoc. If they were created from her blood, were they technically like her babies? She dismissed the idea immediately and refocused her attention on the here and now.

    A kept her eyes level with the man who could be the ultimate undoing of the world of creatures. She was staring death in the eyes, and with her own determination, she made sure not to show him the dread that dispersed from the centre of her being by merely looking at him. His dashingly handsome face, which was hardened by the malice and evil behind his hazel eyes, would even cause a stranger to only nce at him and run in the opposite direction. He reeked of death, destruction, and evil schemes.

    A swallowed gently, pushing past the dry lump in her throat. "You won''t kill me," She spoke calmly, without any trace of fear quivering in her voice. Malia hummed proudly by the strength A was portraying in front of their enemy.

    Ss pulled at the slide of the gun, clicking it in ce as his steady hand stayed pointed at her, "No, but I can always empty these bullets in you. Injuring you to the point you would wish for death. But I am asking you politely.." A looked down the barrel of the gun, remembering thest time she faced such a dilemma. She wanted to scoff in his face but thought it better to keep herselfposed in front of such a temperamental man.

    He came closer to her with his cruel smile sliding up his face as his other hand moved a strand of her wet hair from her face; she felt a tremble ripple through her by his touch as his minty breath tickled her skin, turning her blood cold. "Now,e along, and nobody else will get hurt like this poor wolf here," Ss mocked as he looked down at Nairi and moved his foot forwards as if to kick her.

    A snapped at the sight, her eyes glowed, and she acted out of reaction to her now unconscious friend. She knocked the gun sideways with her hand and punched him in the face before kicking him in his gut. She put so much power and rage into her kick that Ss flew back,nding into a few hunters behind him.

    Malia resurfaced, holding the reins along with A as though they had merged into one. A''s skin began to rip away from her spine, her white fur sprouting out, "Let''s end him," Malia growled, and as she took her first step forwards, her body still trembling, her focus on Ss snapped to the side.

    Another man walked around the corner of the building near Finn; he was dragging a handcuffed Chase by the bicep, his face ck and blue, full of bruises and dried blood from a cut on his forehead. This made part of his golden hair dark and dirty. A halted her step, her shift stopping immediately. The man was holding a gun behind Chase''s back. She felt herplexion pale from the sight.

    "Ajax, are there any other wolves nearby?" She mind-linked him. If there were, maybe they could do a sneak attack on them. There was no way she was returning to live out her days as nothing more than a blood bag.

    A envisioned the cell she stayed in before; how the hunters would just keep her alive and locked away, taking her blood to create those beasts.

    "They are all busy!" Ajax cried; his voice was filled with terror.

    Shit. A''s mind went nk from ideas of how to save herself and the people around her. She nced back at Chase with furrowed brows. He was now in this mess because he helped her. A turned her head back to the man Chase called his father. Ss.

    He now stood, his eyes locked with A''s and a sneer forming on his wretched face. "Oh, how your heart bleeds for the people you love. You attacked me, risking yourself to be tortured, only to stop from getting your ultimate revenge when someone else''s life is in the bnce. And not just anyone''s¡­"

    Ss stepped back towards Chase and grabbed his son by the back of his hair, epting the gun passed to him by the other hunter. Ss dragged him forwards and threw him against the damp ground, only to pull him back up, so Chase was on his knees facing A. He pointed the gun at the back of his head.

    "You won''t kill your own son.." A trailed off, uncertain with her words.

    Ssughed, "And why wouldn''t I? He is nothing more than a treacherous snake helping out the likes of your kind." He spat on the floor and smacked Chase with the back of his gun, causing the skin at his eyebrow to split and blood trickle down his face. He winced but didn''t look at Ss; his gaze was fixed on A, as though he was trying to tell her something with his eyes. But she didn''t know what.

    A was also stunned by the violent action; even if Chase did help her, she couldn''t believe Ss would beat his own son.. yet, he did. Did he have it in him to kill Chase?

    Chase shook his head when A took a step forwards; she halted her footing as her gaze locked with his hazel eyes once more. Was Chase shaking his head because it was all a ruse? Would Ss really kill his son?

    "No, surely not," Malia said with ace of ambivalence in her voice.

    Ss sighed, pointed his gun at Chase''s foot and pulled the trigger. The gunshot fired with a loud bang. A yelped and covered her mouth with her hands while Chase made a low hissing sound. She watched as his chest heaved from breathing heavily, as though he was breathing through the pain of a bullet lodged in his foot.

    "Now, do you believe me?" Ss tilted his head and pointed the gun back at Chase''s head.

    A''s heart twisted at the sight. Her brows drew together, and her thoughts reached out to Damon. She knew already what decision she was going to make, and it brought tears to her eyes, and her heart ached by the idea of never seeing her mate again.

    No, he would find her.

    He didst time..

    A inhaled sharply and stepped forwards, "Please, leave my pack alone. Leave Chase alone. I wille with you." She showed her hands as a sign of surrender.

    "A! What are you doing!?" Ajax barked through the mind-link. She heard an eagle''s high-pitched cry from above, and she knew it was him.

    "Ajax, look around you. Finn, Nairi.. the number of pack members fighting rogues and those beasts. How many have fallen today? All because of me?" A lowered her gaze from the clouds that had stopped its unrelenting downpour.

    Ssughed, but there was no humour in it. The chilling sound from the deep rumbling in his chest petrified her, along with the glint in his eyes. His form suddenly stopped shaking from hisugh as his face once again became serious.

    "You have my word, A. I will leave Chase alone," Ss raised his other hand towards her expectantly. A frowned at his words as she began walking towards him. He didn''t promise to leave the pack alone. But what could she do? She couldn''t let Chase die.

    "Send a pack mind-link. More reinforcements wille. We can still take them," Malia sputtered in a panic. A could feel her wolf''s anxiety creeping into her own, yet she was still able to focus on the issue at hand. At least when A was at a loss, her wolf could help figure a way out of this mess.

    "Would they make it in time?" A asked for fear of being taken away and never able to see the light of day again.

    "You''re wasting any time we have right now. Do it!" Malia barked.

    Before she could send out a pack mind-link. Another one came through from an unexpected voice, Darren''s, "If there is anyone free. I need you toe to Silver Thorn town centre. Our Luna is in danger and in the hands of the hunters! COME, QUICKLY!"

    A nced at the grey wolf, whose amber eyes had never left her, her own conflicted with mixed feelings about the Delta. But she returned her gaze back to Ss, who had not lowered his gun from Chase. The distance between them was closing. Her heart thrashed against her chest, and her hands became mmy at the fear of once again being taken.

    But she couldn''t do anything other than taking her final steps to the hunter''s outstretched hand. What else could she do? What else..

    As A took another step, her eyes widened in shock. She suddenly felt arms wrap around her, lifting her up, and within a second, she had been whizzed past the street she had been standing on. Her feet found the ground again, and she stared, disorientated and dizzy by the change in scenery. Before her was the outskirts of the forest.

    A ced her hand on her temple, rubbing at it and blinking, trying to regain her bnce. It was then, she realised the solid and cold hands that were still ced on her hips, keeping her steady. A''s breath hitched as she turned her head around and looked directly into crystal blue eyes with flecks of red in them.

 Chapter 103 - A Choice Was Made

    [ Authors Note: I am looking to upload another two chapters in the evening. This is 1/5 for today. You can of course read these now or wait :) ]

    A shifted on the spot and faced the man whose hands did not budge from her hips. Gabriel looked down at her; once again, the shirt he wore was soaked from the rain and blood; she ced her hands on his chest and leaned back, trying to create some space between them. But it only made her more aware of his shirt clinging to the rippled muscles beneath, something she quickly moved her gaze away from.

    A nced up and found herself mesmerised by his beauty once more but snapped out of her daze when she saw dried blood on one side of his lips. There was also something different, oh that''s right, his white hair was in a low ponytail. She usually thought this looked stupid, but the way Gabriel wore it absolutely suited him.

    This little assessment took only a few seconds before her mind caught up with her, and awareness seeped back into her. A now stood next to the woods, with Gabriel instead of helping the pack against the hunters in town.

    "What have you done!?" She wriggled out of Gabriel''s arms, "Chase is-"

    A gunshot rang from the town, causing A to jump and cover her mouth with her hands. Tears sprung to her eyes and began to slide down her face.

    "Oh, my goddess.." She whispered, "What¡­" She turned to face Gabriel, "Why did you do that?"

    Gabriel''s stone-cold face looked back at her as his icy gaze pierced through her, "A choice had to be made. I chose it for you, and it was the correct one, even if you do not think it so.."

    A was nearly hyperventting as she gasped, "Chase is dead.. because of you.."

    She watched as no flicker of emotion shed across his ethereal sculpted face, "Yes. He is."

    A searched his eyes for anything, any remorse and saw none. "You intervened when you shouldn''t have," She spoke through clenched teeth and her shaking hands fisted at her sides.

    A''s eyes dropped from his and looked in the direction of where the hunters were. Chase did not deserve to die and at the hands of his own father. And for what? Because he was actually a decent person..

    But A was going to them! She was but a few steps away from them. Ss knew this; A made terms with him, sort of, more like he said he wouldn''t do anything to Chase. But now, she was here, and not in the hunters grasp, all because of Gabriel..

    Chase. Was. Dead.

    Anger shed behind her eyes, and she couldn''t help at what happened next. She pped Gabriel in the face, and his head swung to the side. He raised his hand to his cheek; she watched as his demeanour darkened and his jaw muscle began to tick.

    Gabriel turned his head slowly back to face A, "Hate me all you want. But your life is more important than his." He held his icy gaze on hers, and she felt herself shiver from the intensity. He lifted a single finger and continued, "And Never. Strike. Me. Again. I am not your pet wolf." His words were slow, and she watched his indifferent attitude shift to one much more dangerous.

    He moved his eyes from hers, granting her freedom, as he muttered, "No one has everid a finger on me. Some foolish enough have tried and not lived to tell the tale.."

    A stepped closer to him, not at all bothered by the death stare he gave her. Nor was she intimidated by him and his words. "No one''s life is more important-"

    Gabriel scoffed and smiled, showcasing his fangs, "That.. my sweet, sweet A. Is where you are wrong."

    A narrowed her eyes at him, still trembling with the rage she felt. She knew it was wrong of her to shift the me onto him, but his demeanour and words were adding fuel to the fire.

    "YOU are the key to everything," Gabriel continued and prodded her in the head. She blinked at the gesture. "If they have your blood, then they will create more of those wolves. They could create an army and destroy every single supernatural creature. You have seen them yourself, how many werewolves it takes to kill them."

    A dropped her head and whispered the words on her mind, "I don''t want to be the key." Then she raised her voice, meant this time for Gabriel to hear, "Howe it''s only me they are after? I''m not the only strong Royal bloodline? The Steel''s-"

    "Are NOT a Cross," Gabriel interrupted.

    She raised her head and looked at him, furrowing her brows as she stared into his swirling blue eyes filled with centuries of wisdom. "Do you know why a Cross werewolf is so strong?"

    His eyes flickered with some hidden knowledge, but before A could ask further, his face closed off and became impassive once more as he changed the topic, "I have note here to ''chit chat'', A. Come with me."

    A blinked up at him, confused by his words, "Come with you where?"

    "Somewhere where they won''t find you. Somewhere safe."

    A drew back from him, taking a step back in shock, "I can''te with you.."

    He tilted his head, and without even speaking, she could see the question on his mind. So, she answered, "I''m not leaving my mate or my pack. I am safe here."

    A spark of anger shed across Gabriel''s eyes. But he scrutinised her face for a long moment before replying in a calm stony voice, "The longer you stay with them, the more danger you put the pack in. The hunters know where you live. They''ve always known! They waited and nned this out, A."

    A shook her head and took another step away from him. Was she putting them in danger?

    "They will always be after you," Gabriel said gravelly. His words were like a ssh of icy water thrown on her face. She stared into his swirling pools of blue and specks of red.

    He was right.

    The hunters would always be after her. That realisation set a heavy weight upon her shoulders as she sighed, looking away from the vampire before her.

 Chapter 104 - Come With Me

    A''s heart felt as though it would burst. She knew, of course, the hunters woulde for her, eventually, but the lives of her packid heavily on her shoulders. Damon, her mate, if anything happened to him because of her, she could not bear it, her heart clenched just thinking about it. Chase was already dead because of her, and he was someone Ss was meant to have loved!

    A turned her head back to the town and nearly jumped from the mind-link that came through to her, "A, where are you? Are you safe?" It was Ajax.

    "I am¡­ What''s happening?" She mind-linked the shapeshifter back while her eyes were trained on Gabriel. She was extremely wary of him now. The way he spoke and acted was unnerving.

    "Reinforcements havee!"

    "Good. Was.. was Chase shot?" She asked.

    "Chase? Oh, Ss'' son. No, I think.. No. Ss dragged him away with him."

    "What do you mean.. away with him? Ss is still alive?" She closed her eyes, pained, waiting for the news she knew wasing.

    "He''s still alive. They raced off in a van after seeing the new arrivals.."

    A opened her eyes again to see Gabriel a lot closer to her, his eyes searching hers. Her heart felt lighter, and her constricting chest rxed. Chase was alive. But she didn''t know how long for. Ss was intent on killing him for his betrayal. He might even be tortured first. She would not put it past him.

    A swallowed the lump in her throat and flickered her eyes away from Gabriel, ignoring him and quickly responded to Ajax, "Thank you for the update. I will be back in a bit."

    "Take your time, seriously. It''s mayhem here!"

    The line zapped out, and A once again gave her full attention to the white-haired vampire before her.

    "A.. I will protect you. My security is imprable," Gabriel continued.

    "What makes him think Alpha Damon won''t protect us?" Malia hissed. Her wolf had been very quiet until now, and now she was making her feelings be heard. A could feel her strong emotions about Gabriel. She did not like him one bit. The first reasoning was that he was a vampire, and the second was that he acted as though their mate wasn''t doing a dutiful job at protecting them.

    "Your security didn''t help youst time. Thank you for the offer, but I will stay with my mate," She snapped back at him.

    At her words, his eyes hardened.

    "I won''t ask again" his voice dropped to an iciness she never expected from him. Her brows drew together as she searched his face.

    "Gabriel?" A sly smile crawled up Gabriel''s face, and his eyes gleamed with the knowledge of something she did not know. But something, from the way he looked at her, seemed to click in ce, a puzzle piece A was unaware she was holding.

    "Who''s Cass?" Her question caught him off guard, but his smile broadened, making him devastatingly handsome yet dangerous at the same time.

    "I don''t know who this Cass is, but I know someone who goes by the name of Cassius.." He tilted his head, his smile not leaving his face and eyes glinting with amusement by his own words.

    Cassius..

    Hisment and reactions to the name made her brows knit together. A parted her lips to ask more about the person named Cassius when gunshots started firing in the town. A whipped her head to the side, her eyes widened in rm, and she turned to go back.

    Gabriel grabbed her by the arm, "Do NOT be stupid enough to go back there. They are fighting to keep you safe and alive."

    "I should be right there with them! If I am such an almighty, powerful werewolf.. then I better put myself to good use!" A snapped back and ripped her arm away, only for Gabriel to grab her other one and pull her back towards him. He brought his face down, so they were but inches apart. A tried to pull away, but his grip on her arm tightened, his true strength showing then, with the feeling of her bone almost shattering beneath his fingers.

    His fiery gaze was burning right through her, and he spat venomously, "At least Amelia had the right sense of putting herself first."

    "I am not Amelia!" She growled, "I have a heart, and yes, it bleeds for my friends, my pack, my family. Yes, you are a trillion years old, full of wisdom but no matter what you say right now.. I am noting with you, and I am going to help my friends!"

    Gabriel''s eyes flickered between her own. A slither of amusement and admiration passed across his cial re.

    "Do not say I didn''t warn you," He finally said and released his fingers.

    A snapped her teeth together and began running away from him. But before A could run off any further, Gabriel intercepted her, suddenly appearing before her and obscuring her view of the werewolves and hunters below. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

    A pursed her lips and altered her stance slightly. She did not want to fight Gabriel; hell, she didn''t even know if it was possible; he was a 500+ year-old vampire. But she would if she had to. Her friends, her pack, was down there.

    Gabriel smirked at her small alteration, "I only wish to bid you farewell," his eyes shed with amusement before he bowed forwards, seized her hand in his and lowered his lips softly to her skin, his eyes unwavering as he locked gazes with her. There was a longing in his eyes that flittered away as quickly as it appeared.

    Her gaze also lowered to his hand and to the si square ring on his index finger. She tilted her head slightly after seeing the family crest along with a capital ''C'' in the middle. Gabriel snatched his hand away and smiled mischievously before his eyes became frosty once more, and his lips fell, "Next time, I will not be a gentleman and ask you. I WILL just take you."

    And with that final sentence, he was gone.

    A was gobsmacked by his parting words. Next time? Why would he go through such lengths to have her safe? Or was he really trying to keep her safe? Too many questions began swarming her mind from the departure of the vampire. Again!

    A shook her head and sprinted back towards the town. Her feet pounded against the wet earth as everything shed before her eyes.

    "I don''t like him," Malia began, "and I don''t trust him. Even if he did kill those traitors for you.. I get the sense that he is after something.. I don''t think this is thest time we will see Gabriel.."

    Gabriel.. Cassius. His ring had the letter C on it. But he said he knew someone by the name of Cassius? Was he talking of himself? Again, the stupid vampire left her with these spiralling thoughts and questions. He definitely enjoyed seeing her squirm, trying to figure the mysterious vampire out.

    "I think his real name is Cassius.."

 Chapter 105 - The Target

    Twenty minutes away from Silver Thorn, a ck SUV was rolled over with steam rising out of the bo. The rain had eased and came to aplete stop on the dusty road. The driver of the car who crashed into them climbed out and grabbed his assault rifle, immediately pointing it towards the car. All in ck military attire, his armed men jumped out of the vehicle and approached the car with caution.

    A man with dark bronze skin and light brown curly hair hung out of the ck tinted window, unconscious or dead. But he was not their target. Their eyes whipped to the driver''s seat and instantly rushed forwards.

    Their target, the Alpha King, was unconscious; his body was slumped upside down, only being kept in his seat by the seat belt over his huge body. The driver of the hunters made a motion with his hand, and his men split up, checking the others in the car for any unwanted attacks if they were alive. While they dispersed around the vehicle, the leader tried to undo the car door, but it was jammed shut.

    Narrowing his eyes, he smashed the end of his gun into the window, causing the ss to break into pieces and copsing onto the roof of the car. He brought two fingers forward and checked the Alpha for a pulse on his neck, only to immediately pull back after feeling a slow, steady beat.

    The order was to kidnap him, and if he was too much of a handle, then kill him. Ss didn''t care; his n if this one fell through was to use him as a hostage to the pack and to that white-haired werewolf they lost a month ago. If they had her, then they would kill him anyway; he was useless by that point.

    Dropping his rifle to the ground, he leaned in and reached around the giant and clicked the button of the seatbelt. He looked at the almighty Alpha King and scoffed as his body fell forwards.

    "Not so mighty now," He spat.

    But the twisted lips of his smile fell instantly when he saw the Alpha turn his head and look straight into his eyes. Fear gripped the hunter as he watched the man''s skin on his face pull back, ripping from the mouth and nose as a ck snout protruded forwards.

    Within seconds the Alpha leapt forwards before he shiftedpletely, smacking the man into the ground. His sharp jagged teeth ripped into his throat, whipping his head from side to side as he growled. The ck wolf''s ears stood alert after hearing the approaching footsteps and the three cars skidding to a stop on the left side of the toppled car.

    Damon growled. He was pissed. Oh, so fucking pissed. There would be no survivors. If Nairi was dead, or A was taken.. His thoughts ran short as he immediately pounded forwards and took out the next three hunters.

    No skill was needed when his hot rage pumped through his veins, urging him into his wild, animalistic side. His heart thrashed against his chest like it wanted to attack them as much as he did, and a guttural growl ripped through him. His silver orbs shone like two full moons.

    Darius was in his element, seeking blood.

    The first man he tackled, his jaws went over his head, and he ripped it off, tossing the decapitated head away. It rolled on the ground and stopped in front of the next hunter; the man raised his eyes from the head by his feet, immediately taking a step back as the next thing in his vision is the terrifying ck wolf leap towards him.

    In his panicked state, he pulled the trigger, but it was toote. His arm holding the gun had been ripped from his body. The man screamed as blood spurted out from his shoulder socket. His scream worsened when he looked back in shock at the wolf holding his arm like a dog would with a stick. With widened eyes, the hunter watched as the Alpha dropped his arm and jumped on him. Thest thing he saw is the inside of his mouth before rolling on the dusty ground and facing his body a meter away that sprayed blood from his neck.

    On the other side of the car, Kane scrambled up to his feet and faced the three vehicles that now surrounded him. Men jumped out of the vehicles and pointed their guns at him. He growled and raised his hands, knowing too well that the hunters would kill him soon anyway. His eyes began to glow a brilliant amber, and his body began to tremble; the men shouted at him, warning him not to. But it was toote. They intervened with him, making it back to his mate.

    They had to pay.

    As he took his first step, the men turned their heads and weapons to the side. The dark and dangerous Alpha leapt towards them and began ripping into their flesh, leaving many dead or severely wounded in his path. The Alpha King was relentless and vicious in his attacks as shots were fired in all directions. But Zeke''s dusty grey wolf attacked them from behind while Beta Kane shifted and joined in.

    Within minutes the hunter''s bodies were left disfigured and dismembered with blood seeping into the dusty earth. Damon turned his back on them, ready to go but stopped remembering Jake was still in the car. He rounded the vehicle to see Zeke whimpering by Jake''s body on the side of the car, sniffing his head.

    "Is he.." Beta Kane began, but Zeke shook his head.

    "No, but he''s losing a lot of blood," Zeke replied gravely.

    "Zeke, get him to the hospital, use one of the hunter''s cars. Kane, let''s go!" Damon took charge of the situation quickly and turned away from the bloodied sight. Kane was quick to follow, and Damon sent another mind-link to Zeke as their paws pounded against the ground, "Keep me updated on Jake!"

    Neither of them spoke as the gigantic ck and golden wolf raced towards their destination, both filled with fear and anxiety over their mates. Their legs and lungs burned at the pace they fled at, but neitherined.

    The edges of town came into view. They made it in record timing, breaking it by five minutes, only toe across mayhem of hunters, wolves and those beasts fighting one another. Damon growled at the sight, immediately joining the battle.

    There was a restlessness stirring in Damon, and he knew his twisted gut would unravel the moment he set his eyes on his mate.

 Chapter 106 - Betas Mate

    A sprinted as fast as she could; her strides were long as she seemed to almost be leaping down the small hill that led back to the town. She knew she was quick, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins and the fear of her pack members taking more casualties made her believe she was as slow as a slug. A tried to focus on trying to quicken her pace to the point that she would be there in seconds like she had earlier with Nairi..

    NAIRI.

    A clenched her teeth together. She knew Chase was okay-ish; she didn''t really want to think too much about him now but believed or hoped he could take care of himself. But now, she needed to know if Nairi was okay. There was a single gunfire earlier, which made A believe Ss shot his son, but what if he killed Nairi instead? He saw how she hovered over her and became protective.

    Dread filled her burning and tense muscles, and she pushed forwards, feeling better once her footsteps made it to the cemented ground. Yet, she came to an abrupt stop at what she saw before her. Werewolves were fighting werewolves, or what remained of the rogues, along with hunters and the modified beasts that had three to four of her own wolves trying to take it down. A scanned the street and counted there to be at least six of them left.

    She took a step forwards while analysing the situation, what needed to be done, and where she would be most beneficial to the pack. Almost instantly, four werewolves appeared by her sides, two in front of her and two behind. They were guarding her, their Luna, from any more threats. A felt both grateful to them and afraid. Afraid that they would die for the sake of saving her life.

    "It is their duty. You are the pack''s Luna and future Queen. Now enough moping and worrying. Look around you. It''s a mess!" Malia refixed A''s line of thinking. Even in these times, A was still familiarising herself with werewolf life.

    Raking her hand through her already unruly hair, A sought out one of the warriors she met on her first day of training. Tommy.

    Tommy raced past a few wolves and crouched down next to Nairi. He was still in human form, covered in blood and sweat, from what she observed in her position. A jogged forwards and crouched by his side; he was checking for her pulse.

    She watched and waited, her eyes glued to his face. She knew it may be unnerving to him, having her stare at him, but she couldn''t help it. With her eyes fixed on his face, she couldn''t help but look at a few scars left on his features, along with the very faint freckles scattered from his nose outwards. It seemed a scar or two were the norm in a pack.

    Tommy''s copper hair clung to his face, a mixture of the rain from earlier and sweat. His navy-blue eyes were closed as his face was set in concentration. A began tapping her hand on her knee from impatience. Was Nairi okay? She would have pushed him out of the way, but it was better he done it.

    The seconds ticking by felt like hours. A''s heart thrummed rapidly and so loud that it was all she could hear as she waited for Tommy''s verdict. She swallowed a lump in her throat and kept a hand in her hair, waiting.

    Tommy turned his head to look at A and gave her a slight nod. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at the red coloured wolf. Panic had consumed her before, making her blind to see the ever so minuscule rise and fall of Nairi''s chest. She released her hand from her hair and shook her head. Yet, when she looked back at Tommy''s face, she could see the concern etched into it.

    "Her heartbeat was very faint," Tommy exined, causing A''s moment of relief to turn into a feeling of a sinking ship. "She needs her mate. Beta Kane.." Tommy continued with furrowed brows.

    A turned her head down, her hands sinking into the roots of her hair and whispered with tears resurfacing in her eyes, "He''s two hours away."

    Tommy sucked in a sharp breath and looked away, "If only friends are capable of such a thing." His voice was low and full of sorrow.

    "What do you mean?" A''s interest was piqued along with the tightening of her chest at the thought of Nairi dying. The bullet was out of her chest, and she should have been healing herself, but it was made of silver, reducing the healing time. A wanted to call an ambnce for her, but she couldn''t, not with the mess that was this town right now.

    Tommy looked back at her, his brows raised in disbelief. But after assessing her face, his own rxed and she saw a spark of realisation sh across his eyes. He quickly licked his lips and said, "I''ve only heard this as a rumour.."

    A began stroking Nairi''s face, hopefully, aforting gesture to her friend as she listened to Tommy. "The pack leaders have more unique powers with their mates. One of them.. so I have heard, is that if one of the mates is injured, their other half can help heal them.."

    A gasped at this revtion, but Tommy continued, "at the price of their own body."

    A''s brows drew together at this, "So.. you mean like a life for a life?"

    "No. The other mate will be drained of their energy and take part of the injury." He concluded.

    A closed her eyes at this revtion. All of this was her fault, but before she began to me herself, she decided to stop moping and bitching, and take action.

    Standing up, she looked around, "We need to phone Beta Kane. He needs to be aware of-"

    "He already knows," Tommy stated inly and stretched out to his full height.

    A tilted her head to the side, "That means Alpha Damon knows, and they will be on their way."

    Tommy nodded his head in response.

    "Tommy, I want you to stay by Nairi''s side and inform me if anything changes in her condition," A softlymanded.

    "Yes, Luna!" He replied and crouched back by Nairi''s side. A hid a smile, almost expecting him to have saluted her with his response.

    A knew she had to keep moving on, her heart was clenching at the idea that her friend might die within the next five minutes, but at that moment, she felt the weight of the whole pack resting on her shoulders. It wasn''t just Nairi she had to worry about; there were her friends and the pack members. Each had mates and families, and those bastards'' hunters decided to wreak havoc on her pack.

 Chapter 107 - Taking Charge

    There was also another pack member she needed to check on; expanding her mind, she reached out into the mind-link, "Chiara?" Her voice echoed, and nothing returned. She needed to know what was happening at the packhouse as well.

    Stepping to the side, A searched her surroundings again, only to see Finn begin to rise from the side of the building. She instantly ran to his side, taking note of a ck panther out the corner of her eyes, charging towards one of the modified werewolves. When she made it to Finn, her shoulders sagged down in relief. He shook his head and body, letting tufts of fur shake out.

    "A?" Finn asked in a dazed voice.

    She smiled brightly at him, hoping to ease the radiating tensioning off him. His eyes shifted to the four wolves behind her, but after a few moments of confirming they were her protectors, he rested them back on her, "What''s happened?"

    "A lot. I don''t have time to exin, but Finn, I need you to do something for me.. If you feel up to it?"

    "Of course, anything," Finn''s response was quick without any signs of doubt.

    "I need you to go back to the packhouse. Chiara hasn''t replied to any of my mind-links. I want you to check up on her," A nced back to the battlefield that has be of the small town. There were no more humans left around to view such a sight nor to be used as hostages. That was something, at least.

    Finn whined in response to A''smand, "A, I should be by your side. Can''t you get Ajax to check up on her? I''m sure he would be happy to.."

    A frowned and looked out for the panther, who was just swept away easily by a smack of the modified werewolf they were still fighting. He rolled over swiftly and returned to snapping at the wolf''s heels. It appeared from A''s position that he was keeping the beast distracted while the two other wolves attacked it simultaneously. The trick worked, and it was on the ground, its head removed from its body.

    It seemed the only ways to kill the beasts was by removing its heart or head from the body.

    "Ajax," The panther instantly whipped his head in her direction. His emerald green eyes gleamed from a distance, "Check in on Chiara. I don''t know if she is hurt or even alive." Her heart sunk at the thought of her friend dead, something she was finding was the norm for the day. Which, of course, really shouldn''t be the case. All of this was crazy, she decided.

    Without even responding, she heard Ajax''s mighty roar that was only distinctive to a panther, echoing across the street like a whip on skin, and dashed away in the direction to the packhouse. He looked lethal and elegant, with his legs almost leaping across the ground.

    With her eyes still fixed on the beauty of which was Ajax''s panther form, she realised toote that her little band of wolves guarding her were growling and left her sight.

    "A, stand back," Finn growled, causing her to turn on her heel and widen her eyes at the four modified beasts charging towards them.

    A took a step back and reached her hands forwards after her little party sprinted towards them. Rooted to the spot as she watched the events unfold before her, she tried to mind-link the pack, anyone that could help. Five against four of those things was impossible. Just as she took a step forwards and opened the mind-link, Darren jumped in her way, growled back at her and raced towards one of the giant beasts.

    This time, she joined them without hesitation and pulled the wolves into a brief mind-link, hoping to take these things down efficiently without too much injury. One already caused Finn to be knocked out for however long they had been fighting for. "Try and decapitate them or rip their hearts out. It''s the only way they will die."

    "And you know this how?" Darren grunted back, causing A to roll her eyes at his grating voice.

    "Because I took the bitch down earlier by ripping its heart out! Now concentrate!" She shouted as the beast knocked Darren to the side.

    A was about to shift and run in and help them when something smacked her in the back of her head. She flew from the side of the building to the opposite side of the road. Landing in an awkward position, the back of her head hit the pavement. Her vision blurred and went nk for a few seconds before it cleared again, and she could see the clouds moving in the sky above.

    Lifting herself up into a seated position, she rubbed the back of her head with a hiss and looked at the terrifying beast charging towards her on all fours.

    SHIT!

    Panicking, A scrambled backwards on her hands and bum; she decided to turn and try to run. There were no tactics in her thoughts but survival via fleeing. Her head was pounding in pain, along with the clouding her thought process. Even with her speed, she was too sluggishly slow, or was that because she hit her head? The beast caught up with her easily, biting into her leg and dragging her back towards the street. Her arms and stomach scratched against the surface of the road.

    A held in a groan from the pain, but with renewed energying from somewhere deep inside of her, she crunched her body forwards, grew her ws out and scratched the beast in the eye. It released her and stood up on its hind legs with a roar. She stood immediately and jumped forwards; her hand extended towards its chest.

    But unlikest time, the beast guarded its chest and grabbed her by the throat. Its giant w wrapped around her neck, lifting her up, so her feet were dangling. A began to choke and gripped onto the forearms of the ck furry creature, her eyes locked with it as she tried to breathe more air into her lungs. Her face was going red, and the beast growled into it when all of a sudden, a howl so deep and loud, vibrated the ground and shattered the ss windows nearby.

    A turned her head as much as she could and instantly felt the inside of her body flourish with warmth and love. Her mate, Alpha Damon, stalked forwards, baring his teeth, eyes glowing and fur bristling at the scene before him.

 Chapter 108 - Birds Eye View

    [ <strong>Ajax</strong> ]

    The panther sprinted through the woods as fast as his powerful legs would take him, the leaves from bushes whipped past his face, and he had to leap a few times when the roots from the overgrown forest floor tried to wrap around his legs and trip him. He still had a way to go before he made it to the packhouse, but his orders were to find Chiara, which he happily obliged to. She may not be by the packhouse. With this thought process, he visualised what he wanted to shift into.

    Within seconds his four paws turned into two ws and wings. He decided to shift into a peregrine falcon, the quickest animal, allegedly, on earth. It also meant he could have a better view of the grounds and in finding Chiara.

    He mbered for a bit on his talons and pushed off, pping his wings to gain some height. It was always awkward when he shifted from two different animals, especially if he was on the move. But after more energy spent using his wings, he was once again airborne, looking down at the trees, fields, roads and the almighty grounds of the packhouse.

    The panther was always his favourite animal to be, the eagle or falcon his close seconds; not only was it badass and lethal, but beautiful to look at. And that is precisely how he is in human form. The perfectbination of good looks and a brain. Something that made him a Greek god to thedies.

    Yet, there were twodies who had never fallen for his charms. Chiara and A. Thetter he did not mind; the Alpha seemed to have swept her off her feet the moment she climbed out of that SUV the night they were rescued. But Chiara, now that was intriguing.

    Intriguing enough for him to pursue her, even if she was hell bent on making it difficult for him. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly by the thought, identally zoning in on a tree.

    Ah!

    Blinking his eyes, his third eyelid came out, helping to moisten them. Okay, focus. He needed to scope out what was happening at the packhouse and see where Chiara was.

    Using his binocr vision and zoning in on areas from high above near the clouds, he could see not only the packhouse and the forests but the mountains very clearly. He swept down a little lower and swerved to the side after confirming he could not see Chiara. There were plenty of wolves and guards, a few of those beasts left and some remaining rogues that seemed to be fleeing the scene.

    It appeared they were doing much better than A''s group of wolves in town. Possibly because the packhouse was well guarded, and most of the pack were situated there. As his eyes scanned the trees, flickering from different scenes below him, he couldn''t help but chuckle, which came out as a drawling cackle from his beak.

    He couldn''t believe he was now ''part of a pack''. Although he had been a bit of a Casanova over the years with she-wolves before he met his fianc¨¦ and was imprisoned, it never meant he wanted to chill with the werewolves.

    Ajax believed them to be quite brutish in their behaviour. Nheless, he chose to stick by A''s side the moment she formed a n to escape that wretched ce and actually seeded. He is now loyal to her, and whatever she asked and needed, he would be there for her.

    His small head whipped to the side as something caught his attention. There, in all her beautiful glory, was Chiara. Hmm, why didn''t she reply to A when the mind-link was sent? He observed her a while, realising she was a bloodied mess running from something, that something being four of those gigantic beasts. He pulled his wings back towards his body and began to nosedive, ready to swoop in and help her.

    But he expanded his wings again, stopping his dive and glided in a circle, still high above, observing. There was no need to help her. Of course, she took two of them down. One each at the time, it wasical watching as though they were waiting their turn to have their hearts or head ripped off. It seemed the Gamma also caught on how to kill the beasts.

    It was only thest two modified werewolves to be troubling as they stood on their hind legs. Chiara flipped to the side out of reach from one of them. But the other wolf quickly caught her off guard by grabbing her and smacking her into a tree.

    Her head hit the tree, and she immediately went ck. Instead of finishing the job, the wolves lifted their heads up, ears flickering before turning away and scampering off on all fours again.

    Ajax was both relieved and worried over Chiara, but before he went to check on her, he needed to mind-link A and update her, "I found Chiara. She''s unconscious, will report in again with more details. The rogues are fleeing, and it seems those giant werewolves are slowly dying off as well."

    There was no response, but he presumed A was busy or hoped that was the case. This mind-link power, though, was something he never thought he would want. But after using it for hours, he was assured of its efficiency and staying in contact with Finn and A. Although Finn had been knocked out for most of what happened.

    Ajax stopped his thoughts from consuming him again; not only did he like chatting shit, but he also thought about a lot of shit.

    Suddenly, he saw another figure approach Chiara; she had jumped down from a tree, which was very suspicious. Were they watching the whole time the Gamma was fighting? His eyes scanned the new girl from head to toe, her back was turned away from him, but he could see long ck hair on a physique that could only be Lydia.

    He swerved to the side and focused on her again. It was indeed Lydia, and she was walking towards her sister with a malicious look on her face, holding a knife in her hand.

 Chapter 109 - KARMA

    [Authors Note: Chapter has been updated now :) ]

    The de reflected back at Ajax, and he immediately knew the ill intentions the bitch, Lydia, had. Without a second thought, he drew his wings back and sliced through the air at incredible speed, descending towards the Gamma''s sister. As he neared her, he opened his wings to slow his attack and shifted into a panther as he crashnded into her. The force sent Lydia flying forwards, and Ajax dug his ws into her back and sunk his teeth into her neck.

    Lydia screamed and tried to shake him off. But he was intent on killing her. That bitch was not only dead set on taking A''s throne but also on destroying her own sister. What was wrong with her?!

    He sunk his teeth in further but his breath hitched as three sharp stabs to his back made him retract his ws and teeth before falling back. He shifted into his human form as hended on his side and grunted as he pulled out the knife in his back. Sharp pain simr to millions of needles throbbed from the stab wounds bleeding at the side of his back.

    "That wasn''t very nice," His voice was raspy as he cracked a joke.

    Lydia pulled herself up and faced him, holding her hand against her neck, "Don''t you know already?" She walked towards him, eyeing his body in appreciation before smirking, "I''m not a nice person."

    Lydia leaned forwards to grab the de, but Ajax swept his feet around and tripped her over. He clutched the knife in his hands and went to finish the bitch once and for all. That was until a group of rogues suddenly appeared.

    Lydia giggled madly, "Oh, Ajax. You''re such a waste." She stumbled back up, so she stood directly in front of Ajax, who was slightly hunched now from his agonising injuries, holding the knife towards her. Lydia took a step and raised her hand to caress his cheek, but he grabbed it and flung it away.

    "Be by my side and live. We would make an exceptional and stunning couple. Don''t you think?" She said in a sultry voice, ignoring the crinkling of his nose at her.

    "Sorry, but you''re not all that, love," Ajax replied and nced at the growling rogues.

    By this point, Chiara had pulled herself up from the tree and looked on at the naked Ajax with blood trickling down his back, Lydia, who had a knife pointed at her, and ten rogue werewolves encircling them. Her eyes were wide at what was in front of her now. Ajax turned his head to look at her and winked.

    He pulled the knife back and stepped out of reach from Lydia. His back was slowly healing, and he could feel the blood now clotting and stopping its flow down his back. "But I also have a rule about killing women.."

    Lydiaughed, "I have no rules," she took a step towards him, her nails extending and her blue eyes forming into luminous amber orbs.

    Without giving Lydia so much as a nce, Ajax began walking towards the rogues.

    "If you want a nicer death, I suggesting back to me. They answer to me only and will rip your pretty face to pieces," Lydia spoke from behind him.

    Ajax ignored Lydia and continued getting closer to the wolves, ready to pounce. But he was not fearful of them, even with their red glowing eyes and the blood dripping from their snouts. Even though they were type 1 rogues, he knew there was still a small part of a human in there. How else was Lydia able to control them? He just needed to get through to them.

    "Your mates and friends have all lost their lives today, and for what?" He raised his voice and his hands, ncing at each of the growling rogues, showing off their sharp, crooked teeth and glistening red eyes. "What were you trying to aplish exactly? If Lydia gave you orders to attack this pack, know this¡­ She does not care for you because if she did.." He raised a finger, "then she would have warned you the price of taking on the biggest pack in the world. And if you''d known, I doubt you would be fleeing for your lives right now."

    This had their attention, and he saw some of the wolves tilt their heads to the side, their attention solely on him, while others nced at Lydia with a snarl. Chiara and Lydia watched in astonishment as Ajax sauntered closer to the vicious rogues, his visage full of confidence, his strideszy. He was ted when he heard Chiara''s sharp intake of breath as he reached out and shockingly began petting one of the rogue''s heads. Its growl stopped, and its eyes flickered around, unsure of what to do.

    There there, poor little things. They''re not all bad.

    Ajax started scratching the wolf behind its ear, something it seemed to be enjoying as its head began moving this way and that, waiting for his attention to go to other spots.

    "What are you doing?" Lydia whispered with a shred of fear in her voice.

    She took a step back, and a twig snapped. All ten rogues whipped their heads in her direction.

    Ajax removed his hand from the rogue and took his own step back, "Lydia is the cause of your pain. That bitch and no one else.."

    All at once, the rogues growled and leapt towards Lydia. She turned to run, but the wolves raced towards her in all directions. She screamed as one tackled her to the ground. Itnded on top of her, then another and another piled their heads atop her, ripping into her flesh. Her screams turned into a gargle and breathless cry. Ajax turned away from the gruesome scene only to hear the ripping sounds and growls from the wolves.

    "Chi ¨C Chiara.." Lydia cried, "Help.." her cries died down, and he looked back after feeling the knife removed from his hands only to see the Gamma somehow climb above the middle of the vicious rogues without getting hurt.

    With one swift motion, she stabbed the dagger into Lydia''s chest. Ajax watched as Chiara stared vacantly at her sister and twisted the knife before stepping back by Ajax'' side. The rogues pulled back after Lydia exhaled herst breath. They turned around and faced them.

    Now, this bit he did not think of.

    Ajax watched warily as the rogues'' eyes snapped towards them, the blood of Lydia still smeared across their faces. But they were not growling and instead ran away from them. He sighed and looked at Chiara, whose face was impassive as she looked at the mutated body of the once stunning face of Lydia.

    "Even after everything she put you through.. You still gave her mercy.." He approached her and slowly wrapped his bare arm over her shoulder.

    Chiara shrugged out of his attempt offort and faced him with a grimace, "You think that was mercy?" Her eyes flickered between his. His brows drew together by her question. "I did not want the rogues to take all of my revenge... Although, it wasn''t as sweet as I thought it would be."

    Ajax shook his head with a smile. She was.. something else. Even now, as he stared into her deep ocean orbs, her short raven hair and smooth skin covered in mud and blood, he was awestruck. It was then he realised they had been staring at each other infortable silence for a while. He parted his lips about to break it, but Chiara beat him to it.

    "You.. are.. the .. craziest man I have ever met! You.. you actually spoke to the rogues and even petted one!" Chiara eximed breathlessly.

    "Well, I had toe to the rescue.."

    "I don''t need someone toe to my rescue.. I''m not a damsel in distress.." She retorted, her usual demeanour of defensive walls came sliding back up at his casual flirtiness.

    "No.. you''re a knight, and even a knight needs its noble steed?" His eyes sparkled with amusement at his own words.

    "You want to be my horse?"

    "Baby, I''ll be anything you need. But," He raised his hands nervously as she marched towards him, hands fisted by her sides, a look of annoyance on her face, ready to possibly stab him, "if all you need is a friend.. then I can be that too."

    Chiara halted in front of him, perplexed by the sincerity on his handsome features, she parted her lips to reply, but no words came out. Instead, she stepped closer and raised her hand towards his cheek. Ajax closed his eyes, bracing himself for a p to the face or possible w to the face.

    - He didn''t know what kinky shit the badass Gamma was into. However, he opened them after feeling her tender touch on his stubble and watched in stunned silence; his cat eyes dted as she tiptoed slightly, brought her face to his and left a soft kiss on his cheek.

    Lowering herself down, he watched as a rosy hue grew on her cheeks, making her that much more beautiful. Her eyes lowered in embarrassment at her own action and mumbled, "Thank you, Ajax."

    A broad smile grew on his lips, but he tried topose himself as she nced at him while she walked away, her own lips curling into a smirk before she barked over her shoulders, "Come on. We don''t have all day! There''s a lot to do at the packhouse."

    She shifted into her ck wolf and began racing away from him. Ajax shook his head and seemed to puff his chest out proudly. "And that..dies and gentleman is how you win over the badass Gamma," He said in an over the top tvmentator''s voice before he shifted into a panther and chased after Chiara.

 Chapter 110 - Powers Of The Mate Bond

    A''s legs were dangling from the height of the beast who held her by her throat. Her hands gripped tightly onto its forearms as her lungs burned for air, and her face grew red. The beast growled at her, but a howl much louder and deeper ripped through them, shattering ss and vibrating the grounds. A turned her head, her heart leaping in relief, already knowing who it was.

    In all his bristling glory was Alpha Damon. His ck wolf with pure muscle underneath its thick fur, his teeth baring with a look to kill as he stalked towards them. Everyone, beast, hunter and pack member alike, stopped and stared. Then, finally, he picked up his pace and charged towards the beast from the other end of the car park. His strides were long and powerful, while his face seemed both terrifying and fierce.

    Yet, the beast holding onto A only tightened its grip around her throat, ignored him and snarled at her. That snarl caused Malia to react. A''s vision tunnelled, blurring before it expanded wider than she''d ever thought possible. Her body clenched by the thirst for power now surging like invisible mes bursting through her body. A and Malia merged briefly, causing her eyes to shine a brilliant crystal blue as a growl erupted from her chest, vibrating along the beast''s arms.

    She growled into its face, and its own snarl stopped, tilting its head to the side as its own eyes began to glimmer. The beast released her, letting her drop to her feet, and she watched in amazement as it went down on all fours and bared its neck to her. But it was toote. Damon reached them, leapt onto it and ripped into its neck until he managed to tear it away from its body.

    A stared at the bloody mess on the ground, and she felt her heart sink. Her eyes moved away from the dead beast on the floor and stared into Damon''s tinum-gold orbs. His snarling had stopped, and his paw stepped forwards. Without any prompting, A wrapped her arms around Damon''s head, barely able to clutch her fingers together. She closed her eyes and leaned into his silky fur, findingfort in his warmth.

    "A," His voice was deep and majestic, full of want. Damon''s voice was merged with Darius, and they spoke to her.

    She sighed into him further, "Damon" her whisper was like a small caress through his ears. His mate, his beloved, A, was safe. At this moment, all his worries and frustrations melted away.

    He closed his eyes briefly, lowering his head further on her shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to shift back into a human and embrace her properly, take her in his arms, and remove her from any harm. But shit needed to be dealt with, and until the remaining hunters, rogues and modified werewolves were destroyed, he had to stay in his wolf form. So he opened his luminous orbs, already surveying the area and making sure A was still safe.

    A pulled back then, feeling his frustrated sigh. She stroked his snout and paused, ncing at their surroundings; it seemed the modified werewolves were all dead, with only a few hunters left as the type 1 rogues fled. Even with their savage behaviour, they knew when it was time to run. The pack began to chase them, but at the same time, A and Damon mind-linked them, "Stop!"

    A turned her head back to Damon and bit her lower lip as she watched him narrow his eyes. One side of her lips tugged into a smile, as much as she tried not to. Damon nudged his huge head into hers, almost making her fall over from the force before he mind-linked the pack again, "Let them go. Kill the remaining hunters and attend to the wounded."

    Damon turned away but halted and snapped through the mind-link at A, "Where is your friend?"

    A looked at him nkly, confused by his question, "My .. friend." She gasped; her swirling pool of blue orbs widened before searching her surroundings, "Hollie!"

    She immediately started walking off with her eyes flickering around, but Damon leapt towards her andnded in front of her.

    "You''re not going anywhere without me," He growled.

    A rolled her eyes to the heavens and looked past his giant wolf form and mind-linked Darren, "Where is Hollie?"

    For a few moments, the line was quiet, and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion, muttering under her breath, "The rogues have left.. did he leave-"

    "I think she is still in the car. That was where I left herst," Darren grunted. He sounded as though he was still fighting, with her eyes still looking off at a distance; she reached her hand out, letting it glide against Damon''s furry face and stepped around him.

    It seemed out of the four guards and Darren and Finn, who helped take down the modified werewolves earlier, only two of the guards survived, leaving them to now be fighting thest of the rogues who stayed. She watched as Finn had his jaw locked on a rogue''s neck and dropped it before snarling at another, the one Darren was fighting.

    "Finn," She mind-linked him. He whipped his head around, and without any further urging, he raced towards her.

    When he stood in front of her and Damon, he bared his neck in respect. Although it seemed Damon was angry about something, he growled back at Finn, and the pair looked dazed for a moment. Why were they mind-linking without her? She pulled on Damon''s fur, and the link was broken.

    "It''s rude not to include me in the conversation," She snapped before her icy gazended back on Finn, "I need you to check on Hollie. Get Darren to mind-link you where she is. I think she''s seen a hell of a lot now to do with werewolves. Grab some clothes, tell her you''re my friend. If she doesn''t believe you, say.."

    A ced her hand on her chin in thought. What would make Hollie believe him? Aha!

    Snapping her fingers, she mind-linked him, "Just tell her that you know about the time she and I went to a club, and she went home with someone who looked like Jack Sparrow. But in the morning when she showed me who it was, it turned out to be.. Don''t say anymore. She probably won''t let you finish but if she does, just mind-link me. But I don''t think she wants one of her secrets revealed.."

    Finn nodded his head and ran down an alley, re-emerging a few momentster in some shorts, showcasing his own well-built body as he began sprinting in the direction of wherever Hollie must be. Then, just as A turned her unimpressed gaze at Damon, a man''s cry howled out. The desperation in his voice sent her heart into a painful flutter.

    It was Kane. At that realisation, she immediately sprinted in the direction of where Nairi was; Damon was quick behind her, and they stopped just before they crouched next to Kane and Tommy by Nairi''s body. She was now in her human form with Tommy''s jacket covering her.

    Her gorgeous light brown and golden curly hair was fanned out, her eyes closed, with her chest barely rising and falling. Kane''s shoulders shuddered as his hands clutched onto one of hers, the other stroking her forehead. He kissed the tips of her fingers.

    A felt cold, watching the tears fall down his typically stoic face.

    "Damon, forgive me", He pleaded; his voice trembled, and as Damon took a step towards his Beta, a tiny golden glow began expanding from between his fingers, causing Damon to stop and lower his head. A watched in amazement as the sparks flourished out from Kane and began flowing over Nairi''s arm and splitting into two at her shoulder. The golden sparkles of dust went over her face and down her body all the way to her feet.

    "As thy mate, I give thee my health to help recover," Kane''s pained voice broke at the end of his sentence. The dust shifted andnded on top of Nairi''s skin, turning into golden liquid before evaporating and sinking into her pores. A nced back at Kane and watched as the colour left his face; his cheeks became hollow and dark bags circled underneath his eyes, along with his golden hair dulling slightly.

    He began trembling, but his hands stayed secure on Nairi''s. Blood spluttered out of his mouth, and A jumped forwards, about to help him, but Damon''s warning growl stopped her. She looked into the deep depths of his molten silver eyes and could see the pain and sorrow he felt formanding her not to do anything.

    "If you interrupt him. Both of them will die," Damon spoke quietly, almost like a whisper across her mind.

    "But he will die," Malia whispered back.

    "It was his choice," A deeper voice replied. A then realised that Malia spoke through the mind-link to Damon, only to have Darius answer instead. A stood up and rounded to his side, leaning into Damon and burying her head into his neck. She couldn''t watch as their friend''s fought for their lives.

    "Nairi is his mate. As you are mine. If our roles were reversed, I wouldn''t hesitate for a single second to do what he is doing now," Damon''s voice rumbled through her mind, calming her further.

    The sound of a gasp interrupted them, and A pulled her head back, her eyes wide in shock as she watched Kane copse and Nairi sit up. Her hair flung back as she looked at her mate by her side and immediately started sobbing as she pulled Kane into herp.

 Chapter 111 - Losing You

    [ Music rmendation: Without You by Ursine Vulpine, Annaca ]

    The sound of a gasp interrupted them, and A pulled her head back, her eyes wide in shock as she watched Kane copse and Nairi sit up. Her hair flung back as she looked at her mate by her side and immediately started sobbing as she pulled Kane into herp.

    A sucked her breath in at the sight before her. Nairi hunched over, cradling Kane''s head; her sobs were long and loud, seemingly silencing the streets. Or if there was still noise, it was muted to A''s ears.

    Nairi stroked his face repeatedly, pulling away the strands of his messy golden hair. Her tears fell on his face until she choked on the crushing weight from the loss of her mate. His body was limp, his eyes closed as though he was resting, the blood he spat out earlier trickled down and dried on his chin.

    A lump formed in the back of A''s throat, her eyes burning with tears at the Beta who gave his life for his mate. She looked at Damon, and although he was in wolf form, she could see the despair in his eyes. Nairi lost her soul mate and Damon his best friend. A had no words she could say tofort them.

    "Just show that you are there for them. That is all you can do," Malia consoled her, yet her own voice was trembling with grief. A and Malia were one; whatever one felt, the other also felt, sometimes, even more so.

    A slid her fingers into the top of Damon''s fur and hid her face into his neck once again. She couldn''t imagine ever losing Damon, no.. the very thought made the air swoosh right out of her lungs.

    "Damon, don''t ever do that for me. If it ever came down to it.." She whispered through a mind-link.

    His low growl was his only response; she pulled back and flickered her eyes between his own, "No, I could not bear it. Look how crushed Nairi is. I can''t even imagine losing you.. I .. I couldn''t.." She sniffled and closed her eyes.

    The fur between her fingers turned into smooth ripped muscles, and she felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her into his chiselled chest. A leaned into him, her eyes clenched shut, a tear falling down her cheek as he began stroking the back of her head.

    "Do you not think.. I will feel the same way, angel?" He mind-linked; his voice came through as soft as a flower''s petals on the skin. He sighed atop her shoulder, and she realised he must have been staring at Kane and Nairi. "Today-"

    "What¡­ are you ¡­ crying about?" Said a croaky voice sounding parched of water. A whipped her head around and watched Nairi gasp, hup and then sob, even more, her hands by the side of Kane''s face. "You.. silly mare. I''m fine.." He coughed lightly as he raised his hand and palmed her cheek.

    "Me!? You buffoon! You.. I thought you died!?" Nairi wailed and kissed him on each cheek.

    Both A and Damon sagged, releasing a breath along with the pent up and raw emotions that seemed to envelop them. She nced up at the sky and couldn''t help but smile at the change in weather; it was as though the moon goddess had indeed blessed the couple with life. The clouds blossomed pink as they swept away, partially covering the setting sun in the now early evening sky.

    "You had us going there," Damon joked, but his voice was raspy, still filled with the despair of his friend almost dying.

    "Aha," *cough*, "I can''t leave the missus to you guys." *cough* *cough*, "She''ll drive you nuts!" Kane croaked again with a bloody smile.

    Nairi chuckled and kissed his forehead, stroking the top of his hair.

    "Rest now, Beta. You''ll burn out otherwise and go into aa," Tommy fretted and nced at A and Damon.

    "Tommy, I want you and a few others to take Kane back to the packhouse. Take the hunter''s car," Damon ordered in his deep rumbling voice.

    Tommy stood up and faced him, concern etched on his features, "I thought the packhouse had rogues and those things attacking.."

    "I have heard from them. The rogues have fled, and there aren''t many of the modified werewolves left," A interrupted.

    Three wolves appeared by Tommy''s side at her words, one of them holding a bag and passed it down to Damon. A stepped out of the way and patted at her damp face as she watched the wolves shift and change into shorts before helping Tommy lift Kane up, using a hoody from one of the bags to cover his groin area. Nairi quickly threw on some shorts and a men''s t-shirt before hastily following behind them.

    As Nairi climbed into the truck, A jogged up to her and pulled her into a quick hug. "I''m so happy to see you alive. Take some rest; you both need it," A whispered into Nairi''s overgrown curls. The pair pulled a part and smiled at one another before A stepped back and watched the door close and the car speed off out of town. She was lost in thought as the car shrunk into the distance while thest of the hunters fought on the side.

    Nairi and Kane nearly died because of her.

    Gabriel''s words came back to her, weighing her down as she stood stiff in the middle of the road, her hair blowing gently against the breeze. She turned her head to the side and saw the countless bodies scattered across the streets. They were all dead because of her.

    "You should go too. I will mind-link Finn. The battle is over, and I want you safely behind the walls of the packhouse. It may be over, but the hunters could still be watching." Damon approached her from behind, interrupting her spiralling thoughts. She faced him and saw his eyes flickering to the sounds of wolves and hunters fighting with the asional gunfire.

    "Damon," She reached for his hand and stared into his eyes, "I''m not going anywhere without you, remember?"

    He sighed in exasperation and shook his head, a smile lighting up his devilishly handsome features, making her heart flutter and stomach twist just by looking at him. He raked his free hand through his hair. "Fine. But by my side is where you will stay," He growled as he tilted her chin up and softly kissed her on the lips, deepening it further before he pulled away, his eyes glowing with need and wanting more. But the sound of close gunfire caught their attention.

 Chapter 112 - Orders

    Damon raked his free hand through his hair. "Fine. But by my side is where you will stay," He growled as he tilted her chin up and softly kissed her on the lips, deepening it further before he pulled away, his eyes glowing with need and wanting more. But the sound of close gunfire caught their attention.

    Darren was running towards two fleeing hunters; he was in human form, wearing khaki shorts and a ck t-shirt, aiming a gun at the men. But it seemed his aim was terrible while running at such a pace; luckily, two wolves appeared behind him and raced towards them, tackling the men down.

    "Kill them quickly," Damon grunted. Although his voice was low, Darren and the others heard him clearly.

    "Wait," At A''smand, the werewolves stopped and looked at her. "Kill one of them. Leave the other alive and take him back to the basement."

    On hermand, only one shot was fired while A and Damon stared at each other. His eyes flickered into two glowing moons. She overruled his order, and the pack obliged by it. But after a tense ten seconds, A moved her eyes away from him, raking her fingers through her dirty white hair, "We need information-"

    "That hunter won''t know shit, A," Damon growled.

    She turned her head and stared at him, his eyes locked on hers while standing there naked and pulling on some shorts from the bag given to him earlier. With little to no resistance on her part andcking self-control, A let her eyes travel down the length of his body, taking in all the ripples of his abs and fine ''v'' lines of his hips and back up to his solid muscr arms with the asional vein bulging out.

    Her eyes were devouring him like she hadn''t seen him in years. Even though she''d already been in his arms and kissed, it seemed he would always catch her off guard with his strikingly handsome features. She bit her lip, taking that moment to fully appreciate the breathtaking man before her. He was all hers..

    "A?"

    "Hmm?" She nced back up to his smirking face, wanting nothing more than to kiss those beautiful lips.

    "The hunters left behind were left for a reason. Only to cause havoc and fight to survive. They aren''t anyone of importance. If they were, they would have been long gone by now with their boss," Damon''s smirk fell as his face hardened by his words, snapping her out of her daze.

    "He''s right," Malia added, taking their mate''s side. A internally rolled her eyes; she was sure her wolf would take his side on everything.

    A nced between Damon and the back of Darren''s figure, whose gun was pointed at the hunter''s head. She could see her mate''s face darkening the longer he looked at him. She, too, hated him, but she had to admit he had been helpful today.

    "Should I kill him or not?" Darren asked over his shoulder.

    "Kill him," Damon snapped, turning his fiery gaze onto A, waiting for her to argue. She pursed her lips and looked away as the gun fired. When she looked back, the man was on the ground next to hispanion.

    A took a step forwards, only to feel Damon''s hand wrap around her arm and pull her back into his chest with a growl leaving his lips. Her brows arched up at the sudden action and feeling the heat of his skin under hers, but she shook her head from the immediate attraction she felt as her eyes locked with his.

    "STAY," Damonmanded, his voice was deep, and his eyes glowed, burning into her. A tensed at the sudden rush of power cocooning over her to obey hismand.

    Her lips parted, and her eyes glowed back at him, pushing through theyers of thickmand, challenging him. "Why?" She gasped. He had used his Alpha powers on her, and she didn''t know why.

    Without replying to her, his head snapped up. "Finn, now!" He barked.

    A''s brows drew together; Finn was meant to be getting Hollie. She watched as he reappeared stealthily, making it behind Darren and pointing his own gun at the back of his head.

    She immediately ripped through the overbearing feeling of Damon''smand; it felt like her muscles were tearing apart, sending shockwaves of pain through her body. She wondered how Finn did it so many times or how he did not resent her when she used her own power over him. It was not a pleasant feeling at all; she felt like a puppet.

    Like a string snapping, A felt her body rx and a sense of freedom from Damon''s order. She pulled herself away from his body. The tight knots in her stomach released as she felt the rush of power flourish through her veins, her eyes glowing brilliantly once more, but this time, to bark her own order.

    "STOP!"

    Finn''s trigger finger halted, and she watched as his hand began to shake. The orders from two Alpha bloodlines were causing him to tense up and breathe heavily. Again, she wondered if Finn thought himself a puppet and resent her after this.

    "A," Damon snapped, and she looked at him, her own eyes zing, matching his. Crystal blue meeting molten silver.

    "You made this decision without me," She snapped back with her hands shaking by her sides.

    Damon marched forwards, his ripped abs and muscles flexing as he did so, but A snapped her eyes back to his face, ignoring his stupidly beautiful body. He stopped just before her, "I am your Alpha. I do not need to run everything by you."

    A couldn''t believe her ears as her mouth parted and her brows creased together in agitation, "I''m sorry, did that meeting with the Alpha''s go to your head? I thought being your mate, your Luna meant something!"

    Damon''s chest began rising and falling heavily as she watched his arms flex from anger. He opened his mouth to reply, but she held her finger up to silence him and mind-linked the rest of her fury, "I am your mate¡ªthe other half of you, an equal that will help with the load of your worries. Or so I thought! Did you not trust me with this?"

    Without letting him respond, shemanded again, "Finn, do not shoot Darren."

    Finn sagged and rxed his hand, bringing the gun to his side. It seemed a second-order ultimately overruled the Alphas. Darren spun on the spot, his hands raised, staring wide-eyed at the weapon in Finn''s hand.

    "A," Damon growled, but she raised her hand, not bothered by his threatening growl or bristling form.

    "Darren has done nothing but help and be a part of the pack during this attack," She spoke the words softly as she locked gazes with the Delta. His jaw ticked, and he lowered his head, almost in shame. A''s brows drew together by his action.

    Malia growled across her mind, "Did you forget the part where he has been sleeping with Lydia! He''s been against you as Luna for the pack from the beginning."

    "But maybe that''s his dick talking.." A retorted.

    "Either way, he has tried to get rid of YOU!" Malia roared back at her.

    Before A could respond, Damon gripped her by the top of her arms,

    "He''s the fucking reason for the rogues attacking!"

 Chapter 113 - Deeds

    [ Chapter updated :) ]

    Before A could respond, Damon gripped her by the top of her arms, "He''s the fucking reason for the rogues attacking!"

    A blinked as confusion swarmed her mind. It didn''t make sense; if Darren was the reason for the rogues attacking, then why was he still here? Why had he helped them during this attack? Her eyes flickered to and from Darren to Damon until they rested on her mate. Calmly, she asked, "How do you know?"

    Damon''s jaw ticked in agitation, his eyes zing into hers. He was not used to being questioned. He is the Alpha. But now, it was her job, too, to think like a leader. She needed to be certain first before another life was taken on such a grisly day.

    "Chiara mind-linked me. She said Lydia was the one controlling the rogues to attack the pack," He spat in disgust and dropped his hands from her arms. A frowned at this new information, but her instincts were telling her that Darren didn''t know.

    "May I speak?" Darren asked, taking a step forwards, his eyes on the Alpha and Luna, but he halted when Finn growled at him.

    Damon whipped his head around and marched towards him, all his power and fury burning brightly and radiating off him in waves that made the wolves behind Darren tten their ears and slump their body''s down to the ground in submission. A chased after Damon; she wanted to stand in front of him and stop him from doing anything too rash. Instead, she mind-linked him so as not to disrespect him again.

    "Don''t kill him. Not until we have all the facts," A pleaded. The only indication he listened to her plea was the slight turn in his head on his otherwise stiff and solid frame.

    Damon stopped across from Darren, and not long after, A stood by his side; she nced anxiously between the two. If A was told the previous night that she was concerned about the Delta, she would haveughed, but she was reconsidering him after his actions today. Holding her breath, she waited for Damon to reply.

    "The floor is all yours, Darren. Speak now. It may be thest words you speak," Damon growled, his voice reverberated across the street, and if looks could kill, then Darren would already be dead. Damon''s gaze was deadly and unwavering from the Delta''s face, making him shift on his feet ufortably.

    Darren gulped and flickered his eyes between Damon and A. "I have a confession to make," He whispered with fearcing into his voice as he dropped his eyes from their hardened stares.

    Gulping again, he timidly looked at them, "I knew Lydia was nning something-" Damon took a step forwards, but A ced her hand on his bristling chest, halting him, her eyes locked onto the Delta before them.

    He continued, "But she never told me what the n was. All she said was that she was calling some friends. I didn''t know who or what their intentions were-"

    "But you didn''t do anything to stop her," Damon snapped.

    "I knew she didn''t want A as the Luna-" Growls erupted from around them; it seemed the pack had begun to gather around them, thest that remained of the wounded wolves and humans. "I too had my doubts-"

    "Really? I had no idea," A snapped back sarcastically. Her emotions were up and down about the man standing before them. But she reminded herself that even if she did not like him, it did not warrant his death IF he was innocent.

    Darren flinched at her words, but he locked his gaze with hers, and she could see the guilt and sorrow behind his eyes. Darren continued again, "I never meant for any of this. I doubted you as a Luna, and Lydia''s words were like a sweet poison adding to my hesitation. I followed her and epted any ns she did announce to me. They were never anything harmful, just little schemes to make you wonder if the role was for you¡­

    "A, I am sorry, but whether you believe me or not, I am loyal to my pack. My methods were not.. nice, but my intentions were for the welfare of the pack. It was nothing more than me raising my own doubts at the pack meeting-"

    "You didn''t just raise your doubts, though, Darren. You med me for my parents'' death," A cried, taking a step forwards while her hand clenched at her chest as though if she didn''t, her heart would burst from the pain he caused that night. Darren''s words were hurtful, and even now, she still couldn''t shake the feeling that it was her fault.

    The wolves surrounding them growled as a few of the humans gasped and murmured between themselves. Darren kneeled down into the wet ground, bowing his head, "Please forgive me, Luna. For the past deeds against you. I was a fucking idiot following Lydia''s orders. I never, NEVER wanted the pack to be attacked. My duty is to my pack, to you and to my Alpha."

    A stared down at his auburn hair for a long while. She was aware that Damon had not said or done anything, and when she nced at him, she could see the turmoil of a storm in his eyes as he, too, stared at the Delta.

    "You want to make decisions, princess. This will be yours," Damon snapped through the mind-link before announcing it to the pack.

    She nced back at him, but his eyes were still fixed on the kneeling man before them. The weight of what he said pushed down on her shoulders, almost unbearably. It was her decision if the Delta lived or died. But this was not a light decision, and she couldn''t help but feel her cheeks heat up at the attention of the pack. Their eyes were fixed on her and the following words that would leave her mouth.

    "What do you think, Malia?" She asked as her eyes began to glow.

    "I don''t know. I don''t think this is a decision to make right now," Malia murmured pensively.

    A realised her wolf was right. It had been an extremely long day. She was tired, feeling battered and bruised, and did not want to make the wrong choice if it was just hers to make. Taking a step forward, she pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin slightly as her eyes looked down at Darren. Everyone seemingly held their breath as they waited for her decision.

    "Actions speak louder than words. You have been spiteful, and you have been against your Luna, but this decision should not be made right now. Take him to the basement for further questioning."

    At her words, Darren lifted his head, rm recing his sincere features. But as some of the pack members grabbed him by the arms, he did not utter a word or resist them as he was taken away.

    A spun around and faced Damon, whose face was impassive as he scrutinised her. But before he could say anything, A suddenly realised something, and she looked to Finn, "Where is Hollie?"

    Finn''s face darkened, and his head turned in the direction of the parking lot. A began walking in that direction, but Finn caught up to her, holding her by the wrist, "A, wait. Don''t go to the car.."

    At his words, she turned around and arched her brows together after seeing the look on his face. She swallowed down the lump forming in her throat; Finn''s silence was as deafening as the roaring of her erratic heart. Stilling herself and her breathing, she waited on the words she already knew he would speak.

    "I''m so sorry, but Hollie''s dead."

    She felt like a speeding train had hurtled into her, knocking the air out of her lungs and ripping her heart into pieces. A''s head felt too heavy for her body, and her limbs unable to function as the world around her spun, and she clutched onto something, anything to keep her upright. That something was Damon. Feeling the safety of his arms was thest straw, and she let the darkness of her mind consume her.

    Damon immediately caught A, her head flopped backwards, and her eyelids fluttered shut. He pushed back her hair from her face and felt the depths of her despair, it was not long ago that he thought his best friend had died, and now, instead, it was A''s best friend. When Damon mind-linked Finn earlier toe back and finish Darren, he presumed Hollie was safe. He nced away from A''s pale face and to Finn, whose brows were arched together in concern at his Luna.

    "How did she die?" He asked in a low growl.

    Darius was pacing at the edges of his mind, pissed off by many things that happened today. One of them now being from A''s despair. Damon and Darius didn''t want to see her in any pain but seeing the distraught on her face before her mind could not take it anymore, to the point of passing out, was hard to see.

    "She was shot in the head and left in the car. I think the hunters killed her," He replied sadly.

    "Why the hunters?" Damon asked quietly as he nced back to his beauty of mate, covered in sweat, dirt and blood. Much like the first time he saw again at the hunter''s base camp.

    "They don''t want humans to know about the creatures any more than we do," Finn replied as he too stared down at A.

    Damon narrowed his eyes slightly before leaning down and snaking his arm under A''s knees, lifting her up, so he cradled her and began walking away with her. Damon didn''t like any men staring at her for too long, even if they were friends. He knew it was silly, but he would probably be irrational for a while until he marked her.

    "You''d think they''d draw the line somewhere. Hollie was innocent-"

    "Aren''t we all?" Finn spat in disdain. Damon nced at him and saw the fire burning behind his eyes. The Alpha was reminded that Finn was the hunters captive for years.

    "I know. But Hollie was human," Damon repliedmely before barking orders out through the pack mind-link to clean up the town, get rid of the bodies of their enemies, help the wounded, and gather their dead. He was unsure of how many there were, but it was a weight he had to carry now. If he stayed instead of going to the Alpha''s meeting, would it have made a difference?

    He nced at the destruction of the town, blood smearing the walls and grounds with armed men lying on the floor along with rogues and their own wolves.

    All of this was for his mate. He looked down at her once more and felt pure fury rising in his chest. Lydia wanted her dead and brought the rogues into the town and pack, adding to the chaos of the hunter''s attack. Too many were dead by the hands of their enemies. He wanted nothing more than to rip their limbs from their bodies and throw them into a pit of fire.

 Chapter 114 - The Girl In Pigtails

    [ 15 years ago ]

    Little A stood in front of a ssroom of other children; she fidgeted under the limelight. Her hands clutched at the sides of her pink tartan dress, and if she wasn''t wearing a ck daisy headband to keep her hair back, she would hide her face more behind her long white locks. But, instead, she kept her chin up, looking at the back of the ssroom where paintings hung up, drying clipped to a string near the windows.

    "This is A, she is new to the school. Please give her a warm wee," The teacher smiled.

    "Hiiiii, Ayyyyaaaaa," The ssroom of children all said on cue.

    "A, there is a seat at the back," The teacher, Mrs Karp, said gently. Little A looked up at her; she was a kind looking olddy with greying hair that was pulled back in a low bun. She beamed down at her, but A looked down at her ck buckled shoes and whiteced socks before feeling a light nudge in between her shoulders.

    A traipsed over to the spare chair, ignoring the stares and murmurs as she walked past the rows of tables. They blurred into the background until she sat down and faced the front.

    "Hello"

    A turned her head to the side and saw a girl sitting next to her. Her brown hair was put into two long its by her sides, her light brown, green eyes hidden behind round pink sses. The girls by her side didn''t look very friendly, one of the reasons why she pointedly ignored her in the first ce. A did not want any trouble. She already felt lost from the new town, new school and new parents; she didn''t want to add a bully to that list too.

    A nodded her head once and returned her attention to the teacher, who began drawing the times table they needed to learn on the whiteboard.

    "My names Hollie."

    A looked back at the girl named Hollie, her brows arched slightly before she relented and replied, "A."

    "Don''t worry, A. I''m not a pirrrranahaha. I won''t bite. And neither will these." Hollie gestured with her thumb to the girls by her side, who smiled and waved at her. "We''ll take care of you."

    One corner of A''s lips twitched up into a smile, one that did not reach her saddened eyes. She was still suspicious of the girls but talking to someone of her own age made her feel slightly better, even if it could turn nasty at lunch. For the past four months, she had been home schooled by her... mum, Mandy, and had barely left the house.

    They didn''t need to go to the park or the woods down their road; they had a swing set and slide in her garden. So standing in front of a room of children the same age as her and sitting with other girls was a little overwhelming.

    After a few more hours, Mrs Karp checked the clock on the wall and called for lunchtime. The children were quick to get out of their seats, grab their lunchboxes and head out of the door. A grabbed her own lc lunchbox with unicorns on and turned to face the nearly empty ssroom with pursed lips. She walked back to her chair and pulled it back out. Eating in the ssroom seemed safe. There was nobody that could hurt her if she was with Mrs Karp.

    "Earth to A! Hello!?" A blinked after a hand was waved in her face; she looked to the person it belonged to. Hollie. "Come on, slow poach! You''reing with me!"

    Before A could refuse, Hollie grabbed her by the hand and began dragging her away. The next thing A knew, she was sitting in the dull hall set up with many rounded tables covered in red stic cloths and blue stic chairs. She opened her lunch box and stared at her food before ncing up at Hollie and her friends, who talked to each other animatedly about a show about a ''sleepover club'', whatever that was.

    Although she was among a small crowd of friends, she sat quietly and picked at her food. There was nothing wrong with her meal, but she wasn''t particrly hungry and expected someone to snatch whatever she had in her lunch box.

    "You know, you don''t talk a lot," Hollie eximed as she ced her sandwich down in her pink lunch box. A continued eating her grapes, reacting to Hollie''sment by ncing at her, subtly smiling before chewing on her fruit. "That''s okay. I can talk for the both of us!" She giggled.

    After finishing their food, Hollie led her through the halls to the yground, talking animatedly about different clubs, where the toilets were, which ssroom belong to which teacher, and who to avoid. Hollie tugged A''s hand as they hurried past another ssroom with a squeal. A couldn''t understand the thrill of going past a teacher''s room, but Hollie somehow made it fun.

    "That''s Mr Peterson. We call him the dragon; he likes to shout a lot," Hollie exined in a hushed tone, leaning into her shoulder as she did so. A nced back at the teacher, who whipped his head outside of his door, a stern expression on his face as he narrowed his eyes at the two retreating girls.

    "No running in the halls! Go outside, or you will receive a time out!" He roared. A imagined the fire blowing out of his mouth as he did so. Turning around, she suppressed a giggle and followed through the clear double doors to the yground.

    There wasn''t much to the grey grounds with yellow painted courts drawn on them where boys yed basketball or kicked a ball around. All of the children were of different ages. On the other side was a small ck wooden fence with long white skipping ropes attached to them; some girls were Double Dutch skipping.

    A stood staring for a while. All of this was new to her again. She was both excited and nervous to be mixing with other children and having the chance to y somewhere other than her back garden. Her eyes snapped to the side when Hollie began walking and waved her along.

    She looked at the girl with pigtails and wondered why she was being so nice. Her first impression of Hollie was wrong; she didn''t seem like a bully. For now, maybe she should tag along with her until she made her mind up about Hollie and her friends.

 Chapter 115 - Inseparable

    A followed Hollie to her small group of friends; some were making daisy chains and cing them everywhere, in their hair, around their necks, wrists and even trying to make rings. Hollie sat down beside them, but A did not follow; she had a lot of energy and knew that it would make her crazy if she sat down. There was a hopscotch outline painted on the ground beside the field, and so she began hopping on top of it.

    After finishing her third round of hopscotch, she turned around to find an older looking, plump girl standing at the start, her arms crossed and a sneer on her face. A blinked back at her, not daring to speak and waited for what was toe.

    "What''s your name, new kid?" The plump girl crinkled her nose as she looked A up and down.

    "A," She responded and began walking towards the girls on the field, making daisy chains.

    "A. What an awful name," The girl followed behind her, "your parents have terrible taste."

    At the mention of her parents, she turned around with her hands fisted by her sides and tears in her eyes. This girl had no right to speak about her parents.

    The girlughed after seeing A''s saddened face. "You won''tst long here," She sneered as another girl, a tall skinny one, took her side.

    The skinny girlughed, "Oh my! I heard talk about a girl with white hair, but I didn''t quite believe it!" She ced her hand atop her brow and squinted her eyes, "Do you get any sleep with that hair?" She giggled.

    The plump girlughed, "I wouldn''t! It seems to glow. What a freak! I bet your mummy and daddy are also freaks!"

    Their words were upsetting, but A did not act on it; instead, she continued to walk away, that was until someone grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, "Where are you going? We aren''t finished with you yet!" The plump girl tightened her grip on her arm to the point her nails dug in.

    "Leave her alone!" Hollie and the girls stood behind her as she marched straight up to the big kids and pushed the plump girl away.

    "Why, you little-"

    A whistle was blown, catching their attention and a dinnerdy came marching towards them with a stern and unhappy expression on her face, "Hollie, that''s the third time this week!"

    Hollie feigned innocence before retorting to the plump bully, "You''re just jealous. Our A here has princess hair that glows! Yours is just poop. It''s the colour of poop and looks like it needs washing!"

    The plump girl''s face went to the colour of beetroot and shoved Hollie to the ground before kicking her in the face. The whistle was blown repeatedly as the lunchdy ran to them. Hollie moaned but grabbed her sses in a panicked state; luckily, they were not broken.

    "Nich! Go to the head teacher''s office! NOW!" The lunchdy screamed.

    The plump girl sneered down at Hollie''s bruised face and her friends surrounding her before strolling back to the school building.

    A extended her hand to Hollie and helped her up. They stared at each other for a moment until the lunchdy checked Hollie for any cuts or further injuries. "Did you hit your head, Hollie?"

    A read her name badge: Miss Smiles. Thedy had short blonde hair with brown at the roots; she was a lot younger than the other lunchdies and teachers and wore subtle make-up. Her petite figure was hidden behind a yellow apron over a blue floral dress, ending her look with white trainers.

    "No, Miss Smiles. I am okay," Hollie grimaced.

    "I want you to go to the nurse''s office just for a check-up," Miss Smiles fretted again as she brushed away some of Hollie''s baby hair away, checking again for any injuries. "Take the new girl with you so she can see where the nurse is. I''m sorry, honey, what is your name?"

    A looked up to Miss Smiles, instantly liking thedy. There was something about her that seemed to make you want to smile and always be polite, unlike some of the lunchdies in the canteen who did not look like they should be working in a school. They grumbled and looked at the children like they were pests.

    "A," She replied, blinking up at Miss Smiles.

    "Is this your first day of school, A?" Miss Smiles asked with concern behind her blue eyes.

    A nodded in response. "I''m sorry it hasn''t gone so well for you. But you have made some good friends, and I just know the rest of your time will be fine here," The lunchdy smiled down at her. A smiled back in response, the first genuine smile that stretched on her lips in months.

    A nced back at the other girls as she followed Hollie towards the building. Were they her friends? She didn''t have any friends. With that thought, she looked down before finding herself sitting next to Hollie in a corridor outside a closed door with the sign reading ''Nurse''.

    The pair sat for a while in silence, but it wasn''t ufortable as Hollie swung her feet under her chair while A shifted and fidgeted, reying the events that happened in the yground.

    "Thank you for sticking up for me," A mumbled guiltily as she looked down at her hands in herp.

    "What are friends for?" Hollie smiled back at her, causing A to look up at her.

    "We are friends?" Her eyes were wide.

    "Of course! Silly!" Hollie wrapped her arm over A''s shoulders. "Plus, who WOULDN''T want a princess as their friend?"

    A blinked her eyes in surprise, "I''m not a princess."

    "But you look like one! Don''t listen to what those girls said. You aren''t a freak. If anything, you are a freak-in awesome princess with hair to die for!" Hollie rubbed the side of A''s arm and pulled back before grabbing some of her hair and cing it over her own.

    "I mean,e on! I want your hair!" Hollie continued, "Can we swap? Pleeeeease. If I cut mine off, will you cut yours?"

    A giggled at her suggestion.

    After the nurse gave Hollie ''the all clear'', the two girls found themselves in trouble in the afternoon. Mrs Karp found them in the toilets, one chunk of hair missing on each of the girls. The teacher stopped and stared at their creation in shock.

    Hollie had a long strand of white hair intecing between one of her its, and A made a small it of brown hair sticking out from her headband.

    From that day onwards, the girls were inseparable throughout school. A began speaking more as time went on, feeling morefortable with herself and her friends. The sadness of her parents passing was always there; it was not something A would forget but with Hollie by her side, who helped her through her dark days, she knew she would be fine.

 Chapter 116 - Reality

    A woke up in her bedroom with a slight smile on her face from her dream, a memory of the day she met Hollie. She was still in blissful ignorance of the events that led her to her bed.

    She stared up at the bed canopy and blinked; her hazy mind was slow and her eyes still full of sleep, but she wondered how she made it to the bed. Her mind began to turn and turn, the hunters, rogues, those beasts, they attacked their pack all at once. Her forehead creased as bits and pieces shed before her eyes.

    Grabbing Hollies hand and running. A pack of rogues before her. A beast''s heart in her hand. Ss. Chase. Gabriel''s hands around her waist, his words beckoning her toe with him. Damon''s arrival and Darren''s near demise. But her mind suddenly went nk; what happened after that?

    A raked her hand through her untidy hair; she never expected such events to happen, to be attacked not only from Silver Thorn shopping centre but the packhouse estate where most of the pack were, including children. This prevented reinforcements to help finish their fight quicker. A sighed and grimaced; even though she had slept for however long, her body was stiff and ached.

    All that she expected from the day was to meet Hollie and listen to her boyfriend issues, or it was a trap and-

    Hollie.

    A gasped as her blissful bubble burst and reality kicked in; she ced her hand over her mouth as her eyes swelled up with tears. Hollie was dead. Finn told her she was dead, but she did not see her body. No, Hollie was not dead. It couldn''t be true, she was with her, she escaped the shopping centre with her.

    She told Hollie to find cover. It was not true. Yet the tears falling down her cheeks spoke of a truth she did not want to listen to. Her stomach clenched, and she sat up; her voice came out in a muffled sob as her eyes flickered across her surroundings, her vision blurred from the intensity from which her tears fell.

    A felt her mind reaching, grasping at anything that might help her from the pain she was suffering. She wanted to shut it off, turn away from the idea that her best friend was dead.

    She was dead.

    "A!" Damon burst through the doors, jumped across the bed and pulled her sobbing body into his. She immediately clutched at his shirt, her face in his chest as she cried uncontrobly with her shoulders shuddering. Damon rocked her slightly and stroked her hair,forting her. "I''m here now. Shit, I''m sorry, baby, I left for a second, and you woke up. I didn''t want you to wake up by yourself.."

    He continued talking, his voice deep and full of concern, but A found herself calming from the sound of his voice, not his words. Whatever he spoke right now was lost on her as her mind spiralled of thoughts about Hollie. Them as children, as teenagers getting into trouble once more, as young adults, Hollie teaching A how to do her makeup properly.

    A lifetime of memories was shing across her mind; even the most insignificant memories that came to mind became precious. Her sobs became nothing more than a silent cry, her tears soaking through Damon''s shirt and her nose runny. But her face stayed in his embrace. His arms tightened around her as a trembling sigh escaped her lips.

    "It''s my fault," She finally whispered, but the words barely came out as her voice croaked.

    "It is NOT your fault, A," Damon replied; his chest rumbled at his words, and she clenched her eyes shut again.

    "It is. The hunters are after me, so they went after her.." Her voice broke with the wave of guilt swirling in the pit of her stomach.

    Damon pulled back and gently tilted her chin up so their eyes were locked. A''s felt heavy and wavered at the intensity behind his eyes, but she could not look into the depths of his eyes; she felt her own blurring again with tears. Her saddened, blotchy face was reflected in his silver orbs, she was a vision of hopelessness, and it wasn''t pretty.

    A tried to look back down, lowering her head, but his fingers hardened, keeping her head in ce. "It is not your fault, A. It is the hunters. Do NOT me yourself, you hear me?" His baritone voice made her chest tighten, and she found herself nodding in agreement. But she did not agree, not at all.

    She gulped and began wiping at her eyes with a shuddering breath while Damon leaned away and brought a box of tissues from the side that wasn''t there earlier. She pulled a tissue out and blew her nose before sighing. She knew she was a mess and turned her head away to hide from Damon''s gaze.

    But he called to her softly, "A, do not turn yourself away from me. I will see all of you, even in your darkest moments when your heart is filled with grief. I will be here. Your tears and red face make you just as beautiful as how you look every day."

    She turned her head to him, her brows arching together at his words.

    He leaned forwards and cupped her face with his huge hand, his eyes flickering between hers, "You could never be ugly. Your soul burns brightly for those that you love. Your tears and scars are what make you, you. And I love everything about you." He kissed her gently on the lips, leaning his forehead against hers, and whispered again, "Never turn yourself away from me, I will see all of you."

    A light knock tapped on the door, making the pair jump and the moment dissipate. Damon sighed and kissed her on the forehead before pulling away. She turned her tense body away from the neer on the other side of the bedroom door.

    "It''s okay. I ordered some tea," Damon replied as he left the bed and epted the silver tray from the butler. "I will take it. It''s fine, Charles. Please." A heard from behind her. It seemed the butler was used to cing the tea down in the room.

    Once the door was closed again, A turned around and pulled some of her hair away from her face. Goosebumps began to spread across her body; she was cold from Damon''s absent body and cold in general. Now that A wasn''t crying, she became numb. Was she going into shock? A looked to her wolf for guidance, but from what she could tell, her wolf had hidden away in the depths of her mind and was currently asleep.

    The death of Hollie had hit her hard, too, because although Malia was locked away from A throughout most of their life together, it didn''t mean she was never there. Malia watched quietly at A''s life; she was there when A met Hollie and all the other times the girls spent together. She, too, was feeling the loss of her best friend.

    A wrapped her hands around the cup Damon handed her. She used its heat to at least warm her hands up before sipping it and sighing as the liquid went down her throat smoothly, making her rough form feel a little better. The warmth spread throughout her as she swigged the tea infortable silence.

    As soon as she leaned over to ce her cup down on the bedside table, Damon wrapped his arms around her, pulling her towards him on the bed. He spooned her and gently kissed her behind her ear, making her shiver.

    "Are you still cold?" He asked softly, his voice filled with concern. A chuckled lightly and spun around to face him, and he pulled her closer, so there was no space between them but where their headsy on the pillows.

    "How did you know I was cold?" She replied and looked down at his chest, tracing small circles with her fingers over his shirt, enjoying the feeling of his hardened muscles beneath stretching the fabric.

    "Because I can sense it," Damon kissed her head and whispered ever so lightly, "the bond is growing stronger."

    "I''m sorry about today," A began, but Damon shushed her gently and rolled onto his back, pulling her with him.

    A let her leg go over his and rested her head on his chest, Damon''s arms wrapped around her protectively. She couldn''t help the turmoil of emotions building in her, but she also felt a numbness ttening over them, trying to dull the pain that rose and fell with her breathing. But A also felt warm, like she was home.

    Damon''s arms felt like a warm shield, keeping the iciness of her body at bay. His hand stroked her hair at her temple. The motion soothed her as she closed her heavy eyes.

    A''s pounding head slowly became dull after having some tea and feeling thefort of Damon''s embrace. Yet, her body felt heavy and drained, and so she happily let herself drift off to sleep, pushing back her all-consuming worries for another time.

 Chapter 117 - I Will Take Care Of You

    The next time A fluttered her eyes open, the light was creeping through the windows, and the birds were already up chittering away their melodious songs. It was peaceful even while her body slowly began to turn cold and feel numb. She sighed and realised Damon wasn''t in bed with her. She bolted upright, panic engulfing her.

    Where was Damon? Was everything okay? Did the hunters return?

    Her heart pounded against her ribcage rapidly, the noise of it bing louder as she pulled her knees in towards her chest, wrapping her arms around them, her eyes wide as she rocked slightly.

    "A"

    Tears filled her eyes as the possibilities rammed her mind into overdrive. Did they have Damon now?

    "A"

    Something must have happened; he would never leave her, not right now in the state she was in. But then, if he was taken, why was she still here? No, maybe something has happened, and Damon had to leave; he was always so considerate of her and must have left her to sleep. Yes, that was probably it. A nodded her head, trying to convince herself as well as trying to calm herself from this frenzied state.

    "A!"

    She blinked profusely at the voice ringing through her mind. Malia?

    "Calm down, just breathe," Malia''s voice took on a calm tone, and A instantly followed her wolf''s orders. After a minute of taking deep breaths in and releasing slowly, her heart rate was back to normal, and she felt a lot calmer and less panicked.

    "Now, instead of rushing off thinking, that shits hit the fan. Remember to think before letting your emotions go haywire. You were kidnapped, captive for over a week and managed to escape using a cool head. I know we have lost Hollie and other lives in this pack, but you can''t just lose it like that, okay?" Malia said softly.

    A nodded her head. Her wolf was right, she was the Luna of the pack, and if Damon was ever taken, then everything fell on her to keep the pack running smoothly until they got him back.

    "Another thing," Malia interrupted A''s thought process, "to stop yourself from getting so worried.. you know what would help, right?"

    A frowned then realised where her wolf was going with her line of thought, so she answered with a pout. She was right, and the need was always there; it seemed to burn brighter now after yesterday''s events. She said aloud, "Being marked?"

    "Yes!!!! Once you are marked, you would feel where he is and if he is safe," Malia finished, "also if you hadn''t had a meltdown and listened harder, you would know our mate is in the bathroom."

    And just on cue, Damon opened the door from the en suite with a towel wrapped around his waist. A''s eyes immediately looked at the dips in his hips and the outlines of his muscles.

    "Is everything okay?" He asked, and when A met his eyes, she immediately climbed out of bed, jumped towards him and clung to his chest. He embraced her and kissed her shoulder, sending tiny sparks of heat down her body. She could still feel his skin damp and the steam rising off him and out of the bathroom. His scent and toothpaste wereforting, and she inhaled him to calm herself down further.

    "I''m fine now, thank you," She whispered into his taut pecs. His chuckle rumbled through his chest, making A smile. "But, now I smell how nice and clean you are. I really want to have a shower!"

    She pulled away and grabbed her toothbrush as she turned the faucet on again. The steam from before was still clouding the room, making her skin feel all icky. She brushed her teeth quickly, wanting nothing more than to feel clean again.

    "I will join," Damon closed the door behind him.

    A''s eyes nted slightly, smiling with her eyes as she brushed her teeth, staring at her half naked mate through the mirror. Once she finished, she smiled, "You just had a shower.."

    "I won''t clean myself.." He replied as he pulled away the towel, and A''s eyes immediately dropped to his groin before she looked back up with a blush forming on her cheeks.

    "Why are you blushing!? You''ve seen it AND touched it before," Malia giggled. A rolled her eyes at her, she didn''t know why she was feeling shy, but she was.

    "We both know where that endedst time," A replied with a smirk as she began peeling away her clothes.

    "This is different. I will take care of you.." Damon whispered pensively. He took her clothes from her before grabbing each side of her cheeks and bringing their faces together. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent deeply before pausing and opening his eyes once more, as his gaze darkened and glowed, "Why do I smell strawberries?" He bit out.

    A tensed, "Oh, this is why I need to shower as well."

    Damon narrowed his eyes, "I will help you get rid of that awful smell." He released her and followed closely behind her to the shower. "Was Gabriel there yesterday?"

    Damon''s question felt distant as soon as A felt the water on her skin. She closed her eyes for a moment to savour it. This was what she needed as well, to let the warm water coat her body and alleviate some of the chill she still felt. It was still there, but Damon''s presence had been a nice distraction.

    A turned around and took a step back so she could look Damon in the eyes, which was hard to do under a shower with water pummelling down onto her features.

    "Gabriel helped the pack out a lot.. He saved me when.." A trailed off when she saw Damon''s jaw tense and his eyes glow.

    But instead of anger, Damon spoke softly, "When what happened?" He pushed strands of her hair out of the way and stroked her face with his thumbs, watching her intently.

    A swallowed lightly and closed her eyes, "The hunters used Chase as a hostage-"

    "Chase?"

    A snapped her eyes open after hearing Darius'' deep majestic, and angry voice.

    "Who is Chase?" He continued with a slight edge to his voice while his hands went to her hips and dug in slightly. His touch instantly sent a shockwave of desire through her, even when his mood was plummeting and his fingers a means of restraint.

    A tilted her head and smiled sadly, "Chase is a hunter-" Damon''s hands dug into her skin deeper, so she quickly finished exining, "he helped me escape, and yesterday he told me it was a trap."

    Damon rxed his hands. "Then I should thank him, along with Gabriel." His nose crinkled at the vampire''s name. "What happened?"

    "Chase was used as a hostage," A''s face soured, "His own father used him as a hostage.."

    Damon''s brows drew together, and he spun A around slowly before moving her hair away and massaging her shoulders, "Then you should have known he wouldn''t-"

    "He would." A snapped but rxed, closing her eyes at the feeling of Damon''s hands rubbing away the tension in her shoulders, "Ss is an evil, twisted man. He shot him in the foot to prove he would kill his son. I.. went to him, but Gabriel intercepted me and took me away to the forest."

    Damon kissed her shoulder, inciting a shuddering sigh from A. "Then I must definitely thank Gabriel. IF he ever shows up again AND doesn''t try to take a im at what is mine," His voice deepened, vibrating through her body as his lips were still against her skin.

    She bit her lip and turned to face him, "You know I am yours."

    Damon didn''t reply as he grabbed the shampoo and began washing her hair. Even without him trying to tease her or make any moves, A still felt her core start to melt from his touch and close proximity. Yet, his silence made her frown with concern.

    He finished washing her hair, and as soon as his hands werethered with soap, he kneaded her breasts. A gasped as her concern washed away as waves of pleasure erupted through her body. Their eyes locked, and she wanted nothing more than to climb on top of him and im him as hers officially.

    She watched as his eyes became hooded with want, and after feeling a prod to her belly, A nced down and immediately bit her lips. He wanted her as well. But Damon trailed his hands down her body softly, letting her skin raise up into goosebumps as he continued to clean her, missing the area that needed his touch.

    "I want to look after you, Angel. But it''s hard to control myself and control Darius when you look, feel and sound sexy. I don''t want to push you." Damon growled as he kneeled in front of her and massaged her bum.

    "You are looking after me. And I don''t want you to control yourself anymore." She looked down at him, feeling her heart burst after his eyes flickered to hers with such yearning behind them.

    He stilled his hands. "You understand what I mean, A? I don''t want you to think I am taking advantage of you."

    His words made her want him even more. With a chuckle, she moved a bit of his raven hair away from his forehead. "Damon. My Alpha," His eyes darkened further at his title and stood up, so he towered over her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him so she could feel his need for her. Her hands trailed up his chest and to the sides of his sharp jawline.

    "I want you to mark me, and then I want you to take advantage of me."

    He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around him along with her arms. He closed the distance between their lips, crashing into her with such passion as he leaned her against the ss wall and pulled his lips back breathlessly. She watched as his canines extended and felt herself breathe heavier at the sight.

    "We will be bound forever," He growled. His eyes were intense as they flickered between hers, waiting for A''s denial or submission.

 Chapter 118 - Bound Body And Soul: Part One

    [ Authors Note: I rmend waiting a few more hours for the next chapter. Continue at your own risk ;-) ]

    { <strong>Show Me Your Soul:</strong> <em>Show me the most damaged parts of your soul, and I will show you how it still shines like gold</em> ~ Nikita Gill. }

    ***

    "We will be bound forever," Damon growled; his eyes were intense as they flickered between hers, waiting for her denial or submission.

    A''s chest rose and fell with his, their breathing became heavy, and they hadn''t done anything but stare into each other''s eyes. The sound of the shower dulled into the background, his breaths, his eyes, him, he was everything, and she could not look away. Even with their bodies intertwined and nothing between them, it was only now that she feltpletely naked, bare in front of him, and he bare in front of her. Revealing themselves to one another.

    Damon was her mate, a man since day one she was infuriatingly and inexplicably drawn to; even before she had her wolf, her body knew before she did that they were made for each other. He had seen her good side, her very pissed off side, her stubborn and her ugly side, yet here he still was, looking at her like she was the only woman in the world meant for him. And she was. She was meant for him; she was his mate, the other half to his soul, his Luna and nobody, nothing was going to get in between them. With Damon by her side, she felt the courage to take on everything,

    He was the only one to set her body aze with the most minuscule of touches and awaken a need so strong that she could never back away. But it wasn''t just desire that burned within her being for him, but she was madly, deeply and irrevocably in love with him. A''s chest warmed, and her heart swelled with her overwhelming feelings for Damon Steel, and so she said what her heart truly desired.

    "I want to be bound to you, body and soul," She whispered back, and all at once, they closed the small distance between them, their lips crashed into each other hungrily. Her fingers thrust into his hair as his own gripped roughly around her butt cheeks.

    Their lips parted as one, and his tongue delved into her mouth, taking charge of her own while the stubble on his face scratches her cheeks. Her senses went into overdrive, and she lost herself in his embrace, pulling him closer to her as she moaned into his mouth.

    The cold ss on her back suddenly diminished, and the slight vibrations of his steps made her eyes open a fraction. Damon was carrying her back to their bedroom without releasing her lips from his. A pulled herself closer to him, grinding on his hips and tightening her legs around him.

    A shiver of delight rippled through her when she felt his stiff shaft slide against her clit as she pulled her hips closer to his, leaving it to press against her stomach. A hiss escaped his mouth as she gasped against his lips, their eyes locking with one another once more.

    A squealed after being thrown down gently onto the bed; their bodies were apart for a mere few seconds that felt like an eternity. She bit her lip as she watched Damon''s eyes roam her body hungrily, looking at her like she was a goddess waiting to be ravaged. Of course, she was waiting to be utterly destroyed. Her core clenched and throbbed in anticipation at the thought. The cold air made her nipples erect, and Damon''s eyes pinpointed on them and back to her eyes with a smirk.

    He lowered himself down onto the bed and crawled excruciatingly slowly above her, his head dipping down a few times to kiss and nip at her legs, inciting a gasp and a cry from her. A couldn''t deny that she was enjoying his little show. Her eyes became hooded as she watched the muscles in his shoulders and arms flex, and when her gaze met his again, she felt butterflies pping around in her stomach.

    His handsome features and the burning look in his eyes took her breath away as he closed the small gap between them, his lips found hers again, and she felt herself bing lightheaded and delirious as she held her breath. But she didn''t care, she wanted him, needed him!

    Damon pulled back, and they both burst intoughter after catching their breath. A couldn''t help but smile back at her beloved, everything felt right, and she felt blissfully happy. She poured her feelings into her gaze as she stared back at his molten silver orbs that made her melt. As if sensing her thoughts, he smiled and kissed her softly before whispering,

    "You are the air that I breathe, my sun and moon. If something happened to you yesterday," His eyes burned brighter, the intensity behind them stilling A''s breath. "If you..," he inhaled sharply and clenched his jaw, "if you died, then I would die too. There would be nothing left of me."

    A raised her hand to his cheek. Then wrapped it behind his neck, pulling him down for another kiss. This one was soft and gentle before they parted and left their foreheads against each other, taking that moment of utter silence and stillness to appreciate one another.

    Damon then leaned back, gazing adoringly at her before kissing her cheek, forehead, chin and lips. He started to trail light kisses along her jaw as his fingers intertwined with hers and his other hand began sliding down her body. Her flesh felt feverish, hot, and cold under his touch, and she found herself breathing heavily again.

    His kisses trailed down her heated skin, both of his hands were now touching every part of her like she was his addiction, and he needed his fix. Her body was scorchingva, asking for more, and she clung onto his back, nails scratching into his skin, pleading for him to continue. Damon groaned and began kneading her breast while his other hand slid down in between her thighs.

    A gasped as she felt his fingers tease her, slowly rubbing up and down. He hummed in appreciation when he slid a finger inside of her, immediately pulling out slowly with her creaminess coating him. "Always so wet."

    "Only for you," She whimpered and began moving her hips against his finger. Her body was screaming with desire, and her pent up frustrations were reeling, her climax building up as his finger moved in and out against her bucking hips. He pinched her nipple long and hard, sending a jolt of pleasure ricocheting between her breast and core. Shepletely came undone around his finger with a long moan.

    Her hand wrapped around the head of his cock, wanting and needing him to be inside of her. But he pulled her hand away, kissing it gently, "Not yet," he breathed and lowered back down to her neck. Her body felt light from her orgasm, and the kisses he was leaving on her neck intensified her already too sensitive skin.

    Without realising it, her nails had raked through the skin on his back again. He groaned into her neck, and she felt his canine teeth scraping down her soft skin until he was above her partial corbone. The area itched, with the constant feeling of fire and ice burning the surface, and she held her breath for the inevitable to happen.

    Damon pulled back and met her eyes; she could see his swirling tinum orbs glowing as they searched her own glowing orbs, asking silently for one final permission to make it official.

    A wanted him with every fibre of her being and their bond to merge. "Make me yours," She whispered with finality.

    Damon lowered down to her corbone once more, along with aligning his shaft up to her entrance. Her slit was already wet and ready for his thick head to enter her. A bit her lip, bracing herself for the pain toe on her neck and from what she expected in her core. But he paused and sucked in a sharp breath.

    Why did he pause? WHY DID HE PAUSE?!

    A looked back at him and saw his eyes ze over. He was pulled into a mind-link.

    AHHHHHHH!

    A didn''t know if that was her or Malia or both of them screaming in agonising torment.

    What was wrong with this pack!? Didn''t they want their leaders to make it official?

    Damon released a breath, his eyes bing clearer once more, and his eyes flickered back to her face.

    "Do we have to go?" She whispered, and they could both clearly hear the desperation in her voice for them not to leave the bed.

    Damon shook his head, "It''s not urgent." He smiled, and a flicker of amusement shed across his eyes after surveying her face. A let out a sigh and nced back down between their naked bodies before meeting his eyes again.

    He licked her partial mark before saying softly, "This might hurt, baby."

    She watched as his canines extended out again, and he brought his face down to her skin.

 Chapter 119 - Bound Body And Soul: Part Two

    { And in the middle of my chaos, there was you ¨C Unknown }

    [ Authors Note: Music Rmendation: Call Out My Name by The Weeknd (if you want!) I will leave an AN when to y it from ;) ]

    **

    Damon licked her partial mark before saying softly, "This might hurt, baby."

    A watched as his canines extended out again, and he brought his face down to her skin. The sharp ends pierced through her delicate skin, immediately drawing blood, and she gasped from an intoxicating pleasurable pain. Her head went back as she heard Damon''s growl rumble through his chest and onto hers, making her body that much more aware of him.

    A''s eyes glowed as she felt a rush of euphoria spread through her, making her feel as light as a feather, drifting away. The canopy above them almost seemed to glow, like tiny sparkling dots emerging before her. But all too soon, she found herselfing back down from the high she had been feeling and arched her brows as she did so. The pain of the bite was outweighing the pleasure now, and she couldn''t help but try to breathe through it.

    Then she suddenly found herself gasping before moaning as a wave of pleasure shuddered through her; Damon was using his thumb on her clit and rubbing in slow circr motions. Her core dampened against the head of his cock, and she moved her hips slightly to feel the smoothness of his shaft, even just a little. But it was also teasing her, making her tremble and clutch for more.

    She inhaled sharply and looked back at him as a tear fell from the outer corner of her eye. His eyes never left hers, as their orbs glowed brilliantly, his lips caressing her skin while his teeth were deep in her.

    [AN: Music Rmendation: Call Out My Name by The Weeknd ]

    He then inteced their fingers by the sides of her head and withdrew himself slowly. She hissed at the final sting of pain and nced down at where her mark was. But before she could see it, Damon''s growl snapped her attention away from her corbone and to his devilishly handsome face. His silver orbs swirled beautifully, capturing her in ce, and making her melt all that much more for him.

    His eyes were dark and intense as her crystal blue eyes locked with his. She could see her reflection in silver orbs, her own face full of wonder as though she was seeing him for the first time in a new light; it was still her Damon, but something seemed to click into ce even more, yet, her teeth were aching as though they were not quite finished. But when she refocused on his features and not the depths of his eyes, she could see the same wonder on his own face.

    Damon squeezed her fingers gently as he leaned his hips forwards, his eyes still on hers. A nodded at him, feeling the rush of excitement fill her along with desire. It had been a month of torture; even his punishments weren''t enough. She wanted him inside of her, so they could be one.

    A felt the head of his cock move excruciatingly slowly into her moist opening. She bit her lip, her eyes pleading him to just thrust into her. She buckled her hips a bit, but he stilled his hips as amusement flickered across his eyes. Was he seriously teasing her right now!? She thought he would be just as horny, if not hornier than her!

    "Oh baby," he chuckled, "I don''t want to ruin you," He bit out. A felt herself chuckling through a moan until she gasped. His cock was stretching her so much; he gritted his teeth and let out a deep guttural moan as her womb swallowed him hungrily. "Fuck, A. You''re so tight."

    IT FELT AMAZING! Of course, it would. It was Damon; she loved him with her every fibre of her being. With desire and pleasure, there was also the warmth and love between them.

    Damon''s length was filling her uppletely; she couldn''t believe how overwhelmingly full she felt. Her eyes widened as they stayed glued to his; her breathing became heavy again as he finally wholly entered. She squeezed his fingers, and his hips began to thrust into her, slow and deep as he grinded against her, allowing her to get used to his size. She wrapped her legs around his hips as a soft moan left her, "Damon."

    Calling out his name made his fingers tighten around hers and push her hands more into the bed. He brought his forehead to hers as each thrust became harder and quicker, sending pulses of pleasure zipping through her, intensifying by the minute. Their bodies were bing one with each other, intertwined in heated passion.

    If A thought her body was scorching before, it wasn''t anything inparison to now. She felt herself bing lightheaded from the soft moans leaving her lips, mixing with the sounds of his ragged panting.

    A slipped her hand from his and tangled her fingers into his hair; a low growl escaped his lips when she gripped on slightly. Damon mashed his lips onto hers, and she felt all his hunger and desire as his teeth nipped onto her bottom lip, then letting his tongue lick it softly. A knew her lips were swollen and bruised from that alone, but she did not care. All she cared about was what was happening right then and there.

    Thankfully there were no more mind-links to interrupt them. But the pair knew the pack was aware of what they were up to; the sounds of their lovemaking was not quiet. There was also the fact that when an Alpha and Luna officially mate and have marked each other, the pack will feel a sense of wholeness. But A didn''t care about any of them right then, she had tunnel vision for one thing only, and that was Damon as he sent her body into an overload of pleasure.

 Chapter 120 - Bound Body And Soul: Part Three

    [AN: Music Rmendation: Call Out My Name by The Weeknd (if still ying/ or repeat if you want) ]

    He pulled up, and A unwrapped her legs, giving him more room to thrust. She bit her lip as she watched his muscles flex and shine from the sweat that began to form on his skin. Then, A saw a smirk on his lips, and suddenly, he rolled over so quickly that she found herself now straddling him while he leaned back into the wall. Her dizziness subsided, and sheughed at his cheekiness.

    "If you wanted me on top, you could have just asked," She smirked as he helped lower her down on the tip of his shaft, sliding into her wet folds, moaning as her womb tightened around his thickness. She began rolling her hips and flicked her damp hair back. His eyes roamed her body, his hands on her bum as she grinded against his member. The size of his length was so deep inside of her now, she couldn''t help but continuously moan as she rode him.

    She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his head, clinging onto his neck with her nails. He met her thrusts now, and she flicked her head back, her breastsing forward as she bounced; the different angle to the depth of his length was exquisite. Damon growled and grabbed a handful of her hair, biting into the side of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She clung to his neck more, gasping his name and squeezing around his cock.

    "A, you''re so fucking sexy," he moaned into her ear, his breath fanning her neck and inciting small tingles down to her already oversensitive core. A pulled her head back slightly so she could kiss his lips, but when she did, she felt her teeth aching again and her canines elongate.

    She panicked, "Damon? Whats?" She could see the realisation sh behind his eyes.

    He grinned as she stilled, and they caught their breath. "It''s very rare for a she-wolf to mark. Normally it just shows up on the male." He looked down at his chest before shaking his head, "It looks like you are just as possessive as me, angel." He winked.

    A''s mouth fell open. "I am not," She grumbled, but the movement of her mouth caused pain. Did Damon have to go through this pain the whole time she denied him? Her eyes widened as she felt another wave of respect for him.

    "Darling, don''t worry. I like it. It means you only want me," He growled.

    A pointed between them and the action they were doing right now, "I''m sorry. Did this not rify it enough for you?" She winced again as the ends of her canines stabbed her lips.

    He burst into a peal ofughter before grabbing her by the cheeks and kissing her passionately, "Angel, I do love you."

    "And I love you, Dam Dam," She replied and grimaced at the overbearing pain. But before he could answer, her eyes glowed and zoned in on the area he needed to be marked. Without any more thought put into it, she bit her teeth into the flesh below his corbone.

    He hissed from the pain, then groaned as he flipped his head back. A couldn''t believe what she was doing, but it felt right; even with the taste of his blood in her mouth, it caused a swell of warmth in her chest as her heart pounded against her ribcage. She watched in awe as Damon''s face shimmered slightly until he grimaced.

    Oh yes, it hurts quite a bit. So, without any further encouragement, A began to grind against his length again, moaning as she did so. When she felt the urge and ache leaving her gums, she pulled back gently before licking the area, still as she grinded against him, her breasts on his chest, her hands on his broad shoulders. She pecked the area softly before pulling back.

    He became wilder and more ravenous than before; he kneaded her breasts and began sucking on them, causing her core to tighten around him. He growled and let go of her nipple. But as though he still couldn''t get enough of her, his length deep inside her, his hands kneading and grabbing at her skin, he started sucking on her neck. His mouth and tongue were so rough on her, she knew there were going to be marks. But she didn''t care; her nerve endings were going through the roof at all the stimnts, her mind bing a cloudy mess.

    Damon''s eyes were on her again, his face darkening with yearning. He pumped into her rapidly until he once again spun A around until he was on top of her. He relentlessly pounded into her, knowing that her body was ustomed to his size. A''s hands went to his shoulders, clinging on as their eyes locked together.

    "Who''s are you?" He grunted.

    "Yours," She panted.

    "Who''s?" He growled, his eyes glowed with his voice deepening.

    "Yours!!"

    "Come for me, angel."

    On his words, her centre tightened around him as a rush of euphoria flourished through her body and soul, and she came around him so hard, her body was shaking as she screamed breathlessly, "Damon!"

    Waves of pleasure rolled through her as he continued to pound harder and harder until he erupted inside of her, groaning animalistically. He rolled over, immediately pulling her into him. The pair still panted, with sweat glistening on their bodies, hair sticking to their foreheads. A could hear his heart pounding rapidly and in sync with hers. She looked up at him and he kissed her forehead.

    As she caught her breath, her eyes roamed across his chiselled chest to the part she marked. Her eyes widened, and she pulled herself up to look at the area. Gone was the two marks of where her canines sunk into him, and left there was a tinum-gold crescent moon with a shadow of blue surrounding the edge. After feeling Damon''s finger below her corbone, she looked down, and just below it was a tinum-gold crescent moon with a dark silver shadow surrounding it.

    "Our marks are tattoos?" A queried , with a look of disbelief.

    Damon grinned, "Yep. I am yours and you are mine now, angel. There''s no backing out now!" Although he was joking, his voice had deepened with a growl. A resisted rolling her eyes, Darius it seemed still didn''t take things lightly.

 Chapter 121 - Rabbits

    { Seek what sets your soul on fire }

    A couldn''t help but smile like a kid at a theme park. She clung onto Damon, her head resting on his chest, their legs intertwined while she drew circles around his mark, and Damon stroked her shoulder, staring at the ceiling. The pair were in a blissful bubble with no interruptions or distractions. The only sounds were of their breathing and the birds chirping outside. A sighed in content, wishing for this moment to never end.

    She feltplete now, lying by her mate''s side. There was an essence of wholeness, a warmth in her chest, and that everything would be fine. The final jigsaw puzzle had slipped into ce, and she was euphorically happy. Damon was her everything, and he was all hers.

    Yet, she was bing more aware that they had a lot to sort out. Her brows drew together, and she clenched her eyes shut, hoping to shut down where her thoughts were leading her. She wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms.

    "What did the pack want earlier?" A found herself asking, immediately feeling frustrated at herself for bringing it up.

    "Shh, we don''t need to worry about anything for a while," Came Damon''s baritone voice.

    A shifted her position so she could look at him. He smiled at her tenderly and caressed her cheek with his thumb, "They are aware of what we are up to."

    A''s eyes widened, and her face heated. "Were up to.." she muttered with a dreamy sigh after.

    Damon chuckled, "You didn''t think we were done, right? I only got one orgasm out of you. I want more." He licked his lips in delight.

    "What?" She squeaked. Her eyes widened even more as he rolled onto his side, running his thumb across her lips, his eyes darkening, lusting for them, for her. A''s reaction made his lips split into a broad grin, "We should take each moment as ites. We don''t know when our next peaceful moment will be, or when we will next.."

    "Hump like rabbits?" A finished as she bit down on his thumb gently.

    "Exactly." His eyes flickered with amusement before he rolled over her and adjusted his erection. This time he slid easily inside her, eliciting an immediate gasp from A. "I want to fuck you into next week," He thrust all the way in. The entire length of his shaft causing A''s eyelids to flutter and almost rolling her eyes into the back of her head from how big he is.

    This time there was no holding back; the gentleness he showed earlier for her to get adjusted to his size was gone. He wanted to fuck her until she couldn''t walk or speak coherently. Everything about her just made him want to fuck her senseless. He couldn''t help it. He thought he craved for her before with the ache and pain he felt from not sinking his dick into her balls deep from day one, but he was wrong. Now that he had a taste of her, he didn''t want to stop.

    He pounded into her relentlessly, watching her beneath him, her breasts bouncing, her eyes clenching shut, gasps and moans leaving her pretty little mouth while her hands grasped the silky sheets beneath them. The bed frame began to shake and knock into the back wall, but instead of stopping, it only spurred him on more. He lifted one of her legs and held it against his chest as he mmed into her, smirking as her eyes widened and her breath hitched.

    She leaned her head back into the cushion. Damon didn''t like that; he wanted her to only see him. He knew she enjoyed watching him pound into her anyway. And why not? He didn''t mind one bit. He loved seeing the desire behind her eyes, just as much as the love and warmth.

    "Eyes on me," He growled; hismand was immediately followed with a moan leaving her lips as he raised her other leg, holding them close to his chest, her eyes locking with his. He groaned after feeling her core tighten and tighten, almost trying to suck him dry. "FUCK." He wasn''t ready yet, but then again, he could just go again, he smirked.

    A let out numerous breathless screams as her core tightened before releasing her warm creaminess over his shaft. She shuddered and kept her eyes on him the whole time she climaxed. He pulled her legs apart like the splits before pulling out, grabbing her ass and flipping her over.

    He marvelled at the view before him, her round ass in front of him; he widened her stance and felt his cock twitch. Reaching forwards, he caressed her smooth bum cheeks admiringly. She looked behind her with a serious expression on her face, "I am not-"

    Damon spanked her right cheek before shoving his length into her centre. She immediately groaned at his intrusion. He pulled back out slowly, then when the head of his cock was at the parting of her entrance, he mmed back into her, spanking her left cheek after. She yelped before moaning. That was how it went, him alternating speeds until he couldn''t tease her and himself anymore, so he began thrusting quicker again.

    He leant closer, sliding his hand across her smooth back, A looked back, and her core clenched when she felt his fingers thrust into her hair, gripping tightly. She let her hair be pulled back slightly, enjoying the small sting in her head, her bum cheeks and the friction and pounding in her centre. Damon''s hand released her hair, and her head flopped forwards slightly as sweat glistened on their bodies.

    While he continued to thrust, his hand snaked around her waist and went to her breast, squeezing and pinching on her nipple; she let out a raspy moan and bit her lip as pain and pleasure thrummed through her heated body. But he wasn''t done there. He slid his arm further, covering her chest and pulled her back into an upright position.

    A yelped and found herself kneeling, her back against his chest as he continuously pounded into her. Her breath caught, and her eyes widened at the new position. His arm kept her in ce, and with every thrust, she felt herself gasping for air. Damon trailed kisses along her shoulder and neck, leading up to her face.

    She turned her head, and their mouths collided in heated passion, their tongues wrapping around each other like a dance of seduction. They both moaned together as she slid her fingers into his sweaty hair. She gripped harder, enjoying his scent, his sweat and his fervent kissing and thrusting. Her body was sensitive to him, and she felt her climax building again.

    Damon ripped his mouth away from hers. "Touch yourself," He whispered into her ear, making her body shiver with delight. A loved how he took control in the bedroom; it made her even wetter.

    With one hand wrapped around his neck still, her other hand trailed down her body to her clit, and she began rubbing herself, instantly groaning from the pleasure shooting through her nerve endings.

    A began grinding on his thick shaft, her finger rubbing up on her clit, while their eyes were locked in a stare so intense, they both came together with such a ferocity she had to lean back into him, clutching his hair while he imed her mouth to silence her scream.

 Chapter 122 - 10 Hours Later...

    { Falling for him wasn''t falling at all. It was walking into a house and suddenly knowing you''re home- r.i.d }

    **

    Downstairs, pack members and staff all stopped what they were doing as Alpha Damon and Luna A''s lovemaking echoed through the mansion. It was the screams that made them stop. It didn''t help that they were all werewolves, and their hearing was heightened more than a human''s.

    Some pack members looked up at the ceiling or across to where their sounds came from; others chuckled and continued what they were doing. Whereas in the living room, Ajax, Finn and Chiara were chilling and all burst outughing.

    Finn shook his head and put one of his headphones back in his ear as he slouched into the couch and drummed his fingers on the armrest. After the gruesome day before, their Luna and Alpha deserved to fuck each other''s brains out. Finn didn''t know how the pair went so long without mating and marking.

    He hadn''t done either, thanks to the hunters. But he knew from his friend''s experiences that they mated and marked their mates the instant they found each other. But A wasn''t like any of the werewolves here, including himself. The girl only found out she was a werewolf on the first day of her kidnapping. So, for that, he understood, and he respected his Alpha even more for resisting.

    Earlier, Finn and Chiara immediately felt the mate bond beplete between their leaders. It was a magical moment that stilled the house as a rush of power swirled through them like nothing they had felt before, and each person smiled at each other knowingly. For too long, the pack had been without a mated Alpha and Luna. They adored and respected their Alpha, but there was always something missing, and they knew it was their Luna. Now, it felt like their pack wasplete.

    Finn tilted his head to the side after hearing Ajax groan on the opposite couch, lying down and dramatically grabbing two pillows, pushing them again his ears. Finn''s dark eyes then caught the Gamma smirking at Ajax while his eyes were clenched shut. But she turned her head after sensing Finn''s gaze on her.

    As soon as their eyes locked, Chiara''s smirk vanished, and she stood up from her position on the armchair near the tv. Her face became impassive again while she began pacing the length of the room. Finn narrowed his eyes and nced between the pair. Did something happen between them-

    The sound of a smash and some tumbling made Finn leap to his feet.

    "Don''t worry, that''s just us," Alpha Damon''s voice breathed through a mini mind-link to the pack members in the mansion, except Ajax, of course.

    Finn and Gamma Chiara rxed their tense postures as Ajax threw a cushion at Finn.

    "Let me guess? That was them?" Ajax asked.

    Finn caught the cushion and chuckled, "Yup."

    "Atta girl," Ajax smirked. Another round of loud thuds rang through their ears. "Seriously, though. How long has it been now!?" He moaned into the other pillow.

    Finn looked down at his phone, "Hmm, it''s gotta be nine, maybe ten hours now." He whistled, impressed at their stamina.

    "Bloody hell."

    Finn turned his head to Chiara''s voice. Even she seemed impressed. Ten hours was long, even for a werewolf, but they were the Alpha King and Queen, so their endurance must be impable; it certainly seemed so from their side of the walls.

    **

    In the Alpha and Luna''s bedroom, amp was smashed on the ground, pillows and sheets were strewn everywhere. tes and sses were left on the coffee table, which had been moved to the side of the room. The couch had toppled over, with a nket ced in front of the firece that was aze.

    A and Damon were now lying on their sides on top of the nket in front of the firece. Their antics had left their room messy and a few bruises on their skin from rough handling. But their breathing had calmed down as theyy there.

    They gazed at one another as they each leant on their chins on their hand. The pair looked frantic with their hair dishevelled, marks going up each other''s necks, chests, and groin area, along with a few scratch marks. Damon grabbed another strawberry from a bowl next to them and let it kiss her lips until she opened them.

    His heated gaze stayed on hers as her lips wrapped around it, and she bit into it. Licking his lips, he already knew what sweetness he wanted to eat. His eyes became hooded, and his erection sprung to life.

    What was this woman doing to him? It had only been five minutes since theyst toppled over the couch. He had her in the bed, the sofa, the bathroom, on top of the nket, but he knew she needed to rest. But as his gaze moved from her voluptuous lips and to her crystal blue orbs, his mind was once again made up.

    They jumped each other again, their lips crashing against the other; Damon threw the bowl away, making another crashing sound before his hand kneaded her breast then went down to her groin. She moaned and bit into his bottom lip.

    Damon growled in return before pulling back and kissing her nipple as he gently pushed her shoulder down. He released her bud and licked down her stomach, leading to her deliciously wet folds.

    "Damon," She breathed. "Damon," She shuddered breathlessly. "I can''t," She whimpered a weak protest. But he had heard them all before, the moment his cock was in her, or his fingers or tongue, shepletely submitted to him. He loved it; it seemed to be the only time she did submit to him.

    His face lowered, and he buried himself in between her thighs, pulling her closer to him as he groped onto her legs. A gasped from the sharp pleasure shot through her, and her hands instantly glided through his hair as he pleased, teased and caressed her with his wicked tongue while she mewled softly the deeper his tongue went.

    Damon was sending her over the edge of madness with his skilful tongue and fingers now pumping inside her. Every nerve ending in her body overloaded with the deliriously mind numbing sensation. A had lost count of how many orgasms she had, but her skin and womb were overly sensitive; each time he touched her, she instantly fell under a spell, and her body roared to life. Ready and waiting for him to devour her.

    She constricted around him so tight that he pulled his fingers and tongue out and mmed his length in her once more. That single thrust made her choke on a scream as she let pleasurepletely consume her, bringing another crippling orgasm; Damon growled as his eyes locked with hers and seeing her so spent beneath him, he found his own release. A''s legs were quaking with exhaustion, and she let her head drop back down, her eyes bing droopy.

    Damon pulled her into his chest, and she couldn''t help but smile, letting her eyes close and listen to the beat of his heart. This devilish wolf had taken her in every position possible; they knew each other''s body now well and truly, knowing what made the other moan and growl, wanting for more.

    A didn''t have the energy to move or open her eyes. Her core was a throbbing mess between her legs, sensitive and aching. She knew that it would be a little sore and maybe a little ufortable to walk when she next opened her eyes.

    Damon chuckled, "If you can''t walk tomorrow, then my job is done."

    "Hmm," She murmured, not even able to move her lips. A felt Damon''s lips kiss her softly on the forehead.

    "I''m so d you are safe, A." He whispered ever so lightly. And just before her body rxed into the numbing darkness of oblivion, she heard her Damon whisper gently into her ear,

    "Sleep now, my little spitfire."

 Chapter 123 - Bubble Slowly Bursting

    Damon''s lids snapped open, his silver orbs glowed as his temper boiled to the surface. Gamma Chiara''s voice whipped through his mind, reminding him about an issue that was bing urgent. But, of course, all cases at the moment were urgent; he inhaled deeply to rx the tension tightening in his shoulders, but what made him rx was A''s floral scent.

    Chiara had been left in control of the pack while Damon and A were preupied. Usually, Beta Kane would be second in charge, but he and Nairi needed to recover properly. That was no easy feat Kane done, and it would take him days to recuperate.

    His mind shed back to the miraculous moment of Kane transferring his health over to his mate and healing Nairi. Damon knew that if the roles were reversed, he wouldn''t think twice before doing exactly the same; whether it killed him or not, he couldn''t go on living without his angel. He nced down after feeling her head snuggling closer to his chest, soothing her slightly troubled mind.

    A was such a rare beauty, and she was all his. Darius growled across his mind in agreement. The sight of her bare skin and her pale hair messy made his wolf growl again in delight. Damon stroked her hair gently before leaning over her and wrapping the nket over her delectable skin. The fire had gone out by now, and he didn''t want her getting cold.

    "Damon," Chiara''s voice rang through his mind again. Although she was waiting on his reply, he snarled back in response, quietening the Gamma immediately. Along with the rest of the pack, Chiara knew he was busy with A; none dared to interrupt them, except Chiara, who was only allowed to due to emergencies or urgent business.

    He sighed and snapped through the mind-link to his Gamma, "Five minutes." Darius snarled at the end of his voice through the link, and for a brief moment, Damon felt bad for Chiara; his wolf always incited fear in others when they heard him. But when he nced back down at his mate, the feeling dissipated.

    Now that A was wrapped up, he slid out from her arms and tenderly picked her up, careful not to wake his mate as he carried her to the bed andying her down gently. Damon couldn''t help but chuckle at how sweetly demolished she looked and how sound asleep she was. He climbed into bed beside her, not wanting to leave her but still unable to sleep alongside her.

    In his absence to the pack, he still sent out orders before he was lost in a world of mind consuming pleasure all caused by the little spitfire, A. He did not n to mark or mate with A; he had no intention to, even with the pull of the mate bond and his lust for her. So instead, Damon sent out orders so he could be there for her in the short time that she would have to grieve for Hollie.

    He knew even though the hunters attacked two days prior, they would be back soon, and the pack had to be ready. With his orders sent out, Chiara was left to make sure they werepleted. The matter she raised the day before was rming at the time, but it wasn''t something he was immediately needed for. He told Chiara what to do and let his attention go back to his mate and the marking process.

    But now, as hey down staring at the canopy, one arm wrapped around his mate and the other behind his head, he realised things must have taken a turn for the worst, and things were not as simple as he presumed. Three children were missing.

    They had been missing since the battle of the pack, rogues, beasts, and hunters, and because they were attacked so viciously, he sadly believed them to be dead. He gritted his teeth by the thought of it, his eyes hardening to stone. Initially, he ordered the Gamma to send out a search party. But the bodies of the pack members fallen had been brought back to the training facilities. The streets, roads and estate were now clear of the rubble, bullet shells along with the hunters and beast''s bodies.

    There were no bodies of the children found, meaning it was now urgent. Chiara had seen to it that every crevice and corner had been searched, using the pack''s best trackers- Tommy and Zeke. Their noses were the strongest at smelling scents; it was like a superpower even for werewolves. So Tommy and Zeke smelt their belongings and were let loose to follow the trail to find the missing children.

    "What''s the update?" Damon mind-linked Chiara, getting straight to the point. There was no bullshit small talk; if it was urgent, then they needed to get to the point. Plus, there was no bullshit between him and Chiara, they told each other the ugly truth, the facts, and they preferred it that way.

    "The trail ran cold after the mountains," Chiara replied instantly. Damon clenched his eyes shut and rubbed at them with his free hand while the other hand subconsciously began stroking A''s back. Not noticing the goosebumps starting to develop on her creamy skin, nor the slight change in her breathing. His focus was now on the matter at hand.

    "Do you think the rogues took them likest time?" He asked the Gamma, but he was doubtful; even his questioncked conviction behind it.

    "The rogues'' fled. They didn''t want this war; it was all Lydia''s doing. I think she was the one years ago when the first children went missing, and when.. well, when we were attacked, and Xander was killed," Chiara''s voice wavered then once again strengthened as she mentioned her mate''s death.

    Damon admired the Gamma a lot; when she lost him, he saw how much it broke her, yet, she carried on; some of the pack members who wanted her role attacked her in her vulnerable state. But, she proved them all wrong. Unluckily for the men who challenged her when she was down, her wolf and Chiara had turned extremely feral, nearly to the point that the Gamma could have been ssified as a type 1 rogue. The men''s deaths were the most chilling scenes Damon had watched, but he never reprimanded her, even when pack members asked for her punishment.

    He held his own and waited for them to challenge his order. But, of course, no one dared. Although, that death would have been swifter than what Chiara dealt those men. But if it helped her heal just a bit, then he wasn''t going to take that from her. He didn''t like killing pack members or torturing them in this case, but to have his own try and take his Gamma''s ce when she had been down making him want to get rid of them himself.

 Chapter 124 - Bubble Slowly Bursting: Part Two

    "I think someone else has taken them. Should we keep searching?" Gamma Chiara asked through the mind-link, bringing Damon back to the present.

    "Keep searching. I will speak with other packs nearby to keep an eye out and to alert me if anything seems suspicious," Damon replied before sighing, "I will speak with the parents."

    "Are you sure, Alpha? I can do that if you want to.." Chiara trailed off, seemingly like she was trying to find the right words without sounding disrespectful.

    But Damon cut her off, saving her the effort, "No, they need to hear it from me. Thanks, Chiara, keep me updated."

    "Alpha."

    "Shit," He muttered out loud and peeked down at A, who stirred but clung onto him more. Watching her made him angry again, thinking about Xander and the pack members that challenged Chiara. He wondered if he would have lost his mind and tortured those that challenged him if A had died.

    "We won''t know because she will be well protected, and A is a force to be reckoned with. She defended herself against us," Darius growled through his mind.

    Damon nodded his head, "But trouble seems to always find her."

    "Only until the hunters are dealt with," Darius snarled at the word ''hunters''. Those bastards had left many dead; even though there were more of their bodies, it didn''t take away the pain of losing his pack members. They were his family. Even if he couldn''t remember each pack member because it was so big, it didn''t mean he didn''t feel the loss.

    Damon sighed, "But how long will that take? We don''t know how big their organisation really is."

    He removed those thoughts from his mind. Right now, his priority was those missing children. He had to speak to the parents, officially giving them the news that their children may have been kidnapped and what their next course of action is. Sighing, he slid out from underneath A''s warm and luscious body, already searching the floor for some boxers to put on.

    But as he turned and faced his precious mate, his chest tightened at the thought of leaving her side. A couldn''t be left alone right now, not after Hollie and especially not after mating. Damon didn''t want her thinking he got his fill and fucked off, although he was confident the bond would tell her that was not the case. They could feel each other''s emotions now as well as hear each other''s thoughts.

    A was still on cloud nine earlier and did not realise he replied to her thoughts of not being able to walk. It was something they needed to get used to, but he was more than happy to hear his little spitfire and her naughty thoughts running through her mind. But just as his thoughts started to turn dirty and his rod bing hard AGAIN, his phone buzzed.

    He growled and marched to the coffee table where he left it. As soon as he saw the caller ID, he swore, and after some hesitation, he picked up.

    "Ethan," he snapped, "What do you want?"

    "Now, now, Alpha Damon. You should still call me by my title," Came Alpha Ethan''s response. The dick. He did not like the arrogant Alpha one bit. Gritting his teeth, he sat down on the couch, facing away from his beloved; he didn''t want to wake her, but he also didn''t want to leave her. So, the sofa was his best option.

    A fluttered her eyes open, briefly feeling disorientated by her position on the bed, her arms reaching out on the side that was still slightly warm from where Damon had not long left. She pouted at finding herself alone in bed, but it didn''t stay long on her face when her eyes that searched the room pinpointed her mate, sitting naked on the couch. He was on the phone with someone, but she couldn''t figure out what the conversation was about.

    The only thing she could suddenly feel, though, was an overbearing weight of apprehension on her shoulders. Her heart began to beat quicker, and she couldn''t understand why; that was until she closed her eyes and felt a swirling sensation in her stomach.

    "It''s the mate bond. We can feel what Damon is feeling right now," Malia finally perked up. A''s brows rose from her wolf''s exnation and from the sudden calmness rolling off her.

    "You shouldn''t be so surprised. We''ve mated and marked, I''m one happy gal," Malia whistled. A couldn''t help but chuckle at her wolf. But even with her sudden stir of happiness, she felt the pressure again weighing down on her. Was this what Damon felt all the time? He was, after all, the Alpha, and not the Alpha of one pack, but many.

    But whatever the other person was talking to him about, it definitely had his full attention. Usually, he would turn around as soon as she woke up, and now that they were mated, he should sense how ecstatic she felt, especially from their hours of lovemaking. The lovemaking still had her core throbbing and her muscles aching. She sighed and didn''t mind at all by the aching pain in her centre; Damon was well endowed, making her a fortunate woman.

    Her eyes hooded at the thought, and suddenly, she felt a different sort of ache. Really!? How did she yearn for him so much!? Even after the many hours of romping under and over the covers on the bed and around the bedroom? Her core clenched just thinking about it, but she still felt sore.

    Ohhhh. "Yep, I agree," Malia sighed, also wanting to please her mate.

    While Damon continued to talk quite heatedly on the phone to someone, A decided to help him release a bit of his stress. Climbing out the bed, albeit a little shakily. She had to hold onto the bedpost before her aching muscles started working again.

    Wincing, she stiffly stalked towards him, her feet padding on the ground quietly. Once she made it to the back of the couch, she leaned forwards, letting her breasts press against the back of his shoulders; her hands slid down his chest as she nibbled on his free ear.

    Damon turned his head to look at her; his agitated gaze suddenly made her think it wasn''t such a good idea to distract him while he was on the phone. But once his gaze locked with hers, she saw the irritability melt away slightly, and to prove he wasn''t angry with her, he caressed her cheek. Then softly kissed her lips before turning his head back and snapping back to the other person on the line, "I have shit to deal with here. I don''t have time to be dealing with your shitty little pack problems."

    A felt a tidal wave of emotions, his anger, frustration, and apprehension mixed with an intense yearning. She bit her lip and looked down at his groin, noticing he was rock hard. With a smirk on her face, A strolled around the couch, her fingertips light on the leather armrest as she did so. A was feeling a little naughty, and she wanted Damon to feel better.

    With those thoughts swirling in her mind, she dropped down to her knees, her eyes locked with Damon''s burning gaze. She watched as his eyes flickered between glowing a brilliant tinum-gold and darkening once more to his molten silver orbs. A trailed her hands along the ''v''s of his hips, letting her eyes light up with satisfaction after hearing a slight hiss leave his lips as he pulled the phone away from his ear.

    "I''m still here," Damon snapped to the man on the phone. A wrapped her hand around his pulsing hot and heavy shaft, letting her thumb circle around the head and feeling her core clench when she felt some pre-cum on the tip.

    With her eyes back on Damon, she licked her lips and smiled after feeling his rod twitch in reaction. Then she brought her lips close to the bottom of his shaft and ran her tongue over his smooth, soft skin and licking the tip of his creaminess before her lips close around him, enveloping him whole. Her head bobbed up and down slowly while she struggled fitting his size inside her mouth.

    But when she nced over at him, with a tear streaking from her eye, it was worth a little gagging for. He knocked his head back and grunted, letting the phone move away from his face again. Damon''s eyes locked with hers again as her hand began massaging his balls and her other hand started helping her mouth with the size of his cock.

    Damon''s hand firmly gripped onto her hair, and he started to thrust into her mouth, while he grunted into the phone, "I''m fucking busy now. I might call youter," He groaned away from the phone as he pushed her head all the way down and kept her there. Her throat was burning, her eyes tearing up as she looked at him. "Actually, I fucking won''t." He hung up and dropped the phone on the floor.

    Damon released her from his cock, and she gasped for air before she went back to work, bobbing up and down. He held her head lightly and thrust quickly into her mouth until he growled and shoved harder. A felt his throbbing shaft erupt with salty creaminess in her mouth, and she swallowed it with a moan, licking her lips at him.

    Damon''s eyes were looking at her in shock and appreciation. "Do you mind exining to me what that was about?" He asked, his voice raspy.

    A kissed his length before standing up, "I just wanted to make you feel better."

 Chapter 125 - Pop

    Damon reached his hand out for A to take, their fingers inteced, and he pulled her down to sit on top of hisp sideways. With one hand now around her waist and the other caressing A''s lips, as she stroked his face.

    "If you do that every time I get stressed or pissed off, we will never leave this room," He smirked.

    A nipped at his thumb and looked at him with a mischievous glint to her eyes, "I wouldn''t mind if you don''t."

    Damon growled in return, his eyes illuminating again before his growl drowned out into a groan, and he leaned his head into her chest. "If I''d known you''d be such a little minx, I would have taken you weeks ago!" He spoke into her breasts, with one hand now cupping one tenderly. A gasped at his hand, already feeling the heat pooling in between her legs by his single touch.

    She chuckled breathlessly. "Well, we have the rest of our lives to make up for it," She purred, waiting for Damon to im her lips or take her. But his head nor hand moved from their position; A tilted her head, "Are you alright down there?"

    Damon nodded his head; his tousled hair tickled her skin, making her giggle. "I am trying to calm down. Some urgent pack matters havee up, angel. I''m sorry," He whispered into her breasts.

    At his words, A tensed before letting her fingers slide through his raven locks. "What''s happened?" She whispered gravely. They knew their time would be brief, but the seconds and hours all went by too quickly before they had to go back to the chaos that was left.

    Damon tilted his head up, letting both arms wrap around her now and somehow pulling her body closer to his. His silver orbs stared up at her intently, and she found herself almost being solely absorbed in them as her worries and apprehension began to fade away. "Some children have gone missing. I need to speak to the parent''s tell them what we have found," His voice was gentle, but his eyes were hard as concern etched onto his face. She could already see how much he was affected by it.

    A couldn''t believe that they were dealing with a matter such as missing children. She hoped they would find them, or nothing terrible had happened to the children. But A sensed through the bond and from her own gut feeling that this would not end well. Yet, she pushed her own trepidation down, not letting it consume her and focusing on what she could do.

    A leaned forward and caressed Damon''s cheek as she kissed the other before staring intently at him, "You mean WE will go speak to the parents. I''m your partner nowrade, there''s no getting rid of me," She winked and felt relieved when she sensed his rising apprehension dwindle from her words.

    Damon cracked a smile. "Oh, I have no intention of getting rid of you," He replied with a low growl before shifting and picking her up as he stood. Then, with her cradled against his chest, he walked towards the bathroom. "Let''s go cool off in the shower, then get ready." His tone was serious, but his eyes were lit with amusement.

    As soon as they were in the shower, A was pressed against the ss, Damon''s lips hungrily on hers while she sped at his hair and moaned as the water sprayed down on them. Then without any warning, she felt the head of his length slip inside her core, filling her. With a moan leaving her lips, her eyes locked on his heated gaze, she spoke against his lips, "This is cooling down?!" Without answering, he thrust into her.

    Thirty minutester, the pair were facing the mirror brushing their teeth with towels wrapped around them. A nced at Damon in the mirror, immediately blushing before they both burst outughing. Damon was the first to leave the bathroom, letting the door shut behind him, and A soon heard the scraping sounds and movement of furniture.

    She leant over the sink and spat before looking back into the mirror and finding that her skin seemed to glow. It wasn''t a noticeable glow, but anyone who hadn''t heard them during thest 24 hours would probably tell that she had quite the night. Biting her lip, she felt a giggle rising up her throat; she had never felt like this after a night under the sheets!

    "Duuuuuh! You are mating with the one you''re meant to be with!" Malia replied in a low, hoarse voice. It seemed her wolf was a little out of sorts since their time spent in the shower. A''s eyes crinkled as she stared at herself in amusement, looking at her reflection as though she was responding to her wolf. Her eyes glimmered for a moment before they swirled and went back to normal.

    A blush formed on her cheeks, and she sshed her face with cold water, willing herself to calm down. However, she couldn''t stop smiling. A and Damon feltplete now, sighing dreamily; she followed through to the bedroom.

    After getting ready, A followed behind Damon out of their bedroom door. Both were wearing ck; it seemed they were in sync in clothing as well now. She internally rolled her eyes but smiled at the same time.

    A, for once, went with something a bit more stylish than her leggings and hoodie. She knew Nairi would be pleased with her outfit choice, if not for the colour. Wearing her skinny jeans, a cami top withce at the edges, along with some ck heeled boots as she carried a leather jacket for outside.

    Damon nced down at her, his eyes drifted to her bare corbone, and he beamed after seeing the mark. He stopped in his tracks and let his thumb glide across it before he caressed her face with the same thumb and leant down to kiss her sweetly on the lips. A smiled against them, resisting the urge to wrap her arms around Damon''s neck and-

    "Seriously? Haven''t you had enough of each other?"

    The pair broke their lips apart and turned their heads to see Ajax standing across from them, arms crossed against his chest, a smirk on his face. A hid her face in Damon''s chest as he narrowed his eyes at the shapeshifter. "Were you lurking near our bedroom?" There was a slight edge to his tone, making the hall go quiet.

    "What!? No, this was just coincidence, honestly," Ajax held his hands up, his green cat eyes wide with a look of innocence on his face. A pulled herself away from Damon to look at her friend as her eyebrow arched up at his words.

    Damon burst intoughter, catching both A and Ajax off guard. They looked at him in shock. "I know, I''m just fucking with you. Come on, we should eat before we head out," Damon grinned as he snaked his arm around A''s shoulders. They walked past a stunned Ajax; A turned her head to look at him, her face matching his as she shook her head after he mouthed the words'' what''s happening?''

    All three of them descended the stairs, set on going to the kitchen.

    "Damon, if I''d known you''d be so chill with me, I would have urged A to sleep with you sooner!" Ajax sang from behind. A immediately cringed and facepalmed her head as she felt Damon''s arm unwrap from her shoulders and immediately heard some scuffling noises.

    Turning around, A saw Damon holding Ajax by his shirt against the wall, his feet dangling from the ground. Ajax was grinning broadly with his hands out in surrender, while her man red at him with a growl vibrating through his chest. For once, A didn''t seem concerned for her friend and instead just looked at her mate''s sculped back under his nearly skin-tight ck t-shirt.

    Hmm, maybe I should buy him some other shirts that won''t attract attention from other females. He looks too damn good with a simple t-shirt on.

    While her thoughts were thinking of Damon''s wardrobe, Malia, on the other hand, was drooling at how hot he was. A internally rolled her eyes at her wolf. Ajax suddenly dropped to the floor, and Damon turned his head to look at A, his eyes lighting up in amusement.

    Wait, no!

    He smirked in response to her thoughts.

    Ajax patted his shirt down. "I''m fine, by the way, A! Thanks foring to my rescue!"

    A''s eyes were still on Damon as she replied, "You''re a big boy, Ajax."

    Ajax opened his mouth to make a funny remark, but without any words said, the Alpha and Luna red at him, already sensing what he would say. Ajax sheepishly grinned and ducked out of the way from the Alpha before bolting down the hallway. "I thought your temper would be better, Damon!" He screeched as he rounded the corner with augh.

    "I''m gonna kill him one of these days," Damon muttered before his eyes nced back to A.

    With his gaze back on her, she immediately felt her cheeks burn, reminding her of the embarrassing thoughts she had moments ago. She turned and began walking in the same direction as Ajax, keeping her gaze set ahead of her. Damon followed behind her with a chuckle.

    The pair sat at the small table near the window in the luxurious kitchen. A felt strange that she wasn''t sitting at the ind with all the foodid out at her fingertips for once. She also found it odd that she was casually sitting and eating her breakfast with Damon. He was usually off doing his duties or training.

    A inhaled sharply as realisation dawned on her. The blissful bubble that had been surrounding her and Damon after sex in the shower had now burst, and reality hit her like a p to the face. She scolded herself for being so happy.

    The pack had just been through something so tragic, and here she was, rxing in her blissful bubble. Her brows drew together as she sipped from her cup of tea, her mind swirling with her overwhelming thoughts that the pack''s deaths were on her. The hunters were after her. They lured her out with Hollie; not only was she dead, but many other lives were taken. It was her fault.

    A turned her head suddenly and looked at Damon. His hand had reached out under the table and covered hers, squeezing her fingers gently before leaning forwards and softly kissing the side of her head.

    "It isn''t your fault, and you are allowed to smile," He whispered into her ear, "We should enjoy every precious moment as ites." He pulled back and used his finger to tilt her chin up, so she looked into his eyes, "I love seeing you smile, A. So, please, smile more."

 Chapter 126 - Back To Business

    After eating their breakfast, the Alpha and Luna merged from the mansion and began making their way to the houses owned by the parents of the missing children. On their walk, they were stopped many times by the pack members congratting them on marking each other. A noticed Damon walking proudly by her side as his hand either hooked her by the waist, over her shoulders or reaching out and intecing their fingers whenever another male approached them.

    But each time they were respectful, if not a little in awe with her, their puppy dog eyes would then trail down to her mark, and they''d bare their necks before leaving.

    "I didn''t think we would get congratted for banging," A mind-linked Damon. He chuckled and kissed her head.

    "It''s like consummating on a wedding night. The marks are our rings and the mating.. well, you get it," Damon replied as his eyes flickered around their surroundings; even now, safely on their estate surrounded by their pack, her mate was still on guard. But then, Chiara taught her this also, so she reminded herself to be wary at all times.

    As A nced around, Damon''s words suddenly hit her with new meaning, and she looked at him aghast. She knew what the mark and mating meant; it was a huge deal, but now her dreams of a normal wedding day vanished before her eyes. The one she and Hollie nned from the age of ten, she sighed and looked down.

    Damon wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her in towards him. Hence, they faced each other, immediately stopping the approaching pack members from greeting them and going about their business. Damon stared at her with such intensity that she couldn''t help but see or hear nothing than him and his captivating silver eyes. He pulled a strand of her hair away from her face, cing it behind her ear before resting his hand on her cheek.

    "Did you want to get married the human way?" Damon''s question made her heart race, and her eyes widen. She was not ready for that! Her mind was split into two, one side her still quite apparent human side wanted to say yes, but the wolf within her was satisfied; would it really make a difference? She already felt like his wife. Damon smiled at her, and she could feel the love and warmth through the bond belonging to his own thoughts on the matter.

    He also considered her his wife because she was in the werewolf world, but she sensed that he didn''t mind getting married as well. Actually, his thoughts spiralled and became extremely strong on the matter,ing from a small possessive part of him.

    "We''re getting married. I want the world to see you as my wife. No man, werewolf, vampire or human will touch you!" Damon growled, making A chuckle and shake her head. She didn''t think that far ahead; marriage just seemed the natural thing to do. It was ingrained in her from such a young age. Get a career, get a ce and get married. Those were her ordinary and mundane ns, ns that were so simple it was beautiful. But marriage after six weeks with someone?!

    Before she could reply, he sealed the deal with a kiss that deepened as he crushed her against his body, surging her own lust to the surface, shooting desire to her core and making her flush. But with a growl, Damon pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers as they caught their breath; his eyes were shining brilliantly, and she watched them in a daze.

    "Maybe we hold off on marriage for a while," A whispered as she stared intently at him. He narrowed his eyes, his temper burning inside of him, but he rxed after searching her eyes and possibly her mind and nodded.

    "You are right. We have shit to sort out, hunters to kill.. then we will get married."

    A chuckled and pulled away as their fingers inteced, and they continued to walk towards the houses. If someone spoke so casually about killing another person to her two months ago, she would have bolted and freaked out, but this was her life now. The hunters were a problem, one that was killing off not just the creatures but innocent bystanders, like her dear friend, Hollie. She frowned and blinked away the tears that surfaced in her eyes. Instead, she shook it off with a joke. "You need to propose properly first."

    Damon, sensing the rising darkness within her, squeezed her fingers gently, "Deal."

    The pair spent the remainder of the morning talking to the parents, hearing their cries and anger at the loss of their babies and nodding their heads bleakly when Damon told them he had half the pack searching for them and other packs too were aware of their situation. A sat in each of their homes and felt everything they were feeling, adding on top of her own guilt. She felt like she was drowning in a whirlwind of emotion. This was a new experience for her, but she knew it was another power of bing the Alpha''s mate.

    You can feel when your pack members are angry and upset, along with feeling the emptiness of losing a pack member. A gulped and nced at Damon briefly, he had so much on his shoulders, and he wore it so well.

    Over the course of their conversations, A felt Damon''s hand rest on the small of her back, something so simple, but it showed his support for her overwhelming emotions and dealing with this new power. She could also feel Damon''s guilt and frustration brewing inside of him, but his face stayedposed with hardened eyes as he listened to the parents.

    They left thest home, both feeling emotionally drained, but they had other pack matters to deal with; this was only one thing that was ticked off their endless list of things to do as pack leaders. Yet, after spending time with the parents of the missing children that were possibly dead, A began to think about Hollie again.

    "I need to speak with Hollie''s parents," A said quietly, breaking thefortable silence between them as they strolled towards the packhouse. A quietly reflected on the events involving her friend''s death, and she wondered what they were going to do. "What''s happened in that regard?"

    "The police of Silver Thorn are aware of the werewolves in the town, so they can cover up parts of the crime. She has been listed as a missing person," Damon replied gravely.

    A halted in her tracks and grabbed Damon by the bicep, "Missing!? She''s not missing Damon. She''s fricken dead."

    "I know, but-"

    "Her parents need to grieve. We can''t give them any false hope that Hollie is alive," A''s eyes began to glow with anger and sadness. She was letting her emotions consume her.

    "A!" Damon barked, grabbing her by her shoulders. Her eyes snapped to his and her rising emotions simmered. A was too close to shifting and wanting to run for miles, but Damon pulled her back from the alluring darkness that awaited her fall.

    He sighed and loosened his grip on her shoulders, rubbing them with his thumbs instead, "I know. Everything has been sorted, it has been done so there will be no leads, and any evidence they have left or added is to prove to your parents that there is a 99% chance that she is dead, and there is no possibility of her returning."

    A shuddered and let Damon pull her into his chest. "I just can''t believe it, Damon. She''s actually gone. Hollie is actually dead." Her whispered cry strengthened into anger once more, "Those bastards will pay. Mark my words." A growl escaped her lips, inciting a growl from Damon in agreement.

    He rubbed her back in a gentle circle, soothing her until she felt better. After a few minutes, A wiped her tears from her eyes andposed herself again, pulling away from his chest. "I will go see Hollie''s parents. I know there is still stuff to do here, but they''re like my extended family.."

    Damon kissed her lips softly and caressed her cheek, "I will be fine here. Go see them, just remember though that when you''re back.." He sighed, "we need to see Darren."

    A nodded her head in agreement before mind-linking Finn and Ajax. "I''m taking the guys with me, although I don''t think I will need it.." She frowned at her own words. Were the hunters still lurking nearby?

    Damon''s features darkened, and his eyes hardened. "Take Tommy and Zeke also. When Jake is better, you will have them as your protection," Damon replied; the tone in his voice warned her not to argue. She wanted to protest to so many guards, but after the events of nearly being taken by the hunters, she stayed quiet and nodded her head.

    They parted ways, each to their own mission. Damon was left with the pack matters, such as arranging another burial while A was being driven to Oakton. She sat in the backseat in between Finn and Ajax while Tommy drove and Zeke sat in shotgun. The car remained quiet during the drive; even Finn and Ajax attempt to lighten the mood didn''t work. They all sensed their Luna''s mood and fell silent as she stayed lost in thought.

    They parked up near the house. The guys dispersed and set up a perimeter, keeping guard but not being seen as A walked to the front door. She took a deep breath in to settle her nerves and emotions. She stared at the white door with a golden lion knocker that called to her to alert them of her arrival, but she shook her head.

    This was a bad idea.

    "A, you will feel better after seeing them," Malia''s soft voice whispered across her mind. She could feel her wolf''s emotions. Malia was determined to see Hollie''s parents; even if it was going to be hard, it was only right that she saw them. A nodded her head and sighed.

    "Okay," She whispered aloud and tapped the knocker.

    A glimpse of a shback crossed her mind to the first time she called at Hollie''s home. One Saturday morning, she stood in front of the door swinging her arms around as she waited for someone to answer. When it did finally open, she asked Hollie''s parents if her friend coulde out and y. They agreed as long as the girls stayed on the street, didn''t venture too far, and A would stay for lunch.

    A blinked back her tears, and the door opened.

 Chapter 127 - Extra Protection

    A closed the front door behind her. She had spent most of the afternoon with Hollie''s parents, going through what happened to her as stated by the police and reminiscing about memories. A felt better knowing that her parents did not expect Hollie to be alive. All the evidence that was ''found'' showed that she was dead, but the body missing. It was horrible, but Hollie''s parents could now grieve properly for their daughter.

    She took a few steps towards the car and stopped to release her breath and letting her shoulders sag as she looked up at the dreary sky. Dark clouds began to form in the sky, bringing with it the threat of rain to go with her mournful thoughts. With her eyes downcast once more, she continued towards the ck SUV, and although she was feeling down, she was still vignt of her surroundings. With Hollie''s death, along with some of her pack member''s deaths, she was wary of any hunters lurking nearby.

    The guys suddenly popped out from their positions. A blinked a few times when she saw Ajax climbing out of a bush. There was a question lingering on the tip of her tongue, but she was in no mood to make jokes.

    Finn arrived by her side and opened the car door for A without saying a word. As soon as she climbed in and leaned her head against the cushioned seat, the weight of everything was once again pushing down on her shoulders, overwhelming her, and she found herself utterly exhausted once more.

    "Luna?"

    Her name rang through her ears. A knew this was not the first time they must have called her or asked her a question. Ajax rubbed her shoulder gently, and she met his concerned gaze.

    "I''m sorry, what?" She asked nobody in particr. A was not aware of who spoke.

    "Did you want to go back to the packhouse?" It was Tommy in the driver''s seat who asked; his navy-blue eyes watched her through the rearview mirror.

    "Can you take me to The ult bookstore, please? It''s in the town centre," A replied as she pulled her phone out of her leather jacket pocket. She pressed speed dial before cing the phone against her ear.

    Damon immediately picked up. "Is everything okay?" There was concernced in his voice, but his voice alone soothed her aching heart.

    "Yeah, we are just leaving Hollie''s parents now. I want to go see my mum, but I will be back after. Has any protection been added to my parent''s shop and home?" She replied while closing her eyes.

    "The pack runs there as well. But I will get more guards to set up closer to them," Damon replied as he seemed to be walking around.

    "Thank you, I''ll see you when I''m home," She whispered into the phone. She did not do it on purpose; the men in the car can hear their conversation, but she was so tired, she felt her voice weak.

    "Come back soon, angel."

    A hung up and ced her phone in herp. Her eyes were still closed even as the car engine roared to life, and she felt the vibrations of the car moving. She was happily tuning everything out and found herself dosing off. The next time she opened her eyes was to Ajax'' singsong voice, "We are here!"

    A''s brows drew together in annoyance, but her eyes widened when she realised she fell asleep on Ajax'' shoulder. "Sorry," She mumbled and pulled back.

    "No worries, gal. As long as you haven''t dribbled on my shirt.." Ajax nced down at his shoulders and smiled when there was no drool on his shirt.

    The three in the backseat climbed out from the car, Ajax and Finn went ahead, walking through the entrance excitedly. A couldn''t help but shake her head at Ajax; thest time he was there, he was a massive scaredy-cat at the idea of a spell to link the trio together. Now, he and Finn were strolling in like they were regrs. Her lips curled into a small smile when she heard Ajax greeting her mum again, most likely hugging her and annoying her dad.

    She rolled her eyes before tapping on the driver''s window. Tommy slid down the window, revealing his fiery hair. "Are you guys okay to keep guard outside the shop?" Tommy nodded before opening his door and casually leaned against the vehicle. "There should be more guards soon. Can you let me know when they arrive?"

    "Of course, Luna," Tommy bared his neck at her. She nced around anxiously, but the streets were quiet.

    "Please, don''t say and do that in public.." She whisper-shouted.

    Tommy frowned as though what he did was perfectly normal. "It will attract attention to us," She exined.

    Understanding filled his features, and he nodded his head, "Sorry.. A." Her name was almost forced out, as though it was hard to call her by her actual name and not her title.

    "Thank you," She patted his shoulder before turning and going into the shop.

    A nced around the shop, making sure it was safe, although she was sure it was considering Finn and Ajax were there talking to her mum. As soon as her eyesnded on her, she rushed forwards and clung onto her, hiding her face in her embrace.

    Finn and Ajax removed themselves, muttering how they needed a new book to read and going among the aisles to scan. Although they went together and A could still hear them whispering animatedly, like children. A pulled back and sighed. Luckily the shop was not busy, and so Mandy closed it for the rest of the day so they could catch upfortably on one of the couches in the coffee shop.

    A sat down on one of the dark blue leather couches with Finn by her side, while Ajax had one to himself where he sprawled out on his back, which seemed to be his go-to position. By now, her parents were sittingfortably on their own sofa with everyone''s newly made hot drinks ced on the coffee table made out of crates between them. This coffee shop was her favourite, not just because it was her parents, but the vibe it had set was quite ''hipster'', the d¨¦cor was artsy, with darker lighting than the rest of the shop on the ground floor.

    The spot they chose to sit at overlooked the rest of the shop from behind some dark wooden railings with fairy lights dangling down them. In fact, there were fairy lights scattered almost everywhere, along with a neon coffee sign that went against the rustic look, but it all worked somehow.

    Tommy and Zeke came inside the shop once guards set up a perimeter around the surrounding area. This alerted Mandy and Andy more so to the situation at hand. A told them what happened to Hollie, and they burst into tears. Andy held his wife in his arms as she wailed about the loss of her friend. Like Hollie''s parents being her second family, Mandy and Andy were like Hollie''s second family also.

    A now had her boots off, and her feet tucked to the side on the couch while she held onto her drink. Finn also rxed his usual stiff posture and crossed his ankle over his knee while he drank from his coffee.

    "So," Her mum sniffled after blowing her nose and slouching into the side of her dad on the sofa. Her eyes were now on A''s chest. "How long have you and Damon been official?"

    A''s face flushed red. Her mum and dad knew what ''making it official'' entailed, and she would have been fine if it weren''t so recent. "Hmm, two days ago?"

    Mandy giggled, "Well, no wonder your skin is glowing!"

    "Mum!" A eximed with wide eyes. She dare not look at her dad, so instead, she started putting her boots on.

    "Oh,e on! You don''t have to go.. I just wanted to know how recent! You only came in the other day, and you didn''t have that mark on your corbone!" Her mum continued. A kept her gaze on her second boot before rising up.

    "Look, it''s nothing to do with that. I have to get back anyway.. I have to.." She stopped in her tracks as she looked at her parents. Was she really going to tell them about the werewolf locked up in her basement?

    A sighed and raked her hand through her hair, "There are still a lot of pack matters to deal with. I just wanted to tell you in person about Hollie," She muttered and nced at Ajax, who was still chilling on the couch. "Ajax, get up. We are going," She mind-linked him.

    The small group left the shop and climbed into the car quietly. A immediately felt better after getting more protection for her parents. The hunters taught her that nobody was truly safe, and unfortunately, her parent''s choice to live away from theforts of the pack''s estate also meant less protection. Her thoughts swirled around at what else needed to be done, but as they got closer to her home, she began to think more and more about a certain someone she was still unsure about.

    The SUV pulled up in front of the mansion, and A, Finn and Ajax climbed out before it continued to the garage. A led the way through the double doors and went towards the basement. She could already sense her getting closer to her mate, and when she finally walked down the stairs to the cells, her eyes widened at what she saw before her.

    Damon''s face had blood sttered on it, along with the blood trickling on his shirt, arms and hands. He closed the cell door behind him and ignored A''s presence by running his hands under the running water of the tap. The sound of the water, the dripping of pipes and her heeled steps were the only things heard as she approached the silver cell to see Darren, a bloodied mess on the floor.

    Her features hardened from the sight before her.

 Chapter 128 - The Delta

    A approached the cell with Darren in. The Delta''s back was against the wall, his legs sprawled out before him. The blood on his face trickled down from the side of his forehead, nose and split skin on his cheeks along with busted up swollen lips. A knew he would heal in a few minutes, and the pain would be temporary unless Damon used wolfsbane on him.

    "Have you used wolfsbane on him?" A asked quietly through the mind-link to Damon. Her eyes were still set on the Delta sitting on the ground.

    "No," Damon''s deep voice floated through her mind. A did not look at him. She didn''t know how she was feeling at the sight of Darren.

    A knew Damon wanted him dead, but she made a choice to have him locked away until she made her decision. It was inevitable that Darren might be beaten up, although she expected it from another pack member; he was, after all, a part of the n to take her down. A gritted her teeth at the thought of it.

    It was then, she felt another wave of emotions pass through her, guilt, sorrow and anger. It was Damon''s feelings washing over her.

    "I''m sorry, I lost my temper." A turned to look at her mate, who apologised through her mind; neither wanted Darren to hear them nor Finn and Ajax, who just arrived, staring at the Delta with their own expressions hard.

    With Damon''s now clean hands, he reached forwards and caressed her cheek. "I just came back from all the families who lost someone and.. then I saw Darren.. and.. I lost it." He downcast his gaze from A''s face, and she sighed, cing her hand atop his on her cheek.

    "I understand." Honestly, she did. She felt his emotions and his thoughts from today. She could even see some visions of him talking over and over to different families, watching them cry in front of him. Her brows drew together, and she felt her eyes well up with tears. Taking a deep breath in, she calmed herself down.

    Caressing his hand gently with her thumb as she observed his features, A gently pulled his hand away after feeling his rough knuckles that had been split. But they were healing quickly. Then, letting go of his hand, she muttered, "You need to clean your face." He looked like a bloody crazed murderer.

    She started dragging a metal chair across the floor, pulling it behind her as she entered Darren''s cell. The noise gained the Delta''s attention, and he tilted his head back to watch A.

    "You''re not going to torture him, are you?" Ajax mind-linked her. A paused what she was doing and nced at him through the bars. His normal oliveplexion had paled dramatically, and she realised he might not hack being there. The basement was simr to the hunters, and even if she wasn''t going to torture him, she could still see that the ce affected him and most likely gave him the creeps.

    She shook her head in response to Ajax'' question then replied, "You don''t have to be here if it''s too much. I understand.." Her gaze never left his as she watched his pupils dte while he ruffled his raven hair. He took a deep breath in and turned around to leave.

    "I''m sorry," He muttered over his shoulder.

    "Don''t be." She mind-linked him and watched as Finn tried to stop him.

    "Let him go," Amanded quietly, halting Finn from pulling Ajax back. He let go of Ajax'' shoulder and frowned at his friend before returning his attention to A.

    A sat down on the metal chair, facing Darren, whose eyes never left her for a second.

    "Are you sure you want to sit in there with him?" Finn asked worriedly, but his expression rxed when his eyes settled on Damon, who raised his brow at his question.

    A ignored them and flicked her hair behind her shoulders as her gaze hardened at the Delta. Damon''s feelings were merging together along with hers, making her a mess. But on the surface, she kept herselfposed, even cold-like. Which was precisely how she wanted to appear. A wanted nothing but the truth from Darren without the use of torturing. She didn''t mind if he THOUGHT she was a stone-cold bitch intent on hurting him.

    "Tell me, Darren. When did you and Lydia get involved with each other?" A asked; she kept her voice level as she crossed her legs over demurely in her seat.

    Darren watched her legs, then cleared his throat. "We weren''t anything exclusive. Not yet. But we got together.. a month ago?"

    "Coincidence?" Finn started a mind-link between him, A and Damon so they could talk throughout the interrogation. Damon and A stayed quiet, but she would take on what they said as she asked Darren what she wanted to know, making sure not to leave anything out before the Luna made an official decision.

    "So, you got together a few weeks after I arrived?"

    Darren nodded his head at her question. "How did it start?" The Delta looked away from her sharp gaze while he remembered.

    "We were never close before. Heck, we hardly spoke to each other. But.. Lydia approached me the day after we rescued you guys. It started out as just sex. I thought, fuck, I''m a lucky son of a bitch to gain her attention.." He sighed. A observed everything about him, his bodynguage and his facial expressions. She was no cop or professional interrogator, hell no, but she could still tell if he was nervous or lying.

    A could also watch him without the pressure of the pack around her, and she could also rely on her gut feeling. She felt it when she stopped Finn from killing him, and her gut was telling her now. He didn''t have anything to do with the rogues attacking. The Delta went out of his way and acted as a Delta should that day. But she needed to be 100% sure because it could be fatal if he still wanted her gone.

    "And then, we got talking more outside of fucking. Lyds was talking about how you weren''t appropriate as a Luna.." Finn and Damon growled at hisment, but the Delta continued, his gaze now back on A. "The things she was saying, it made sense." He held his hands up. "At the TIME. You know this, Luna. I didn''t like you.. I didn''t think you deserved to just turn up without any training, without being brought up in a pack and then suddenly taking charge.

    "We just rescued you from the hunters, an organisation we had been protecting you from your whole life, and now.. they knew who to go after. Having you in the pack was putting everyone in danger." Darren''s words felt like a stab to the heart.

    She was hurt because he was right.

    Damon marched forwards. "Get to the fucking point before I rip your head from your shoulders." He snarled.

    A was hit with a wave of his temper, and she could tell he was listening to her thoughts and feelings. "Alpha, let him continue," A replied quietly; she did not turn to look at him as she kept herself cool and collected in front of Darren.

    He continued, "I''m telling you the truth, Luna. I believed that Lydia wanted to help. Everything she was saying made sense. She agreed with what I thought as well.. We needed someone else with experience.. but.. even though we started discussing ways to get you to step down-"

    "You mean kill," Finn snapped. Unfortunately, he seemed to also be losing his patience.

    A nced at him from the corner of her eyes, meaning to quiet him. She listened to Darren and listened to his perspective on things and could understand what he was saying.

    "No," Darren shook his head, "I never, I mean it, never wanted A hurt."

    Damon growled, "You don''t have the privilege of calling her by her name now. It''s Luna to you."

    Darren nced back at A. "I never meant for you to get hurt. I never meant for the rogues toe. I didn''t think Lydia would.. She always seemed so sweet."

    A''s eyes widened at his words.

    "SWEET!?" Malia scoffed. She had been pacing along the edges of her mind but stayed quiet, also listening to the Delta. Surprisingly, she was not angry with him. It seemed A and Malia were of the same mind. If he thought Lydia was sweet, then she definitely blinded him.

    Darren sighed, and A watched as a tear fell from his eye. He wiped it away quickly before looking to the side, slightly embarrassed. A frowned and continued to watch him.

    "I.. I love her. Or.. I think I did. But I don''t think she loves me. If she did.. then maybe she would have confided in me about her ns." He looked at A, his gaze unwavering now, "If she did, then I would have told you immediately."

    A narrowed her eyes, "Would you?" She tilted her head, "You just told me why I wouldn''t make a good leader to this pack. AND that you love Lydia. A man will do anything for the woman he loves.."

    Darren nodded his head, "I love this pack too. I would never, NEVER put the pack in danger."

    A stood up and walked towards him; her heels clicked on the cold ground before she squatted in front of him. She looked at him calctingly.

    "Do you know how many lives were lost that day?" She asked quietly; her voice took on an edge that made the Delta visibly shiver before his eyes filled up with tears.

    "Twenty. People. died." She couldn''t help the snarl that left her lips.

    Darren''s tears fell down his face; he looked exhausted and devastated.

    His head lowered in shame. "If you wish me dead, Luna. I am okay with that. I failed you, and I failed this pack as a Delta. I know I will never have your forgiveness, but" He looked at her again, and she could see the hopelessness behind his eyes, "But.." He swallowed. "If you let me live.. I will serve you for the rest of my life- how I should have done from the start. I will do anything. ANYTHING you say. Even.."

    His voice cracked, "Even if you wanted me to kill Lydia.. I will do it."

 Chapter 129 - The Last Delta

    A deafening silence filled the basement as the three of them came to the realisation that Darren didn''t know Lydia was dead. How would he know? They weren''t mates.

    A''s brows drew together as she listened to the Delta, who kept his neck bared to her, unaware of their thoughts. "I will kill her," He put more strength behind his voice, but A could see his hands clenched together, shaking by his sides.

    "He is a fool, maybe even a fool in love," Malia stated, "I believe him."

    A sighed and raked her hand through her hair. She needed Damon and Finn to see what will happen next, so she had their full support in her choice.

    "Darren," A said quietly and waited as he raised his head. His gaze was still fixed on the ground. She hated what she had to do, but he had a right to know, even if the evil cow didn''t care about him. "Look at me."

    His eyes flickered to hers, and she could see the worry whirling in his dark eyes. "Lydia is dead," A didn''t know how else to tell him the news. She watched as a bundle of emotions flickered across his features, shock and disbelief, to his world-shattering before him. His forehead and eyes scrunched up, and he covered his face while his shoulders started to shake. It was then she realised he was crying.

    "So, much for killing Lydia. He''s a mess," Finn stated in the mind-link.

    "Finn! I never thought you''d be so brutal!" A turned her head at him with wide eyes.

    "I''m just saying," He shrugged his shoulders and ced his hands in his pockets.

    "Enough," Damon''s baritone voice rang through her mind, making her stand up from her squatted position in front of Darren and walk back to her chair. Damon and A''s gazes were locked, they didn''t need to mind-link or listen to each other''s thoughts to know that she had made up her mind, and he agreed with her decision.

    A sat in her chair again, facing the Delta, whose sobs echoed through the basement.

    "I am sorry about Lydia," She said quietly.

    "No, you''re not," Darren whispered back as he raised his tear-stained face and swollen eyes. His wounds were now healed, only leaving behind the dried blood of the beating he took from their Alpha earlier.

    A nodded her head, "You''re right." He inhaled sharply. The silence between them made the seconds tick by ever so slowly as she heard her own heart pound gently against her chest. But she was not nervous. He had been truthful to her, now she would be just as brutally honest with him.

    "I am sorry for the grief you are feeling. But I am not sorry about Lydia''s death. She had been given a second chance, let back into the pack after what she did to her sister. In return, she helped rogues attack the pack, causing the death of Chiara''s mate and then she did it again a few days ago, in the hopes of bing Luna of this pack. And again, she tried to kill her sister. Don''t you think that''s messed up?" A didn''t wait for his answer. She could still see the pain radiating behind his eyes. "So, no. I am not sorry Lydia died."

    Darren''s lips parted as shock filled his features; A really wondered what thoughts were running inside of that head of his. "There was never going to be a happy ending for Lydia," A finished and watched as thest of Darren''s tears fell down his cheeks and onto his blood-stained shirt.

    He nced down and sighed before rubbing his face with his hands and pulling back on his dark red hair. He met A''s eyes again, "Whatever you need to do, do it."

    A nodded her head, stood up and faced Damon, pulling him and Finn into a mind-link. "Organise a pack meeting. Finn," She looked at Finn with a small smile, "you should put something more formal on."

    Finn''s eyes widened at her words, and he nodded his head. "Are you sure about this?" He asked.

    "Of course," She replied as she closed the cell door behind her and walked up to him, "I want you to be my Delta."

    "Pack members still might challenge you for that position. This is the first time in years that a Johnson will not be a Delta," Damon added in their mind-link as he stood by A''s side and gave her hand a squeeze.

    Finn looked between the pair, a broad smile on his face before he bared his neck to them, "Then I will show the pack I am worthy of the position. It will be my honour to serve by your side, Luna."

    A shook her head and pulled him into a hug, shocking both Finn and Damon. "I was A to you before I was Luna. You deserve this position, and I trust no one else with my life."

    Damon growled aloud outside the mind-link, and A rolled her eyes. "This isn''t about you, Alpha." She jested as she stayed in Finn''s embrace. A was surprised Damon didn''t try and pull them apart, but she was thankful he didn''t.

    Pulling back, she smiled at Finn and nced back at Darren before setting off towards the stairs to the main house. With Damon following closely behind her, his hand grazing her bottom as she went, A already knew he wanted to do something about her hugging another male, even if it was only Finn. But she had to hand it to him, Damon was getting better with his possessiveness, or maybe it was because it is Finn.

    The pair left Finn to get ready and found themselves copsing on the sofa together in the living room. The house was quite empty, making A wonder if something was wrong.

    "Where is everyone?" She asked Damon while clinging to his chest and looking up into his dark silver eyes.

    Damon swept part of her hair back and smirked, "Probably getting ready. But I also ordered them away from the packhouse for a few hours."

    A''s brows drew together, "Why?"

    His thumb pulled down on her lip gently before leaning down and kissing her. The next thing she knew, she was lying down on the sofa with a hot Alpha between her thighs. "Because I want you smelling of me when we go to the pack meeting," He growled after pulling away from their passionate kiss.

    Over the next few hours, A and Damon visited a few different surfaces in the house they could use to release their sexual energy on. By the end of it, they were panting with their sweaty bodies intertwined as theyy on the rug in the library. A lifted her head and looked down at her gorgeous mate, "I guess I smell more like you now than Finn?"

    Damon growled in response, "Too fucking right."

 Chapter 130 - The Next Delta

    { True redemption is seized when you ept the future consequences for your past mistakes. ~ Unknown.}

    A walked out of the packhouse with Damon by her side, feeling better after their lovemaking. It certainly boosted her mood after seeing Hollie''s parents, her own parents and then seeing Darren and making a decision on whether to end his life or not. However, their expressions were masked, taking on the roles of Alpha and Luna. The only way A knew Damon was still relishing in their early evening activities was through the bond.

    Now, they had showered and changed; A still wore what she chose earlier that day while Damon had to change out of his bloodstained clothes. Now he looked even more dashing in a ck shirt, jeans and shoes, his sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons undone, revealing his chiselled chest.

    "Stop thinking about our Alpha. We need to focus on the next task. Otherwise, you will be doing it again in the woods somewhere," Malia chastised.

    The woods..

    "Oh my goddess, I am putting ideas in your head now," Malia continued to jest.

    "Don''t act like I''m the only one here thinking all of this.. we are one of the same, Malia," A replied with a smirk. That shut her wolf up, who was acting all high and mighty.

    A nced to the side and saw Damon''s smirk slowly dropping; he was facing ahead as they continued to walk towards the woods. Her mate was being sneaky again and listening to her thoughts; this time, it wasn''t just her being caught but her wolf.

    A turned her head forwards once more, keeping her pace even next to Damon''s. She looked behind her at the warriors trailing behind them with Darren chained up and barely shuffling his feet along the earth as his head hung down. Further behind their small group, she saw Finn, Ajax and Chiara.

    The shapeshifter looked a lot better than he did earlier; A could see clearly from where she walked that he was already annoying Chiara. She grimaced at that thought but narrowed her eyes slightly after seeing her put up with him. He put his arm around her shoulder and was talking about how she saved him earlier and looked after him; the Gamma didn''t immediately shrug his arm off. A knew how quick that girl was, so it seemed the pair might be getting closer.

    A smile formed on her lips, but she nced at Finn so Chiara would not catch onto her thoughts. Her smile broadened more when she saw Finn''s nervousness and how handsome he looked in a suit, minus a tie. Pride swelled in her, but she couldn''t let it show until after the night was over. Instead, she mind-linked Finn as she turned back to face the front, "You will be fine."

    "I think it''s meant to be the other way around.." Finn chuckled.

    "What is?" A queried as she eyed the standsing into view and the pack already crowding, ready and waiting on her and Alpha Damon.

    "I''m meant to be worrying about you. I am your soon to be Delta," He continued. A refrained from grinning, but she rolled her eyes.

    "But, we are friends first, Finn. Of course, I will worry about you too." Came her response before she climbed the stands meant for her and Damon.

    Beta Kane and Nairi were already seated near the two throne-like seats that were empty, waiting for Damon and A to sit at them. A immediately pulled Nairi into a hug and looked at the pair of them, Nairi was radiant, and Kane still looked tired and a little pale, butpared to thest time she saw him, he had significantly improved. His hair at least went back to their usual golden locks. A and Kane curtly nodded at each other before Damon sped his hand with Kane''s and pping him lightly on the back.

    A turned to face the crowd and felt her legs feel like jelly suddenly. There were a lot of fricken people. Damon reached out and held her hand, pulling her gently to his side as he mind-linked her, "Do what you came here to do. You were born to be this pack''s Luna for a reason. You are a leader. Now show them that."

    A gulped and felt her chest and stomach warm up by Damon''s encouraging words. Tilting her chin slightly higher, she stepped forwards and gazed among the crowd of pack members, embracing her nerves and fear before pushing them to the back of her mind. With her single step forwards, the pack hushed their murmuring and sat down, letting her ''take the floor as it were.

    A looked back down at Darren, who kneeled on the ground, his head still lowered with two remaining guards by his sides. She was doing the right thing, she reminded herself.

    "Thank you foring out at such short notice. I know times are tough at the moment with such incredible losses to this pack, and so I will not keep you too long. We are here tonight for two reasons. I was given a choice to decide Delta Darren Johnson''s fate, and here it is. After interrogating him and looking into the events on Saturday, I hereby strip Darren from his pack leader role as Delta." Darren kept his head lowered, his body tense waiting for the rest of her speech.

    "He will NOT be exiled as a rogue, and he will NOT be killed either." Her words caused the crowd to murmur among themselves, but A kept her eyes fixed on Darren, who raised his head immediately with shock filling his features.

    "He will be given a second chance. Everyone makes mistakes-"

    "His mistake was fatal!" Someone shouted in the crowd.

    "Yeah!"

    A woman stood up in the crowd, letting her presence known as she pointed at Darren, "My son is dead because of him! A rogue killed him!"

    A raised her hand, and their shouts and pleas for Darren''s death silenced immediately. She felt a surge of power flourish through her. She felt powerful standing before them, and with one hand gestured, a crowd of 500+ werewolves hushed instantly.

    "I understand-"

    "How!?"

    A clenched her teeth and spoke from the heart, "I understand. I truly do! I lost my best friend," Her voice cracked, but she took a deep breath in and held her own, "I know how it feels to want revenge. BUT, but.." Her hands stayed in front of her, keeping the peace with her pack, "Darren was not the cause for the rogues attacking. He helped the pack and killed many that day." The crowd watched her intently, their faces rxed, their anger diminishing from their faces as they listened to their Luna.

    "I know that Darren loves this pack, and he will prove to me.. NO. He will prove to YOU," She gestured at the crowd, "that he deserves to be here."

    At her words, each member of the pack started thumping their chests with their fist. Their faces were intense as they gazed at their Luna. They approved of her decision, and she felt relieved. The sound reverberated through her chest, making her heart pound to the rhythm.

    She nced down at the teary-eyed ex-Delta, who was looking at her strangely. A tilted her head slightly. Oh, he was thankful for not being killed nor exiled. She gave a single nod to the guards by his sides, and they removed the silver chains around his hands.

    "Do not make me regret my decision," She mind-linked Darren sternly.

    Darren bared his neck, then, with his head still down, he backed away to the side of the crowd.

    "Now, to fill the spot of the Delta role.." A''s eyes went straight to Finn. "I have chosen Finn Sol."

    Damon now came forwards, "Does anyone wish to challenge Delta Finn?"

    The crowd was quiet as A searched it for anyone wanting to fight her friend. But seconds ticked by, and nobody came forwards.

    "Then let us proceed with the ritual," Damon continued.

    A sat down at the throne-like chair, which was gold and had ck cushioning. She watched as Finn had to cut his hand and put the sign of the goddess on his forehead with his blood as he recited the vows of the Delta role. It was quite a sight to see, and she felt herself swelling with pride again.

    As soon as he stood up, the beautiful moment was interrupted.

    "Woooh!!!!" A snapped her eyes to Ajax, who ran to Finn''s side, and they chest bumped each other. A stilled, worried about the pack''s interpretation of their shapeshifter friend. But then she saw Ajax'' and Finn''s childlike faces, and she couldn''t help but burst into a fit of giggles, which was soon followed by the pack.

 Chapter 131 - The Hitman

    {I''m not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels. I''m afraid of what real human beings do to other real human beings. ~ Unknown }

    **

    On a small hill 1200 meters from the pack''s gathering, a many down on a stic sheet, his eye behind the lens of a Barrett M82 sniper rifle. Clint was aiming his gun at the Cross girl, his breathing steady as his mark continued to chat to many others of her kind. He could hear what they were saying from the bugs he scattered around the woods.

    Mace, another hunter, was sitting next to him behind a rock, with his back to the target. He bit into some crisps incredibly loudly, crinkling the stic wrapper as his hand shoved further into it greedily for the next crisp. He was a fucking slob. Clint inched away from him, disgusted by the sounds of his eating and the crumbs dropping on the ground.

    He could do this all by himself; he knew the Silver Crescent Pack estate and territories like the back of his hand. Which was how they were able to sneak across without alerting the pack. They hid their scent by coating themselves in vinegar, something he still found bizarre but worked every time. It was either too potent for their heightened sense of smell, or itpletely covered their scent as though they were never there.

    But Ss gave him orders to bring Mace along. He was only there to serve as a body. Someone that, if they did get caught, Clint would use as bait while he escaped.

    His job wasn''t to take their Luna out. Ss wanted her and sent him to spy on her. To watch her routine, but so far, she had none. Which was irritating; everyone had habits. Work 9 to 5, gym 6 to 7, grab food or eat dinner with the family, Wednesday''s go to ma''s, Friday''s hang out at a bar, that sort of shit. He knew her routine would be different; she was a fucking mutt. But he had to be patient. He had only been there a few days.

    Mace was making it harder than it needed to be, though. He was incredibly irritating; even his breathing made him want to stab him. He nced his eyes at the man, an evil glint behind them as he visualised him doing just that. When Mace looked back at him, his eyes slid back to focusing on his target.

    He clicked his tongue, still feeling his gaze on his features. Mace was taking the fun out of his investigation. Clint knew he was fucked up in the head; he enjoyed watching his prey, and unlike her parents, he had to hold back and not kill the Cross girl this time. The only way he refrained from his need to kill was that he reminded himself they had no chance at demolishing the creatures if she died.

    Creatures. Clint scoffed and raised a brow when he saw one of the pack members shift into a gigantic wolf and ran off. Even now, he still felt odd seeing that picture. He remembered the first time Ss approached him. Clint knew nothing about this world, he hadn''t long got back from the war overseas, and he felt at a loss of what to do.

    He was a sick bastard, and he needed to either get help (not a fucking chance) or fall into his deep dark desires, desires he knew would be his downfall. One where he knew the endgame would be his imprisonment for murdering innocents. When Clint was away, he quenched his thirst for blood but as soon as he was back to civilisation, he wanted to go back.

    But his psyche assessment condemned him too unstable. After ten fucking years of being the government''s hitman and they just threw him out, gave him some money, told him to livefortably, and keep his trap shut. It wouldn''t have been long until a hit would be sent out on him; he knew too much.

    But one night, Ss found him in quite apromising position. Clint had given in to his urges after a few months of keeping them at bay by working out and doing all violent sports such as boxing. The boss came into his room at perfect timing. It was almost as if he knew when to make an entrance. Clint had someone strapped to a chair, his throat slit open, and his intestines falling out of his gut.

    CRUNCH!

    Clint released his breath and looked at Mace irritably.

    "What?" He said with his mouth full of crisps.

    "You are meant to keep a lookout while I observe," Clint said through gritted teeth.

    "I am. I just got hungry. These stakeouts are a bitch," Mace grubby hands went back into the crisp packet. Clint didn''t know how he was in shape still. He was a small man full of muscles and seemed to always eat shit.

    "That¡­ is not food."

    "If it''s not food, then howe I''m eating it.." Mace replied with a grin.

    Clint nced back through the lens as he crinkled his nose in distaste, "It is not nutritional.. you are just putting junk in your body," He replied stiffly.

    "You need to loosen up, Clint. Here.. Have a crisp."

    "No."

    "Seriously, go onnn¡­."

    Clint snapped, and the next thing he knew, he had his knife pressed against Mace''s throat while his eyes remained on his target. "Next time, you piss me off. I WILL slit your throat.."

    Mace gulped as the dagger lifted away from his Adam''s apple and slid back into Clint''s sheath on the side of his ckbat trousers.

    Ah, silence.

    The blood that rushed to his head subsided along with his pounding headache. But now Clint had an itch, one that he couldn''t scratch, lest he fucks up the mission, which he never does. His finger on the trigger finger wavered as he watched the white-haired beauty telling off the shapeshifter. His orders were to incapacitate the girl, not kill. Maybe he could kill Mace, but Ss would be angry and cause him a headache.

    His cell vibrated in his pocket, so he clicked on it and listened through his earpiece. He knew who it would be, there were only a few select numbers on this phone, and nobody got in touch with him- he was the one to contact them.

    "Clint"

    "How is my lovely A doing?" Ss asked with a smirk in his singsong voice.

    "She just gave a speech to the pack. It seemed she had a few enemies in the pack who wanted her dead. They are also having a funeral in a few days for the dogs that died," Clint replied without any emotion in his voice.

    "Ah, yes. Lydia. She dide in handy, so hell-bent on bing Luna that she betrayed her pack. Shame she died; it would have been beneficial on this mission-"

    Ss pulled away from the phone; there was some shuffling and a few groaning noises. Nothing new to hear. Clint moved his gun slightly so he could follow where A was walking to. Back to the mansion, it seemed. Hmmm. He was set up quite nicely where he was and didn''t want to risk getting too close.

    Their pack was huge, and although he knew their patrol routes now, he still didn''t want to get close. He had a bug in the house and an informant; it would have to do for now.

    Ss came back on the phone, slightly breathless; Clint knew what he was doing. His son was having the living shit kicked out of him. Normally he and Connor would volunteer for such a job; it was, after all, his forte, torturing people. He knew how to torture someone without killing them, and he enjoyed the skill and precision of using a de against someone''s skin.

    But, he had a job to do here, and it seemed Ss wanted to knock Chase about for a while. He snapped back to the present, where A walked further away from them. For a mutt, she had such smooth skin, the skin he wouldn''t mind leaving a mark on.

    "Give them those days for the funeral," Ss grunted. Bringing Clint''s attention back to the man in charge.

    "Boss, are you going soft on me?" He jested.

    Ss chuckled darkly. No one was allowed to talk to him in such a way. But Clint had served him for years now; he was his right-hand man, invariably chosen for all the gruesome jobs he loved. So he could get away with a joke here and there. Not that Clint cared if Ss'' flipped the switch and lost his shit at him. He enjoyed any form of beating; pain and suffering were his bliss.

    "Not at all.. I want NOTHING to go wrong. I will check in on you before arriving. I want to surprise our girl and give her her presents." Ss'' smirk could be heard through the phone. Clint and Ss were very much looking forward to seeing A. He wasn''t there in the short time the Hunters Association had her, but if he was, there would have been no chance of her escaping.

    Clint chuckled, "Very well." He hung up and pulled back from his position on the ground, dusting off the imaginary dirt he believed he had on him. He hated dirt and germs. In fact, he was also a clean freak, but like Mace, he had to put up with it. But it didn''t mean he wouldn''t scrub at his hands with soap and alcohol gel.

    "What er- what did the boss say?" Mace asked him hesitantly. The fear in his voice made him smile.

    "Give it a few days, then we make our move."

    "Will it work?"

    "Oh, it will, Mace. There''s a lot of blood on her hands now. This will push her over the edge."

 Chapter 132 - A Small Celebration

    The pack slowly dispersed from the stands, but as soon as Alpha Damon and Luna A dropped to the ground, those who wished to talk to them started to surround them. Finn was immediately by A''s side, along with Tommy and Zeke.

    They were only there as a precaution; Damon already exined this to her and that she needed to get used to the guards. A was, after all, royalty as well as being a target for the hunters.

    Before A started engaging with pack members who were still yet to make her acquaintance, she noticed Darren slumped up against a tree. He looked at a loss of what to do with himself, his features still sad as he stared into space. Damon caught A''s gaze and followed to where she was looking. His features hardened slightly, and he called Tommy closer to him, "Set Darren up in one of the new houses. Move him out of the packhouse tonight. Only the essentials for now; he can move everything else out tomorrow."

    "Alpha." Tommy bowed before heading towards Darren.

    A''s attention returned to an elderly couple who praised her for showing mercy when many would have shown none. A smiled subtly at them, bidding them a pleasant evening when her brows drew together at another disruption.

    "Alright, alright, studing through!" Ajax walked through the crowd, his hands raised, "Ow, ask before touchingdies," He winked as he passed some she-wolves who giggled. He then leaned into one, "I know, the world is a cruel ce, sweetie." Then he raised his voice again, "Your Luna''s right-hand man is needed!"

    A and Damon nced at each other; she rolled her eyes yfully while Damon raised his brow at the oing shapeshifter.

    "How can I help you, Ajax?" A asked tly as he smiled at her broadly and stood next to Finn. She turned her head to look at him, but he just ced his hands behind his back and looked ahead like the newly appointed Delta.

    "Ajax.." She drawled.

    He peaked at her slightly from Finn''s side profile, still keeping some of his face hidden behind Finn''s body.

    "Yes, my dear Luna?" He said in a singsong voice; his eyes were lit up in amusement.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Did you not hear me? I''m your right-hand man. I need to be here protecting you, just like Finnick here."

    "It''s just Finn," Finn murmured as he kept his eyes vignt on their surroundings.

    A pouted her lips and frowned, looking as though she was adding up aplicated calction in her mind, until she finally replied, "So, this a buy one get one free sort of deal.. I asked for one Delta, but I get two?"

    Ajax pped his hands together and smiled broadly, "Yes! That''s exactly right, baby! Although I don''t want to be called Delta." He suddenly pouted. "I''m more special than that." He winked at Finn, who narrowed his eyes and smacked him hard in the chest.

    "Is that so," A muttered in amusement, with one side of her lips curled up as she tried to refrain from fully smiling. "Well, let me know when you do work out what you want to be called.."

    "You are giving him the option?" Damon''s deep voice floated across her mind. She looked at his incredulous face with a small smile on her own.

    She shrugged in response, "Why not."

    "Well, your king is out of the question," Ajax'' words snapped her attention back to him with wide eyes. Maybe it was too soon giving him options. Damon growled in response to Ajax; the shapeshifter had, after all, unknowingly or well most likely knowingly challenged the Alpha, just for fun and because he can. A always protected him from any reprimands from Damon, but she couldn''t always!

    A tilted her head back slightly and pinched the bridge of her nose while she counted to ten. "Obviously, that is out of the question, Ajax."

    Ajax startedughing, "You two are so easy to wind up."

    Damon took a step towards him in warning, but A touched his arm and shook her head. A deep growl erupted from his chest, but A trailed her hand up to his jaw, and his glowing silver orbs flickered down to her.

    "Hello Darius," She whispered through the mind-link, then lifted onto her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. Damon''s bristling form rxed, and he leaned into her hand more as his eyes shimmered and went back to normal.

    She removed her hand as the Alpha and Luna went back to their roles of talking to their pack members. After a few more well wishes, A and Damon began making their way towards the mansion with their guards and pack leaders. Ajax whistled a cheery tune from behind them with his hands in his pockets as he gazed at the Gamma, who approached them and congratted Finn without ncing the shapeshifter''s way. She then proceeded to walk by his side, who walked next to A and Damon.

    A kept her gaze down as she listened to her boots crunching into the leaves among the earth, as she felt the slight breeze sweep some of her hair across her face. But she didn''t mind; she felt content. It was then A realised it wasn''t just her feet that could be heard; she nced at their group and the guards. There were so many of them; she felt like royalty. Oh, snap, I am royalty!

    "Did it really take you this long?" Malia remarked in a snarky tone.

    "No, I mean, it''s just.. it hit me again, you know. We don''t walk around wearing crowns, fancy outfits, live in a big fancy castle or make royal decrees," A replied to her wolf.

    "Well, it''s a bit more casual minus the balls that Damon keeps mentioning. And you live on an estate in a huuuuuge mansion, big enough to be ssed as a pce! And soon enough, you might have to make royal decrees."

    A''s brows rose to her wolf''s words. Well, she was right. But it was still odd; maybe in a few years, she would get used to it? If she made it a few years, that is.

    "Oi, less of that negative energy, please. We are a Cross, you just whooped everyone''s ass the other day, and you officially have 500+ pack members behind you."

    Damon suddenly slid his hand into hers, gaining her attention. She could feel his emotions of worry radiating off him, but he was wellposed as usual. It also indicated that he was listening to her. Damon is so nosey! He narrowed his eyes at her, and she stuck out her tongue to him yfully.

    As yful as she had been, it made her a little wary about herself. A hadn''t tried listening to his thoughts yet; was she really self-absorbed? His hand squeezed hers; she looked at him and saw him shake his head.

    Damon then brought her hand up to his lips, and he brushed them so softly she nearly felt her legs buckle both from want and from a flutter of butterflies in her stomach.

    "Let''s have a small celebration for Finn''s new rank," He mind-linked her.

 Chapter 133 - Flop

    { Realise deeply that the present moment is all you ever have ~ Unknown}

    **

    "Let''s have a small celebration for Finn''s new rank," He mind-linked her.

    A immediately smiled, liking that idea a lot. They had another burial so close to theirst one,ing up in two days. It would be nice to have a little joy in the packhouse; so far, A didn''t have that many good memories of the ce. A lot of it was filled with death.

    "I''d like that," She whispered aloud as they made it to the patio doors of the packhouse. The guards began spreading out and surveying the area. As Kane and Nairi began to step inside, Damon pulled them all into a mind-link.

    "Pack leaders, I think we should give a warm wee to the new Delta. We think it is only right that we have a little celebration!" Nairi pped her hands at his words, and Kane stroked her back gently, looking at her adoringly.

    "I will get the drinks!" Nairi squealed and rushed towards the kitchen.

    The group followed inside, and after setting up, they were all in the living room with some music on at a low volume as they all chatted away, joked and messed around. Even Gamma Chiara smiled and became excited with Nairi over silly things. By the end of it, they all had quite a bit to drink, showcasing the drunk versions of themselves.

    A was a giggling mess along with Nairi. Chiara becamepetitive and spoke more animatedly. She even yed ''twister'' with Ajax, who, of course, was more than happy to y with her. His words exactly were, "I don''t mind our bodies getting close, hot and sweaty." But what shocked the group more was that she pped him hard on the face but still wished to y with him.

    Finn, Damon and Kane were all standing, looking serious and only smiling when A and Nairi tried to get them to smile and loosen up. But, for them, they were still on guard, only drinking a few beverages. Damon never let his gaze wander from A for too long, even while he spoke. She and Nairi were on the floor whispering to each other, giggling as they passed a bottle of wine between them.

    Damon could feel the buzz of alcohol through the bond, along with desire, every time their eyes met. He waited another five minutes, congratting Finn once again before he bent down and slid his arms around his mate, picking her up, so she rested against his chest.

    "I forgot how much of a lightweight you are," He whispered into her hair and kissed her gently.

    "Wha-"She giggled, "No, shhh wolf, I am talking." A peeked up at him then pouted, "How do you know I am a lightweight?"

    Damon nced at her with a knowing look, one she knew meant he was hiding something. She clenched her eyes closed and tried to listen to his thoughts through the bond. It felt like a golden rubber that she tried to prod at with her mind, but as soon as she did, it felt fuzzy and caused her a sharp, throbbing pain in her head.

    "Ow," She rubbed at her head.

    Damon chuckled, "Serves you right for drinking so much. The little perks from the bond don''t work as well when you are drunk. And because you drank so much, it definitely won''t work."

    A pouted, "Fine." She crossed her arms against her chest while Damon continued to carry her up the stairs towards their room.

    "Howe you aren''t drunk?" A looked back up at his ''Greek God'' like features and found herself sighing.

    Damon smirked. "Because I''m not a lightweight, and I only had a bottle of whiskey."

    "A bottle!?" A whisper-shouted as she looked around, hoping she didn''t wake anyone.

    Wait, is there anyone in their rooms?

    "Yes, angel. Like I said, I''m not a lightweight. If you haven''t noticed, I am a big man," He smirked again.

    A snorted. "Oh, I know you are a big man! But I''m notining," She purred as she began making circr motions on the area of his chest, exposing skin. Damon hissed at the touch.

    "We can''t do anything, angel," He grumbled as he kicked the door open to their room.

    "What, what you mean!?" A huffed and began squirming in his hold.

    "A, jeese, let me put you on the bed at least!"

    "Why? You''re not going to do anything with me! I''m here, ready, baby! Take me!" A pped his chest, earning a slight growl back from him. A growl that made her feel even hotter for him. With a sultry look behind her eyes, she bit her lip as she gazed at him, sliding her hands around his neck and pushing her breasts against his chest.

    Damon''s groan turned into a growl, and she watched Dariuse back to the edges of his striking eyes, glimmering as his deep, majestic voice came through, as she felt Damon''s ws pierce her skin slightly. "A, do NOT tempt us. You are too drunk."

    She pouted. "No, I''m not, Darius. Damon, both of you.. I want you."

    Damon closed his eyes and released a sharp breath. "No. I will not take advantage of you."

    A felt Malia growl this time, and it erupted through her chest. She also wanted something out of tonight. Damon opened his eyes and stared into her glowing ones. "NO, Malia."

    A gripped into his hair more and started trailing kisses up the side of his neck. She felt feverish with want, and she knew she was dripping wet now. A small smile crept up her face as she continued to kiss him fervently on the neck and leading to his soft lips. Immediately their lips parted, and her tongue gained entry. Her fingers were gripping roughly in his tousled hair, and she felt him moan again before pulling away.

    "I''m giving you permission," A tried again as she whispered, searching his eyes. But she saw his stubbornness and knew he wouldn''t budge. On realisation, she narrowed her eyes.

    "A... Come on, let me put you down, and we can go to sleep," His voice was almostmanding; there was a slight warning in his tone like he knew she was about to do something stupid. Maybe he still had ess to the bond?

    "No! No! No!" She groaned, "I want you, you want me. There''s.. there''s no issue here.."

    "A, baby. You can''t hear it. But you are slurring."

    She didn''t listen to him and began pounding at his chest like an annoyed kid. Why didn''t he get it!? A knew how she sounded, but she wanted to make her point across. So, she slipped out of his hold purposely and fell to the ground.

    What she didn''t anticipate was her hitting her head and cking out instantly.

    "SHIT!" Damon was furious. All his little mate had to do was let him put her to bed. But, instead, she had it in her head that she should do it herself and then try and something with him again. He could feel her need like a tidal wave hitting him and his fricken dick. But he couldn''t, it wasn''t right, she would have passed out as soon as she got into bed. But no, she stubbornly refused.

    "Let''s punish her tomorrow," Came Darius'' immediate response. Damon gently picked her up and ced her on her side of the bed, and he sighed while removing her boots.

    "No, she needed to let loose. I don''t know when we will have fun like this next," Damon replied sadly as he gazed back at his beauty of a mate that started to snore lightly.

 Chapter 134 - Darius

    The following day, A''s eyes stung from the morning light shining through the windows. She groaned and tried reaching out for a pillow. Instead, she identally elbowed Damon in the face. Damon groaned and pulled his arms away from her. Her mind finally caught up with her body, realising her mate had been spooning her.

    "Sorry!" A immediately mind-linked. But from mind-linking, she felt a sharp pain in her head. Ow. It was a headache. And now she felt it; it didn''t stop throbbing.

    Moaning to herself, she hid under the covers and rolled over, and watched, bleary-eyed as Damon''s naked body came towards her before he too came under the covers. They stared at each other for a moment; he looked wide awake while A still had sleep in her eyes.

    "Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?" He whispered with a smirk. His voice wasn''t loud, yet she still winced from the sound.

    "That bad, huh?" He said as amusement flickered across his eyes.

    "Hmmm," A mumbled and reached out so she could hide in his arms.

    But Damon shuffled out of her reach and slipped out from the covers.

    With her eyebrows scrunching together, she pulled the sheet away from her head and watched as Damon went to the little fridge,ing back with a ss full of ice and another full of water. He handed her the water with some ice put into it and left the other on the side table. A sat up and sipped on the cool water, relishing in the taste as she felt her throbbing head subside a little.

    "Drink it all. Your headache will go soon," Damonmanded. A''s eyes snapped to him; his tone of voice and his hardened facial expression showed irritation.

    While she drank on the soothing water, her eyes started wandering down his body, but when she looked back at his face, she saw a smirk but an evil glint behind his eyes. A narrowed her eyes slightly before shifting over to ce the ss on her bedside table.

    "How are you feeling?" Damon asked again.

    A nodded her, "Much better, thank-"

    Her words drew short when she was suddenly yanked down the bed with the covers flown off her, showcasing the light-blue silk shorts and cami she wore. One she didn''t realise she was wearing. Damon must have changed her again; A cringed as she realised she couldn''t remember parts of the night.

    Damon hovered over her. His knees by her hips, his hands by her head, and his darkening gaze locking with hers. A felt her heart begin to flutter to life at the sudden change in events, but from what she could feel through the bond, it stunned her. He was angry, but it mixed with desire.

    She parted her lips to speak, but his eyes glowed brilliantly like two full moons. Darius.

    "Hello, my love," His majestic voice rumbled through,cing with Damon''s. Her confusion made her reach out again for the bond, this time manoeuvring through easily, so she could hear Damon''s thoughts. A listened to the end of a conversation between Damon and Darius.

    "Okay. Don''t go too hard on her," Damon''s stern voice whipped across the bond like she was on the phone to them, and his voice echoed.

    "I''ll do as I please," Darius snapped, silencing Damon.

    A and Damon/ Darius continued to stare at each other before she rxed her hold on the mind reading power, which she found so bizarre after listening to Damon and Darius talk to each other. They were one and the same, yet, she could tell the difference between them. Darius, of course, was more aggressive and feral out of them.

    A gulped and finally replied, her voice barely a whisper, "Hello.."

    Damon''s eyeszily scrutinised her face, from her lips, nose and resting on her eyes once more. His remained to be two luminous orbs. "Do you remember what happenedst night, my dear?" Darius drawled. A''s brows drew together as she started to think back to the night before, but her attention pulled back to her chest after hearing a ripping sound, and her skin was suddenly exposed.

    A''s eyes widened, and she inhaled sharply as he cupped her breast, awakening a need deep in her core. With her eyes bing hooded, she hissed again. Damon/Darius had pinched her nipple, but the pain and pleasure made her centre moisten. "A.." There was a warning in his voice, and she opened her eyes, unaware that she closed them from the desire burning in her body as her heart thrummed in her ears.

    A gasped as his fingers pinched and twisted on her nipple, and Damon''s face came closer to her own, stealing the only breath of air she so hopelessly tried to cling onto. Her mind was drawing a nk from the previous night, which meant she had a lot to drink and probably done something stupid. Stupid enough to warrant a fuming Darius intent on punishing her?

    Damon''s lips pulled into a smirk. Darius was listening to her thoughts. "I, um, I can''t remember, Dam.. Darius," She breathed as she felt her cheeks heat up and her shorts ripped away from her. The tearing sound filled the room, and she was now naked beneath this dangerously frustrated Alpha.

    "You tried to instigate sex, my love. But you were too intoxicated. You didn''t even mind us taking advantage of you.." Darius growled, "And what''s worse.." He lifted his hand from her too sensitive nipple and tenderly stroked it across the side of her head, "You hit your head trying to escape us. I don''t mind you having fun, but not to the point of trying to seduce me and hurting yourself. Next time, Damon won''t be in control, and I will let you have it." His hand grabbed some of her hair and pulled slightly, showing off his frustration at her.

    His words and action sent a shiver through her, both from desire and fear. What was wrong with her?

    "I can''t believe you pissed Darius off.." Malia moaned. But A could hear the smug satisfaction from what could happen next.

    "I''m sorry," A said timidly. She tried to look at him innocently, hoping he would go easy on her. But at the same time, she looked forward to his punishment.

    Darius'' eyes darkened slightly, and he brought his lips to her neck ever so softly. A bit her lip as a wave of pleasure shot through her at his tender touch. Darius had only punished her once before when she and Damon were crazily fighting each other. She pushed them too far, and Damon let Darius take charge. It was both exhrating and incredibly teasing. He was more domineering than Damon and took no BS from her.

    A''s chest began to heave quickly as she felt Darius trailing scorching kisses down her neck to her corbone. He nipped at her mark and sunk his canines into the area again, drawing blood as A''s body became utterly sensitive. His hand trailed down her stomach, leaving goosebumps behind his fiery touch. And his hand cupped her sex, making her moan and move her hips slightly.

    Damon, or Darius, chuckled and retracted his canines from her mark. His luminous eyes met hers as he licked his lips. "Oh no, darling. We are going to do this my way.. No touching, no sounds, and no kissing. Eyes on me AT ALL TIMES."

    A whimper escaped her lips after his thumb made contact with her clit, and he pushed up on it. Her body trembled from his touch, and her nerve endings sent tiny shocks of pleasure through her body. A begged with her eyes for more, but when she searched his, she knew without a doubt that there was no leeway when it came to Darius.

    "That''s not going to work on me, A. When I am through with you, only then will you get what you need, and Damon will satisfy you," He growled.

    Oh, goddess.. She wanted to moan. Why was her mate so fricken hot? Even his words were making her wet.

    Darius brought his face close to hers. He looked at her with such intensity, A just wanted to pull his lips to hers and wrap her legs around him. But, she knew he would make this a lot harder, so she refrained from doing anything and stared back. "Do you understand, A?"

    She nodded.

    "With words," He growled as his eyes flickered to her mouth.

    "Yes, Darius.." She whispered. His brow arched, and she licked her lips before adding, "Yes, Alpha."

    "Good girl." He leaned back and reached for her hands, cing them above her head. "Do NOT move your hands," hismand sent a shiver down her body again, making both her nipples erect, gaining Darius attention as his eyes dropped to the perky peaks, and he smiled.

    A watched as he dropped his head down, and without any warning, he bit on the nub; her body reacted before her mind, and her back arched, and she let out a guttural groan, sending her head back. But she snapped her head, looking at him wide-eyed after he pped her other breast, growling while he continued with the torturous nipping on her nipple. A bit her lip and kept her eyes on him.

    His knee went in between her legs, spreading them before resting it on her milky centre. While his teeth and tongue began ying on one nipple, his hand caressed the other, kneading then twisting at the pink bud. A unknowingly moved her core on his leg ever so slightly. But it was enough to make him pull back and look down at her with such delight on his features that it made a slither of an adrenaline-infused fear pulse through her.

    His hand trailed down from her breast, agonisingly slowly, and reached down. With his other hand and his knee, he stretched her legs even wider, so a singr finger softly caressed her folds before entering her milky core. But he pulled out, making A clench in frustration. But she made sure not to move or make any noise; only her heavy breathing and most likely her eyes showed how much his teasing affected her.

    Darius growled, "Keep going against mymand, and you won''t be allowed toe. I have all day, darling."

 Chapter 135 - Feverish Sensations: Part One

    With Darius'' warning, A kept her eyes locked with his, her lips sealed and her hands above her head. He let her sp them together, which in an act was mercy; she could squeeze her fingers together at least from his teasing. He brought his finger to his mouth and sucked on it, humming in appreciation to her creaminess.

    He kept his darkening gaze locked with hers as he brought his face in between her thighs. A bit her lip to stop herself from moaning or moving. His tongue licked her from the bottom of her folds and to the top of her clit. The pace was torturously slow. Darius continued to do that; each time his tongue coated with her milky fluid anytime he was at her entrance.

    But he moved on and began ying with her clit, flicking his tongue while his finger went down to her entrance. Sending shockwaves of desire pulsing through her. At a rhythmic pace, her climax began to build, but he stopped and let another finger enter, making her sp her hands together, digging her nails into her skin as he began to start again. He would switch between his fingers and tongue in her entrance, stopping when he felt her close to the edge.

    Every time she was near to that blissful high and release, her back ALMOST arching, but with frustrated restraint, she found herself panting and wanting more as Darius stopped what he was doing with his skilful tongue. He, too, was growling and breathing heavily after hours of his teasing; his hard length also showed how much restraint he also had.

    asionally she identally reached out through the bond. When she was near her delirious orgasmic end, she could hear Damon. He enjoyed the show Darius was putting on, without him needing to do anything, although he wanted to take over and ''fuck her til she lost her voice from all her screaming''. A''s brows drew together at that. She had been sweating and flushed, her core a heated pool waiting to be filled.

    She had been ready since Darius ripped her pyjamas off, and now she was to the point of squirming and wanting to just reach out and end her sweet torture. But, it was her punishment, a good one at that, and she knew Darius could make itst much longer and to the point where she could pass out from all the stimtion.

    "It''s time to cool you off a bit, angel. You''re getting too worked up, and Damon is getting very frustrated," Darius drawled; his voice was so deep it vibrated through his chest.

    A bit her lip and waited in anticipation as he leant to the side. She heard the clinking of ice from the ss, and before she could check to see what he was doing, she gasped. Her eyes were wide, locking with Darius'' heated gaze and watching a sly smile go up his beautiful face. A gasped again. In his hands were ice cubes, and he was letting the cold liquid drop across her body.

    He purposely kept his hand raised above her heated core, and she almost jumped when the dropletnded directly on her clit and trickling down her folds. A leaned her head back, clenching her eyes shut at the sensation. It was an icy fire burning through her, something she couldn''t quiteprehend. Something she never thought would turn her on.

    The feeling was sensational, both sending shockwaves of heated pleasure under the sudden cooling sensation. But Darius wasn''t finished with such a simple task of letting cool dropsnd on her body. Darius brought one of his hands down to her nipple, an ice cube in hand and began gently circling around the pink nub.

    "Ah!" She cried before panicking as she looked at his smirk. Darius didn''t need to say anything; she was losing her control now, but she didn''t care. She had nearly hit orgasm after orgasm, brought to the edge but never going over. This was too much, and she knew her mate wouldn''tst that much longer either.

    The ice began to melt further as it trickled down her breast and the side of her body. Darius brought his head down and licked it up, his eyes never leaving hers as he did so. He removed the ice cube from her nipple, recing it with his heated tongue, inciting another gasp from her and another cry as his other hand started ying with her other nipple with an ice cube. But it didn''t stay there long as he slid it across her chest, her neck, then down her body, and to her thighs.

    Her legs jolted slightly, and he pulled back, bringing his face down to her core, while his hand trailed across her thigh, starting from her knee and getting closer to her centre while he took his time licking the outside of her folds, not once touching her sensitive spot, and making her all the more frustrated. A made small thrusts, waiting for him to devour her there, but he never did. His chuckle made her realise he still wanted to y.

    A rxed her head and looked at the ceiling, trying to psyche herself up for what coulde. But she really didn''t know; she had never done temperature y before, this was totally new to her and something extremely arousing. Something A never thought she would like, she hated the cold, but this, this was something entirely different. Her nerves were on constant high alert, and her core was dripping with arousal.

    A growl filled the room, and A focused her eyes back on her mate. His features were rugged and hot to look at. Even with the bristling anger radiating off him, she couldn''t help but lick her lips. This made him pull back and lean over to the bedside table again.

    Oh no, not another one!

    But this time, she watched as he put the ice cube in his mouth, letting it sit on his tongue and brought his head down, and he licked his tongue and the ice cube against her skin. A gasped; her eyes widened as she watched him trail the ice down, closer to her core, and suddenly, a sharp wonderous tingling sensation made her moan and reach her hand over to his hair. Clinging onto the strands as he made circr motions with his tongue, sending a shocking wave of fire and ice onto her folds.

    Her movement this time did not make him stop, and for the next few minutes, she mewled and thrust her hips gently against his mouth until the ice melted, and his tongue was left to enter her core. Their eyes were locked the entire time, making her that much wetter. But, as she felt her muscles begin to tighten, her sex beginning to clench around his tongue, and her moans bing louder while her legs began to hold him in ce. He removed his tongue and grinned when she deted and let out a frustrated groan.

    "Please, Darius. Please!" She begged. "I can''t do anymore."

    Darius chuckled as he licked across her thighs, making her inhale sharply every time he bit into her skin. "But you haven''t been following my instructions," He drawled evilly.

    "Damon," She moaned; her breathing became heavy. She tried to reach out to him.

    "Oh no, he won''t help you," Darius breathed as he pulled away from her easily essible entrance.

 Chapter 136 - Feverish Sensations: Part Two

    "Oh no, he won''t help you," Darius breathed as he pulled away from her easily essible entrance.

    A eyed his length that sprung up, making her eyes hooded at what she wanted to do. But want had nothing to do with it now. Darius could sense and read what she wanted. Would he allow it? Or should she just follow hismand? Her body was far too sensitive now, and she needed to distract herself.

    That distraction came from the bond. Although, it seemed to make her even hornier. A could feel his desire through the bond, hearing his naughty thoughts if she listened in. He wanted to fuck her mouth, and she would happily do it. But he wasn''t saying anything, and she didn''t want him to know she was listening to him.

    A narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you want?"

    He smiled, his silver orbs gleaming with desire as he pulled her up to a seated position. He scrutinised her for a moment, making sure that she could sit on her own. A was certainly surprised she could.

    Darius then brought his face close to hers and leaned down towards her neck, his breath fanning on her neck and causing her skin to rise up into goosebumps and her perky nipples throb. He began kissing her neck and nipping at it, making her moan and wrap her hands around him, feeling his dishevelled hair. A then cupped his jaw, ready to kiss him on the lips, but he chuckled and pulled away. "Not yet."

    Darius lightly grabbed her by the hair as hey down on his back, his head propped against the headboard of the bed, as he brought her face down above his groin. She hovered near the head of his cock and nced at him as she licked her lips, waiting for him to give the order. Without saying anything, his hand tightened at the nape of her neck, sending a pleasurable pain from her hair pull down to her throbbing core.

    A began to lick the tip, her eyes still on him. "Good girl. Keep your eyes on me, angel. Even when you''re gagging. I want to see you put your mouth to good use. Not back chatting or pissing me off," He growled as his hand gently pushed her closer to his length, so it rested against her cheek.

    Darius hissed and rxed his hold on her, letting her pull back and begin licking the entire length of his shaft. Her voluptuous lips then rounded his cock and began to slowly suck and bob her head up and down. He loved the feel of her around him, watching as his dick slid in and out of her mouth, while she greedily took him in.

    Darius was satisfied with her, even though she moved, made noises and caved into touching him, it was after two hours of him teasing her, and for that, he was pleased. She earned the right to moan, which was a beautiful melody to his ears.

    "Done disciplining our mate?" Damon growled.

    "Let her gag on our dick first, then I''ll give her back to you," Darius hummed. He tightened his hold on her hair and pushed her further down so he could feel the tip of his cock going down her throat, then he thrust quickly into her, not letting her head move back, and kept their eyes locked. His other hand caressed her cheek, and he wiped away a tear and mmed into her pretty mouth hard; she gagged immediately. Darius smiled and pulled his cock out so she could breathe better.

    "Done?!" Damon growled in frustration. He had waited long enough.

    Darius chuckled, "Indeed. Did you want the reins back?"

    "Of course, I fucking do. She is a sight to watch, trembling under our touch and now finding pleasure in our dick." Damon snatched the reins from his wolf. He could feel everything even as he watched through Darius'' eyes, but Damon wanted to take charge now and finish what he started.

    Damon watched and hissed as her lips wrapped around him again; her head began to go up and down slowly, letting him fill her up again and her constricting muscles rxing again to the feel of him.

    He reached out to her mind and knew she was not paying attention enough to realise it was him. A was near her limit, her body still trembling even though he was not stimting her. Although he could sense that sucking his cock also made her incredibly wet, just as it made him hard for her when he licked her out.

    For fuck sake, he was only going to get one session of lovemaking out of her. Darius did a fine job of tiring her out. He gritted his teeth but knew they could always fuck in the evening.

    "Angel," Damon said gently as he released his hold on her hair. She moaned and pulled back, letting his dick flop out and rest on his belly. "Come here, let me take care of you."

    At his words, he could see recognition sh behind her eyes, and she crawled towards him, almost sighing when he pulled her into him. But much like Darius did earlier, he reached out past her and grabbed an ice cube. Her eyes widened, and she pleaded with him with her eyes.

    Damon chuckled, "Don''t worry, baby. Nothing like that." A''s brows drew together in confusion by hisment but watched with a hooded gaze as he licked the cube with his tongue before cing it on his lips and closing the distance between them so they each kissed the cube, sending a jolt of arousal through their bodies. The stark contrast of their heated mouths and cold ice made their kiss grow more and more passionate.

    Their hands now clung in each other''s hair, and they deepened the kiss, their tongues crashing into each other. The ice cube fell down, leaving a trail of cold water between their heated bodies, making them gasp at the sensation. Damon then bit roughly into her neck, her mark and then her breasts before he turned her around and hitched up her leg at an angle, opening her up for easy ess.

    Damon slid his throbbing cock into her entrance slowly, expecting there to be some resistance from her core, but she was so wet, he slipped in with ease. A made the most delicious sounds as he drove into her, making him groan into her ear. She was still perfectly tight as he gradually increased his tempo.

    A moaned and let her head rest against his chest, but as per usual, he wanted A looking at him, even with her back to him. He wrapped his hand around her neck, gently applying pressure and used his fingers to turn her head. Their eyes locked, and he moved his free hand to her clit as they kissed one another fervently.

    He released her lips and mmed into her hard, watching her crystal blue eyes as they misted over with desire. Within minutes, he felt her core tightening on his cock, sucking him in, trying to hold him prisoner. It was absolute bliss as they suddenly erupted together, their moans mixing into each other. He bit into her neck, drawing his canines out, and she gasped out his name.

 Chapter 137 - Forgotten Troubles

    Damon and A were still breathing hard as theyy there on the bed, her back pressed against his chest. Damon raised his head and watched as her breathing slowed down and her lips parted slightly. He kissed her tenderly on the neck, and she mumbled something incoherent. He chuckled at her, and she moaned when he pulled out of her before shepletely rxed her body.

    Already she had fallen asleep, and it was only the morning. Damon kissed her again and checked the rm clock on the side; it was still only 9am. So, he felt content with lying in bed with her a little longer. The training sessions at the moment had been cancelled due to obvious reasons, so the only things Damon needed to get to when he was up, was the usual pack matters. But until then, he would continue snuggling with his mate.

    It wasn''t long until Damon dozed off as well, as he clung onto her warm body. A few hourster, A began to stir, and she sighed after feeling the rawness in her core and the muscr body of her mate wrapped around her like a cocoon. His head was nuzzled into her neck. One of his tree-trunk arms was wrapped tightly around her waist while the other wrapped around her chest, his hand resting on her breast.

    She wanted to turn around and face him, even in her groggy state, but he was asleep, and she didn''t want to disturb him.

    "He must be just as tired as us," Malia piped in with a yawn.

    "Hmm, to be honest, I don''t think I can even move right now anyway," A replied sleepily. Her body felt as though it had melted like those damn ice cubes. There was no strength in her to lift her arms or legs, and her sex throbbed in satisfaction and in ache. Damon really let her have it after Darius tortured her.

    "Hmm, well, you made me wait too long."

    A smiled after hearing Damon whisper darkly into her ear. "It''s not my fault. I really don''t know what the big deal was. Being punished because of what?"

    "Don''t push it," Damon warned; there was a slight edge to his voice that sent a ripple of delight through her body. She wouldn''t mind going again.

    "Baby, if we go again, you won''t wake up for a week," Damon replied to her thoughts and nibbled on her ear. He needed to stop that as well; it was sending pleasure down to her core.

    Damon released her ear and somehow spun her around, so they faced each other. He chuckled after scrutinising her tired face. "Should we have something to eat? It''s still morning. The buffet should still be out."

    "If the guys haven''t eaten it all already," A muttered as her eyelids were still closing and opening slowly.

    "If they have, I''ll speak to Charles," Damon replied with a smile in his voice as he pecked her nose, chin and cheek. Her eyes snapped open as the butterflies in her belly spurred to life at his sweetness. He then kissed her gently on the lips before spanking her bottom. She yelped in surprise and wiggled into his hand that was caressing her. But he pped her cheek again with a growl, "Come on, let''s go before I jump on you again."

    He slipped out from under the covers and made his way to the wardrobe. A stayed where she was, still feeling a little light and on cloud nine. With great effort, she pulled herself up and leaned against the headboard, clutching the covers over her chestfortably as she watched Damon get dressed.

    "Can you carry me down?" She asked with a pout.

    Damon whipped his head around, amusement flickering behind his silver eyes and a broad smile on his face. He chuckled, "I can. But you won''t hear the end of it from Ajax.."

    A groaned and forcibly mbered out of bed, almost falling on the ground as she did so. But she held onto the bedpost for stability, even leaned into it until her legs that felt like jelly would wake up.

    For the next ten minutes, Damon helped her get changed; she could see how much he was enjoying it. It was because of his domineering ways that she was in this predicament. She rolled her eyes but smiled at the same time. He just helped her stand up after putting some leggings on. Unlike the day before, she felt like wearing her more casual attire. All in ck once again, this time, A wore Damon''s hoody that acted as a dress over her leggings. Whereas Damon still wore jeans and a top, showcasing his muscles and ripped abs beneath his near painted on shirt.

    "There''s nothing wrong with my shirt," Damon grumbled. "Are you reallyining?" He grabbed her hands and trailed them down his torso. She almost felt herself drooling and wanting to climb back into bed with him. Damon chuckled and kissed the top of her head; before releasing her, she almost slipped to the ground if it weren''t for the bedpost again. He burst into a peal ofughter at this. His voice reverberated across the room.

    The pair made their way downstairs and to the kitchen, taking more time than necessary, with Damon''s arm wrapped around her waist and pulling her closer to him any time her knees buckled. A narrowed her eyes after she listened in to Damon''s mind and could hear how ecstatic his wolf was, and when she heard Malia, she could hear the delight in herughter.

    When they finally made it to the kitchen, it seemed they weren''t the only ones toe downte for breakfast. Ajax, Finn and Chiara were sitting together at one end of the kitchen ind, the guys messing with each other while Chiara looked at them unimpressed. There was also Nairi and Kane, who sat together quietly. Kane sipped from his coffee with his other hand, stroking Nairi''s back gently.

    "Morning," A said meekly.

    "Ugh! Whyyy are you speaking so loudly!?" Nairi groaned and held her head in her hands.

    A giggled at her friend; it seemed she had a hangover. "I didn''t think werewolves could get hungover? What with the whole healing thing.." A replied as she started piling her usual pancakes on top of more pancakes. She grabbed some strawberries as well to bnce it out.

    Damon took the te from her, eying her knowingly. She pouted and managed to walk to the seat next to Chiara. A was soon followed by her mate. Damon ced her breakfast down and stole one of her strawberries, she was about toin, but Kane replied to her question while Nairi rubbed at her head. "Well, once you left, she had three more bottles of wine. Did anyone tell you; you''re a bit of a lightweight?" Kane mused.

    "Three bottles!? But still, everyone else is fine.." A replied suspiciously.

    "Well, I think we are still recovering from the other day," Kane replied. His words silenced the kitchen as the gravity of what he meant hit them again. Kane and Nairi nearly died, and so even with him healing her, although he seemed to bear the weight of what he did more, it didn''t mean Nairi was still in the clear.

    "Shhhh, shhh, less talk. More rubbing," Nairi flopped her head into arms on the countertop and sighed when Kane smirked and gently stroked her back again.

    A nodded her head and began eating her pancakes, but there was a bite out of one of them, and one strawberry left when she looked at her te. She whipped her head to look at Damon and pointed her fork at him, "I hope you were not foolish enough to take my food.."

    Damon grinned at her evilly. "Or what?" He challenged.

    "I asked the same thing.. now I have fork marks on my forearms!" Ajax interrupted them, but Damon and A still stared at each other.

    "No one..es between me¡­ and my food. Something you will learn very soon, mate," A warned yfully as she stole one of the cut-up slices of apple on his te, crunching down on it, her gaze unwavering from his.

    Damon smirked and put his lips to her ear, "But baby, I need more food than you. I did do all the work after all," He said softly as his lips brushed against her ear. A sputtered and nced around the table as her cheeks heated in embarrassment. Chiara smirked, and the guys burst intoughter. Only Kane and Nairi were still too absorbed in their tiny love bubble to pay attention to their Alpha and Luna.

    Damon smirked and kissed her lips before going back to his food. The rest of that morning consisted of the group eating and rxing together, casually chatting andughing, and enjoying each other''spany. This ended up being theirst moments together where their troubles had all been forgotten, and they were just friends hanging out over a meal in a luxurious mansion.

 Chapter 138 - Pack Duties

    The following days were filled with pack duties; Damon and A had been non-stop, the only time to themselves was gone midnight, and by then, they only had time to snuggle in bed before exhaustion took them away to sleep. The burial was arranged, and the pack leaders held meetings to discuss their next course of action for the missing children, the pack''s protection, the hunters, and the new werewolves they created.

    However, their meetings were never long enough, abruptly finishing with Damon and A called to a new issue or discussing over the phone with other Alphas about possible leads on the children. A asionally wondered if the tips were fake.

    She discussed it with her mate after the fourth time in one day, they had left with thirty pack members to search for them in some newnd or town. Damon agreed the leads weren''t helpful, but what else could they do? They couldn''t not follow it, in case it did lead somewhere.

    Two evenings before the pack''s burial, A received a phone call from Hollie''s parents. They decided to hold a small funeral for her veryst minute the following day. They were able to organise it so quickly due to her body not being found.

    So, a day before the pack''s burial, A found herself sitting in a church and listening to the prayers for Hollie''s soul to rest in peace. It was another reminder of how much her world had changed; she not only lost her best friend but one of the main ties keeping her linked to her old human self.

    With a heavy heart, though, A did not stay long after the funeral and wished Hollie''s parents a teary farewell. The longer she stayed there, the longer she believed she was putting everyone in danger by her presence. A would not put it past the hunters to crash a funeral to kidnap her, even if she did have twenty warriors patrolling a perimeter of where she was.

    She spoke to her own parents more briefly before she left. Mandy''s worried expression never left her face as she watched A climb into her ck SUV, followed by Tommy, Jake, Zeke and Finn. Ajax was in his shapeshifter form patrolling somewhere.

    A didn''t know what animal he was, at one point she saw him as a big ck bird, and then another a ck dog, she only knew the dog was him because he still had his emerald, green eyes. There was a lot of muscle with her, but she wasn''t taking any chances now. Not until the hunters were dealt with.

    After A was sped away from the area, their car fell in line with other ck SUV''s, keeping the Luna in the middle of them. Her outlook had been bleak, even as she re-entered her estate, and fell into the loving arms of her mate. A happily stayed there for a while as his unexpected greeting warmed her heart. Damon had back-to-back calls with Alpha''s, and she knew thest Alpha he had a meeting with was his father, so she did not expect to see him until the evening.

    That was not thest time she wore ck, not that she wore many other colours anyway, but the dress she wore to Hollie''s funeral was reced the next day with a ck pantsuit and cami top with pointed heels for the pack''s burial. Much like the day before, she felt the heavy burden and sorrow of the lives lost from the other day. What made it more challenging, though, was the bond between not just her and Damon but with the pack. She felt their overwhelming emotions hit her like a tidal wave.

    A only hoped that now she was marked and mated with Damon, she was at least alleviating some of the pack''s load on his shoulders. He squeezed her hand in a silent thanks as he finished his speech, a newer one than what was previously said five days prior at the burial of the thirteen. There were now twenty freshly dug graves in line with the previous graves under the trees near a clearing in the woods.

    A scanned the rows of pack members circling them and set her eyes on the Gamma. The pack leaders stood off to the other side of the Alpha and Luna, so she expected to see Chiara with them, but her lips pursed together when her eyesnded on the two figures standing by her side. Between the couple, A could tell where Chiara got her looks from, with her stunning face nearly matching her mother''s, but her deep blue eyes the same as her fathers. Yet, the difference was, her eyes were not filled with tears; they were left with nothing but emptiness.

    It was then A realised she had been staring at the Gamma, and her eyes quickly moved on after feeling her friend''s eyes were also trained on her, unwavering. Unfortunately, her own flickered to Darren''s, who looked as though he had not slept in days, yet he still dressed up smartly and looked on with sorrow-filled eyes. Shaking her head internally, A nced to the far end, looking at the trees instead until the service had finished.

    This time she walked by her Alpha''s side, hand in hand as they led their pack to the mansion; some followed them, and others left to their houses. A soon found herself again in the grand room with the piano, this time the patio doors left open with multiple tables and chairs for the many pack members. She never thought her house would fit 500+ pack members, so she was d for the marquis as well. The weather had stayed gloomy for both days, matching the grief-stricken atmosphere.

    A stood by Damon''s side, with Finn and Ajax nearby; she convinced Finn there was no need to be on guard when most of the pack was surrounding them. But as she sipped on her the cooling ss of white wine, she left her mate''s side and found Chiara, immediately pulling her into a hug. Chiara''s stiff form rxed after the first awkward five seconds, and she patted A on the back as though she wasforting her.

    "How are you feeling?" A asked in a mind-link as she pulled back to look at her.

    Chiara shrugged, "I don''t really know, A. Ufortable." Her eyes flickered around the room andnded on her parents again.

    "You don''t have to be here if you don''t want to, you know that, right?" A replied with concern filling her features.

    Chiara smiled gently, on that did not reach her eyes, "I have to, for them."

    She tilted her chin in her parent''s direction, and A followed it.

    "How have they been?"

    "It''s just hard. Because Lydia was a bitch, one that tried to kill me, caused the deaths of many, not just this time but before and.." She released a breath, "And the death of Xander.. But, she is still their daughter.. you know?"

    A nodded her head. "I understand. It must be hard. She was also your sister.." She peered at her friend and wished she hadn''t brought it up. The Gamma''s face darkened, and a slight growl ripped through her lips.

    "She hasn''t been my sister for years.." Although her voice was strong through the mind-link, A could see in the depths of her blue eyes a snippet of sadness washing over, but sheposed herself once more, and she cleared her throat. "If you will excuse me, Luna. I need to get some fresh air," She muttered aloud and escaped through one of the patio doors.

    Not long after the Gamma left the room, A saw Ajax part crowds swiftly to follow behind her. A''s brows furrowed; she hoped the shapeshifter would escape unscathed. Otherwise, that was another grave she would be digging.

    Malia snickered. "I don''t think now is the right time for such jokes!"

    "Hmm, now is the perfect time, especially when you see two of your friends..pletely opposite to each other, interact. I just hope Ajax doesn''t say anything stupid.." A sipped from her ss, her eyes still trained on the open patio doors, ignoring one of the servants who passed by with a silver tray full of finger foods.

    "When does Ajax ever say anything that isn''t stupid.." Malia smirked.

    "He has his moments, though.. Maybe she will be good for him," A replied to her wolf pensively as she thought back to the times Ajaxforted her and the sorrow on his face when he mentioned a possible past love.

    Malia read her mind and replied, "You know what they say.. Opposites attract.."

    A''s brows drew together, and she snapped out of her daze from her wolf''sment. "Since when did you speak to anyone other than me?"

    "I have been watching you your whole life, you know! I hear phrases!" Malia huffed and went back into the depths of A''s mind just as a pair of arms slithered around her, and an earthy, woodsy scent filled her nostrils. She sagged into her mate with a sigh as he kissed her neck.

    "Everything okay?" Damon''s deep voice rumbled through her.

    She nodded her head. "Ajax has gone tofort Chiara," She mind-linked him.

    Damon pulled back and rounded her with wide eyes, a sly smile curving his lips. "Are you telling me I''ll finally be rid of the shapeshifter!?" He replied, making A shake her head and p on the chest.

    Maybe she should check in on them if she hadn''t seen him in ten minutes?

 Chapter 139 - The Gamma & ShapeShifter: Part One

    { It isn''t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do ~ Jane Austen // Sense and Sensibility }

    Chiara almost darted out of the patio doors, her heart pounded in her ears, matching the click cking of her heels resounding from the ground. The only thing keeping her from running away and shifting out of her awful dress and heels was the wolves watching and waiting for a moment of weakness from her. Chiara kept her chin high, and her gaze focused ahead as she felt their gazes pierce through her, judging her again for her sister''s crimes.

    Their hushed whispers still reached her ears, but the Gamma yed ignorant. She now had to prove herself again after the mark Lydia left on the Gattoni name. It didn''t matter if she killed her; Chiara was not going to brag about something, so she had their respect.

    Her fists balled by her sides. If she was a male werewolf, there would be no issues. She was sure of it.

    Chiara finally brought her attention back to her surroundings and away from her swirling thoughts. Not that she would ever be off guard, her senses were still alert to any attacks.

    But now, Chiara found herself entering the maze and letting herself get lost among the bushes of twists and turns. The cool air and the constant movement of her feet were soothing. She even removed her dreadful heels behind her as she felt the damp grass beneath her feet.

    Although she said to A, she would stay. That may very well change now; her wolf was rearing to go. They needed to relieve themselves of the stress and bubbling anger within their veins. Chiara inhaled deeply, letting her shoulders rise and fall as she exhaled and looked up at the dreary weather.

    Lydia, where did it all go wrong?

    "You can''t keep ming yourself for her actions," Gina growled. Chiara and her wolf had these conversations quite regrly.

    Chiara either med herself and how selfish she was as a kid, not thinking about her sister and how she might feel for not being ''chosen'' to take on the Gamma role. Although Chiara knew if Lydia was the eldest, then she would be the one to have be Gamma. Or, she wondered if there was some twisted part of Lydia that had always been there, this then sent Chiara into a fit of rage. It seemed since the day Lydia challenged her, she was always at war with herself.

    Even now, her sister was dead, and she still haunted her, as though she was rubbing it in. Her downcast eyes flickered up as determination filled her features once more. Lydia was gone, and the whispers that encircled Chiara would soon fade away. She could easily beat the shit out of them, and they would submit to her.. Her lips curled up into a smirk as she continued to stroll through the maze.

    But she was above using violence as a means to shut the yapping. Chiara nced up at the cloudy sky and stilled for a moment as her hands clung to her elbows tightly against her chest. No, she did not need to use violence to protect her title unless someone wished to challenge her.

    "All we need to do is keep protecting the pack. Show them you are nothing like Lydia.. Not that they should NEED remindinnnnng.." Gina growled at the end, letting her temper take over briefly.

    Before Chiara could reply, the sound of footsteps trying and failing to be quiet rung through Chiara''s ears. She narrowed her eyes slightly, only moving her hand underneath the sleeve of her dress. Her fingers curled around the cold handle of one of her throwing knives.

    In one smooth motion, she spun on her heel and whipped the knife out and halted when she saw the figure raise their hands in mock surrender, all the while their lips broadened into one of his charming smiles. Chiara still held the knife by the side of her face, her stance still positioned ready. "You should know better than to creep up on a Gamma," She grumbled.

    Ajax chuckled and lowered his hands to the pockets in his trousers. Chiara followed them and finally took note of his attire. He looked good, really good. Ajax was wearing a suit and tie, fitted to his lean and rippled muscles. The Gamma was not blind; she knew Ajax was a good looking guy, heck, he could be a model with his looks, but he could be too much, and it irritated her.

    Chiara could sense that underneath his jokes and flirty attitude, there was a deep wound and deep, deeeeeeep inside of him; he was serious and intelligent, but he masked it all. And she wasn''t sure how she felt about that. Was he being himself?

    "I know not to sneak up on YOU. I don''t think there is another Gamma quite like you," He tilted his head to the side before sauntering towards her. Chiara''s thoughts were put on hold as she watched his dancing eyes. "You know you can lower the dagger, right?"

    He stood straight in front of her now, unfazed by the knife in her hands. But for some reason, his presence made her wary of what he might do; her treacherous heart had begun to flutter as he raised his hand and gestured for her to give him the knife. Chiara found herself scowling as he simply slipped his fingers around the sharp edge while his gaze was still locked with hers.

    She released the knife, a little stunned that she let him get so close, and after searching his eyes, she could also see the shock on his face, but he quickly covered it up with a smirk. It was odd that both of them thought of her like a feral animal sometimes.

    "Where did you even get this from?" His gaze roamed her bodyzily, and appreciation flickered across his eyes as he ''looked'' for a spot where her knives came from.

 Chapter 140 - The Gamma & Shapeshifter: Part Two

    "Where did you even get this from?" Ajax'' gaze roamed her bodyzily, and appreciation flickered across his eyes as he ''looked'' for a spot where her knives came from.

    The hand holding her knife absentmindedly started spinning it, showcasing some skills she never knew Ajax had. This little action was what snapped her out of her stupidity. She never acted like a schoolgirl crushing on a guy, and it wasn''t about to start now.

    Chiara raised her hands and pulled down her sleeves, showing seven knives strapped to her forearms. Four on one side and three on the other. The eighth Ajax was ying with now. His eyes widened, and he nced back at the seriousness etched on her features.

    "Dam, girl, you have some serious trust issues if you''re carrying eight weapons on you," He joked, but his smile faltered after he saw her closing off from him.

    "Well, I did have a crazy sis who scarred me for life," Chiara snapped. Ajax blinked back from the venom behind her words, and he looked at her scarred neck before raising his gaze once more. He didn''t question the crescent-shaped scar around her eye, but he never thought she was fazed about such things.

    His eyes then explored the rest of her features once more, taking in everything about her. From the determination always set behind her stunningly deep blue eyes to the sharp cheekbones and short raven hair that entuated her long neck. He was in awe with everything about her, she wasn''t just beautiful on the surface but the inside too, if not a little crazy, when it came to violence. But he was a little crazy too. And like a moth to a me, he didn''t mind if he would get burnt pursuing Chiara.

    "Did you want to talk about it?" He asked gently and ced the knife in the slot on her forearm, letting his fingers linger a moment longer than necessary on her smooth skin. She pulled back abruptly as though she had been zapped or burnt. Ajax nced back at her and saw the conflicting emotions behind her eyes.

    But Chiara shook her head as she once again became expressionless and forced augh. "No, Ajax, I don''t want to talk about it," She snapped again before turning away from him and continued walking with her muscles stiff. Ajax'' watched her for a while as his forehead creased in concern. He caught up to her and decided she neededpany, not as a jester or a therapist, but a friend.

    "Then, if you want, I can help you get out of this maze," He tried to lighten the mood once more.

    Chiara nced at him with a scowl forming on her features as her lips pouted before huffing, "I don''t need your help."

    Ajax had to hold back a smile as he watched her stubbornly go into another direction of the maze, on purpose to get away from him. But this didn''t deter him, and he followed after her, his hands back in his pockets.

    "You don''t need to follow me," She muttered in annoyance.

    Ajax chuckled, "You said you didn''t need any help.. but sadly, I do.. My nose isn''t ''as great as a werewolf''s!''" He boasted and raised his hands out to his imaginary audience once more. Chiara spun on the spot and looked at him in both annoyance and amusement. The corner of her lips curled up as her eyes started to dance.

    Ajax couldn''t help but always find an excuse to put a smile on someone''s face or let them find amusement in what he did. He didn''t care if he looked a fool, as long as they were happy. Chiara made him want to do that even more.

    She was beautiful, brave and strong, but from the short time he had known her and tried to get to know her, he realised she was too uptight, and that was something he wanted to help her with. With those thoughts swirling inside, he bowed to her extravagantly and raised his head up, "Mydy.. if you could be so kind as to help a dear old shapeshifter out, I''d be much obliged to you."

    He straightened up and brought his elbow out for her to hold. His smile never left his face as he stared down at her neutral expression. But something must have worked because her eyes crinkled slightly, and her lips curled ever so slightly, as though she was holding back a smile. Chiara wrapped her hand around his bicep and shook her head, "You''re ridiculous, you know that?"

    "I''m sorry, ma''am, it''s not my fault I''m but a peasant shifter to a werewolf," He smiled down at her. Hisment made her burst into a giggle and look away, masking her mouth with her free hand as she fake coughed to cover up he humoured her.

    The pair began walking, and Ajax whistled a tune to the otherwise silent night. They were both deep in thought after the minutes ticked by, but neither felt ufortable. Ajax had nced at the Gamma a few times, making sure there was no sadness lingering behind her eyes. She hid her emotions well, but Ajax was very good at reading people and situations.

    "Ajax.."

    "Hmm?" He finished whistling and looked at herzily.

    "Why do you do that?" She asked; her eyes were now looking at him intently. His jaw ticked slightly as though she had hit a nerve.

    "Do what, mydy?" Ajax replied and halted their stroll so they could look at each other.

    "You know¡­ act .. well so dramatically? Like everything is a joke to you?" The Gamma asked, not holding back her thoughts.

    Ajax smiled and searched the area with his gaze. "Do you not like my jokes? Is that it?" He whispered, "If you don''t.. just don''t go shouting about it.. I have a reputation to uphold and-"

    Chiara smacked his chest, "You''re doing it again. I''m trying to have a real conversation with you.." She shook her head and scoffed, removing her hand away from him, letting a distance form between them. But Ajax caught both of her hands and faced her; all jest was gone from his features.

 Chapter 141 - Broken Pieces

    Ajax caught both of her hands and faced her; all jest was gone from his features.

    "You didn''t want to talk about it earlier, Chiara." His voice deepened while his thumbs began trailing along her knuckles. "But if you must know my deepest, darkest thoughts, then ask away.." His eyes flickered between hers. Even though his words seemed like another joke, his eyes showed volumes of emotions, all at the mercy of the woman before him.

    Chiara couldn''t help but stare back into his emerald orbs, even after feeling the soothing motions of his thumbs on her skin, sending flickers of fire rippling up her arms and straight to her heart, her eyes remained on his. She gulped subtly, "Then tell me. Why do you.."

    "Act? Joke? Mess around?" He finished. Chiara stared at him with her mouth slightly ajar. "Because I''ve lived a good deal of my life, well my twenties, being trapped in a situation I couldn''t get out of. A situation that in between getting tortured, experimented on and not annoying Finn and Gabriel¡­ I was left alone with my thoughts... My memories. Which," He pointed a single finger up, "is not a very nice ce to be. It takes my mind off of everything."

    He rested his hand on hers again, making her drop her head and look down at them. Chiara suddenly became aware of how close they were to each other; she could feel the heat radiating off him and the breath leaving his lungs. Her lips parted again in shock as his fingers gripped her chin lightly to look up into his eyes again.

    "I am just a sad story walking on two legs, Chiara. You do not need to open this book to understand me. I would rather y the fool and act out on what I feel inside, whether thates out.. flirty in some cases, dramatic in others.. Because you never know when each day is yourst, and if in that day I made someone smile.." His hand caressed the side of her face, and she felt as though she was in a trance. "If I made YOU smile.. then I''d die a happy man."

    Chiara''s breath hitched at his words, and her heart rate slowly began to climb as he smoothly closed the distance between their faces. His eyes gazed into hers, seeking permission before he nted his lips against hers so tenderly that she felt herself melt into him. The moment her body reacted, he didn''t hold back as he wrapped his free hand around her waist and pulled her into him. He deepened the kiss as his hand slid from her chin and into the back of her hair.

    Chiara''s hands automatically slid up his chest to his neck, along his stubbled jawline until they clung into his dark locks as she sighed and allowed his tongue entry to explore her mouth. Mini fireworks were exploding in her stomach, and her body burned with desire as his tender touch suddenly became rougher. She moaned into his mouth, enjoying the taste of him and the feel of him.

    Her nails had scratched into the nape of his neck, but he didn''tin; instead, he kissed her more fervently. Chiara felt amazing, she hadn''t been touched in years, and he was making her feel so alive, even after the gloomy day, and even after feeling lost for so long without.. Xander.

    Xander.

    Chiara''s eyes snapped open, and she felt the harsh reality of what she was doing hit her like a ton of bricks. Her heart pinched inside her chest as she pulled her head away from Ajax abruptly, separating them as their chests heaved with the burning need for more air. Tears began to trickle down her face, and she gasped as she ced her hand on her lips, looking anywhere but at Ajax.

    His hand was still wrapped around her, and the other rested on her shoulder now. She didn''t immediately shake him off; his touch wasforting as she felt the overwhelming emotions of guilt and pain crash into her like a wave on a stony shore.

    "Chiara," Ajax whispered. She clenched her eyes shut at how the caress of his whisper affected her so.

    Chiara inhaled sharply and opened her eyes once more, feeling herself bing numb to the sensations he incited in her. She whipped her head back to look into the softness of his eyes and gently ced her hands on his chest, and began pushing him away. He let her and dropped his hands as he did so.

    "I can''t.." She breathed and bit her lip at the sound of her trembling voice.

    "I can''t, Ajax. I''d be betraying my mate.. my heart.." Her voice cracked at the end. She hated herself for sounding so weak, but there was no one else there except for a man that made her both uneasy andfortable.

    Ajax nodded his head, "I understand-"

    "NO. You don''t," Chiara snapped. She hated it when people said that. Unless they lost their soul mate, then they had no idea how she felt.

    Suddenly his hands gripped her wrists, she tried to rip them away from him and intended to storm off, but he tightened his grip showing how strong he actually was. She was reminded that although he wasn''t a werewolf, he was still another being with incredible strength and speed.

    "Let go," She said through gritted teeth. Her eyes had hardened now, and she wanted to be rid of the man who made her betray her love.

    "NO." Chiara looked up at the steel behind Ajax'' voice; the sudden change shocked her. But although his voice was stern, his eyes were full of sadness. "I DO understand, Chiara. I honestly do."

    The pair searched each other''s eyes for what felt like hours, but it was a mere few seconds. Chiara''s brows knitted together as she waited for Ajax to expand further on what he said. She parted her lips to speak, but Ajax sighed and raked his hand through his hair, looking away momentarily. "I didn''t think we''d have the ''ex''s chat'' so soon," He chuckled, but there was no humour behind his dry remark.

    His eyes flickered back to hers; expectation was written over her face as she held her breath. "My fianc¨¦ died.. Was killed." He barely uttered the words as he stared into the depths of her eyes. "She died because of me."

 Chapter 142 - Broken Pieces Together

    The weight of his words seemed to crush down on her chest, restricting her breathing as her heart pelted against her ribcage. It instantly made her think about her mate. Xander died because of an attack from some rogues, rogues that were led by her sister.

    She clenched her teeth together and held back the tears that filled her eyes. She could see every emotion flickering across Ajax'' eyes. The pain. The guilt. Everything she had felt since her mate died.

    Chiara swallowed past her feelings and managed to whisper, "How?"

    "Why.. none other than the hunters themselves," He grimaced and dropped his eyes before they wandered around their surroundings. Chiara could see how hard it was for him. There was strain behind his eyes, memories he wanted to stay hidden.

    Those eyes were now dted as she imagined he was reliving that day. She knew that look. It was one she gave herself each morning in the mirror after a night full of nightmares, no, the memories she relived each time she fell asleep.

    Ajax released her from his grip and turned away, wiping his hands over his face and through his hair. When he turned back, Chiara wanted nothing more than to run into his arms; he looked so lost, so broken. But she stayed rooted to the spot and let him take his time in exining further.

    "It was before I was taken. The hunter''s found us. She was a shapeshifter as well. Heck, she was a better shapeshifter than me.." He nced at her and saw the confusion on her face. He sighed but looked relieved in needing to exin the intricacy of being a shapeshifter.

    "It''s not easy shifting to different animals. You have to have a lot of concentration and patience. Growing up with Jocelyn, she was always better, where she would change into multiple animals in a row.. I could only shift between a panther and a cat. The shapes are simr, but the size was different.."

    Chiara could only imagine. She only had to shift into her wolf, and sometimes it wasn''t even her leading the reins. Chiara could sit back and watch her wolf hunt for hours if there was a strong need to kill something.

    Ajax smiled, but Chiara could see the sadness lingering behind his eyes. His attention was drawn back to her, and he cleared his throat before continuing. "We lived together away from the other shapeshifters. We stupidly moved away from the others, thinking it would be safe, you know? We aren''t like werewolves. We aren''t pack animals. We don''t need to be with each other.." His brows drew together, and his voice dropped an octave, "The elders warned us not to leave.. it was safer with the others.."

    Chiara watched as he spiralled into a rant. She stepped forwards and grabbed his hand into hers, squeezing gently. His jaw muscles ticked, and after a few moments of recollecting himself, he told her what happened.

    "I don''t know how long the hunters have been around for.. but the elders knew what was best. They said if we didn''t stay together, then they would find us. And.. they did. Me and Jocey lived away from them happily for a year. We started to rx more, bing morefortable in our environment. We didn''t live in any of the vampire territories or the werewolves. We stayed in the humans.. But that''s how they found us.. we still stood out. I mean.." He scoffed, "I became a model and started acting. It was my fault, bringing attention to us.."

    Chiara''s eyes widened at another fact no one knew about him. He was a model.. which made sense, and an actor?

    "He is very dramatic.." Gina added. As usual, she was a very quiet wolf observing everything more.

    Ajax continued, unaware of Chiara''s thought process. "One night, they appeared at our door. They took me and kept her locked inside. They demanded to know where the others were.." His voice shook with anger as his nose crinkled and his eyes flickered back and forth at a picture Chiara could not see. "They threatened that Jocelyn would be killed if I didn''t give the shapeshifters locations away.. but how could I do that?"

    His brows drew together, and his eyes flickered from side to side. It was clear he was at war with himself over his decision.

    "How could I give away their locations? They had been in hiding, not attacked once for at least 100 years.. or so the elders made out when they told the children the stories.." He released a long breath, "I didn''t think they''d do it," There was panic in his voice now, "I thought their threats were garbage.. Even with a gun against my head..

    "They.. they.. burnt the house to the ground.. I tried to get in.. I did.. I took as many of them down, shifted into animals I never had before, but it was no use.. They fucking tasered me, and that was all it took.. They held me down, and made me watch.. and listen as my love, my Jocey screamed in agony.. Until the only thing left to listen to was the mes engulfing my home."

    Chiara gasped and paled at what he said. She knew the ending of the story, but listening to it, hearing his struggle and seeing how he thought he could have done more. It was pulling at her heartstrings.

    Ajax..

    His eyes were filled with unshed tears, his face now haunted with his memories. He blinked, and the tear droplets fell down his sculpted face, but he did nothing to wipe them away or look embarrassed. Ajax was true to his word earlier; he would never hide away from how he felt.

    Chiara shook her head in disbelief. In a moment like this, shepletely admired him. She was taught to stayposed for most of her life, not let any feelings interfere with her job, and not let any emotions show on her face.

    As a woman, she had to be even fiercer than other Gamma''s, but here in front of her was a man who had been through hell and back and was still capable of being a good person, making sure his presence did nothing more than uplift other people. Chiara slid her arms around his torso automatically without thinking about her actions, clinging onto his suit while resting her face against his chest. Ajax'' arms wrapped around her immediately. His head hid into the side of her neck, and she felt her neck be damp.

    Chiara didn''t know how long they stood there in each other''s arms, but she was content. After some time, Ajax pulled back and cupped her jaw with his hands, looking at her intently. "So, I know exactly what you are feeling, Chiara. I don''t need a mate bond to know that." She grimaced at his words, but he continued, "I am not saying we should forget about them, of course not, but I won''t throw something away between us out of fear. We could be incredible together, Chiara.."

    Her eyes filled with tears once more, and she let the droplets flow as her brows drew together as one word stood out to her.

    "Fear?" She croaked.

    Ajax started brushing her tears away with his thumbs, "Do not fear what you feel for me.."

    Chiara gazed down at his thick ck tie and whispered, "I.. I don''t know if I can.." She wrapped her hands above his and slowly pulled them down but let them rest at her neck as she looked back at his green eyes. When she saw how open and bare he looked to her, she felt herself crumble.

    "Give us.. Give THIS a chance.." He whispered.

    She shook her head. It was too soon.

    "It doesn''t have to be right away." Chiara looked at him, confused.

    "You spoke out loud," Gina spoke up. However, she didn''t help her with her decision about Ajax.

    "I can''t do that to you.." Chiara muttered, ncing at the ground. Her excuses were bing apparently weak.

    "I will wait.. however long you need." Chiara looked up with widened eyes before shaking her head.

    "You''ll be waiting a very long time," She whispered back as her face lowered. Ajax immediately wrapped his arms around her again. He pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on the top of her head.

    "I want to be with you, and I know you want.. well, you have SOME feelings for me.. Who wouldn''t.." There he went; his usual chirpiness was back. Chiara smiled into his pecs at this; she decided she liked him joking andughing. She was also happy to keep her face hidden from his. "But I''m serious, Chiara. I like you. It''s as simple as that. I will keep pursuing you every single day until I have your heart."

    Chiara gulped at that. Did she still have a heart to give?

    "I don''t know if we would ever work, Ajax¡­ We are too broken.." She trailed off as he tensed and pulled back to look at her again.

    "Then we will put the pieces together and make each other whole again."

 Chapter 143 - Girl Talk

    A and Damon sauntered into the kitchen in the morning, where the other pack leaders were already eating at the kitchen ind. The atmosphere was light, if not quiet. But it was expected after a day of mourning, not one person but many in the pack. A could still feel the weight of every loss, and this was without knowing most of them.

    When A sat down with her te full of food, she couldn''t help but nce between Chiara and Ajax. They were acting so normal, sitting across from each other, although Chiara kept her gaze down each time Ajax seemed to try and catch it. A had to nce down herself after the Gamma caught her stare, so she quickly shoved some scrambled egg into her mouth nervously. Chiara narrowed her eyes slightly but went back to brooding.

    A held back a smile and nced at Ajax. Like she said she would, the previous night, A left the wake after not hearing anything from Ajax, she tried to mind-link him, but it rang on an empty mind. He had either blocked her from entering his mind, which A thought was impossible as so far only she could do such a thing, he didn''t listen, or Chiara probably knocked him out.

    With thetter thought in her mind, she had rushed over in their direction. A followed the scent of Chiara and Ajax until she was strolling through the maze. She rounded the corner and stopped, immediately jumping behind a bush with a huge grin forming on her face.

    Ajax and Chiara were in a loving embrace, staring at each other, his hands cupping her face. A could see from her position a tearful Chiara and the end of a conversation that A knew she should not be a part of. This was confirmed when he brought his forehead to hers, and they stayed still in each other''s arms.

    "A, I know I''m sexy, but at least stare at me when your mate isn''t in the room sitting next to you."

    A blinked back the memory of the previous night and saw herself staring into Ajax'' eyes. A low growl vibrated from the other side of her, and she rolled her eyes. "I was deep in thought, Ajax. Not checking you out." She whipped her head back to Damon, whose face was unreadable, but as soon as he nced at her, she heard his thoughts loud and clear.

    Damon had been flicking through the images in her mind, and his shoulders rxed. She could also hear his conflicting thoughts about the pair; he was a little overprotective about Chiara. Which A found odd as the Gamma could easily take care of herself. But when she delved deeper, she realised he looked at her as a younger sister.

    The Alpha then narrowed his eyes at how Ajax was still flirting with A in front of Chiara and him. A had to stop herself from rolling her eyes again, even without ess to her thoughts or having a mate bond; he should know by now that Ajax knew how to get under his skin. And he did it on purpose.

    "Yeah, yeah, that''s what they all say," Ajax winked, and Chiara stood up, turning her back to him as she started to y around with the coffee machine on the other counter.

    "Hey, Gamma.." A ignored Ajax. Chiara turned her head to only look at A, ignoring the shapeshifter whose eyes were now trained on her. "Did you want to train? I''m feeling a little lethargic."

    "Must be from all the scrambled egg you barely chewed on," Chiara raised a brow. "But sure, at lunchtime, let''s spar."

    After breakfast, the pack leaders split off to do their own tasks. Beta Kane and Nairi were still allowed to rest, but Kane was bing restless and decided to patrol with Damon while they discussed a few pack matters. The ck wolf was followed quickly by the golden one into the forest, with many pack members bowing to them as they raced past them. Nairi was happy to recover in the living room joined by Ajax, and the pair either yed video games or watched tv.

    A and Chiara were sparring outside. Even though there was no training on, it seemed the pair needed to exercise. Chiara''s arm swung forwards, and A dodged it without breaking a sweat, grabbing it and twisting it before making the Gamma lose her bnce and tap out from the strain on her arm. It used to be that Chiara, her teacher, was better than A, then they became equals but very quickly, A began to show how a true Cross werewolf was like.

    Her speed and strength were superior to most, and so the Gamma found herself losing more than she was used to. But from the smile on her face and the proud nod she gave A, the Gamma had no hard feelings, as A helped her up after being tackled and held to the ground.

    "I know you think something is going on between Ajax and me.." Chiara began a mind-link as she dabbed at her face with a towel before throwing it to the ground, so they could go for a jog. Finn followed behind them while scanning their surroundings. He hadn''t left A''s side, as was his role as the new Delta. asionally he cheered both girls on as they tackled each other earlier.

    "Hmm? I''m not saying anything. Your secret is safe with me," A pretended to zip her mouth, lock it with an imaginary key before putting this fictional key into her shorts pocket.

    Chiara rolled her eyes. "It''s not a secret. Nothing is going on."

    "Uhuh, is that what happened yesterday when I saw you in each other''s arms," A muttered back.

    The Gamma''s eyes rounded as her head whipped to the side and look at the Luna in shock. "I wasn''t spying. I was making sure there wasn''t another death in the family," Both A and Chiara smirked. Their humour was quite dark and simr, which was how they had be good friends over the weeks.

    It was one of the reasons A asked for a training session with her. Unlike Nairi, who would happily gossip and bleed her heart out over food or chilling in her bedroom, Chiara preferred to keep her feelings hidden away. Which was no good for anybody. The pair chatted more during and after working out. Her little n seeded in getting Chiara to talk about Ajax, but only as much as she wanted to.

 Chapter 144 - Camping In The Woods

    Chiara looked ahead again as they passed more trees. "Seriously though," A touched Chiara by the arm, and the pair stopped jogging. "I think you would be good for each other."

    Chiara looked at A dubiously as she ced her hands on her hips while the air became thick with tension. A held her breath, she was not scared of the Gamma like she used to be, but she was more fearful of hurting her feelings or pushing her too far. She could not imagine how it feels to lose a mate, but now it seems Chiara may like Ajax.

    "So, I have the approval of the Luna.." She smirked. A''s shoulders sagged as she released her breath with a smile.

    A raised her chin up and knighted Chiara with her hand, tapping one shoulder and to the other, "As your princess, you have my approval!"

    Chiara rolled her eyes as A giggled.

    "What are you guys doing?" Finn looked at them sceptically.

    A opened her mouth, but Chiara was quick to cover it with her hand, "Nothing, Delta. Our Luna here was being silly."

    "A."

    A''s head whipped in the opposite direction to Finn. Damon had mind-linked her, but his voice sounded urgent. His ck wolf appeared along with Kane''s golden one; their alert ears and features made A scan the trees for any threats. The weather suddenly darkened, and the wind picked up as though it was setting a scene for the pack leaders.

    Finn came to A''s side while Chiara immediately shifted into her wolf, not caring about her clothes ripping.

    "Humans have been on ournd.. Come," A looked back at Damon and nodded before shifting into her wolf and immediately following after her mate. He had mind-linked all three of them, so Finn shifted and instantly nked her right side, and Chiara nked her left.

    After running a fair distance and past the clearing of where they hold their challenges and rituals for pack members, the wolves stopped atop a rocky hill. Malia growled in her mind immediately, ripping through A as it erupted through her chest. Although the area looked as though nobody had been there, there was a slight smell still lingering on the ground.

    Damon turned around with Kane lying atop another rock above them. A could still tell he needed to rest, but his stubbornness must be one of the reasons he was a Beta, other than being a good second inmand.

    "They doused themselves over with vinegar from thest smell that I picked up," Damon growled. His teeth lips pulled back slightly, and his ears were capped.

    "How did they get here without being caught?" Finn asked what A was thinking. He was pacing back and forth, his eyes scanning the trees still.

    "We don''t run patrols through this bit," Kane replied tly.

    A narrowed her eyes, "But how did they know we don''t patrol this area? The pack is huge. How did we miss this?" She snapped, letting her fear and anger get the better of her. This caused Kane, Chiara and Finn to lower their heads as a low whine left their mouths.

    "We have barely had time to mourn for our people and Hollie. And already there''s a fricken issue," Malia barked through A''s mind, adding to A''s rising temper.

    Damon walked back to her and licked the side of her mouth before sitting tall. The small action made her rx slightly. Only, slightly.

    "It''s near impossible to find these gaps in our patrols. It is clear they had been watching for months, no, possibly years to find these locations."

    His words made A still, and her back legs copsed into a seated position with a huff. "So the hunters were here.." A finished Damon''s thought process.

    The white and ck wolves stared at each other, crystal blue meeting molten silver before their heads snapped to the side at a long howl. Everyone became alert, standing and looking in the direction it came from.

    "Alpha! Luna!"

    A pair of grey wolves sprinted around the corner and skidded to a stop as they found who he was looking for. "You have toe see this. You have to.. the children.. They have the children!"

    A and Damon immediately stood; their fur bristled, and their ears flicked up. "Who has them?" Damon barked as he looked down at the pair of grey wolves. By now, Beta Kane, Gamma Chiara and Delta Finn had lined themselves up behind the Alpha and Luna, alert and ready at any threats.

    "Humans! I think the hunters!"

    Damon immediately leapt down to the ground, not bothering to run down the hill. "Show us!" He roared. His temper nearly blew A away through the bond, but instead, it just added to her own. Of course, the hunters were behind this.

    "We know what they are going to try, A. What should we do?" Malia queried. She was tense, pacing at the end of the wall that separated them. A shook her head; she had no idea. A swiftly followed the Alpha, and the pair sprinted off at incredible speeds, barely able to stick to the slow run of their pack members, who started to show them the way.

    "Where do we need to go?" A barked through the mind-link. She kept her panic at bay, only releasing the real power rising within her along with her anger at the hunters and the situation.

    "Theke!"

    A sprinted ahead but slowed ever so slightly for Damon to keep up. She knew running off without the others was a stupid idea, but the adrenaline rushing through her veins caused her footfall to quicken. At least, she had Damon by her side, and he didn''t tell her off.

    The pair arrived at a high advantage point near the edges of the trees that led to theke. The mountains were behind it, and standing with their hands bound in front of them, with their faces covered, were the four missing children. Standing behind each one of them was a gun pointed to their head.

 Chapter 145 - The Hunters Return

    [ WARNING: The following chapters contains acts of violence that some readers may find disturbing. ]

    **

    A stopped dead in her tracks; a low growl erupted deep from her being at the sight of the four children with guns pointed at their heads. She took a step forwards, but Damon''s ck wolf jumped ahead of her and snapped his jaws towards her. His eyes flickered between his dark silver to bright luminous orbs. A''s ears flicked back by his aggressiveness, but she knew he was warning her to stay back until they figured out what to do.

    Kane was next to arrive along with Chiara and Finn, who also looked at the clearing where theke met the mountain, and the peaks met the cold, graphite clouds in the ominous sky. Almost simultaneously, the three wolves growled at the mass of hunters set out in a protective stance surrounding their hostages. Each holding guns and wearing their ckbat outfits. More were behind them, covering their backs, along with many more inside the big circle.

    "I count about forty-

    "There''s more than forty," Chiara interrupted Finn.

    "I count sixty-five," Kane added. Their voices were strained, and their eyes set forward until Kane looked to Alpha Damon. "What do we do?"

    A didn''t bother looking at Damon; her eyes were searching for the man in charge as her heart became louder and louder inside her ears. Her gaze finallynded on the man; he was standing tall, his hands behind his back, sunsses on his face as he turned his head slowly with a sly smile on his face. He, too, was searching, searching for her.

    "We find out what they want-"

    "We already know what he wants," A snapped and began descending the nt, still keeping herself within the cover of trees. Damon was in front of her in an instant, growling at her, his eyes shining.

    "DON''T. YOU. DARE. MOVE." Damon growled through the mind-link, and with it, she felt the surge of domineering power crash over her. A struggled against hismand, but his following words were what made her heel. "We need to think smart about our actions. This pack can''t lose you, and we can''t lose the children either."

    With A''s head lowered, she raised her eyes to look past Damon''s colossal form. Ss had walked forwards, showing his hands as though he was talking to an audience. A small crowd of the pack had formed by now, while others protected their young in their homes. The pack created their own semicircle behind the Alpha and Luna, looking down like theke was their amphitheatre and the mountains their backdrop.

    "LUUUUUUNA", Ss shouted in a mocking voice, "Ohhhhh Luuuuuuuunaaa Aiiii!"

    A growl left not only her lips but the other pack members also. Their teeth were bare, almost making the forest vibrate from the impact of the Silver Crescent pack. Until Damon let out a mighty howl of his own. Birds fled their nests, and the small animals of the forest sprinted for cover.

    A watched as he tipped his head back again and howled; the rest of the pack followed, including herself. Her lungs inhaled deeply before her voice; her wolf''s voice came through and let the forest know that the white wolf was among them.

    "Luna."

    "Alpha."

    "King."

    "Princess."

    The pack greeted them, and A felt the surge of power from them ripple through her as she felt the weight of them, her friends and the children below them, on her shoulders.

    Ssughed maniacally, it was low, but they picked up on it with their heightened senses. "Why, I do believe our lovely A is here. What do you think, Clint?" He turned his face to a tall man with short blonde hair slicked back. She could still see the emptiness and bottomless pit of death behind his icy blue gaze from her position.

    He was near the same age as Ss, just as tall, not as broad but lean. If he didn''t look evil or his aura surrounded in darkness that made even his peers'' inch further away from him, A would say he was handsome. He smirked at the boss, but his eyes never wavered from wandering the woods. His eyes brieflynded on her unknowingly, and she suddenly felt cold. There was no humanity inside of him.

    "I''m going to talk normally because you can hear me anyway. I want to make a switch. I have something you want, and you have something I want.." He strolled forwards around one of the hunters who pointed a gun at the middle child. He pulled the hood back from the small child, revealing a brown-haired boy around the age of eight.

    The child''s reddened cheeks were moist from the tears falling down his face. Ss stroked his head and shushed him from his crying. The sound of his cry tugged at A''s heartstrings and made her form bristle that much more.

    But the sound of a woman''s wailing caused her to snap her head to the side, to see a dark-haired woman copsed onto her knees. Her sobs pierced through the silent forest and crowd as she clutched her chest and reached her other hand out towards her child. A man gripped onto her shoulder, but his gaze was hard, his jaw ticking as he looked upon the scene before him.

    A shifted her gaze back to the child, holding back the tears filling her eyes and causing her to swallow past the lump in her throat.

    "I want to make a trade," Ss continued as he didn''t look away from the child, "I think it''s only fair. Four children for the price of one Luna."

    Even though she knew that would be the case, her heart still stopped, and her body froze, as a veil of cold water seemed to pour over her body, and her veins shot icicles through her. Damon instantly growled in response to Ss and to where A''s thoughts were beginning to go.

    A''s icy body seemed to turn to stone as she suddenly started to feel numb. She realised there was no way out of her not going with the hunters. They had the four missing children in front of them as their hostages. There was no Gabriel to swoop her away, and even if there was, she knew he would risk the children''s lives, just like how he did with Chase.

    A automatically took another step forwards, but Damon was in her way again.

    "I said not to move," He barked through to her, but she barged into his shoulder.

    "And I''m not going to be the reason for their deaths!" A retorted with an iciness that made a few wolves behind them step back whining.

    "Let me think!" Damon pleaded in a private mind-link. A stopped and watched Damon pace. For some reason, whenever he sounded more human, not angry or domineering, she seemed to obey him more. But her eyes kept flicking back to the children at theke and to Damon.

    "Fred, shoot him."

    Damon and A snapped their head back to theke at Ss'' words. A took a few steps forwards without any interruptions this time, and a bark left her lips.

    "I said shoot him!" Ss roared to a man at the end of the line. The man, Fred, looked back at his boss with uncertainty.

    "Boss, he''s just a kid. I can''t-"

    A gunshot was fired, making everyone jump and hold their breaths. Clint shot the man in the head, then aimed his gun at the child whose face was still covered.

    "No!" A screamed and escaped her lips as a wolf''s cry.

    Another shot was fired into the back of the child''s head. He fell to the ground next to the dead hunter. Another woman''s cry split through the air, and before anyone could stop her, she sprinted forwards towards her child. Another gunshot echoed through the woods, and she fell to the ground, sobbing and spluttering, her hand still reaching out.

    Clint lowered his gun again, and at that moment, A decided he was another Connor. Her heart was ripping into two at the mother and child on the ground. The woman was still fighting for her life and trying to escape her mate''s hands, but he pulled her away from the clearing. His face is stricken with fury and pain as he, too, looked at his child on the ground.

    "Thank you, Clint," Ss interrupted the rising tension and crying of the parents who were still with fear at their child being next. Clint nodded his head and began wiping his gun down without any emotion on his stone-cold face.

    "Do I need to ask again?!" Ss shouted.

    Suddenly, a ck falcon swooped down and dropped a bag to the floor in front of A. Without needing an exnation, A shifted and searched through the pack for clothes.

    "Hold on!" She screeched out. "I aming!"

    A knew she needed to stayposed, but the panic was rising in her; she needed to do something, anything!

    "What are you doing!?" Damon yanked at her arm, but she ripped it away from him as she pulled a sports bra on to match some shorts before throwing a baggy white top on she presumed was his.

    "I''m buying us time!" A whisper-shouted before her eyes wandered to another naked man a little smaller than Damon strolling towards them. Ajax. He gestured for the bag. His face, for once, was serious. After rummaging through the bag, he pulled on some shorts and crossed his arms against his chest, not bothering with a top.

    A stared back at Damon as Ajax shoved some shorts onto his chest. He caught them but never let his eyes move from her.

    "If we don''t do anything, they will all die. You saw what they just did," A whispered as a single teardrop trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily before going on her tiptoes, her fingers sliding through his locks and crashed her lips into Damon''s. His hands gripped onto her waist, his ws digging in as a growl erupted from his chest. A pulled back with a trembling breath leaving her lips as her eyes flickered between his.

    "I wille down with you," He replied as his eyes kept flickering between glowing and his usual striking orbs.

    "No! They won''t hurt me, but they could to you-"

    "I''ming with you!" Damon growled, and at hismand, Beta Kane, Gamma Chiara, Delta Finn, Ajax and a few other warriors circled them protectively. A relented with pursed lips, hoping and praying to the moon goddess that nothing else will go wrong.

    The group left their spot and walked down to the clearing. A, Damon and Ajax were the only ones in their human form, but they were still regarded with sneers and deadly gazes as they approached the hunters.

 Chapter 146 - The Alphas Plan

    A''s gaze flickered between Ss and Clint; both of them watched only her while the rest of the hunters trained their guns on her small group. She knew without mind-linking them that they were observing their surroundings and every tiny movement of each hunter. But the closer they made it to Ss and the children, the more A''s heart pounded and became too loud for her to bear.

    Even the ufortable feeling of the forest floor, the bark, leaves, and twigs stabbing into the bottom of her feet didn''t take her attention away from her living nightmare. A knew if they didn''te up with a n soon, she would easily trade herself for theirs. Damon''s chest rumbled the growl meant for her, but she kept her gaze ahead.

    "We''ve got this. Our mate is with us this time and our friends. We don''t have to do this alone," Malia spoke softly. Her soothing tone made A''s muscles rx slightly. Yet, her wolf''s words both had a calming and anxious effect on her. Yes, she was with her loved ones, but now Ss could easily use them against her.

    "They are strong and made up their own choice toe down with you," Malia added.

    "Was it their choice? OR because I am their future, Luna?" A asked her.

    Her eyes hardened further when she saw Ss'' lips curve into a sly smile.

    "Don''t question their loyalty. You don''t need to be Luna for them to follow you," Damon''s voice reverberated across her mind. A nced at him, her lips slightly parted, but his burning gaze was dead ahead. She wanted to reach out for his hand but didn''t want to show the hunters how important he was to her. With that thought, she turned her head back to the front.

    "Will a distraction help get the children out of their hands?" Ajax spoke through her mind, pulling Finn into the mind-link as well.

    "What are you suggesting?" A whispered back. She couldn''t help it; even in her thoughts, she didn''t want Ss to hear her. A also reached out in her mind to Damon, making sure he was still listening to her and hoping he could listen to their mind-link. If it didn''t work, then she would only mind-link him the n if it was a good one.

    "I shift into something, maybe the falcon? It''s the quickest animal. I can easily escape.. But while I distract them, you guys grab the kids?" Ajax replied.

    A forced herself not to shake her head. It was hard enough showing that they weren''t mind-linking, let alone showing they were talking to each other. "That won''t work. The guns are pointed at the children. They won''t hesitate to shoot. Plus, they have already seen you, so there''s no surprise attack.." A''s brows drew together as her eyes flickered slightly, trying to figure out what to do.

    But suddenly, she was pulled into a pack mind-link. Damon''s powerful presence already hushed the rising whimpers and cries of the pack. "A and I will go to the hunters as a trade off. Once the children are safe with the pack, we will attack," Damon''s voice rumbled through their minds; his Alpha''s voice surged through all of them, leaving no room for any arguments.

    A nodded her head at this; she was happy with this n but not happy that Damon was going with her. "Damon-"

    "Hush. Like you''ve said before.. We''re a team. If you go, like you''ve been ''secretly'' nning to, then I go too," Damon interrupted, again leaving no room forint. A resisted sighing, she didn''t want him in the line of fire, but she knew all too well that he also wanted her as far away from the hunters as possible. But with the children at stake, there was no choice; they needed to protect them and the pack.

    Ss passed over the brown-haired boy to Clint, who held his gun to the boy''s head, his gaze locked with A''s. She couldn''t help but let a snarl leave her lips, which in return caused Clint to tilt his head and scrutinise her half-naked body. She wished for anything, then and there, to be wearing her leggings and hoody, not shorts and a crop top. He looked like a psychotic scientist looking over a specimen he wished to open up so he could inspect her insides.

    A swallowed past the lump in her throat and tilted her chin higher, regarding him just as coldly. She wanted to rip the child from his grasp and hide him from such a man.

    "So," Ss pped his hands together, gaining their attention now that they were not that far from them. "this is the infamous Alpha of the Silver Crescent pack. Atst, we meet." Ss smiled and tipped his sunsses down his nose slightly, so he could scrutinise the Alpha without shades over his eyes. "Not that impressive, really. I was expecting.. Well.. more."

    His careless words caused the woods to erupt in barking, growls and any creature remaining in the woods to scatter. Ss chuckled, seemingly pleased with the pack''s reaction, even though they were hidden behind the trees. However, his words didn''t affect Damon, his face was impassive, but with a mask so cold, it even made a shiver pass through A.

    But the bond bounced off her, and she could feel he felt in control, Ss'' words rolling off him like he was nothing more than an annoying fly waiting to be squished. But the Alpha could see right through Ss; he was eliciting a reaction from the pack so he could see if they were still there.

    "I hope you aren''t so stupid as to bring the pack down here. Any wrong movement, Alpha.." He then nced at A, "And ¡­ Luna", He mocked, "then they WILL be shot."

    "If anyone is stupid, it is you. You are on OUR territory after all.." A''s voice came out stronger than how she felt. Her words incited the pack to howl altogether, causing some of the hunters to nce around nervously.

    Exactly how she wanted them to be. Nervous.

    Because she was right, they were on their territory; the pack knew it inside and out. Once they make the trade, the hunters will be toast.

    "They''ll be ripped limb from limb," Damon growled through her mind, finishing her thoughts. She couldn''t help but smirk, this lifestyle had drawn out an animalistic side she never knew she had, and after all that had happened, she was now allowing it into her being. As a werewolf, it wasn''t just about having Malia, her wolf, inside of her. But to coincide with this wild, animalistic side of herself that she had unknowingly been battling.

    A was not bothered at all by the deaths of many. And the many more after today.

    "They just murdered a child in front of their parents. There is nothing wrong with wanting them all to burn," Malia interrupted her thoughts.

    "I know," A replied with a deadly tone to her voice. One that made Malia smile.

    Ss smiled at her response, "Oh, A, A, A.. Do we need a repeat of the other day?" He looked around, his arms outwards, pretending to look for something, "It doesn''t look like you have a vampire here to save you this time.. Oh, but even if you did. The blood of these children, like the blood of that child now lying cold on the ground as the stones beneath him, would be on your hands," He said darkly.

    "Enough of the chit chat," Damon voiced, silencing the woods and causing the hunters nearest to look at him with rounded eyes. "We will trade. A and me for the children."

    Ss chuckled, "Silly boy. I do not want you. I just want A."

    Before Damon could negotiate, another gunshot echoed through the woods. A gasped and felt her heart pinch so tightly, she expected it to burst. The wolves went into an uproar. Damon staggered back and held his hand to his left pec, gritting his teeth before growling. Another two shots resounded through the forest, and A felt the next wave of pain ripple through her.

    A chilling scream stilled everything; A didn''t register that it left her lips as her wolf howled in sync with her. All she could see was Damon, her mate, her love tumble to the ground. In a blur to others, she was on the floor in a second. A reached his head before it mmed to the ground.

    Time slowed down around her. The sound of her heart echoed at a slow beat; the movement of her group surrounding them was blurred as she looked into the ce she called home.

    Tears blurred her eyes as she stared deep into the swirling molten silver orbs of her love. He moved his hand to her cheek and caressed it gently, his lips parting to utter words that never came. She shushed him and stroked his cheeks rhythmically. He needed his strength; he couldn''t die. He was strong, so, so strong, stronger than her!

    With tears streaming down her cheeks, A nced down to his chest and could see the blood pouring out from his left pec, where three bullet holes were lodged into him. In those moments, the world could be burning, but she didn''t care.

    The only thing that mattered was her love, her Damon, her Alpha.

 Chapter 147 - The Lunas Rage

    After seeing the bullet holes, A snapped out of her grief; she needed to help him right now. Without looking up to themotion around her or listening to the words, Ss spoke. She immediately lengthened her nails into ws and started digging into Damon''s flesh. Within seconds she pulled out the first silver bullet, dashing it to the side after feeling part of her thumb and index finger sizzling under the silver''s poison.

    The only sounds Damon made were small moans, but he did not move. A could feel through the bond that he was confident in her actions. With her gaze settled on the second wound closer to his armpit, a sudden gunshot rang out and made A snap her eyes up. The sound seemed to speed everything back to normal. Her surroundings became clearer, and the sounds of voices, the wind and the start of raindrops crashing through leaves suddenly rang through her head,ing back to life, reminding her of the situation around her.

    "Get up, A. Or your friends will be next," Ss deadly voice seemed to pierce through her heart, and with it, the overwhelming urge to throttle him to death. A burning rage began to swirl and sizzle through her veins from the pit of her stomach until all she felt was a murderous rage. She looked at Ss; without moving from her position on the ground, she let out a ferocious growl that made some of the hunters take a step back from their position, their hands shaking on their AK47s.

    "If Damon dies, I will make sure that you, your loved ones, even your friends will burn to the fucking ground. You will WISH you had never been born! I will not take orders from you. I will save my mate, and THEN I will switch ces with the children. THIS is on YOU. So, you will wait until I am done." A''s raised voice gradually lowered until the calm, deadly tone sent shivers down their spines.

    A tight-lipped smile formed on Ss'' face, and he gestured for her to proceed, "Of course."

    A was already removing the second bullet before he replied. Even with her temper raging a storm inside her, she stayed calm, her hands still as she flicked the second bullet to the side. She could still hear Damon''s heart beating.

    Malia was very close to the surface. Their mate was dying on theirp after trying to negotiate fairly. Even after everything the hunters already did to their pack. But A kept her at bay; she needed to concentrate on thisst bullet, it was the closest to his heart, and she didn''t have her utensils, her spec.

    "This one might hurt more. I love you," A mind-linked Damon and watched as his half-open eyes blinked, and he nodded his head once.

    "Do it," His breathless reply echoed through her mind.

    Taking a deep breath in, she rxed her tense body and slowly brought her hand back to the bullet wound. With slow precision, her ws of her thumb and index finger entered and gripped onto the bullet. Damon hissed as she quickly pulled it out and watched as Damon''s face paled further. She held her non bloodied hand against his face and kissed his lips softly.

    She could hear the steady rhythm of his heart.

    "I''m okay," He muttered, "thank you."

    A sighed in relief, and she felt her heart lighten from his words. But to be sure, she did a quick once over through the bond to make sure he wasn''t lying. She could feel his pain, but it was bing increasingly less.

    "He''s healing. But it was silver bullets and near the heart.." Malia''s tear-filled voice floated through A''s mind, "it might take him a day to recover. Maybe quicker, he a Steel. But he''s okay now.."

    A couldn''t help the tears trickle down her face and onto his as she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. Her body felt like it was shaking from relief, anger and happiness, but slowly, the rage she felt was bing all-consuming. Damon could have died.

    With those thoughts burning through her mind, she used herst few seconds of peace with Damon in her arms to send orders to the pack, who had been waiting with bated breath on their Alpha''s condition. "The n goes ahead as before. Once the children are safe, we attack. Tommy, Zeke, Jake and Nairi, I want you to take Damon back to the packhouse now."

    "Luna," The pack replied as one to her order.

    "Be careful," Damon muttered to her, "make use of your Beta, Gamma, Delta and.." He sighed with a grimace, "and Ajax." His voice was low in her mind, but it stirred her on that much more. She kissed him again before looking for one of the warriors.

    As they approached them, the hunters pointed their guns at the new werewolves in their human forms.

    "They are collecting their Alpha. Once he is out of sight, then I wille with you," A stated. Her voice didn''t leave any room for argument, which made Ss'' face drop even more. A could tell he was not used to being ordered around, especially by a ''mutt''. She wanted to smirk, but every time she looked at him, or Clint, who she presumed was the one to shoot her mate, she wanted nothing more than to rip their faces off.

    Which was stupid. A''s eyes wandered to the remaining children, who were still hooded, their hands tied together in front of them. She needed to be smart and get them back to the pack; she could kill Ss after. Malia instantly agreed with a growl of her own.

    A watched as Damon was lifted by the warriors, standing as she did so and asked ten more to go with them as extra protection. She didn''t think there were any more hunters on their territory, but she didn''t care; her mate was injured, and it could very well be a part of their n. Ss obviously knew they were mated and knows that Damon woulde after her immediately if something went wrong and she was, in fact, taken by them.

 Chapter 148 - The Trade

    A turned her head back to Ss; her concerned looked turned to one of a sour grape in her mouth. But she quicklyposed herself, letting a hard mask fall in ce. Ss raised his hand up and beckoned her forward as though she would ce her hand in his. A scoffed and walked halfway, asking Chiara, Kane and Finn toe forwards for the remaining children.

    "Let them go now," She said sternly. "And I wille the rest of the way."

    "How about we do this at the same time? That seems fair, doesn''t it?" Ss smirked after watching her burning gaze try and melt him.

    A nodded once, and the hunters whose guns were pointed at the back of the children''s heads pulled the hoods back so they could see. The remaining two blonde-haired girls looked at their surroundings bleary-eyed, and the brown-haired boy was the first to start walking after Ss'' encouragement. With their pace slow, the children walked forward, the hunters still behind them as A walked closer to them.

    A assessed the two girls quickly, gently moving their chins to the side and checking their eyes before growing her ws and cutting the rope around their wrists. This was followed promptly by the brown-haired boy''s wrists being unbound.

    "Go on, it''s okay, you''re safe," A softly spoke and watched as they rushed past her and into the arms of her friends.

    "Take them to their parents immediately," She ordered through a mind-link. A didn''t need to know the specifics if they would order someone else or not; she just needed them safe and to end this once and for all.

    Guns were instantly pointed at her, and two of the hunters came forward, grabbing her by her arms. "There''s no need to hold onto me. I am willingly.. well, I amplying." She ripped her arms out of their hold and marched forward with her head held high, her eyes solely focused on Ss and Clint. Clint seemed to make her more nervous than Ss like he was barely stable, he did not move, but his eyes spoke volumes. Eyes that she had to look away from immediately now that she was closer to him.

    "Ajax.." A breathed through the mind-link. After staring into the eyes of a monster, fear was starting to kick in. But herposure never faltered in front of them, "I want you in the sky. They are distracted by me at the moment. I want you to check if there are any more."

    She didn''t want her pack attacking if they were just going to be ambushed. There were sixty-five of them, and her pack was big, but she didn''t want it turning into a blood bath. They still had guns that could kill many with their silver bullets.

    "On it," Ajax replied quickly.

    "A. You never cease to amaze me. Now, this wasn''t so bad.." Ss smiled and ced his hand on the lower part of her back, steering her towards the mountains. "I do hope you have been smart and not ordered an attack on us. That would mean us killing off your beloved Chase.." He continued in a sing-song voice.

    A''s head whipped to the side and looked up at Ss rxed face. His shades his eyes from her, but she knew he wasn''t bluffing. To make things clearer for her, he reached his hand out to the side, and Clint ced a phone in his hand. He pressed a button, and A''s face paled as she saw Chase on the screen from the video call.

    He was sitting in a dark room, his mouth gagged, hands bound, and his body covered in sweat, blood and bruises. The ck shirt he had on was ripped away from him, only staying on around his shoulders, showing off some new knife wounds that screamed to be cared for on his ripped body. He had been torture with a de, not just being beaten up.

    The picture made her feel sick. How could Ss do this to his son?

    "A, I found the hunters cars in the mountains. There''s a van as well. When I checked, it was heavily guarded. They seemed to be the only other hunters that are here. But when I got closer to the van.. I could smell blood. There''s someone in there.." Ajax mind-linked her. His words made her rx slightly, but Chase''s picture did not. She removed her eyes from the screen and looked off towards the mountains they were walking to. Was Chase in that van?

    While her thoughts were trying to form another n, and her pack waited patiently for her to tell them when to attack, her eyesnded on a figure that sent a chill down her spine. He stood so casually, his long white hair blowing in the breeze. The designer suit he wore, looking very misced, considering where he was and the situation. Where the hell did Gabriel keeping from?

    Her question floated away quickly as the clouds finally let loose the rain that had been bottled up, cascading heavily on top of them. But her eyes never wavered from Gabriel''s, whose face was rigid, expressionless and unwilling to help. Except for a single brow rising up as if to say, ''I told you so.'' He then moved his head ever so slightly to the side, gesturing to her toe to him. But it was such a tiny movement she wasn''t sure if she imagined it.

    He waved his hand, and she suddenly heard his soft, cold voice whisper in her mind, "Come with me now, A. They wille back, even if you killed Ss. There will always be a recement."

    A didn''t reply to his words or question how he could speak to her like he was a werewolf. She put it down to him being a royal vampire. She turned her head to Ss and nodded her head in response.

    "Nothing will happen. You have my word." Even with her words said, she still couldn''t help but cross her fingers by her side. The side he could not see, of course.

    "Excellent. I have decided that you will still get a nice room, like before.." Ss began chatting happily as though he was not just part of a hostage situation. His hand pushed into her back more, urging her forwards.

    "What are you doing?" Gabriel''s voice ripped through her mind, sending an iciness down her body from his aggressiveness.

    ''I''m keeping everyone safe, Gabriel. Not just my pack, but Chase as well.'' A knew he could read minds and nced at his stony features before she continued forwards.

    "Fuck! I''ll get the filthy human. I''ll get Chase. A, if you go with them, that''s it. You won''t being back. They will hide you better, and Damon won''t find you. Your pack WON''T find you!" Gabriel''s stone-cold voice pleaded, making A swallow past the lump forming in her throat.

    She looked back at the wolves only she and her kind could see and to her friends who were standing in anticipation. Their bodies tense.

    "Where are the children?" She mind-linked Chiara.

    "Safe," Came her blunt reply. She shifted her body slightly, the only tell-tale sign that she was anxious.

    A looked for Gabriel, but he was already gone. The next tense minutes were silent until some gunshots erupted through the mountains, echoing back to them. A heard it before the humans and instantly sent a pack mind-link.

    "CHARGE!"

 Chapter 149 - Cassius: Part One

    Cassius left after hearing A''s thoughts. She had a few ns up her sleeve, each falling under if the first n, or second n or third did not work. He admired her for such a young Queen; he did not expect much when he firstid eyes on her.

    But this also meant he had to change his ns and rescue a pathetic human before he could take her half willingly and going through with the rest of his n. The hunters were also bing bothersome, and he needed her stronger to be what she was meant to be. What Amelia had nned for her bloodline to be.

    He zipped past some trees, his feet barely touching the wet, muddy ground as his feet were too quicknding on the soil before lifting up again in his supernatural sprint. His mind was running with him; a thousand thoughts a minute, ns, schemes and things he had learnt over thest few days drummed through his mind. Cassius could slow his mind down if he wished, but he would be with the hunters in the mountains soon, and so he let it run its course.

    After he initially left A with the pack, he stayed to observe the aftermath of such an event when the hunters were therest time. The blood in the air was so strong, he thought he would cave into his urges and feed, but he was stronger than most and wouldn''t stoop so low as to feed off a hunter or a werewolf. His tastes were more refined than that. The werewolves he drank fromst time left such a disgusting taste in his mouth, he had to feed elsewhere after.

    Cassius had been staying on the pack territory for days. He found a cave that smelt unusually like A mixed with another scent. Cassius guessed she had stayed there the night he met her.

    In that time of the pack mourning, he watched from a distance. He saw the two hunters, Clint and Mase, camping nearby along with the hunters lying in wait outside of the pack''s territory. He knew the children were missing, but like how the hunters were using them as a tool to get A, he also used the hunters and the children as a means to help himself.

    Cassius used his time smartly and read the mind of the hunter''s Clint and Mase. After one minute of reading Mase''s, he found the man to be useless. However, with Clint, he considered the idea of using the psycho to his benefit, but that quickly left his mind when Clint started visualising cutting a de into A''s skin. He was not a man to be easily manipted. He knew once he left them that they would not do anything until after the funeral, and so he left them swiftly without sinking his fangs into them.

    When he left the estate, and the pack''s territory, that was when he saw the hunters. But, he knew their ns and passed them by so he could go back to his penthouse a few hours away and dress for the asion. He liked to look his best, no matter what.

    The pack''s territory was the biggest, evenpared to his kingdom and the other Alpha King''s pack territory. This was magnificent. Even past the estate and the acres ofnd A had, the mountains,kes, other viges, towns and cities nearby were run by them.

    Unlike A, who was still learning about her pack, Cassius knew a lot more. He knew the clubs and bars they owned, the shops, the restaurants, hotels, everything in their territory was owned by the Silver Crescent pack. Damon Steel and now, A Cross. Although, technically, it was hers before it was ever Damon''s. If they weren''t mates, their story would be very different, and there would be more than one war on her hands.

    But.. he grimaced; they were mates. Which may make what he wanted to do harder. Although, Amelia was the first to prove in history that mates weren''t everything.

    Cassius shook his head again; he was going off track. The image of A in front of theke surrounded by the hunters next to Ss shed across his mind. And worry filled his chest at leaving her.

    A is a Cross. She is fine!

    He pushed his thoughts aside as he jumped andnded elegantly on top of the highest tree trunk near the four hunters surrounding the van. His mind switched into one of a predator. His lips curved into a smirk as he leaned away from the tree, only holding on by one hand.

    Should I y with them or get rid of them quickly?

    Cassius tilted his head one way and then the other. Sighing, he knew already he couldn''t have his fun. With those thoughts ingrained in his mind, he leapt off the tree and arrived next to the first hunter. Grabbing him by the head, he jolted his hands and snapped his neck with a sickening crunch before the man knew what was even happening to him.

    Without ncing at the body falling to the ground, he punched the next guy in the face, again hearing a crunching sound but from his skull breaking under his steely hand. He died within seconds before hended on his back a few feet away. Cassius jumped over the roof of the van, and the remaining two knew something was wrong and blindly started spraying bullets with their AK47s. Cassius rolled his eyes. Gone were the days of sword fights where there was honour in a kill, and now he fought goons who clung onto their guns like frightened children.

    More like killed the goons. They had no chance. They didn''t even know where he was; he was just a blur moving too quickly before them. Cassiusnded on top of one of them and bit his fangs into his neck before ripping a lump of flesh away, slicing open the carotid artery, his favourite to drink from. But it also meant an agonising death for him.

    Cassius shrugged and side flipped off the hunter, who fell to the ground clutching at his neck that squirted with blood. He spun on his heel and dodged a bullet thest hunter tried to shoot him with. It would never kill him, but he was wearing a limited edition Armani suit, and it would mean buying a new one. Money was no issue, but it was his favourite, and there were only three others in the world.

    His mind was consumed with buying the remaining suits or just finding the designer to create more for him while he grabbed the hunters gun and flew it to the ground before grinning evilly at him, showing him his fangs. The man''s face paled at the realisation of what he was. Cassius was delighted in his reaction and plunged his hand into the man''s chest, grabbing onto his heart and squeezing slightly. He tilted his head to the side as he watched the confusion and fear on the man''s face about his gruesome death.

    The hunter struggled to breathe as Cassius decided he would find that designer and get him to make a bunch of limited edition suits made only for him. He clenched his hand by ident, and the heart burst in the man''s chest. Cassius blinked before sighing and pulled his hand back out, wiping it on the handkerchief he took out from his pocket.

 Chapter 150 - Cassius: Part Two

    Cassius blinked before sighing and pulled his hand back out from the man''s chest, wiping it on the handkerchief he took out from his pocket.

    He became too excited and made the hunter''s death quicker than he wanted. His favourite move was to pull the heart out still beating and show it to the person it belonged to before it dropped to the ground. Licking his lips, he grimaced at the taste of their blood on his tongue and wiped his mouth with the handkerchief. Every time he helped A, he was drinking such poor blood; the only thing he could say about it was that they stayed in good shape, making it taste better than most humans.

    It is true what the humans say. You are what you eat. He could tell from the taste of their blood what a human''s life choices were. It made the blood taste different, and after years of living, he could differentiate between who he liked to drink from the most. As long as it was fresh, though, he shouldn''t reallyin. This time he only grimaced because the man had a beer not too long beforehand, making his blood taste odd.

    Throwing his handkerchief on the ground, he straightened his suit out and snarled irritably as he held out the bottom part of his suit jacket. There was a hole in it. He managed not to get blood down himself this time, but that jerk shot a hole in his suit!

    He whipped his head to the side, and with it, his hair became dishevelled.

    Gunshots were firing now from A''s direction. Cassius clicked his tongue from the sound and nced at the remaining man still alive on the ground. His brows raised at the hunter, who still pressed his hand on his throat.

    He was impressed. The human was still alive and even dyed his death by pressing on his wound in the hopes of clotting the blood. Cassius smirked. Poor sod.

    The only thing it did was slow down his death. That artery was the main one that sent oxygen to the brain. It was also one of his favourites to drink from, along with the femoral artery in the groin. But that was only when he drank from a beautiful woman in his bed.

    Within a blink of an eye, Cassius suddenly stood next to him, making the man nce at him a second toote as he yanked his hand away from the wound and watched the remaining seconds of him bleed out. The vampire licked his lips at the waste, but he would dine on something fancier in the evening. He stood back up again, flicked his hair behind him, straightened his suit once more, and was reminded again when he felt the frayed fabric on his highly expensive suit.

    With his mood dwindling to pure annoyance, Cassius marched over to the other side of the van and ripped the door from its hinges, flicking it to the side as though it weighed as light as a feather. There inside of it was the boy or man named Chase. The stupid human that caused A not once but twice to go to the hunters.

    He honestly couldn''t understand how she would trade her life for his. Surely, her instinct should be to save herself first before anyone else''s, but she was raised as a human, brought up with a conscience, and even then, if she was brought up in a pack, he didn''t expect anything less. A really wasn''t Amelia, and he was still trying to decide if he liked that or not. At least with A, he knew she had a heart. He couldn''t quite locate Amelia''s.

    Cassius nced at Chase''s face. He had long passed out, he didn''t even move his head from the sounds of the gunshots going off, nor the door pulled off from the van. His heart beat steadily as he slept off the beating from the hunters. Cassius searched the van, finding tools used for torture lying on the ground of the van, ready for the young hunter. He swiftly got in next to him and yanked the chains away from Chase'' wrists and ankles.

    With a sigh, Cassius looked down at his suit and back to one of the SUV''s. Within seconds he had removed his jacket, ced it in the car, turned the ignition on, returned to Chase, picked him up and flung him across the back seat. He assessed Chase''s torso and the knife wounds; his eyes then narrowed when he saw the hunter''s tattoo on his wrist.

    It was still there, but the skin had been burned. The flesh was left with a newly untreated burn that made the emblem of the hunters association smeared and nearly unrecognisable. But it was recognisable to those who knew what it looked like.

    With another sigh leaving the vampire''s lips, he rolled his eyes at what A was making him do and bit into his hand before letting a few drops of his blood fall into Chase''s mouth.

    "Enjoy the high. It''s the purest form of vampire blood," Cassius muttered before mming the car door behind him. His hand was already healed as he leaned against the car, impatiently waiting as he tapped his shoe on the ground. He listened to the sounds of the fighting on the other side of the mountain.

    He looked back into the car with a bored and unimpressed expression as Chase started to splutter and gasp. The cuts on his chest healed up nicely, hisplexion slowly came back to life, the burn on his wrist disappeared, and the young hunter was left with the blissful high of Cassius'' vampire blood in his system. A smirk formed on the vampire''s face as he watched Chase''s eyes flicker from side to side under his closed eyelids and his mouth gape open.

    If he had a regr vampire''s blood in his system, it wouldn''t affect him as much, but Cassius was not an ordinary vampire; he was a pure-blood, and not any pure-blooded vampire but one of the highest calibre. So, Chase did not need more than three drops of his blood to help heal him or send him off his rocker for a few hours.

    Cassius began to pace and listened out for any signs of A. The gunshots and wolves fighting them sounded more urgent, making him think about returning to her. But he wasn''t a hero, and he never tried pretending to be one, nor should she think of him as one.

    The hunters would never hurt her because of her blood and the monsters they wanted to create from it. So Cassius leaned against the car again and waited with his zing thoughts and the rain that pelted down.

    He finished his task in less than five minutes, and now, it wouldn''t be long until he had A in his grasp and he could set his n in motion.

 Chapter 151 - Plan A

    From the Luna''smand, the pack charged, sprinting around theke in their wolf forms and colliding with the hunters. Once the first wolf was seen, the hunters aimed their guns and started shooting. The sounds of gunshots filled the air and the wolves'' growls that followed it.

    Bloody chaos ensued.

    In the middle of the hunters, A didn''t waste any time. She punched Ss in the face and slipped her other arm out of his reach. She was unable to feel fully satisfied with such a strike, though, because he, Clint and some other hunters were on her in seconds. They came prepared to take down the Luna and pulled out syringes, silver chains, knives and of course, their guns were pointed at her.

    This didn''t stop her, though. A and Malia were past the point of no return. Not only did they kidnap children, but they also killed one and almost killed Damon. She felt feral as the bubbling rage that nearly consumed her came crashing to the surface and surged through her body in waves.

    She acted on instinct. They wouldn''t shoot to kill, only to injure. Which, after assessing their guns, she knew they would find hard to do with assault rifles. Her eyes glowed, and within ten seconds, she had taken out five of the hunters. A didn''t even know what she did; they were just on the ground unmoving. She hadn''t even used her ws or shifted.

    A''s eyesnded on Ss once more. She stalked towards Ss. Her eyes locked with his, unwavering, unblinking as she was fixated on her lust for his blood to spill on the earth. A growl rumbled from her chest, and she let her ws grow out.

    "Nobody hurts our mate and gets away with it," Malia snapped, ripping through A''s mind and out loud for Ss to hear. Their voices had merged into a tone so deadly, she noticed out of the corner of her eyes, one of her wolves whimper before tearing into a hunter''s flesh.

    Ss sighed and shook his head, "A.. I know what you are thinking.."

    "No, you don''t-"

    The end of a small handgun was ced on the back of her head, stopping her from talking further. A nced back and saw Clint watching her, his eyes cold and calcting. A turned, so the gun was ced on her forehead; she was not afraid. In fact, A was sensing a little d¨¦j¨¤ vu from the time Connor aimed his gun at her. But this time, she knew even as she stared into the dark depths of Clint''s cold eyes, he wouldn''t pull the trigger.

    He was a smart man, she sensed that, but not smart enough.

    A smacked the gun away and kicked him in the groin instantly, causing him to hurl over just in time for her to punch him in the face, which made him copse to the ground unconscious. She grabbed his gun, spun around and pointed it at Ss.

    "Kill him," Malia urged.

    Her finger moved on the trigger, but she did not pull on it; it hovered as she watched a sly smile form on his features.

    "What are you doing? Kill him!" Malia growled.

    "If we kill him, he will just be reced.." She muttered back the words Gabriel spoke earlier to her wolf. "At least with Ss, we know who we are dealing with."

    Three wolves jumped forwards on her sides; they defended her back from more hunters who had been trying to close in on her. A nced at them and noticed immediately they were her pack leaders. Chiara''s ck wolf barrelled into a hunter and snapped her jaws into his neck, Finn''s grey wolf chased off four hunters, and Kane''s golden wolf tackled down another hunter who released a few bullets into him as the wolfnded on top of him.

    A stilled and looked at him again after hearing a whimper. He''d ripped the hunter''s head off, but he staggered to the side. The bullets appeared to have grazed his side, but A didn''t want him risking any more. He was still in recovery, and this certainly wasn''t helping.

    "Kane," A ripped through a mind-link. The crackling power surged from her stomach and through the mind-link as her eyes glowed, "Go back to the packhouse. Clean yourself up. Look after Damon."

    "A, I''m fine. I''m your second. I can''t leave you.." Kane tried resisting hermand.

    With her gun still pointed at Ss, she whipped her head to the side and sent a bolt of her power through him, "And I want you with our Alpha. Are you resisting my ORDER?!"

    "No, Luna!" Kane immediately caved, and she looked back at Ss after hearing his paws pelt through the ground, sshing through some of the puddles as he took down hunters while he left. A nearly rolled her eyes but felt better after sending him away.

    "What will you do now, A?" Ss raised his hands out, showing his wingspan and with it, showing off howrge he really was for a human.

    "Look around you.. Your pack are dying because of you. I''ve ordered my men to kill Chase.. Because of you.."

    A clenched her teeth together but couldn''t help but feel the weight of his words. She knew Chase was fine; he had to be, Gabriel said he would take care of it, and so far, he hadn''t failed her. But, she didn''t need to look around to know that her pack had at least lost another twenty wolves. The hunters came prepared for war. They had machine guns!

    She could smell her people''s blood staining the ground around her.

    Hollie''s face shed before her eyes, then the near-death of Nairi and Kane, Damon''s pain still radiated through her from where he was shot.

    All of this was the hunters pursuing her. She couldn''t stay with her pack; it wasn''t safe for any of them.

    "Come with me now, and this will all end." Ss took a step forwards, causing her heart to pound against her chest erratically.

    "Retreat," A mind-linked, the pack. Her voice was soft, notmanding, but not hopeless either.

    "A?" Chiara and Finn both mind-linked her at the same time. Chiara was closest, and Finn was nearer the mountains after chasing the hunters.

    "Finn, stay hidden. Stay safe."

    "Luna," He whined, but she could feel his submission immediately.

    "Chiara, take the pack, keep them safe-"

    "That wasn''t part of the n!" Chiara growled as she stepped closer to her.

    Ss chuckled after watching some of the wolves retreat and others looking confused, whipping their heads to and from the Gamma and Luna.

    "I''m doing what is best for this pack!" A snapped aloud and let her shining crystal blue eyesnd on the ck wolf whose fur was bristling in anger. "Trust me," A whispered softly through the mind-link to her as she stared into Chiara''s amber eyes. She whimpered and lowered her head in submission.

    The Gamma turned abruptly and barked at the remaining wolves. A saw some limp away while others were lying on the ground, panting injured along with their dead friend''s or mates. She felt her chest cave in at the sight and snapped her eyes back to Ss. The gun she held was still pointed at him and was not about to lower it, not until her pack was safe.

    "Chiara," She whispered through their private mind-link once more. A''s gaze stayed on Ss while she spoke to her. The Gamma didn''t reply, and A knew she was finding it hard to go against her instinct to protect her Luna, but the pack also needed protecting. "Tell Damon I had to do it, tell him I love him and to trust me."

    There was no response, but she knew the Gamma would ry her message to him. A could feel him through the bond, the bond that tugged at her to go to him. But she ignored it. Their pack came first.

    Their retreat, though, didn''t mean the hunters had won. No, A just changed her n. One that didn''t involve the ughter of everyone. As much as she wanted to rip Ss'' face off, Gabriel''s words kepting back to her, and she needed to y the next part smart.

    With her gun still pointed at Ss, she raised her voice, "Move!"

    Ss chuckled, "Well done, A, you are now officially outnumbered. You don''t have any authority here. Just put the gun down, and you won''t get hurt."

    A tilted her head to the side, "Yet, I''m the one pointing a gun at your head. Your men won''t kill me, and I can deal with a little pain. Now, MOVE!"

    Ss shook his head and turned around, telling his men to lower their weapons. She followed behind him and made sure to keep her distance from the man; otherwise, he would do exactly what she did to Clint. And she would be useless unconscious. They walked slowly into the mountainside, the clear path leading to where A presumed the cars were.

    The wind picked up as the rain died down, making A suddenly shiver from theck of action to keep her warm. Her hair and body were drenched in water, but she held the gun steady on Ss.

    "What''s your grand n next, A? You shoot me, then take everyone out?" Ss turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye.

    "Something like that," A muttered. She was not about to tell him what her n was.

    "Do you know what the n is?" Malia asked.

    Before A could answer her wolf, she felt a sharp pain stab into the lower part of her back. She gasped and flung her head back. A man''s hand wrapped around her neck and slowly crushed her airways.

    "Drop the gun, A."

    Her eyes flickered to the man''s face, who was now next to hers so intimately. Clint twisted the silver knife in her back, causing her eyes to water and instantly drop the gun.

 Chapter 152 - Plan X?

    The pain shot through A''s back, feeling as though she was being stabbed with loads of pins along with burning her skin from the silver. Clint''s hand was around her throat, but she could easily get out of his grip. A knew there was a possibility that her n would go wrong.

    She just wanted her pack safe and worry about herself after. But she also hoped to get to their cars first, but it was fine. She just didn''t expect to be stabbed.

    A hissed from the pain radiating from her lower back and heard her wolf begin to whine in her mind. She needed that thing out of her. Otherwise, her strength would go, and she''d be in big trouble.

    The main thing was that they didn''t inject her with wolfsbane, which was bing very likely as she watched Ss turn and smile at her before ordering one of his men to get a syringe from the car. The hunter jogged ahead of them, and A felt her heart spike again; the cars weren''t that far then. She instantly elbowed Clint in the stomach and hissed again as she felt him pull the knife to the side with him and his hand on her throat tighten.

    A turned her head to the side and looked at Clint. "Per-leeease," She mocked breathlessly, "Connor was much better at beating the shit out of me." Without wasting any more time, she headbutted Clint before extending her nails and stabbing him in the face.

    "Ah!" He let go of her, and A pulled the knife out before dashing to the side out of reach from the hunters. Her adrenaline was pumping through her veins as she began picking up speed; otherwise, she was sure her wound would be affecting her more. It was silver after all, and thest time it was wrapped around her ankles and wrists, it made her tired and the area itch. Before she sprinted even quicker and shifted, A stopped before running around one of the boulders where the path went. Turning on her heel, she checked to see if they were chasing her and smiled when she saw Ss also running.

    But her smile dropped, and her brows drew together when she saw his face split into a broad smile. And to the side of him was an outraged Clint, whose eyes seemed to burn two holes into hers while his right cheek bled from where she used her ws.

    "Ooft!"

    A was tackled to the ground by the very hunter who left to get the syringe. He stood up and pushed his foot into her wound, causing her to grit her teeth and hold back a scream from the pain. But instead of giving in to her pain and wanting to curl up, she mped her legs onto his. And started a wrestling move Chiara taught her to get her opponent to the ground. But the hunter anticipated it and jumped out of it before her hold was too strong.

    This gave her enough time to twist and widen her eyes at the syringe in his hands. Her attention then snapped to his protective vest, and it showed four vials of the liquid. Her quick assessment led her to believe that he had it all along, and it was a trick, as though Ss anticipated her move. But before he could grab hold of her, a ck bird, no, a falcon attacked him and transformed into a panther.

    A jumped up and spun around. The hunters pointed their guns at the panther, so she blocked their view of Ajax, who was ripping the hunter to shreds.

    "What''s the n?" Ajax mind-linked her.

    "Find Gabriel, go with him!" She ordered through the mind-link.

    "What about you?" The panther roared but stayed behind her; he knew she was protecting him.

    "Ajax, they can use you to get to me. GO!"

    Ajax grumbled through their link but ran in the direction she wanted to go to as well. A started jogging the same route as him and watched as Ajax shifted into his human form after scaring Gabriel. As she listened to Ajax interact with Gabriel, a different n started to form in her mind while she was being shot at.

    Initially, she wanted to jump in the car with them and drive away from the pack, letting the hunters follow them. But they could easily shoot at the tires, and all of them would be caught. There were still so many hunters left, it would be impossible to keep escaping them.

    Not only was it her they would be taking back, but the others too. She forgot Ajax was still in the sky, and even if she did order him to do something, he wasn''t a werewolf. Her power didn''t work on him.

    A didn''t like using her Alpha''s voice, but she would protect those that she loved. A blinked as she ducked swiftly, turning her head back to look at the hunters chasing her; Clint shot another one of his own, most likely the one who nearly shot her in the back of her head.

    But A faced the front again, ignoring them; she wasn''t even sprinting full speed so they could see her still. That was it; her new n was in motion. She seemed to skip ns B and C, which somehow merged into n D? Or was it now n E? A had no idea. All she knew was that she was set on what to do now.

    Gabriel turned his head in her direction, and she saw his face harden.

    ''Go now! Before they see you!''

    Gabriel mmed the door behind Ajax but walked towards her, his fists by his side.

    "I''ll meet up with you after," She mind-linked Ajax and knew Gabriel heard her.

    He stopped, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. A was urging him to go while she was still jogging towards him. Her eyes glowed, and he swore under his breath.

    Gabriel abruptly turned, and in a blink of an eye, he was in the car and speeding through the mountains. The wheels squealed in the distance, and as the car left her sight, she sprinted around the remaining cars. Hiding behind the van so the hunters could catch up.

 Chapter 153 - Plan Z

    A''s back was to the van. She leaned against it and hissed from stretching her back and feeling the sharp edge go into her wound. She felt the area and pulled her hand back at the raw sting of her hand touching it. The wound needed pressing into-

    "A bloody bandage would help. That''s not going to heal any time soon if we are doing what I think we are doing!" Malia interrupted her thoughts. But A ignored her; there were more pressing matters.

    "Finn, I know you''re here.. I need you to catch up to the others.."

    "I''m your Delta. I''m not going anywhere," Finn snapped back. She didn''t know where he was, but he did well staying hidden.

    "Finn, I can''t have you getting caught. Like Chase, you will be used as a hostage-"

    "Luna.. A. What happens if you get caught?" Finn growled through the mind-link.

    "I won''t," A replied stubbornly.

    "You are already injured!"

    A searched her surroundings for Finn but still couldn''t find him. She had been pressing her hand against her back while she waited, grimacing as she did so. He either could see her now or saw what happened earlier.

    "Finn," She snapped back and started to feel her stomach tighten in anticipation of her Alpha powers spurring to life again. "I am much faster than you and anyone else. I''m going to let them chase me, and then I will lose them. Find the others, join them or go to the packhouse. Now, do as I say!"

    Hermand sted through to him, and he instantly replied, "Luna!"

    Now she knew Finn was away; she didn''t stay in hiding and emerged to see the hunters were but a meter from the first SUV. The van was the furthest away.

    Ss pped his hands as though he was apuding her. "I must say, I didn''t expect that shapeshifter to turn up, but now you''re all alone.. Do I really need to wrap some chains around you to keep you subdued? Or will youe to us, your tail between your legs.."

    Clint smirked next to him, but she couldn''t help her own smirk crawl up her face. "Ss.. Did you really expect me toe to you willingly?" A widened her stance slowly, something none of the hunters noticed except Clint, whose eyes scrutinised her, making her nearly recoil and feel sick.

    Ss stepped forward, his hands fisted by his sides, "ENOUGH!" He roared. His voice made her flinch, sending a jolt of fear through her, reminding her of the time spent in the cell. Ss started walking towards her with Clint by his side, who held some chains in his hands, looking at her like she was a new toy.

    "A"

    "A¡­"

    "AILA!" Malia screamed through her mind. A had stilled in fear, like a deer in headlights. But her wolf brought her back to the present, and A smirked again.

    "Sorry, mate, but I don''t take orders from anyone. If you want me..e and get me!" She raised her voice before turning away and instantly shifting. Though it took longer than expected, and it was excruciating. Her wound in her back was still yet to heal correctly, and the silver must have slowed it down like how wolfsbane acted.

    As soon as A saw her snout growing before in front of her eyes, she set off. Her paws started pounding against the wet earth; she didn''t know where she was going, but it was as far away as possible. Just as she was beginning to think of where to lead the hunters, Ajax mind-linked her.

    "Do you know where Chester is?"

    A looked around, wondering how he could still mind-link her. Then she looked up to the skies and saw a falcon flying near the peaks of the mountains.

    "Yes," She replied.

    "It''s not too far, maybe two days away if you kept running throughout the night. Can you do that?" Ajax asked again.

    "I''ll be fine." A looked back after hearing the sounds of engines roaring through the mountains behind her. She kept her speed to that of an average werewolf''s so as not to lose the hunters just yet.

    "I''ll be here with you the whole time.. Although it was quite hard getting Gabriel to agree.. I swear he is more stubborn than he was in the cells-"

    "Ajax. It''s not safe for you to be with me," A interrupted as she picked up her pace again after feeling the heat of a bulletnd just behind her back paw.

    Shit!

    Her back was throbbing already from the running, but her motivation at keeping everyone safe was stronger than that of a stupid knife wound.

    "I mean, it fricken hurts, A," Malia moaned.

    "Yeah.. I know.." A rolled her eyes.

    Ajax interrupted her little conversation with her wolf. "I''ll be in the sky and only swoop in when you need help. I can guide you on where to go as well.. Oh my! Like I''m your personal sat nav! Like toggle maps, but instead, it''s Ajax maps! Turn left¡­ make a U-Turn!"

    A shook her head at theughter from her wolf and Ajax trying to lighten her mood. The further she was getting away from the pack, the tighter her chest felt. It wasn''t the pack causing her heart to pinch and the tears to fall from her eyes. It was her mate.

    Damon.

    A was getting further away from him even as she felt his anger, his crushing sadness at her leaving and the pain he was still feeling. She had blocked him from her mind so she could concentrate and so he couldn''t tell she was injured. But from the waves of emotions rolling through her, he certainly knew now, and he was seething.

    ".. It could be a little road trip, minus a few bumps in the road and the asional gunshot. Ha!"

    While her heart was breaking, Ajax was still chatting away to her as though she was not being chased by an angry group of hunters.

    This was going to be a long couple of days.

    BANG! BANG!

    "Pay attention, A!" Malia roared through her mind. A muttered about Ajax distracting her with his consistent chatter but leapt down from a boulder and changed direction.

    She was leading them away, but it didn''t mean she would put up with the gunshots. They might actually hit her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her legs going just as quick as she made it out of the mountains and ran through the fields following them.

    A howl erupted in the distance, making the earth shake beneath her paws, and she found herself stopping and looking back. Even as the cars in the distance came closer, A looked to the mountains and tilted her head back, crying back to her mate as she looked to the sky. It was the longest howl she had released so far; she hoped Damon could hear her plea to stay safe and that she loved him.

    Her head lowered, and she turned her back on the mountains, her pack and her mate. The weight of her choice crushed her chest, and already she could feel the burning sensation of her mark.

 Chapter 154 - Hunted: Part One

    [ Music Rmendation: Game of survival by Ruelle ]

    **

    The white wolf sprinted through the depths of another forest. Her paws pounded against the ground in sync with her heart as her breath came out ragged. Her legs ached; her lungs burned along with the non-stop shooting pains rippling through her body from where she had been stabbed. But her mind was stronger than her body, the love she felt for her mate, and her pack was stronger than a wound robbing her of her strength.

    Each time A was in pain, she reminded herself of the consequences of being caught. All of the pack''s losses, all of their attempts to keep her safe, protected, would have been in vain. Damon''s injuries¡­ A whimper left her mouth as she was reminded of the three bullets she removed from his chest. Two inches closer to the left, and he would have been hit in the heart... Her eyes filled with tears again, but she shook her head. Anytime she thought of him, her mark burned, and her chest tightened at the distance between them.

    "We are doing it for him," Malia cried.

    Those five words had been uttered to her each time A was lost in thought about their mate. This helped her not to lose focus on their goal. Though it was hard on both of them, the mark and the bond weren''t making it easy on top of her spiralling emotions.

    But her wolf was right, and she urged herself on as she whipped past some bushes, their leaves scratching at the side of her face from her speed. From what she could see of the skies from the thick foliage of the forest, it was bing darker. She had been running for ages but was unaware of how long for. At the moment, it didn''t matter. As long as they were following her away from the others, then she would notin.

    The hunters were still on her tail as she nned them to be. Though Ajaxst reported them to be half a mile behind her, that was an hour beforehand. A had been running through fields, muddy terrain, forests and only asionally showing herself near the roads, so she did not lose the hunters.

    But after a few close calls and nearly being shot, A, picked up her speed and lost Ajax an hour prior. Even with his speed as a falcon, it was no match to hers. However, they kept in contact via mind-link; luckily, the vast radius between them didn''t stop them from keeping in touch. A would mutter to him where she was, and he''d follow and tell her where to go.

    Ajax had not been lying when he said he had lived like an animal for long periods of time before. Ajax knew thend well, something that surprised A. She presumed he was being cocky like usual, but she had to hand it to him; he knew the terrain like the back of his hand. He knew every rock, river,ke, grasnds, forest she woulde across.

    Unfortunately, she lost Ajax an hour prior; even with his speed as a falcon, he could not keep up with her. And he knew she wouldn''t slow down until there was much more distance between them. The thing about this cat and mouse game was that she couldn''t escape them just yet.

    A had been running for hours now. Thetest forest that went along the windy road started to be too dark for human eyes to see through. But her crystal blue orbs began to glow in the dark, and she could still see the faint outlines of trees and where to ce her paws so as not to trip over. The sounds of the forest settled down to that of the night creatures scurrying through their nightly routines.

    An owl hooted as the wind swept through the leaves of the woods, rustling them along with bringing the crickets out and their melodious tune. The sounds became soothing. Even though her body was still tense from a day of being chased, she found her heart beginning to calm for the first time in hours.

    A slowed down her pace to a walk. She grunted at the sudden change and the throbbing sensation on her back. She needed to rest and heal, but like Ajax mentioned before, she had to keep moving throughout the night. Her heart rate spiked again as A heard a car driving nearby; her walk turned into a trot as she sought out more coverage. A was so tired, not just from the running, but mentally too.

    A had to keep pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, keep her emotions in check while blocking her mate from the bond. If she felt Damon''s emotions, then she would want to turn around and return to him. She knew he was okay, and that''s all she needed to know right now.

    Tyres squealed in the distance, and A snorted before picking up her pace again. She grunted and let her aching muscles go back to work. They were never going to catch her. She would make sure of it.

    "Ajax, are you nearby?"

    There was silence for a few minutes, making her mind begin to race.

    "No," He finally replied. A rxed. The car''s she had been hearing were ordinary people. But it didn''t mean she should stop.

    There were so many hunters mbered into those SUVs, and she knew they could take it in turns driving while the rest slept. A didn''t have that luxury, nor Ajax. She did feel bad for dragging him along, but at the same time, it was nice to have another voice in her head. Malia and Ajax kept encouraging her to keep moving, not that she needed it much when an angry mob of hunters were after her.

    "Ajax, can you still see them?" A mind-linked him again. She swore by the end of this, her paranoia would be the one to kill her.

    "I''m still with them. They have slowed down.."

    "Good, it gives me a little break-"

    Her stomach rumbled, interrupting her thought process. Usually, A could deal with a bit of hunger before she became grumpy, but she had run miles non-stop. This would be the perfect time to hunt while the hunters were still quite far behind her. It would give them time to catch up again also.

    A weighed the odds in her mind. But food was a necessity for her to keep going through the night. Letting them catch up for a while would give them renewed energy and leading them astray. With that in mind, she made her decision.

    "I''m going hunting. Ajax, you should do the same," A murmured through the mind-link as she let her instincts slowly take over, and she started to sniff the ground at different scents. Ajax replied swiftly, and she knew he set off on his task. Almost instantly, A let Malia take the reins without a word said between them.

    A has hunted once or twice herself, it was quite an exhrating experience, but after running non-stop, she was in no mood to work for her food. Malia happily took the reins and could use her energy and clear mind to find their prey. In the meantime, A stayed vignt in their surroundings. With Ajax hunting simultaneously, she needed to at least remain on guard while Malia hunted.

    Malia roamed around the trees, picking up scents and following leads for their food. She preferred big animals like deer and elks, but they were unfamiliar with the area and if there were any nearby. Plus, they didn''t have the luxury of time to hunt like a pro and take down such an animal.

    Instead, she chased after hares, which helped in releasing her energy, but was not so great for the wound on their back. The hares were agile, and the quick change in direction made Malia wince more than once. They knew where to run to escape the predator, so the first attempts at capturing their meal failed.

    But after some time of following their rapid speeds of turning in different directions to keep up with them, Malia outwitted them and took a chance of guessing where they would go next. Instead of wasting more energy and causing her wound to stretch further and cause more pain, she stayed hidden, lying in wait for her food to walk right into her trap. In the end, Malia captured three hares and gobbled them up far too quickly.

    She wasn''t satisfied and wanted to feed on more, but they had stayed too long in the area. Malia had been engrossed in her meal and was now lying on the ground, panting to catch some much-needed rest after exhausting herself hunting. Her snout was covered in blood, making her look all the deadlier in her huge form. She stood up again and wandered to the stream and drank from the refreshingly cool water.

    The sound of engines nearby made Malia''s ears flick up and stop drinking as she raised her head once more.

    "A, I can see you again. The hunters are catching up!" Ajax'' panicked voice whipped across her mind. Malia let A have the reins once more, and she immediately started to run, following the stream down a nt in the woods and away from the road.

    "That''s it cut across the meadow, once you pass through the next set of woods, there will be a road follow the road on the opposite side until youe across some fields. Once you make it to the fields, you should be able to make a quick getaway from there," Ajax directed her. His voice was slightly strained, and after seeing the headlights of a nearby car casting shadows through the trees, A knew why.

    They had really caught up this time.

 Chapter 155 - Hunted: Part Two

    [ Music Rmendation: Part V by Prequell ]

    **

    Already her heart was drumming to the beat of a manic drum. A was panting again from the new rush of adrenaline and fear pumping through her body. She was racing by the side of the road again after the path from the woods led her there. She was unable to move back into the thickness of the forest.

    Panic and anxiety started to w up her chest, recing the pain in her back. Her rising emotions made her unknowingly unblock the bond between her and Damon. A''s emotions, now mixed with his. Pure rage almost engulfed her, and she felt frustrated at her situation, along with the worry forming in her chest. A did not know that these were her mates feelings.

    But these overwhelming feelings distracted her, causing her to miss her footing, and she tumbled to the ground. A whimper escaped her mouth at the sudden agonising ripping at the lower part of her back. Her wound had been stretched wider, and new blood coated her white fur. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she quickly picked herself up, ruffled her fur in an attempt to shake off the pain before running once more.

    Though her movements were a little stiff, more robotic from the throbbing pain. A grimaced but pursued on; she couldn''t let herself be captured. She had a feeling that the man who stabbed her, Clint, would be worse than Connor. Even thinking about him made her shiver, and A forced herself not to think about the cells and the state her friends were in. She had it easypared to them.

    A shook her head. This wasn''t the time to think about being caught. They were hot on her tail, and she needed to keep a clear mind. With thatst thought, she narrowed her eyes and pushed on. The sounds of a car''s engine, the turning of wheels and the sounds of men startled her from their close proximity.

    She looked to the side and almost felt her heart drop. One of the hunter''s SUVs was to the side of her, both windows were rolled down, and guns pointed at her. The only thing stopping her frompletely panicking was her position to theirs. A was on raised ground, and there was a thin horizontal wooden fence between them, providing the most minimalistic cover. But it was far too open.

    Bang! Bang!

    A yelped, stopping in her tracks from the bullets that were shot ahead of her. But leapt forwards immediately after hearing another shot from behind her, but this time, when she briefly nced back, she saw it was a! A''s eyes widened, and she faced the front, almost immediately needing to jump high after hearing another gunshot. The next bullet flew through the air, missing her belly by inches and lodging into the tree beside her.

    That was way too fricken close!

    There were at least six cars. A didn''t know where the others were, but Ajax could always alert her if she was in trouble.

    "You''re in trouble now," Her wolf growled through clenched teeth. A ignored her, trying to think of an escape. The route she was on was one path, and she couldn''t change direction or turn to the side.

    They started using tactics to distract her by shining their torches andsers into her eyes. A growl left her lips as she began to blink and turn her head away, watching the dots, stars, and annoying colourful lights sh across her vision.

    "A! There''s another path to your right.."

    "Turn now!"

    On Ajax'' instruction, she blindly turned right and followed a darkened path away from the road. Her paws sshed through puddles and squished through the sinking mud, but it didn''t stop her or slow her down. From what she could see, the forest was opening up at the far end to a clearing.

    At the sight of open space and the sudden rush of freedom away from the hunters, A pushed her legs forwards, past her limits, speeding up. The noise from the cars gradually lowered the further she got away. She had to narrow her eyes slightly from the cold wind and dust going into them, along with focusing on her blurred surroundings.

    "Stay focused. They are still nearby," Malia coached her.

    After crossing the clearing, A followed Ajax'' instructions. Her body was still tense, and her heart pumped harder. Every little sound made her flinch and jump, looking for the source of it. But the hunters weren''t directly next to her or behind her. They were on the road nearby, still searching for her. She followed the road and stayed extra vignt. The hunters would find her soon, but this time, she was more prepared.

    A wolf''s howl cut through the air, making A slow down her pace and nce behind her. Her heart stopped for a moment. Thoughts of Damon were quickly crushed when her mark started to burn again. It wasn''t him, and she was thankful it wasn''t. She didn''t run all this way to protect everyone for her mate to suddenly show up.

    "Ajax, is that another werewolf?" A mind-linked him and turned her head back, before dashing left to the fields Ajax mentioned earlier.

    "No packs own this territory. It might be a rogue.." Ajax trailed off as A pushed herself on again. The sounds of the cars in the distance urged her on; she nced back, they could still see her. Their torches beamed across the field, and a few of the SUV''s turned off the road and started following her.

    Shit!

    A thought they would stick to the road. But they had been chasing her for hours now; Ss was probably losing his patience and threatened his men.

    "Such a great leader," Malia snapped sarcastically.

    A pushed herself on against her body''s wishes. A narrowed her eyes slightly; ahead of her in the distance was something glinting under the stary night sky. She tilted her head slightly and heard the sound of rushing water. There was a river ahead!

    "The wolf is a rogue. But it''s not a type 1. It''s a normal werewolf, seems to be heading in the same direction but is keeping its distance from the hunters," Ajax mind-linked her.

    "Let me know if I need to be worried. I''m going to lose the ones behind me now. Ajax.. you''re brilliant! I can lose them by crossing the river," Sheplimented him as she slowed down a little, nning to send them flying into the water.

    His chuckle reverberated through her mind. "I know, doll. It''s a good thing you got me instead of Gabriel. I''m much betterpany," Ajax joked.

    A was about to reply, but another was thrown her way that she barely dodged.

    "They''re getting too close, A," Malia muttered. Her voice was painstakingly calm. She didn''t need to be told twice. A knew her wolf was scouting the area more thoroughly while A sprinted out of reach from the hunters.

    A reached the gushing river and leapt,nding on a small rock in the middle before hopping over to the other side. She didn''t stop to look behind her, even as she heard the screeching of tires and the loud ssh and crashing sounds of two vehicles going into the water. The third SUV braked just in time; she could hear their swearing as she followed the river and parted ways down a slope.

 Chapter 156 - Instincts

    A continued running for another two hours. She asionally heard the other werewolf, but it didn''te near her or interfere. It could probably tell she was injured, and a hurt wolf feeling threatened wouldsh out. It didn''t know how strong she was, but it most likely had an idea after the night of her continuous running whilst injured.

    The type two rogues weren''t something to worry aboutpared to the vicious type one that attacked the pack. They were still to be avoided as there was a reason; they were rogues. But A knew after her weeks of training and sparred with her mate, one of the strongest wolves out there, that she had no problem taking on anyone.

    The night drew on, and her legs carried her for another hour before she slowed down to a walk. She was unaware of the time but knew it waste into the night. Her eyes and ears were still alert, but she needed to rest her paws for a bit. The cushioning underneath was burning from all the running she had been doing.

    "Ajax, you''re very quiet. Are you okay?" A whispered through the mind-link. She was feeling tired and wanted to sleep, but she needed to know Ajax was okay. Although Damon warned her about sleeping while her wolf was in charge, she knew it had to be a necessity. Otherwise, Ajax would be dealing with a very hangry, sleep-deprived Luna werewolf.

    At the mention of his name, the falcon swooped down in front of her,nding gracefully on the ground. He looked so tiny inparison to her; she almost wanted to hug him like a little toy. But Malia reminded her of Ajax''s flirtatious ways.

    "Tired. But I look better than you!" He sounded chipper, but A wondered if it was slightlyid on for her benefit. She didn''t need to nce down at herself to know she was a mess. Her normal beautiful white fur was covered in mud, her back and the side of her back leg was damp with her blood, and she knew snout wasn''t clean.

    Ajax moved out of her way so she could continue walking. As he did, she heard the small bones of the bird crack, and without waiting to watch his shift, he emerged by her side as the ck panther.

    A chuckled at Ajax'' response, even if it was a little dyed. Her mind was starting to be foggy with tiredness, yet her senses were still on high alert. They were walking in a valley rich with the smell of earth and pine; the sounds of a small stream and the wind swirling leaves off their branches made A rx. Nature seemed to calm her burning soul and restless mind.

    "I''m going to sleep-"

    "A, we need to keep going. Try and hold out until tomorrow evening?" Ajax interrupted.

    "I can still go.. My wolf can run for me, but I want you to rest as well," She replied calmly as her eyes snapped up to an owl hooting in a tree.

    The panther looked at her, "I didn''t think wolves did that.. Isn''t that dangerous?"

    A nced at him, "I won''t sleep for long, maybe four hours? It should give me enough rest. But if you turn yourself into something small, you could rest then catch up?"

    "Sweetie, I don''t know. That''s risky. I could lose you. You could get lost.." Ajax''s cheery voice was bing concerned.

    "I''ll probably trot at most. I can''t keep running at full speed, especially with my injury.." She trailed off.

    Malia agreed with her, "Oh, hell no. I''m not running. I will probably walk unless I sense danger."

    "Come on, it will do you some good. Plus.. you really need some beauty sleep.." A smirked and nudged her side into the panthers. She hid her grimace from the pain radiating from her wound from such a small action.

    Ajax chuckled, "Oh honey if I get any sexier, you''ll keel over."

    There he was!

    Before A could reply, she yawned, showing off her sharp teeth.

    "Alright, get some rest. I''ll have a few hours'' sleep and try and catch up to you before you wake up," Ajax nudged his head against hers before parting ways with her. She watched as he shifted into his falcon form and flew up into a tree.

    A didn''t wait any longer and instantly let herself fall back into the warm embrace of darkness, not even talking to her wolf as she did so. Malia took the reins before the white wolf stumbled too much and nearly copsed. Malia shook her head; their body was suffering from that stupid knife wound. It wasn''t just physical fatigue but mental they were dealing with.

    They had to stay extra vignt, keep their emotions in check and block the bond. While A had wrapped herself up in a cocoon of darkness, Malia decided to check on their mate. His pain was gone, but he was hurt from her leaving; of course, he was. Mates weren''t supposed to be away from each other for long periods of time. So, if one just suddenly left, it felt worse because they didn''t know when they would see each other.

    In allowing the bond to take over slightly, it also let Damon know that she was safe. If he was awake, which Malia knew was a fact, as she was away from him in danger. But he could now feel their emotions as well. So, she closed it off after feeling his torment and anger. The wolf fixed her eyes ahead at the dark scenery.

    She didn''t me A for just dropping back and throwing the reins to her. They were a mess. Malia had napped a few times throughout the day, already knowing A nned to sleep and let her take over. Malia was a little hesitant, though,st time they had Damon to keep her from losing herself to her basic instincts.

    Her paws crunched into some dry leaves, and she looked down, making sure to avoid them. The less noise, the better. The only thing about slowing down to a walk was the possibility of another predator or the hunters catching up. But after A''s little stunt earlier, the wolf had no doubt they were struggling to keep up with her.

    They had been using radios and phones to keep in contact. Ajax would let them know of their conversations. It was really cool mind-linking Ajax because he would open up his sight to A through the mind-link, and they could see how he saw as a falcon, along with what he could hear. He was their personal drone, and it helped them stay a few steps ahead of them.

    Four hourster, and Malia had begun to lose herself in the feeling of tracking down her prey. With her snout on the ground and keeping her steps light, she crept through the long grass. There was deer nearby, and Malia began salivating at the thought of all that meat. She nced up at the sky and noted how the darkness had hues of light, brightening the sky and waking up the birds.

    The sun would be up soon, and she could find something to eat. There was bound to be a herd of deer''s nearby; she had seen their droppings and the recent footprints in the earth. Her stomach was rumbling, and her back was now bing a problem, one that caused her mood to plummet. She needed protein and rest to help her heal.

    "A."

    Malia ignored the irritable voice and trotted over to a stream to quench her thirst. But her appetite seemed to be getting worse. Even as she rehydrated with the cool liquid. What was wrong with her? Her eyes began to glow, and she saw a falconnd stupidly close to her.

    "Aaaa¡­" The voice became slurred and distorted. And she couldn''t help but watch the falcon step closer. She barred her teeth and jumped towards it, snapping her teeth in an attempt to eat it. The falcon flew to a nearby tree, and she didn''t bother going near it.

    Hunger and pain were all she felt as she followed the scent of her prey.

    Eat.

    Rest.

    Recover.

    Hunt to survive.

    Her mind seemed to tickle with something urgent, but the wolf just tilted its head to the side until slowly a veil of darkness fell over her mind, and everything went nk.

 Chapter 157 - His Luna

    [ <strong>Damon</strong> ]

    A''s howl ripped through his heart, and his legs buckled to the ground. The ck wolf breathed heavily on the grass in front of the mansion. Damon couldn''t hear her thoughts, but he didn''t need to; he knew A well. She was leading the hunters away from the pack.

    She was saving them from more ughter, and until there was a solution, he knew his mate would not return. Damon knew because if the roles were reversed, he would do the same. But, he felt useless, he was meant to protect her, and he failed; he was the fucking Alpha King, and he couldn''t even stop his mate from getting stabbed.

    Damon knew she blocked their bond, but she lost control of it, and he woke up from his unconscious state to a sharp pain in his back. It took him less than a second to realise it was A''s pain. Instantly he shot out of bed and barely made it off the balcony before Chiara, Kane, and Nairi stopped him from going further. Even now, the leaders and ten of his warriors blocked him from going after her.

    He was furious. They were stopping him from going to his mate, their Luna! Damon wasn''t thinking properly in his enraged state and started attacking his men, but Kane and Chiara got a jump on him and kept him on the ground, with five others tumbling on top. He wanted to bark orders, use his Alpha''s voice, but he was too weak to order them out of his way.

    After some time, they removed themselves from him; he had calmed down. His strength gave away but not before he let out an ear-shattering howl. Now he stared at the forest as his mark burned from the distance, increasing between them. He continued to stare while Darius paced along the edges of his mind, wanting to break free, but they both knew A was doing the best she could.

    He just wanted to be with her. He nced back at Chiara, who stayed in front of him while Kaneid on the ground, it was then he noticed his Beta was injured too, and he knew after scanning his pack that there were a lot of injuries and more dead. He needed to see to his pack.

    "Alpha.."

    Chiara''s voice was slurring, and Damon watched her in slow motion before the dark spots on the outer edges of his eyesight began to increase until there was nothing else but darkness. He woke up in his bedroom, the shadows from the moon already showing it was evening. Damon didn''t waste any time, pulling the covers back and sitting on the edge of his bed. He couldn''t feel anything, there was no pain nor the pain he felt through the bond earlier.

    A had blocked him again. He felt his temper rise, and he marched towards the bathroom door and punched it. The wood shattered, and the door broke in two before ripping away from the hinges.

    "Damon!"

    He turned around and saw his Beta approaching him slowly like he was a feral animal. Maybe he was? It wasn''t safe for anyone near him now, which was why his best friend was approaching him cautiously. He knew how it felt to be away from an injured mate, but an Alpha without his Luna nearby meant he would lose his shit at anything. Already he was pissed off that his Beta was babysitting him.

    Darius growled through him, but Damon pushed him back and walked into the bathroom; the lights automatically came on. He had to keep his wolf under control on top of himself, not losing control. It was going to be a losing battle. He turned the tap in the sink on and sshed cold water on his face in an attempt to cool down his temperature and the shaking temper boiling underneath his skin.

    Damon stared at himself in the mirror. He was naked and could see the three scars on his chest from where he was shot. They were already healed, and he knew by the next day, the scar would be gone. He chuckled to himself as he stared at them; A managed to remove them with her ws. She really was magnificent; he never doubted her though, he knew what a great vet she would be.

    He had watched her over the years. At first, he left her to her mundane life; his father, who was Alpha of Silver Crescent until he was of age, sent warriors to protect her from a distance. They neverined of keeping watch over her, she was their future Luna, and there were only a few aware that she was still alive. When he finally became Alpha, he was too busy making a name for himself, taking over packs with poor leaders who were taking them down dangerous roads.

    But Damon never forgot about her; he kept his distance and only listened to reports from his men who guarded her. His wolf constantly asked him to see her at least once, just to check to see if she was his mate. Darius had a strong feeling that she was, but Damon disregarded it. He spoke to Mandy and Andy at least twice a year about her, and when they would tell her about her past, it was their answer that kept him away.

    But fate or the Moon Goddess had other ideas, and one day he bumped into her. He was in Oakton on official business. A couple of type one rogues had been running through the territory and causing havoc on the humans. He should have known immediately that she was nearby because Darius had begun pacing his mind uncontrobly, almost to the point of ripping through and taking the reins.

    There was a scent so strong that it lured him around the corner, and he bumped into A and her friends who were leaving her parent''s bookstore. They stared at each other, and Damon was dumbfounded. She had grown into a stunning young woman, and he knew straight away from her eyes and hair that it was her. Not to mention Darius was whining in his mind; he couldn''t sense her wolf.

    Damon had frowned at her after hearing Dariusin; she must have thought he was rude. She muttered an apology and looked away quickly with a blush. Damon turned around and watched as she climbed into a car where her boyfriend at the time was waiting for her. He was unsure on whether A was his mate, but the moment he saw another man kiss her, Darius ripped through his body, and he shifted on the spot.

    Damon barely yanked the reins back and sprinted off to the woods before A turned and could see him. He knew then that she had to be his mate; his whole body had been shaking from seeing them together. After that day, he became obsessed with her. He took time out of his duties just to make sure she was safe. Her asshole of a boyfriend for two years was just that, an asshole.

    He was an arrogant athlete who was selfish and hardly ever picked her up from her nighttime shifts at work. On asions, Damon had watched from the shadows and saw A waiting for the boy that never showed. But although he was disgusted at their rtionship, he could also see that she wasn''t as invested in the rtionship as him.

    Over time he watched as she started to distance herself from him and became engrossed in her work. They broke up, and she never shed a tear. He could see she was sad but from the loss of his friendship more than anything. Damon, however, was over the moon, and his wolf rxed more. Seeing A with someone else made Darius go bloodthirsty on his kills.

    The night A went for a run was the night Damon had watched her from the vets and left her thinking she was going to bed. He met up with some of his pack after hearing their call about the huntersing to his estate. But just as he barked orders for his warriors to protect A''s house, he watched as she went for a run. Without thinking, he followed her and stayed vignt, but not sharp enough. She caught sight of him in the trees and sprinted into the woods, right when his warriors told him there were hunters there.

    "Damon, are you okay?" Kane''s voice ripped him out of his reverie, and he realised he was still in the bathroom, naked, and feeling a burning ache in his chest from the absence of his mate.

    "Fine," He snapped, "make sure the injured are seen to. I''m going to have a shower."

    Damon didn''t look at his Beta to know he had left on hismand. After his shower, he sat down on the balcony and stared up at the moon. Damon didn''t know how long he sat there for; he felt lost without A and let his feelings consume him for a while. He could be Alpha of the pack tomorrow. For now, he was just Damon Steel aching to see his beloved.

    He fell asleep in his chair, but something woke him again, and he instantly jumped up. The morning light beamed through parts of the estate, awakening the animals to theing day. Something was wrong. The bond pulled at him, and all at once, he felt A. No, he felt Malia.

    The bond started to feel dark, feral, animalistic. He tried to prod at it, but something yanked him out, and he suddenly couldn''t feel her. Darius growled.

    "What''s happening?" Damon snapped at his wolf. Panic began to surge through his veins. What was wrong with his mate. He kept trying to feel for the bond, but he couldn''t ''enter'' it. It was different from when A blocked him.

    "Malia''s taken over, Damon. She''s losing herself."

    "She''s going feral."

 Chapter 158 - Unfamiliar Territory

    { When things change inside you, things change around you. ~ Unknown }

    [ <strong>Chase</strong> ]

    It had been nearly two days since he woke up in an SUV with a vampire and a werewolf. He was a little out of it and thought he was hallucinating at first. But as time rolled on, his mind became clearer, and the effect of the drug in his system, which he soon found out to be vampire blood, lessened, and he realised Gabriel and Finn were real.

    Of all the people to ''rescue'' him, Chase did not expect it to be the creatures he once despised. Actually, he didn''t think he was going to live another day after the rounds of torture he had been through. But Chase knew for sure it was A who orchestrated his rescue. Gabriel hated his guts, which he understood; the vampire had been there the longest and seen Chase grow from a child with hate-filled eyes at a creature he never understood.

    So, he knew given the chance, Gabriel would probably end him.

    "Your life means nothing to me, boy. Why would I waste my efforts on you?" Gabriel would state casually. Chase didn''t understand when the vampire would randomlye out with statements, but it didn''t take him long to figure out that he had more powers than the average vampire. He never did find out why Gabriel was so special; all his father told him was that he was ancient.

    But he knew there was something slightly off about him. Unlike Finn, who wasn''t paying attention to the vampire, Chase had been. Of course, he had; even if he didn''t loathe the creatures Chase was sharing a hotel room with, it didn''t mean he wasn''t wary.

    So, he kept an eye on Gabriel, the aloof and mysterious vampire. Chase knew as well that he was paranoid and could have been making things up in his head. But he knew he wouldn''t rx until he saw A.

    A..

    The day he met A, everything changed, and he would eternally be in her debt. Chase wanted to leave the hunters before she arrived, but it was for selfish reasons. He wanted a different life.

    Chase grasped at his freedom with an iron fist every time he left thepany of the hunters and was at university, meeting new people and learning new things. Being a hunter was not a choice; it was demanded of him. He was from a long lineage of hunters, and he was the first to disappoint them.

    Chase moved away from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse suite in the five-star hotel they were staying in. The furniture and d¨¦cor were of a pristine finish, with its marble floors and walls, the modern ck and white suite had a long semi-circle white leather sofa in front of the biggest t-screen TV he had ever seen, and behind it some clear stairs that led to the bedroom. The bar was around a corner that led to a balcony with a jacuzzi.

    He expected to be lying low in a grotty motel while they waited for A and Ajax, but Gabriel scoffed at his words and drove them to this luxurious hotel he would never have had the chance to stay in. Chase had to admit, it wasn''t so bad keeping thepany of a vampire.

    The hunter and vampire smirked at each other at his thoughts. But Gabriel snapped his head to the side, hearing something before him and Finn. The vampire''s figure disappeared, and the door to the room was left ajar. Chase and Finn looked at each other before rushing after Gabriel. Finn''s head snapped up, and Chase knew from the frown on his face that something was wrong.

    "Go!" He urged, and the werewolf didn''t need any more coaxing before Finn raced off without him.

    Chase sprinted down the stairs and finally made it to the parking lot; he presumed the others went. He stopped behind Finn when he saw the shapeshifter standing in front of them naked, not caring about his public indecency. He still found it odd, but he was only human at the end of the day.

    Gabriel disappeared again and returned within seconds, throwing a towel at him, muttering about it being a public ce. It was dark, but there were still lights in the parking lot, showing the four men in a circle, one holding a towel around his waist. Chase nced around and saw a few businessmen looking at them oddly, but his stony gaze made them look away.

    "Maybe we should go back inside?" He suggested, but Gabriel stilled and grabbed Ajax by the arm. The shapeshifter hadn''t said anything.

    "What do you mean you''ve LOST AILA!?" Gabriel roared, and Chase could see the colour drain from Finn''s face.

    "I knew I should have gone. Trust a fucking shapeshifter to lose the most important person in creature king-"

    "Oh yeah, like you would have done better," Ajax shrugged his arm out of Gabriel''s hold.

    Gabriel scoffed, "I would never have let her go to sleep. Did you not think, Ajax?!" He prodded the shifter''s head and turned around. "She''s been a wolf. How long?!"

    "Where did youst see her?" Finn asked calmly, though his face was full of concern, and he shifted on his feet as though he could hardly stand on the spot.

    Ajax removed his gaze from Gabriel and looked at Finn as he raked his hand through his messy hair. "She was hunting in a valley not too far from here. I left her ten minutes ago."

    "Then there is still hope in getting her back.. right?" Chase asked as he crossed his arms against his chest. Ajax looked at him but did not reply; his silence was all the answer he needed. He knew a lot about the creatures from years of training and the history books of the Hunters Association passed down through the generations.

    But he couldn''t understand why the three guys looked so distraught. A was just hunting. What more was there to it?

    Gabriel red at him but did not answer his unspoken questions. But he could see the murderous rage growing on his features.

    "Fuck!" Gabriel threw a bin across the parking lot. "How could she go feral?! You just had to insist on going with her.." Gabriel and Ajax were nearly head-to-head now. One suited and looking ready to go to a high-end party, and the other looked like he''d lived in the wilderness for days. Well, he had.

    But instead of a fight breaking out, the vampire stepped back and straightened his suit. "I will go get her. Stay here until we return," He pulled his ck card out and threw it at Finn.

    "I''ming with you!" Finn dropped the card in Chase''s arms, and he managed not to drop it.

    Gabriel rolled his eyes but didn''t argue, and they set off after hearing Ajax''s directions. Chase nced at the half-naked man warily.

    "Never thought I''d say this to a hunter, but.. Wanna grab a drink?" Ajax pped Chase on the back then walked ahead of him. "We should swap horror stories! I''ll tell you how A tried to eat me!" His voice rang through the lot, and Chase looked around before following after him. Ajax seemed betterpany than the two brooding creatures before.

    "Wait.. A tried to eat you?"

 Chapter 159 - Come Back

    [ <strong>Finn</strong> ]

    Finn shifted and raced after Gabriel. He knew he couldn''t keep up, but he could follow the vampire''s strawberry scent. It was far too sweet, and he found himself sneezing the longer he followed it. Leeches. He rolled his eyes.

    Twenty minutester, he found the suave vampire strolling through the forest, his hands in his pockets as he looked at pawprints on the ground. Why the hell was he wearing a suit? He even changed suits when they arrived at the hotel.

    He shook his head. If only he had centuries to umte enough money to walk around in limited edition suits and not worry if they got damaged.

    "I would be extremely pissed off if my suit got damaged, Finn. Don''t underestimate a fine suit," Gabriel said dismissively. Finn snorted and started tracking the pawprints.

    The pair worked together, and after hours of following pawprints, they worked out that they had been going in circles. Finn stopped following Gabriel and huffed in frustration while the vampire''s gaze assessed the area they stood with narrowed eyes. Finn could see him figuring something out, but the pair snapped their heads to the side when they heard some gunshots in the distance.

    Without looking at each other, they raced towards the direction of the gunshots. Gabriel shot off immediately, not bothering to wait for Finn, but the Delta didn''t mind. If A was there and the vampire could get to her in time, then it didn''t matter. All that mattered was getting her back and keeping her safe.

    When he finally arrived behind Gabriel, though, he stopped in shock. Bodies were lying on the ground, blood sttered on trees, heads ripped away from their bodies, all that led towards a cave. Finn nced down at Gabriel, and he saw a slight smile on the vampire''s face.

    The mosquito probably enjoyed the smell of blood. He remembered one of their attempts at escaping and how Gabriel lost himself in the riches of his blood lust. It was his downfall that time, where he ended up drinking the hunters'' blood until there were no drops of blood left in their bodies.

    "I won''t deny that this gives me joy," Gabriel murmured before stepping over a head. Finn growled but stayed vignt. Even if these hunters were dead, there might be more, but there was also the point that A may be lost inside her wolf. The vampire and werewolf tentatively walked towards the cave until they stopped at the entrance.

    A low growl echoed back to them, causing the ground to vibrate slightly. Finn recognised the voice behind it, though it was more animalistic than usual.

    "A," Finn reached out through the mind-link; it was strange. He had never tried to mind-link with a near-feral wolf before. He could still feel the ''line'' of the mind-link, but it was fuzzy, and if he tried to linger too long, he was ''pushed'' out. Another growl reverberated through the cave, but it didn''t stop them.

    "A¡­" Gabriel tried this time, his voice unusually soft.

    Gabriel took a step forwards, risking his hand as he brought it forwards. But as soon as he opened his mouth, the darkened cave suddenly showed two gleaming blue eyes before a wolf''s silhouette slowly materialised. A''s head was lowered, and her fur bristling as she took another step towards them. Her lips curled back, and she growled again before snapping forwards.

    "A.. Come back," Gabriel''s voice was soft, and Finn watched as the wolf stopped growling and her eyes widened as though she was suddenly conscious.

    "Finn, Gabriel?" Her hoarse voice came through the mind-link, and Finn stepped forwards, identally kicking a stone. The movement and sound caused A to snap her head at Finn, and she barked at them, her eyes wild again, and she sprinted past them.

    Gabriel left in a blur, and Finn spun around and watched in shock. A and Gabriel fought at incredible speeds, asionally showing one or the other flying in the air andnding on the ground. He could hear Gabriel trying to talk to her softly again, but she snapped at him again before running off.

    "Don''t interfere next time," Gabriel snapped and raced after her. It was then, Finn realised Gabriel was trying to coax her out withpulsion. But if she was lost, then how would his mind control work?

    For the next two days, the pair kept trying to coax A out of her mind. Mainly Gabriel did the work, and his outfit worsened with mud and rips from their constant fights. But Finn was slightly relieved he didn''t have to fight his Luna, it would go against every fibre of his being, and he knew she could kill him in seconds. Whereas Gabriel was 500+ years old, Finn was sure he was a lot stronger than her.

    Near the end of the second day of coaxing, Finn watched as Gabriel was getting further along with A. Their eyes were locked as she was backed against the cave wall with nowhere to go. Finn knew after their days together howpulsion worked now. But this time, he watched as the white wolf and vampire seemed to interact through their minds.

    [ <strong>Cassius</strong> ]

    He inched closer to A. After days of trying to coax her out, he knew it wasn''t her he needed to talk to. It was her wolf, as she was the one in control. While Finn kept guard and thought he was trying topel A, Cassius was actually working out the name of her wolf. Her true name.

    Now, as he cornered her, he finally called her through his mind, "Malia."

    The wolf tilted its head, and Cassius smiled. "Malia, I want you to listen to me.." He spoke calmly in her mind, and he could tell it was working. Malia stopped growling and rxed her body with her bright blue eyes trapped in his gaze. He could use eitherpulsion or by using her real name.

    "Malia, I want you to let Ae back. You''ve had your fun.." He trailed off and couldn''t help his low chuckle as she whined back at him and sat down. Cassius rxed his tense body and strolled towards her. His hand reached up to her vast form. There was no hesitation this time as he went to pet her.

    Malia lowered her head and let him stroke her head, then scratch her behind the ears. He was starting to sense A''s presence in their mind as the wolf began to rx around him. Within minutes, Cassius was on the ground leaning against the cave wall, and the white wolf''s head settled on hisp.

    "Malia.. It''s time. Bring A back. Now I don''t normally say please, but just for you, I will. Please bring A back."

    Malia yawned and licked him on the cheek. Cassius couldn''t help but chuckle when he saw how stunned Finn was. After hearing the breaking of bones, his gaze snapped back to Malia and watched in fascination as the ferocious white wolf transformed into A''s naked form. She copsed, and Cassius ced his jacket over her, relieved to find her mind clear and back to normal.

 Chapter 160 - In Bed With A Vampire..

    A fluttered her eyes open and found herself staring up at a ss ceiling. Her mind was nk, A couldn''tprehend where she was, what she was doing before this, but all she felt was a throbbing headache like she had been drinking all night. Her eyes were glowing, and she covered them with a hand before gently rubbing at her temples with a low moan.

    A rolled onto her side stiffly; she felt like she''d ran a marathon. Heck, she probably had and more. She felt so raw and dirty. She could tell there was blood on her somewhere from the smell. But her body groaned for her to go back to sleep, even in her dirty state.

    But the wheels were sluggishly turning in her mind, telling her she was in an odd bed. One unfamiliar. But the silver-grey silk cover was calling to her as her head sunk deeper into the softest pillow.

    However, before she closed her eyes, her brows knitted together when she noticed her white hair on the pillow next to hers. It seemed dirt-free, but when she raked her hand through the strands on her head, she found them dirty and bloody. Her eyes then wandered down that side of the bed and yelped after seeing the body underneath the covers. A jumped out of bed and, in seconds had hit her back against something hard. Most likely the wall.

    A low dangerous chuckle reverberated across the room. "Careful." She recognised that voice..

    Gabriel suddenly appeared in front of her. Not a single strand of hair was out of ce along his shoulders, his white fitted shirt tucked into his ck trousers and the cor, along with three other buttons left undone to show his lean muscle underneath. A held her hand up as he started to walk towards her, closing the distance.

    "What the hell were you doing in bed with me?" She demanded.

    He quirked an eyebrow up at her and smirked. "Well, darling, normally when you wake up next to a man or woman", he held his hands up, "with a throbbing headache and no ounce of memory from the night before.. it normally means the pair spent the night having.. fun under the covers." His eyes trailed down her body and back up again, instantly causing her cheeks to heat up.

    A frowned at his words and looked down, stilling when she noticed she was wearing nothing but a white shirt like a short dress. She narrowed her eyes at Gabriel and saw a breathtaking smile light up his face before he chuckled quietly. "I was making sure you weren''t going feral on us again," He replied with amusement flickering across his features. "We did not sleep together.."

    "No shit, sherlock," A snapped back, but her reaction seemed to make him smile more. It was unnerving. But his words finally sunk in. Feral? She pulled the shirt down slightly, then noticed the blood on her hands.

    What the..

    "Malia?" Her voice echoed in her mind. A began to worry, but she delved deeper into her mind and finally found her wolf asleep. The realisation finally hit her like a punch to the gut. Malia took over while she slept.

    A raked her hands through her unruly hair; she will not be doing that again. She did, however, feel well-rested. Her eyes snapped up after hearing Gabriel chuckle and lean in closer to her. The dizzying scent of strawberries filled her nose, and she stared wide-eyed at the angelic-looking vampire so close to her.

    Gabriel pulled back after flipping a switch, and the lights turned on. A squinted for a bit before her eyes scanned the room. It was a modern bedroom with white and ck marble floors and walls. The d¨¦cor a lot more on the darker side with floor-to-ceiling window the length of the wall opposite the bed and on the far-right wall. The lights of the city behind it were a pretty spectacr view.

    But she snapped her eyes away from the luxurious bedroom and let her gazend back on the finely dressed vampire who fit in so well with the stylish d¨¦cor.

    "How long was I¡­ feral for? How did I snap out of it?" A queried.

    Gabriel put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to the side. "A few days and I usedpulsion," He muttered before turning abruptly turning and walking through an archway that led down a pale hallway to the left side of the grand room.

    A followed him like a lost puppy and found herself stopping and staring. They were in a walk-in closet, and there were so many suits, shoes, ties, watches, but there were also casual clothes, but there wasn''t as many. Gabriel opened a drawer on the more ''casual'' side of his closet and threw her some ck tracksuit bottoms and a ck top.

    She couldn''t help but smile at the colour, then her eyes flickered back to his, "I didn''t put you down as a tracksuit kinda guy, Gabriel.." She smirked and watched the corners of his lips twitch up into a small smile.

    "Tracksuits are not in my vocabry.. these aren''t mine," His eyes shed with amusement at her widened eyes. "But they are clean." He walked past her to give her some space, but she quickened her steps, her bare feet padding across the cool floor to catch up to him.

    "Gabriel," She gently grabbed his arm, and he snapped his head around to face her, his cool gaze almost making her stumble backwards. "Thank you," She watched as his icy features melted and his gaze softened briefly. "Thank you for helping, not just this time but all the times before. You didn''t have to.." She nced away from his mesmerising blue eyes.

    But she felt his cold fingers grip her chin gently to turn her face to his. "Anything for you, A."

    He held her gaze, and A found herself staring back, captivated by those red specks in his startling blue eyes, so blue, so, so blue.. He released her chin and smirked before looking away. A snapped out of the daze she was in and parted her lips from how close they were.

 Chapter 161 - Some TLC

    Gabriel released her chin and smirked before looking away. A snapped out of the daze she was in and parted her lips from how close they were.

    A hissed and sped her hand on her mark. It burned to the point that it felt like an iron stick had been ced in a fire before burning her skin. Her shoulders hunched forwards, and she became increasingly aware of the mate bond as tears filled her eyes and she gasped.

    "Get ready, then you can call your mate," Gabriel snapped before pointing her towards another door. "We''ll be downstairs when you are ready. I''ll order some food for you-"

    "I''m not hungry. I think my wolf ate a bunch of deer.." A interrupted in a low voice. Her mark had calmed down, but Gabriel''s icy gaze made her trail off.

    "Your injury is not yet healed. I can still smell your blood. Clean it, have a shower or a bath, thene down," He ordered before turning away, leaving no room forint. Not that she wouldin about showering, she wanted to remove the dirt and blood under her nails and wherever else it was, along with rxing her muscles.

    Plus, she didn''t want to keep walking around wearing nothing but Gabriel''s shirt. A grimaced, thinking about him seeing her body but pushed the thoughts away as she entered the luxurious bathroom meant for a king. The d¨¦cor was of ck and gold this time, the lighting appearing to be some sort of ''mood lighting''. Sighing, she walked up to the counter and stared at herself in the mirror.

    She nearly didn''t recognise herself. Gabriel said she''d been feral for two days, yet the wild look behind her eyes made her think she had been gone for much longer. The dark circles and hollow cheekbones, along with the dirt and blood covering almost all inches of her body and white, matted hair. She looked awful! A sagged and looked around therge bathroom.

    Not only was the tub fit for five people as it sunk into the ground, with jets on the side for a jacuzzi, but the shower also had two showerheads meant for two people, along with the waterfall shower in the middle. Was this Gabriel''s ce? Where the hell was she?

    After stripping and figuring out what button did what for the shower, she finally stood under one of the shower heads and had the longest shower she had probably had in her life. Well, except for the times she was with Damon in the shower. Her core clenched at the memory, and the bond tugged at her, urging her to go back to him.

    Sighing, she let the heated water pelt down on her skin, rinsing away the dirt and blood and rxing her tight muscles. Once she was clean, she checked out the stab wound on her back and was happy to see it had at least crusted over like a scab. Though, she hoped it wouldn''t scar. It was ugly. Not only was there the circr mark from the knife twisted in her back but also a cut going along her lower back.

    She quickly got changed and checked herself in the mirror again. Maybe she should eat; it looked like she hadn''t in days. With that thought, she left the bathroom in her ck attire, feeling morefortable than Gabriel''s shirt, and reached for the door.

    As soon as she opened it, her eyes widened. A stood at the top of a transparent staircase with ss on one side, presumably to stop someonepletely falling off the side. The view from where she stood looked down upon one huge luxurious space that went around a corner she could not see.

    The d¨¦cor was still white and ck, with mainly floor-to-ceiling windows on one side showcasing that spectacr view of the city. A city, she presumed, was Chester?

    "Yes, you are in Chester." Gabriel''s voice echoed through her mind and her head whipped to the side after feeling someone''s gaze on her. The vampire stood waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her. A gingerly walked down the steps, her body still tired but a lot better after her shower.

    "I want to call Damon," She whispered and watched Gabriel''s gaze harden.

    "Once you''ve eaten, A," Gabriel whispered back, and she could tell he was staring at her mark. It made the area burn even more under his cool gaze.

    Once she made it to the bottom step, Gabriel stepped back and walked her towards one of the many couches. These ones were set in the far corner, near the floor-to-ceiling windows, but before she sat down, her gazended on a figure standing stiff and looking out the window, alert.

    "Finn?"

    He snapped his head around, and she watched as a relieved smile brightens his face while he marched towards her and pulled her into a hug. A blinked from the shock, her arms still resting by her sides, but after a few seconds, she put her arms around his broad shoulders.

    "A, thank the goddess you''re okay.. After you copsed and I couldn''t mind-link you.." He pulled back and scratched the stubble on his jaw, "I didn''t know what to think.." He searched her eyes, "I am the worst Delta in the history of-"

    A pulled him back in for a hug, "You''re the best Delta I could ask for." She pulled back and grinned after seeing his cheeks flush red. It was cute.

    Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Werewolves.." He muttered and slumped down on the sofa crossing his ankle over his other knee and resting his arm against the back of the white leather couch.

    "Hey, Gabe.. I never asked.. how do you know what you look like if you can''t see yourself in the mirror?" Finn retorted.

    "Oh!"

    A turned around and rolled her eyes with a giggle when she saw Ajax saunter from the bar behind the couch Gabriel sat at.

    "I refuse to reply to a boys remark," Gabriel replied dryly as A and Ajax'' eyes met, and the shapeshifter stilled on the spot.

    "A.." He raised his hands and approached her slowly, "I know you like to flirt with me.. but trying to literally eat me.. it takes it a liiiiiittle too far.."

    A''s brows drew together, and she tilted her head to the side, "I tried to eat you?"

    Ajax slumped down on the other end of the sofa, a good three seats in between the vampire and shifter. "Baby, you tried to devour me. Your wolf is one vicious bit-"

    Finn growled. Ajax held his hands up. "I didn''t mean it as an insult. A, doll," His face became serious as he raked his hand through his stylishly messy dark locks, "it''s good to have you back."

    A shook her head, "Honestly, thest thing I remember now is telling you to rest. Thanks for bringing me back guys," Her eyes darted from Gabriel''s stoic expression to Finn and Ajax'' wolfish smile beforending on someone she did not actually expect to see.

 Chapter 162 - The Gang

    A looked at the golden-haired man. A man who changed his perception of the creatures and pushed past the years of hate drilled into his mind and helped A escape a life of misery. She knew it was no easy feat, but to see him now standing alone without his dad whispering evil words in his ears made her feel emotional. Like the others in the luxurious suite, Chase had been there from the start of her agonising journey to bing a werewolf.

    "Chase." Her brows rose in surprise before her eyes assessed his features and body. He seems to be glowing, freshly showered, with no cuts or bruising on his handsome face.. He didn''t seem harmed at all.. But she remembered from the video call..

    "A." His deep voice broke her from her reverie. She walked around the couch and threw her arms around him; his stiff body rxed, and he pulled her closer to him.

    A''s smile dropped from her face, and she pulled away from him, resting her hands on his forearms. "What the hell happened to you? I thought you were leaving the Hunters Association?"

    This caused the others, except Gabriel, to turn their heads in their direction. The topic was obviously a touchy subject and one that needed to clear the air between the creatures in the room. Chase pulled away from her and stood next to the window, his arms crossed, his face brooding as he gazed at the city lights.

    A nced at the guys and suppressed a smile, "Hey, stop with all the brooding.. I swear that''s all you ever did at thepound.."

    She saw from the window''s reflection, one side of his lips twitch up.

    "I am just thinking, A.."

    "That''s called brooding.." She replied and crossed her arms, wanting to talk more to her friend.She knew a lot had changed in both their lives over thest few weeks, but they needed to have a catch-up. Maybe away from the others? A nced at them and wondered if that was the issue.

    "A, eat something. You can try luring a conversation out of your.. HUNTER friend after," Gabriel spoke up as he walked towards a door, opening it just in time for a waitress dressed in a red midi skirt, white blouse and stiletto heels to step through the door pushing a trolley into therge room.

    "Over there," Gabriel ordered calmly. His gaze followed the redhead who left the trolley of silver cloches next to a long ck ss dining table with golden finishing touches.

    Finn and Ajax instantly went to the food, but A watched the small interaction between the vampire and the human. "Come backter," He whispered, but his words still floated over to her ears. He ced a handful of cash as a tip to the girl in her hands. She blushed after staring into his eyes before nodding and slipping back out into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind her.

    A found it bizarre, but it seemed to be the norm from the stony looks on Ajax and Finn''s faces.

    "Did you forget I am a vampire, A?" Gabriel''s voice tingled at the edge of her mind. She didn''t reply. "Unless you wish me to feed on you tonight?"

    A nced back at Gabriel in shock and shook her head when he faced her with a smirk. But his attention snapped to Finn and Ajax. In a sh, the vampire was next to Ajax, pping his hand away from one of the covered dishes.

    He clicked his tongue, "Chivalry really is dead. Do I really need to teach you, boys, how to treat ady?" He arched his brow at them. Chase turned away from his brooding and watched in amusement at the creatures.

    "What? A doesn''t care.." Finn replied, then looked at her sheepishly, second-guessing his words.

    A smiled gently. "Gabriel, it''s fine.. They have lived with me for weeks now.."

    "Still, it is courtesy for thedy to eat first," He replied sharply and gestured for her to sit down, pulling the chair out at the head of the table. A sat down and nced back at the others. Finn and Ajax strolled over on her silentmand and sat down at the table as well, bringing the food and setting it up.

    A sat on one end of the table with Ajax and Finn nking her sides while Gabriel sat at the opposite end, sitting back as though he was on a throne, his leg crossed over his ankle with his hand resting on arge ss of red wine. It was odd seeing Gabriel sitting with them. For her, Finn and Ajax saw each other every day, had breakfast and asionally dinner together. Now, they satfortably at a table having food, simr to how they had their dinner with the pack leaders.

    A found herself smiling subtly at the atmosphere. It wasforting and warmed her chest. After days (apparently) of being on the run, she could rx and rest for a bit. Her smile slipped. Couldn''t she?

    Her eyes nced up to Gabriel''s who she knew had been watching her. He raised his ss at her, "You are safe. For now, rest and rx. You can get back to saving the world tomorrow," He said softly before smirking and taking a sip of his wine.

    The guys looked at him, unaware that Gabriel was answering her near spiralling thoughts. A cleared her throat and spoke over her shoulder, "Chase,e join us."

    "Yeah, stop brooding and join the gang!" Ajax waved the hunter over and even moved over to the next seat so he could be on A''s left side. Her brows rose in surprise; she didn''t realise the shifter and hunter had bonded.

    Chase flopped down and she saw his demeanour rx, and a cocky smile pulled on his lips, "Does this mean I''m part of your ''prisoner''s club'' now?"

    A couldn''t help but giggle and watch as Ajax narrowed his eyes at him. "I told you before, its members only. You have to go through a certain checklist to get in.. Oh, wait!" He sped his hands together excitedly, "You technically became their prisoner after your dad found out you helped us and became a traitor."

    Ajax'' eyes were twinkling as he looked at Chase. A stilled her fork and observed the hunter. She could see the conflict on his face. A sh of hurt crossed his gaze, but it went quickly.

    "Wee to the prisoner''s club, Chase. You''re part of the gang now! Should we do a blood oath or something? Something to seal the deal.." Ajax began rambling. A shook her head and met Chase''s widened eyes. She nodded to his questionable gaze.

    Yes, Ajax was serious. No, we will not be doing that.

 Chapter 163 - Guilt: Part One

    A satfortably at the head of the table, eating fine food with greatpany. Even after finishing their meal, they sat talking, mocking, joking, and enjoying each other''spany without fear of the hunters finding them. asionally A would look outside at the city''s view, lost in thought where her mind would run off about the hunters after her, the Silver Crescent pack and of course, Damon.

    But the guys were quick to gain her attention again after seeing the turmoil behind her eyes and her knitted brows.

    "Look who''s brooding now," Chase''s voice snapped her out of her reverie. They were at the bar now, but A sat down on a ck ''L'' shaped settee in the corner across from them. Next to the window. She smiled up at Chase, who took the space next to her. Ajax and Finn were talking between them about mates and how Finn really needed to ''getid'', while Gabriel walked off answering a phone call.

    A watched the vampire saunter off, his white hair falling to the back of his shoulders over his white fitted shirt. She narrowed her eyes. He was the only one with a phone.

    Instead of ''brooding'', as Chase put it, A should have gone straight to the vampire so she could call Damon. Flicking her eyes back to Chase, she leaned her elbow into the back of the couch; her legs bent behind her as she faced the hunter, no- ex hunter.

    "Just thinking over everything that has happened and where to go from here.." She replied nonchntly.

    "Don''t think too much, buttercup. So much has happened that I''ve resorted to my best pal- whiskey." Ajax winked at her and tilted his tumbler at her from his seated position on the ck sleek bar stool.

    "Ouch, didn''t think I''d be reced with alcohol," Finn grabbed the bottle and poured his own drink, then nced at the bottle, "Woah, Gabe really has the best shit. This is a 1926 Macan bottle. No wonder you''re drinking it like there''s no tomorrow."

    Ajax knocked back the drink and grabbed the bottle from Finn, his movements a little slower than usual. "Finley Finnick Finn-"

    "It''s just Finn," He interrupted with a pointed look.

    Ajax grabbed Finn by the shoulder and pointed a crooked finger from the tumbler he held in A''s direction, "If you were nearly eaten by such a vicious predator.. You''d be doing the same.."

    A rolled her eyes, "Ajax, I''m sorry I wasn''t in my right mind."

    "No, no, no.. because if you WERE in your right mind, I know you would be a lot gentler with me- Ow!" Ajax looked back at Finn after he pped him in the face, not gently, she might add.

    A sighed and let the pair start off with their shenanigans of y fighting. Chase looked on in both puzzlement and amusement. "It''s weird.. seeing them.. like this.." He muttered before resting his gaze on A. She continued to watch them out of the corner of her eye while she faced Chase. "I mean it in a good way.. I never really worked in thepound. I think if I had.." He trailed off and watched as the pair were now wrestling on the ground. "I would have left years ago."

    A focused on Chase properly now. She could see a battle of his inner demons behind his hazel eyes as he raked his hand through his already unruly hair. The movement causing his bicep to bulge, something A nced away from.

    Why was she suddenly surrounded by good looking men? This was never her life at Uni. But there was only one man she wanted to openly gawk at, and he was the sexiest, hottest, panty-dripping-

    "A?"

    Maybe she was biased? She really needed to hear Damon''s voice.

    A looked back at Chase, who was observing her astutely. A cleared her throat softly, "Well, the main thing is that you''re out now.." Her brows drew together, "What happened? How did you get caught? Why didn''t you leave sooner? It would have saved all the torture, no?" She grimaced, thinking about how he looked on the video call, and assessed his features once more, "How the hell have you not got scars?"

    "Woah, jeese, A! One question at a time," Chase shook his head and stood up. "I think I need some of that whiskey.."

    A waited while he poured himself some of the expensive whiskey. He stayed at the bar for a bit, looking into his tumbler. A got up, walked around the werewolf and shapeshifter still ''fighting'' on the ground and ced her hand on Chase'' arm. He stilled and looked down at her with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

    "Well.. easiest question first.. Gabriel gave me his blood, which is why I don''t look like shit or am left with any scars. Although.." He turned his forearm over and stared at his tattoo, "I''d prefer if my tattoo didn''t heal."

    A looked down at the Hunter Association emblem tattooed on the inside of his wrist. The two swords were so simple, but any creature that came across the hunters would know what it meant. To anybody else, it was like any other tattoo. She looked back at his face and waited as he sipped on his drink again.

    cing his tumbler down, he leaned his hands against the bar, his shoulders hunched. "I''ve done some messed up shit, A. I don''t even know how Gabriel or these guys haven''t ripped me in two.." He muttered angrily. A could see how he loathed himself; he looked at his hands as though there was blood on them, A imagined there was, and she felt heart pinch at what he must have been through.

    "You''re alive because her majesty likes you."

    Chase and A whipped their head''s to the side and saw Gabriel leaning against the window on the other side of the bar, his arms crossed, his gaze fixated on A.

 Chapter 164 - Guilt: Part Two

    Chase and A whipped their head''s to the side and saw Gabriel leaning against the window on the other side of the bar, his arms crossed, his gaze fixated on A. Chase'' brows drew together. "So, it''s true.. You''re like some royal werewolf?"

    A could see the light flickering behind his eyes and the smile he tried hiding. Her lips curled up in amusement. She knew how funny it sounded to a human; heck, she WAS human, up until about six weeks ago.

    "Yep, I''m pretty important, Chase.. hold on, what''s yourst name?" She stopped joking and looked at him curiously.

    "Hunt," Gabriel interrupted.

    A couldn''t help but giggle wildly; she ced her hands on her cheeks and shook her head from side to side slowly. "Your name ¡­ is Chase fricken Hunt.."

    Amusement shed behind his eyes, and he looked away. "Yes."

    "The absolute irony.. Did your dad not think to call you something else at least?" She bit her lip when she saw a sh of anger behind his eyes from the mention of his dad.

    "I guess he thought I would be holding up the family tradition.." He muttered back.

    Ajax pulled out of Finn''s hold and mbered up to one of the stools by A''s side. "Actually, his name is pretty feared to the creatures that know of the hunters.." All jest was gone from Ajax'' features, and A could suddenly feel a thick tension coating the air. Chase lowered his head in shame as A nced between the others.

    Finn and Gabriel held the same steely expression as they stared at the hunter, while Ajax'' jaw ticked, but he stered a smile on his face and pped Chase behind the back and gripped his shoulder gently. "Don''t worry though, you''re with us now. You can always change your name or change the rumours behind your name.."

    Chase tensed. "My name isn''t a priority right now.. And I can''t stay.."

    Gabriel was in front of him in seconds, leaning his hands on the bar from the other side of the counter.

    "I did not save your life for you to be useless and leave.." His voice was menacingly low, and A could see the red flecks sparkle a little brighter.

    "Stop it, Gabriel. You saved his life because I asked you to.." She trailed off after his stone-cold gaze flickered to her. Her mouth dried, but she continued, "If Chase wants to leave, he can.. I am not holding him here.."

    In a sh, Gabriel now stood in front of her. But this time, she was caged into the back of the bar, his hands by either side of her as he leaned towards her. His face hardened. "You better start making better decisions, A. As future queen, people will depend on you," His voice was low, authoritative as his sharp gaze pierced into hers.

    "Gabriel.." Finn growled lowly and took a step forwards. But A held her hand up to stop him while she stared back at the vampire.

    His use of her personal space, the way he spoke, and how he looked at her were just how Gabriel wanted to portray his power over her. Did he forget she was an Alpha? A Cross werewolf.. His lips quirked up slightly, she knew he was listening to her thoughts, but she did not care.

    She straightened herself up and raised her chin, pushing aside the way her body reacted to their close proximity and red at him, "I will take your counsel into consideration, Gabriel. Thank you. But as I said, if Chase wishes to leave, he can." She turned her head to look at Chase, letting her hair flick the vampire in his face. "Before you do, could you help us?"

    Chase looked between the two warily. Gabriel finally gave her space and stepped back with a chuckle under his breath.

    "Of course, A. I owe you my life.."

    "Technically, boy. You owe ME your life," Gabriel stared at him and smirked before walking away.

    A sighed and raked her hand through her hair. What an ass. The vampire looked at her knowingly and grabbed his bottle of whiskey with a sigh. "This is very rare.." He muttered and poured himself a drink.

    A nced at Chase and tilted her chin to the side for him to follow her. The pair left the group of creatures by the bar, and she found herself walking down a hallway underneath the ss stairs. After seeing many doors, she opened one carefully, peeping her head into the dark bedroom.

    It was smaller than Gabriel''s room upstairs, but it was still significant, with the floor-to-ceiling window across from the bed flickering shreds of light from the city casting shadows in the room. What was this ce? She presumed it was Gabriel''s penthouse, but the waitress and food that was delivered were like room service in a hotel.

    The pair walked in, and she went to the floor-to-ceiling window and stared outside. Her eyes unknowingly searching for the hunters.

    "It''s a bit more private here without any.. interruptions." A said quietly.

    "There''s not much to it, A. I stayed longer than I wanted because of the shit show left behind from your escape. I have.." He sighed, "I still HAD friends in the hunters and tried to convince them toe with me.."

    A turned to look at him, surprised. She didn''t know why she didn''t think he would have friends in that awful organisation. But then, he grew up there.

    "They.. Ss had been watching me since you escaped.. And thest straw of my defiance to him was when we kidnapped Hollie.. and.. I phoned you.." Chase replied quietly.

    A''s face hardened. "When WE kidnapped Hollie.."

    Chase didn''t meet her eyes, and she could see the guilt written over his features.

    "Chase.. did you help kidnap her?!" Her voice came out with a growl, and she hardly recognised it. Even without his answer, she had her answer, and she felt.. betrayed. In her eyes, he helped in killing her. She knew it was wrong to think that way, but then again, she thought of herself as well. She, too, was the reason for Hollie''s death.

    She sunk onto a stylish seat in the corner of the room, looking out of the window as guilt, hate and sadness filled the air in a thick nket.

 Chapter 165 - His Voice: Part One

    Chase'' footsteps echoed on the marble floor in the small, silent room as he approached A. He kneeled in front of her with his head bowed and grasped her hand in both of hisrge ones. A flinched but did not pull away. Instead, she sighed and stared back at him.

    She could see the guilt eating him up inside, but before he could say anything to her, she spoke first.

    "Did you know she is dead?" She whispered, her voice almost breaking. She searched his eyes and saw them widen before he frowned.

    "A.. I.." He gripped her hand more, "I didn''t know. Fuck.. I didn''t.." He let out a breath, leaned back and looked to the side. "A, I''m sorry. I know my apology doesn''t change anything.. I just.. Dad.. he was catching on, I had to keep him off my back.. I thought I could escape with Hollie, but then realised she would be on the run with me.. I tried to be careful. I thought as soon as she was back with you guys if I just let you know.."

    He rambled, and A let him. Listening to everything he was saying. Chase clenched his eyes shut, "She was a nice girl-"

    "I know my best friend was nice and innocent, Chase. Just like how I was," She snapped, ring at him. Her words made him flinch and look down away from her steely gaze. A let out a ragged breath after a while, and she instantly felt terrible. He was in a shitty situation, and she knew Hollie''s death was not his fault. He tried to help from inside the organisation, which was enough for her to push past her anger towards him. "Chase.."

    He peeled his eyes away from where he held her hand and looked up into her sparkling, crystal blue eyes.

    "You need to get away from them.." He nodded along slowly. "After you help us."

    "Anything you need, A.." His voice was deep and full of guilt. A stood up and sped him by the shoulders, urging him up.

    When he stood tall, she tilted her chin back so she could gaze intently into his hazel eyes, "No more guilt, Chase. I don''t want you helping me because you think you owe me.. You''re with us now until you need to leave," She said sternly, then dropped her arms away from his shoulders and turned to leave the room. As she sped the doorknob, she turned to look at him. "You''re going to give us the locations of the hunters''pounds."

    Chase quickly caught up to her side in the hallway and stopped her with a gentle squeeze on her arm, "If they know you have me, then they would be clearing out and changing their locations by now."

    A''s lips thinned. "Then I suppose we have a lot more nning to do."

    "Not tonight, though! A, doll.. You really need to rest." Ajax suddenly jumped in between them and ced his arms over their shoulders with a broad smile on his face.

    "Where the hell did youe from?" A looked at him, startled. "Were you listening to us?"

    Ajax rolled his eyes. "Not everything is about you, YOUR MAJESTY.." He chuckled at his own words, "My guest bedroom is down here and came out just in time to hear the end of your little conversation."

    A slipped out of Ajax'' reach when she saw Gabriel walking towards the ss staircase. Her thoughts about the hunter''spounds, Hollie''s death and Ajax'' ways, vanished from her mind as she quickened her steps to reach the vampire.

    "Gabriel.."

    "Man, I thought mypany was better than a damn vampire.." A heard Ajax joke to Chase as he pulled him away towards the semi-circle sofa in front of the tscreen where Finn was currently chilling.

    Gabriel nced at her and raised his brow. "You said I could use your phone.." A said almost shyly, recalling their little heated discussion before.

    Gabriel stared for a moment before turning back and continuing up the stairs to his room.

    "Gabriel-"

    "Come. I have a burner phone," Gabriel spoke over his shoulder, only ncing at A briefly before leading the way back to the master bedroom.

    A''s brows drew together as she stepped into the room. "Why am I using a burner phone? What''s wrong with your phone?"

    Gabriel smirked with his back turned to her as he opened one of the drawers on his side table.

    "Because I don''t want your mate phoning me.." He trailed off and rounded the bed towards her.

    "Why would he phone you?" A tilted her head to the side. Damon would never phone Gabriel unless there was an emergency or something. He''s far too busy anyway for a casual conversation. Not that they would ever call each other for that..

    Gabriel chuckled and didn''t answer, she looked at him curiously, but he opened his palm with the phone in, instantly distracting her. A reached for it, but the vampire moved it out of reach with a smirk. A narrowed her eyes. What did he want? She tried to go for the phone again, but he raised his hand higher out of reach. She huffed and looked at him with the most unimpressed look she could manage.

    A reached up onto her tiptoes and took the phone from Gabriel''s hand, resisting the urge to roll her eyes when he steadied her bnce by holding her waist. Their close proximity was unsettling, and she knew he was doing it on purpose. His smirk proved that he enjoyed teasing her.

    As soon as she grabbed the phone. She turned around, letting her hair swish behind her. She hoped it hit the vampire in the face. A low chuckle from behind told her he was listening to her thoughts. Without looking at him, she raised her middle finger up at him and stormed towards the door.

    But the vampire appeared in front of the door, beating her to it and smirked, "I''m leaving anyway. Use the room. It''s soundproofed. Not like the one you had your ''private chat'' with Chase."

    A blinked back. Soundproofed? She nced at the stylish bedroom. Why would it be.. Her cheeks instantly heated. But it also made her think about her own bedroom and how it would make sense for her and Damon to have it soundproofed. She smirked at her own thoughts and wished Malia was awake for a dirtyment.

    But she snapped her attention back to the here and now. Again, wondering where she was.

    "What is this ce, Gabriel?" She queried in confusion.

    Gabriel turned back around and tilted his head, "A hotel.. " He trailed off and looked at her in puzzlement.

    "A hotel wouldn''t have all your clothes and belongings.."

    "Well, it''s not all my belongings.. I own this hotel. This is my suite," He replied casually. But A''s brows rose at his nonchntment. She wanted to ask more, Gabriel was still a bit of a mystery, but she stopped herself.

    It wasn''t necessary; she could ask after. Right now, she needed to hear her mate''s voice. She could tell through the bond that he was safe; his injury had healed along nicelypared to hers. But feeling everything he was feeling somehow made the distance worse, not easier. A wanted to see him.

    Gabriel didn''t stay and left instantly in a blur, with the door swiftly closing behind him.

    A sat down on the bed and dialled the number into the small brick of a phone. Usually, she could only remember her number and her mum''s house number. But somehow, most likely due to the bond, she remembered Damon''s mobile number after putting it into her phone once. Her fingers swiftly typed the number in, and she put the phone against her ear, holding her breath.

    After two rings, the call connected.

    "Damon," She whispered.

    "A, thank fuck." He breathed heavily into the phone, and she could hear a low growl at the back of his voice.

    "It''s so good to hear your voice," She whispered, afraid to speak any louder for her voice to crack as her eyes welled with tears.

    "Baby, don''t EVER do that again. I''ve destroyed our room," He groaned, and she could hear the pain behind his voice.

    "That''s okay, we can redecorate.." She replied with a giggle, trying to lighten the mood while wiping away some of the tears that dropped down her face.

    "A.." He breathed. His voice was so gruff and warm, it was like music to her ears, and she found herself lying back onto the bed, staring at the ss ceiling with her lips spreading into a smile.

    "I miss you," She sighed into the phone and heard his low chuckle that seemed to wash over her in waves of desire. Just his voice alone, made her body sensitive with need.

    "I miss you too. When are youing back? What''s your n from here? I don''t know if I can stay back while you''re out there risking-"

    "Damon.." She interrupted in a soothing voice. "Let''s not talk about what danger I''m in or what the n is from here. I just want to listen to your voice as you whisper sweet nothings into my ear or.." She bit her lip, "you can tell me how much you missed me and the feel of me writhing under your sweaty hot body.."

    She''d closed her eyes now, envisioning just that, and she felt her body heat up as she let her hand graze down her t-shirt and slide into her lingerie, imagining a much bigger hand touching her sensitive tissue. She felt her core clench and pulse just thinking about it.

    Damon''s breath hitched, and a low growl vibrated through the phone. "A.." He groaned, then cursed under his breath, "What are you doing?"

    Oh, he knew what she was doing. She could hear it in his voice.

 Chapter 166 - His Voice: Part Two

    A smiled at his voice and bit her lip, making sure she had not blocked their bond. She wanted them to be as connected as possible, and she could already feel waves of his emotions crashing into her. His growing arousal, his temper and concern mixed with a lot of longing. And for a little while, she wanted to be lost in this little bubble created just for them. A didn''t want to think about everything guing her mind.

    A breathless sigh escaped her mouth, causing her to blush, but she continued to stroke herself gently.

    She could hear some shuffling sounds on the phone, making her wonder where Damon was. "A.. Why are you doing this to me.." He groaned, and she imagined him raking his hand through his unruly hair, his bicep bulging.

    His words made her giggle breathlessly. "Why don''t you join me.." She purred.

    "Because my fucking hand isn''t as good as your mouth or your sweet, tight p*ssy.." The rawness in his words made her tilt her head back and feel the wetness on her folds increase. "I can already tell you''re wet for me, baby," He continued. His voice dangerously, sinfully low, rumbling through her, eliciting sparks of desire to course through her body.

    She parted her lips to reply, but his devilishly sexy voice continued. "If your finger isn''t inside of you yet, it better be now," He growled in hismanding voice. On his order, she let her finger slide past her folds and to her warm, creamy centre.

    A inhaled deeply and released a ragged breath. At the same time, she slowly started to pump inside her as she imagined Damon above her, his hair clinging to his sweaty forehead, his rock-hard muscles clenching and unclenching as he thrusts into her.

    "Damon," She whispered weakly, inciting a growl from him, causing her nipples to erect.

    "You''re.. *gasp* right. It''s not the same, Damon. I need you, all of you inside me.."

    She could hear his heavy breathing. How she really wished he was there, on the bed with her, destroying the furniture from their lovemaking. She licked her lips and felt her core tighten as a particrly delicious memory surfaced across her mind, the pair of them in the bathroom; she bent over the sink and staring at Damon''s reflection in the mirror as he mmed into her roughly from behind.

    "Put two in and increase the tempo," His voice was deeper, feral, majestic.

    "Darius?" She whispered.

    "You better be fucking yourself to the point you can''t talk!" He growled so aggressively it reverberated through her ears and sent shockwaves of pleasure through her heated body.

    It was definitely Darius. His words were her undoing as she did exactly as he asked-nomanded. The only time she let her mate takeplete control of her, where she fully submitted to him, were in these moments.

    Her breathing became ragged, and she let the phone rest next to her ear while her other hand went to cup her breast. Her fingers fondled the aching tips of her hard nipple sending electric tendrils of pleasure to help release the tension building in her core.

    "Who''s are you?"

    Fuck, he knew she was close. He wanted her to scream for him.

    "Yours," She breathed back. Fuck. Her fingers really weren''t the same; her mate wasn''t here to make sure she couldn''t walk for days. But his voice stirred her body to life and want him so badly that she, without embarrassment, pleasured herself over the phone to him.

    "Who''s!?"

    A clenched her eyes shut, shouting out, "Yours!" her breath hitched, and she whimpered as her centre tightened around her fingers, and she reached her climax, her creaminess coating her fingers. Her body copsed into the bed, leaving her body limp and panting and still, wanting. But wanting Damon to be with her.

    She licked her lips from how parched her mouth was and ced her hand over her forehead while she caught her breath.

    "Damon-"

    A noise from outside the bedroom made her jump and remove her hand out of her pants immediately. Her heart pounded against her chest at the thought of being caught pleasuring herself. She jumped off the bed and took the phone with her to the bathroom, not forgetting whose room she was actually in.

    "Well, that was long-lived.." She remarked dryly into the phone.

    "Do you feel a bit better now?" Damon chuckled lightly, his voice a delight to her ears. She could hear his smug satisfaction that his voice made her needy for him.

    "I''ll feel much better when I''m with you.." She replied seriously as she stared at her flushed face in the mirror of the dark bathroom.

    "A?" She heard her name being called from inside the bedroom. But she was too busy cleaning herself up and didn''t want to reply just yet. They could wait until she was downstairs. "Are you on the phone with Alpha Damon?"

    It was Finn. It sounded like he stepped into the room further, but he stopped, and she could hear his hesitance. With a sigh, she put Damon on loudspeaker and walked back through the hallway to the main bedroom. She tried to make sure her face did not heat up from embarrassment. There was no doubt, when she looked at Finn''s face, that he too could smell her arousal and guess what she had been up to with Damon on the phone.

    A could see the ends of Finn''s ears bright red, and he couldn''t hold her gaze for more than a second. But ncing at the bed seemed to make his face brighten even more. He cleared his throat and met her gaze, "I just wanted to speak to Alpha Damon about something, but if you are busy.."

    The bedroom door burst open from behind him, and the pair looked over. Both of them instantly tensed with humiliation when they saw who it was. "Pahahahaha, A! Did you just.. In Gabriel''s room! Pahahaha! That''s one way to piss a vampire off.. Just dirty his sheets!" Ajax'' eyes trailed the length of her body, and he smirked when he saw her rosy cheeks.

    "WHAT!?" Damon''s thunderous voice rumbled through the air, stilling all three of them.

    With widened eyes and a guilty but amused face, Ajax dashed back out behind him. Finn cringed and spun on his heel about to leave-

    "Finn, wait," A ordered him quietly. "Close the door."

    She wanted the ground to swallow her up from the embarrassment of them knowing what she had done. Heck, she didn''t even want Finn in the room with her at the moment. Her scent was obviously on the bedsheets, something he could inly smell as well. But, the room was soundproofed, and he wanted to speak to the Alpha.

    "What did Ajax mean? You are in Gabriel''s room!? Where are you?!" A cringed from his voice and the fumes of rage tightening around her chest from the bond. Almost to the point of making her shake. She didn''t doubt that his fists were clenched, and Darius was very close to taking over.

    With a gulp, A sat down on the bed, not meeting Finn''s gaze. But the Delta walked towards the window, providing some privacy that was not there. Not with his hearing. It didn''t matter anyway.

    "We are in Chester, in Gabriel''s hotel," She replied nonchntly. She felt anything but nonchnt.

    "In Gabriel''s room?" His voice was dangerously low, the growl seemingly piercing her soul.

    "Yes.." She squeaked, then blurted out, "But I couldn''t help myself, Damon.. I''m away from you, I miss you, your touch, and it was convenient. The room is soundproof and.."

    "And¡­"

    A sighed, "You make me crazy enough to do such things! Your voice alone makes me want to" She nced at Finn warily-

    Damon chuckled, "Okay."

    A''s eyes widened, her mouth almost dropping in shock. "Okay? Just okay?" She sputtered.

    "You''re not alone right now, A, and I''d rather punish you when I see you.." Damon replied smugly.

    His words made her bite her lip and wonder what he had in mind. Her core clenched at the idea.

    "Stop thinking about it, A. Especially when I''m not there, and you''re with another man in a bedroom. It will make me.. lose my shit," He replied bluntly. She blinked profusely, then remembered he could feel her emotions through the bond.

    "Now, Finn.. You wanted to talk to me?" He diverted his attention from A and to the Delta. A ced the phone on the bed and sat waiting.

    Finn walked towards it and picked it up, turning the speaker off and cing the phone against his ear. "Luna, I''m sorry this is something I need to speak privately to the Alpha about.." He looked at her guiltily.

    "Oh.." She stood up with a small smile, "Of course.. Erm, bring the phone back to me after?"

    "Of course, Luna.." Finn bowed his head, making A feel even more suspicious. She told him to stop doing that when they were alone. She narrowed her eyes, then straightened up and left the room.

    Finn was never secretive with her. Her brows drew together while she was deep in thought descending the stairs outside the room. What were they up to? Her body was on autopilot as she pouted and walked towards the curved settee in front of the tscreen. She sat on the far end as she tried to think about what they could possibly talk about without her.

    SMACK.

    A blinked and turned her head in the direction of Ajax and Chase, who satfortably near each other. One of them threw a pillow at her. She knew instantly from Ajax'' expression that it was him. He sat there smiling like the fricken Cheshire cat from Alice in Wondend.

    "Stop frowning. It''s not good for you!" He mockingly scolded. "I''d say rx, have some fun, de-stress.. but you already did that in Gabriel''s room!"

    A growled at him in return and grabbed a pillow; with her arm mid-throw, she paused and flinched when she felt a cold hand wrap around her wrist.

    "What?!" Said a stone-cold voice from behind her sent a chill down her spine.

 Chapter 167 - Blood

    [ Updated! ]

    The hand gripping A''s wrist tightened to the point she knew there would be a bruise. Turning her head, she was faced with Gabriel, looking at her murderously. She felt the bones in her wrist begin to shake, then, within seconds, she was pulled out of her seat and lifted in the air. Everything was a blur until she was settled back down again.

    A felt disorientated as the back of her head bumped into something cool and solid, but after blinking profusely, her eyes finally focused. She was pressed against the far window across from the bar. Her arms were held against the chilled surface, with Gabriel ring at her, his fangs on show. He looked deadly, with the flecks of red in his eyes slightly glowing as they looked at her throat longingly.

    "Gabriel!"

    The pair didn''t look at Ajax or Chase, who had jumped off the sofa and rushed over only to stop when they saw the vampire''s lips nearly touching A''s throat. A was trying to push against his strength and get free from his hold, but he was stronger than her. His fangs were now scratching her skin, stilling her into a panic and all her training escaped her mind. Her heart was racing in both fear and anticipation.

    This was NOT the reaction she was expecting from the vampire. Sure, she expected him to be annoyed with her, but this!? Were vampires really that emotional?

    Gabriel leaned back from her neck and looked at her unimpressed as he hid his fangs once more, closing his lips, and whispered into her mind, "Do NOT tempt me, A. I can still smell your arousal." He parted his lips, then snapped them shut and gulped. A''s eyes widened at his words and from the starved expression on his features.

    "Gabriel! You''ve taken this too far!" Chase raised his voice and took a step forward.

    Gabriel''s features once again hardened, and he pushed away from the window with a slight hiss leaving his lips. "I need a drink," He sauntered away past the bar and took a seat on the ck ''L'' shaped settee in the corner. A was still leaning against the window, watching him while she held her wrist.

    She pushed off from the ss and ignored the wary nces from Chase and Ajax as she reapproached Gabriel. He held a hand up and looked at her sternly while raking his other hand through his hair.

    "That''s close enough. Unless you are volunteering your blood willingly?" He raised a brow at her before rxing his frame into the settee more. One elbow bent on the back of the sofa, ying with the long strands of his silky white hair, and the other outstretched and rxed.

    "I''m sorry. It was rude," A mumbled, looking at her hands before sighing and looking him dead in the eyes, "I can''t help it with my mate.. He''s.." She stopped after seeing Gabriel re at her; the waves of hostility seemed to hit her like a raging bull. But she raised her chin and changed the subject. "I will rece the sheets and take one of the guest bedrooms-"

    "That''s not necessary. Stay in that room. I will be going out soon," Gabriel replied nonchntly.

    "Where are you going?" A looked around for a clock, finding a snazzy, golden antique-looking one behind the bar. It looked oddpared to the rest of his modern furnishings. This was the only furniture that seemed misced. It was 11:30pm.

    Gabriel chuckled, "I have business to attend to."

    A tilted her head, "At night?"

    "Yes, sweet A. At night.. Ah, there she is." His attention snapped to someone at the other end of the floor, closing the front door behind her. It was the red-haired waitress from earlier.

    It seemed perfectly timed, and A couldn''t help but nce at her warily. She walked with purpose to where Gabriel was sitting, he tapped the couch with a charming smile, and she sat down next to him.

    "I will leave you to it," A muttered. She was curious but, at the same time, not so interested in watching. What else was there to see? He was a vampire that lived off blood to survive. Unless he killed them through feeding? But if he did, then he wouldn''t keep teasing her about drinking from her.

    A walked away but heard him speak sweetly to the girl, and a low sigh could be heard from her. "Of course, master," She whispered. A''s brows drew together, and before her mind could catch up with stopping the actions of her body, she had turned her head and watched with widened eyes.

    The girl''s blouse was half undone, her head tilted back as Gabriel sunk his fangs into her, blood trickled down her body, and she sighed, her hand sping at his shirt like she couldn''t keep her body upright.

    "Of course, she can''t. She''s losing all that blood," Malia spat, sickened by the scene in front of them. Gabriel''s eyes snapped open, and he stared at A as he continued to drink from the waitress.

    "You''re awake!" A snapped her eyes away from Gabriel and was happy to hear her wolf''s voice.

    "Yeah, I have a killer headache though, you haven''t been drinking, have you?" She whined. A shook her head and walked towards the guys who turned their backs in disgust at Gabriel. She felt like skipping from joy at the sound of her wolf''s voice but now was not the time or ce. Everyone seemed to be grouchy and tired now.

    "No. Actually, I think it''s your fault.. Did you forget the part where you went feral for two days and done.. Well, I don''t know what you did! It''s all a nk for me!" She scolded her wolf lightly.

    "Ohhh, damn. Sorry, A. I couldn''t help it. I don''t know what came over me, but.." Malia started to think about what she did for those two days.

    A stilled as the images of blood and gore shed across her mind. So. Much. Blood.

    Malia snapped at Ajax, and after took off hunting, then she heard this other rogue wolf again and instead of taking it out, she met it and let it have part of her kill before rushing off after hearing the hunters again. She stayed hidden and rested when her injury was too much, but it seemed she lost Ajax from running fast and came across a thick forest. There she was jumped by a group of hunters who seemed to have nned this attack, leading her earlier into a trap.

    But even with bullets flying, she was too quick to be shot and ended up ripping heads off, leaving them with gashes in their stomachs and necks. Not bothering to finish them off and letting them die slow and painfully. Their groans made Malia smile. Death was like a sweet drug to her.

    Part of Malia was aware of who they were and what they had done, and the other part, the feral part of her that was slowly taking over her mind, just sought out their blood. But then she found a cave to rest in before two familiar yet unfamiliar frames appeared. A vampire with long white hair and another wolf.

    The vampire tried to call A, but it didn''t work and so after two days of them tackling each other, and the vampire trying to lure A out. He finally got the wolf to calm down.

    "Oh my goddess," A whispered. By now, she was leaning her hands against the sofa in front of the tscreen tv. She turned around and looked for Gabriel. He was already looking at her; one side of his lips slid up, sending chills down A''s spine.

    "A, what''s up? Are you unwell?" Ajax ced his hand on her forehead then nced between Gabriel and A. "A.."

    "You know my wolf''s true name," She said in her mind while staring at him wide-eyed. Gabriel nodded his head and disappeared, leaving the waitress lying on the couch. A looked around but couldn''t see him.

    Finn was halfway down the stairs by now, ncing between the three friends who looked a little fatigued. "Is there something I missed?" He asked while slowly descending the stairs.

    "I need to speak to Gabriel.." A muttered and ced her hand against her head; looking at the ground, her anxiety started to crawl up her body, and she began to feel herself sway.

    Cold hands suddenly gripped her waist, stilling her from falling. The cold made her heated body feverish, and the feeling of fainting slowly started to subside.

    She raised her eyes to meet Gabriel''s. Her heart was pounding. What did this mean? Damon was the only one to know of her wolf''s true name. If Gabriel knew it..

    "It means I can control you like a puppet," Gabriel finished her thoughts. He didn''t say it aloud. A knew the guys would take it as a threat if he did. She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she stared into his mesmerising blue eyes.

    "And will you?" She whispered back.

    "No," He replied with conviction, making her shoulders slump forward and her head lower.

    "You better not, Gabriel. I will lose all trust in you otherwise.." She murmured. The guy''s brows were all knitted together as they listened to only thest half of their conversation.

    "A.." He whispered so gently in her mind that she raised her head from the new navy suit he was now wearing and locked eyes with him. "When it''s just us.. Call me Cassius."

    A blinked in surprise, and before she could do anything, the vampire released her gently and held her hand in front of him, leaving a soft kiss on her knuckles before disappearing. She was left there staring in a daze.

    Gabriel, no, Cassius knew Malia''s name.

    Gabriel was Cassius. The Cassius that was in that coffin? Why did he have to leave on such terms? She now had a gazillion questions to ask him!

 Chapter 168 - Youve Changed

    { Life is not about who you once were. It''s about who you are now and who you have the potential to be. ~ Unknown }

    **

    A leaned back, cing her hands on the back of the couch as she stared wide-eyed at the shiny floor. She guessed Gabriel''s name was Cassius, and he confirmed it to her, but now she was left with numerous questions, which he needed to exin to her. Was she being nosey? Yes. But when you find a crypt in a secret shy underground bunker under your home, questions needed to be answered.

    She knew Cassius was at least friends with Amelia when she was alive, and having him buried ALIVE near her, makes her wonder just who exactly he was to her. For a brief moment, she thought Cassius might have been her ancestor, he had the same colour hair like her and blue eyes, but he would never show signs of being interested in her romantically if they were rted.

    "I''m happy to hear you are aware that the vampire wants you.." Malia snapped. She was not happy with all the touching from Cassius. "Did you really not expect much of a reaction from him for.. satisfying your needs with Damon on the phone?"

    A smirked, "You know how I lose my mind with him.. But no, I could have done it in another room, but.."

    "But¡­." Malia trailed off.

    "I did get his room out of it," She smirked again. Malia suddenly caught on to what A did, and she was shocked.

    "That''s so¡­ Naughty!" Malia gasped then started barking out inughter, "You.. ohhhh. How did you get away with not revealing your intentions? He can read minds!"

    "Hmm, I just kept my mind nk and only focusing on the ''embarrassment'' of the guys knowing I''d had a little fun in his room.." A nced up after replying to her wolf. Chase, Ajax and Finn were now standing in front of her, arms crossed, looking at her sternly. A felt Malia slowly hide further in her mind as though it was really her in the spotlight of her three friends.

    A sheepishly grinned at them, "Yes?"

    Finn narrowed his eyes, "I hope you know what you are doing there, Luna.."

    A blinked back at him innocently, and Ajax was the first to rx his arms and stand next to her, leaning his hands against the couch and nudging her lightly. "We are just a bit concerned... Gabriel isn''t someone to take lightly.." He said earnestly. "You already have bruises on your wrists, doll.." He stroked one of her wrists tenderly and stared at her intently.

    A stared back into Ajax'' emerald, green cat eyes and sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "Come on now, guys. I have taken on hunters, and from what my wolf just showed me, me and Gabriel match in.." She grimaced, remembering how easily he held her against the window; his strength overpowered her by three folds. "Well, we fought each other.."

    "Just be careful. If you''re hurt, or Gabriel makes an actual move on you.. You know Damon will rip him in two," Finn spoke sternly to her with his arms still crossed. A couldn''t help the small smile sliding on her lips; Finn was acting like a concerned big brother. They all were. It was sweet.

    Finn rxed his arms and reached into his jeans, and ced the burner phone in her hand, keeping his hand atop hers. "Damon said he will call in the morning."

    A frowned, "Why not now? What did you two talk about?" Her eyes flickered between his.

    "I just caught him up to speed on a few things," He shrugged, brushing off the matter, but A was good at reading Finn now, and she could tell there was something on his mind, and he was keeping it from her.

    Even if he was keeping it from her, surely Gabriel would know. She did not understand how Gabriel''s mind-reading ability worked, if he could control it or not, or if he just heard everyone''s thoughts at the same time. Either way, she had a gut feeling not to press further about it.

    "Okay.." She muttered back.

    "Come on, I''m beat.. A, I''d say we could share a room, but I don''t want to disturb you and your hand," Ajax winked and left A speechless with her mouth wide open. Finn roared withughter and smacked Ajax on the back while walking towards their rooms.

    But Ajax didn''t stop there, and he called out from the other side of the room, "Unless you want me to lend a hand!?"

    A didn''t bother replying and hid her face behind her hands. She did, however, hear a thump and some barging. Without looking, she already knew Finn had tackled the shapeshifter for his crudeness. A shook her head; hopefully, Chiara will put him in line if the two can sort out whatever issues they are facing.

    "Well, at least you got that room.." Malia snickered. A ignored her wolf too and nced at Chase, who shuffled to her side where she still stood against the sofa.

    "Are you really okay?" He looked down at her in concern.

    A smiled, "Why wouldn''t I be?"

    Chase chuckled and shook his head. "You have been through quite a lot.. And Gabriel almost attacking you.. Kind of the cherry on top, really?" He searched her face, "But you handled it.. You''ve changed.. somehow."

    A raised her brows, "In a good way?"

    "I''m not sure.." He trailed off while searching her eyes, "You''re stronger, more sure of yourself, which has be you. You seemed to.." He blushed before muttering, "shine more.." He cleared his throat, "But, you''re more serious.. more.. troubled?"

    She tilted her head to the side and nced up thoughtfully. "Maybe.. I think once we get rid of the hunters, I might rest better.."

    "That might take longer than you think, A. It''s not a small organisation. It''s been around for centuries.." Chase replied with a scowl.

    A chuckled gently, raised her fingers to his knitted brows and stroked the area, ultimately taking him by surprise. "And you said I''m too serious now.." She joked before lowering her hand.

    "Well, if your dad beat the living shit out of you, you might look at everything a little.. differently," He muttered back. She could see he was trying to make a joke out of it, but it made her chest tighten just thinking about it.

    How could someone beat up their kid, torture them.. Even if he ''betrayed'' him, there was no excuse. Ss was a cruel, disgusting man who needed putting down. A never thought she would wish death on anyone, but he was a mad man intent on killing off hundreds, no thousands of creatures.

    "Chase.." She wanted tofort him, but at the same time, she had a burning question to ask. After seeing him on the video call, his indifference to it all, and words spoken between them in her time at thepound, it made her wonder.. "was that the only time he.." She gulped, fearful of asking him and upsetting him, "Was that the only time he-"

    "He beat me up?" He finished for her. She nodded her head and pursed her lips. A sh of emotion passed over his features, but she couldn''t quite understand what it was.

    "I can see why you''d think that. But he never beat me up outside of training.." He frowned, "Only a few times he hit me to make a point in front of others.."

    "So, he did.. There''s no excuses for it, Chase," A reached out and squeezed his arm in the hopes of providing some smallfort.

    Chase became quiet, and she could see him deep in thought. "You should get some rest. Finn told me you''re still injured.."

    A searched his face, but he was impassive to his true feelings. It wasn''t just her whose life had changed so abruptly, but his too. Instead of continuing with her probing questions, she took the hint.

    "Ah, yes. Your friend Clint done that to me.." She pushed off from the sofa and had started walking towards the stairs, unaware of how his face paled.

    "He''s no friend of mine." A heard Chase say from behind her as he stormed off towards his room, pausing when he passed her by the stairs. "A.."

    She looked down at him from the second step.

    "I hope you never have to face Clint. He''s one nasty fucker.."

    A''s brows rose, but she tried to lighten the mood, "No kidding, he stabbed me in the back and shot my mate," She waved it off, but Chase''s face did not change. She sighed, "Don''t worry, I''ve got a lot of people on my side. I doubt he would get to me."

    She turned away from him and walked up the stairs. Once she closed the door behind her, her smile dropped. Chase looked doubtful of hermentary. As though Clint could get to her no matter who was by her side.

 Chapter 169 - Monotonous Routine

    A turned away from him and walked up the stairs. Once she closed the door behind her, her smile dropped. Chase looked doubtful of hermentary. As though Clint could get to her no matter who was by her side.

    "That''s great, now we won''t sleep!" Malia whined.

    "Nice to have you making an appearance. I thought it was only Damon or Darius who made you hide?" A muttered as she jumped under the covers to the enormous bed.

    "Well, I was listening.. I just thought I''d let you handle everyone else.. They''re so protective of us.. It''s cute," Malia chimed in.

    A rolled her eyes, "Don''t tell them they are cute. They''re meant to be tough.."

    Malia snickered, "Yeah, yeah.."

    With her wolf''sst words ringing in her ears, she fell asleep almost instantly. Thest few weeks seemed to officially catch up with her, her injury, her aching muscles and the emotional rollercoaster of finding her mate, finding out about herself, and the loss and grief of losing her friend and pack members. She weed the cocoon of darkness like a warm embrace melting her into thefy pillow.

    When she next opened her eyes, sunlight streamed into the bedroom, making A squint and grab her pillow to cover her face. However, she stilled after feeling the other side of the bed dip. Peeling the pillow away from her, she found Gabriel sitting on the other side of the bed shirtless.

    "When you gave me your room, I thought that meant me having it by myself?" A murmured calmly. Though she sounded confident andid back by the situation, she was anything but. Malia was growling in her mind, making a ruckus to the point that A grimaced from how loud it was. Even though she was the one to give in to the vampire in her near-feral state, it didn''t mean she wasn''t wary of him in these situations.

    Gabriel or, well, Cassius was not her mate. Malia was feeling threatened by the shirtless vampire. His tant moves were disrespectful to Alpha Damon. However, A knew that her wolf would not have an issue if Ajax or Finn was in his ce.

    But she understood Malia. The vampire knew her wolf''s true name, it was good to be wary, and Ajax and Finn were like her protective older brothers. Gabriel, no, Cassius treated her.. differently.

    Cassius sighed, "I came to make sure you are okay.."

    "And that had to be done shirtless and when I''m unconscious?" She raised a brow.

    "When you put it like that, it sounds creepy-"

    "Because it is.."

    He turned around and looked at her unimpressed. "My shirt is covered in blood. I was grabbing a new one after checking up on you.."

    A sat up with a sigh, "Thank you.. Cassius. But my wound is nearly healed.."

    He disappeared again and, a minuteter, arrived in new ck trousers, a white shirt tucked in, a ck tie with a ck waistcoat with gold embroidery around the middle, his hair pulled back into a low ponytail. A felt her mouth go dry from the look alone. Woah, shit, what the f-

    "A!" Malia barked.

    The vampire approached her with a smirk before his face became serious once more, "Remember, A. Only call me Cassius in private. Just for now.."

    "Why?" She queried as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes.

    "Because I said so," He snapped, his tone of voice left no room for argument.

    She parted her lips to ask the questions on her mind, but Cassius swiftly changed the subject. "I am sorting a few things out this morning. But I will get more clothes sent here for you, and maybe a wig?"

    "A wig!?" She eximed.

    Cassius tilted his head to the side. "Do you not want to leave here?"

    Her brain must be going too slow to function this early in the morning because she was not catching on. Cassius chuckled. "I will get a wig ordered for you, so you can go outside without being recognised.. Maybe some dark eye make-up as well.." He ced his hand on his chin and smiled, "Yes.. The make-up too.."

    "Wait, Cassius, I don''t need you going on a shopping trip.. I need to know more about you and Amelia.."

    He vanished.

    "Cass?"

    "Oh, boy. There must be a story with that," Malia chimed in.

    "He can''t avoid me forever.."

    "Technically, he could.. He''s immortal.."

    "Thanks for that, Malia," A replied dryly.

    "No problem! If you require any more of my services, please feel free in calling the bell¡­"

    For the next two days, A found herself in a monotonous routine of waiting around and scheming with the guys about what they should do. Chase provided intel on where the closest hunter''spound was to them, and they nned to check it out at some point. A was the only one not to have left the vampire''s snazzy penthouse, all because Cassius couldn''t find her a suitable wig.

    She phoned Damon each day, he was surprisingly calm, but when she first checked the bond and felt how anxious and frustrated he felt, she questioned him about it. But he shrugged it off and blocked her from the bond. She didn''t know how she felt about it. Now she knew how Damon felt each time; it was like a p to the face. But she knew he was keeping something from her along with Finn.

    However, A did not push on it; her gut was still telling her to be na?ve and guard her thoughts about Damon and Finn. Which was bing increasingly hard the longer she was away from her mate. The mark asionally burned, which also became more consistent.

    She remembered from reading the book and listening to Finn about how hard it is for mates to be apart for too long, but she never imagined it would cause her physical pain. She even found her strength decreasing, but so far, it was minuscule.

 Chapter 170 - Plans

    While A put up with her increasing pain and overemotional state, the guys took turns trying to keep distracted. The vampire was not one of them. In fact, A rarely saw him, he was always busy but the times she did see him was eitherte at night drinking from one of his good-looking staff members or the early hours of the morning when she would wake up to him sitting on the bed. He was always away the most at night. It must have been a vampire thing.

    But her thoughts were not on the mysterious vampire who never seemed to sleep, they were constantly turning to Damon, and she wondered how he was fairing. The bond being blocked was frustrating, but at least she could hear him on the phone each day.

    In the meantime, Cassius removed the hunter''s car from the car park, getting his ''men'' to get rid of it while buying A clothes she didn''t necessarily need. She almost red at him when he brought her some heels, but he stated she needed to start dressing the part of a future queen. It made her specte over it as she held them in her hands; Damon rarely dressed up. But when he did, my gosh, he was hot as hell in a suit.

    "That''s because he hasn''t needed to, but he will when you''re crowned, and you have ceremonies and royal balls to host." Came Cassius'' response to her thoughts, missing the part of her lust for her suited mate. He had an answer each time to any clothes she thought were a bit too much, especially since she would not be staying there long. The only thing she didn''tin about was his exquisite taste and sticking to her preference of ck and sometimes red.

    A was looking at thetest designer dress he brought her and ced it gently in its bag before she headed down to the group. As per usual, she stuck to wearing all ck in jeans, a crop top, and some short, heeled boots. After an hour of debating with the men, A leaned her hands on the dining table with the group surrounding a map with circled points of locations. She was lost in thought until Chase continued with where the conversation left off.

    "A, we should check it out, but you should stay behind-"

    "It will also be unsafe for you guys. Especially you, Chase-"

    "If that''s the case, then maybe we shouldn''t do this.."

    A and Chase were arguing back and forth until Cassius appeared leaning against the window with a raised brow, "Yes, Chase should not go. He might be captured and used as a hostage again.."

    "Aww, Gabriel, are you worried about me?" Chase smirked. The tense atmosphere between the two had dialled down over the days making A wonder if they had ''made up''.

    Cassius sighed and looked at his nails, "More like I won''t be saving your ass this time. You''re so much effort. Ugh, humans."

    "Ugh, vampires," Chase mimicked back.

    A and the guys nced between the pair before looking at each other and holding back augh. It was surreal.

    "Why don''t I go and check it out by myself?"

    All four heads turned to Ajax at his announcement.

    "How-"

    "It will be the safest option. I just fly there, check it out and let you guys know if they are still at thepound.." Ajax interrupted A''s question. She pursed her lips and looked at him with worry forming on her wless features.

    Finn scratched the back of his head, "That could work.." He trailed off and looked at A. She looked around and realised everyone was waiting for her to make the official decision. It seemed the most logical..

    "Then it is settled.. Ajax will go," Cassius answered for her, but the guys were still looking to their Luna.

    "Okay.. but I think Finn should go with you. Not to the location, but set up a meeting point, then you guys can get in contact with us and get back ASAP."

    Finn bowed his head, and the pair started striding towards the front door, pausing when they heard the vampire speak up.

    "When you return, we will need to go to Onyx."

    Everyone turned to look at Cassius questionably. "We need to meet an old friend of mine. He has resources we need if you want to take all of the hunters down.."

    "What''s Onyx?" A asked the obvious question.

    Cassius tilted his head to the side. "A nightclub. One of a few I own."

    A''s brows drew together. "You want me to leave here after keeping me inside because of the hunters to then go to your nightclub to meet this mysterious friend of yours?" She deadpanned.

    "You will wear a wig. The hunters haven''t been seen for days." Cassius abruptly left his spot next to the window and stood in front of A, leaning into her personal space. But much like before, she kept her chin raised. "Why.. Do you not trust me, A?" He searched her eyes, his own narrowed, and she knew he was reading her mind.

    "You know I do," She sighed, "It''s just a bit of an odd ce to meet this friend. Why note to the penthouse?"

    "I thought you might want a change in scenery, A." He reached his hand out and ced a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he leaned closer to her, so their faces were a few inches away from each other. "I can rearrange it to here if you wish.."

    A grimaced. Her mark had been burning since his cold hand had touched her ear. Cassius'' gaze lowered to her crescent moon mark and red. "No, you''re right. I want to get out. I can''t stay cooped up in here."

    The vampire dropped his hand, and his features lit up. "Excellent," Cassius smiled, his fangs showing off before he disappeared from sight. A blinked and turned around, rubbing gently at her mark, unaware of Finn and Ajax watching her with furrowed brows before leaving on their mission.

 Chapter 171 - The Hunter & Werewolf

    A and Chase were bored being stuck in the luxurious penthouse and started sparring together, which was both fun and advantageous for each party. A got to see how well-trained Chase was. Even though she was super quick and strong, Chase was still capable of keeping up with her. Of course, he struggled against her inhuman skills, but he was a highly trained hunter, taught how to fight from the age of four.

    A learnt new skills and how to manage different grappling holds from Chase. She was a quick learner, and by the end of the day, she won more fights than him by technique alone. The exhausted pair were sprawled out on the sofa, sweaty and covered in bruises as they spoke about their time at university and life in general. It was true from the week they had together in the hunter''spound, A had met a real friend.

    A was eating an apple, lying sideways on the couch, wearing shorts and a sports bra while Chase slouched next to her in sweats and a shirt, flicking through the movies on Webflix.

    "What about Twilight?" He winked, looking at the title shown on TV.

    "Eww, vampires.." She mocked before crunching into her apple again. With her mouthful, she tried to be asdylike as possible, "Seriously though, I''m feeling something more fun, and.. mundane. You know, everything our lives are not?"

    Chase chuckled, "Alright, alright. Let''s see.."

    Later into the evening, it was still the pair of them. By now, A and Chase were used to calling room service, and like how they did when A had her ''pretty room'' in the hunter''spound, Chase ordered them tworge pizzas. It was nearing midnight when the front door swung open, followed by Ajax and Finn. A and Chase, by that point, had fallen asleep to a series, but they jumped up from the sofa when the werewolf and shapeshifter plopped down on the couch.

    A yawned and rubbed at her eyes as she assessed her friend''s gaunt facial expressions. She was not worried, though, which was why she fell asleep so quickly. Finn phoned before dinner to say he picked up Ajax and that thepound had not yet been abandoned by the hunters. Once they were to return, they were going to seek their next course of action.

    But the pair came backte, and Cassius was adamant about meeting his friend the following night. Until they knew exactly what this friend of his could do, or help with, then they couldn''t do much nning.

    "There were loads of hunters. They seemed to be packing shit up, though," Finn began as he leaned forwards and rxed his arms on his legs and nced at A.

    "Excuse me, Mr Finn. But it was me who scouted the ce, so I should say what I saw.." Ajax pouted and leaned back into the seat, his arms resting casually on the back of the sofa. A looked at him expectantly and grinned. "So, there were loads of hunters. They were packing shit up.."

    A''s lids dropped, and she looked at him, unimpressed that he repeated precisely what Finn said. "But they didn''t seem in a rush. I would give it two or three days before they''re gone," Ajax continued.

    A crossed her legs and started tugging on the ends of her sleeves on the ck hoodie she was wearing. "Did you see Ss?" Chase spoke up before A could ask exactly the same question. She looked intently at the shapeshifter, but his expression already answered for him.

    Ajax shook his head and raked his hand through his unruly raven locks. "I''m not sure. I was there for ages, but unless I went inside the building, I couldn''t say for sure," He grumbled and sighed before throwing his head back into the couch and closing his eyes.

    "My father has about five-set locations he goes to. One of them he blew up," Chase said thoughtfully. "But he knows you guys rescued me, so if he was smart, he wouldn''t stay there long, IF he is in thatpound. That one is one of the four remainingpounds he goes to."

    "It''s surprising how close the hunters really were to me all along.." A muttered.

    "Anywhere is too close.." Finn muttered. "We need to get rid of them."

    "Ss is the one we need to kill," A murmured and looked at Chase. "Sorry.."

    Chase scoffed, "It''s fine. I knew what the end goal was when I agreed to help you."

    A nodded her head.

    "You better remember that when the timees," Cassius'' chilling voice broke out through the heavy silence that had followed their conversation. They whipped their head to the side to see the vampire standing near the window, looking out at the view with a ss of red wine in his hand. "If ites to it, you might be the one to have to take his life."

    Cassius turned his head slowly, his blue eyes cold as they stared at Chase. The ex-hunter''s jaw ticked, and he held the vampire''s gaze. "I know how to take a life, Gabriel," He replied coldly. A wasn''t watching Cassius now; her attention was on Chase. Could he really kill his father? Even though Ss had tortured him and beaten him up previously. It was one thing to say it, but to do it..

    "Killing a vampire or werewolf is different to killing your own flesh and blood," Cassius replied in a low chilling voice. He was faced away again, looking at the lights of the city below. "Plus, you seem to have a conscience now.. It might intervene."

    Chase stood up and red at the vampire before storming off to his room with his hands fisted by his sides. A watched his broad back shrink the further he got away and walked down the hallway out of sight.

    "He''s not some stone-cold killer, Ca- Gabriel," A muttered defensively.

    Cassius chuckled lowly. "Oh, sweet, A. You really don''t know the man well enough to make such statements. Chase Hunt," He scoffed and turned his head back to look at her. "is not infamous for flower arranging.."

    A pursed her lips, her hands still ying with the ends of her sleeves as she bent her knees towards her chest, ncing at the remaining guys who did not meet her eyes.

    "That man has hundreds of creature''s blood on his hands. Chase Hunt, son of Ss Hunt whose ancestors created their little organisation." The vampire finished without emotion. His words made her skin tingle with goosebumps.

    She knew Chase was a hunter, but to say he had killed so many seemed ridiculous to her. He was the same age as her.. Chase couldn''t possibly have killed so many. But then she remembered their training earlier and realised how well he kept up with her. He told her how much he trained and the pressure his father put on him to be the best.

    A stared off to where Chase had escaped to and felt her brows knit together with a mixture of emotions swirling in her chest. Chase was a good person; she knew that he had a messed up past and had done evil deeds in the past. She could see the weight of guilt and regret on his shoulders, along with the burning hatred she would see shing in his eyes. It wasn''t hatred for them though, it was for himself.

    But all that mattered now was the choice he made to help her.

 Chapter 172 - Dressed To Impress

    The following evening, A was finishing her make-up off. Both feeling nervous by her bold choice and a little emboldened by it. She stood up and walked in her high heels to the full-length mirror in the far corner of Cassius'' bedroom. She pursed her lips and blinked back at her reflection.

    A wore a dark red-wine cami midi dress with a slit up one side with thin straps holding up the clinging silk material on her curvaceous body. Thanks to a Utube video, she somehow managed to pull off the dark smoky eye make-up look, making her eyes pop that much more, along with some light pink lip gloss thatplimented herplexion well. A tilted her head to the side. It was a lot more make-up than what she usually wore when she was forced out by her university friends.

    She felt nervous with so much around her eyes. Maybe she should stick to her usual natural look? But then again, she was also trying to fit in. Her white hair was going to be hidden by a wig, and the make-up covered her up. Or so she hoped. She smoothed her dress down.

    "You look badass!" Malia eximed in excitement. Her wolf was gushing at their look and keptplimenting her, along the lines of:

    ''Legs for days''

    ''Hot''

    ''Don''t fuck with me eyes.''

    ''Damn, our boobs look epic.''

    A rolled her eyes and grabbed her clutch bag, but before she spun on her heel to grab her wig, Cassius suddenly stood closely behind her, staring at her reflection. She halted and looked at his usual attire, a ck three-piece suit, but his tie matched the colour of her dress. His hair was left down, almost matching the colour of her own, questions bubbled up again in her mind, but she dismissed them and instead made light of the situation.

    "I did not realise we were going to prom, Cassius. Matching tie and dress, whatever next?" She murmured, her eyes lighting up with amusement.

    Cassius smirked and suddenly moved her hair onto one side of her shoulder, producing a dainty white gold ne around her neck. It was beautiful, with three small diamonds bncing across her corbone, looking almost like they were floating on her skin with no chain at all. A blinked and stared at the piece while his cold hands worked on the sp, his eyes still on her reflection.

    "Much better," He whispered into her ear. Her eyes widened at how close he was to her, and she not so subtly moved her head away. He chuckled and spun her around, so they faced each other, his cooling hands resting on her hips as he looked down at her lustfully. "It''s a shame your hair has to be covered tonight," He murmured. The vampire looked like he wanted to say more, but he left her in a sh and returned holding a short ck bob of a wig.

    A spun her hair into a low bun, and Cassius helped move the wig in ce, his hand trailed down her bare neck with the lightest of touches, and he averted his eyes quickly, snapping his hand back. "A.. I know we haven''t known each other very long, but-"

    "Stop."

    Cassius whipped his head back and looked at her with furrowed brows. "If you n on telling me your undying love for me, please save it, Cassius. I am mated to Alpha Damon," Her eyes flickered across his cial stare, "And it''s not just a means to an end. With or without the mate bond, I love him."

    Cassius reached his hand out and tenderly stroked her cheek, A wanted to pull away, but something in his features told her to stay put, even with her wolf pacing at the edges of her mind, ready to bolt out if the vampire tried anything more. He looked at her face lovingly as though he was taking every single detail of it into his memory. "I have be very.. fond of you, A. I had other ns for us, but I can see now how it would not work." He lowered his eyes to the mark near her corbone, and with his other hand, he stroked the area.

    A hissed from the touch; a cold, tingling sensation erupted over the fire, burning and trying to spread through her body, weakening her. He snapped his eyes back to hers, and she saw his face be impassive once more. "I will meet you at the club," He dropped his hand and ced a limitless spendable ck card in her hand along with a fancy ck business card with the name ''ONYX'' on it and swiftly turned away.

    A frowned and took two steps after him, "Why are you noting with us?" She asked with suspicion seeping into her voice.

    Cassius sighed, "Because he will need to see me first before you guys."

    A looked replied so softly that she didn''t think he would hear her, "Okay.." She looked at her hands, "Thank you for the ne. You really didn''t need to get me it, any of it."

    Her chin was tilted up, and she looked into Cassius'' bright blue eyes, and she blinked slowly as she gazed at the specks of red in them. "Anything for you, A. Remember that." He looked at her lips and clenched his eyes shut before whispering, "After tonight, everything changes. I want you to know how much I care for you." He opened his eyes and stared at her again, almost taking her breath away from the intensity of it.

    He closed the small distance between them, causing A to still and her heart pound thunderously in her chest. She felt Malia tug on the reins, but she heard Cassius whisper in her mind to halt. Her wolf instantly stopped while A looked at the vampire wide-eyed.

    He tilted his head, and she felt his lips kiss her cheek softly before leaning his head into hers, inhaling her scent while his pale hair fell over her stunned face.

    But he abruptly pulled away and disappeared from sight, leaving A to sag forwards. She looked up again, forgetting that the door had been wide open during Cassius'' little confession. Finn was in the doorframe, the burner phone against his ear.

 Chapter 173 - Detective Finn

    [ <strong>Finn</strong> ]

    Finn had been on high alert for the past few days, not rxing once staying at Gabriel''s grand hotel. Ever since Gabriel had been showing off his interest in A, he had been watching the vampire, observing his mannerisms, trying to catch him off guard and listen to his phone calls. He made sure to keep his thoughts focused on different subjects whenever the vampire was in the room.

    There was something off about Gabriel, and he couldn''t put his finger on it. When A first was in the master bedroom on the phone to Alpha Damon, Finn sat down with a ss of that expensive whiskey and thought back to his time in the hunter''spound. When he was first kidnapped and brought to that damn cell, he kept as far away as possible from the vampire in the cell next to him.

    That dick, Connor, put him in the middle one on purpose. He knew the hunter wanted to make their ''stay'' even more unpleasant by putting the two natural enemies next to each other and see what happens.

    At the time, Finn didn''t know much about vampires. He had only been across two in his life; both times, he helped rip them to pieces for being in their territory and leaving human bodies from their relentless thirst. Bloody leeches either couldn''t control themselves, or they didn''t give a shit if the human lived or died.

    For the first two weeks of his imprisonment, the vampire and werewolf didn''t talk to each other. His life had changed so much; he didn''t know how to organise his thoughts. If he hadn''t been injected with wolfsbane so much, he knew he would have shifted from his emotional state. The silence from his wolf was too much as well; after his fifth injection, Logan had weakened so much that he could not speak to him. Leaving Finn to lie in the dank cell in silence.

    But it wasn''t just the new pace of his imprisonment, the beatings from Connor and the experiments, his whole pack, his family was murdered. His little brother and his parents were dead all because of the hunters and their hatred for his kind. Thest thing he wanted to deal with was a vampire. But in that time, he did not interact with him, nor did he make any snarkyments when Finn would return to his cell.

    After those two weeks, Gabriel was the first to speak, simply greeting him and asking if he was okay. Their friendship wasn''t immediate, and it was more of a love-hate rtionship, more so on Finn''s side. He had consistently grown up hating his kind, but weeks felt like months, months to years, and soon it seemed he and Gabriel had been friends for ten years than three before Ajax showed up. They soon found that they could talk about anything, not that Gabriel gave much away about himself, but the discussions ranged from anything light to soulfully deep.

    Finn never expected to include a vampire as one of his closest friends. But after failed attempts of escaping, the pair looked past their prejudices and natural hate for one another. So, when he saw how Gabriel started to cosy up to A, he knew immediately something was wrong because the one thing the vampire was adamant about was never to get in between mates. That was something he was always opposed to.

    Naturally, he would speak to his Luna, to A about this, but his gut feeling and his wolf was telling him not to. Anytime A wasn''t looking in the vampire''s direction, Finn could see Gabriel watching her, either looking at her like she was his most prized possession or calctedly. Her thoughts weren''t safe, that was for sure.

    So, when an opportunity arose for him to get in contact with Damon, he took it. He ryed his thoughts and the events happening in Chester to Alpha Damon. He lost his shit instantly. The Alpha wanted toe over with half the pack, protect A and kill the vampire, no matter how much he helped them. But it seemed Beta Kane was helping Alpha Damon with his mood swings, and he calmed down to the point that he wouldn''t do anything rash.

    The pair being apart wasn''t good for either of them. The Alpha was angry, feral, and from what he heard on the phone each time he phoned- smashing up the ce. With A, it wasn''t as evident; she was very good at hiding any form of weakness. The only way they knew she was still recovering from her injury was because of the smell of blood; otherwise, from the smile on her face and the way sheposed herself, they wouldn''t know anything was wrong.

    But with the distance between the Alpha and Luna, Finn noticed A asionally wincing and hissing, stroking her mark absentmindedly before sheposed herself once more. He found it interesting and worrying; Finn knew mates weren''t supposed to be apart for too long, especially pack leaders such as the Alpha and Luna. They were the ones thatpleted the pack, kept it strong; without his Luna, the Alpha wolf bes hard to handle.

    After making his initial phone call to Alpha Damon, he was instructed to watch Gabriel and report back to him daily. He agreed to keep it from A until they uncovered what scheme the vampire was nning. But from what Finn had seen over thest few days, it was obvious he was after his Luna. He just wondered how far he was going to take it.

    Finn paced the length of his bedroom; he was on the phone with Damon, telling him the name of the club and what they were doing. The Alpha already knew of their ns to go to the club, A told him in the morning. Damon had his own ns and discussed them with Finn further and asked him to take the phone to A; he wanted to speak to his mate before they left. As he approached the stairs, he slowed down his steps-

    "Why are you noting with us?" He heard A ask, making Finn frown at this new revtion. He kept the phone to his ear and didn''t make a sound as he slowly ascended the stairs. Damon was quiet on the other end of the line; Finn knew his Alpha was also listening. He stopped in the doorframe. Why was the door wide open?

    A stood there, rooted to the spot, Gabriel standing too close for Finn''s liking. The vampire had touched her too many times, thest one being that he nearly drank from her. Finn felt his chest tighten and slowly burn with rage. He would never have let that happen, but he didn''t interfere; his Luna seemed to know how to handle him.

    "Anything for you, A. Remember that. After tonight, everything changes. I want you to know how much I care for you."

    After tonight, everything changes?

    Finn frowned again at his words, but his eyes widened after watching the vampire kiss A on the cheek. Damon growled so ferociously on the other end of the line that it gave Finn goosebumps. Damon could be fricken scary when he wanted to be, Finn wasn''t afraid to admit that it was a fact, and he wouldn''t dare get on his bad side. Now, it looked like the vampire made it on his Alpha''s hit list.

    Gabriel turned around and smirked at Finn before disappearing. Finn didn''t bother looking for him; he left the penthouse for sure after kissing A. Finn cringed; he could still hear the continuous low growl of the Alpha, it made him wonder if he shifted, but he knew Damon was still in control, barely. His wolf sounded very close to the surface.

    "Take the fucking wheel," Damon snapped or was it his wolf? His voice was deep and still growling as he spoke. "Do NOT slow down."

    There was some shuffling on the phone and a few curses from the Alpha. "Put my mate on the phone," Damon said bluntly, void of any emotion.

    "Oh, snap. I don''t know what''s worse, aggressive Alpha or scary and quiet Alpha.." Logan whispered in his mind.

    "My bet is the quiet version of Alpha Damon," Finn muttered back. He was lost in thought as he looked at A''s shocked but stunning features. Finn walked towards her and reached his hand out for her to take the phone.

    A took the phone without a word. She seemed to have recovered from Gabriel''s kiss and seeing Finn catch him in the act. Pursing her lips, A put the phone to her ear. Finn watched her with concern and shamefully checked her out; even with the ck wig, she looked amazing.

    "No shame in it. She''s a beautiful she-wolf with tons of power," Logan piped up. When they first met A, Logan was nearly drooling for her to be their mate. But Finn knew better, especially after seeing how Damon reacted to his and Ajax'' presence by A''s side. Finn was protective of A for other reasons, but it was nothing inparison to how a mate was.

    Right then and there, when A hugged them outside the mansion after their rescue, he knew Damon and A were mates. The electrical energy surrounding them, the way they looked at each other, even though A''s look was a mixture of confusion and want for the Alpha.

    He shook his head; he needed to focus on what was going to happen now. Gabriel left them and is meeting them at the club after trying to get in between A and Damon. He didn''t know what Gabriel was nning, but he couldn''t understand him anymore. It made him sad and angry. Either way, A was his Luna, and he would protect her no matter what. If Gabriel was a threat, then he would help dispose of it.

 Chapter 174 - Frosty

    A took the phone from Finn, ignoring the flush of anger boiling beneath the surface of his eyes mixed with concern. She knew his anger wasn''t directed at her, she could tell. But this didn''t stop her from feeling guilty. Everything happened so quickly that she wasn''t sure how she felt about it before even answering her mate. Before even cing the phone to her ear, she could feel Damon''s rage.

    A shiver rippled through her, and she turned her back to Finn, cing the phone to her ear, keeping herselfposed while her body tensed, prepared for her ears to burst from his angry voice. A readied herself to defend herself. She inhaled deeply and breathed out, almost feeling faint. "Hello?"

    Dread, she was feeling dread. She wasn''t fearful of Damon, of course not, but Damon was jealous at the best of times, trying hard not to attack men who only looked at her. Now, a man, not only a man but a vampire, had touched her, confessed his feelings to her, brought her jewellery and kissed her cheek. Everything that happened while Finn was on the phone to Damon in the same room.

    She gripped the phone harder, and her heart pounded so loudly that she thought it might jump out of her chest and run away.

    "I hear ya, this is too much! And he hasn''t even said anything!" Malia whisper-shouted and hid again. A rolled her eyes.

    "Pussy," A replied and waited for Damon''s voice on the other end of the call.

    It was a tense few seconds; she could hear his barely contained growl. "A," He breathed, the growl subsided, and she tried not to flinch from how he said her name. "Would you care if that LEECH was killed?" He said slowly, dangerously low and crisp.

    "Damon.." She gulped and stared outside, looking past her reflection in the ss. "I''m sorry you had to hear that. As for the kiss-"

    "How.." He began, his voice chilling her to the bone. There was no growling, there was no shouting, he was calm and clear with how he spoke, yet his emotions were skyrocketing. "did he manage to kiss you?"

    "He.." She pursed her lips and looked around, noticing Finn still standing guard at the doorway, his arms crossed against his chest, facing away from her. "Finn.." She called to him; he turned around and she gestured for him to close the door. She didn''t care about the others knowing, they were her closest friends now, but she felt better for having the door closed, at least.

    A sighed and almost raked her hand through her hair but stopped after remembering it was a wig. "Cassius knows my wolf''s true name," She muttered.

    "HE WHAT!?" Both Damon and Finn shouted, making A blink back in surprise at Finn''s shaking form and ncing at the phone now pulled away from her ear at Damon''s sudden roaring voice.

    "I.. don''t know what happened, but I couldn''t move away, and then when my wolf tried to take control to get me out of the situation, he called to her andmanded her to stop," A blurted out before truly understanding what she was saying. It was true she couldn''t move; she felt captivated by him, by his eyes, did he usepulsion on her? She frowned; no, Cassius wouldn''t do that. But still, she let him get close to her.

    He could have so easily in the past used his mind control. It was only now that Malia tried to intervene that he used her true name against them, so he could kiss her cheek. At least he didn''t kiss her on the lips, that would destroy any friendship between them, and she would hate him for it. Maybe, Cassius knew that, which is why he hasn''t pushed her?

    Ugh!

    "I can''t believe he knows your true name.. Wait, you called him Cassius?" Finn interrupted her thoughts. By now, she had Damon on loudspeaker; he had been reticent. A didn''t know if she liked that or not; she could feel his burning rage. It was slowly bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

    A sighed. "That''s what he has told me to call him.. It added up to what I was beginning to suspect.."

    Finn sat down on the bed, scowling at what she said. A could see him thinking deeply to the point she thought a blood vessel might pop in his head. "Cassius.." He murmured.

    A knock at the door startled the pair in the room, then the door opened, revealing Ajax and Chase. The pair looking dapper in their own suits, and Finn looking smart wearing a shirt, jeans, and smart shoes. If there wasn''t a tense atmosphere in the master bedroom, A would haveplimented on the three looking so suave.

    Ajax whistled. "I''m getting some really intense vibes going on in here.." He held his hands up and nced at the pair whose shoulders were stiff.

    "A," Damon''s quiet voice broke through any reply she was about to give and quietening any further discussion from herrades. "Be safe, angel. Finn, look after her."

    "On it," Finn replied instantly. A half expected him to salute the phone from how serious his expression was.

    A parted her lips to reply, but Damon spoke up again. "And A.. I will deal with you soon." He hung up, leaving A standing there in stunned silence. She expected his fiery self, but instead, he hung up on her with those words hanging in the air.

    "Okay, whatever has happened needs to be paused. We need to get going," Chase spoke up, dragging A out of her reverie. She ced the cards in her clutch bag and yed with her wig a bit, giving herself onest look in the mirror before taking Ajax''s outstretched arm.

    Unfortunately, Chase was right, and she needed to push past her spiralling feelings of guilt and anger so she could focus on the rest of the night. Once they met with Cassius and his friend, they could start nning how to skillfully take down the hunters with the most minor casualties.

 Chapter 175 - Trouble At ONYX

    A was a bundle of nerves in the back seat of the ck SUV Cassius left them. It was brand new, all finished to the highest quality with the number te: CAS5No1. A rolled her eyes when she saw it. But now she was sitting next to Ajax, Finn in the front passenger seat and Chase driving into ONYX nightclub. The address was on the business card Cassius gave her, and she handed it to Finn.

    They parked up down the road from the booming nightclub. Even after driving past it briefly, the group knew it was fancy and bustling with customers wanting to get in. Did they need to queue with the rest if they knew the owner? They climbed out of the car and started making their way to the long queue. Chase and Finn stayed ahead, with Ajax still acting as her date / close bodyguard. She clung onto his arm, trying to fit in and hoped no one thought she was wearing a wig.

    However, as they approached, most heads turned to look at her little party. Mainly women who made A rx more. They seemed to be swooning over the men.

    "This is why Ie here!" Ady''s voice squealed from the front of the queue, "They HAVE to be models or something.. What a lucky bitch!"

    Ajax smirked, "Ah, my looks are too much for them to bear!"

    A smacked his shoulder lightly as they halted at the end of the line. She wished nobody would notice them, but with three hunky guys with her, they were bound to be seen. What a lucky bitch indeed.

    They waited only a few minutes before two very well-dressed security guards approached them. Their high quality dark red suits seemed ultra shy with golden name tags on. "Pleasee with us." They turned around, not waiting for them to follow; with a single nod from A, they walked past the queue through the entrance and was shown a separate door to the main one.

    The guard opened the door and tilted his chin for them to follow down the barely lit stairs. Ajax ced his arm over her shoulder and followed behind the other two. They stopped when they turned the corner, and before them was a prestige bar and lounge area. The colouring of ck and gold, the lighting set dark, with fancy modern chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. A peered around the side of the wall and noticed an archway that seemed to lead to strobe lights and some booming music.

    Where they currently were was like an esteemed members-only lounge with a bar. They walked towards the bar, and A leaned her back against it, resting her elbows on the sleek surface while she searched the room for Gabriel.

    "What''s a pretty she-wolf like you doing in a vampire bar?"

    A snapped her head to the free space by her side where Ajax was meant to be (but of course, he wasn''t as the shapeshifter forgot his duties and was ordering a drink next to Finn). There stood a man with dark brown hair, blue eyes hooded as he leaned closer to A with his sharp, stunningly pale features. He grinned, showing off his fangs to prove a point. But what had A staring at him so much was the red ring around his eyes. Didn''t vampires have red specks in their eyes?

    "Or was you by any chance.." His eyes roamed the length of her body before resting his gaze on hers once more. "looking for a bit of action with a vamp?" His lustful gaze made A sigh, wondering what happened to her bodyguards.

    "I''m here to meet a friend-"

    "I''ll be your friend.." He leaned closer to her, but her attention snapped to the side when she realised their group was surrounded by men and women. There had to at least be ten of them, each showing off their fangs.

    A rolled her eyes. She had no experience with vampires other than Cassius, but she was pretty confident in her capabilities to take them out if she needed to. If she was able to keep up a fight with Cassius, who was 500+ years old, she was certain she could take these guys out. But, she was not here for a fight, but a ''business meeting'' to help get rid of the hunters.

    "No, thank you," She replied crisply, ring back at the vampire too close to her.

    "My, my, my.. What do we have here?"

    A whipped her head to the side at an approaching vampire with golden curly locks of hair falling to his chin, bright green eyes circled with that red ring, with a sharp nose and strong jaw. The vampire looked like he should be tanned and on a surfboard, but his clothes screamed money in his shy designer suit. He sauntered over to stand in front of A, making Ajax on her other side inch closer to her and hooking his hand over her waist protectively while ring at the neer who seemed to be in charge.

    He reached his hand out, almost like he was going to touch A''s chin, but she swatted it away and red at him. Mr Goldy-locks only smiled more, showing off his fangs and chuckled while a bristling Finn growled lowly.

    "It''s almost.." He began, staring at each person in her small group, "as though I have walked in on an awful joke.. Two werewolves, a shapeshifter and a human walk into a vampire bar.." He smirked and stood in front of A again, tilting his head to the side. "Whatever was your n?"

    "If I recall, there are humans in the club, not just us, and we are not on bad terms with the vampires.." A began only to narrow her eyes subtly at Mr Goldy-locks and the other vampires, who started tough at herment. "Either way, we are here to see Gabriel. Do you know him?"

    For some reason, the vampire started tough again along with the one by her side. "What would a slutty she-wolf like you want with the vampire king?" The dark-haired vampire leaning close to her snapped.

    Ajax'' hand tightened around her waist, but she turned to face the foul speaking man, dismissing thement of Gabriel being the vampire king forter. "If I were you, Mr, I''d step away before I REALLY lose my patience.." She replied in an overly sweet voice while stroking his shirt with her finger.

    He hissed back, his fangs baring and without needing anymore urging; A grabbed a bottle and smashed it into the bar before jabbing it into his neck. A gurgled scream escaped his lips as he floundered with his hands to the area and fell back. She heard some scuffling on the side, already knowing the others were fighting, before she smirked and let her mind go hazy with blood lust. Mr Goldy-locks reached for her, but she swiftly moved out of the way, standing behind him.

    He spun around, looking at her in stunned silence. She used that moment to kick her leg out, causing him to m into the bottles at the back of the bar. Almost immediately, she blocked an oing punch from another vampire in a suit, and she kneed him in the stomach. But he disappeared and reappeared behind her, putting her into a headlock. But with one lithe movement, she broke free, flipped over him, elongating her canines and ripped into the flesh of his neck.

    "Ah!"

    She pulled back and chuckled, "A vampire that doesn''t like to be bitten?!"

    A jumped off him and mmed his head into one of the coffee tables, knocking him out. Malia was close to the surface, and she could almost hear her wolf trying to calm her down. Calm down!? Why this was fun! Plus, they started it, it was only right she finished it! She wanted blood to be spilt, the rush of the fight making her lose her mind.

    She stopped and looked at the madness in the snazzy bar and shook her head. Where the hell was Cassius? Why hadn''t he helped them yet?

    "Ooft!" She flew to the side and rolled out of the way from another vampire''s reach. Unlike the others who were struggling with the same opponent, A kept taking hers down quickly. She could see the scowls on their faces from how she could keep up with their speed. Thest one to try and attack her grabbed her by the throat, but she punched him in the face, making him release his hold; he reached out again, this time pulling on her hair.

    But it wasn''t her hair; it was her wig. The vampire stumbled back and looked at the wig before staring wide-eyed as A''s white hair fell down in waves across her chest and back. She narrowed her eyes at him. And within a split second, she stood in front of him, grabbed his head and twisted it to the side with a loud crunch. He dropped to the ground just in time for A to look back up to see Cassius ring at her.

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

 Chapter 176 - The Vampire King: Part One

    [ <strong>The Vampire King</strong> ]

    Gabriel sat elegantly on his ck leather sofa, one arm spread out on the back of the furniture while the other held onto a tumbler of blood. He grimaced; he usually drank straight from the source, not only because it was fresh but because drinking from anything other than a human body reminded him of his time in the hunter''spound. But as ofte, his impulse to drain everyone, including vampires, was too high. He would end up destroying his empire if he wasn''t careful.

    He sipped from his ss, lost in thought, waiting for his servant, Vince, to arrive.

    "Gabriel."

    He turned his head to the side and nced behind him; Vince stood there, bowing. He straightened up, revealing his tall height and lean body in his navy waistcoat and trousers. His brown hair slicked back, his sharp jawline clean-shaven, and brown eyes ringed in red to show Vince was the average vampire. Many years ago, the king''s crest used to be stitched into the servant''s highly expensive uniform, but Gabriel grew bored over the centuries of seeing it.

    "Do you have them?" Gabriel inquired.

    "They are in the dungeon as you requested, sire," Vince replied formally, sping his hands together behind his back.

    Gabriel jumped up and ced his drink on the sleek ck coffee table, "Marvellous." He walked towards the gold vintage-looking elevator at the far end of the room and stepped in. cing his hands in his pockets, he started to whistle a light and cheerful tune, a tune that made Vince cringe, knowing too well that the king was anything but in a happy mood, and the song he was whistling only meant blood would be spilt.

    The elevator stopped at the basement floor, and Gabriel stepped out and walked down the cold, dark hallway with small lights near the floor, lighting up their path. His steps were the only sounds made in the overly quiet dungeon. He could smell their fear as he approached the ss wall where the two beaten men were sniffing on the ground. There was no need for security; they knew where they were being held and who they angered.

    He input the code needed to open the metal door and stepped into the light grey cell; the floors and walls were still pristine with a cheap bed on the side. Gabriel stepped closer to the men who were too scared to look at him, their bodies were trembling, and their foreheads started to sweat.

    "Look. At. Me." Gabriel snapped. His voice was low and icy; he didn''t need to usepulsion for them to instantly look at him. He could see the fear behind their eyes.

    Good.

    "You deem it okay to touch what is mine?" Gabriel stared down at the two men on their knees before him. They didn''t answer his rhetorical question and instead were grovelling for their lives. It made him angrier.

    "Pathetic. I want to end your pathetic lives, I could.. in one motion, but how else would you learn a lesson?" He spread his hands out before dropping them by his sides, his face hardening with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

    "Vince, remove Rory''s fangs and this one.." He tilted his head to the side, "Chop off his hand. Keep them here for three months with no blood." He squatted down, so he was at their level, "And when you are released.. I expect you not to kill any humans but act rationally. Vince will provide any blood before you leave here. If I hear you have so much as LOOKED in her direction again, I will personally torture you."

    He straightened up after the man next to Rory peed himself. Pathetic, indeed. He turned on the spot and nodded at Vince.

    "Your highness," Vince bowed. Gabriel walked away from the pleas and grovelling for him to be merciful. It made his mood darken, and the vampire decided if he stayed there longer, he would go back on his word, and he would dly take their lives.

    He travelled back up the elevator and opened the golden gate, stepping back into his private room, only to stop and raise an eyebrow when he saw another one of his henchmen standing in the room. Gabriel could never remember the name of him, but he was annoying him by fidgeting with his hands. Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "What is it?" His voice startled the vampire, and he looked up to the vampire king, who now stood directly in front of him.

    "There seems to be trouble at the bar, your highness," He replied anxiously.

    "So? Deal with it.." Gabriel flicked his wrist and walked away from him, going back to his drink to calm his chaotic energy.

    "The thing is.. it''s werewolves."

    Gabriel turned around, his brows drawing together at this revtion. He walked past the guard and went to the security room on the other end of his luxurious lounge. The king leaned towards the screens and watched as a group fought with his people. He couldn''t quite see them from the angle of the cameras, but a certain she-wolf stood out to him.

    "There are four of them. HOW is it possible for ten vampires not to take down four of them?" His voice was dangerously low, his hands tightening on the edges of the table, causing the wood to splinter and crack from his strength.

    There were bodies of vampires surrounding the she-wolf, either dead or on the ground in agony. She was powerful and fast; if she wasn''t making a nuisance in his club, he would apud her. He tilted his head to the side. There was something about her that seemed familiar making him watch her elegant yet violent movements closely. But as soon as her ck wig was taken off, Gabriel shot out of his chair and entered the bar within seconds.

    The she-wolf snapped the neck of a vampire, and he dropped to the ground, revealing the face of someone he was not expecting. The white hair, stunning features, crystal-blue eyes, Amelia. No, it was A.

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" He roared.

 Chapter 177 - The Vampire King: Part Two

    A stared at him, her eyes were glowing, and she looked wild. Gabriel snapped his head to the side and frowned when he saw Ajax, Finn and .. Chase? Why.. He looked back at A and grabbed her by the neck as soon as she leapt towards him, mming her against the wall. She wed at his hands and growled, baring her canines to him.

    "Gabriel! Stop!" Finn was by his side growling.

    "When did she go feral?" He snapped back, not loosening his hold on her.

    "What do you mean? You were there!?"

    The pair looked at each other confused. But Gabriel looked back at A when she rxed her hands and leaned her head back into the wall, shutting her eyes. "What the fuck, Cass. Why did you tell us toe here?" She growled through clenched teeth and snapped her eyes open. They were back to normal now, but there was a fury behind them.

    "What did you just call me?" Gabriel whispered, but his answer came to him instantly after reading her mind and seeing a memory of them talking and him telling her to call him Cassius. He released his hand as though he had been stung, and his mood darkened even more, his temper rising to the point that the room cooled down significantly. Everyone scrambled out of the bar. The remaining vampires left in the lounge were dead except for his right-hand man, who did not fear him.

    A tilted her head to the side, "Oh, sorry. It slipped my mind. I.." She nced at the bodies on the ground, "that''s not the point. Why are we here? I doubt your friend wants to meet with us now.."

    "Come." He turned around, "Let''s speak in my office."

    The four looked at each other warily. "Why can''t we speak here?" Chase asked, causing the vampire to halt and re at him, silencing any further arguments. He continued and led them through the archway to the loud music mixed with bodies dancing, sweat filling the air and lights shing to the beat of the music. A was quick on the vampire''s heel and almost flinched when she felt his hand circle around her wrist so she wouldn''t get lost in the crowd.

    However, she noticed how people instantly moved out of the way for him. They either looked at him in awe or fear. She knew already who the humans were, which suddenly made her panic about the bar''s condition. She whipped her head back and moved it around, looking past and over some of the crowd. She could see through the now small opening of the arch, and blinked in surprise. Everything looked normal; there was no blood or bodies.

    But she was pulled forwards and found herself in a snazzy elevator, standing next to Cassius. She nced at him nervously, and he let go of her hand, looking ahead coldly, waiting for the others to join. A didn''t look at her friends though as they came to stand in the elevator, she was too busy staring at the vampire. There was something different about him.

    She looked him up and down. First of all, he seemed to have changed clothes, wearing all ck. His ck shirt and tie under a ck and gold waistcoat, his cufflinks with the family crest that was on his ring. But it wasn''t just the outfit change; his hair was cut short.

    Before she could ask him about his sudden change in appearance, he was already opening the golden cage door and leading them into a snazzy lounge area with three floor-to-ceiling length windows showing off the city below. A shook her head from marvelling at the room. She needed answers now.

    "Stop. Why did you tell us toe here? We were attacked-"

    "Luther, make sure no onees up here." Cassius interrupted her, ignoring her. A nced at the man named Luther and stilled when she realised it was Mr Goldy-locks she kicked into the back of the bar. He disappeared from sight after bowing to Cassius.

    "Hmm, I prefer the name Mr Goldy-locks," Malia muttered.

    "Same," A replied and almost jumped out of her skin when Malia growled at her, "Oh, now you can hear me!?"

    "I didn''t understand at first why you were here.." Cassius began, interrupting what was sure to be an argument between A and her wolf.

    She stepped forwards, further into the darkly decorated room, only to stop when the vampire turned on the spot, leaning against the ck marble bar at the far end, holding a tumbler of blood in his hand. "But as soon as you called me by that name.. I knew," He continued.

    A blinked back, trying to understand where he was going with this. Cassius sighed and then looked past her, his face hardened, his gaze burning two holes into someone standing behind them. A turned her head, and her face paled.

    "Hello, Gabriel. Long-time no see.."

    A''s lips parted, and she stopped breathing. She blinked her eyes and looked back to the vampire at the bar, then back to the vampire standing tall behind her, a smirk crawling up his handsome features. A looked at Ajax, Finn and Chase, making sure she hadn''t lost her mind and was seeing double, but their shocked features proved to her that this was not a dream, and she was not going mad.

    They too could see two Gabriel''s/ Cassius''.

    "Cassius."

    "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!" Finn was the first to break some of the tension brewing between the two vampires.

    A kept ncing between the two vampires. They were identical except for their clothes and hair. "Cassius?" A looked at the vampire with long white hair who was standing nearer to her. He nodded his head, but his eyes were fixed at the vampire at the other end of the room. She turned her head and looked at the vampire with short white hair holding his drink.

    "And you''re Gabriel?" She whispered.

    Gabriel nodded; he, too, didn''t look at her but was ring at Cassius.

    "You''re-"

    "Brothers," Gabriel finished.

 Chapter 178 - Gabriel -- Cassius

    { You either die a hero.. Or live long enough to see yourself be the viin ~ Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight. }

    A sucked in a sharp breath and looked at the twin brother Cassius, whose hair was long, going past his shoulders and wearing the same attire as he did earlier when he kissed her. She didn''t know what to say or how to feel; this vampire pretended to be Gabriel. Why? Why would he do that?

    There was a tense and silent atmosphere filled with hostility; A presumed the brothers did not get along or maybe recently argued? Gabriel scoffed from behind her. He must have been listening to her thoughts.

    "Ugh! Two vampires to deal with who can read minds!" Malia almost shouted in A''s mind, causing her head to pound at this new revtion.

    A looked at Cassius suspiciously and instinctively took a step back. Gabriel was the one with her in the hunter''spound, not Cassius. So, she automatically felt safer with Gabriel.

    Cassius chuckled darkly and took a step forwards. "Don''t be that way. We''ve spent more time together than you have with him. And I have certainly done a lot more for you, A," He spoke gently to her, and she gazed into his bright blue eyes.

    That was right. Cassius had done more for her; she shouldn''t be frightened of him. He took out thirteen treacherous werewolves, helped her twice with the hunters and helped her escape and return after turning feral for a few days. But he never corrected her when she called him Gabriel. Why?

    Cassius reached his hand out towards her. But this time, she knocked his hand away from her face. His eyes narrowed as he lowered his hand and fisted it by his side.

    "But you lied about who you are.. Cassius. You told me not to repeat your name unless it was just us. I presumed you would tell me why when you were ready, but all along, it was because you were pretending to be.. your brother.. I don''t understand. Why? What is this?!" She raised her voice and wrapped her arms around each other.

    She did not know how to feel, her chest and shoulders were tight, and her eyes began to glow from her chaotic emotions. She inhaled deeply to calm herself down along with her racing heart. Her body was now tense both from her rising anger and from her fighting earlier.

    A was surprised by her own actions. It was spontaneous; there was no need to act so rashly, even if the vampires posed a threat. She was usually calm andposed even in the face of seeing Ss again. Yet, she was approached by an annoying vampire, and she lost it. At the time, a blood-lust haze fell over her eyes and almost consumed her.

    Gabriel asked about when she was feral. Was this connected?

    A bit her tongue, refocusing on what was before her now. A bloody twin brother of Gabriel, that''s what! Malia was pacing at the fringe of her mind again, the wolf was ready in case Cassius did anything, and this time she was prepared to break through before he used her true name.

    Cassius didn''t reply to her questions, ignoring her and looked at Gabriel expectantly. A narrowed her eyes at him; what is Gabriel going to answer for you? Cassius'' lips twitched slightly, and she knew he was still reading her thoughts.

    Good. Then you''ll know how pissed I am. Why are you acting like a snake and not giving me any answers?

    "A, it would be much safer for you to stay clear of my brother," Gabriel spoke quietly from behind her. His dangerous and chilling aura had been prickling at her back, but she had ignored it. Both vampires were charmingly menacing, yet knowing it was Gabriel behind her calmed her.

    However, her heart still felt as though it would burst; she felt.. betrayed. Gabriel''s caution made sense to her, and she backed away from Cassius, who smiled sadly as Finn and Ajax went to stand in front of her.

    A couldn''t tear her eyes away from Cassius, and she watched as his saddened features hardened and his eyes moved away to re at the vampire behind her. "Were you surprised to see me, brother?" He said crisply as his lips twitched into a smirk.

    Gabriel took a sip from his drink and drawled, "At this time, yes. I thought you would make your entrance sooner.."

    Cassius'' lips dropped at his brother''s reply. "A lot of things are starting to add up now. When did you escape?" Gabriel continued as he lowered his drink onto the bar, his gaze never leaving Cassius''.

    "Hmm, I believe it took only ten years until some fool decided to pay the crypt a visit.." Cassius said pensively.

    "And it is only now that you decided to show up?" Gabriel tapped his fingers against the bar but halted and clenched the bar''s edges instead.

    Cassius smirked. "I decided to see the world, meet new people, get away from being a royal. Don''t worry, though, Gabriel, I kept an eye on you. It was quite a shock to hear the gossip from your subjects that you had been missing for a month.. all those years ago.." He put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the elevator before turning back to face him. "Nevertheless, I crushed the rumours and returned to the throne for you. I kept the kingdom afloat like usual. I''m a good brother like that.."

    He tilted his head to the side, "I think I impersonated you well. What do you think, A?" He locked eyes with her, and she saw a twinkle in his eyes before they hardened once more.

    "Well, it can''t be that hard acting. You''re twins," She deadpanned. Cassius cracked a smile and shook his head before gazing at her intently once more.

    His voice caressed A''s mind, "I''ll be your viin, for now, A. But everything I have done is for you. And everything I will do is for us. I have brought you to Gabriel, who controls an empire of vampires¡­ Take advantage of that." He smiled softly towards her and spoke aloud, "I''ll see you soon."

    "There is no ''us''," Malia snapped back, causing the stoic vampire to flinch before a wave of intense anger burned behind his eyes.

    A parted her lips to reply to him, but he disappeared from sight. A and the guys stood still for a tense minute, waiting for Cassius to suddenly reappear again, but he didn''t. A was the first to sag, and without a word, slumped down on the ck leather couch; she nced at Gabriel but looked away, blushing.

    "Gabriel.." She whispered, "Can you exin Cassius'' actions?"

    It felt strange using both names in the same sentence, but after witnessing the brothers in the same room talking, it couldn''t really get any weirder. Right?

    She swallowed past the lump in her throat and looked at Gabriel once more. This time, she didn''t look away from his stare and instead scanned his body; they were absolutely 100% identical, she couldn''t see the difference besides Cassius'' long hair. They still had the same chiselled, lean frame and were an angelic beauty that anyone would marvel at. She met his burning gaze and held it.

    All the while, the guys shuffled around nervously. Finn stayed by the elevator guarding it; Chase covered another exit while Ajax casually flopped down on the couch next to her and put an arm over A''s shoulder both protectively and infort. She let him bring her into a side hug while she continued to stare at Gabriel.

    "Answer her, Gabriel. Otherwise, we are leaving," Finn snapped from the side.

    Gabriel sighed and gripped the end of the bar hard, a low cracking sound could be heard, and he instantly released and shot his drink back. He walked to the back of the bar and glided his hands across the bottles until theynded on one, and he poured himself another ss.

    "Poison, anyone?" He tilted the tumbler towards the group, but they all shook their heads and waited expectantly. "Too bad. You will need it."

    He walked back and to his original spot, looking down at A looking like the powerful vampire king that he was. While he stared at A, she couldn''t help but let her eyes wander around the room.

    The penthouse/lounge/office, whatever she could call it, was spectacr, crossed between modern and vintage furnishings. It really was something, and Gabriel called it an office!?

    It was like another penthouse apartment, but the main feature was the sleek bar in the middle of the room, with a vintage gold looking backdrop to the bar. There was a barrier of a water feature in the ground following the length of the room next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. There was a lot more to this floor, but she was in no mood to explore it.

    Right now, she wanted answers. Her eyesnded back on Gabriel, who had watched her unwaveringly.

    "Why did Cassius pretend to be you? What is going on between you?" A asked and straightened up out of Ajax''forting arm. She was the pack''s future queen; she shouldn''t be sniffling on the couch after such an outrageous reveal. "Tell me everything.. Tell me.. about Amelia Cross."

    Gabriel looked at his ''poison'' in the tumbler before taking a long sip and flicking some of his white hair away from his eyebrows.

    "I owe it to you, A. To tell you everything.. Cassius will be making a im for the throne with you by his side as queen."

 Chapter 179 - Purebloods

    Cassius will be making a im for the throne with you by his side as queen..

    A stared back at Gabriel like he had lost the plot. But instead of asking all the questions running through her mind, she stayed quiet and waited for him to continue.

    "I''ll start from the beginning.."

    3200 BCE

    Vampires started to roam the earth, but it all began with the four ancients. Gabriel, Cassius, Amelia and Mira.

    "Hold on.. What did you say? A interrupted. "Amelia.."

    "Was a second-generation vampire.." Gabriel didn''t give A a chance to digest what he said and continued, "Cassius and I were the first to be cast on earth, then Amelia and Mira. Our creator never imagined twin brothers would be born, and so he gave us the girls in the hopes of them being our brides and to reproduce."

    A brought her knees to her chest on the sofa; she wished she had a hoodie or something to cover up more. What exactly was he saying. She gasped, "Are you telling me that you and Cassius are like my great great-"

    "We are not rted. Now sit down and listen; otherwise, this will take all night, and I do have other business to attend to.." Gabriel flicked his wrist nonchntly, grabbed his drink before sliding down onto the sofa across from her and Ajax, letting his ankle cross over his knee as he leaned back. A nodded but was still trying to process what he was telling her as quickly as possible.

    Amelia Cross was a second-generation vampire. "You said something about a creator and being cast onto earth. Do you mean like God? Or.." She trailed off and saw Gabriel''s lips tighten before he brushed away some imaginary dust from his trousers.

    "More like the opposite," He muttered, then raised his voice dismissing his words before A could ask any more about it. "We don''t remember our past lives before we woke up on earth. We were just simply fully grown, exactly how I am before you now. At first, Cassius and I did not realise what we were. We followed what others did, ate regr food, but soon we realised how much stronger, faster, and more powerful we were to others.

    "Soon, our thirst for blood started to be evident. The burning and the need to quench our thirst was undeniable. We wiped out the vige that took us in, leaving it covered in blood. It was easy. There were no limitations like the sunlight holding us back-"

    "You used to hide in the dark parts of the cell? You never went into the daylight.." A interrupted again, but this time Gabriel didn''t seem to mind her question; in fact, he smirked.

    "Why would I give away all my secrets.. You didn''t know who I was, and the hunters do not know about all of my powers.. As much as they tried," He spat thest sentence.

    "But vampires can''t walk in the daylight," Chase added. A looked at him and saw how intrigued he was by their conversation. He was leaning forwards as though he could not miss a single sentence.

    "Guys, you don''t need to stand guard. If Cassius wanted to, he would have been back by now," A murmured, surprising Gabriel by herment. They waited for Chase and Finn to sit down on the couch. Finn sat on the other side of A and didn''t stop scanning the room with his eyes.

    Gabriel sipped his drink and looked as though he was weighing out how much he would tell them. But one look at A, and it seemed he made his mind up. "First, second and third-generation vampires are not harmed by the sun. But the next generations cannot stand it and would burn and die," He muttered.

    "You said Amelia was a second-generation vampire.. You or Cassius was with Amelia? But we aren''t rted, yet have the same hair and eyes? How the hell am I a werewolf?" A demanded, getting straight to the point.

    Gabriel leaned his head back into the sofa and looked up at the ceiling with a sigh, and began telling parts of his, Cassius, Amelia''s and Mira''s past life.

    Amelia and Mira appeared to them. Their features were the same as Gabriel and Cassius. It seemed that the first generation and second generation (which was only Amelia and Mira) were the only ones to have the white hair and startling blue eyes with specks of red in them. Anyone they created after them showed different signs that they were vampires by simply showing a thin red ring around the iris of their eyes.

    It was clear from the start what their creator''s n was, and now the twins saw how superior they were to the next generation of vampires were with their much higher levels of power, strength, speed and telepathy. Gabriel and Cassius made the decision, what with the wars between the vampires and werewolves, that a hierarchy should be created.

    They were, of course, pureblood vampires and so would ascend the throne. The only issue was that there were two of them. In the beginning, they were as close as anything and took turns ruling over their empire. On and off, the brothers would switch ces, one hundred years each, a brother would be on ''vacation'' exploring the world, learning new things that would help them stay in power while the other was in charge.

    Nobody dared to make a im for the throne. They were the ancients, the purebloods. If anyone so much as angered them, then they would meet their end. As for Amelia and Mira, they did not immediatelye to Gabriel and Cassius'' side. They felt hurt and used that their sole existence was to be by the vampire king and prince''s side. Gabriel allowed them to leave, he was sympathetic to their needs, and it wasn''t until 200 yearster that they returned to them.

    It wasn''t long until Gabriel and Amelia started having a rtionship, leaving Cassius to turn to Mira. Unfortunately, Mira died at the hands of Amelia three years into being by Gabriel''s side.

    "Wait, why did Amelia kill Mira?" A interrupted.

    "Stop interrupting storytime," Malia scolded her, but her wolf was also intrigued and quietened immediately.

    Gabriel gritted his teeth, and she could see the burning fire behind his startling blue eyes. "Amelia was jealous," He replied simply like he was speaking of the weather.

    A rxed her legs and leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands. "I''m sorry, I thought you just told me my ancestor killed someone out of jealousy?" A said, looking at Gabriel intently.

    He sighed and stood up to stroll towards the right set of the floor-to-ceiling windows. He kept his back to the rest of the room as he gazed outside at the city below. "A, the thing about Amelia is.. that she.. was a conniving, maniptive, violent.. and stunning woman. She..was brilliant.. she.." He trailed off, and A could see his back stiffen while his hands clenched and unclenched by his sides.

    "You loved her.. and she betrayed you?" A finished, reading through the nks of what Gabriel was trying to tell her.

    The vampire snapped his head to the side and smirked. She could see a dangerous glint behind his eyes. "We both loved her. And she betrayed us. I was with her, and she.. was with both of us."

    A gasped. "She.. you.. Cass.." She sputtered, "Wait, did Cassius know? He did this to you?"

    Gabriel turned his head back to the view and sped his hands behind his back, holding each arm by the elbows. He looked like the royalty he was, even though they were above a nightclub.

    "Cassius was in love with her from the beginning. But she chose me. I was with her for four hundred years, on and off. Cassius admired her from afar until she killed Mira and ''confessed'' to him of her undying love. He was both guilt-ridden but unquestionably in love with her. He couldn''t stop seeing her. Amelia was.." He looked at A sadly as his eyes wandered over her face, "stunning and everything. Everything to both of us. She was made out to be an angel, but I started to see her in a new light in time. Especially after finding out about my lover and brothers affair."

    He was saying it with little to no emotion; his aura was dark and chilling, making A wonder if he was over Amelia. He was with her for four hundred years. How long would it take someone to get over their partner of four centuries?

    "But I wasn''t aware of their affair until after she left me. In the 16th century, Amelia started to get.. bored. She wanted something else to do. She was.. incredibly smart and started to talk about superior beings. She wanted to have the strongest children, but not my children¡­ Amelia met Matthias, and it was almost like fate brought them together because he was a werewolf and ended up being her mate," Gabriel continued, and A put two and two together.

    "So, you''re telling me I am part vampire?" A concluded; Gabriel spun around and looked at her. She wondered how he looked at her without hate in his eyes.

    "You are not Amelia. You may look the same, but you are nothing alike," Gabriel answered her thoughts first. "You have second-generation vampire blood running through your veins, yes."

    A parted her lips for the following question on her tongue, but she straightened up after feeling a tug on the bond. "Hold that thought.." She muttered and stood up abruptly. Malia was also alert, and she felt warmer and the bond tugging even more in her stomach.

    The far exit door burst open. A spun around and caught her breath at the furious Alpha bristling, looking incredibly hot and sexy and drool-worthy-

    "Get it together, A. But you''re right, wooh! So fricken hot, how long have we been away from him?" Malia began rambling, and A tuned her out. She started to go towards Alpha Damon, but she stopped after feeling hit with a wave of anger from him, he merely nced at her, before his eyes were ring at Gabriel.

    Oh shit, he looks fricken scary.

    Damon snarled and charged towards Gabriel, but A quickly appeared in front of him within seconds, blocking the first blow meant for Gabriel. Her heels skidded against the marble surface, from where their arms were connected from her block.

    "Out. Of. The. Way. A."

 Chapter 180 - Wrong Vampire

    "Out. Of. The. Way. A." Damon growled each word slowly through gritted teeth. A could hear Darius very close to breaking through and taking the reins of Damon''s body.

    "Damon, calm down," A replied softly and wrapped her hand around his wrist gently. His gaze was still fixed on the vampire behind her. He took a step around her, but she ced her other hand on his face and turned it, so he was looking at her.

    "Damon," She gently called to him, caressing his cheek.

    His body was still tense, but as their eyes burned into each other, and the fiery sparks of passion and the bond began to sizzle in the air. A could see his eyes softening and the rage inside of him diminishing slightly, notpletely, but there was also longing seeping through the bond. A released his wrist, and instantly, she was pulled in to him, their lips crashing into each other. Damon''s hand grabbed roughly at her waist while the other hand clung to her hair. All that anger, longing and pain was crushed into that kiss.

    A wrapped her arms around his neck and let her fingers glide through his silky ck locks. A growl escaped his chest, and he pulled her even closer to him, clinging to her like she was going to disappear. Their lips parted, and A let Damon dominate her mouth in his aggressive and passionate way.

    "I take it that this is A''s mate," Gabriel said from behind A.

    An aggressive growl vibrated through Damon''s chest, and he opened his eyes, ring at Gabriel while he bit down onto A''s bottom lip. She gasped and felt herself melting into him even more, A wanted nothing more than for him to ravish her, but she got a hold of herself. She could still feel Damon''s anger and confusion as to why A was protecting Cassius.

    A pulled back and leaned her forehead and hands against Damon''s heaving chest. Once she caught her breath, she looked back up into his molten silver eyes; they were burning back into her with questions and want.

    "That''s not Cassius," She informed him; Damon''s brows raised, and his eyes began to glow. "No, seriously. This is Gabriel. He and Cassius are twin brothers."

    Damon parted his lips to reply, but A mind-linked him, showing him her memory of what happened earlier. The image was clear due to it being so recent. Showing the moment when Gabriel and Cassius stood in the same room with each other. A dropped her eyes from his and turned her head to look at Gabriel, "Gabriel, this is my mate Damon, Alpha King of the Silver Crescent pack."

    "Charmed. I''m Gabriel, Vampire King of.. well, all the vampires," He smirked.

    "So, should we be bowing to both of you?" Ajax intervened, ncing between the two powerful men in the room.

    "That was a given from the start, Ajax. You''re the only one not bowing to Damon or A," Finn muttered and walked to stand by Damon''s side. Damon and Finn nodded at each other as A stepped back out of his arms.

    After reading Damon''s thoughts, she now knew what the pair were keeping from her. It was something so simple, but she understood. Her mind couldn''t be trusted with Cassius breathing down her neck and listening to her thoughts all the time. Damon wanted to take her away from the vampire and to go further into hiding.

    He was going to leave his pack leaders in charge of the pack and making decisions from afar over the phone until the hunter situation was resolved. A frowned. If they did that, it could take years before they would return to the pack. Hmm, the best course of action would be to take out the ''higher ups''. Ss, Clint and anyone above them so they could not be reced, and while they ran around like headless chickens until they appointed a new leader, the packs could take them out.

    A shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. Right now, things needed to calm down between the Vampire King and Alpha King.

    "If you were here earlier, you would have seen what a party A created.." Ajax joked and while Gabriel walked back to the bar and poured himself another drink.

    "What do you mean?" Damon moved his eyes away from the vampire and looked down at his mate. It was then he noticed her dress was slightly ripped at the bottom, and she was wearing a ne. Everything she was wearing was brought by that vampire. His gaze darkened, and A pursed her lips both from Ajax''ment and from Damon''s thoughts.

    "I erm, well really, I was just defending myself.." A stuttered, trying to find the right words to say how her actions were so violent.

    "You broke a bottle and stabbed a vampire in the neck with it.." Ajax eximed, looking at her like she had gone mad. "In a vampire club! You may be nearly invincible, but I''m not!"

    A looked at Ajax and suddenly felt very guilty. He had a cut under his left eye with a bit of bruising darkening his cheek. "I''m sorry, guys. I lost it for a bit.." She muttered and looked down.

    "You should have stayed inside a little longer," Damon stroked her hair and pinned a bit of it behind her ear while he stared into her sparkling, crystal blue eyes. "The effects of being feral is still in your system. The longer you let your wolf take over, the longer it takes to rub off the effects. That''s why it''s nearly impossible to return, but.." He nced at Gabriel, and the muscle in his jaw began to tick

    "Cassius knows your wolf''s true name," Gabriel broke the tumbler in his hands, not even flinching as his blood trickled out onto the bar. "No wonder your mate wanted to kill me besides kissing you."

    "Wait, what?!"

    A looked past Damon. Beta Kane and Gamma Chiara had entered through the back door; they were catching their breaths and staring between the vampire behind the bar, Damon and A.

    "Great, more werewolves. Please, doe in," Gabriel gestured with his hand while ring at the neers.

    "It''s not like that," A held her hands up in surrender before Damon pulled her into a tight embrace, silencing her. For a few moments, it felt like it was only them in the room, and A closed her eyes against his huge and overly warm frame. She rxed into him and wanted everything to be over with.

    But it didn''t work like that. Once A opens her eyes again, everything will still be there to deal with. She was d to hear Finn exining to Kane and Chiara about the misunderstanding; it was one less thing to do. A sighed and opened her eyes. Gabriel was watching her with an unknown expression on his features.

    "Come on, let me take you home," Damon murmured in her mind. She knew he was checking her thoughts and feelings. A felt emotionally worn out, but she needed to hear everything there is to know about how her future is now linked together with her ancestor''s past.

 Chapter 181 - Amelia

    A did not ept Damon''s invitation to leave, and the group of werewolves, a shapeshifter, a human and a vampire were all scattered around the bar and sofas. Not long after the Beta and Gamma burst through the doors did Luther and Vinnie turn up. They were very alert at the number of enemies in the room with their king.

    But Gabriel waved their concerns off with a simplement that was both a joke and a threat. "I can still kill everyone before they even finish blinking," Gabriel chuckled, "but they are my guests. So, there is no need."

    His confidence alone and the manner in which he speaks spoke volumes of how dangerous Gabriel really was. When she fought Cassius, and the time when he held her against the ss, it showed how powerful he was. It was strange to know that they were both the vampire king and the oldest being in the room and possibly the earth.

    A was sitting on the couch, but this time she was tucked into the side of Damon. He kept his arm over the back of the sofa while he continuously stared at Gabriel, not backing down. Chase was now at the bar with Ajax while the remaining pack leaders stood behind Damon and A protectively. A wanted to tell them to rx, but it seemed to even put Finn on edge after Damon''s little entrance.

    "Let me just clear everything up, so these guys are up to speed.." A began.

    "And you can trust everyone in this room? It is not just my secret but also yours.." Gabriel interrupted before A could continue. She faltered for a second but remembered who else he was referring to in the room.

    "There is no doubt in my mind that I trust them. They are the Silver Cresent pack''s leaders and our closest friends," A responded instantly, causing Gabriel to lean back on the sofa with a raised brow as he rested his arm across the back of the couch. "Unless you do not wish for them to know for personal reasons? If you feel ufortable about-"

    Gabriel chuckled darkly. "I do not have feelings, A. Please proceed.." He gestured his tumbler for A to continue. She pursed her lips to hisment; she was sure he had feelings. He even told her about how the hunters captured him in the first ce. But she did not say anything, he was the vampire king, and from how people feared him, she presumed it was how he wanted it.

    A cleared her throat. "Okay.. Just to reiterate what we''ve been told so far before someone interrupted," She nced at Damon jokingly, but one cold look from him silenced the amusement bubbling inside of her, and she continued, "Ahem. So, Gabriel was with my ancestor Amelia Cross who is also a vampire. But she was having an affair with Cassius, his twin brother.."

    "I honestly don''t understand why she would jump between twins.. it''s like the same person?" Malia interrupted in her mind, causing A to pause for a second and roll her eyes. This made both Damon and Gabriel look at her intently. They could both probably hear her wolf speaking.

    "I don''t know either, now shush. It''s rude to interrupt," A muttered back to her wolf and looked at her mate and the vampire king with an apologetic smile.

    "Gabriel was with Amelia, who was having an affair with Cassius but then in the 16th century ran into her mate, Matthias my great whatever.. you said Amelia was bored and wanted the strongest children. But not vampire children.." Something was prickling at the back of her mind. "That''s quite the coincidence that her mate so happened to be a werewolf.. But you said your creator brought her specifically to earth for you.." A looked at Gabriel, waiting for him to fill in the nks.

    Gabriel sighed, "It is not the first time I have also questioned this. But I still do not have answers. Amelia and Matthias were mates, and she had the children that she wanted. But.." He trailed off and looked at the dark liquid of whiskey in his ss while everyone in the room watched him expectantly. A could see everyone except Damon leaning forwards slightly as though they were listening to an intense story and did not know what to expect.

    "Amelia wasn''t done there. She also had an affair with a shapeshifter and had a child with him."

    A stilled. What was up with her ancestor!? She shrunk in her seat while Gabriel watched her. How could he look at her with no shred of hate? She looked exactly like Amelia, except for the eyes. A nced to the side as the image of Amelia and Matthias portrait shed across her mind. The artist even drew how her eyes were.

    They weren''t brown specks but red. The paint either lost the colour over the centuries or the artist truly believed she had brown spots on her startlingly cold blue eyes.

    "So, she was trying to do what the hunters want.." Finn added, "A superior being, but she did it without experimenting.."

    Gabriel shook his head, "She still experimented. I told you, she was far too intelligent. More intelligent than most because of her age, and Amelia, of course, hated how little power women had in those times. But she was already a powerful vampire. There was nothing in the world she could not have or do." He looked away for a moment, and A could see his mind spinning with more to say.

    "She created her own creatures with the help of ck witches, but they all turned out wrong and were let loose to raise havoc in the world. After years of failure and the world dealing with these ''demons'', she sought me out, begging for forgiveness. Amelia was wicked, but she was incredibly sad. Even her children could not bring her joy.. She still had the mindset that her only purpose in life was to be my partner.. And said she found peace for a while with Matthias but missed me terribly.." Gabriel''s stoic face darkened.

    A knew there was a lot more toe for ''storytime'' about her ancestor''s dark past. To think that Amelia was doing precisely what the hunters wanted now. Although, the hunters were doing it for their own purpose of destroying all of the creatures. Why did Amelia do it?

    "It''s simple. Amelia wanted power. She wanted the throne and to have powerful beings by her side to keep her there," Gabriel replied to her in her mind. A locked eyes with him and frowned; she still couldn''t understand it. "That''s because you are not like Amelia.. She didn''t know that Cassius and I could read minds."

    Gabriel continued aloud and looked out at the window to the side of the room. "Amelia was trying to find sanctuary from her mate. As a vampire, she foolishly didn''t pay enough attention to how mate bonds worked. She disappeared from Matthias and had an affair with a shapeshifter.."

    A sucked in a sharp breath. Gabriel already said Amelia had a child with a shapeshifter, but it was only now that it hit her. Matthias would know that she was unfaithful, and Alphas, or more so, Alpha King''s were more feral, possessive and protective of their mate.

    "Did Matthias kill her? Did Matthias kill his mate?" A asked, holding her breath for Gabriel to answer.

 Chapter 182 - The Fall Of Amelia Cross (1)

    [ <strong>Gabriel</strong> ]

    Gabriel stared back at A. Every time he looked at her, he thought of Amelia. The apple fell exceptionally far away from the tree. He found it hard not to look at her, but with her mate next to her ring at him and looking like he wanted to rip his soul from his body, he kept his nces to a minimum. But he couldn''t help it; he was drawn to her.

    At least when he was in thepound, he could watch her without her noticing. No, he wasn''t some weirdo. It was more out of fascination. He hadn''t seen Amelia in nearly four hundred-ish years, and it seemed fate was throwing A into the cell next to him, just to dangle her in front of him. Someone to look at but not touch.

    Instantly, he saw the differences between Amelia and A. A was full of life and a kind person with strong morals; even though the worst possible thing to happen to her just did, she was determined and motivated to escape thepound. There was a light in her eyes, something he never saw in Amelia''s. Her ancestor only looked out for herself, and it became apparent how mad she was getting all in the name of power.

    That was why, in the end, he turned his back on her. Not only had she been with Cassius, his brother, who he trusted the most in the world, but she then found her mate, Matthias. For some reason, he was hurt even more by this. Was it because the Alpha King was a werewolf? They were not outright fighting the werewolves; though there were still reports of issues between the vampires and werewolves, it wasn''t enough to make him hate the Alpha.

    No, it was because out of everything. His creator said Amelia was his, but she wasn''t. If she was, then she would never have had an affair with his brother or ended up as somebody else''s mate.

    "Matthias.." He trailed off, lost in thought. Gabriel stared at nothing in particr as he recalled the time Amelia begged him to spare her life and look after her.

    The year was 1579, and Gabriel was called to the throne room of his castle. He sat down and nodded at Cassius, who in turn gestured for the guards to let through the one woman, Gabriel both loved and hated. Amelia. She walked through the cold, dark throne room; her footsteps echoed across the grand space.

    Gabriel sat on his throne, looking at her with cold eyes that seemed to pierce through people''s souls. The moonlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling window behind him, casting an eery and ominous feeling to the atmosphere.

    Amelia bowed, gulping as she did so. When she looked up and saw the look of disdain on Gabriel''s features, she lowered herself on the ground, spread her arms out before her and let her head rest on the narrow red carpet going across the cold stone floor from the entrance to the throne.

    "Gabriel," She whispered, keeping her forehead to the ground. He tilted his head to the side slowly, then rose from his seat, taking his time to descend the few steps before him until he stood directly in front of the love and living hell of his life.

    "Why are you here, Amelia?" His chilling voice made a few of the guards nce at each other nervously. Their king was not in a good mood. Whoever the woman was, she was not leaving alive.

    She began to sob and looked up at him, who stared back at her like she was nothing. How pitiful. "Gabriel, please, I.. I made a mistake." She sat on the back of her heels and looked through hershes. He thought his heart stilled for a moment as he stared back at her tear-stricken face. But on the surface of his chiselled features, he knew he wore a cold mask of indifference to her.

    He raised his hand out and cupped her small delicate face in the palm of his hand. They stared at each other as he caressed her face until his hand slid down to her chin, and he gripped both cheeks. "Do you think these crocodile tears will work on me, Amelia?" He asked quietly.

    Amelia smiled before giggling. "You must admit, your highness.. You fell for it for a moment there.." She purred. Gabriel released her face so harshly she nearly fell backwards.

    He spun on his heel, his hands behind his back, sping each elbow in his hands. His white hair was in a half-up hairstyle needed for his long locks that fell just below his shoulders, shining brightly against his ck coat. His hair was not as long as Cassius'', but people still could not differentiate between the pair.

    "What do you want?" He drawled, his back still to her.

    Amelia dabbed at her eyes. "I need sanctuary."

    Gabriel burst into a peal ofughter. The guards looked at him in shock. For once, it was not forced, nor dark. It was like he genuinely meant it. He turned on his heel, his features scrunched up fromughing, making him look that much more handsome.

    "Did your little antics upset the wrong person?" He continued to chuckle and slumped down on his throne, crossing his leg over his ankle while leaning his elbow gracefully on the armrest so he could rest his head in his hand.

    Amelia pouted and stood up, brushing down her light blue gown. Gabriel watched the motion briefly. Taking in her appearance while keeping his face neutral to everything about her. She was dressed up to look her best, using her beauty to try and get back into good graces with him. But it wouldn''t work.

    By this point, it was not just because she cheated on him with his brother or left both of them after destroying their rtionship for Matthias and him for some unknown shapeshifter. Amelia seemed to have gone mad on this little experimentation of creating the most superior being. She caused chaos not only to the humans but the world of creatures too. He wanted to learn more about her reasoning, but her thoughts were only about how she sought sanctuary from Matthias.

    Ah, she didn''t know he would find out about her infidelity. Poor bloke. Gabriel found out through a werewolf he needed to torture about how mates and mate bonds work. It was for this reason he never chased after Amelia. If she was meant to be for someone else, if her soul was meant to merge with another, then he would not interfere with that. But it seemed he knew more about werewolves than his ''beloved'' here.

    He smirked. Amelia didn''t realise that as soon as she kisses another man, let alone take another man to bed, her mate would know. It was said that an intense fire would burn in the mate''s chest, almost like their heart was physically being ripped in two the moment anything more than a kiss happened. Matthiasing after her seemed to sit quite well with Gabriel; it was something she deserved, not just for her infidelity but how many sinful acts she had done all in the name of power.

 Chapter 183 - The Fall Of Amelia Cross (2)

    "Come here," Gabriel drawled and waited while she walked towards him, her shoulders back, her chin held high as though she sought was nothing of great magnificence. Instead of standing in front of him like a normal person, Amelia slid onto hisp sideways and trailed her finger down his neck. Of course, Amelia was not an average person.

    He caught her finger in his hand, all the while their eyes were locked. "Why do you need sanctuary?" He replied and released her finger only to move her hair out of the way from her neck. He made it seem like a caress, and Amelia closed her eyes to his touch; he lowered his lips to her neck and sunk his teeth in instantly.

    "No!" She tried to escape from his clutches, but his arms were around her waist, keeping her in ce as he drank on her blood. When he wanted to, he could see people''s memories and read their thoughts clearer through drinking their blood. He closed his eyes and felt Amelia rx in his hold to the blissful feeling of his fangs in her neck.

    Gabriel could either make the experience excruciating, sexual or just blissful. A small moan left her lips, and she clutched at his shirt. While she was looking at him like he was a god, Gabriel watched through her memories of the past week. shes of Matthias crossed his mind.

    Amelia was on the run from him and thought she could use him and Cassius to protect her. But she also nned to seduce Gabriel and, when his guard was down, use some of the creatures she created to kill him. It was her ultimate revenge for being created for him and to be the most powerful being on earth.

    He released her, licked his lips and stared at the shameless vampire. If Matthias was after her, he was not going to protect her, and the fact that she wanted to kill him didn''t even make him flinch. He would not upset what little peace he had with the werewolves over someone so selfish. Amelia was staring at him, dazed and almost like she would pass out.

    Gabriel looked at her in disgust, his heart clenched at the sight of her and what she had be. "Take her out of my sight," He snapped, releasing her entirely from his grasp. Cassius caught her before she hit her head on the ground.

    With her in Cassius'' arms, he straightened up, Amelia''s head flopped down, and the vampire stared at her longingly. He had his hair in a low ponytail and wore his white and gold coat. He looked more like an angel than he, but if anything, Gabriel had learnt that they were more like the angel of death, born from hell.

    "What do you n on doing?" Cassius asked. Gabriel taught himself how to guard his mind against his brother, not that Cassius read his mind. It was only when it involved Amelia things would suddenly be messy. There never used to be any secrets between them, but once Amelia cut their ties of trust between the brothers, Gabriel was always on guard. If he could do that to him, over a woman, what else could his brother do?

    Gabriel was no saint, and he never acted like one, but this opened his eyes even more that he could not trust anyone. The family he had betrayed him.

    "We will protect Amelia," He replied.

    Cassius'' eyes lit up momentarily before he was impassive once more. Nobody else saw the emotion flicker across his features, but Gabriel was his brother; they knew each other inside and out. What looked to be like two stoic marble works of art to others showed fleeting nces only the twins could see. It wasn''t always like that, but whenever Amelia turned up, the atmosphere became tense like a thick nket almost suffocating them.

    Cassius nodded his head and disappeared with Amelia in his arms. Gabriel stood up and walked towards the window. He didn''t need to look behind him to know that Luther was there, waiting for hismand. "Send an invite to Matthias Cross. I wish to see him and tell him it is in regards to his wife," He quietlymanded as he peered up at the bright starry night sky.

    In the early hours of the morning, Gabriel woke up to Amelia sliding under the covers in his bed. "Get out," He snapped without moving a muscle. Amelia, like usual, did not follow his order and climbed on top of him, cing her hands on his bare chest.

    "Don''t be like that, Gabe," She leaned forwards and searched his eyes before kissing him on the lips. At first, he didn''t respond. But then thoughts of his n materialised in his mind again, and his pride, his pain, and anger were thrown out of the window. His hands slid into her hair, and he deepened the kiss between them.

    She was quick to pull his breeches down and moaned when she felt his shaft. She straddled atop his long, hard length, and without warning, he grabbed her by the waist and mmed into her angrily. For three hours, they were lost in each other''s arms, aggressively kissing, their bodies intertwined passionately, making love non-stop as though the years between them had all but fallen away. By the end of it, Amelia had bruises and bite marks from where Gabriel sunk his fangs into her, drinking from her and iming her as his own.

    When he next woke up, Amelia was being assisted by a servant in getting changed. His brows drew together; she was putting on a show for him. Usually, Amelia would use the separate dressing room for such things. However, what she meant to be a form of flirting, didn''t work in her favour.

    He suddenly appeared in front of her, breeches hung loosely, showing off his delectable ''v'' muscles. Gabriel''s gaze lowered to her mark under her corbone, showing him who she truly belonged to. Guilt bubbled inside of him, but he never let it show. He waved his hand to the servant who curtsied and left his room.

    "Do you not have any shame?" He asked, searching her cold and cruel eyes. His answer was shown from the emotionless stare she gave back.

    "Don''t you?" She inquired with a smirk, a smirk he wanted to wipe off.

    "No," He lied. But Amelia didn''t detect it and smirked even more before she finished getting changed under his scrutiny and left the room.

    That night he decided to see Cassius. Ever since Amelia left him, he had been in bed with plenty of women and losing himself to his blood lust that seemed to get worse over time. But when Gabriel arrived at Cassius door, he heard the sighs and whimpers of none other than Amelia Cross. He did not care for embarrassment or the rage he felt twisting in his stomach; it was a sight he needed to be drilled into his mind.

    Gabriel quietly opened the door and saw the sight he was expecting. His hands fisted at his sides and he stopped himself from ripping their heads off then and there. Cassius was pounding into Amelia from behind, her leaning against him as he drank from her neck while she drank from his wrist.

    That was one of the most intimate acts a vampire couple could do. To drink from each other. The sex was an extra bonus to add to the high of each other. This was something Gabriel did not share with her that morning. His heart iced over, and he closed the door behind him before marching off, his n now set in stone.

 Chapter 184 - The Fall Of Amelia Cross (3)

    { In life as in chess, it is always better to analyse one''s motives and intentions ~ dmir Nabokov, Prin }

    Gabriel sat behind his huge mahogany desk in his study, looking at his chessboard while Luther sat in the darkest part of the room, away from the rays of light shining through the window. Luther is his right-hand man, and he trusted him more than Cassius now; he proved himself to him over the centuries. Naturally, he knew some of the secrets of the pure-blooded vampire, like sitting in daylight without getting burnt or dying.

    Luther was a third-generation vampire, he too could sit in the sun, but it was bothersome. It hurt his eyes, and he burned easily. He onlysted in its rays for a maximum of an hour a day before his skin would burn.

    The vampire was entrusted by the king with all the dirty jobs that Gabriel could not always do. His hands were bloodied regrly, but sometimes the king had to keep his reputation intact. Sure, he ruled over the vampires, was feared by many, but if he caused too much fear among his kind, then they would turn on him. He ruled fairly and made sure to keep the crimes against other creatures and humans to a minimum.

    Gabriel made his move on the chessboard, "Check," He murmured. Luther appeared in front of him and observed the board with a smirk. He moved one of the pieces to defend his king and took Gabriel''s pawn as his own. He was beaming with arrogance at possibly outsmarting the vampire king.

    Gabriel looked up at him with a raised brow. "You could have won in three moves, dear Luther. But it seems your excitement of outwitting me clouded your judgement." Gabriel made another move, using his queen, "Checkmate."

    Luther blinked back and assessed the board again. "How.." He trailed off, bbergasted by his loss. Gabriel watched in amusement as Luther''s eyes scanned the board, figuring out his moves and how he bested him.

    "You should always look at the bigger picture, not just one or two steps ahead of you. Know your opponent well to anticipate their moves," He pointed his finger up as though he was teaching the vampire a lesson, which he technically was, "This is where chess could also be symbolic for the game of life. One wrong move¡­" Gabriel tilted his head to the side as he held the ck king chess piece in front of him.

    "As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Gabriel murmured before ncing at Luther.

    Luther stared back at the wise and almighty king in a little awe. "So, is that why you have not killed Amelia?" He asked in concern.

    Gabriel looked at him chillingly, but it did not faze Luther. If someone else was in his ce, he was sure they would be sweating in fear. The king''s lips curled into a slight smirk, knowing his cold stare would not affect him.

    "That is why I have invited Matthias to see me," He replied, leaning back in his chair as he ced the king chess piece back down on the board and turned to look outside the window behind him. His attention went from the grand scenery of fields, forests and thergeke he created for Amelia back to the reflection of his chief minister, Luther.

    He held his hands behind his back and answered Gabriel''s next question he had not yet asked. That was how well Luther knew Gabriel now. Of course, he did not possess the same abilities as Gabriel, but he had served him for a long time and was ultimately loyal only to him. Even when Cassius was on the throne, Luther still only served Gabriel.

    "The Alpha King has agreed to meet you. He will be here tomorrow. Is that enough time for whatever n you are cooking up?" Luther answered and assessed his king in the reflection of the window. The pair looked at each other through the reflection before Gabriel''s attention went back to two figures walking in the gardens like old friends. Cassius and Amelia. His eyes narrowed subtly, but not enough for Luther to see.

    Gabriel nodded his head once in response and dismissed Luther of his duties for the day. The following day, the king was seated in his grand dining room, and sitting across him was Alpha King Matthias Cross. He brought along his Beta and Gamma, leaving his Delta to look after the pack in their stead. Already Gabriel wondered what tactic the Alpha was going for. Surely, he should have left the Gamma in charge of defending the pack if ever they were attacked.

    No matter, Gabriel did not think further into it. He agreed with what he told Luther the day before. Even something as little as the Alpha leaving his Delta in charge of the pack was useful information on working out the mind of Matthias Cross. They were natural enemies, but at this moment in time, the famous quote, ''the enemy of my enemy is my friend'', also floated through his mind. The Alpha, like most people, were unaware of his gift of reading minds, so even as they stared at each other, sussing the other out, Gabriel had already changed tactics and ns to something that would satisfy Matthias and benefit him.

    "Your majesty, I am well aware that Amelia, my MATE, is here. If you have invited me over to unt her in my face, then this will not end well for you," Matthias said in his deep yet threateningly polite voice.

    Gabriel hid his smirk behind the golden chalice of wine and took a sip while staring coldly at the werewolf. Unlike him, the king only had Luther in the room as ''protection''. It was not he who needed protecting but the Alpha King from him. Matthias was Amelia''s mate; as much as he hated Amelia, the fact that she was never his still angered him. Yet, he would never let that show.

    Now he pitied the Alpha before him. Matthias was chained to Amelia, who had done nothing but cheat, kill and cause the destruction of many because of her ways.

    "Matthias, may I call you Matthias?" Gabriel smiled kindly, though there was nothing kind about his rude title drop to the Alpha King.

    Matthias, however, did not seem to care. Gabriel read his mind and could see his pride was not stung, not like how most nobles would react to him. Even if the noble agreed to the title drop, it was out of fear of the vampire king. But their anger could not hide in their thoughts. Gabriel dropped his title to see how he would react, surprising him with how little he cared for it.

    "Of course, if I can call you by Gabriel?" Matthias replied with a broad grin.

    Gabriel chuckled, his eyes lit up in amusement. The Alpha King was amusing, acting in a way he did not expect. "You may call me by my name. We are meant to be allies now.." Gabriel said before sipping his wine. He listened to Matthias thoughts and ns and narrowed his eyes subtly before lowering his chalice and leaning his chin against his hand nonchntly.

    "Gabriel, I will speak frank with you as my patience is wearing thin, and I know you do not wish to start a war with us. It would not benefit either side-"

    "What is it that you wish for, Matthias?" Gabriel interrupted. Matthias'' words were meant to charm him into agreeing with what he wanted. But the vampire had read his mind; this was not just about Amelia.

    Matthias drummed his fingers on the table as he stared back at the angelic-looking vampire. "I know Amelia is here. And I know she has once again been with another man. I want them both so I can deal with them ordingly," He replied curtly. Gabriel was not surprised by his words neither did his guilt show on his impassive face.

    Gabriel nodded his head and pretended to be in thought before tilting his head to the side. "I can see that Amelia has hurt you a great deal. I cannot imagine how it must feel to be betrayed by your mate, not once but twice or is it three times now?" Gabriel rubbed at his chin with his hand, looking lost in thought.

    "If you wish to antagonise me, then it is working," Matthias snapped.

    Gabriel''s eyes locked with his, and he saw the Alpha''s eyes glowing and his form bristling. His pack leaders, whose arms were crossed, showing off their bulging muscles, looked at him with disgust.

    Gabriel raised a brow. "I did not mean to offend you, Matthias. Sometimes, I speak what is on my mind and forget how my words can hurt others." He sighed and stood up, letting his hands rest on the surface of the table. Matthias stood too, his natural instinct taking over, of the pack leader not being below another, which would show signs of submission.

    "I have a better n.." Gabriel began, "To guarantee peace between the vampires and werewolves and to help relieve you of the pain of killing one''s mate.. I will personally bring Amelia and her lover to you and kill them in front of you.."

 Chapter 185 - The Fall Of Amelia Cross (4)

    { You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one. ~ Mikhail Tal. }

    **

    Matthias was pleased with Gabriel''s response. But he left with a threat that if Gabriel was bluffing and buying Amelia time, then he would let loose the packs on all of the main vampire cities. The Alpha King would personallye to him and end his life. Gabriel agreed to meet Matthias in a few days to deliver Amelia and her lover to them.

    Matthias and his protection left the castle. Gabriel smirked as soon as the Alpha''s back was turned. Even if he was an Alpha King, Gabriel was an ancient, pureblooded vampire.

    Gabriel was the first vampire to roam the earth. Matthias may be strong, but he was more powerful in many ways. He knew he came off as arrogant, but when one could kill many in a matter of seconds, why wouldn''t he be?

    Not long after Matthias and his pack left did Amelia and Cassius arrive in Gabriel''s study. Luther was looking through Gabriel''s bookcase on the far-left side of therge study pretending not to notice the tense atmosphere while the vampire king once again sat behind his desk. His fingers inteced together, his elbows leaning atop the wooden surface as he looked at the pair deep in thought.

    Cassius sat down on the red plush sofa next to therge firece while Amelia sat across from the firece on another sofa. Cassius acted indifferent to Amelia by staring into the fire while Amelia stared at Gabriel like a lovesick puppy.

    Gabriel smirked behind his hand, watching the actress at work. He could see her bite marks and bruises had healed. Their healing was more advanced than other vampires, and drinking blood sped the process up. So, Amelia''s skin was smooth and bright. It really is a shame that such a beauty is so ugly on the inside..

    His attention snapped away from the pretty blue-eyed snake and went to his brother. He couldn''t understand what was going through his mind. Gabriel knew he would kill Amelia; this was why he took her to bed onest time, but he presumed Cassius was not aware of this. If he was, he doubted his brother would have taken her to bed. Even if they were not close like they used to be, Gabriel still knew his brother. He saw the pain Cassius went through after Amelia left. He slept with her because he missed her and slipped up.

    "Matthias was here. Why? Did you make a deal with him?" Amelia asked worriedly, pulling Gabriel''s gaze away from Cassius'' nk stare. Amelia''s eyes were filling up with tears. Gabriel had to refrain himself from rolling his eyes at her act; if her eyes weren''t teary, then he would see the wheels turning in them, thinking on how to make the situation work in her favour.

    Gabriel sighed. "He came here in search of you. Of course, the bond told him you were here¡­" Gabriel replied slowly. He wanted to drag it out a little just to see some real fear in her features. He hid his smile behind his hands again as he saw a flicker of emotion pass her face. "I told him I would hand you over¡­"

    "You did what?!" Amelia screeched, and Cassius turned his head to look at Gabriel. The pair looked at each other for a few seconds before Gabriel looked back at Amelia.

    "Of course, I did. Why would I deny your existence here? It would only ruin the rtionship between us and cause war-"

    "How could you!? Do I mean nothing to you, Gabriel?" Amelia sobbed and appeared in front of him, leaning her hands on his desk as she looked down at him.

    Gabriel rxed his hands onto the desk''s surface and stared back at Amelia unwaveringly. "I still have my people to think about. But.. we agreed I would hand you over in a fortnight. That gives you plenty of time to get ahead of them and find somewhere they can''t find you," He replied coolly, his face impassive as he stared back at Amelia, who looked at him with slight suspicion.

    "Why would Matthias not collect me today?" She asked suspiciously. But her suspicion did not faze him, he already said he wouldn''t protect her, and she knew that.

    "Because.." He smirked with a dangerous glint in his eyes, "I said I wanted to torture you for two weeks before handing you over.."

    Amelia paled at his words and the cold look on his face. He chuckled and stood from his seat to look outside the window once more. Silence followed him, and so he felt like antagonising Amelia a little. "Normally.. When someone gives you a lifeline, you thank that person.." He pointed out.

    Amelia appeared next to him and touched his arm, squeezing gently. He wanted to break her hand, but he refrained from moving and turned his head slowly to look at her.

    "Thank you, Gabriel."

    That evening Amelia sneaked into Gabriel''s room to properly ''thank him'', but she paused when she saw he hadpany and was drinking from his favourite ''feeder''. His back was to her, and seemingly his guard was down as he drank from the human girl''s neck. Amelia took another step forwards, but Gabriel was quick and had her on the ground, his hand around her neck tightening, his eyes glowing from the blood lust. "Never. Return. To. My. Chambers. Amelia." He spat out with so much disdain on his face that a flicker of fear crossed her features. "Next time, I will not stop myself from crushing your neck."

    She hesitantly reached her hand out and caressed his cheek. His face stayed stoic as he red at her. "Why haven''t you done so already, your.. highness?" She sputtered, struggling against his grip.

    Gabriel leaned closer to her, "Do NOT push me, Amelia." His hand closed on her throat, and her eyes widened at the severity of his words, but then he suddenly disappeared from his room.

 Chapter 186 - The Fall Of Amelia Cross (5)

    A frowned at the story Gabriel had told them so far. There was so much to his, Cassius and Amelia''s past. But thetest bit of information didn''t make sense. She looked at the vampire king who sat, dressed in all ck; his waistcoat, shirt, tie, and trousers fit him snugly against his lean muscr body. He was looking at his fingers nonchntly as he told them about the events leading up to Amelia''s death.

    "Hold up.." A interrupted him before he could continue. She nced around sheepishly; the group looked at her with mild annoyance as though they wanted to hear the rest of the story. A rolled her eyes; maybe they should get some popcorn while they wait! This could technically be ssed as an intermission, after all. Gabriel smirked while he continued to assess his most fascinating fingers.

    "Why didn''t you kill her?" She continued. Gabriel looked at her, baffled. "You had many chances, even after feeding. Her neck was in your hands, and you just.. left.."

    Gabriel looked surprised momentarily by herment, but he became impassive once more as he stared directly at her. "Because I made a deal with the Alpha King. I would kill her in front of him," He replied crisply.

    "That''s another thing.. Why did he agree to that? Like.. That''s bizarre!?" A eximed, waving her hands out before dropping them and feeling self-conscious of everyone watching her.

    "What is this? Twenty questions!?" Ajax huffed, crossing his arms, and shrunk away from Damon, who red at him. He also dramatically reached out to Gamma Chiara, "Save me!" He whisper-shouted, and his mouth fell open when she shook her head at him with a raised brow.

    "It was an execution. Matthias would be the one to kill her otherwise," Gabriel replied dismissively before continuing with the rest of his story.

    Where was I.. 1579.. Amelia.. Ah yes..

    Two dayster, Gabriel sat in his carriage with Cassius sitting across from him. Neither spoke, and the tension between them hung thickly in the air. Amelia was unconscious on the seat next to Gabriel, her head resting against the side of the carriage. Luther helped knock her out using this herb they discovered many years ago that weakened a vampire.

    He said Amelia took one sip of the tea mixed with the herb and screamed in pain. But it seemed to do the trick as she was weak against Luther, who usually wouldn''t be stronger than her. Luther quickly wrapped the herbs around her wrists, ankles and neck, wearing his brown leather gloves to not be affected by it. He then punched her in the face, ultimately knocking her unconscious.

    "I do not like this n, Gabriel.. It seems too risky," Cassius muttered. Gabriel told his brother that Matthias sent a letter asking for Amelia sooner and to bring her new lover. And so, Gabriel ''created a new n'' to help save them both. He told Cassius that he would kill the Alpha King, and Amelia could remain in the pack as their Luna.

    He told Cassius that he read Matthias'' mind and found out that the pack were unaware of Amelia''s infidelity, so it was possible to safely return Amelia to the pack and leave the me on a rogue like Matthias nned on doing.

    "When have I ever let you down?" Gabriel replied dryly. His heart constricted tightly as Gabriel looked at Cassius with no emotion on his face. Cassius stared back at him, and his eyes darkened at Gabriel''s words. He nced at Amelia as though he figured out that Gabriel had different ns to what he was telling him.

    He brought this on himself.

    The thing about the twins was, even if they felt panicked, it would not show on their faces. Instead, they would quietly suss everything out and work out a way to save themselves. Gabriel had only been in a few situations where this was the case, but he was never truly panicked. Again, it was probably his arrogance helping him think clearly. Cassius was the same, and so Gabriel stayed alert, wondering if his brother was scheming under that stoic expression of his.

    "Your turn, Cassius," Gabriel held the lethal nt out, and his brother hesitantly raised his hands. Gabriel started to wrap them with the nt and kept them tight on his wrists. "It''s only temporary until I kill the king."

    Cassius'' nose twitched slightly, the only indication on his face that the nt was stinging his wrists. "Good?" Gabriel asked, and he nodded his head in return.

    They arrived at the mansion in Silver Thorn past sundown; Gabriel kept to the story that he too was weak to the sun like normal vampires. The guards opened the gates to the long path leading up to the mansion. Once they stopped outside, Luther opened the carriage door and threw Amelia over him like a sack of potatoes. His right-hand man had been following on horseback and raced ahead of them the closer they were to the mansion so he could take his horse to the stables.

    Gabriel pretended to throw Cassius out of the carriage, and he staggered on his feet before his brother held him by the arm. They were quickly ushered inside by a servant. The mansion seemed eerily quiet, and Gabriel couldn''t sense the pack in the house.

    It was evening time, so the wolves must have been in their houses. The next thing the vampires knew, they were met with Matthias in the library, and Amelia''s finger was pricked at a bookcase that swung open after drawing her blood. They then followed Matthias down the winding, gloomy hallway leading to a secret underground basement.

    The werewolf had been carrying Amelia while Gabriel read his thoughts, looking to see if there would be an ambush or a change in ns. But there was not. When they arrived in the dark, cold, open-spaced room full of weapons, Gabriel was distracted momentarily by everything. But he halted as soon as he found himself in a crypt with a tomb ready and waiting with Amelia''s name on it.

    Cassius tensed next to him but did nothing more. Gabriel searched the room and was relieved to see there were only two other werewolves. But they bowed and left to stand guard outside; Gabriel nodded at Luther, who followed behind them. Gabriel threw Cassius on the ground and drew his sword to hold at the back of his neck.

    "I was surprised you kept your word, Gabriel. What is even more surprising is that my mate''s lover is your brother.. You must be as ruthless as the rumours say.. to kill your own brother.." Matthias said as he looked between the twins, one knelt on the ground and the other behind him, his weapon pointing at him.

    "Well, we''ve never been that close," Gabriel murmured before looking at Matthias, who already had his attention on Amelia. "Do you wish to say farewell to her? Or should I finish this quickly?"

    Matthias'' back was to the twins, and Cassius nced up at Gabriel. He could see his brother already setting himself loose from the binds. His suspicions were up now; he knew Gabriel would have killed Matthias the moment his guards had left him. Cassius began to stand, and without hesitation, Gabriel stabbed him through the back of his neck with his sword.

    "Ah," Cassius sputtered as blood trickled from his mouth.

 Chapter 187 - The Fall Of Amelia Cross (6)

    Matthias turned back around after freeing Amelia from the binds. He was surprised, but his features then took on smug satisfaction. However, his smile dropped after sensing his mate waking up; he looked back at Amelia, whose eyes were darting around warily and in shock at her surroundings. Then theynded on Gabriel and the sword piercing through Cassius'' throat.

    Her hands raised to her lips, and tears filled her eyes, "Cass.." She whispered before being pped in the face and falling to the ground. Matthias was growling at her, his chest rising and falling as his eyes burned into Amelia''s back.

    Gabriel pulled his sword from Cassius'' neck, using his foot in his back as he did so, and letting him drop to the ground.

    "Kill the wench now," Matthias growled. Gabriel saw the Alpha''s form vibrating, looking as though he was ready to shift and attack Amelia. She jumped up and ran towards the door but was immediately shoved into the wall by Gabriel.

    "Gab-"

    His hand punched through her chest and clutched at her heart. He heard something between a growl and a whimper from behind him, but he ignored the Alpha King. His thoughts were a mixture of pain, anger and vengeance.

    Gabriel and Amelia stared at each other, one in shock and sadness and the other cold and emotionless. She gasped as his hand closed around her beating heart. Amelia struggled to raise her hands to grip on top of his forearm. Her lips were wide as she struggled to breathe.

    Amelia was not struggling to escape, though, and he could see her giving up on her life. This was her end, and she knew it. A smile filled with sadness curled up on her stunning face. "Out of everyone.." She wheezed, "you.. should know.." She raised her hand to his face, brushing aside a single silent tear he didn''t know had escaped his frosty eyes. "It was always you¡­I-I ¡­ You have.. my heart.."

    "You don''t have a heart," He ripped her heart out of her chest and leaned forwards, so their foreheads were touching, "And now, neither do I.." He whispered darkly and crushed the organ in his hands.

    Amelia copsed on the ground, and Gabriel turned to look at Matthias. The werewolf was clutching at his chest as though he, too, wanted to rip his heart out. Matthias closed his eyes, savouring the feeling of heartbreak. Gabriel raised a brow at his thoughts, then within a sh, he was on him.

    Gabriel pierced the Alpha King''s chest with his sword. A sword made out of pure silver gleaming under the dull light of flickering mes in the room. Matthias'' eyes were open, and looking at Gabriel in confusion.

    "You did not think I would let you live after wanting to me the Vampire King and his people for the death of your Luna.." He tsked and watched the werewolf chuckled darkly.

    "I should have known¡­" Matthias breathed heavily, "better.. than to trust a vampire.." Matthias grew his ws and making a swing for Gabriel. But he dodged his arms and pulled his sword out before swinging it back down on him, decapitating the Alpha King.

    Blood sttered on Gabriel''s face, making him look like a true angel of death. His hands were bloodied, his face was bloodied, and his white angelic hair was dripping in blood. Matthias'' head fell to the ground along with his body.

    Gabriel read Matthias'' thoughts when the werewolf came to the castle, and he rechecked them today; his ns had not changed. Even if he did do this for the Silver Crescent pack, the Alpha King would wage war with the vampires anyway. Matthias was usually an intelligent leader, but maybe spending time with Amelia and her psychotic ways made him realise how much he really despised vampires. His hate, in the end, was too deep, and the war would have been inevitable.

    Now, his son would take charge of the packs. Gabriel hoped their alliance would stay in ce. He nned for Luther to take Matthias head far away and get rid of it. After he dealt with his brother, they would set up the whole scene of a nned rogue attack in the packhouse.

    Gabriel cleaned his sword down with a handkerchief before sheathing it once more. "It was a shame. I did like you, Matthias. But to go against one another again would be a waste of spilt blood," Gabriel muttered as he stepped over his body.

    He then looked at his brother, who was gasping in a puddle of his own blood on the ground. By stabbing him through the neck, he made sure to break his bones and severe all the nerves passing through the area. It was a severe wound, but Cassius would heal within the next few minutes, so he needed to be quick.

    Gabriel''s steps echoed through the cold crypt as he approached his brother slowly. He squatted down and moved Cassius'' hair away from his face. His blood covered hand smeared some of Amelia''s blood in his hair and part of his face. "Dear brother, I do not know why.. after everything.. I cannot kill you," He whispered.

    Cassius'' eyes slowly opened, and a gurgled chuckle escaped his lips, "You cannot.. kill someone.. as pretty as me.." He wheezed, cracking a joke before all jest left his features. "But.. you killed her.."

    Gabriel saw the anger sh across Cassius'' eyes, but he still couldn''t move. "Yes. She was taking you down a path of no return, Cass.. I cannot let that happen.." Gabriel replied softly.

    He sighed heavily. "I will not forgive you.." Cassius spat back.

    "And I cannot forgive you¡­ " Gabriel replied before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pouch of magic powder. He blew it on Cassius'' face and watched in wonder as his face aged, the skin melting down, his body wasting away as though he was already a corpse in the ground.

    It was a potion he paid a hefty price for from a powerful witch. It made a vampire''s body speed up the process of going without blood for a certain period of time. Gabriel told the witch to make it extra strong and cause the body to a weakened state of 100 years without blood.

    "Luther," Gabriel called quietly, and the vampire appeared beside him, his face impassive, not ncing at the bloodied room or dead bodies. "Clear that other room out."

    "That looks like it''s meant to be for the king, though.." Luther trailed off after seeing Gabriel''s face. He snapped his lips shut and removed everything from the room except for the tomb remaining in there. There was no name engraved on the top of it yet, and that was how it would stay. The room would be bolted shut, and no one allowed in there.

    Gabriel gently ced Cassius in the tomb, who groaned in pain; his wound on his neck was much worse, especially with his rotten skin now. It seemed it may take years now for Cassius'' throat to fully heal. Gabriel stroked the side of his brothers face and looked at the dull light behind his still piercing blue eyes. "This is my punishment to you. Your sentence of 500 years. until then, brother," Gabriel said sadly and turned around.

    "F-father.." A raspy voice croaked from the tomb.

    Gabriel turned his head to look back at Cassius. "He cannot help you-"

    "Will.. not¡­be.. pleased.." Cassius breathed back.

    "If he has seen what has unfolded between us.. My mercy is what he will not be pleased about," Gabriel snapped back, raising his voice as he nced around as though he was looking for their creator, their father, in the dank crypt.

    No answer, exactly what he was expecting.

    "Goodbye, Cassius."

    He watched as Luther closed the crypt slowly and heard his brother whispered his farewell. The door was bolted together, and the two vampires set up the mansion appropriately, killing the remaining servants, getting rid of any witnesses. They were quick to remove any evidence of their presence and left the Silver Crescent packhouse behind them.

    They passed through the gates, and Luther quickly killed the guards viciously, again making it look like the ''rogue attack''. Gabriel leaned his head into the back of the carriage with his eyes closed as he heard the ripping sound of flesh and yelp before there was gurgling and silence. His right-hand man returned, and they were on their way back to their lives in Chester, where the packs stayed silent against the vampires for at least 300 years.

    **

    Gabriel nced behind him. Once again, he was staring into space at the window while he told his story to his natural enemy. And to the pack, Gabriel so violently attacked. But if they listened to his story, then they would know he had no choice. His eyesnded on A, and he saw the surprise on her face at the dreadful ending to ''storytime'' as her wolf so eloquently put.

    But as he listened in to her thoughts, he was taken back by how aggressive they were. She was angry. Not at him, but at her ancestor. ''What a psychotic bitch. To have gone between brothers..''

    Gabriel turned back to look at the city lights and cracked a small smile, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. They were nothing alike. His smile dropped as a thought urred to him. Cassius was much more affectionate towards A than he ever was to Amelia.

    He nced back at A, her mate and her friends, who were all protecting her. Cassius knew they were nothing alike and pursued her not just for his own schemes but because of who she was. Cassius liked her for her. But was she easy to manipte? If things got messy, which they would, he hoped Cassius never got his hands on her.

    He yed his first move by showing up at the club and revealing the rtionship he so easily started with A. He left her there in the safety of the Vampire King and her friends to help with the hunters and to show Gabriel that he was confident in getting her back.

    Cassius was taunting him.

 Chapter 188 - The Hybrid

    A stopped watching Gabriel''s back as he still faced out the window; her gaze slowly drifted to the coffee table in front of her as she processed everything the vampire told them. The trio''s past was such a violent tragedy; she wondered how the brothers were so calm when they faced each other earlier. But A knew from spending time with both of them that neither was stupid, and everything they did was calcted.

    However, she imagined more of a response from Cassius. After hearing about his past and from their conversation prior, she knew that was the first time the brothers had seen each other since Gabriel locked Cassius away in the tomb. He did mention how he watched Gabriel over the years, so perhaps tonight was long awaited with a dramatic effect of throwing her straight into the middle of it.

    The vampire had a n, that was for sure; he portrayed him as his brother for so long, using her friendship with Gabriel to gain her trust and building something between them. But instead, it was with Cassius. She was confused and in conflict with herself over Cassius. He helped her in such a dire situation with the hunters; he could have continued to pretend to be Gabriel, but he did not. Was this because Gabriel could be more useful in helping her get rid of Ss?

    Was this a part of his n? But what was his n? She had no idea what it was or how Cassius'' mind worked. A''s brows drew together, and she raised her hand to her chin, deep in thought. Cassius parted with her as though he was doing her a favour, dropping her off at his brothers.

    ''I''ll be your viin, for now, A. But everything I have done is for you. And everything I will do it for us. I have brought you to Gabriel, who controls an empire of vampires¡­ Take advantage of that.''

    ''I''ll see you soon.''

    A didn''t know how to feel from his parting words. She slumped back into the couch with a sigh and felt her body being pulled tightly into Damon''s side. This was the first time shepletely forgot about her mate''s presence. She was so absorbed in the story. Finding out more about her ancestor and the twins, and still with the hunters out to get her..

    She gritted her teeth angrily at herself for her uncontroble emotions when she needed to stay calm. Damon stroked her back soothingly, and she let her head fall onto his chest, closing her eyes. At that moment, she did not care if they were in a room full of people; they were her close friends, she did not need to put on a strong fa?ade.

    "I have to say it, A.."

    A snapped her eyes open to see Finn walk around the couch and slump down in the one across from her. Though he looked rxed, his eyes were still scanning the room. Finn the Delta, her protector, her shield, was always on alert for any possible dangers. She couldn''t help but smile at her own thoughts but stopped when she felt Damon''s grip on her tighten. He was a lot better than he used to be with his protectiveness and jealousy, but she knew Damon did not act out because he was ustomed to Finn and Ajax now.

    "Everything makes sense now," Finn continued, snapping A out of her thoughts again. "You''re incredibly quick. Many wolves said you were as quick as a vampire.."

    A''s eyes widened as his words sank in more. "Huh, yeah, I suppose you''re right. I''m part¡­ vampire.."

    "But your ancestor was a second-generation vampire¡­" Finn looked at Gabriel, who seemed to have taken on Chase''s role of brooding and staring out of the window.

    "Yes," Gabriel said. A looked at his back, blinking. He seemed to be answering someone''s thoughts. "The Cross family were already strong werewolves, and the mixture of vampire blood made the generations after hybrids. Though it seemed only Amelia''s sons knew of their mixed blood, but they did not pass the knowledge down. This is why it has been such a secret until now. It was most likely because of how much they despised the vampires and so loathed themselves for being half-vampire themselves."

    A shot up in her seat then. "How does this work, though? Vampires live off blood.. Obviously, I am a hybrid of sorts.. But I haven''t wanted blood.. even when I have.." She blushed, thinking of the times she ripped off the heads of those hunters or ripping their flesh away from their necks.

    "Maybe, you had it in you all along.. You seem to have a little thing about necks.." Malia snickered, trying to lighten up A''s mood.

    "Pfft, you''re the one that ripped their heads off.. You know.. when we went feral?" A reminded her wolf.

    "Maybe it''s in both of us then! Eww.. We are some weird blood-sucking demon wolf!" Malia eximed in shock horror. She was now pacing inside of her head, worrying about what they were, even though she was trying to joke with A.

    Gabriel sighed, and she heard him mumble under his breath, "-blood-sucking demon wolf.." He turned on his heel, walking purposely towards the group, his eyes set on A. "You haven''t activated your vampire side. So do not worry."

    "How do you know that?" Damon spoke up. He had been quiet, but one little touch of the bond revealed he had been digesting everything just as much as A was. But he had zero trust in the Vampire King and made sure to have Beta Kane and Gamma Chiara on high alert, directed at him.

    Gabriel turned his head slowly towards Damon; his face seemed to be stony as he looked at the Alpha King. "Because if it was, she would not be rxed right now. Her blood lust would outweigh anything else. It''s different with every vampire but¡­ with Amelia''s past¡­" His eyes flickered back to A, "She was.. one of the vampires at the beginning to wipe out towns of people from blood lust."

    A stilled. Towns.. How big were towns back then? Still, ''towns'', a plural. Her ancestor killed people from drinking blood.

    "So, you mean to tell me.. if I activate my vampire side.. my vampire gene.. I could be exactly like Amelia?" A whispered.

    Gabriel appeared in front of her then, kneeling so they were at the same height. Chiara and Kane were by her sides a secondter, and Damon was stood growling, his hand on the vampire''s shoulder. Gabriel red at Damon but returned his gaze to A, who tensed up from her mate and pack leaders protecting her.

    "I will not harm your Luna. So, stand down," Gabriel murmured, but nobody listened to the vampire. He didn''t move away, though, no matter how much Damon''s hand went white from how hard he gripped onto Gabriel''s shoulder.

    "You will not be like Amelia. Vampire, werewolf, shifter, witch.. The being doesn''t define who you are. Amelia could not control her urges because she didn''t care for anyone but herself. You do. Anyway, I would not worry about such trivial matters. You won''t be a vampire anytime soon." Gabriel''s soft voice became curt as he abruptly stood up and turned towards the bar. "Not if I have anything to do with it," He muttered to himself.

    A frowned at his response but inteced her fingers with Damon to withdraw his attention from the vampire. She could still feel how unsettled he was and wanted to reassure him. She squeezed his hand gently, and in return, he pulled her up to stand in front of him.

    "If that is everything, then we should leave. Find somewhere to stay out of the way from.. the hunters and.. Cassius," Damon said as his eyes wandered over A''s features, and his free hand swept some of her hair behind her ear.

    "You are free to stay here. There are more than enough rooms, and the hunters would never dream of werewolves chilling with vampires.." Gabriel spoke from behind the bar and poured himself yet another drink as his gaze flickered to Chase as he mentioned the hunters.

    "We will not be staying here, "Damon replied politely, albeit through gritted teeth.

    Gabriel raised a brow at him, "And why not? It is safe here.."

    "I do not trust you, and A''s safetyes first," Damon replied and pulled A gently by the arm away from the lounge area.

    Gabriel chuckled and walked after them, holding his ss in his hand. "Damon, did you not listen to anything I just said?" He raised his hands out. "This is the safest ce for you to be right now. I am not Cassius. I have not deceived you. You can trust me."

    Damon eyed the vampire, not hiding his displeasure on his handsome face. A could feel a chill in the air, and she knew it wasing from between the two kings.

    "Why would I trust you after the little history lesson you gave us on how you killed someone you loved, locked away your brother, who is now vengeful, and killed a previous Alpha King.. on top of the fact that you live above a vampire bar?" Damon drawled; his voice was low and menacing.

    "You know when he puts it like that.. he has a point.." Ajax interrupted lightheartedly from behind the bar. It seemed he was already making himself at home making quite the mboyant girly cocktail. "Gabe.. Do you have any of those little paper parasols?"

    "Gabriel," The vampire spat back, "And there should be some under the.. That''s not the point." He turned his head back to the Alpha. "I told you my story to show you I have nothing to hide. By all means, leave.. But it is the middle of the night, and after their little bar fight earlier, it would seem everyone requires rest."

    Damon and Gabriel stared at each other for a long minute until A squeezed Damon''s hand. "I trust him," She whispered.

    "You trusted Cassius," He snapped back, ring at her, making her flinch from the angerced behind his words. "And yet he used your wolf''s name against you to kiss you."

    A''s chest tightened, and she felt her own anger starting to bubble up inside of her. "It was not my fault," She replied through gritted teeth, keeping herself under control. "I thought he was Gabriel, who I trust.." She held her finger against Damon''s lips to stop him from interrupting, "We will stay here tonight."

    "Now you know who wears the trousers in their rtionship, Gabe," Ajax snickered from behind the bar and instantly scrambled away when Damon snapped his head in the shapeshifter''s direction and, this time, didn''t hold himself back from marching after him.

    A and Gabriel stared on, one in fascination and the other shaking their head as they heard Ajax squeal. "Your Gamma should really sort him out," Gabriel murmured gently in A''s mind.

 Chapter 189 - The Kings Abode

    Damon agreed to stay the night, though he did not look rxed. A could feel his distrust through the bond by not just the vampire in the room but the ''retired'' hunter. She did not me him; herpany of friends were much more different to that of the average werewolf. Although, she was also not an average werewolf.

    A was brought up as a human only to discover that she was a werewolf with royal blood, and now it turns out she was also part vampire. She didn''t know how to feel about that. After all, she didn''t know much about them and only knew of Gabriel and Cassius. The others seemed arrogant and intended to pick a fight with her group at the bar.

    They were still in the lounge area by the bar in Gabriel''s penthouse. It waste, but from the excitement of the fight and hearing Gabriel''s story, it seemed nobody in the group was ready to settle down for the night. A understood it could very well be because they were with the Vampire King and above a vampire bar, and she presumed in their territory as well. But she did not say anything and instead tried helping Ajax in keeping the atmosphere light.

    Though it didn''t seem to work, and Ajax became quite drunk from his mixture of cocktails. That, however, was quite entertaining in itself with how much he tried to gain Chiara''s attention through childish games.

    Everyone was consumed by their thoughts. And after being in the same room with Gabriel again, A was reminded of who the real king of brooding was. He put Chase to shame. Although Damon was also especially quiet, and she knew there was a lot to talk about. With this on her mind, she announced that they should get some rest and n their next steps in the morning. So far, it was only her, Finn, Ajax, and Chase aware of the n to attack the nearest hunter''spound, and they needed to attack it soon before they evacuate it.

    Gabriel returned from brooding across the room after A announced they wanted to go to bed. "Let me show you around then to your rooms. You can go anywhere except for my office," He said and turned on the spot, not waiting for their response. Although he was a little curt and sharp with his behaviour, Gabriel was still a good host.

    They walked past the bar leading to another lounge area with a waterfall on the other side of the bar''s wall with a modern chandelier hanging in front of it. A and Damon followed behind the vampire while the others scanned the floor for hidden dangers and were in awe of the luxurious penthouse. The interior of the penthouse was all the same monochrome ck, white and gold colour scheme, but mainly consisting of ck.

    Walking past the lounge area, A eyed the white piano set atop a fur rug on the corner of a curved staircase that led to another floor that overlooked the one they were on. On the opposite side was a staircase leading to the floor below. At the far end across from them was Gabriel''s office, which was closed off. He showed the group the floor below them first, revealing a stylishly lit indoor and outdoor pool with a sun terrace, a cinema room, another small bar area with cigars on disy.

    Chiara scolded Ajax after he nearly fell into the pool from being intoxicated from the many cocktails he kept making. After pulling him away from the pool, she asked Gabriel where Ajax'' room would be and dragged him away to put him to bed. Ajax arm was over her shoulders by the time they made it out of the ss door and up the stairs, her keeping him from staggering too much.

    A shook her head with a smile but continued to follow on the tour of such a ce. Although they lived in a mansion and stayed in Cassius'' penthouse, A, Finn, and Chase still couldn''t help but look at everything in awe. It was overly luxurious with everything a person would need. There was even a kitchen and dining area that was spotless, not looking as though it was ever used. Figures.

    Once they were upstairs, the grandeur did not stop there, with another lounge with bookcases, making it seem as though it was a chilled library with a hanging rounded armchair with a fluffy cushion that looked out of the window. A thought it was quite girly and did not see Gabriel using such a thing, but then there was a leather chair sided by it with a small coffee table between them, looking more like something he would use.

    However, she did not dwell further on it as they were finally led to the bedrooms, each with an ensuite. This time, A was not in the master bedroom, which was on a totally separate floor which was purely for the bedroom. The winding staircase leading up to the floor made her curious to see how it looked, but she did not want to pry further into the vampire''s life.

    They were the ones to randomly end up at his nightclub and now penthouse. Although A did feel a little sad, none of them knew where Gabriel went after they escaped the hunter''spound, and he must have known what pack saved them. After all, she was a Cross. Gabriel could have sought them out, but she understood why he didn''t. He escaped separately because of the pack of werewolves, let alone seeking her out on their territory.

    A looked at Gabriel''s back as he showed her and Damon to their room. She bit her lip, still thinking about what the vampire had done in the time they spent apart. It had not been that long, but seeing him outside of thepound, wearing designer clothes and living a luxurious life, it felt like more than weeks had passed between them but years.

    He must have had so much to do; he was missing from the throne for ten years, although Cassius said he took care of it. A low growl vibrated from her side, and she looked up at Damon''s displeased face. A reached out to the bond and could feel his anger at her still thinking about the vampire. She reached her hand out to reassure him-

    "This will be your room," Gabriel pointed to a ck door with a gold patterned engraving going up the side. "Oh, and it is soundproof." He smirked, not caring for Damon''s obvious annoyance.

    "Thank you for tonight, Gabriel. For exining everything and.. not kicking us out after fighting with your customers.." A spoke to his back. He halted for a moment, and he nodded once before continuing to show the others to their rooms.

    "Alpha, Luna.." Finn bared his neck after seeing Damon''s barely contained anger. A''s eyes widened at the hostilitying off of him, but she did notment on it. "I will see where my room is but set up shifts with the others to protect your room."

    "You don''t need to-"

    "Go. Don''t interrupt us," Damon snapped before opening the door to their bedroom. Finn bared his neck again and dashed off after Gabriel.

    A closed the door behind her, leaning against it as she looked at Damon''s colossal form and therge bedroom before her. Her heart pounded against her chest at the sight of him. They were finally alone, something she had been yearning for since she saw him arrive. But matters becameplicated, and they couldn''t reunite how either of them wanted to.

    Her hand fisted by her side as she felt the turbulent emotions rippling through Damon. But he kept his face impassive as he sat down on the end of the bed facing her, his luminescent orbs piercing through her.

    "Take off your clothes."

 Chapter 190 - Whole Again

    "Take off your clothes", Damonmanded; his eyes burned into hers, and she felt a shiver ripple up her spine, eliciting goosebumps along her skin. A didn''t question him or go against his order, he was barely holding on to hisposure, and she wanted to please him. Remind him that she was his and his alone.

    They had spent far too long away from each other, and although she could feel he was alive and speak to him on the phone, it wasn''t enough. She wanted to see him, feel his muscles under her hands, hear his chuckle, see his smile. But as she slowly undone her dress and let it drop to the floor, she started to feel self-conscious.

    His eyes roamed her body appreciatively like usual, but there was a hard edge to it as his gaze rested on her neck before meeting her gaze. A stepped out from the rumpled material on the ground, carefully stepping so her heels would not get caught. But she halted after Damon raised his brow to her, "Remove all of it, A," His deep voice rumbled through her mind.

    A didn''t hesitate in unhooking her bra and sliding down her underwear before sauntering towards him to stand in between his open legs. She yelped after he pulled her close towards him and smacked her bottom. "All of it!" He growled. A frowned and looked down at her naked body, confused until she felt two holes burning into her chest where he was ring at. She realised what she was still wearing.

    A reached up to remove the ne Cassius gave her, but she stopped when Damon brought his hands around her neck and unsped the chain and threw it to the side. A followed where it went with a small gasp; he threw something so expensive away like it was nothing but a crumb. She felt his fingers on her chin that turned her head back on him, and she thought her heart stopped beating right then and there.

    Damon''s eyes softened with so much yearning behind them that she couldn''t help but stare into those striking molten silver orbs. A''s fingers threaded through his locks, rxing into him further as his face looked up past her breasts and his hands went around her waist. In his embrace, she felt whole; the frazzled bond that was painful for their days apart was finally calm. They stayed like that, engrossed in the warmth of each other''s bodies for a while.

    Damon broke away from her body and leaned down, gently grabbing her ankle, so her left heel rested on his thigh, leaving A''s cheeks to heat from the position. He unhooked the sp with the gentlest touch, let the shoe fall to the ground, and ced her foot back on the dark wooden floor. He pulled her other leg up just as gently, this time keeping his gaze locked with hers as he dropped the other shoe on the ground and started to slide his hands along her leg.

    Damon caressed her leg from her calf up to her thigh while his lips brushed against her skin, leaving a trail of kisses up her leg. A felt a powerful pull of desire rush through her along with the ticklish sensation his hands, lips, and hair caused trailing against her sensitive skin. His hand reached her core, brushing against it with a featherlight touch. She sucked in a sharp breath from the sensation.

    But he didn''t do anymore; instead, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down, so they were lying on the bed, and he rolled over, so theyy facing each other. His hands brushed away her hair from her face, and he cupped her cheeks before closing the distance between their lips. He kissed her in such a gentle manner. She wanted so much more. Was this a different form of teasing?

    Damon chuckled against her lips, setting her heart ame and her stomach to set loose a thousand butterflies by that rumbling sound. It seemed like forever since she heard his joy. Although it had only been a few days, a lot had happened. But his chuckle would always lift her mood, no matter what. He ced his forehead against hers and inhaled deeply, rxing his body further as he gazed into her eyes, leaving no room for escape.

    "What am I going to do with you, angel?" He sighed while his fingers entangled themselves into her hair. "Everything you wore, down to that ne, was his.."

    A flinched at his words. She could feel how hurt he was by it, but he knew there was nothing between her and Cassius, and his anger earlier was not pointed at her but the situation they were in and at the vampire who touched her. "I''m sorry-"

    Damon stopped her apology with his lips gently pushing into hers. "You don''t need to apologise. I''m just.. frustrated at everything," He said against her lips and kissed her again. His kisses were so sweet and full of so much emotion she couldn''t help but clutch onto his shirt for fear of him letting go.

    "You''ve been.. so reckless. It''s been killing me.." He whispered and pulled away slightly, so her eyes were trapped in his iridescent orbs. "How could you go feral?" He searched her eyes with that question leaving his lips.

    A released a long, shaky breath. "I didn''t mean to.. I was leading the hunters away and was nning to lose them once I was far enough away from the pack territory.." She began but pursed her lips when she saw a flicker of anger pass his eyes.

    "I didn''t know any of this, A. You kept everything under wraps. Even Finn couldn''t tell me. He could only tell me about the two days it took for him and .. that vampire" A growl broke through his lips at the word vampire before he continued, "to bring you back. And now we only know he got through to you from finding out your wolf''s name," He sighed, "Why did you keep blocking the bond? I couldn''t read your thoughts anyway from so far away. But I could have killed someone if it weren''t for the bond telling me you were still alive."

    A gasped and caressed his stubbled jaw. "I didn''t want you to suffer. A lot was going on, I was in pretty bad shape-"

    "Pretty bad shape!? Are you insane! You got stabbed in the back, and the wound kept re-opening from moving so much!" Malia jumped into the conversation, although it was in her head; A was certain Damon was listening in. His face hardened at her wolf''sment.

    "Finn said you were injured.. What happened?" Damon asked as his hand wrapped over hers on his face, pulling her hand away only to kiss the inside of her wrist. He let go, moving his hand to her waist, his finger tracing the side of her body from her outer thigh past her hip and up to her ribs and back. The action distracted her, but instead of voicing what happened to her, she mind-linked her memories to him.

    Damon''s hand stilled on the dip between her ribs and hips as he watched her get stabbed, run through the woods and dodging bullets on multiple asions until the moment she spoke with her wolf, and next woke up in Cassius bed. A made sure to stop mind-linking him before seeing the vampire in bed with her. That would definitely not help, and thankfully he only did it once.

    Damon blinked back from the mind-link and looked at her in wonder as he trailed his finger against the side of her body again. "You really are incredible.." He breathed and kissed her lips again. "Incredibly reckless," He whispered against her lips.

    She sighed into him, "But the hunters are away from the pack now.." She mumbled, their lips still meeting. She was melting against his body while her hands automatically reached down and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, sliding it off over his head and throwing it to the side.

    "When you were shot, Damon.." A whispered, resting her hands against his pecs. "All I could think about was how to keep you and the pack safe.." A tear escaped her eye as she looked down at the small scars left behind from where he was shot.

    "I know, baby," He wiped away her tear and kissed her cheek before meeting her lips again. "I know it''s hard, but try not to do anything reckless. I can''t stand being away from you.." He kissed her again, and before she could reply, her body responded to his.

    He deepened the kiss, his hands in her hair, as her hands trailed down the bs of his eight pack and began undoing his jeans. He whipped them done along with his boxers and threw his clothes aside. His erection sprung out and pressed against her, demanding and fierce. She moaned against his lips, their tongues intertwining as her hands slid up his body and wrapped around his neck.

    There was both urgency and wanting to prolong the moment as much as possible. To stay in their little bubble without any care or trouble. Damon rolled over, keeping his body close to hers, still kissing. She whimpered against him, feeling the hot tip of him nudge against her warm, wet folds. He hummed in delight, "Always so ready for me, angel.."

    "Only for you." She replied breathlessly as he pushed into her inciting a breathless moan from her. He pulled back and thrust into her slowly again; she clung onto his back, her legs wrapping around him as her centre clenched around his length greedily. Neither one of them wanted to rush this; they were atst together and wanted to feel everything.

    Though they said they were tired to the group, the pair were up all night. Their hands craved each other''s touch, while their bodies were as one in their slow, all-consuming, feverish, passionate lovemaking.

 Chapter 191 - Happy-Go-Lucky

    The following morning, the group gathered in the kitchen around the ind. Unlike at the packhouse, where chefs and servants worked in the morning to provide an array of meals to pick from for breakfast, Gabriel''s penthouse did not have such a thing. However, the vampire seemed to take this into ount and produced a single box of cereal. Everyone eyed it and looked around.

    Gabriel''s face dropped, and he red at them. "I will get a servant to cook you a meal," He grumbled and marched away, speaking over his shoulders, "Bloody ungrateful. I went to the shop.."

    A couldn''t help but giggle, imagining the almighty Vampire King walking down a food aisle and picking out cereal for none other than a bunch of werewolves. "Zip it," Gabriel''s voice floated through her mind; though it was filled with annoyance, it didn''t stop A from smiling at the situation.

    Soon enough, the group was seated at a round ck marble dining table, each inst night''s attire except for A, who wore a sports bra, leggings, and a hoody, all thanks to Damon. As he nned oning for A anyway, he was prepared with a bag in his car outside. A felt much morefortable wearing her trainers.

    With everyone seated and eating quietly, A took the time to assess everyone. They all look well-rested, and so the shifts between the leaders must have been sufficient and provided enough sleep to all of them. She didn''t think it was needed, but they were at a vampire''s home; it was normal for them to feel a little uneasy.

    She nced at their features. Were they going to be uneasy with her now that they knew she was part vampire? A looked to her right after feeling Damon''s hand on her thigh squeeze in aforting manner. "No matter what, you are their Luna and friend. Don''t feel discouraged. They are here for you," Damon mind-linked her, and she smiled up at him before stuffing some hash brown in her mouth.

    "Wolves really do eat a lot.." Gabriel muttered from the side of the window. Rays of the sun were shining down on him, making his hair look golden; if A stood there, she knew hers would look the same. He looked back then, but not in A''s direction but the direction of a servant who seemed to almost run back the way they came. A only got a glimpse of her, but she was someone very beautiful and hard to miss. There was something about her that seemed familiar.

    "If you will excuse me.." His voice hardened as he strode out of the room. A felt a chill go down her spine, wondering what the servant could have possibly done wrong.

    Damon, too, was looking in the direction Gabriel left; his features were stern and almost boiling with anger. Why was he suddenly angry? A stilled and reached out through the bond to see what he was thinking. But when she did, she felt the barrier blocking her from him.

    Startled, she looked at him in question. "Excuse me a minute," He said as calmly as possible, walking out with his hands fisted by his sides. Kane instantly raced after him, cursing under his breath, only to return momentster, annoyance apparent on his face.

    "Did I miss something there?" Ajax asked, looking directly at her. This was the first he was speaking. She presumed his hangover made him quiet, but looking at him, she could see his features were perfectly normal; he did not look tired or in pain.

    She shrugged in response, though her worry was forming in the pit of her stomach. "I''m sure it''s nothing.." Malia piped in, though her wolf was more worried about Damon and if he insulted the vampire or not. A started twisting the sleeves in her hands, a habit she thought was weakening. But then, if the Alpha King rushed off in anger after the Vampire King, who wouldn''t be nervous?

    "I am certain nothing will happen," Chiara spoke from the seat next to her, trying to soothe her. A smiled back, but it did not reach her eyes; she would feel better once she saw her mate back in one piece.

    With a sigh, she forced herself to rx her hands and grip onto her cutlery once more. But as she did, she looked at Chiara again from the corner of her eye. The Gamma and Ajax had been acting quite odd towards each other, Chiara had not been making any eye contact with him, and he kept shifting in his seat and looking at her with puppy dog eyes. Something must have happened between them. Ajax wasn''t his usual chatty self.

    A felt a headacheing along. Her mate had chased off after the vampire king, both looking unhappy, Ajax and Chiara were awkward with each other, and from the looks of it, Kane kept ring at Chase. What happened to her happy-go-lucky group? Finn was the only person acting like normal, who was stuffing food in his mouth like it was hisst meal.

    "Beta, do you have an issue with Chase?" A asked. Being blunt and to the point would at least resolve whatever issue was between them.

    Kane blinked back, surprised at A''s directness. "I find it odd chilling with a hunter," Kane replied calmly and only stared back at A, not ncing in Chase'' direction. Chase was leaning back in his chair, sipping his coffee as though he was not affected by Kane''s words.

    A''s brows rose, but she understood why he would feel threatened by someone like Chase. "I see. But Chase is no longer with the hunters. In fact, he helped us escape before the pack arrived to rescue us. He also alerted me about the trap when I went to.. meet Hollie," A reminded him of what Chase had done to help them.

    "That may be true.." Kane drawled, "But how do we not know that he isn''t a spy for them?"

    "I don''t think torturing their spy for helping mutts like us would help keep him loyal.." A replied dryly.

    Kane''s eyes narrowed slightly, and he nced at Chase briefly before picking his own cup of coffee up and muttered in her mind, "Don''t say I didn''t warn you about this."

    "I am aware of your concerns, Kane. But Chase can be trusted. Please, if anything.. put your trust in me about this," A replied aloud.

    Kane nodded his head once before standing and leaving the room, "Alpha has called for me," He murmured as the door closed behind him. Leaving her, Chiara, Chase, Ajax and Finn in the room that once again became silent.

    A refrained from scowling as she nced between the remaining people at the table. Finn seemed oblivious or did not care, and Chase looked to be lost in thought as he looked down at his coffee. A shook her head; whatever the weird atmosphere was, she was sure it had to do with Ajax and Chiara.

    With that thought, she decided they needed to sort it, whatever it was, out between them. "Finn, Chase, let''s go check out the sun terrace.." She stood up and began to leave, waiting at the door for the guys to move. Chase looked at her, puzzled as to why she did not ask Chiara and Ajax, but Finn tilted his head towards the exit, gesturing for him to leave. It seemed the Delta was aware of the weird atmosphere but was ignoring it earlier.

    "Oh, guys, we''lle back in an hour to discuss what we need to do next about the hunters.." A said towards the closing door.

    "What do you think happened, Finn?" She asked him in a mind-link as they walked in the direction towards the stairs that went down to the sun terrace.

    "Hmm.. Ajax being a dick or tried hitting on her.. She''s sensitive, and Ajax is a little.. extravagant. He was drunkst night.." Finn instantly replied without any other thought process about it.

    "Drunk or not.. Chiara can look after herself. She would have put him in his ce if he tried anything," A murmured back.

    "Anything she didn''t like.." Malia snickered, "Maybe they¡­ you know.."

    A''s eyes widened at her wolf''s suggestion, and she covered her mouth, suppressing augh. Ajax had no injuries, and they were both acting weird, so maybe her wolf was right?

    "Angel, what''s got you smiling so much?"

    A''s eyes flickered over to her mate, who seemed a lot calmer than he was before. Her smile stayed on her lips, and she shook her head, but his eyes narrowed, and his own smile dropped. "Ajax and Chiara.." He mind-linked her.

    "That''s only what Ma.. I mean, my wolf thinks," A replied in her mind. Although Gabriel wasn''t nearby, she still didn''t feelfortable enough to utter her wolf''s name. She didn''t know how his mind-reading abilities worked, but if he could somehow her from wherever he was in the penthouse, then he too would know her wolf''s true name.

    A put more trust in Gabriel than his twin brother but still, it was better to be safe than sorry.

 Chapter 192 - Blush

    [ <strong>Chiara</strong> ]

    Chiara watched as A made excuses to leave the pair in the room. It was embarrassing, but she needed to set things straight between her and Ajax. She nced back at him after feeling his continuous stare; she sighed and held his gaze. What were they going to do now? What was Ajax thinking? She couldn''t tell as she became absorbed into those dazzling green eyes of his.

    As she stared, her cheeks reddened as the repressed memories of the previous night and early morning came to the surface before her eyes¡­

    The night before, Chiara helped Ajax into the appointed room Gabriel mentioned. With his arm resting over her shoulders, his body weighed her down as he staggered, not walking in a straight line. They barely made it through the bedroom door when he started to strip, dropping his clothes on the ground as Chiara picked them up and tried to give them back to him in a flustered state.

    "What am I even doing here?!" She squeaked, deciding it was best to leave Ajax alone now that he was stark naked. The Gamma spun around and tensed after feeling Ajax'' arms around her shoulders, his face next to hers.

    "Where are you going?" Ajax purred. His voice was clear, causing Chiara to turned her head to him in shock. A sly smile crawled up his face, "You''ve taken care of me so far. Why would you leave me now in such a vulnerable state?"

    Chiara assessed his features; he had not slurred his words, and his eyes werepletely focused. "You!" She gasped and pulled away from him, stepping back, "You''re not drunk!?"

    Ajax shrugged and stalked towards her confidently, not caring about being naked in front of her. Chiara''s face was heating up, and she made sure not to look down at a particr area or by his lean body. She stopped walking, narrowing her eyes at him after the shock wore off. This trick may have worked on other girls who would only see his body and looks, but she wasn''t like everybody else.

    In fact, this little trick ticked her off a little. She huffed, spinning around and grabbing the door handle, but it did not budge. Chiara sighed, "Let me leave, Ajax. This may work on others but-"

    His chuckle vibrated from behind her ear startled her, but she did not turn around; he was still naked, and she knew her eyes would wander down his body. "I just wanted to spend some time with you," He whispered into her ear as his hand rested lightly on her waist, igniting a heat deep within her.

    "A simple ''Hey Chiara, let''s hang out'' would have sufficed," She snapped back, resisting the urge to lean back into the warmth radiating off his body. He was close, so close that she could just let him wrap his arms around her, let him take her to his bed. But to pretend to be drunk was so childish, all so he would get her attention-

    "You kept avoiding me. Even earlier, when things were settling down, you kept talking to Kane or anyone else that wasn''t me. Have I done something to upset you?" He rested his head on her shoulder now and wrapped his arms around her waist, just how Chiara wanted him to. But the Gamma kept her back stiff even though she wanted to melt into him.

    "You haven''t done anything wrong. You never will.. I told you before I need time.. Even then.." Chiara trailed off, not willing to finish her sentence. She didn''t want to string him along; Ajax could have anyone he wanted; he had the looks and an overbearing personality that somehow seemed to work on everybody. "Maybe you should just give up.. It''s not fair on-"

    Ajax spun her around and crashed his lips into hers, ultimately taking her by surprise. Her eyes were wide, stunned at his sudden ''attack'', but soon enough, she melted into him and sighed from the sweet taste of Ajax'' lips. He slid his tongue in her mouth to meeting hers so tenderly. She was hesitant at first, but soon her yearning to be held by him outweighed any doubts any thoughts clouding her mind. The Gamma wrapped her arms around his neck, and he started to bring her back towards the bed.

    Chiara opened her eyes, rmed by what he was doing and by hisck of clothes. He chuckled against her lips, "If I put some clothes on, will you stay the night?"

    Her body tensed up at his words, but the earnestness, the innocence behind those emerald green eyes made her cave in and nod her head, instantly regretting her decision. Why did he captivate her so? Chiara sat on the end of the bed, frowning at herself, staring in no particr direction as Ajax put some boxers on.

    She was still perplexed by how the situation spun around, and she was now on his bed, him ''wearing clothes'' which only consisted of his boxers. Ajax leaned down, so they were at the same height; he caressed her cheek, gazing into her deep blue eyes before pecking her lightly on the cheek before intertwining their fingers and leading her to the bed. They lie down atop it, Ajax rxed, still revealing his body with his arms behind his head, and Chiara stiffly lying down staring at the ceiling.

    Chiara was in simple ck jeans and a top, but she felt a little exposed, mainly because they were on a bed together. But after some time, she rxed, bing morefortable around the shapeshifter. The pair started talking about anything that came to mind, from their childhoods to something simple like their favourite colour. They faced each other, their heads on the pillows as they engaged in lively conversation andughed mainly at stories and jokes by Ajax.

    By the early hours of the morning, Chiara was wearing Ajax''s shirt and began dozing off mid-sentence and feeling his warm embrace as her mind shut off from the world.

    [ <strong>07:00am</strong> ]

    Chiara fluttered her eyes open after feeling overwhelmingly hot. She did not recognise the luxurious room before her. When she turned her head to the side, she almost punched the man in the face whose arms were wrapped around her like a child with a teddy. Her hand halted just in front of his face before her senses kicked in. She realised who was in bed with her.

    Ajax was still sound asleep even after Chiara tried wiggling free from his grasp. But his grip was surprisingly firm that tightened any time she tried to escape. Why couldn''t she break free? She was a Gamma werewolf, yet she couldn''t slip away from a shapeshifters grip.

    With a sigh, she relented to his hold and stared at his fine features. Chiara felt shameless looking at him while he slept, but when did she ever let herself rx and look upon his face. She kept herself busy after their chat in the maze, but asionally their eyes would meet and sometimes, she would allow him to get closer to her. She could not deny that there was something between them, and she was finding it difficult resisting his annoying charm and tant good looks.

    Chiara reached her hand out and began to trail ever so lightly against his sharp features. His eyes were still close, and so she continuously drew the outlines of his handsome face. The night before was surprisingly sweet. Although he spontaneously stripped and faked being drunk, it seemed the shapeshifter really did just want to spend some time together. She felt closer to him now, not from the kiss or staying in bed with him, but by sharing such random things about themselves to each other.

    Maybe her shattered heart could be glued together by such a man?

    Chiara''s hand stilled, and her breath stopped as she came to realise that Ajax had been staring at her. Her cheeks heated, and she began to retract her hand, but his hand came up and stopped her, letting her hand rest on his cheek. "You don''t have to stop. I was awake before you," He said softly.

    That was way more embarrassing!

    "Chiara, can I say something.." Her wolf began. That seemed so unlike Gia; her wolf was usually to the point. As usual, she had been quiet, observing everything the previous night.

    "Go on.." Chiara responded, wondering what her wolf wanted to say. Even while Chiara and Gia were speaking, the Gamma continued to trace Ajax''s face. Her own was burning in embarrassment, but it was oddly rxing her.

    "Ajax is a good man, and we deserve to be happy.. His ways are sometimes a little odd.. but.. I think that will do us some good, no?"

    Chiara smiled subtly at her wolf''s words. "Mydy.. I am the first to see your gorgeous smile so early in the morning.. I hope I am the reason for such a smile?" Ajax said dramatically but with a crooked smile of his own. Chiara could see the curiosity behind his eyes; even though he mocked himself with words, she knew he wanted to know.

    "My wolf approves of you.." She whispered, then covered her mouth with widened eyes. Ajax'' face lit up like a Christmas tree; he didn''t hold back from smacking his lips atop hers and holding her face between his hands.

    He pulled back and smiled again. "So, does this mean¡­ You will give me a chance?" He gushed, his eyes searching hers.

    "Yes.." Chiara replied shyly, looking down, but he tilted her head up so their eyes locked.

    "Speak truthfully, Chiara.. If you are uncertain, I understand. I am not pushing you into this. I know I''ve stolen kisses, and we''ve cuddled. But I don''t want this forced.." He said sternly, making Chiara''s shyness wash away with a smile tugging on her cheeks.

    Ajax was truly someone special.

    "I will give you a chance.. But I want to take things slow.. and I don''t want the others to know.. not yet.." She replied truthfully. Although her eyes swept across their positions in the bed with heated cheeks.

    "I like it being our little secret," He winked, "We will take it slow.. I promise.. I won''t try anything.. If I think you''re avoiding me, though, I will react like I didst night.." Ajax boasted.

    Chiara frowned, "Fake being drunk and stripping in front of me?"

    "Nope. But I cane up with other ns to steal you away from everyone.." Ajax replied with a cheeky grin. Chiara shook her head, wondering what he could possibly do that would get her away from the others. They were in a big group..

    [ <strong>Present</strong> ]

    "I told you I would steal you away from the others.." Ajax boasted proudly, standing up from his chair and sauntering to Chiara''s position. He leaned down and smiled at her, "I knew you''d react like this after we spent the night together," He winked, "And now.. I have you to myself."

    Chiara shook her head, suppressing and failing the smile that tugged on her lips. "They will be back soon." She muttered, ncing at the door.

    "Then I better make it quick then.." Ajax replied, taking her face between his hands as he closed the gap between their lips and kissed her like a parched man in a desert, and she was his oasis.

 Chapter 193 - Plans

    After rxing on the sun terrace and giving Chiara and Ajax space to resolve their issues, A and Damon re-entered the dining room. The Gamma and shapeshifter were sittingfortably without a heavy silence or awkward atmosphere between them now. Ajax seemed like his usual self as he smiled broadly at the Alpha, who ignored him and looked to be mind-linking Chiara. Most likely checking in to see if she was okay.

    A nced at Ajax, but his eyes were set on Chiara. She refrained from smiling as she watched Chiara''s cheeks blush on her otherwise impassive expression as she responded to Damon''s mind-link. A sat down on a chair as the remaining group entered the room; all were there except for Gabriel, who seemed to always be busy. It reminded her of Cassius, who was always busy. She wondered how much of Gabriel''s absence and Cassius'' influence affected the vampire empire.

    With the group now seated, A discussed with Damon, Chiara and Kane in detail about their n to take out Ss in the nearest hunter''spound. Time was of the essence now, and they needed to act quickly. Chase reported how there werepounds all over the country, and if his father felt threatened or required to leave, he would go without notice. Sometimes he made sure to get rid of any evidence of their existence by burning the building down or how it happened in the past, leaving explosives.

    Damon was leaning back in his chair, his hands sped together in front of him on the table. A could see he was deep in thought about their n, but she did not reach out through the bond; there was no need. If they were in a normal marriage, she would not know her partner''s thoughts 24/7, and even so, she knew him well enough now to see that he was not happy. His jaw was set, his face hard, his gaze looking at the table.

    "You were going to do this without the help of the pack?" Damon asked no one in particr. But everyone knew who he was aiming his question at, and so everyone looked to A.

    "Originally, we nned to have Gabriel or well it was Cassius.. to help, and he said he knew someone that could help. With that said, I think with us staying at the Vampire King''s ce.. we could try and ask for his help in the matter. If the vampires are loyal to him, then they would help with such a request.." A replied calmly, staring back at her mate.

    Damon still did not look pleased. "But how can we trust them if they did help? We are sworn enemies. I can trust Gabriel, but not his subjects," He reasoned. His words, however, took her by surprise. He trusted Gabriel? He nearly tried to rip his face off the previous night; what happened?

    "He went after Gabriel earlier about something, looking pretty pissed off.. returning as though nothing happened.." Malia added to where A''s thoughts were heading to.

    "I''m sure even having a few vampires who are his closest subjects would be trustworthy.." A began as she slowly stood up and stepping away from the table.

    "Where are you going?" Damon asked as Finn also rose from his seat and began following her towards the door.

    "We can''t discuss more without Gabriel himself here," A muttered before leaving the room. She shook her head when Finn popped up by her side as they walked through one of the open spaced lounges. "You don''t need to follow me, Finn. There are no dangers here.."

    "We are in a vampire''s penthouse above a vampire bar in vampire territory.. You are the future Alpha Queen.. Do you seriously think I am going to let you wander around-"

    "Yes, I do," A interrupted, standing still as she patted Finn''s back. "You know I am very strong. Plus, I am in no danger here. Go on, chill with the others. I won''t be long.."

    Finn sighed and looked to the side as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Is that an order, Luna?" He asked in a resigned voice.

    "No. But I hope you will follow my wishes as a friend," She replied and dropped her hand, tilting her head to the side as she watched the conflicting emotions cross his handsome features.

    Finn bowed and abruptly turned around, his hands fisted at his sides. A felt terrible as he was only doing his duty as a Delta, but she was only going to see Gabriel. He would not harm her and would act as an even bigger shield if another vampire was roaming his grand penthouse.

    A searched around the floor and even went upstairs looking for him in the library. Did he go out? She walked back down the stairs, past his office and towards the other stairs that led to the pools, sun terrace, and much more. But she halted, realising he might be in his office if he had affairs to attend to.

    She walked towards his office and held her hand up, ready to knock, but noticed the door ajar. That was strange; Gabriel said no one was allowed to enter, so why would he leave the door open? She peeked through the small gap that was left and frowned after seeing the dark brown hair of the beautiful woman from before.

    A searched the grand room for Gabriel but could not find him. The woman was in there by herself. After a few seconds of watching her, A concluded that she wasn''t cleaning his office but searching for something instead. Was she snooping?

    A opened the door causing the woman to flinch and drop what was in her hands, looking at her wide-eyed and in fear. "What are you doing in here?" A asked while observing the woman. There was something about her; A really thought she had met her before but from where? Surely she would remember such a face.

    "I erm I was.. waiting for Gabriel and got bored after waiting for so long.." Thedy replied nervously. A noted how she wouldn''t meet her eyes, but what made her still was when she bared her neck to her.

 Chapter 194 - Type 2 Rogue

    "I erm I was.. waiting for Gabriel and got bored after waiting for so long.." Thedy replied nervously. A noted how she wouldn''t meet her eyes, but what made her still was when she bared her neck to her.

    Why did she bare her neck to her? Unless she was-

    "I never thought I would ever meet the future Alpha Queen. But not only have I seen you once, but twice now. I feel honoured meeting you right now, even if the circumstances look a little odd," Said the woman who kept her neck bared in front of her, showing her respect. Who was she?

    "Please raise your head. I don''t bite.." A replied, "I apologise if Ie off rude, but when did we meetst?"

    The brown-haired beauty raised her deep chocte brown eyes to meet hers. There was something about this woman that A couldn''t put her finger on. Already she knew thedy was a werewolf, after seeing her eyes and baring her neck to her. It took her a moment because she was petite, and all the she-wolves A had met so far were taller than her, and she wasn''t even small.

    "We were both in wolf form, and I don''t think you were in your right frame of mind. I thought you turned into a type 1 rogue.. But I can see you ovee it. You are as powerful as the rumours say.. I haven''t seen anyone overcame it.." She looked at her carefully. A took a step forward, and the girl took one back, almost jumping nervously, her eyes flicking to the door for escape.

    "Are you.. scared of me?" A asked with arched brows. Was she scared of her or maybe Gabriel?

    She shook her head, "No," Her voice was small, and it tugged at her heartstrings. A stared at the woman who could not meet her gaze again. She took that moment to really observe her. There was something both fragile and strong about her. In fact, this whole time, she kept ncing at the door as though A was a monster ready to kill her.

    It seemed she too liked to wear ck. Her attire of ck ripped skinny jeans,bat boots, and a long sleeve ck top covered her small frame. "What is your name?" She asked.

    Seconds went by between them as the she-wolf before her seemed to struggle with answering her. It seemed she didn''t want to, or would she give her a fake name.

    "Esme," The woman finally replied.

    "Nost name?" A asked, seeing how much more she can push out of her.

    Esme shook her head and bit her lip before ncing at her warily. "I am a rogue. Myst name perishes with it," She whispered, looking ashamed at herself for such a thing.

    A''s eyes widened at this. She said they met before..

    "We shared a meal with her when we were bing feral.." Malia added to A''s thoughts. Though A was now wondering what the hell she was doing in Gabriel''s ce and in his office. What did she drop just now? A walked around the desk, causing Esme to scatter around the other side of it.

    So, Esme was a rogue, and that was why she seemed fearful of her. A didn''t know what the usual custom was when treating with a type 2 rogue, but Esme had not attacked her. Her eyes flickered to the floor and frowned when she saw it was only a book the rogue picked up.

    "What are you doing here, Esme?" She enquired; her voice became suspicious. It wasn''t because of a simple book the rogue had picked up but in the way she was acting so skittish in a room that was off-limits to everyone. Gabriel went after her earlier, and so did Damon. Who was she?

    "I should be asking both of you that question," A chilling voice whipped through the air. A snapped her head back towards the door where Gabriel stood, his hand on the doorknob gripped so tightly that they could hear the metal bend under his will.

    "Gabriel-"

    "Get out," He snapped, interrupting Esme''s small plea, yet his eyes were locked with A''s as though the woman was of no one important.

    Esme kept her head low and scrambled out of the room; Gabriel''s eyes followed her until they flicked back to A. She followed behind her, not nearly as terrified, but she did watch the she-wolf run around the corner. Gabriel ced his hand against the doorframe stopping A from exiting. She looked up at him and almost flinched from the hardness behind his eyes; if she thought Damon could look scary, this guy looked like a fricken demon ready to drag her to hell.

    "That was a lovely picture right there, A. Thanks for that.. You kept calling him a bloody angel as well! Stop forgetting he is a vampire-"

    "I am also part vampire," A interrupted her wolf''s minor ramblings.

    "Do note back to this room again. It is for your safety and my privacy. I have allowed you all to stay here, do not take advantage of my generosity," Gabriel said; his voice was low and dangerous, but A did not feel threatened. She didn''t know why she was never scared of him.

    "I was looking for you and found Esme instead.." She snapped her eyes up, looking directly into his usingly, "Why do you have a werewolf here, Gabriel? She''s fricken petrified and-"

    "That''s none of your business," He snapped, A parted her lips, her anger rising at hisment, but his hand squeezed on the doorframe making the wood crack. His gaze burned into hers, and she closed her mouth. Gabriel sighed and rxed his hand, suddenly looking tired. "I''ve already discussed this with Alpha Damon. I do not answer to you, A."

    The vampire dropped his hand, and A passed through, waiting for him to close the door behind him. "Gabe, I don''t-"

    "Don''t EVER call me Gabe," Gabriel said through gritted teeth making A''s stomach drop as a shiver went down her spine. "I despise that nickname.." He began to walk in the direction of the dining room. "Amelia always called me it. I cannot bear to hear it leave your lips as well."

    A looked up at him, concern shing behind her eyes. He looked away from her, but she could still see a flicker of pain behind his cold eyes. She looked like her ancestor, and if she called him by that name, it must bring up a lot of horrible and possible pleasant memories of Amelia.

    Gabriel scoffed, stopping before the door to the dining room, "There are no nice memories of her."

    A reached out and squeezed his arm, causing him to still and look at her with widened eyes, shock apparent on his marble features. "If that were true, you wouldn''t react so badly. There''s nothing wrong with having nice memories with someone like that," She whispered, trying to keep her voice low so the others in the room wouldn''t hear them. A could have spoken to him in her mind, but old habits die hard. Speaking aloud was normal to a human.

    "The bad outweighs the good," Gabriel replied before pushing open the door and gesturing for her to enter first.

 Chapter 195 - Meticulous Planning

    [ <strong>Gabriel</strong> ]

    Gabriel didn''t sit at the table as the others and instead leaned against the kitchen ind. He preferred standing to seated, even though they were not his enemies; this was a position to protect himself from any ''assassination attempts''. He almost chuckled at himself, he was the most powerful being on earth, and still, people tried to take his throne. The only person who could take him on was Cassius and possibly A. But standing in the clear from others was a habit of his. It was a nuisance dealing with attempts on his life.

    With his hands resting against the countertop, he listened to A and Chase exin their n about attacking the hunter''spound and killing Ss, along with finding any documentation that would show anyone of a higher status than that of Chase'' father. A also nned on searching for Robert, the scientist/ doctor who experimented on them. He was the one who took her blood, so it was either him or Ss who would have it under lock and key.

    Even before A asked, he knew what she would ask of him. It was his intention to seek revenge against the hunters but not so soon. He preferred to n meticulously and wanted to wipe all the hunters out at once, but he would need a bigger army than the one he had at the tip of his fingers. It also seemed a waste only to be attacking onepound when there were many.

    The hunters had been growing for some time; he could not pinpoint when they came about because his and the other creature''s attentions were not on the humans but each other throughout the early stages of history onwards. It was only the 18th century when peace was made official between the creatures, and they soon realised these so-called hunters were. Though, at first, they were called vampire hunters.

    It became apparent that his kind roaming the earth and the association formed and began to hunt them. It was not long until they became fully aware that the vampires were not the only ''magical'' creature to walk the earth. He had not particrly cared for them. At first, the association was small and kept their existence a secret, but now after being experimented on and kept weak for ten years, he yearned for vengeance.

    The sweet taste of vengeance couldn''t be cooked up in a little n this small group made up. Gabriel looked down while he continued to listen to A''s mind. Although she had not been kidnapped for long, nor gone through nearly as much as him or the others, she too sought some vengeance. It wasn''t just about keeping her pack and the creatures safe. Though, he could sense that she wasn''t aware of her true feelings just yet.

    He nodded his head in agreement. He could see why. They were the ones to murder her parents and although her memories were still clouded, from what he could tell was that the previous Alpha King and Queen''s murder was a blood bath, and her mind was protecting her from what she saw.

    Gabriel licked his lips as his throat and mouth suddenly became extremely dry. The thought of vengeance was making him thirsty, and so he pulled his smartphone out and sent a message to Vinnie and Luther.

    [ 11:40am To: Vinnie ]

    Bring Katarina to my office. Thene to the dining room.

    [ 11:40am To: Luther ]

    Come to the dining room.

    [ 11:40am From: Vinnie ]

    Why not the bar?

    [ 11:40am To: Vinnie ]

    I have guests.

    .

    A blood bag just wouldn''t do, when he craved for blood through the acts of violence, he needed sustenance straight from the source. Gabriel eyed A warily, though to anyone looking at him, they would see his usual stoic features. She had only seen him drinking from a ss, and although he did not normally care about such things, he wanted a bit of privacy. He looked up then, and Luther appeared, Finn and that feisty Gamma stood up protectively.

    "Luther will not hurt anyone," Gabriel calmly said and watched Luther smirk and lock eyes with A.

    "Hello again, beautiful," He winked at her making Gabriel, along with others in the room to re at him. Damon growled, his eyes shining luminously like two full moons, and the easy-going vampire held his hands up, "Easy, I never touched your missus. Actually.. she is the one who attacked me."

    Gabriel blinked back in surprise and looked at A again. "Did she now?" He watched as A''s cheeks turned pink.

    "Well, when a group of vampires surround me and my friends-"

    "What?" Gabriel snapped his head in Luther''s direction, who stopped walking towards him.

    "I was in the wrong crowd that night.." He murmured, then spoke louder, "Plus, it was a boring night until you guys showed up. The little she-wolf here was the life of the party! It was a lot of fun."

    "Me kicking you into the wall was fun?" A asked dryly with her brow raised.

    Luther grinned broadly, putting his hands in his trouser pockets. Like Gabriel, his right hand preferred to wear suits, though he only wore a waistcoat today like him, his attire was all ck with a green tie that matched the colour of his eyes. "Well, I like a woman who can fight," He winked and smirked when he saw Damon''s re. "But I must say I am happy that you did not stab me with a broken bottle."

    A''s face did not look bothered at all by Luther''s looks, which caused a stir even within vampire society. But Gabriel should not be surprised. He unintentionallypared her to Amelia, who had taken to him the moment they met. Luther was loyal to him, though, and never showed an ounce of interest in Amelia. Maybe he could tell how much of a snake she was.

    Damon looked at A in question, and she shrugged it off, "I kinda lost it for a bit.." She said nonchntly, but the vampire could see her mate was not happy with herment.

    Luther smirked again and looked at Gabriel, waiting for hismand. "What did his highness wish to discuss with me in a room full of werewolves, a shapeshifter and a human?" He asked yfully, though he was anything but joking. The pair knew each other well, and Luther was intrigued with the situation and took everything more seriously than anyone would ever know.

    "We are going hunting."

    Not long after Luther arrived at the dining room did Gabriel''s assistant, Vinnie, arrive. Though he was his butler/assistant, he was also his henchman that took on more brutal jobs when Gabriel did not have time to punish the vampires who disobeyed thews he implemented. There were not too many asions where he would need to show his face, but when a criminal had an audience with the Vampire King himself, they would wish for death a million times over.

    With the three vampires in the room, Gabriel went over the n with the others. To keep Damon''s mind at ease along with a few others, he was not going to bring any other vampires into the mission. They didn''t need to really; he could go by himself, but he would never hear the end of it from Luther, so it was best to bring his two closest men along with them.

    But that wasn''t his only reasoning for bringing extra ''muscle'' onto the mission. It was also because of how close-knitted everyone seemed to be. Over the many years of his life and the many packs he hade across, even some of the previous members of the Silver Crescent pack in the 1800s did not have such strong rtionships with one another.

    Their thoughts were also consumed with keeping one person safe: A.

    She was the one the hunters were after. From the brief shes of their memories, he could see that they already had created these monsters purely meant to destroy the creatures. She was the key to that. His eyes flickered to A, who was being scolded by Damon about her recklessness. This seemed to be a hot topic between them at the moment.

    However he wasn''t listening to them but, moreover, her thoughts. A could control those creatures, though she wasn''t 100% sure because it only happened once. But if this was the case, then she could control them like how Amelia did in the past. Gabriel marched out of the room, leaving the others behind, their little meeting was done, and they would attack thepound the next day. But he needed time to think in his office along with having a drink, and he couldn''t do that with A there.

    Gabriel opened his office door and found Katarina already lying on the dark red leather couch, wearing a revealing dress. Gabriel was next to her in an instant. His lips on the inside of her thigh; he sunk his fangs into the femoral artery, inciting a throaty gasp from Katarina. The beauty beneath him was lost in a bliss of pleasure from him feeding on her while he was lost in his thoughts.

    If A could control the creatures like Amelia did in the past, then was his brother nning to use this to his advantage? He was not sure how many the hunters had created so far, but if it was big enough for an army, and Cassius had A, then they could rule over more than just the vampires.

    The only w in Cassius'' n is that A already had a mate and would not be falling for his charms any time soon.

 Chapter 196 - On The Road

    The following day, the group prepared themselves for the evening ahead. After much discussion, it was decided the evening would be best to attack the hunterspound. Nobody would be training, and the only people they would need to worry about if their n went perfectly, were the guards on duty and anyone patrolling inside of the main building. Chase already exined that Ss had his own private quarters no matter whichpound he went to; he would never use the barracks provided for the rest of the Hunters Association.

    When early evening finally came, the group set off in three separate cars. Finn mentioned the possibility of others like them who had been kidnapped and used to experiment on, and so instead of two vehicles like they nned, they brought an extra. A sat in the back seat of the second SUV as they drove along the countryside, their windows tinted for nobody to see. She wore another wig this time, though she expected at some point it would probably be ripped away from her.

    She didn''t want to wear it, but Damon and Finn insisted, and so now she had long auburn hair that fell past her shoulders and wearing make-up, though there was nothing to be done about her eyes. Now she sat wearing ck leggings, a crop top and a zip-up hoodie, one she had no intention of wearing when she was at thepound; it was for after. She looked out the window as the evening wore on and the sky darkened.

    Finn was driving, and Damon kept peering back at her, even though he could check through the bond what was wrong. She heard his and Darius constant conversation; they were going through different ns if this one went wrong. Their main priority was her, and Damon couldn''t help but stare at her in case they were separated during their mission. Though she could not see that happening, even if he wanted to, the bond would never allow them to be separate in times of a threat to their mate.

    A refrained from rolling her eyes, he was acting like he wasn''t going to see her again, or she would die!

    "I really hope you have more faith in me than that," A mind-linked him. Damon turned his head back to look at her.

    "It''s not that I don''t think you can take care of yourself. I''m more concerned about you guys entering anotherpound and facing Ss," Damon replied, reaching his hand out cupping the side of her face. It was true, after the way Ajax reacted to the basement at the packhouse, Damon recognised that this would cause issues in trying to attack the hunterspound. This was why they nned it so that the shapeshifter would help from the sky and only take out the guards at the towers.

    He already raised his concerns about all of them, though in their meeting the previous day, he wanted A, Finn and Ajax to stay back. It was sweet, but that left them at a disadvantage of fewer numbers again, and they didn''t have time to waste waiting on their pack or asking a more local pack to help. That meant going through the ns again and waiting on their response to help. As Alpha King, Damon could order them to follow hismand, but he disliked using that power and preferred the packs to follow him for his leadership.

    When A has her official ritual to be Alpha Queen, she too will inherit the powers of controlling more than just the Silver Crescent pack, but even then, she too would refrain from using it. She already hated herself for how weak she felt to the power of the Alpha voice; whenever A called upon it, she felt amazing, but at the same time, it was morally wrong. To take away a person''s choice and for a pack member to follow their orders, whether they were loyal, was not something A wanted to get used to.

    A dismissed where her thoughts were going. They had not yet discussed the ritual; considering everything that had happened so far, it was not something of top priority right now. She needed to focus on the here and now, currently sitting in a car on a mission to take out the hunters.

    She gently touched Damon''s hand, cupping her face and leaned into it. "There is no need to worry. I have you and Finn by my side protecting me!" She replied with a smile. Damon smiled back that didn''t reach his eyes and was more like a grimace before turning back in his seat and looking out the window.

    Though her words were meant to soothe him, she still felt his concern humming through the bond. He knew she was powerful, but they were going to the hunters who kidnapped her, took her blood and had no means of stopping their search and capture of her. A leaned forwards and kissed his cheek, startling him slightly, "Everything will be fine," She mind-linked him.

    It did not take much longer for them toe across a long road off the main road that led to thepound. As suggested by Chase and from what Ajax had scouted previously, the only guards on duty would be at the guards, the four towers and anyone patrolling inside of the main building. The cars were slowing down, and A took that moment to double-check the drawing Ajax so elegantly drew out for them.

    She raised her head and looked into the far distance. Thepound consisted of two buildings, the main one where A presumed experimentation happened and the barracks behind it. It also had training grounds and four towers overlooking thend with two guards per tower with guns. Nowparing it to the drawing Ajax made, it looked so much more prominent in person. But what could she expect? It was a military base for a secret organisation set on destroying the creatures of the world.

 Chapter 197 - The First Objective

    [ First Objective: Car One ]

    Ajax nodded his head back to Gabriel. It was time for the first part of the n to be set in motion. It was odd that he was given so much responsibility, but then who else would be able to do it? He was the only shapeshifter.??

    "Do not get too arrogant, Ajax. If we are really talking about who could take down those guards at the towers, then the vampires could have done it. We do have the speed.." Gabriel''s voice floated through his head, making him feel weird. Unlike the mind-link he shared with Finn and A, this just felt creepy. Gabriel could reply to his thoughts alone; at least they could not hear what he was thinking with the mind-link.

    "If you are all so powerful, why didn''t you three just take charge and do this for us?" Ajax replied aloud, startling the other three in the quiet SUV. Kane was the one driving with Ajax in the front passenger seat, ready for him to jump out the window when the time was right. Leaving two vampires and Chase to chill in the backseat. Ajax had to stop himself from chuckling at the retired hunter''s situation. The only ally in the car right now was Ajax, and he was about to leave.

    Gabriel and Luther, on the other hand, sat stiffly next to him, still dressed to impress in their suits. Ajax liked a fine suit, but he wouldn''t always wear it; they weren''tfy and would cost him a fortune every time he shifted out of them.

    "Hmm?" Gabriel was staring at his fingertips, his attention already away from what they were talking about. "These aren''t my ns, and we are merely extra muscle for your mission. I must say, though, I believe your Luna is out for their blood. Anyway, stop wasting time."

    Ajax did not reply, pressing the car door button down for the window to roll down. Kane stopped the car now at a fair distance; he had been driving with his headlights off to not draw attention from the hunters. Ajax focused for a second, and his body shifted on the spot; his vision slowly changed, his form shaping and growing smaller until he jumped out of his clothes and flew out of the window.

    "Hmm, in all my years.. It still doesn''t grow old seeing a shapeshifter turn.." Ajax heard Luther murmur from the car.

    He knew if he didn''t have a beak right now, he would be smirking. But now, he was flying high into the darkened, stormy sky; he did not need to p his wings for long until he was circling above thepound. Before he was to attack the towers, he wanted to see what numbers they were dealing with guard wise.

    As the wind rushed through his outspread feathers, he flew to the side, his spectacr vision taking in the sights of thepound. As expected, nobody was training, and they must have had their dinner. It was now 9pm, though it was still early, nobody would be going to sleep, but if it all went as nned, the hunters in the barracks would not notice the guards'' deaths. Their mission was to assassinate Ss, find the doctor, get rid of the blood samples and any documentation regarding A, and find documentation on any of the higher-ups.

    Their group was too small to take out everyone at thepound. Thest time Ajax was there, he estimated at least 200 hunters. He just hoped they''d find what they were looking for. After scaling everything again, he mind-linked Finn and A and presumed Gabriel was listening too.

    "There are about ten guards scattered around the fence. The fence also seems to be electric, so try and avoid that."

    Ajax swooped down to the first tower on the left, colliding into a hunter and wing at his eyes; he shifted quick enough to his human form and knocked him out before turning around to the gun pointed at his head. He instantly shifted again, this time to a fly, something he hated doing, but the hunter couldn''t shoot him.

    "What the¡­" The hunter pulled at his radio, he went to press the button to alert the other guards, but a ck panther appeared and mped its jaw down his neck. The man couldn''t even scream before his body went limp.

    "First tower down," Ajax mind-linked again.

    He shifted into a small house cat, his ck tail curved onto the raised handlebar that led down the cemented steps. He wanted to see if there was anything that could turn the fence off. But after racing down, he found a kitchte and a bed along with CCTV. He jumped up onto the ragged, smelly desk chair and looked at the screens. They only showed footage of thepound and, luckily, not the towers or surrounding areas.

    Happy with what he saw, Ajax climbed back up the stairs, jumping as he made it to the top and shifted into his bird form. He felt a little weakened from shifting to different animals in such a short amount of time, but he knew his strength would recharge once he rested for more than five minutes.

    He flew to the next three towers and took out the guards without any issues, leaving each of them dead or unconscious with their eyes scratched out. He didn''t feel bad. They chose that life. On thest tower, he rechecked the downstairs, this timeing across another switch for the fence. With a smile on his cat lips, he shifted into the man he was and turned the electric fence off.

    "All done. The fence is turned off!"

    Objective oneplete.

    After his mind-link, Ajax decided to rest on the bed in all his glorious nakedness. If someone did walk in on him, at least they would have a devilishly handsome sight to look upon until before their death.

    Back in car one, Gabriel looked at Luther, "Ajax is done. Let''s go." The two vampires jumped out of the car in a sh, racing across to the gatehouse before the fence. In seconds their necks were snapped, and the pair looked at the CCTV. Gabriel nodded at Luther, and he smashed the controls, ultimately turning off the CCTV. "I meant to turn it off, not break it. Are you a brute?" Gabriel moaned.

    "My apologies, sire. Years of beating the living shit out of things kind ofes naturally to me now.." Luther smirked, causing Gabriel to shake his head and sigh.

    They peered out of the gatehouse after hearing the other cars approaching. All at once, everyone jumped out of their vehicles. Gabriel''s eyes lit up in amusement; his gaze wandered to A, who looked fine even with another wig on. His eyes locked with hers, and he watched her face darken, the fire behind those eyes matching her fierce visage.

    "It''s showtime."

 Chapter 198 - The Second Objective

    [ Second Objective: Sneaking in ]

    A locked eyes with Gabriel and gave a single nod for the next part of the n. Gabriel and Luther turned around and appeared next at the gate; the guards on patrol usually stood guard there, but they were nowhere to be seen. A walked towards the entrance, Kane and Chase in front of her, with Damon by her side and Finn a step behind her. Once they were through the gates, the trio would go straight to thepound, with the vampires and Chiara and Vinnie taking out any hunters patrolling outside.??

    The group caught up to Luther and Gabriel, who ripped the metal gate back as easily as breaking a thin twig. They did it so precisely that the metal did not make enough sound to alert anyone. The pair gently ced it on the grass behind them and walked through. Gabriel set off on one side of the building while Luther went to the other side. Chiara and Vinnie sprinted past them and also split up.

    A inhaled deeply after already hearing the sounds of throats being ripped open and the smell of blood already dripping onto the cold ground.

    "Let''s go," She gentlymanded and stepped forwards.

    Chase and Kane jogged ahead, followed by A, Damon and Finn. The ''retired'' hunter was going to lead the way, and Kane and the others would act as his protection also to any hunters they came across. He opened the door to the main building quietly, stopping and tensing when the door creaked. A was behind the pair and waited patiently as Chase peeked through the door. He reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. A watched as he swiftly screwed on a silencer to the end of his handgun.

    Somehow Apletely forgot Chase was brought up as a hunter and even had a scary reputation among the creatures. They locked eyes for a moment, her own burning with curiosity as she wondered just how many people he had killed; he was still so young. Chase turned his head back and walked crept through the doors.

    The lights were turned off, and the ominous silence seemed to pierce through Chase'' body that something wasn''t quite right. Why were the lights off? It was the evening, but there were still hunters on patrol inside the building. He kept his firearm rxed in front of him, ready to pull it up in case anyone would jump in front of him. Unlike the others who were with him, his sight was not as nearly as clear as theirs, but the light from an exit sign shone an eery green glow down the hallways.

    Chase kept his steps light and soundless; he led them to the right hallway towards some stairs. He had never been to thispound, but if it was like any of the others, he would know that his father would never stay on the ground floor. It was a disadvantage to any intruders. They climbed the stairs slowly and quietly; Chase had his gun pointed ahead now as the stairs led to a corner before continuing to the next floor.

    "I can''t take going so slow," Kane snapped in a hushed whisper. The Beta was a step behind him. He could feel the hate and resentment radiating off the werewolf, but Kane needed to keep a cool head; Chase knew that most werewolves lost their temper quite quickly. He had be ustomed to A and Finn, who seemed the most cool-headed out of them. Maybe it was because of what they had been through?

    "We are trying to do this as quickly and quietly as possible. It''s not like you have a whole pack with you," Chase murmured back as he opened the door leading to another set of hallways that were also left in the dark.

    "Split into two," Damon ordered from behind him, "Something doesn''t feel right."

    Chase nodded back and set off on the left side with Kane, Damon, Finn, and A set off on the right. Chase rounded a corner and instantly pulled the trigger on the two hunters walking towards them. They dropped to the floor with a loud thud making him grimace and quickly stepping over them to peer around another corner for any others. They checked each closed door, and the ex-hunter soon realised theyout was simr to the one A and the others were staying at.

    With that thought, he marched confidently in the direction he assumed his father would be, either his study or bedroom. "Show A where we are," He whispered calmly as they hid against a wall across from a door guarded with five hunters.

    So far, they only came across two hunters, and he was not sure how many the others may have seen on their side of the building, but for five of them to be guarding one room meant his father was in there, and he knew they wereing for him. They waited until, on the other side of the hallway, a grey wolf appeared along with A and Damon, who followed swiftly behind. Chase and Kane jumped out from their hiding spot only to pause and watch as the five hunters were taken down instantly.

    The grey wolf, he guessed was Finn, took down the first hunter, followed by Damon easily grabbing two of the men by their throats and mming to the ground while A jumped forwards, flipped over the top of one, as the other tried to shoot her and instead shot the other hunter in the chest. The man stilled with a gasp at shooting his friend, but A was quick to sock him in the face before snapping his neck with one swift motion. He flopped to the ground, and Chase looked at her stunned, reminding himself of how she was an Alpha werewolf.

    A appeared powerful and menacing with the impassive expression on her features at taking a man''s life so easily. She looked at Finn and Kane, who positioned themselves in front of her; Chase followed and stilled after feeling her hand gently squeeze his shoulder. "Maybe you should wait out here?" She asked instead of ordering. He could see the concern behind those crystal blue eyes that had been cold just seconds ago at the hunter dead at their feet.

    "I''m not backing out now," Chase replied coldly and shrugged her handoff. Damon stepped forward, his growl barely audible as his form bristled in anticipation as Kane pushed open the door.

 Chapter 199 - The Third Objective

    [ Third Objective: Kill Ss, check for any prisoners ]

    Chiara finished taking down another hunter; she was still in her human form, only using her ws and canines to rip apart their flesh. She sprinted back towards the main building, bumping into Vinnie along the way. It was strange working with vampires, but as much as she hated to admit it, they made her job easier tonight.??

    Gabriel, Luther and Vinnie were much quicker and stronger than the Gamma was, and in the end, Chiara was only needed to take out two of the hunters. She couldn''tin; it meant helping the others out much faster. Their objective now was to check the basement or anywhere else in the building for any creatures being kept there.

    Chiara stepped through the door''s entrance, scanning the area. The lights were off? Was this normal? Her eyes narrowed as the heel of her boots clicked on the floors shiny surface. She was not worried about making noise now. Kane already mind-linked her to tell her they were on the floor above. Although she still lightened her step, the eery silence made her back go cold, and so she stayed alert.

    Vinnie stepped ahead of her while her eyes took in every surface of the hallways. "The basement as at the end of the hall," Vinnie replied in a low voice. She nodded her head in return before she sensed someone behind her, spinning on the spot, her nails grew back into ws, and she swiped out. Stilling when she saw it was Ajax, blinking back, she frowned at his nakedness.

    "What are you doing!?" She whisper shouted. It was not in their n for him toe with them. They wanted Ajax away from thebs and cells to prevent him from possibly having a meltdown.

    Ajax read straight through her, and his usually rxed and smiling face hardened. "I am noting down with you, but I will stay on guard. I want to help any survivors that are down there," He replied earnestly.

    Chiara pursed her lips. "You''re meant to be keeping a lookout from the skies," She replied sternly. He parted his lips to argue, but Chiara turned her back on him and continued talking as she headed in the direction of where Vinnie stood waiting, looking impatient. "Ajax, you can''t go off on your own trying to y the hero. You have orders. Now stick to them. If something happens outside, we won''t know about it."

    "Gabriel and Luther are outside," Ajax instantly replied.

    "Yes, but they can''t see from above," Chiara snapped back at him. She turned her head to look at him, he already spun around, but the look on his face showed he was not happy.

    "Shapeshifters.." Vinnie murmured, not even flinching when Chiara red at him. He reached out for the metal door that seemed to be locked; pulling the handle back, he huffed and sighed. It didn''t budge.

    "My strength isn''t enough.." Chiara looked at the vampire, confused. "Gabriel, the door won''t budge."

    Chiara turned her head just in time for the white-haired vampire to appear. How did he hear him? Even her senses weren''t that heightened. But she did not stop to think further on it; he was the Vampire King, so that meant he was like 1000 years old? Gabriel quickly opened the door and smirked at Chiara before turning to leave.

    "Aren''t you going to help?" She asked as he sauntered off. It was then she caught the scent and sight of blood down his neck and parts of his shirt. He seemed to keep his kills clean, so..

    Gabriel looked at her in amusement, "We still have many more to get rid of.."

    "Many.. more.." Chiara frowned. There weren''t others outside.

    Gabriel continued to walk away from her and murmured, "There is still the barracks to take care of."

    Chiara parted her lips to argue with him, but he suddenly disappeared. "There will be no point in trying to change his mind. If he wants to kill everyone, he will," Vinnie said casually as though this was the norm with the king.

    "Maybe it is. He''s a vampire, and they kept him locked away for however long.." Gia popped up in her mind. Chiara nodded back and pushed her thoughts aside about the angelic-looking vampire, and followed Vinnie down the stairs.

    Vinnie made it to the bottom of the stairs and suddenly disappeared, Chiara jumped the remaining five steps andnded on the ground, looking to the side to see two hunters already lying dead on the ground and the third being held up by the throat. The Gamma straightened up with a grimace as she removed her gaze from the vampire, who now had his fangs deep into the girl''s neck. It sounded painful from the screams she kept making until they died down.

    Chiara approached the cells on the far end of the basement. She couldn''t believe the state that these people were in. When the pack rescued A, Chiara led a different group of warriors to take out any hunters in the surrounding area. Though she helped strategize for her rescue, she did not enter thepound herself. Now, she was looking at children in coveralls, they did not appear to be hurt, but the fact theyy on the cold ground, their hair dirty, their eyes lifeless and not responding to the new arrivals in the room, made Chiara''s temper re.

    "These bastards," She snapped and searched the bodies for the keys.

    There were five children, two girls in one cell and three boys in the other. Chiara opened each of their cells and watched as they sunk further into the background as though the walls and floors would keep them hidden. Chiara squatted down and stayed at the open exit. "We won''t hurt you. We are here to help," She said gently, her hand reached out, and she waited as they eyed her warily.

    The first to make a move was the youngest girl with long dirty blonde hair; she looked to be about six. She mbered up away from the other girl''s arms, who pleaded with her not to go to the stranger. The little girl reached her hand out and looked at Chiara with teary golden cat-like eyes, "You promise?" She sniffled.

    Chiara felt her heart pinch, "I promise. We are rescuing you," She replied softly and blinked back in shock as the girl clung onto her into a hug.

    "We need to get them out of here," Vinnie interrupted as he dropped the now dead hunter to the ground.

    "Can you try not to act like that in front of the children?" Chiara said through gritted teeth as she stood up, picking the girl up and shielding her eyes with her body from the dead hunters on the ground. The little girl seemed to cling to her, her face hidden anyway. But that didn''t mean the others could not see what was around them.

    Vinnie held his hands up apologetically, "My apologies. I was not expecting to find children here."

    "Neither was I," Chiara replied honestly and looked back at the remaining children, who slowly stood up. They kept their backs against the walls but peered at her curiously. It was always strange how most adults feared her, but children somehow loved her; that was why she taught all ages how to fight.

    Her gazended on the other girl who stepped towards her, her hands fisted by her side; she appeared to be the oldest, possibly a young teenager of about thirteen. Her midnight ck hair fell down past her shoulders, her caramel skin showing off her startling light blue eyes that were filled with an intelligence beyond her years but also seemed kind. "What is your name?" Chiara asked gently, directing her attention to the girl.

    The girl was scanning her surroundings as she replied, "Mira."

    "Okay, Mira. I need you to help me out here, hold hands with the others and follow my lead," She replied as her gazended on the three boys. They seemed to look at her like an older sister, or so she hoped. They could at least trust her.

    Mira nodded her head, and after some coaxing, the boys left the cell. All four of them held hands, and Chiara held Mira''s as she held the little blonde princess in her arms. Once they were out of the basement, they walked quickly through the hallway back to the entrance. Chiara kept ncing in the direction of the children who stumbled and looked like they needed feeding as well as some proper rest. Again, her chest tightened, and she gritted her teeth.

    She was d Gabriel was on a killing spree. These bastards didn''t deserve to live.

 Chapter 200 - Sweet Revenge

    [ Third Objective: Kill Ss, check for any prisoners ]

    A walked through the door behind Finn and Kane; her strides were confident, her shoulders set back as her heart pounded against her chest in anticipation. This was the moment the ''boss'' would be taken care of. Chase already agreed ating in with them, but to be safe, she mind-linked Finn, telling him to tackle Chase if he tried anything. She knew he was not a traitor to her, but Ss, though he had beaten him and still tortured him, was still Chase'' father. It would be hard to watch a family be killed.??

    But A halted her steps, her head looking from one side of the study to the opposite. Where was Ss? They were in an empty room with furnishings; she couldn''t imagine this warehouse-type building having secret passages like the packhouse.

    "I knew it," Damon growled and spun on the spot to leave, "It was too easy."

    A nodded her head; her mate was right. "So, Ss has already left?" She questioned aloud as she followed the Alpha through the hallways again. Finn ran to her side, but his wolf form was too big for them to walk side by side down the corridor, so he followed her closely.

    The others followed suit until Chase spoke up, "Ss might be in his bedroom. We should at least check it out before leaving. I didn''t think he would be gone yet. There are still many hunters left here. Normally, they would be split in two, the remaining hunters left to clean up before evacuating."

    "We shouldn''t waste any more time," Kane responded, "Me and Chase will check his bedroom. I will mind-link if he''s there."

    A and Damon briefly nced at each other then nodded at the same time. Kane and Chase rushed off in the opposite direction while the remaining three waited anxiously. Finn paced behind A while Damon clicked his knuckles; the muscle in his jaw ticked as he locked eyes with his mate. She could feel his frustration and anxiety rising, but on the surface, he looked calm, murderous even, his eyes reflecting back a storm meant for any who tried to attack her.

    "He''s not here," Kane''s voice floated through a mind-link to the three werewolves.

    "Meet at the entrance," Damon ordered back before turning and grabbing A''s hand to pull her along.

    With the rising tension, A couldn''t help but wonder if this was intentional. Were they in a trap? She shook her head. They couldn''t be. How would they know of their n? Her mind shed to Chase briefly, but she instantly scolded herself for thinking so little of her friend. This was the time she needed to support him because if they were to find Ss, she had no intention of just shooting him in the head.

    With her hand being pulled, A followed behind her mate and ran out through the double doors to the building. When they made it to the pavement, A''s teeth clenched together, and she grimaced from all the floodlights to the surroundings beaming down on them, almost blinding her. When her vision cleared, in front of them stood Chiara, Vinnie and some children. A''s brows creased together at seeing the state in which the children were left.

    A burning rage red from the pit of her stomach, and her eyes began to flicker. Those children must have been the prisoners in the cells. She felt her stomach clench, and she covered her mouth from gagging; her insides wanted to throw up. That was how vile these humans, no, these beasts were.

    Her hand fisted by her side, and she barely felt Damon''s warm hand squeezing hers gently. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself, but it wasn''t working, she wanted blood, and she felt frustrated that Ss was not found. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luther and Gabriel covered in blood; even their white and golden hair was matted with the colour. They looked like avenging angels, and A did not look away from the scene. Gabriel was dragging someone behind him, while Luther held onto someone A was chilled and pleased to see.

    Finn from behind them growled at the man in a white bloodstainedb coat, his sses falling down his nose, his hair messy. Robert still looked the same, yet he was trembling and ncing at the vampires beside them. Good, be afraid.

    The pair of vampires threw the hunters to the ground in front of A''s feet. "Chiara, take the children to the car," She mind-linked the Gamma. Her voice was void of emotion as her eyesnded on the two people she came here to see.

    "Did you kill everyone?" Damon asked Gabriel while A stared down at Ss, who slowly pushed off the ground until his head looked up and he locked eyes with her. Gamma Chiara rushed off with the children, followed by Vinnie after Luther ordered him to be their extra protection.

    Gabriel watched A while he responded to her mate, "Of course," He smirked, then flickered his eyes back to Damon, "I got bored waiting out here." He looked at his blood-soaked hands and smiled at Luther after he pulled out a silky green handkerchief and passed it over to him.

    "It took me a moment to realise who you were, A. But even with dyed hair, you still shine so brightly," Ss'' booming voice silenced the group who waited on A''s orders. He chuckled darkly after she ignored him, her gazending on Robert.

    "How many vials are there left of the blood?" She asked him.

    Robert snapped his lips shut and kept his frame cowering on the ground by Ss'' side. A took a step forward, but Damon grabbed her by the arm, "Not too close," He murmured in her mind. He could tell she was utterly absorbed in the mission and ready to get rid of Ss and Robert once and for all. But there were still other matters to sort out so there would be no more issues in the future.

    A tilted her head to the side before ncing at Gabriel. He nodded at Luther, who rolled his sleeves up before stepping forwards and smacking Robert in the back of the head. The blow was so powerful that his head flew into the cemented ground. He grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back, so he kneeled before A. He hissed next to Robert''s neck, revealing his fangs and scraped down the side of his pale skin, small trickles of blood fell down his neck, and the ''scientist'' whimpered. He could not stop shaking, and his eyes were clenched shut.

    A growled lowly, her eyes shining brightly as she crouched down in front of him. "Open your eyes, dearest Robert," She asked in a low, soothing voice.

    Robert opened his eyes and inhaled sharply after seeing how close she was to him. "If I were you, I''d answer my questions. Or.. I will not let Mr Goldy-locks here simply kill you.." She went closer to his other ear and whispered threateningly, "I will get them to turn you into the thing you despise the most."

    Damon felt a sense of pride as he watched his girl, his mate, face the men who caused her to have nightmares and to threaten them with so much confidence. He could feel the rage inside of her mixing in with the fear and apprehension at being so close. But neither Robert nor the others could tell was going on beneath the surface of her steely, chilled-to-the-boneposure. He nced at Gabriel, okay maybe he could tell what was going on, but he was a cheat for listening to their thoughts.

    Gabriel locked eyes with him, and he smiled in response. Unlike before, Damon trusted the king more. After seeing Esme and hearing Gabriel''s reasoning for having her, he could not hate the vampire, though he would still be wary of him. He may be acting kind now towards her, but it could always change.

    "The- the blood has all been u-used up.. I tried to copy it, make a synthetic version, but the-the experiments never worked. O-only your blood will work," Robert stuttered as he stared back at A.

    She searched his eyes for a moment before asking her next question, "What did you do to the children we have rescued?"

    Robert gulped then pushed his sses back up his nose. "They have had nothing done to them. They have simply had their bloods taken-"

    "Why?" A demanded through clenched teeth. She couldn''t believe how quickly he became clinical again.

    "Done nothing to them?!" Malia growled in her mind, getting even more riled up from the scientist''s words. "They''ve been kidnapped for one and thrown in a fricken cell-"

    "I was mixing the bloods and watching how they interacted under a microscope-"

    "Did you ever inject anything into them? Remove any organs?" Robert shook his head, causing A to narrow her eyes, "Were you nning to do any of these?" Robert stilled and did not answer. Making A''s face darken even more. "Why did you take children?" She asked darkly, only ncing at Luther briefly, who still held him by his hair, his face near Robert''s.

    Robert sighed. "Tests need to be done on all ages to-"

    A sickening ripping sound came from behind Robert so quickly that it took A a moment to realise Gabriel was suddenly behind him. Robert sputtered out blood, making A pull back away from him; his eyes were wide before he copsed to the ground. A looked up at Gabriel, who held the man''s spine in his bloodied hands.

    Chase and Kane gagged from behind her, and A looked away as the vampire tossed the bones to the side. "I did not like Robert," Gabriel said simply with a shrug. A''s face paled, and she straightened up before looking back down at Ss.

    He was maniacallyughing, "Really, Luna A. You aren''t cut out for this. Leave it to the big boys to handle your dirty work," He winked, then nced at his son with a sneer on his face.

    As soon as she saw Ss looking at Chase, she backhanded him, causing him to fly across the ground andnding a few feet away. She didn''t realise how much effort she put behind it, but it felt amazing. Luther zipped past them, picked Ss up by the neck and returned in front of A, holding him out like he was some sort of offering. The manughed again with a split lip.

    Was he really that insane?

    "You''ve been so focused on your revenge, A.. That you didn''t notice who is surrounding you.."

 Chapter 201 - Sweet Revenge: Part Two

    { Sooner orter, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences ~ Robert Louis Stevenson }

    **??

    "You''ve been so focused on your revenge, A.. That you didn''t notice who is surrounding you.."

    A stared back into the deep depths of Ss'' ck eyes; a slither of amusement shed across those pits from the words he spoke. Though the look on his face was chilling, he was in no position to act like a crazy mastermind, nning to be exactly where he was- held by the back of his head in front of her like a rag doll. His words, however, only made her fearful for a fraction, but one look at Gabriel and Luther''s clothes at killing 200 hunters in the time it took them to search the building, didn''t even make her flinch.

    Instead, she smirked at him, her gaze still not looking away from the man who once sought for her life to be lived as nothing more than a blood bank. The man who caused Hollie''s death. The man who might have been the one to cause her parent''s death, and the man who caused not suffering in just her own pack but many across the country and possibly the world. This man wanted to destroy the creatures.

    Her eyes glowed once more, filling with a burning rage trying to engulf her. She could end his life then and there, one swipe of her ws across his neck, a hand in the chest ripping his heart out, or a more cruel fate only the mind of someone like Gabriel coulde up with.

    "Easy, A. We kill him once we find the information.." Malia whispered calmly. Her wolf, for once, seemed calmer than her, not at all feral-like. But maybe that was how she and Malia worked; when one was overly bloodthirsty, the other was calm.

    A leaned closer to Ss; they were eye to eye, her face a mask ofposure, not letting her hatred of him consume her. "Did you think I would not notice your little experiments lurking in the woods.. Or any of us for that matter.." She smirked. Though she knew they were there, she was unsure if the others did, but he did not need to know that.

    "Take Chase to search that office or anywhere else for documentation on someone of a higher status than Ss. Don''t take too long. If we leave empty-handed, that''s fine," Shemanded Kane through mind-link while keeping her eyes on Ss. It was true. If they couldn''t find what they were looking for, they could attack anotherpound at ater date. Right now, she had precisely who she wanted to see in front of her.

    Ss looked away for a moment, most likely watching his son and the Beta runoff inside the building behind them. He snapped his head back to look at A. She could see the burning mes behind those cold eyes, but they were quickly reced with a look of amusement.

    "Why, A, are you so confident right now? You are surrounded by those things and my men.. You should also not be making any rash decisions right now.. sending your mutt and my s-, Chase away. To do what, I wonder?" He replied in a rxed, calm voice as though he was not being held against his will to kneel in front of her. But his words made her waver slightly.

    I thought the hunters were all killed? Gabriel?

    "We killed the ones in the barracks.." The vampire''s voice echoed in her mind, instantly responding to her thoughts. But she did not look in his direction for fear of looking weak in front of Ss. "There are more closing in. But about twenty of those lycanthrope- hybrid- experiments.."

    A gritted her teeth then rxed her features into a sly smile. "How does it feel, Ss?" She replied in an overly sweet voice, "To see your only son working with the creatures you hate most?"

    His face scrunched up and instantly went a beetroot type colour. It was the first time his fake charade of charming smiles rooted with murderous intentions cracked to show his utter hatred for her and possibly his child. Ss spat in her face taking her by surprise, and grabbed her by the top. "He is no son of mine! He''s a pitiful excuse of a man! Take him, do what you want with him!" He screamed in outrage. A grabbed his hands and ripped them away from her now crumpled top, Luther dragged Ss away from her, and he burst intoughter after searching their surroundings.

    A epted Gabriel''s bloodied handkerchief, turning it inside out and wiping her face with the clean side. Damon was growling by her side but did not do anymore after seeing and feeling how calm she was about his outburst. It was a reaction A expected, minus the spit. She walked forwards again, though her eyes flicked to the side after hearing the sounds of footfall closing in and the clicking of guns.

    "If you think that this is over once you kill me, then you are mistaken!" Ss shouted with such malice; his chest heaved as he red at A. "You will always be hunted, A Cross!"

    A tilted her head to the side but ignored his tant goad. "Why would I be hunted?" She questioned sweetly before inhaling deeply and letting her eyes glow. She looked to the side, and seemingly out of nowhere, one of the 8ft experiments with the same glowing blue eyes as her slowly approached them, stopping only to stand on its hind legs before them.

    "Attack these foul creatures!" Ss sneered. But after moments of the creature not moving, Ss'' triumphant smile dropped, and he looked back at A, whose eyes were still shining brilliantly.

    A smirked. "He doesn''t answer to you," Ss'' eyes widened as realisation shed across his features. "He answers to me." The experiment stepped forwards and growled, but A raised her hand, silencing the beast. "But you know I''m not going to kill you, Ss.." She nced at Gabriel, then at Finn, "I''m not the one you experimented on for years.."

    Suddenly a ck falcon swept down and knocked Ss to the ground as it transformed into a panther that mped its sharp teeth on his neck. Luther watched in astonishment, raking his hand through his curls. But the panther stopped and pulled back after filling the air with the scent of blood once more. Ss groaned on the ground holding his neck with his hand.

    Ajax shifted back into his human form and yanked Ss up by his hair. A swore he ripped a few strands out, but she had no sympathy for him. Ss, Robert and the many other hunters had taken years away from each of their lives, causing them to live with their loved one''s deaths.

    Finn and Gabriel closed in on him as Ajax smiled like the Cheshire cat again, this time making a shiver go down A''s spine. "Oh heeeellll no. Ajax being creepy?! That''s on a whole other level!" Malia gasped. Both A and her wolf never thought they''d see such an expression used so coldly from the lovable shapeshifter. Was it suddenly really cold here?

    Ajax held his hand out, halting Finn and Gabriel. "I should put you in at that building and burn it to the ground,ughing as I hear your cries.." Ajax'' low, threatening voice made A''s eyes widen. She still didn''t know what happened to Ajax, but her intuition told her he lost someone he loved to the hunters.

    A snap of a twig resounded in her ears, and she looked to the side, but her attention flew back to the shapeshifter. "But I can''t stand looking at you," Ajax snapped before punching him in the face so powerfully he flew backwards,nding behind Gabriel. The vampire dashed to his side and put his boot on top of Ss'' neck.

    Finn growled, his fur bristling as he stepped towards and Ajax shifted into his panther form once more. They circled the man on the ground until Finn was at Ss'' feet, Ajax was at the side of his body, and Gabriel still held his foot on his throat.All at once, Finn and Ajax snapped their teeth into Ss flesh, pulling instantly, and Gabriel crunched down on his neck. Another sickening, ripping sound echoed across the lot. Ss was torn into three pieces. Gabriel picked up his head and threw it out of the fence where the hunters were now standing with their ''obedient'' beasts snarling at them.

    A''s head whipped back after hearing the footfall of two people. Chase and Kane emerged from the building and assessed their surroundings. Chase'' eyes flickered from A to Damon, thennded on Ss'' body. But his gaze did not stay long as he looked back at A and raised the papers in his hands. A beamed at what was in his hands but was ttened to the ground suddenly.

    A secondter, the sound of a bullet pierced through the night sky. A''s body was frozen on the ground as she stared at Gabriel in shock. But he did not seem hurt; she moved her grazed head to look around and saw Chase on the ground, the papers scattered around his body.

 Chapter 202 - Master

    The sound echoed through A''s ears as her eyes stilled on Chase'' body on the ground. She inhaled sharply at the sight of blood already staining the paved floor. It seemed as though time stood still, her breaths were slow and loud, her heart mmed against her chest loudly, once, twice, she could count it.

    "A!"??

    Damon''s voice whipped through her mind bringing her back from the edge of despair at seeing another friend dying. A gritted her teeth, "Gabriel.." Before she finished her sentence, Luther appeared by Chase'' side, and the pair disappeared into the building. She looked up at Gabriel, "Thank you-"

    "Do not thank me yet," He replied, pulling her up and standing in front of her protectively. Damon was by her side, instantly pulling her into a hug as the pair looked at their surroundings. There were a lot more hunters than anticipated.

    How many..

    "I count another 200," Gabriel spoke over his shoulder.

    A spun in Damon''s arms that did not falter from around her body. With him holding her from behind, she looked at the sea of hunters and beasts whose eyes glowed in the dark. A reached her hand up behind her and caressed Damon''s cheek, leaving a chaste kiss on the other cheek. She pulled away from him and walked closer to the fence, inhaling deeply, letting her eyes glow, and the knot in her stomach release as power thrummed through her veins.

    "Kill them all," A softmand left her lips.

    Instantly the beasts turned on their ''masters'' and began attacking. Shots were fired, screams echoed through the woods as the wind picked up in the dark, bloody night.

    "Come on!" Damon growled, grabbing A''s hand and pulling her towards him. They sprinted off in a group towards the exit. Adrenaline pumped through her body, urging her to run quicker, but thoughts of Chase filled her mind, keeping her at the same pace as the others.

    Finn and Ajax nked her sides, with Damon still leading. But as soon as they made it to the gates, they stopped. There were about 20 hunters standing there aiming their guns at the group. Gabriel reacted first, taking out five of them at once; they didn''t hold back and shot the vampire in the back with their AK47''s. A gasped and stepped forwards, but Damon threw her back so powerfully that shended a few feet behind the group. Finn sprinted to her side, growling at the onught in front of them.

    A rose up, her leggings now torn, her hands grazed though they healed quickly. She patted at her wig and looked around. The other hunters were distracted by the experiments attacking them. Unlike the werewolves, it took 10+ hunters to one beast to try and take it down.

    A crouched down after a loud shot echoed across the pavement once more. It was like a rumbling sound; was it a different type of gun? She had no clue. She was not familiar with firearms, only the basics. Finn circled her, nking her right instead, protecting her from view. A gulped at her position and looked ahead, worry forming in her chest at her mate and the vampire king, who had yet to get up from the ground.

    "That bastard. Everything was a trap! A, we need those documents!" Malia snapped. Her wolf was getting riled up, and for once, A couldn''t be the opposite to her. Chase had been shot, Gabriel had multiple wounds, and the others ahead were fighting. Even Ajax was taking down hunters in his panther form.

    "Gabriel needs to get out of here. Where''s hiscky!?" She shouted to nobody in particr. But as soon as her words left her lips, Vinnie and Luther appeared. That was something, at least.

    A looked behind her and saw the paperwork flown about on the ground and made the decision then and there to get it. They went through all this trouble; she was not about to let everyone''s injuries and possible deaths be for nothing. They needed to kill the hunters at the core. Ss was someone with great power, but he couldn''t possibly be the one to fund such a group.

    "A, don''t!"

    A spun on the spot and sprinted towards the building, ignoring Damon''s mind-link. The distance was not far, but far enough if someone wanted to jump her. She was so quick that it took Finn a moment to realise the Luna had left his side. In seconds, A was on the ground scrambling up the papers, skidding on the ground, grasping at them as her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

    A screeching sound in front of her made A look up and jump out of the way. The fence suddenly copsed on the ground where she was crouched. She looked through the rising dust and narrowed her eyes. Twenty more hunters ran through, aiming their guns at her, but a grey wolf tackled into some of them, already tearing into flesh. A growled and put the papers down, and she changed her stance, preparing to shift and help her Delta out.

    "GET OUT OF HERE!" Finn snapped through the mind-link.

    "AILA!" Damon''smanding voice whipped through her mind, and without refusing with tears in her eyes, she turned on the spot, sprinting with the papers towards the cars. There were only three hunters left now at the gates.

    A ordered the remaining group to retreat to the cars. She skidded to a stop at the front SUV after hearing a yelp and more shots fired. Her heart pinched at the sound, and her eyes flickered in the direction of where Finn was. "Get in the car, A. AS YOUR ALPHA, I COMMAND YOU!" Damon''s voice ripped through her body, shattering any rebellious thoughts and acts from her mind. She gripped onto the door handle, her hand shaking.

    "A, listen to Alpha Damon. You will get ill if you go against his Alpha voice. Finn.." Malia trailed off in barely a whisper, "You can feel that Finn is still alive. You know he is. It''s in our gut. He.. he is probably taken away-"

    Another shot pelted through the trees. A was sted into the car from a crushing weight that ripped from her back and through her chest. She gasped and looked down at the ck door where the silver bullet was etched into. Her body shook from the mes burning from the hole in her chest. The silver that pierced her halted her healing.

    Damon and Luther appeared by her side. One shielding her from view and the other ripping the door open for her. But a bark from behind them made A turn and look wide-eyed at the five beasts surrounding them. A pushed her hand against her wound, trying to clot the bleeding as she parted her lips, she felt the power surge through her again, but it was dim, draining her of energy. She gulped and locked eyes with the first beast racing towards them.

    "Do NOT attack us!" She screamed. The beast slowed down and turned its head in confusion. A leant back into the car, catching her breath; her power was drained, her body was bing feverish, and she couldn''t hold on to hermand. Her lids were slowly closing, but she blinked back and stilled. The beasts were once again running towards them at full speed.

    Damon, Luther, Vinnie and Kane jumped ahead, taking on the beasts.

    While A slowly turned around to climb into the car, but another four shots were fired, then two more pierced through A''s chest, and another skimmed past her neck. Her body was only held up by the car seat that was drenched in her blood.

    A''s weakened body coughed up blood as her head rxed into the seat cushion. Pain erupted through her being, each bullet leaving a burning, sizzling sensation as though the bullets were not just silver but coated in wolfsbane. The sounds of fighting, gunshots and the breeze swirling through the trees were thest things she heard as she gazed upon the golden-haired hunter who was lying in the backseat of the car. And her eyes finally shut with a thick nket weighing down on her body, letting her fall into the darkness.

    **

    Gabriel was draining the blood out of his fifth hunter behind the car for protection. If it wasn''t for his men, then he might have been dead. Gabriel chuckled. No, he wouldn''t. The silver bullets didn''t affect him; it was more of a nuisance to have them in his chest. It was apparent that they were not expecting the help of vampires. Otherwise, he would be dealing with the splinters of wooden bullets in his chest.

    He dropped the man to the ground and looked at his wrecked suit with a sigh. He ripped the cloth away from his chest and threw it into the woods across from him. Gabriel looked over the car, calcting what to do next. He heard some vital gunshots go off and A''s attempt at controlling those beasts again, but it seemed they weren''t always under her control. Why was that? Wait, why could he smell so much of her blood?

    Gabriel turned his head and narrowed his eyes. Five more of those beasts appeared in front of him. Someone really did not like him tonight.

 Chapter 203 - Bloodied Grounds

    With a silver bullet in his chest, Alpha Damon snarled at the intense pain. But he continued to fight with the beast in front of him. He was panicking; he could feel A''s life draining away from being shot. The Alpha tackled the beast down and punctured its chest with his ws, instantly ripping its heart out.

    Damon looked back at A''s limp body flopped over the car seat, her legs draped on the muddy ground. He dodged out of the way from another beast, one that Kane was attacking. The Alpha did not waste any more time as he raced towards his mate. ??

    At the same time he was approaching her, another four shots were released into the air, and he staggered into the car, his blood sttered on the windows. He gripped at the doorframe to where A was, and his ws screeched down the metal from where he tried to keep himself up.

    But his body flopped to the ground.

    **

    Ajax emerged from the woods in his human form; his hands and face were coated in blood from some hunters he chased off. He picked up a handgun from one of the bodies on the ground. Gunshots were echoing in the forest, and he knew now they were aiming at their group and not the beasts. He noted how they suddenly stopped attacking the hunters and turned around robotically in search of them.

    Ajax was quick to avoid their detection, turning into a fly and hiding on a tree as they raced past. But now, as he walked towards their cars, he could see those same beasts attacking Luther, Vinnie and Kane. He pointed the gun with a shaky hand, but then his eyesnded on the two bodies next to the car.

    A and Damon!

    Without hesitation, he inhaled deeply and aimed correctly, his hands stilling as he pulled the trigger. He kept pulling the trigger until the round was out, and the beasts dropped to the ground. Unfortunately, though, there was one beast left he had not shot at, and it ripped a chunk of flesh from Luther''s leg before jumping back out of his way. Ajax threw the handgun at its head in an attempt to distract it, which it did, providing Vinnie and Kane with a chance to simultaneously rip its heart out and head off.

    "Stay in the car!"

    "No, please! Don''t leave!"

    Ajax spun around to see Chiara mming the door shut on a child and round the other side of the car. He instantly followed her. If she was leaving the children without protection, then someone needed help. The shapeshifter felt torn, but his body instinctively followed her, A and Damon were in trouble, but he couldn''t let Chiara get hurt. He couldn''t!

    Ajax knew she could take care of herself, but it was chaotic tonight.

    Bodies were piling up. Finn was already taken by them, Chase was shot and resting in the car, unaware of the world around him, as high as a kite, and A and Damon, the strongest out of the werewolves, were lying on the cold earth. He knew they weren''t dead but would be at death''s door soon.

    But it was Chiara. His fearsome warrior needed backup.

    He dashed in the same direction the Gamma went and stopped after assessing the scene. Gabriel was surrounded by those beasts. Chiara tackled one down in her human form while the vampire ripped another in half with his bare hands.

    Remind me not to piss him off again.

    The king smirked but swiftly moved onto the next beast. Ajax shifted and pounced on the other beast that swung down towards Chiara''s unprotected back. He hissed as it stood tall on its hind legs, swinging a wed paw towards him, but Ajax rolled out of the way and circled him, looking for an opening at its neck. He leapt forwards, but unlike most werewolves who were normally slower than his panther form, it spun in incredible speed and mped its own jaw into Ajax'' neck.

    The beast whipped its head to the side, and Ajax smashed into a tree with a crack. His body rippled from the pain shooting through his spine, and he shifted on the spot into his usual form; breaking his bones was the best thing to do to heal quicker. That still didn''t mean he could move from his position on the ground.

    He stared up at the approaching brown beast, baring its sharp teeth, snarling at him as it approached him with the intent to kill. It reached down then stopped. Its teeth snapped together before dropping on the ground. Chiara stood there, holding its heart in her hands.

    She dropped it and rushed to his side, stroking some of his hair back from his face with her non bloodied hand. "You silly fool," She cried, "Why did you do that!? I was fine!"

    Ajax smiled weakly, "You can''t take on everything.."

    Multiple gunshots sted into the air. Gabriel took cover, but Chiara and Ajax were covered by the tree. Chiara looked around warily before looking down at Ajax; her usually guarded dark blue eyes were filled with swirling emotions. "Come on. We can''t stay here. Gabriel, can you help me get him up?" She asked softly before caressing Ajax'' sharp cheekbone.

    **

    On the other side of the cars, Damon managed to reach his hand out to hold A''s wrist. Her pulse was weak; he searched her mind and found it nk. She was unconscious, and her wolf was trapped. There was wolfsbane in her system. How?

    He groaned as he moved to sit up, leaning against the car. His breaths came out harsh.

    I''ve been fucking shot four times now.

    Darius was raging, but his cries were slowly diminishing. What''s this? His body was burning up. Wolfsbane? Panic struck him then; if his wolf was down, then his healing would take even longer..

    Damon grasped at the dirt beneath his hand, trying to gain the strength to push himself up. But he could feel his body growing weaker. Damon tensed up his muscles and prepared to get up. He needed to get him and A out there. He could still hear the fighting going on, weren''t those beasts dealt with already?

    His consciousness was slowly fading as his body fell to the side. The floor felt like a warm cushion embracing him. If he moved, it caused pain, so he should lie there a while.

    No! I need A!

    A..

    Where was she again? I need to get up! Stop being a pussy and get up! I can feel her pain..

    Damon''s groan filled with a growl at his own predicament. He pushed past the ck and white dots covering his vision, pushing up from the ground with his sight going. His mate needed him.

    CRUNCH!

    Something smacked him in the face causing his nose to break under the force. Was it a boot? Damon couldn''t move now with his face throbbing, his body on fire and pain ripping through every part of his body. He felt his hair being tugged up, but his head drooped forwards, barely able to keep it up, even with someone''s hand tearing into his scalp. His eyes were slowly closing.

    A..

    His eyes snapped open.

    "It seems you cannot help your mate. You are unworthy for my precious A."

    Two men with blonde hair appeared in front of him. No, it was the same man; his vision was seeing double. The man came closer, "But do not worry, I will take good care of her," He whispered in his ear. Damon reached out, grabbing at his face and trying to crush the man''s skull in his hands, but he stepped back, and Damon dropped to the ground. His neck was pricked, and a cold liquid instantly set ame his being. His body shook, skin burned and thest of what he was holding onto faded into the background.

    Wolfsbane

    He..

    Needed¡­

    A¡­

 Chapter 204 - Wounded Soldiers

    Chiara rushed towards the back entrance of ONYX, the children in tow following behind Luther, who limped from a chunk of flesh missing from his leg. She presumed it might take a while for the muscle to rebuild itself, even for a vampire. But that wasn''t what the Gamma was worried about; she was bringing these poor children into a popted vampire area, their group was full of injuries, and their Luna was missing.

    Behind her, Gabriel carried Damon over his shoulder like he weighed like a feather. Vinnie carried Ajax while Kane helped Chase walk, though he was still a little out of it from Luther''s blood. They barely made it out from the hunter''s grasp, but somehow they lost them after two hours of rushing in and out of traffic, going along motorways, thening off into the countryside before returning to Chester.??

    In that time, Gabriel gave a drop of his blood to Damon, miraculously healing his wounds within seconds and pushing out the bullets. However, Alpha Damon was still unconscious. The vampire king said his mind was not ready to face reality. His body, even though it was unconscious, knew his mate was dying, and he was nowhere near her.

    Ajax refused Gabriel''s blood on the basis that he would heal soon, and the shapeshifter did not want to be high or having perverted dreams of Gabriel. At the time, Gabriel only chuckled at the shapeshifter''s oundish ims. Though it also made Chiara look at him warily. Was that what happened if they took their blood?

    The party trudged up to the penthouse; the wounded were plopped down on the couches in the lounge area near the bar and golden elevator. Chiara took the children to her room, who obeyed her quietly, though she could still see their trembling figures. They were still fearful, unaware that they were no longer in danger, but the Gamma did not expect anything less.

    Chiaray down the child on her bed; she fell asleep in the car once everything settled down. The Gamma looked at the faces of the children standing warily, shifting from one foot to the other as they took in the sight of her grand room. At least two good things came out of tonight, these children were rescued, and they had the papers with information about the hunters and high officials.

    **

    In the bar area of the penthouse, Gabriel sat down on the sofa elegantly crossing his ankle of his opposite knee. He stared at the Alpha King, panting in pain from the wolfsbane that couldn''t clear from his system and the thoughts of his mate. This was how a true mate was meant to act, nothing like how Amelia was. He respected the love between A and Damon, how genuine it was. In fact, he was a little envious of it.

    He chuckled as he knocked back the ss of whiskey in his hand.

    Envious? Him? He did not need anyone. He nced at Luther, who limped towards the bar and pulled out a blood bag.

    "Luther,e here," He gestured with his hand toe towards him. The golden-haired vampire limped towards him, the blood bag in his hand, and flopped down in the cushioned seat next to him.

    Gabriel bit into his wrist and poured some of his blood into the ss tumbler.

    "No, sire. I cannot possibly take such a gift from you-"

    "Shut up and drink. Before I rescind the invitation," Gabriel interrupted, passing the ss with at least 50ml of blood in it.

    Luther took the ss and bowed his head, "Thank you, you are too generous."

    Luther knocked back the blood, and within seconds his muscle knitted together in his leg like it was brand new. Gabriel nodded his head and stood up with a sigh, raking his hand through his dishevelled locks. With all of what happened, his thoughts were drawn to two people. A and Finn.

    A was alive, that much he knew from checking Damon''s darkened mind. Finn- he was unsure of, but if the hunters took both, then it was safe to assume the Delta would be used as a means for A to cooperate with them. Even if they did not have Finn, the girl was too kind to let anyone die for her ''selfish'' reasons.

    Gabriel scoffed as he reached his bedroom door. She needed to take care of herself more than care about other people. But then that was what made her a good Luna and soon to be Alpha Queen.

    **

    [ Unknown Location ]

    A''s head throbbed in pain, her eyes felt heavy, and her body ached all over. The sharp pain was still ring in her chest. She tried to move her head and open her eyes, but everything felt heavy and caused pain to shoot across her body. She groaned and forced her eyes open.

    Her vision was blurry, the outer edges dark and with ck spots enticing her back to sleep. She could not see much of what was in front of her. She tried to reach out to her wolf for help but could hear nothing. Her lids shut, the heaviness too much for her to bear. Was she going to die?

    "Shhh¡­"

    A tensed, though her eyes still wouldn''t open. That voice.. It made her skin crawl.

    She felt a hand caress her cheek, and she knew it wasn''t her mate''s. Warm breath brushed across the back of her neck as the same man''s chilling voice whispered against her hair. "Such beautiful skin." A shivered. Who the hell was touching her.

    "Do not worry, we will have a bit of fun. But first, you should sleep," His sickening whisper brushed against her ear. His lips against her made her flinch and try to move away, but his hand gripped in her hair, stilling her before he stroked her head like she was something precious.

    "Hmm, even now in this state, you try to put up a fight.. I knew you would be fun.."

    A small sharp pain stung the inside of her elbow; a coldness shot up her arm before a burning sensation rippled across her body. The pain was so blinding that she instantly cked out.

 Chapter 205 - The Cabin

    A didn''t know how long she had been asleep, but from the pain gone from her body, she knew it had to at least be two to three days. Her mind, though foggy from wolfsbane, was more alert from the much-needed rest of being shot.

    She rolled onto her back, staring up at a grey ceiling, while the sounds of birds chirping and the wind ruffling through the leaves of trees filled the air outside the window. She could tell there was a window, the sunlight cast through a chequered shadow shape from either bars or the usual shape of a window. But she did not want to check her surroundings just yet, and continued to stare at the ceiling.??

    A wanted to reorganise her thoughts, even with the slight headache and dull pain in her body. It didn''t seem whoever was with her beforehand was in the room with her now. If he was, her senses would have picked up on his movement, breathing or something. For one thing, she knew right now; her wolf was locked away because of the wolfsbane. She had no ess to her. It was odd to think that the one thing keeping them apart was what unbound the spell of keeping her locked up in the first ce.

    She sighed as shes of her memory from the day her party attacked the hunter''spound flickered across her mind. They managed to kill Ss and Robert. A officially dered that she could control the experimental beasts, though they turned on them just before she copsed. Was it because her hold, her Alpha power, was drained? Was that even a thing?

    She had no idea if Chase was alive when she saw him in the car or where Finn was. Her wolf was right; A would know if Finn died. Being Luna to the pack connected her to the pack members, not in the way she and Damon were, but she would tell if someone lost their life. Finn being her Delta would make a much more significant impact on her if he was dead. Her conclusion was both reassuring and worrisome; Finn must have been taken by the hunters. He was free for nearly two months, and her rash, reckless decision to get those papers was what caused him to get caught. She could only hope that Damon had those papers now, and everyone was okay.

    To her dismay, it seemed her position was much worse off than the first time she was kidnapped. Even though she now had her wolf, a mate and a pack behind her, there was no way of them finding her. The wolfsbane currently in her system is said to cut ties between a mate bond, notpletely getting rid of it, but enough for it to be hard to find the other.

    A could feel Damon through the bond, but she couldn''t tell what he was feeling or if he was hurt. She tried to reach through her mind to touch at the silky golden strands between them. Was her mate okay?

    She touched it, and the bond snapped back at her like an stic band flinging her head into the cushion more. Tingles of sharp, fiery pain flickered through her body and caused her mind and chest to throb. The edges of her eyesight dimmed with ck and red splodges.

    Okay, maybe trying to touch the bond wasn''t the best idea!

    A moved her hand and rested it over her eyes, waiting for the pain and her eyes to rx somewhat. She should be better ustomed to wolfsbane now, especially after trying to get her wolf free, but it was a poison that caused just as much effect as thest time. The only difference was, she had a higher dose of wolfsbane in her system thest time, so maybe her body wasn''t that weak?

    With a sigh, she removed her hand from her face and slowly pulled herself up. She gritted her teeth from the sharp pain in her chest and rested her head against the wall. Even if she wasn''t too weak from the wolfsbane, the bloody silver bullets in her chest made her recovery slow as well. She knew without a doubt that the person who kidnapped her was a hunter. At least she knew Ss and Robert were dead.

    The only thing she wondered was if the person who took her was worse than Ss or Connor. A blinked and looked around the room, wondering if that person was there, but it was empty. She blinked profusely after her mind caught up with her on where she was.

    Instead of a cell, basement or bedroom in a house, she found herself looking around a wooden room. Was she in a log cabin? A''s eyes widened, and she whipped her head to the side and looked out the window. From her side view from the single bed she sat on, she could see tall trees, grassy fields and no roads.

    A frowned. She needed to investigate further. Someone had her and nned to have some ''fun''. Now she knew from her previous time with the hunters that fun meant torture. It was a man''s voice, so it could be even worse; the possibility of being raped crossed her mind, but who would want to do that to a ''mutt''?

    No, she shook her head; torture was their fun. With those dreary thoughts running through her mind, she swung her legs over the bed and ced her bare feet on the wooden floor. What the hell? A looked down at what she was wearing. A floral, flowy pink dress.

    WHAT THE HELL!?

    Someone dressed her! And not even into coveralls or something in and simple, but a girly tea dress. From the looks of it, she had also been cleaned. A shiver went down her spine. A hoped it was all in her head where her thoughts were going. Was someone treating her like a doll?

    ''Such beautiful skin.''

    That''s what the man said. A gasped, and her heart began to pound against her chest. She looked around the room for a means of escape. A gripped at the bottom of the window, the wooden panels not budging. Obviously, the window would not be unlocked.

    A spun on the spot, leaning her back into the window, staring directly at the wooden door across from her. The room was still in with a rug on the ground, a wardrobe to the side and a desk. Nothing there could be used as a weapon. Figures.

    A sighed and walked towards the door, keeping her steps light. She paused when the floorboard creaked, and her face cringed at the thought of them knowing she was awake. But there was no other noise indicating they were aware she was up. Her body sagged in relief but tensed again by the idea of trying to escape.

    The door was not going to be open, but she would feel like an idiot if the hunter was an imbecile or arrogant enough to leave it unlocked, and she never tried to open it. Her hand sped around the round golden doorknob and turned it slowly. Her eyes widened as the click sounded and the door unlocked.

    A narrowed her eyes. She still needed to be cautious. Slowly she pulled the door ajar and tilted her head out, looking for any traps. Before her was a small hallway, to each side were two closed doors, but across led to what looked like a lounge area on one side of the cabin and the opposite must have been the kitchen.

    That''s.. strange.

    She crept forwards, her eyes flickering to each little spot in her surroundings. Looking for someone to jump out like in a scary movie. Her heartbeat was slowly increasing with anxiety as her hands became mmy. She made it to the centre of the cabin and turned in a clockwise circle in anticipation to see her kidnapper. She stopped, nobody was there.

    Or so it seemed, A narrowed her eyes, still suspicious. The log cabin was set up like a cosy holiday home. To the right of the room was the lounge area with two white settees covered in nkets and pillows, a red Aztec patterned rug with a coffee table above. On top of the table rested a crystal ss ashtray next to a few bottles of whiskey. Across from that was a grey bricked firece and above it was a real deer''s head mounted on the wall.

    A turned on her heel slightly, her hands fisted by her sides as she eyes the kitchen and dining area. It was simple, wooden, pots and pans hanging on the walls and many herbs and sauce pots resting atop the wooden shelves mounted on the walls. nt pots hung on the side, and the circr wooden table had different, odd chairs, one of them being a leather armchair.

    If A wasn''t in the situation she was in, she would appreciate the cuteness of the cabin. Even the view from the windows at the far end overlooking a valley was breathtaking and trying to fill her with ease. But this was not the time to be at ease. Her eyes roamed the open-spaced room again, her body still tense, and she took a step back when she saw behind the firece was a little corridor that led to a staircase going to another floor below.

    Nope, not going there. That''s just screaming to be a horror movie scene.. The petrified girl was lured into a dank basement.. only to be murdered. Only now, she was a she-wolf and would get drawn into a torture chamber. Nope, not happening.

    A snapped her head to the front door again. She should try it, at least. But the chances of it being open like that bedroom were slim. She took a step forward then halted. Her heart was pounding immensely. No, it wasn''t her heart she could hear. It was someone else''s.

    It was so quiet there; even with the wolfsbane in her system, her senses were still slightly heightened. She could feel the presence of a predator in the room. Their sweat smelled of delighted anticipation.

    She spun around again and instantly took a step back, a step away from the man standing across from her. His hands were in his pockets as his cold gaze looked her up and down appreciatively. His eyes shed back to hers with a dangerous glint to them.

    It was Clint.

 Chapter 206 - Playing Dress Up

    [All updated and two chaps for the price of one for you lovely readers ;-) ]

    Clint stood before her, his blonde hair slicked back, not a strand out of ce, and his icy blue gaze locked with hers. His attire was of a ck and red chequered shirt with jeans and boots on. Something that seemed out of ce with his stone-cold appearance.??

    A noticed like when she previously saw this hunter, there was a chill and murderous aura in the air. He did not seem like an ordinary human; heck, none of the hunters seemed to with such pure hatred and violence in their hearts. But like Ss, Clint could not hide the void of human emotion behind those eyes.

    His lips curled into a smile, and A''s stomach seemed to flip, not from some unknown attraction but more in the sense of nausea. She did not want to be anywhere near this man. She wondered if the smile he wore ever deceived women, though she could inly see no warmth behind it but ill intent. Was this personal to him?

    Clint raised his hands up as though he was calming a feral animal. Heck, she''d prefer if she was feral right now. At least she could rip him to pieces and be done with this nightmare. Wasn''t there a horror film with a cabin..

    "Hello, A. How are your injuries?" Clint''s cold voice seemed to snap A out of her daze.

    "I am sure you are aware the wolfsbane is slowing them down," She replied coolly as her gaze wandered down to his slow steps that came towards her. Every step he took, she instinctively took a step back.

    Clint tilted his head to the side, dropping his hands to his sides. "Yes, I apologise for that. But, given the situation, you did attack us first. And so brazenly at that.."

    A gritted her teeth before responding, her eyes still flickering at every little movement of his. His heart was still crazily beating. It kept her on edge, wondering what thoughts were running through his mind. "We didn''t expect to fall into a trap," She admitted and sidestepped, so the sofa was in between them.

    Her instincts were telling her not to make sudden movements or to be rash. There might be weapons she could use, but at the moment, she needed to make sure her freedom to the space stayed the same. Her mind wandered to what may be in the basement, and she knew it was not somewhere she wanted to be.

    But even with her staying calm and acting as though he was more the animal than her, she could still sense the excitement pouring off him as he neared her. Clint smiled again and abruptly turned his back on her, walking towards the small kitchen, and turned on the kettle. A watched in stunned silence as the noise of the kettle filled the room. She stayed still as he searched the cupboards.

    "We should talk over a hot tea. Do you drink tea?" He asked over his shoulder as he bent over and pulled out two light blue mugs. A looked at him wide-eyed and nced at the front door. "I would not try anything rash, A."

    A stepped around the couch and assessed her surroundings again. She gulped and decided to go along with whatever messed up game was running through his mind. Her instincts were also telling her to follow along. He was like a madman; she couldn''tprehend what he might do.

    What would be the best spot to be if she did needed to do escape quickly.

    The sofa was too close to that basement area, and she didn''t like the idea of sitting cosily next to him; though one of the sofas had a view of the front door, it didn''t give her any sense offort. None of this did. Now that the cosy log cabin had some psychopath in the space with her, it felt suffocating. Not that death loomed over her, but something even worse.

    CLINK

    A jumped on the spot, her eyes snapping to Clint''s hands. He pulled the spoon out of the cup and ced it on the side before holding the mugs and cing them on carved wooden coasters set at the round table. A inhaled sharply as he gestured for her to sit at the leather chair ced at the table. It was also in the corner of the room. A part that seemed like the worst possible position to be in.

    "If you don''t sit, A, things will be very ugly for you. And I do not want to destroy such a lovely dress just yet." He patted the arm of the leather chair. A slowly walked towards it, warily ncing at him and tensing as she came closer, expecting him to jump up and grab her somehow. However, she kept her chin high, not wanting to show any form of fear, even if she was fearful of him.

    A didn''t know why. She was a fricken werewolf and could kill him in one go. Wait, she could just rip his throat out, right? Maybe sitting close to him like this was a good idea. She slowly sat down and faced what seemed like the grim reaper in the seat next to her. Even if she was trapped in the corner, she could just kill him then go.

    Even if A had wolfsbane in her system, thest time she was at the hunterspound, she managed to attack people without her powers and her ws was starting to show. She ced her hands on the edge of her seat and focused on her ws while staring at the drink, trying not to pay attention to Clint''s gaze on her face. She inhaled sharply as the tips of her fingers throbbed, and a tear fell down her face in pain from her ws trying to rip through her nails and skin.

    A burning pain shot up her arms, and she shivered. Her eyes snapped to Clint after his hand slowly caressed her cheek and wiped away the tear. She tried to move her head away, but his grip on her face tightened, and she saw a dangerous glint flicker across his eyes. "Although I do love seeing tears on such a beautiful face, I''m afraid it won''t do you any good if I get started early. Do not try anything."

    Started early?

    He released her face and nced at her tea. A gripped onto the mug with both hands and took a tentative sip before looking at Clint once more. She did not want to drink anymore; he could have put something in there for all she knew. She ced the mug back onto the table, keeping her hands on it for thefort the warmth provided and looked at the hunter from the corner of her eye.

    A couldn''t believe her ws would note out. How much wolfsbane did he put in her system? She thought her body could take high quantities after what she needed to do to get Malia free. But if this was the case, then he had been injecting her possibly a few times a day. For however long she had already been there.

    He was still watching her as he sipped his tea before looking across at the window. "Where are we? And how long have I been here?" A asked suddenly. She wanted to know how far she can push him before he snapped. She would not try anything rash but to see if he would answer simple questions.

    "This is my ce. Ie here to go hunting. It is sort of a vacation home," Clint answered calmly. His gaze was still on the scenery outside the window, "The deer over the firece is one I caught a year ago. There is also a bear rug and a wolf''s.. Would you like to see them after this?"

    The way he spoke was just creepy. Even if hunting was the norm in these areas, even as a human, she despised it. She was a vet in love with animals, and hunting as a werewolf was only to survive. This man killed for fun. "That''s okay, I don''t-"

    "I will show you my conquests after," He interrupted dismissively. A didn''t really have a say anyway. "You have been here four days now."

    A''s brows rose at this, even though her assumption was two to three days due to her injuries still healing. It appears he was really injecting her with high doses of wolfsbane; even if she was a little ustomed to the pain, it didn''t mean her body would magically heal itself. A took a sip from her drink and sighed before cing her hand on her chest, flinching as she felt the skin where the bullet holes were. They seemed sewn up? Stitches?

    "I didn''t think it would take three bullets to take you out," Clint murmured. A''s shocked features looked at him. "Which is why I have been a bit more cautious with your dosage. Though the bleeding of the bullets was too much. I don''t mind cleaning, but I had to change your bed sheets a lot, and this was the third dress I put on you."

    A''s face paled at hisments. Third dress, blood.. So it was him who dressed her.

    "W-why," She cleared her throat and pushed past her fear, looking directly into the abyss of his wretched eyes. "Why did you put me in a dress?"

    Clint tilted his head to the side with a smile, "Because you look lovely in it."

    Such words from a handsome face would make any woman blush. Not her. Nope. Even if this weren''t her situation, this man just had an aura that screamed she should run away and hide!

    However, A nodded her head as though it was perfectly normal. "But, why are we here? Do you not need to take me to the hunters?"

    Clint mmed his fist into the table, his eyes zing at her suggestion. "Can you not just SIT WITH ME," He inhaled deeply, his nostrils ring as he appeared to be calming himself from such a rage that exploded within him. "Enjoy a little peace and quiet." He lowered his voice, making her skin go cold.

    He abruptly stood, making A jump once more. "I will take you to them. But it is not urgent." He turned his back to her and poured his cup into the sink. His heartbeat was increasing once more, and she watched him rake his hand through his hair and leaving it in ce, half his hand covering one eye as he turned his head and stared at her. A cruel smile crept up his face as a lust for.. violence filled his eyes.

    Her heart dropped at the look on his face. That was the look of a killer!

    A jumped up and threw the table over, letting the cup fling into his face. She didn''t wait to see what he would do and bolted towards the front door. A turned the knob and almost screamed in relief when it opened. She jumped over the two steps leading down the partial hill and fled towards the woods away from the cabin.

 Chapter 207 - Hunting Season: Part One

    A sprinted down the dirt track and towards the cover of the forest. She did not know where she was, but if she could lose him in the woods, recover from her injuries, then shift, that was her priority. Escaping from Clint and the hunters. Her head whipped back behind her as she heard Clintughing maniacally; he was in front of the log cabin, dabbing at his chequered shirt.

    "The more you run, A. The more I like it." He said darkly, knowing well that she could still hear him. A looked forwards, her eyes scanning the area. Deeper into the woods, that''s what she needed to do. She gritted her teeth as she heard the pounding of footsteps from behind her. He was seriously chasing her!??

    He would never keep up. Although A was not at her full speed, it was still faster than the average human. Even still, she pushed on, letting her legs and arms burn from her increased speed, yet her chest was the worst out of all her pain. Figures, she had been shot a few days ago and had wolfsbane in her system. She didn''t even know how she could run right now, but it felt bloody incredible getting away from the suffocating cabin with the psychopath.

    BANG!

    A ducked her head, her breath hitched as she looked back at the gunshot. Clint must have been at least 100meters away, and he somehow nearly hit her. He was a scary mother*****. He was the one who shot her with a sniper rifle, but from what she could tell, he was not running with such a big gun. Were all hunters that good at shooting?

    BANG!

    A yelped and jumped out of the way; she had been foolishly following one of three dirt tracks in the woods. She needed to get lost further into the coverage of trees. Clint seemed highly capable of shooting her at long range.

    A raised her hands as she jumped through two bushes and kept going in the direction away from the path. The further she went, the thicker the forest. Good, there would be more coverage, more concealment. After minutes of running in all directions, trying to lose the hunter, she slowed down to listen out for his steps, his breath and heartbeat.

    A made sure to keep herself hidden further as she crouched and continued to walk through the forest. She scanned her surroundings; though her senses weren''t fantastic right now, she was sure her hearing was much better than his still. But it was very quiet in the forest, making her feel even more on edge. Forests were full of wildlife, so why were the birds at least not chirping or flying around. Was Clint closer, or was the wildlife wary of her?

    She was, after all, a predator as well. An injured one, but the birds should know she wouldn''t go for them. Her instinct was telling her something was wrong. A held her breath and crouched further down into a bush, hiding from sight as she surveyed her surroundings more. She wanted to keep moving, to put as much space between her and Clint as possible.

    The minutes she waited in the bush felt like hours, though she knew it hadn''t been after ncing at the sky through some of the leaves of the trees. But her body was aching and felt weak. Not only because of the wolfsbane and gunshot wounds but because she had not eaten in four days. Her metabolism was extremely high; the cooked breakfasts and mountains of food she ate on a daily basis were to keep her energy up and her ''hangry'' self in ce. Now, her stomach felt so empty and her body weak, she could only hope, if she escaped, to hunt soon or find a store.

    A almost chuckled at herself. She was in the middle of nowhere!

    The Luna also did not know where she was. So, if she were to run off into the wilderness, she would have to survive like a normal human until her wolf came back and-

    Her thoughts froze as the quiet sounds of footsteps traipsed through the forest from the right side of her. A gulped and held her breath again as she heard the pounding of a heartbeat and the smell of excitement radiating off the man. It was definitely Clint. The psychotic murderer. Was being a hunter only an excuse for him to kill?

    SNAP!

    A flinched but kept her tense body still. She watched from in between the leaves as Clint walked in her direction from across from her. He was scanning the area, his gun in hand ready. She could see the excitement behind his cold eyes. This was a game of cat and mouse to him, and she knew cats liked to y with their food. Clint had no intentions of killing her; he just wanted some fun before returning her to the hunters.

    He came closer and stopped in front of the bush she was crouched in. A''s widened eyes were now looking at his jeans, her anxiety creeping up her body as her palms became damp. A prayed to the Moon Goddess that he would not see her. All he had to do was look down and, if he paid attention, would most likely see her white hair through the small gaps of the leaves.

    "Aiiiiaa¡­." He shouted in a singsong voice that made a shiver go down her spine. A watched his hands rest on his hips, the gun pointing down in her direction from how he held it.

    "Oh, Aiiiiaa.. Come out,e out wherever you are!" She could hear the smile and delight in his creepy voice.

    "Hmmm, I can''t wait to get my hands on you.." He murmured under his breath. He stepped to the side and turned his back on the bush. His retreating footsteps didn''t cause her to rx. A waited another five minutes, or so she guessed. She was locked in the position she was at, not wanting to move for fear of being found.

    But the conflict between moving and not moving was making her a scaredy-cat. Snap out of it, A! She pped her cheeks lightly and slowly moved out of her position. She kept facing the direction Clint went and stepped backwards in the opposite direction, all the while scanning her surroundings. She couldn''t hear his footsteps or heartbeat, so that was something at least.

    A released her breath and turned on the spot, beginning to quicken her steps. Maybe she should run across the tracks again and go to the other side of the forest. Clint did, after all, follow her here? Yes, that''s a good n.

    A did not run yet; she wanted to keep her footsteps as light as possible. She was still fearful that he was nearby; even if her senses weren''t picking up on anything, she couldn''t rely on them alone. Right now, she had to think of herself as only human.

    Huh?

    Her footnded on some type of a metal spring?

    SNAP!

    "AHH!" A cried out instantly, and she copsed to the ground. Tears fell from her eyes at the excruciating pain; her hands shook as she looked at what was around her leg. Her leg seemed broken, with blood already coating the metal bear trap piercing through her skin.

 Chapter 208 - Hunting Season: Part Two

    A''s leg had snapped under the pressure of the bear trap, and blood flowed down her bare leg. She began hyperventting from the pain, sure she had been shot and had wolfsbane, but this was totally different.

    Her stomach instantly churned as she looked away from her leg and hurled to the side of her. Hardly anything came out, and she ended up heaving instead. Her body became mmy, and she knew her face was pale from shock. Was she going to pass out? No, no! I can''t pass out.??

    With as much strength as she could find within herself, she looked back at the grotesque view of her leg. She swallowed past a lump in her throat and rose her shaking hands once more. Her hands hovered above the metal mped around her leg. Blood trickled down her legs, soaking into the ground, but she breathed through it.

    She was a vet, for goodness sake! It was only blood! A tried to convince herself. Blooding out of her body.. Her face paled again, and she forced herself to stop thinking like that. She was a vet, seen plenty of blood before, had helped in surgeries, seen animal''s organs, helped with removing bullets for people before..this was nothing.

    Yet, it was a little different considering it was now her wound that needed treating. The only thing now, if she could get this metal thing off her, was that her escape would be excruciating and very slow. Her injury was of a broken bone, that was certain and open wounds. She also had wolfsbane in her system to slow down her healing. So, right now, she was technically a human with a bear trap around her leg.

    A clenched her teeth and inhaled deeply. This will hurt, but this thing had toe off of her. She took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm her chaotic heart and her trembling hands. After inhaling deeply once more, she set her mind to the task at hand.

    A''s hands were still a little shaky, but they weren''t as bad as before. She brought her fingers to the metal sides and started to pull, but it did nothing. She huffed and tried to look around her leg. Didn''t these things have a way of opening?

    While A tried figuring out how to undo the bear trap, Clint watched her from a distance. He leaned against a tree, his arms crossed as he kept his heartbeat low and his breathing slow. It seemed the little she-wolf was in so much pain, she was not paying attention to him.

    It was hard for him earlier not tough at how ridiculous she looked in that bush. He so wanted to see her facial expression as he called out her name. He could have shot her then and there, injected her with wolfsbane again, but he didn''t want the game to finish so soon. He was trying to keep his impulses under control; she wasn''t a random pretty girl. He could just dump the body in an unmarked grave after. She was that special Luna that the hunters needed to create those things.

    If he wanted to, he could run off with her and keep her. But it was too much effort. She had a mate, a pack, possible vampires and the hunters searching for her. Even if he wanted her as his personal doll to.. He shook his head. Don''t start thinking those thoughts.. You will ckout, and she will be in an unmarked grave.

    But this was too easy. Clint set up the bear trap and a few others, hoping that she would be caught instantly if A did run in the opposite direction. The sound of her voice as she screamed out in pain earlier was glorious. He wanted to know what other sounds would leave those pretty little lips of hers.

    Clint pushed off the tree and started walking in A''s direction. He didn''t care about the sounds of his boots crunching on leaves, squelching in the mud. A tensed at the sound, her disgusting wolf senses hearing them instantly, even while she was distracted. But Clint was not worried; she couldn''t move from her position.

    Should I just inject her with enough wolfsbane for her to pass out?

    He grinned. No, where was the fun in that?

    A sniffled and looked up at Clint''s approach. He crouched next to her and tutted, "Look what you had to go and do.." He smiled and reached to wipe her tear-stained face, but A smacked his hand away, making him smile more broadly. He assessed her features that had gone pale with goosebumps flourishing her skin. Was he the reason her skin had goosebumps on? Or was it because she was cold from the shock of the bear trap?

    Clint hoped it was because of him. He could also see how weak she was bing. Earlier, she seemed to almost glow from all the rest she had, even with the wolfsbane in her system. Now, she was sweaty, tired-looking and messy. He sighed, looking at the mud on the bottom of her dress, his hand reached for it, but he pulled it backst minute. He hated dirt, though he knew his hands would get dirty soon.

    "If I remove this, with you be good and not run?" He smirked as he watched the rebellious look sh across her stunning blue eyes.

    But A nodded in agreement. Clint had to refrain from smiling; he could see she would not go down without a fight. Which was exactly what he wanted. Where was the smart girl from earlier, the one who was so wary of him? She sat down obediently with him. If she didn''t resist, then the fun was over, but it still didn''t mean he wouldn''t be taking her back to his cabin.

    Clint walked around her and started sorting the bear trap out. A released a long sigh as the contraction slowly pulled apart. Clint looked at the wounds on her bare leg, with the dried blood and new blood trickling down her porcin skin. Other than her wounds, her skin was so smooth.

    A pulled her leg away, her face going paler as she moved it. He let go, and it mped back together, making the she-wolf flinch. He smirked at her expression and lowered his hand to help her up. Even if she tried to escape right now, her leg was in no position to bear any weight. A looked at his hands and seemed queasy by it, so he smiled charmingly at her, which done the opposite effect to what he wanted. Either way, she ced her small hand in his, and he pulled her up.

    Clint put his gun away and went to put his arm around her to bear her weight. Instead, though, she smacked him in the face and started limping off at a half jog/ walk away from him. He burst intoughter again at watching the back of her in her pink tea dress, long waist-length white hair flowing behind her, as her form limped away. Clint jogged after her, instantly catching up and threw her over his shoulder. She beat at his back, and although he could already feel bruises forming, he knew it would be a lot worse if she wasn''t weak right now.

    Clint traipsed through the woods with A over him. His hand slowly inched up her leg, enjoying the feel of smooth skin beneath his fingers. His hand stopped below her bottom, and he let his hand rest there, not going any further. He could feel her heart race even more, and her legs clench together as her body stilled.

    "I know you won''t believe me. But, even though I''m a monster.. I am no rapist. That''s the least of your worries right now," He murmured. He did not need to raise his voice; she could hear him.

    "But it''s okay to feel me up, clean me and dress me?!" A almost growled back.

    Clint chuckled, "I like your skin. Cleaning and dressing you were a means of keeping your wounds from bing infected. Though I won''t lie. Your body-"

    "Shut up!" She screamed back, her voice choked at the end, and Clint imagined she had tears running down her face again.

    He sighed in delight as they arrived in front of his cabin. Now he would have even more fun with her.

 Chapter 209 - The Barn: Part One [Bonus ]

    Finn stirred from his sleep. The position he had been staying in for the past days was bing too much for him to bear. Sleeping in a seated upright position was notfy when his head was leaning against a post made from silver. His shoulders and arms were in so much pain, he wasn''t sure if it was the wolfsbane or how his hands were tied up behind him against the post.

    He had been in and out of consciousness over his time in the barn. His eyes snapped open as he took the sight in once more. It was just an ordinary barn with stacks of hay in; the onlyfort provided to him was the hay beneath him. Finn turned his head to the right with a groan, where the barn doors were always open, revealing a nice view of a valley and a forest.??

    It was the only thing that brought him peace when he was conscious. Otherwise, his thoughts jumped to his Luna, the pack and the hunters. Obviously, he had been taken by the hunters, though he expected to end up in anotherpound in another cell. But this barn was much better than some dank basement floor; at least fresh breeze blew in regrly, bringing with it a chill that helped ease the burn of the wolfsbane on his skin.

    Finn stared at the hills and river passing through as his mind was engulfed with thoughts on what would happen to him and what he could do next. Would they still experiment if they know now that only A''s blood is needed to make such creatures?

    Was this actually going to be an execution? Finn knew from getting to know Chase a little more that the hunters sometimes took werewolves, vampires or shapeshifters to their ''academies'' to ''prove how evil those creatures are''. Finn shuddered at the thought of it. Children learning to be hunters? Learning to be killers.. This was why they were so full of hate. Even Chase used to believe in everything his father told him.

    Finn wondered what changed his mind; it couldn''t simply be A. She was only in thatpound for a week, and although the Luna was spectacr and gorgeous, it was not enough to change such beliefs. Especially for a child of some maniac. Chase must have had doubts beforehand, and A was his catalyst to escape.

    Finn turned his head back to the opposite side of the barn after hearing footsteps behind the closed doors. He held his breath and listened in to the guard''s conversation. Maybe there was some helpful information. Although he couldn''t hear too well even with the low dosage of wolfsbane in his system, it still caused the effect of dimming his senses. He wasst injected the previous day, so it seemed they would being to give him another dose.

    "Look, I can''t keep covering for you. What will you do if we aren''t partnered up?" A man''s voice groaned.

    The other person sighed, and Finn frowned slightly, taking a little more interest in what they were talking about. What else is there to do but listen in on other people''s conversations?

    "I just.. I don''t know. I''m too weak for all of this. You''ve seen me.. Like why are we even here and not thepound? Or the academy?" A girl''s voice replied.

    Finn blinked at the sound of her voice; it was so sweet he thought his heart paused for a moment only to listen to her. He imagined from her voice alone that she might be quite the beauty. His nose crinkled suddenly; what the hell was he thinking?

    Whoever she was, it didn''t matter. They were hunters; the only thing he should be listening to is the small information they are giving away. Yes, that''s what is essential.

    So, the hunters are confused as to why they are at this barn?

    "If you were weak, they would have killed you off ages ago, you know that. No one is to know of the hunters or the creature''s existence. Go on. You need to do it; you have to have thicker skin to survive here. He''s probably passed out anyway. All you need to do is inject him with the wolfsbane. Do it in the neck," The man ordered the girl.

    Finn rolled his eyes. Of course, they would kill their own. He couldn''t imagine anyone getting out of the hunters. Unless they were someone like Chase, but even then, just mentioning Chase'' name still sounded surreal. The ''legendary'' hunter is a traitor to the Hunters Association by leaving and helping the future Alpha Queen.

    The door gently slid open and closed. Finn already had his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. As the girl closed the door, he heard the man on the other side chuckle, "That''ll teach her to be kind to the fucking creatures. He''ll probably attack her.." He heard another man chuckle as they walked away from the barn. They really were heartless..

    Finn heard her tiny footsteps slowly walking towards him. He could smell something sweet in the air. Was it this girl''s perfume? No, it didn''t seem like perfume; there was no acidic smell to it. It was her natural scent, and it.. soothed him. His heart suddenly spiked and began racing as she came closer to him.

    Was.. No, she wasn''t..

    The girl crouched down, kneeling next to him.

    Thank fuck they gave me some tracksuit bottoms! Although he wondered why they couldn''t give him a shirt, he wasn''t that big. He was fine being naked; it wasn''t like he didn''t have a fit body. His bronze skin glistened from the sunlight, revealing the hard edges of his eight pack, his shoulder muscles bulging from the restraints of keeping his arms behind him. But this girl''s presence suddenly made him a little nervous.

    Finn heard her take a shaky breath in and ce her small hand softly against his neck. His body heated under her touch, and he could hear her heart beating just as rapidly as his. Though he suspected it had to do with touching a werewolf.

    "I can''t.." She whispered, "This is wrong.."

    Finn opened his eyes and both their breaths stopped. Amber eyes stared into blue. The werewolf and hunter stared at each other in wonder.

    Fuck! He still had wolfsbane in his system; was she, his mate!? Every fibre in his being was telling him she was, but he wasn''t 100% sure without his wolf present.

    No, no.. she was a hunter..

 Chapter 210 - The Barn: Part Two

    Finn couldn''t help but stare at her. She was beautiful, with dark brown hair that fell around her heart-shaped face with deep blue eyes that seemed to pop out with the light makeup around her eyes. There wasn''t too much; he could tell that she was naturally stunning, and putting makeup on just wasn''t fair to the men around her. Ugh, just the thought of other men near her made his blood boil.

    No, she couldn''t be.. Even if she was, how could she be? Hunters hated werewolves. This girl was a hunter.. he was a werewolf. If she was his mate, then was he being mocked? Did he do something for the Moon Goddess to punish him???

    Finn''s eyes roamed her body just as she was looking at his. It was strange, he could see she was attracted to him, so she wasn''t scared of him? This hunter looked at him without disdain. His eyes flickered back to hers; he didn''t want her thinking he was checking her out, even though he was. She was in the usual hunter''s attire of ckbat boots, trousers and a ck top. Though her frame was rtively small, the clothes seemed a bit big on her; how was she a hunter?

    But the man from before said she would have been killed if she was weak.. His chest tightened just thinking about it. The girl blushed and retracted her hand, fisting it in herp where the needley. Finnpletely forgot she was still touching him, but now that her hand was removed from his skin, he felt suddenly cold without it.

    "What is your name?" Finn asked softly.

    The girl looked away from him. He could tell from her look alone that it wasn''t from disgust but shyness.

    "Sariah," She whispered; the girl then looked up through hershes, and he felt his mouth go dry. She was stunning. "I did not mean to touch you," Sariah said, her voice an octave louder than before. "Erm..What is your name?"

    One side of his mouth curled up. "I''ve been kidnapped for a few days now, and you don''t even know my name?" He replied light-heartedly.

    Sariah''s eyes widened, and she ced her hand over her lips before shaking her head. "I''m sorry! I-"

    "I''m joking! I don''t expect you to know my name.. Which is Finn, by the way.." Finn interrupted with a full-fledge smile and chuckled. Sariah''s cheeks heated up, and she looked down. She was cute and possibly the worst hunter he had ever met. Weren''t they trained about getting too close with their captives? Or were they all simply meant to hate them so much that they wouldn''t want to strike up a conversation with such things?

    But unlike earlier, where she seemed nervous, the girl''s tense body was now rxed. Did she feelfortable around him? Then does she feel something towards him? He couldn''t help but scan her face; he didn''t know about werewolf and human mates. Nothing had ever been mentioned before, but surely there must be? Or maybe there was a trait in her that was part werewolf?

    He didn''t fricken know.

    "Finn," She whispered. His heart skipped a beat. He liked how his name left her lips; it was so sweet. "Have we met before?"

    They stared at each other. Should he say something? He parted his lips then snapped his eyes to the side where the valley was on view from the barn. A girl''s scream echoed through the woods.

    "A?" Finn gasped. He pulled at his restraints unconsciously, which dug into his wrists even more, causing a slight sizzling sound from where the silver dug deeper into his skin.

    What the fuck! What was she doing here!? Why did she scream!? What the fuck were they doing to her?

    He looked back at Sariah, who was looking at him baffled. Oh, that''s right, her scream wasn''t loud enough for the humans to pick up on, and he wasn''t meant to hear anything. But he could see she understood what happened. Her eyes flickered down to the needle in herp.

    The barn doors suddenly slid open, only enough space for another hunter to pop his head in. "Are you not done yet?! Fucking hell, how hard is it to stick a needle in him?"

    Sariah was looking at the man, her hand wrapped around the needle by her side. "He just needed some water first-"

    "This ain''t a fucking hotel. Stick ''im and get out! Otherwise, it''ll wear off!" The man snapped; Finn could hear him tapping his foot impatiently. But he didn''t care at the moment; Sariah, his possible mate, was going to inject him with wolfsbane. It really was a cruel joke.

    Sariah whipped her head back, whispering gently, "I''m so sorry, but this is going to sting."

    Their eyes met, and in that singr second, it was as though it was only them in the room. Finn''s eyes seemed to be clearer as he gazed into the endless blue hues of Sariah''s eyes. But all too quickly, time sped up again, and she stabbed the needle in his neck roughly, pushing on the lever.

    Finn felt a small tingle, but no liquid was injected into his system. He stared at Sariah, his eyes questioning, but she widened her eyes as if to say, act you fool! Finn gulped, then hissed in fake agony and made a slight groan sound. She removed the needle, mouthing an apology to him before straightening up and marching back towards the barn doors. Her petite frame left his view.

    Finn''s brows drew together before his eyes caught onto a small puddle of liquid soaking into the hay next to him. No.. She emptied the wolfsbane. Did she know what she just did?

    "See, stop being a wimp." The barn doors closed behind her, and he listened in to their continued conversation. "You can be in charge of his fucking care now. I don''t want to see that mutt as much as possible. You feed him, inject him and take him to the toilet. With wolfsbane in his system, he''s too weak to attack. Think you can handle that?"

    "Oh, okay," Sariah replied back breathlessly. He heard some footsteps retreating and a sigh escaping the girl''s lips.

    "Look, I will help you as much as I can, but I can''t promise anything," She whispered, knowing well that he would pick up on her words.

    Finn blinked at the sudden change in events, and he knew even without his wolf present that Sariah was meant for him. She took that first step away from the hunters when she sprayed the wolfsbane into the hay and pretended to inject him. It was risky. His hands fisted behind his back at the thought of Sariah getting caught attempting to help a werewolf.

    All he needed to do was figure out how to escape, help A escape, and take Sariah with him. But would she go with him? He was now in her care, so if he ran, then she would be killed.. So, really whether she wanted to or not.. he was saving her life.

    Finn nodded in agreement with himself. He would take her with them when the time was right. He could only hope that there would be no experiments on him and A couldst a little longer. He hoped his Luna was okay; she screamed in agony earlier..

 Chapter 211 - Without His Mate: Part One

    Back in Chester, Damon finally regained consciousness and found himself lying down on the bed of his and A''s appointed room in Gabriel''s penthouse. His chest tightened, and he swallowed past the lump in his throat; he felt empty. He looked at the space by his side where his A should be.

    Damon felt disgusted at himself. He was the shittest mate. Even now, Damon had been unconscious for days now, and it wasn''t because of his injuries but because A was not near him. He prodded at the bond that just bounced back. She had wolfsbane in her system. Those fucking hunters had her again.??

    Damon sat up, the covers falling down, revealing his bare chest. "We need to rally the pack and the others to get A back," Darius'' voice roared through his mind, making his presence known to Damon. From what he could feel from his wolf, other than the obvious that he was upset and pissed off like him about A being taken, he was also annoyed with him.

    "Of course, I am. You''re never the type to mope around, and all you''ve done is sleep. Sleep for two fucking days while our mate might be getting further and further away from us. She might be getting tortured!" Darius growled; his words felt like a punch to the gut.

    He was right.

    "Of course, I am!"

    Damon jumped out of bed. His body was well-rested, his injuriespletely healed. Even a new scar he received recently was gone on the side of his ribs. That''s odd.. His healing was quick, but with scars, it took much longer for the skin to heal itself. Chiara was an exception due to the fact her sister held her in a bathtub of wolfsbane and wed at her neck. The damage of the wolfsbane and Lydia''s work was enough to leave a scar for life.

    But it didn''t matter if he waspletely healed right now. His mate was gone, and he had to get her back. He felt like an idiot; two days had passed, instead of moping, he should have been taking action. He should have made contact with the packs nearby to search for A.

    "Where is everyone?" Damon reached out to his Beta. He didn''t want to waste any more time; they needed a n.

    "Alpha, we are in the dining room," Kane responded instantly. Damon threw on a ck t-shirt and jeans before rushing towards the dining room.

    Damon burst through the door, his face looking crazed to the point a few of his pack members flinched at the sight of him. He tried to calm down his bubbling anger, so much so he fisted his hands by his sides and took a long deep breath in. Before he asked more about A, he needed to take into consideration his pack members, and..

    His eyesnded on some children, and his anger diminished at the sight of them. A little girl clung onto Ajax, while an older girl seemed to be taking care of three boys of varying ages.

    Yes, he needed to make sure everyone here was fine first. "Were these the prisoners found at thepound?" He mind-linked Chiara. She nodded in response, and he sighed. These poor children, he wondered how long they''d been kidnapped for.

    Damon rounded the table and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, there was no room anyway with the children, and he was too restless to sit. "Have they spoken much?" He enquired through the mind-link again.

    "They have in bits and pieces," She replied nervously. Why was she nervous? Maybe whatever they have told her would anger him. He was already angry at the situation and how useless he has been, so perhaps the Gamma didn''t want him breaking shit in front of the children. She should know him enough that he could hold onto his.. rage issues in front of the kids.

    "Let''s talk about itter; I need to get in contact with the packs," He muttered aloud, "I''ve been an idiot."

    "I was going to say a diva.." Ajax added and smiled after receiving a re from the Alpha. If he didn''t have that kid clinging onto him..

    "I''ve already phoned a couple of packs. They are alert and searching," Kane replied before taking a sip from his ck coffee.

    Damon sighed in relief. It was the Beta''s job to take care of such issues if the Alpha is unable to. Some Beta''s were useless and would not think to use their leadership role and speak with other packs in their Alpha''s stead. For obvious reasons, some Beta''s wouldn''t dare take the plunge in case their Alpha thought they were trying to take on their role and understood it as a challenge, and in other cases, some packs would find it disrespectful that a Beta is dealing with an Alpha.

    But the Silver Crescent Pack was well respected and feared. If their Alpha King was unable to talk to them directly, then the other Alpha''s knew shit was going down, and if they didn''t help where they could, then Alpha Damon Steel woulde for them next.

    "Thank you, Kane," Damon was thankful to him. "I suppose there have been no reports so far?"

    Kane sullenly shook his head. "Only thing I can say is they took out some of the hunters who fled thepound we went to. Alpha Liam''s pack took a few in for.. questioning," Kane nced at the children, watching what words to use. "But I think the hunters are trained in those areas as well."

    Damon''s brows rose at this. "Alpha Liam.. He''s in charge of the Shadow Pack. They are very well known for their.. techniques. And none of them has given any information?" Kane again shook his head. Damon then nced at Chase for confirmation about the hunters training. "Chase, what sort of training did you go through?"

    Chase was standing near the floor to ceiling length window, gazing at the traffic below. "The Hunters Association teaches from the youngest ages of seven upwards. If you aren''t enrolled in the primary school stages, then thest chance is secondary school. Otherwise, you are deemed too weak. But thest of their training before they are put on fieldwork is to go through extensive training in.." He nced at the children before continuing, "..such areas."

 Chapter 212 - Without His Mate: Part Two

    Damon should not have been surprised by what Chase spoke of. But it was strange to think that there was a whole system, kept secret from the rest of the world of highly trained children to adults in killing off creatures. But he could see as he nced around the room that he was not the only one thinking this. Taking down the Hunters Association was going to take a lot more work than anticipated. However, this was not their priority; A and Finn were.

    Damon also noted that the older girl of the kids now regarded Chase warily. She seemed to understand what they were referring to and who Chase was. Damon looked in the children''s direction again; they seemed to have finished their meal. "Chiara, take the kids downstairs," Damon gentlymanded as Gabriel entered the room with Luther and Vinnie. ??

    The kids scrambled further away from them and stuck closely to Chiara, who picked up the young girl from Ajax and led them out of the room.

    They looked like a little family. It was strange, especially with the secret nces the Gamma and shapeshifter gave each other. If they keep looking at each other like that, it''s not going to stay hidden very long, whatever was going on between them.

    Gabriel and Damon nodded at each other, and the Alpha continued without the need of watching what they say. "From what Chase says, even with the Shadow pack being particrly good at torturing their prisoners, the hunters will not give up any intel if they did know.." Chase nodded his head. "Very well, then there''s no point in keeping them alive."

    "Don''t be too hasty, Damon," Gabriel smirked at the re he received from the Alpha. "They might talk after speaking to me."

    Damon tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Jeese, Ipletely forgot. Vamps are fricken scary.." Chase muttered as he nced at the Vampire King warily.

    Damon looked between the pair until he remembered what abilities vampires had other than incredible strength, speed and mind reading in Gabriel''s case. But they also had the power of controlling their prey. It was calledpulsion.

    "Leave them rotting in those cells for a few more days, let the drug leave their system, and I canpel them and get the answers we need," Gabriel said with a smile. Chase visibly shivered in response.

    "What if we don''t have a few days?" Damon growled back. His anxiousness and anger were starting to grow once more. The feeling was always there, but he was keeping it under control for the kid''s sake. Darius had been pacing back and forth in his mind the whole time, almost to the point Damon felt a headache forming.

    Damon had a lot of pent up rage and energy from the disappearance of his mate and not being able to contact her. And by the possibility that they were torturing her. But the thing he feared most at the moment was the idea of her going utterly missing. Even with Chase on their side with thepounds locations, it could still take months, maybe years, to find her. The hunters want her to build an army, and in that time, their forces would be getting stronger while his pack would be weaker without their Luna.

    Gabriel was staring at Damon as the tension in the room weighed down on them like a ton of bricks. Nobody could answer such ament. Damon was going to be sensitive until he had his mate back. "We WILL get A back," Gabriel said, locking eyes with the Alpha."

    "She''s a tough cookie, Damon," Ajax added with a smile, then added, "Gabe, can you ask the hunters about Finn as well. I guess they might be together, but.. It''s better to ask just in case."

    Gabriel nodded his head and epted the tumbler of blood from Luther. "Once we have the details of their location, what then?" The vampire directed his question at Damon.

    "I''m going to be bringing the warriors from our pack over.. Will this be possible in your territory?" Damon asked as politely as he could, even if his face seemed to grimace at the idea.

    Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head, "Werewolves in a vampire''s kingdom..Without trying to kill each other.."

    "Bloody hell. I''ve definitely seen it all now.." Luther grinned in excitement.

    "We''ve been together for almost a week, and no fights have happened.. Plus, if we do this right, the others will return on the same day. Gabriel, is there anyone else you trust to bring?" Damon asked as he pushed off the wall and picked at a few grapes in the middle of the table with an assortment of fruits.

    Gabriel looked to be deep in thought for a moment before clicking his tongue and shaking his head. Damon looked at him while he crunched into another grape; it seemed pretty sad that the vampire didn''t trust anyone other than the two vampires present.

    Gabriel smirked, and Damon stilled as the vampire''s voice echoed in his mind. "I haven''t been on the throne for this long because of my birthright and powers alone. Trust is not easy toe by. You should also be wary as a king."

    Damon nodded his head in response before sitting down and officially dering the n. He also brought Chiara into a mind-link as he had other ns for the Gamma and children. The Alpha confirmed with Gabriel that he would take him to the Shadow pack territory topel the hunters. In that time, his warriors of about sixty wille to Chester, all staying in one of Gabriel''s hotels; the vampire king was also going to put his ''friendliest'' staff on for the pack members.

    Chiara was to also take the children back to his pack for extra protection. Nairi had been left in charge so far as the Beta''s mate, but with sixty of his best warriors leaving, he wanted another leader to help protect the pack. The hunters might n an attack to help get A away from them, there were countless possibilities, and Damon needed to be ready for them.

    He was getting his angel back, and if anyone got in his way, then he would be thest thing they see before their eyes shut forever.

 Chapter 213 - Her Parents Killer

    A watched the ground moving below her; the grass and dirt track turned into the wooden steps leading up the cabin. She tried wiggling some more in Clint''s arms, but it was no use, her body was weak, and her injuries would take much longer to heal. Instead, she used thest few seconds to assess the cabin''s surroundings before she would be locked up for good.

    There was nothing but the woods, the valley, and a barn to the left of the cabin. How did she miss that? Although, she didn''t really have time to search the area when she sprinted away from this creepy man. A shivered as she was back inside the cabin and was ced on the bed once more. She backed away into the corner, grimacing at the pain in her leg and the amused look on Clint''s face. He turned his back on her and left the room with the door left open.??

    A knew not to do anything; Clint would be back, that she was sure of and did not fancy wasting thest of her energy to try and escape only to be caught again. From how he acted earlier at the table, he seemed to have a short fuse on his temper, and so in trying to escape again could cause her more issues. If she were to escape, it had to be a full-proof n, one where Clint would not catch up to her. But at the moment, she couldn''t think of anything. Her mind was wandering to the pain in her leg and the thought of wanting to sleep everything off.

    Yet, she knew there were no such luxuries now. It seemed her situation now was worse than when she was initially kidnapped by the hunters. At least then, she had the ''Prisoner''s Club'' to keep her spirits high in such dire circumstances. Now, she was with a psychopath intent on doing something to her before returning to the Hunters Association. A frowned slightly while she was in thought. How long did she really have with Clint?

    Clint was a part of the hunters; he wasn''t someone in charge like Ss, so he still has orders to follow. Whatever he wanted to do, it had to be soon. He couldn''t keep her for long. A never thought she would ever feel relief at the possibility of going to a hunter''spound, but anywhere was better than being with Clint.

    Clint walked back through the door, and A''s heart dropped at the sight of what was in his hands. Was that a cor and chain? Her heart rate skyrocketed at the objects and the smirk on Clint''s features. Clint could not kill her, and it seemed he could not keep her for long. So she decided, for now, it was best to cooperate.

    He sat down on the bed by A''s side, his eyes roamed her face, and he reached past her to the wall. A followed where his hand went, and she clutched at the bedcovers. She knew if Malia was there speaking right now, she would probably be screaming. Clint hooked the chain up to the wall before bringing the silver cor closer to her. A clenched her teeth together at the humiliation, and absolute pain of the cor sped around her neck.

    "Good girl. This is for your own good anyway," Clint muttered as he yed with her hair. She flinched and turned her head away only to hear a chuckle in response from Clint. How was this for her own good? What world was that lunatic living on?

    He left the room once more and returned with a first aid kit. A watched and paled even more as the hunter cleaned up her wound, made a splint and bandaged up the mess on her lower leg. He did it efficiently as though he had taken care of others before. But she knew there was nopassionate bone in his body.

    Clint cleared the mess up and returned sometimeter with a bowl of soup. A looked at it warily and then stilled in shock as he raised the spoon up to feed her himself.

    "I can do it!" She reached for the bowl and spoon, but Clint pulled it away and tutted. A could see he was serious, and like she did with the cor incident, she let him spoon feed her. Her whole situation was so bizarre, and Clint feeding her gave her the chills, especially with such a disturbing silence. Maybe she could try and ''befriend'' him like she did with Chase in her original n? It could act as a way for him not to try and hurt her.

    "Clint, are all hunters taught first aid? You seem to know what you were doing.." She asked hesitantly before epting the spoonful of soup.

    "Hunters are taught first aid. But I wasn''t trained with them," He replied, bringing the spoon back to the bowl. A looked at him, baffled. She presumed he might have been a psycho made from the environment around him. But he did not get trained by the hunters.

    "How do you know such things then? Were you not always with the hunters?" She asked out of curiosity.

    "I was in the army. Ss sought me out after for my.. special skill set," He smirked and put the bowl on the side before looking at his watch.

    "Your skillset?" A narrowed her eyes slightly. He could shoot a gun? So, what?

    Clint chuckled, "Aren''t you so suddenly eager at knowing your kidnapper more? Was this another n? Was this how you lured Chase to your side? Showed him a bit of cleavage and-"

    SMACK!

    Clint''s head whipped to the side from where A pped him. His cheek was left red, and he clutched at it and chuckled darkly. Clint turned his head back to look at her, and she could see a spark of danger and amusement behind his usually empty eyes again. His lips curled up into a smile, and he leaned closer towards her. A leaned back, but there was nowhere else for her to go, and Clint only grabbed onto the chain and yanked her towards him, so they were inches apart.

    A pushed her hands against his chest, but her body was too weak. She would notst long at this rate, and Clint hadn''t done anything to her yet. Unless he just liked to chain girls to walls and get them to dress up in pretty tea dresses? One look at his face made her strongly believe he did a lot more than that.

    "Do you want to know what one of my first jobs was as a hunter?" He whispered darkly.

    A was looking at him with widened eyes, still trying to pull her head away from his. But he kept her in ce and smelled her cheek before caressing the other and staring intently into her eyes.

    "Ss instructed the squad and me to ransack a certain pack territory. My orders were to kill the Alpha King and Queen.." He trailed off, searching her eyes with a smug smile crawling up his face. A felt a sudden chill go down her spine, and she stopped breathing. Did he.. She blinked rapidly, and tears sprung to her eyes. Clint stroked the side of her face again, his very touch making her frozen. "What were their names again¡­ I can''t remember now.. hmmm¡­ Oh, but they were rted to you, I believe.."

    A looked at him in shock, fear and pure hatred. She was staring into the eyes of the man who killed her parents. Without even thinking about her next actions, she headbutted him in the face and lunged towards him. But it was useless.

    Clint did not even flinch at her attack and instantly smacked her hard enough to fall back into the wall. He grabbed at the chain and pulled her down, so shey t on her back. Her throat burned and sizzled from the silver cor, and she couldn''t breathe from how hard he was pulling on the chain.

    A''s hands and legsshed out violently. Clint clicked his tongue in annoyance and smacked her in the face, stunning her momentarily while he climbed atop her, pinning her down and grabbing her arms and held her down. The pair stared at each other. Clint looked at her in amusement while she red at him through her overflowing emotions.

    He then loosened the hold on the chain slightly, providing her with enough room to inhale sharply. But now, she breathed heavily from the rising anger and pain at who he was. Tears streamed down her eyes when she suddenly stilled as a jolt of memory came shing back through her mind.

    A gasped at what she saw and stared back at Clint. How could she not recognise him? A felt her stomach churn, and her vision slowly became blurry. Dots scattered across her vision, and she saw that sick bastard smiling down at her; he even left a kiss on her cheek.

    Did he put something in that soup?

    That didn''t matter right now. A was facing her parents killer, and she couldn''t do anything to avenge them. The Luna could only hope that she would be rescued, and she could kill him then and there.

    "Sweet dreams, A."

    The monster''s ''sweet'' words echoed through her mind as her body rxed into the bed beneath her and her eyes slowly closed. When her lids opened again, she found herself in the garden of the Silver Crescent Pack''s packhouse. A watched as a little white-haired girl yed tag with a dark-haired boy.

    It was her and Damon as children. Was this a dream? It felt vaguely familiar..

    "A, Damon! Get inside now! The pack is being attacked!"

 Chapter 214 - A Memory Once Lost: Part One

    As soon as those words were shouted out by A''s bodyguard, she was instantly pulled into young A''s body and looking through her eyes as the world around her materialisedpletely. Dam Dam ran back to A and grabbed her hand, instantly pulling her forwards as her guard ran behind them. Five more guards arrived, two of them being Dam Dam''s guards; they circled the children protectively, leading them back inside the mansion.

    A and Dam Dam ducked after hearing gunshots firing nearby; the guards looked around before urging them forwards once more. A''s heart pounded in her chest, and she squeezed tightly onto Dam Dam''s hand. The pack was under attack; she hoped her parents were okay. They had never been attacked at home before. Whoever they were, they were persistent, and it scared her. What were they after???

    The group rushed up the stairs and towards her parent''s bedroom. There A broke free from Dam Dam''s grasp and ran straight into her mother''s open arms. Alexandra was so radiant as she beamed down at her daughter, the relief apparent on her stunning features. A clung onto her before pulling back, panic-stricken searching for her father.

    Titan sped his hand atop his wife''s shoulder, squeezing as he gazed into her eyes, "Take them to the library. That''s an order, Lexa," He said sternly, yet his gruff voice was full of warmth. "They are after you and A."

    "Come with us," Her mother whispered, though her face betrayed how she already knew his answer.

    "The pack needs protecting," Titan kissed her quickly before reaching down and picking A up, squeezing her to the point she could not breathe. But she did not mind; instead, she squeezed as hard as she could, listening to the pounding of his heart, and feeling the warmth and love from his embrace.

    Her father pulled back and peered at her face. His green-brown eyes are full of concern as he looked at her. "I need you to be a good girl and follow orders. Do you think you can do that for me?" He asked her, though there was a slight edge of authority in his voice, which Malia immediately bowed to. Whether he was her father or not, he was her Alpha first. His tone showed the severity of the situation, and so A nodded her head in response.

    "Be brave, be strong," Titan kissed her head and ced her on the ground. Her father gestured for Dam Dam toe forwards, and the young prince bowed his head in respect. A stared at him, wanting to stay in his arms, but she felt the urgency and tension in the atmosphere and stayed put.

    "Take care of her. Do not leave her side and protect her no matter what," Titan sped his hand on Dam Dam''s shoulder, staring at him with an intensity that could make others break into a sweat.

    "You can count on me," Dam Dam nodded his head.

    Titan squeezed his shoulder, "I know I can, son." He dropped his hand and turned away and added, "I have alerted your pack. They are on their way."

    With thatst statement, Titan rushed past them and jumped down from the balcony. A felt a sudden pang in her chest; what if something goes wrong? No, no, she shook her head. Her dad was the strongest man she knew; even others raved about his strength. Nobody could take him on! With her mind set, she reached out to her mum''s hand and looked up at her, "Why are we going to the library?" She asked curiously.

    Alexandra smiled gently at her as she started to lead the way. The guards rushed ahead while the Luna held onto the two children''s hands. "It is the safest ce for us to be, darling," Her mother responded. Her voice was gentle and soothing, but A could see the worry behind her eyes.

    A blinked as her hand fell out of her mother''s grasp. She whipped her head back and watched as Alexandra''s eyes filled with tears, and she brought her hands up to her mouth, covering a sob. "Titan!?"

    "Mumma!" A clung onto her legs, "Don''t cry, what''s wrong!?"

    "Luna! They''ve made it into the packhouse!"

    Gunshots rang inside the house. A could hear their footsteps rushing up the stairs from where they stood, and she clung to her mother even more. Her eyes met Dam Dam''s, who was still waiting for his wolf, so he could only observe how everyone else reacted. His lips pressed together at the frightened look on A''s face, and he looked up to the Luna for guidance.

    More pack members arrived, some covered in wounds but not injured enough, unable to protect them. Alexandra wiped her eyes swiftly and turned her back on the way they were going, pulling the children once again with her. A mbered after her as Alexandra spoke over her shoulder to everyone. "We will go back to my room. And exit the grounds via the right side of the woods."

    Alexandra swung open the door and raced toward the balcony, pulling A with her. Just as she reached down to pick A up, a gunshot went off, and blood sttered across A''s head.

    "Get down!" A guard from behind yelled at the kids.

    But A, who could not be seen because of the balcony wall''s height, stared up at her mother, who was bleeding from her chest. Alexandra bent down and covered A and Dam Dam''s heads, staggering forwards in a crouch until they were back in the room.

    "Lexa, they''re on this floor.." One of the women warriors whispered.

    Dam Dam reached out and sped A''s hand. She did not realise how much she was trembling until she saw her hand shaking. Her eyes met Dam Dam''s briefly before looking at her mother''s wound once more. It wasn''t healing. Why wasn''t it healing?!

    "I think.. I think it''s made from silver?" Malia whispered in her mind, her voice was shaking, but she tried to stay strong for A. She could hear her wolf''s thoughts at trying to remain calm to help A through such a horrific event. A''s forehead creased, and a tear fell from her eye as she looked up at her mother''s tear-stained face; she looked lost until her head whipped to the side after more gunshots went off.

    "Titan!"

    A''s father had jumped up onto the balcony, his tanned body on show, but what was truly scary to little A were the many wounds covering his body. Blood was trickling out of bullet holes, and he copsed into her mother''s outstretched hands. Dam Dam pulled A away as her mother sped onto his hands and closed her eyes. A blinked her eyes in shock as she seemed to be watching magic flow from her mother''s hands and into her fathers.

    "No! They''reing. There''s no time. Take the kids, Lexa," Titan unsped her hands, stopping the spell and caressed Alexandra''s face, staring lovingly into her eyes. "Get away from here, my love."

    A realised her father was saying a final goodbye. He was¡­dying. She ripped her body out of Dam Dam''s hold and rushed to her dad''s side.

    "Dad¡­ Daaad, you can''t leave us.." A began to sob; her arms were around his neck, her hair falling atop his bloodied chest.

    "Shhh, it''s okay.. The Moon Goddess will guide me to somewhere nice.." He whispered gently. "My girls," He pulled his wife and daughter into him, kissing both their heads with thest of his energy, "I love you.. dearly.." He sputtered, and his arms slid away from them, and A pulled back, staring into her dad''s eyes, tears falling from her face and onto his.

    A could not hear anything else but saw her vision go blurry, and she felt disorientated as she was pulled away and carried back towards the balcony, but bullets flew past her head, and she was taken back inside. A squeezed her eyes shut after seeing her dad''s body still on the ground, she did not realise she was sobbing so loudly until a hand was sped over it, and she was ced back on the ground.

    "A!" Malia sobbed, "We.. we need to be quiet.." Her wolf sniffled, "They''reing.."

    "There''s too many of them!" A heard another pack member shout.

    "Stay in here, do NOTe out. No matter what! Damon.. remember what I told you," Her mother''s panic-stricken face was all A could see. She kissed her on the forehead and brushed her hair away, "So beautiful." And with thosest words, she disappeared, and A was pulled back into Dam Dam''s arms. She struggled against him, ready to break free and go after her mother, but he held onto her tightly.

    "A.. Come on. I know it''s hard not doing anything, but your mum said to stay here. Follow her orders, please," Dam Dam''s desperate plea in her ear was what made her slump down. It was then she realised they were in the walk-in wardrobe.

    Her head dropped down, and she slowly sunk to the floor. Dam Dam, too, slid down with her, his arm around her shoulders nowfortingly, with his guard up as he rubbed her shoulder gently. She felt cold; even with Dam Dam''s heat, she couldn''t shake off the feeling that her mother was next to go. A looked at her friend. Were they next?

    He seemed to know what she was thinking and shook his head, "We''ll be fine. I''ve got you," Dam Dam whispered and squeezed her shoulder. A gulped and nodded her head. That''s right, they had each other.

    The pair jumped on the spot as more gunshots went off, this time from inside the room. A rushed towards the doors too quickly for Dam Dam to grab hold of her. But she stopped in front of them just in time for the prince to catch up to her, he grabbed her and shook his head, yet she still slid the door open. There was only a gap wide enough for them to look through.

    Bodies were lying on the ground, and men dressed in ck holding guns fled the scene, leaving two people in the room. Her mother, who looked even worse than before with blood trickling down her stomach, and a man with slicked-back blonde hair.

 Chapter 215 - A Memory Once Lost: Part Two

    A held her breath, and she could tell Dam Dam also stopped breathing. The scene before them chilled her to the bone, and her body began to tremble as she watched the man approach her mother. Dam Dam pulled her back into him and covered her mouth with his hand. A unknowingly had begun to whimper from what she was witnessing. Her mother watched the man warily, though she looked tired and sped at her stomach, breathing heavily.

    "I hear you have a daughter.. If you give her to me, I will make sure she goes unharmed.." Said the blond-haired man.??

    "Ha! You said that so seriously, but I would never believe the words of a hunter. Especially someone like you.." Alexandra tilted her head to the side, assessing the man in front of her. "I''ve heard rumours about you.. I won''t let you anywhere near my daughter.. How many mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives have you killed? Or do you kill men also?"

    The man chuckled darkly, pulling out a knife as he approached her mother slowly. A tensed, and Dam Dam used his other hand to cover her eyes.

    "Women are much sweeter to kill.. They are so delicate.. If you tell me where your daughter is.. I will make this quick.."

    Alexandra was the one to chuckle next, "You really don''t know anything about love.. I would do anything for my family. Torture me, do what you wish, but I will not tell you where she is. For one thing, I do not know.."

    "You don''t know.. That''s a lie-"

    "She fled with some guards through the mountains. We had intel that you wereing.." Her mother continued.

    There was a moment of silence before A could hear some shuffling, the sound of a radio and the man in the room connecting to another, "Search the mountains. And also search the house."

    It seemed the man did not fall for her mother''s lie entirely.

    "Well, Luna.. I won''t drag this out.. But as it is just us.. I won''t hold back.."

    A heard the sound of a de cut through flesh, and her mother''s breath hitch and shudder. The sound of a struggle could be heard, making A''s heart race and her fisted hands mmy, she cried into Dam Dam''s hand, and it came out muffled.

    "Shh, I know.. Please.." Dam Dam''s voice cracked. He sounded like he was holding back a cry; the prince was watching everything.

    The sound of a ss smashing on the floor pierced A''s ears, and Dam Dam''s hand covering her eyes faltered before pulling away, so he covered his own mouth after gasping. A''s eyes widened, and her wolf cried out in her head. Malia wanted to rip through and attack the man, but they needed to stay quiet.. they needed to; otherwise, he would find them next..

    Before them, her mothery on the ground, the blond-haired man hovering above her as he stabbed her continuously. The violence and anger in each hit caused a bloody scene. Each stab was like a stab to her heart, and the crazed look behind the monster''s eyes made her tremble and want tosh out. Her mother had long passed, her body stopped breathing, yet the man continued to stab her. His breathing was harsh before a chuckle escaped his lips.

    A stepped forwards, but Dam Dam seemed to get a grip on himself and pulled her back, turning her tear-stained face into his chest. He whispered words offort to her, though she heard the roughness in his voice, it helped ease her. She did not know how; maybe it was because his words covered the sound of the de going in and out of her mother''s body or theugh that escaped him asionally.

    But after some time, the sounds seemed to stop, yet she did not pull away from Dam Dam. A could not face the surreal reality of whaty outside the wardrobe doors. She was still shaking in his arms even as she heard the man''s breaths calm down and his footsteps retreating until the sound of a door closed. The pair did not move from their position, afraid that it might be a trap. They waited in the wardrobe for another ten minutes, still embracing each other, unwilling to move as the gunshots firing slowly died down.

    Dam Dam finally released A; he pulled away and looked down at her. She had stared into the darkness of his hoody the whole while, the tears long dried up, and her little trembling body now still. Dam Dam touched her forehead after inspecting her; she felt so cold. Her friend grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly; her dazed eyes looked up at his concerned face.

    "We have to go, A. We can''t keep staying in here," Dam Dam''s stormy gaze was locked with hers. She could see the determination on his face to protect her and take her away.

    "Dam Dam.." She whispered, "You''re all I have left.."

    Her crystal blue eyes welled up with tears, and Dam Dam pulled her into a hug, patting her back roughly, his own way offorting her. "Shh, I''ve got you. I''ve got you.."

    "P-promise me.." She sniffled, "Nothing will," Hup, "Will happen.. to you."

    "I pinky promise to protect you.." He replied instead, with his little finger out to which she curled hers around.

    "And I pinky promise to protect you.." A whispered back, afraid to speak louder for fear of crying again.

    "Come on, we have to go," Dam Dam murmured after a few more moments offorting A. He never promised her nothing would happen to him, though, which made her chest tighten even more. A sighed and pulled away from her friend, she felt exhausted, but the sounds of fighting were still going.

    They needed to get out of there. That man was after her, and he terrified her. Dam Dam reached his hand out, and she ced her small hand into his as he peeked out from the wardrobe door. "Follow me, please. Your mum showed me a way to get out of here.." Dam Dam whispered; he waited for her confirmation to follow his orders. He knew what he was asking of her, but she saw it as putting her trust in him more than anything.

    A nodded her head, "I trust you."

 Chapter 216 - A Memory Once Lost: Part Three

    A nodded her head, "I trust you."

    With those words, they set off. Dam Dam rushed her past her parent''s bodies; he made sure to block most of the view from the bloodied scene, telling her to look at the door, guiding her around their bodyguards also. Once they were out of the room, the pair sprinted down the hallway, Dam Dam leading the way. Though A felt like she could run faster, she had to stick to his pace and follow him.

    The pair made it without any issues or confrontations with the evil men storming the estate. Though they could hear fighting and guns firing, it appeared nobody was paying attention to two small children running around. Or if the pack members did get sight of them, they waved them to keep going.

    Although they had not sprinted far in the mansion, A''s legs gave away, and she copsed on the ground. Dam Dam instantly helped her up and held her by the shoulders again; the pair stared at each other.

    "You''re doing great. We''re nearly there, okay? Can you hold on until we make it to the library? Or do you want me to carry you?" Dam Dam asked seriously.

    As much as A loved getting piggyback rides from him, today, she was not feeling up to it. She needed to be brave and strong, and so A shook her head, "No.. I''m.. I''m fine," She stuttered, her voice wavering still with fear. Dam Dam frowned but nodded his head before grabbing her hand again and leading the way.

    After more gunshots erupted nearby, causing A to stumble and fall, cowering, Dam Dam and Malia coaxed her back into action. He suddenly came to a halt at a corner and yanked her hand back behind him when she continued to go further. Once behind him, he turned and raised a finger to his lips. A nodded her head and kept herself against the wall while Dam Dam leaned his head out.

    BANG

    BANG

    A jumped at how loud and close the shots were. Her forehead creased, and fear kept radiating through her body; she was shaking again. But one look at Dam Dam''s calm demeanour pacified her. He would protect her; they would protect each other. They made a pinky promise after all, and no one breaks a pinky promise.

    A looked down after something shiny caught her attention; It was a silver bullet shell rolling past them.

    "Boss thinks they had a kid."

    "Do we know what he or she looks like?"

    "No."

    "Then how the hell are we going to find the mutt?"

    "It has white hair, like the wolf queen."

    The goons grumbled some more before A heard their footsteps running off. A tug at her hand indicated it was safe to leave their hiding spot. They began to run again.

    "Don''t look down, A. Keep looking at the ceiling!" Dam Dam warned. She pursed her lips and, for once, followed his orders.

    The only issue was, A couldn''t see where she was going. Only relying on Dam Dam, following behind him by his hand. As they passed by some objects on the floor, A didn''t see the liquid coating the surface and her pink shoe slipped.

    A''s hands iled out to stop the brunt of the fall. Her knees smacked harshly onto the wet ground, and her handsnded in something warm and sticky. Her doe-like eyes widened even more when she caught sight of the blood her hands and knees were in. She looked to her sides and saw two bodies; the one on her right was one of her bodyguards. Hey there, with holes in his chest, blood seeping out, his ssy eyes looking up.

    A gasped, inhaling deeply and felt herself about to scream until a hand covered her mouth. Her tearful face looked up into a pair of fierce stormy eyes. Dam Dam.

    "That''s right, A. Just watch me. You''re okay.." He helped her up and, this time put her on his back. Her arms clung around his neck and hid her face in the back of his hoody, clenching her eyes shut. She felt the vibrations and jarring of her body from where he ran through the halls.

    "Dam Dam will save us. We will be out soon.." Malia consoled her, and it seemed like she was reassuring herself. A could hear the thickness in her wolf''s voice. She, too, had been crying.

    "We a-are safe. But mum.."

    "I know," Malia interrupted with a hup.

    "And daaaad¡­" A clenched her eyes shut even more and let the silent tears flow down her face. Soaking the top part of Dam Dam''s hoody.

    After a while, her tense body rxed after feeling Dam Dam abruptly stop. A looked up at and found herself inside the library in front of a bookcase. She climbed down and watched as Dam Dam searched the books until he grabbed a thick, blue leather book and pulled it out at an angle, causing an immediate loud mechanic ''click'' sound from behind it. The bookcase opened a fraction, and A stared at it wide-eyed.

    There was a secret passageway!? This was why they were at the library!

    "A, can you reach around it for me.. be careful, though.." Dam Dam asked her. A instantly followed his request, not thinking much of it, but she pulled her hand back with a gasp.

    Something pricked her finger. "Ow!" A held onto her finger and stared down at it before cing it in her mouth.

    Suddenly, a small rumbling sound came from the bookshelf, and the pair stepped back as the furniture opened by itself, showing a darkened, grey stone hallway behind it. A''s eyes widened, and she forgot about the throbbing pain in her finger. But Dam Dam didn''t seem fazed and instantly grabbed her wrist and pulled her forwards.

    "This is creepy!" A moaned, inching closer to Dam Dam. Fear began to surface her features as the prince half dragged her through the hallway. They stopped and stared as the wall closed behind them, and the path suddenly lit up by the torches on the walls A did not see before.

    "Let''s keep going. We aren''t out of this yet! I''ve got you.. Nothing will happen here.. okay?" He gripped her shoulders again, and she nodded her head, epting the hand he reached out to her.

 Chapter 217 - The Basement

    **** Content Warning ****

    The following chapter contains scenes of torture / abuse. Please read at your own discretion.

    ----------------------------------------

    Dam Dam led the way through the creepy tunnel leading downstairs and into a space A couldn''t quite believe was underground the mansion. She stared at everything in wonder, "Wow!"

    Dam Dam ran ahead and smashed the ss where the shotguns were hanging and..

    "A.."

    That voice didn''t go with this scene..

    Her surroundings melted away, and A came round to the familiar feeling of pain around her neck and her body feeling weak.

    "A, wake up. You''ve been asleep far too long. I didn''t even give you that much."

    That voice, the man who was in her dream, no, it wasn''t a dream, it was one of many lost memories of her childhood. But now, it seemed that one memory unlocked many, and without sleeping, she remembered what happened next. It was rtively simple; she and Damon ran down the secret passageway, he knew the route, and by the end of all the twists and turns, they emerged outside the cave by theke twenty minutester. The very ce Damon showed her for their first date.

    Damon''s pack was waiting for them along with Mandy and Andy, who A instantly ran to, their familiar faces immediately rxed her tiny body, and she finally copsed from the trauma of seeing her parents die. A and Damon only spent another two weeks together at the Blood Moon Pack; he never left her alone, consoled her when she needed it and was a friend and ymate until it was time to go. That was thest time she saw Damon until he saved her by shooting Connor in the head at the hunter''spound.

    "A," Clint whispered next to her ear, causing her to flinch with the reminder of her current circumstances.

    A fluttered her eyes open and instantly felt disorientated. Fluorescent lighting beamed down on her face with the droning sound of electricity, and the chilled, damp atmosphere made her instantly alert. She was lying on a metal table, her arms and legs mped down along with the cor on her neck. Though she was relieved, the table did not appear to be made from silver. Otherwise, the back of her legs would be in incredible pain by now.

    Her eyes searched the room, and she knew straight away where she was. It was the basement, and to the right side of her, where another stainless steel table stood with a sink, there were an array of tools. Tools that did not look too friendly towards her right now as she stayed motionless on the table. She felt likeughing, it seemed her leg from the bear trap had healed, and her chest felt fine. Yet she was going to be tortured?

    "My my, what is with that precious smile on your face?" Clint asked; his face appeared above her, shading her from the light''s beams.

    A''s smile dropped, and she red at him. She tried to move her arms and head, but the restraints held her back. He was the man that killed her mother. The man stabbed her mother more than twenty times, even after she was dead.

    Clint tilted his head to the side with a smirk crawling up his face before wiping away a tear from her face. A did not know she had been crying, or maybe she was crying in her sleep; either way, she was not about to show him any weakness. The moment A was free, she would rip that smirk off his face. Clint''s smirk deepened, "There she is.. There''s that spark."

    A bit her tongue. Even with her anger bubbling up inside her and the desire to kill him, her senses alerted her that he would enjoy the experience much more if she reacted a lot to what he wanted to do to her.

    With a very t tone, she asked what was on her mind, "How long until you take me back to the hunters?"

    Clint pped his hands together and smiled at her broadly. "Why? Do you want to spend as much time with me as I do you?"

    "Something like that," A muttered. She knew torture was inevitable, and as much as she believed herself strong enough, staring at those scalpels, butchers, knives, saws, other bloody tools she didn''t know the name of, but she would most likely faint.

    "You''ve been asleep for a day. We only have two days left. But don''t worry." He slid his finger from the side of her temple across her cheek before tapping her on her nose. "I will visit you in thepound also."

    A flinched from his touch and closed her eyes briefly. Clint turned away from her and walked to the table of tools returning with scissors in his hands. A eyed them. Was he going to stab her with those? Instead, Clint ced his free hand on her stomach and brought the scissors to the top of her dress. A tensed as he slowly began cutting through the middle of the dress.

    "And here I thought you liked dressing me up.." A said dryly. Yes, she was making jokes at a time like this, but her mind was not keeping up with everything right now. She was nervous and scared. Nobody else was there except the two of them. She was in the middle of nowhere, where nobody could find them.

    A never thought of herself as a ''damsel in distress'', but right about now, she hoped somebody would kick down the door and save her. Her eyes flickered to the door at the other end of the room, and she sighed. Nope, nobody was going to save her.

    Clint chuckled at her dry remark. "I do," He opened the dress, so shey there in her lingerie. His eyes roamed her skin hungrily, making A''s stomach churn. He leaned forwards, so they stared at one another, "But the thing I like more than dressing you up.." He stroked the side of her face with the scissors, leaving scratch marks that did not tear through the skin. "Is leaving cuts on such beautiful skin like yours.."

    His eyes were looking at the white scratch marks on her cheek, and his nostrils red. A gulped. "Oh! Where are my manners.. You must be thirsty.. I would give you something to eat, but I think it''s best you have an empty stomach.. Don''t you agree?" Clint abruptly pulled away and returned with a cup.

    He put his free hand under her head to lift it up before cing the drink of water against her lips. A greedily drank it all. If anything, she could ask for a ''break'' to go to the toilet. She hoped. Clint seemed to keep everything sparkling clean, so he would never let her relieve herself on the table, right?

    He pulled the cup away and returned with a scalpel in his hand. A inhaled sharply at the sight of the de, the light gleaming off it.

    "Hmmm.. Now..Where should I start?" He whispered coldly. A could see his eyes roaming her half-naked body as though she was nothing more than meat about to be butchered up. She could only put her faith into thinking that he would not kill her because of how important she was to the hunters.

    A watched as he brought the scalpel down, and he scraped it across her stomach. A released her breath in stunned silence; Clint chuckled at her reaction. He used the handle to torment her. But then, in one swift movement, Clint turned the tool around and stabbed her stomach. He ripped the de down in a slow and agonising motion before twisting it around. A bit her lip and closed her eyes at the sensation of blood pooling onto her skin.

    "Why.." She sputtered, "Why do you like it?"

    Clint leaned towards her face, and she saw the crazed look behind his eyes. "I honestly don''t know. I suppose I was just born this way.." He pondered for a moment with the bloodied scalpel in hand. "Huh, I guess I''ll be the scariest fucker you''ll ever meet.. I take quite a bit of pride in that.."

    "Fuck you!" A retorted instantly.

    So much for staying calm, but when a man wants to cut you up, emotions do tend to rise¡­

    Clint smiled and brought the scalpel down to her face. One hand held her head in ce while he stared into her panicked eyes as he started cutting into her cheek. Clint pulled back and instantly went to her chest, touching her corbone area, making her shiver. A''s eyes widened; why was he where her mark was?

    Clint stared at the mark and brushed over it with the tool. "You know," He started cutting into her flesh just below her mark. She gritted her teeth as tears welled up in her eyes. What was he doing? He was making a shape.. "I tried cutting into this she-wolf''s mark before.. But it had some sort of magic on it.. Any time the knife pierced it, it instantly was flung back."

    A listened, but she couldn''t say anything as she focused on her breathing.

    "The good thing about you mutts, though.. Is that you always heal.." Clint said in a sing-song voice. The man was in a world of his own as he started to whistle a tune while he continued carving into her.

    "If you give me wolfsbane¡­" She sucked in a sharp breath as he cut into the same flesh again, "I won''t heal quickly.. There''s.. ugh¡­ There''s only.. so much," She felt sick, "you can.. do.."

    Clint chuckled and pulled away. A watched as he tilted his head to the side and looked at what he carved onto her skin like it was a masterpiece.

    "Nah-ah, nice try.. I doubt even you will heal that quickly anyway without it. I am quite happy with this nk canvas.. There is also your back and areas that are still covered.." His voice sent chills down her spine.

    For the next two days, even with the number of cuts inflicted on her body, the stabs, twisting of knives and the use of the saw on one asion.. No matter what Clint did, A kept her cries and groans to a minimum. He still fed her, though it was the bare minimum, let her relieve herself, and even helped her take a shower..

    Helped..

    She felt weak from the blood loss, the wolfsbane and theck of nutrients going into her body. But Clint was all about keeping her wounds clean, along with her body and her ''precious skin''. By the end of the second day, her body was covered in cuts; some of them were ''drawings''. But the one that she despised the most was the hunter''s association symbol carved into her chest just below her mark.

    As though he too had marked her as his.

 Chapter 218 - Help Of A Huntress: Part One

    In the barn twenty meters from the cabin, Finn watched as the sun slowly descended from the heavens and hid its light behind the hills, darkening the sky to his first evening there awake. In his position tied up against the post, he still felt weak. Even with the wolfsbane slowly leaving his system, he was still leaning against silver. The silver weakened the body and still blocked him from his wolf; though its effects were not like the wolfsbane, it would only take a few minutes for his wolf to break through once more.

    Finn leaned forwards, bringing his head and neck away from the silver post. He could not remove his body from it, but the least he could do was try to get as much of his body away from it. Finn grimaced as his neck seemed to stick to the silver slightly, but he pulled away quickly, only causing himself minor pain. He stared at the floor as his thoughts returned to Sariah.

    It must have only been a few hours, but his mind seemed to go in circles. If he wasn''t thinking about escaping and about his Luna, then his mind turned Sariah. She did not return to the barn since leaving it earlier, but Finn could hear her outside the doors. The huntress was keeping guard, exchanging pleasantries to other hunters who passed by. However, he noticed that there were not many who checked up on the barn.

    He also noticed that there might only be four hunters, including Sariah. From what he listened to of the other conversations, they had no interest in seeing him or continuing speaking to Sariah. They deemed her unworthy of being a huntress and left her with the tedious task of guarding ''the mutt''. He also tried listening out for A again, but she had been quiet since her earlier cry. He didn''t know if that was a good thing or not.

    Finn whipped his head to the side at the first sound of footsteps, and the doors to the barn slid open. Sariah''s small frame entered, and she closed the doors behind her before continuing to his position on the ground. Sariah carried a water bottle and what looked to be a homemade sandwich wrapped up in cling film. While she eyed him, he eyed the sandwich questionably. Was she going to eat in front of him?

    "You look really ufortable like that.. Here.." Sariah ced the bottle and sandwich in hisp and walked behind him. Finn blinked in surprise as he felt his restrained hands loosen and his body rxed from the chains being removed from his wrists. Sariah dropped the chains on the floor and returned to sitting on a haystack at a small distance away, watching him warily.

    "Thank you?" He replied in confusion. "Why.."

    Sariah sighed, "I said I''d help you in any way I can. You''ve been in the same position for a few days.. Don''t you want to move your body a bit?"

    Finn couldn''t help but look at her in disbelief before chuckling. He nced at the opening of the barn, looking at the serenity of the valley. "You know.. I could attack you right now.. You haven''t given me any wolfsbane, and you''ve removed thest obstacle keeping you safe," Finn replied calmly, his eyes still set on the purplish, orange sky.

    "If that were the case, you would have done it by now.." Sariah said confidently. Finn whipped his head away from the scenery, looking at the girl that sent his heart racing just by looking at her. "Plus.. I feel.." Her whisper trailed off, and a pink blush spread across her cheeks.

    What did she feel? Finn wanted to ask but considering their situation, he didn''t want her to feel awkward. She was doing a lot already for him. Instead, he nned to do precisely as she said and pulled away from the post. He hissed at the silver, leaving his bareback and went onto his hands and knees with a pant.

    He could feel Sariah''s eyes on him. "I''m sorry.." She whispered sincerely. Finn looked at her before pushing off and standing tall, but his body was weak, and he stumbled slightly. Sariah jumped up and held his forearms, trying to steady the Delta. Finn looked down at her, trying to refrain fromughing, but he couldn''t help it and chuckled. She was so small, and she was helping him to stay standing.

    "Ahem, thank you, Sariah," He smiled at her and watched as she blushed again, removing her hands from his arms and looking away from him.

    "I knew wolfsbane and silver was a werewolf''s weakness, but I didn''t expect it to affect you so much.. I mean.. look at you.." Sariah raised her hands at his body. Finn tilted his head to the side, raising a brow at hermentary.

    "What about me?" He almost purred back.

    Sariah bit her lip. "Well, you''re a beast!" She eximed. Finn frowned at that; he was a beast? No, he was a werewolf.. Sariah waved her hand up and down around his torso area, "You''re shredded!"

    A beast.. She was referring to his physique? Finn burst into a peal ofughter.

    "Shhh!!!" Sariah somehow managed to cover his mouth with her hands. When he checked her body, he realised she had jumped up onto a haystack to reach his face. He nced back at her face while her hands stayed mped on his mouth, "They might hear you!"

    Finn sighed and waited for her to remove her hand. When she did, he raised a brow at her. "Did you forget the part where I was a werewolf? I can hear if anyone is approaching the barn.." He smirked at her annoyed expression before turning his back to her and stretching his limbs.

    "Oh! Does your back hurt?" She asked, peering around him.

    "It will go.." He murmured, though he knew his freedom from the post would notst long. The other hunters would not leave him entirely.

    They were full of hate, and much like the guards in thepound, they would get bored at some point and return to him only to beat the living shit out of him. He would have to put up with it as well, otherwise killing them might cause issues.

    He still didn''t know where he was and how to get to and help A. But Sariah said she would help, and so far, she even went to lengths as such as letting him free from that post.

    "You should eat and drink. Try and get your strength back.." Sariah interrupted his thoughts by holding out the water bottle and sandwich in front of him.

    "Were these yours?" He asked, taking them from her small hands.

    Sariah nodded, "But you need it more than me. I can just get some more from the car."

    Finn sat down on a haystack, opening the bottle instantly and gulping down the contents. Sariah still kept her distance, only by keeping a spot in between them as they stared out at the view. Finn put the bottle down, half of it already empty and looked at her. "Why doesn''t anyonee ''round this way?" He tilted his chin in the open door entrance to the barn.

    "Oh.. erm.. Well, thend belongs to Clint; that area is off-limits. He is in charge of us. We are only resting here for a few days after the incident at thepound.." She replied as she continued to stare at the view of the valley. The sky was now dark, but the moon shone bright, illuminating the valley and the river that rushed through it.

    Finn swallowed his first bite of the jam sandwich. Clint? That psychopath was here? Did he have A? "Does Clint have the she-wolf I heard earlier? Does he have A? Are you friends with Clint? Were you at thepound?" He asked, unable to hold back his questions, although he had much more swirling in his mind.

    Sariah nced at him with furrowed brows. "I know he has a werewolf, but I didn''t get a glimpse at them. Clint is.." She shuddered, making Finn pause from eating and staring at her fearful face. Has he done something to her? He suddenly felt hot from the fury burning inside of him. "If he has your friend, then they are probably being tortured right about now.." She whispered. "And Clint is definitely not my friend."

    "Has he touched you?" He growled. Sariah turned her head to look at him with widened eyes.

    "No, I have only run into him a few times. He freaks me out, though and scares most people." She ced some of her hair behind her ear before meeting his gaze again. "And I wasn''t at thepound. Clint called for assistance from the academy nearby.."

    Finn dropped his sandwich, now wholly focused on her. "You said academy.. How.. How old are you?" He nced at her wrist, searching for the Hunters Association tattoo, but he found none.

    Sariah smiled gently. "I am 21. I ''graduated'' this year.. And the tattoo isn''t a symbol ofpleting the academy but of your first kill.." She exined.

    Finn nodded his head. When she said the academy, he wondered just how young she was, but 21 was fine. And now he also knew more about those tattoos, he presumed every hunter would have it, but this was not the case? "Are there a lot of hunters without the tattoo?" He asked curiously before picking up his sandwich and finishing it off. He was famished and only eating politely in front of Sariah. Otherwise, he would have stuffed his face by now.

    "Most hunters have it once they graduate. We are put on a mission to test our skills.." She nced at him nervously.

    "Did you fail it then? Is the meaning of it to kill as many creatures or some shit?" He spat. Disgusted by the hunters'' ways once more, he remembered again how his old pack, friends, and family were dead.

    Sariah gulped after reading his features. "I did not fail.." She whispered, "I was allowed to pass." She did not add any more, and Finn decided he didn''t want to know.

    This was ridiculous. Sariah was her mate but had a past with the hunters¡­ He closed his eyes and sighed before staring at her intently. "Are you sure you want to help me?" He asked her sternly.

    Sariah nodded her head, the determination apparent on it. "I do. I''ve never agreed to the hunters'' beliefs.. None of it is right.."

    "If you don''t believe in any of it, then why are you with them?" Finn asked; his voice was a little terse, but he needed to know more about his mate.

    Sariah chuckled without any amusement. "I didn''t have a choice.. My family.. Anyway, not everyone wants to be a hunter. It is just expected of us," She said dryly.

    Finn nodded his head, "I understand.. Chase said something simr.."

    Sariah''s eyes widened again, "Wait.. Chase Hunt!?"

    Finn nodded again. Chase was infamous to the creatures for obvious reasons, but in the hunters'' world, he was probably looked upon as a hero, that was until he became a traitor.

    "You know theeee Chase Hunt?" Sariah eximed in excitement.

    Finn chuckled in response, "If youe with me when I escape.. You can meet him.." Though he said it lightly, his chest tightened at the idea of Sariah getting excited over another man. Especially one who was on par with his own good looks.

    "I still can''t believe he switched sides.." Sariah smiled then frowned, "What do you meane with you? I can''te with you.. I mean.." She looked down nervously, sping her hands together, "Don''t you hate me?"

    Finn instantly reached his hand out and squeezed hers. "I can''t hate you.. Why would I? You''ve been nothing but nice to me, Sariah.. Come with me."

 Chapter 219 - Help Of A Huntress: Part Two

    Sariah stared back at Finn, dumbfounded by his words. Finn watched as she seemed to be conflicted by her thoughts; he really wanted to know what she was thinking. If he marked her, what would happen between them? Finn squeezed her hand again before looking away from her. Even if she said no, he was going to take her with him. She could hate him after, but it was for her safety.

    Sariah sighed and stood up, "Let me think about it. It''s a lot that you are asking of me.."

    Finn stared up at her, concern etching onto his features. "If I escape.. You will be held responsible. I can''t let that happen," He murmured before returning to sit in front of his post and leaning back against it.

    Sariah looked at him in shock. "What are you doing?!" She whisper-shouted, ncing at the door suspiciously.

    "Your friends are returning. You should tie me up again," Finn replied calmly. His back was already burning and sticking to the silver. Sariah pursed her lips but swiftly moved to his position and started wrapping the chains around his wrists. This time though, they were left loose.

    "I will return as much as I can to get these off you," She whispered and started to walk away.

    "Wait," Finn called out. Sariah stopped and looked at him. "Can you find out where my friend is? I need to help her as well¡­ But if not, untie me, and I will search for her. My senses are better than a human''s.."

    Sariah smirked, "I graduated because my skills at sneaking and hiding are on par with like a ninja''s. Plus, if I get caught.. which I won''t, I at least won''t be as suspicious as a werewolf.."

    Finn''s brows rose at thement, and he watched in awe as she sauntered through the doors. His little huntress was like a ninja? He smiled, imagining her sneaking around. His smile dropped as his thoughts caught up to him; it was dangerous for her to be sneaking about. But what else could they do?

    He groaned to himself. The quicker they find A''s location, the better. They needed to get out of here, especially if A is being tortured. No, there was no if about it. Clint was torturing her. His hands clenched together behind his back at the thought of him touching his Luna. But at the moment, his hands were tied (literally); he couldn''t do anything until Sariah found where A was.

    That evening, Sariah returnedte into the night. She was so quiet that when Finn turned his head, he jolted in surprise to see her sitting on the haystack next to him.

    "What the hell.. you really are a ninja..when did you get here?" He asked in shock. His cute little huntress really was skilful. She was quiet enough to take him by surprise- a werewolf with incredible senses.

    Sariah shrugged and knelt down next to him, instantly taking off the chains from around his wrist. Finn hissed slightly and leaned forwards, taking deep breaths to help with some of the pain from the silver. It wasn''t as bad as wolfsbane, but it still weakened him and burned his skin.

    "Lie down. I''ll put some ointment on it," Sariah said quietly. Finn looked at her but didn''t say anything as hey on his front, his head resting on his arms as he nced at Sariah, who pulled out a small tin pot. He didn''t see the point in having ointment put on the skin. It was only going to burn again when he was up against it.

    "I''ve made sure that the other hunters won''te in here.." She said almost as if she had read his mind. She began gently applying the gel that cooled down the burns on his back.

    Her hands were so gentle, and even with the cooling gel on his back, he felt his body heat up just because she was touching him. He clenched his eyes shut, he wanted to do a lot more with more, but he couldn''t. So, he quietly epted her help while calming down his need to im her; his wolf wasn''t even released yet, he wondered how he would react to her.

    Well, he knew from watching others, it would be hard to go without her. What if Sariah didn''t ept him? Wolves didn''t always ept their mates, and she was not a werewolf, so would she not have the same intense feelings that were slowly burning beneath his skin?

    "All done," She whispered, interrupting him from his deep thoughts. Finn nced at her, their eyes locked, and a blush grew on her cheeks. Sariah looked down, closing the lid on the tin, avoiding eye contact. Finn focused more on her, and he could hear her heart racing. She was affected just as much as he was; maybe there was a bit of hope. He internally shook his head; this was not the time to be thinking about such things.

    He needed to focus, and so did she. They needed to n this carefully. From what he had observed of the valley and how quiet the area was, they were in the middle of nowhere.

    "Sariah.." He sat up and stared at her, "Do you know this area well?"

    Sariah nodded her head, "I grew up in the city Cover nearby.." She looked down then released her breath, "I wille with you.. I don''t think you can get out of this without my help. I know the roads here and where the hunters are based. All we need to do is get a car and escape in the middle of the night, right? We''ll need to leave as soon as possible.. We are meant to be moving out in a couple of days to anotherpound."

    Finn sat up and nodded his head, "Okay. Find A.. And if we can, maybe we can get out of here tomorrow night.." He replied confidently, though he felt anxious while staring at Sariah.

    She got up to leave again, this time without chaining him up again. Just as she made it to the doors, Finn called out to her, "Be careful." Sariah''s eyes widened briefly before she nodded and left through the barn doors.

    Unlike how they nned, though, the pair could not escape the following night. After Sariah sneaked around during the night and throughout the day, she returned, exining to Finn that Clint had taken A to the basement of the cabin. He also had yet to leave the basement, which caused the pair to be even more anxious. They were leaving soon, and this seemed like their best shot at escaping. After Sariah gave Finn plenty of food and pretending to inject wolfsbane into him, she returned to sussing out how to get A free.

    On the second day, his little huntress returned looking much more determined and confident, as well as a little nervous. Finn was lying on the haystacks munching on an apple she left him and turned onto his side, leaning his head on his hand as she approached him. She paused and openly gaped at his shirtless torso before catching his smirk, and in return, her cheeks heated in embarrassment. Finn wanted to tease her, but her earlier excitement was contagious, and they needed to focus.

    "What''s happened?" He asked, searching her eyes.

    "I really need to get you a shirt.." She muttered to herself. "And.. I managed to sneak into the cabin unnoticed.. He took A to the shower.." She trailed off after seeing his features harden in anger. "Erm.. But I listened to their conversation.. And he is sleeping in his room tonight as we are meant to be packing up tomorrow evening. He looked tired, so maybe he''s regaining his strength.. Well, actually, he looked psychotic.."

    "That''s not something I want to hear," Finn growled, but he held his anger down at the thought of what A was going through. His temper had been building up over thest two days, and he knew his wolf was nearly with him. The wolfsbane was nearly out of his system, and so his emotions would be out of control for a while. Until he and his wolf were back in sync. Which he knew would be hard because Sariah was also here.

    "But, do you think we can get her tonight?" Finn added, his excitement pushed past his anger, and he smiled after Sariah nodded at him. "Okay, I''ll be with you tonight. So, if we do bump into any issues, I''ll be your muscle.."

    "You do have a lot of it.." She murmured, her eyes flickered to his arms momentarily before covering her mouth and looking away as though he wasn''t meant to hear what she said.

    Finn chuckled and sat up, scooting to sit next to Sariah. He leaned closer to her, causing her to still, and her eyes widen at his sudden advancement. "You don''t need to be shy around me.. I like what I see as well," He whispered in her ear before chuckling again and pulling away from her.

    "So.. Tonight we escape," Finn changed the subject and watched Sariah rx. He couldn''t help it, but he also didn''t want to scare her. Hopefully, his wolf would chill when he came through, and hopefully, that would be tonight. It would be helpful if he was at his full strength, and if need be, so he could shift, but if the n went well, they could get away quietly.

 Chapter 220 - His Little Huntress: Part One

    That evening Finn waited patiently, sitting on a haystack, staring out at the darkening sky. Sariah brought him food earlier, but she had not been back since. It was making him nervous, and the more he waited and stared at the open doors before him, the more he just wanted to jump up and escape. It would be easy enough; his strength had returned along with his wolf.

    Finn felt much better now, though Logan wanted to shift, his wolf felt cooped up, and he was increasingly frustrated as he had yet to see Sariah. He could see her, but he was blocked from connecting to her. Logan was also 100% that she was their mate, and so he was agitated by not seeing her since returning.

    However, their wait was not long. The doors behind Finn slid open, and he whipped his head to the side to see Sariah return and actually looking like a ninja. She wore all ck, her hair up, and her face half-hidden by a mask. Finn locked eyes with her, and his body moved before his mind caught up with him. He rushed to her and grabbed her by the face; the pair stared at each other. There was no fear behind her eyes as his chest heaved up and down.

    "Mate," Finn said quietly; his wolf was pacing at the edges of his mind, losing himself to the scent of their mate and wanting to breakthrough. But Finn held him back. Sariah was not a werewolf, and she might be fearful of him if they shifted or acted too emotional in front of her. Everything seemed to click into ce by merely staring at her, and he knew he could not deal with it if she rejected him. Sariah was now his everything.

    Finn was surprised that she stood there so calmly, holding his hands that held her face so gently. Her eyes had widened a fraction, but she did not dismiss the idea.

    "Finn.." She said breathlessly, tapping his hands before pulling them away gently from her face. "I.. don''t think now is the best time for this." He could hear her heart beating wildly and see the longing behind her eyes. Sariah wanted him, he could tell, but unlike him, she was not losing control.

    Finn released his breath and took a step back, looking away. "Sorry, my wolf''s returned.." He murmured apologetically.

    Sariah tilted her head to the side, "Your wolf has returned.." She looked at him questionably but shook her head and began walking away from him, "Come on. I have moved the car into a concealed position. We just need to get A and go.."

    Finn followed behind her, stepping out of the barn doors and scanning the area as he stuck to the barn''s wall.The cabin wasn''t that far away, and it didn''t seem like the other hunters were on this side. Where were they even staying? If not the barn or cabin..

    "Sariah," He whispered, and she turned around to face him. He couldn''t help but stare at her, losing focus for a moment. She looked mysterious with half her face showing and her blue eyes being the only thing he could see. Anyone could tell just by staring at her eyes that she was beautiful. Her attire also made her look like a badass.

    Sariah stared back at him, raising an eyebrow at his silence. "Where have you been staying? And the others?" He asked what was on his mind. It seemed like she was the only girl in the group. He felt a little overprotective at the idea of her sharing a ce with the other guys. They also seemed like dicks.

    Sariah smirked, "The others have been camping out the back. They can''t wait to leave. I''ve been guarding the barn nonstop, so I suppose outside?"

    Finn frowned and stepped closer to her, "You should have slept inside the barn. I would not hurt you.." He said through clenched teeth. He couldn''t believe she was sleeping outside the barn. Was she not cold? How was she not ill?

    "I know you would not hurt me.. But if I did not stay there, then the others would return and torture you," She replied, turning her head back to look at the space between the cabin and the barn.

    "I can take care of them.." He murmured.

    "I don''t doubt that you could. But for you to escape, they also needed to stay away from you. Otherwise, a missing or beaten up hunter would cause a stir, don''t you think?" She replied over her shoulder.

    Sariah did not wait for his response and jogged the small distance to the log cabin. Finn shook his head, even with his heightened senses. It took him a moment until he could see her again. She was well hidden, crouched behind the bushes by the side of the cabin. Finn nced to the side before jogging to Sariah''s spot; she reached up and pulled him down into the bush.

    "You''re too big for this," She shook her head, "And you make too much noise.. I think maybe you should wait-" Finn mped his hand over her mouth and covered his own with a finger, silencing her further. She stared at him while he tilted his head slightly and focused on the soundsing from inside the cabin. His jaw began to tick after hearing Clint speak to someone. He presumed it was A, but she did not reply, and he heard a smack.

    "You''re so stubborn, A. Must I do something worse for you to beg for mercy? That''s all I want.. Beg me.. And I will simply stop.."

    Finn could hear everything that man said. He removed his now trembling hand and fisted both of them, closing his eyes to calm down from wanting to shift and ripping that bastard into two. His eyes snapped open in shock. Sariah ced her hands over his and gently rubbed them with her thumbs. "She will be out of there soon.." Her voice soothed him, and he found himself leaning closer to her, getting lost in those beautiful eyes that reflected a navy glow like the night sky.

    Her touch, smell and presence calmed his rising anger. Sariah was right; they were rescuing A and getting the hell out of there. Please, hold on, A.

    "Thank you," He stared intently at her, "Without you, this wouldn''t be possible."

    Sariah looked down briefly before he could see her eyes crinkling. Was she smiling underneath that mask? "I am sure you would have made it this far without me.. You''ve already broken out of apound.. I''m sure a barn in the middle of nowhere is a piece of cake to you," She winked before releasing her hands from his.

    "Pfft, actually A was the one with the grand escape n.. It seems I always need a pretty woman to rescue," He winked back and chuckled when her eyes widened, and she abruptly turned with a stiff back.

    "Ahem, anyway.. It''s prettyte now," She pulled up her sleeve, revealing a sports watch, "Is Clint still¡­"

    Finn listened again; this time, he heard A. "Please.. Clint.." A breathed heavily, "Please.. Stop.." She sounded so weak. He inhaled deeply, calming his wolf that kept wanting to break through and kill Clint. But now he heard footsteps and the closing of a door and a lock clicking.

    Finn and Sariah stood there for another five minutes inplete silence while Finn listened to the activities inside the log cabin. "He is taking a shower now. It sounded like the basement is locked, and A is still in there," Finn murmured; his voice was a little gruff as he pushed down his emotions once more. He needed to get a grip; he was useless if he couldn''t help A escape.

    Sariah nodded her head, and they waited in silence until Finn signalled to her that Clint was in his bedroom and sounded to be asleep.

    "Stay outside until I tell you toe.. I want to be in and out of there quickly. And.." Sariah looked him up and down, "I will only need you to carry A out.."

    Finn nodded in understanding and followed Sariah, who crept around the lodge. Her footsteps were silent, her movements nimble. She opened the front door and made a hand signal, gesturing him to stop and wait. Finn stayed crouched in front of the door. The lights were off, but he could see clearly.

    Sariah had gone deep into the cabin, sticking close to the shadows. Finn held his breath as she opened a door down the corridor past the kitchen and living room. Was she going to a bedroom? He frowned and scanned the cabin from his spot, searching for the basement.

    His eyesnded on some stairs behind the firece; though he couldn''t see everything from his position, he knew there was a door. Was she getting a key?

 Chapter 221 - His Little Huntress: Part Two

    [ Sariah ]

    The look on Finn''s face kept shed through Sariah''s mind as she kept hidden in the shadows of the log cabin. It must be awful to hear his friend going through such an ordeal. Sariah has witnessed the disgusting acts of what some of the hunters'' put creatures through, and she knew Clint would take advantage of what happened at thepound.

    When Sariah was first called to his cabin, she didn''t know what to expect. But she did manage to get a glimpse at the she-wolf Clint carried back with him. A had not been seen since. Sariah only knew of her whereabouts from observing Clint from afar, watching him as he exited and locked the basement door.

    Sariah crept across the hallway, her footsteps light, avoiding the creaky floorboards she scouted out previously. She felt a shiver ripple through her body as she approached the bedroom Clint was upying. The hunter was a highly intelligent man, that much she knew, and if he locked A in the basement, he would keep the key with him at all times. Even if the she-wolf was unconscious, he would be prepared for anything.

    She wrapped her hand around the doorknob to his room, slowly twisting it down and opening the door just enough for her to peek through. The lights were off, but that didn''t mean he was asleep. Sariah didn''t trust anything about Clint, he could be pretending to be asleep, or he might already know she was there. But she forced down her trepidation and focused on the task at hand; she would not let fear control her.

    She almost scoffed out loud. If her parents knew what she was doing right now.. she shook her head. It did not matter; she was already the ''ck sheep'' of the family. Sariah was the best in her ss for sneak attacks and hiding. She knew how to fight, shoot a gun and crossbow, but much to her parent''s disdain, she did not think like them and most of her ssmates. She had the skills but not the intent to kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary.

    Sariah slipped through the door and crept down to hide against the foot of the double bed. The only light in the room was from the window behind his bed. Though the curtains were drawn, the light crept through along the ceiling. Sariah kept herself in a crouching position as she slowly rounded the bed.

    She did not want to be so close to him, but there was no choice about it. Clinty on his back, his arms by his side like he was a corpse. She could smell the soap he used in the shower, and his hair was unnaturally unkempt; his chest was bare, revealing the key on a chain around his neck. This was the key they needed, and of course, it was still on him.

    Sariah nced at his face. It was cruel to see his face rxed and peaceful after the disturbing and disgusting things he has done in his life. Nevertheless, Sariah hoped this would be thest she saw of him. She slowly straightened up and leaned over him, careful with her movements as she held her breath and reached for his neck.

    Sariah worked quietly and quickly, pulling the ne away and around his head without him so much as moving. Thest of the chain slid past his hair, and she looked at the key in the palm of her hand. Brilliant! She turned on her heel and started to sneak away, unaware of the man in the bed reaching for the knife he kept hidden under his pillow.

    Sariah made it to the door and paused after hearing a slight creak in the floorboards. She instantly turned around and blocked the hand swinging towards her. Her eyes widened at the knife that sliced the side of her arm and the smug smile on Clint''s face.

    "Hmmm... What do we have here?" He drawled before pulling his knife back. "Give me the key, and this will all be forgotten about.."

    Sariah scoffed, "Yeah, right." She instantly twisted from his reach, elbowed him in the ribs before jumping out of the way from his knife.

    Finn''s footsteps thundered through the cabin, distracting Clint momentarily, giving Sariah enough time to lunge forward and tackle him to the ground. Shended on top of him and used her weight to keep him on the floor. The de flung from his hand andnded on the floorboard by the side of his face.

    Both of their heads whipped to the side, eying the dagger that still wobbled in the ground. As Clint reached for it, Sariah socked him in the nose before smacking the side of his neck where a pressure point was. His body instantly rxed, and his eyes shut with the blood pooling out of his nose.

    "Sariah!" Finn called out to her, pulling her off of Clint easily, as though she weighed nothing more than a doll.

    "I''m fine. Come on, let''s go before he wakes up." Sariah knelt down and grabbed the key again.

    "You''re injured." Finn reached for her arm, but she smoothly stepped out of his reach.

    "It''s just a scratch. I know A is in worse condition," Sariah replied, hastily walking back towards the basement. Finn didn''t respond, but he didn''t need to; she could feel the anger and despair radiating off him. She was a little surprised that the werewolf didn''t attack Clint. She nced behind her, quickly assessing his annoyingly attractive features; he didn''t seem the kind of man to kill someone when they were down.

    A gentle smile crept up her face, not that he would see with her mask on. But she couldn''t help it; Finn was really.. something. Sariah blinked in shock again at her sudden feelings. This was not the time!

    They arrived in front of the basement door. Just as Sariah unlocked it, she looked back at Finn. "She won''t be in a good state. But it won''t be long until you are both safe," She said quietly and gently touched his arm, providing some form offort hopefully.

    Sariah opened the door and searched for the light. Once she found the switch, she heard Finn gasp and rush to the center of the basement. In the middle was a metal table with the girl Sariah saw Clint bring back to the cabin. Her beautiful white hair was swept back behind her ears, her face was pale, and she had a sheen of sweat covering her forehead. But what made them both look on in horror at the stunning yet ill-looking she-wolf were the numerous cuts covering her body.

    Ay there in her bra and knickers, a nket over her feet. Thetest cuts looked to be on her inner thighs. Sariah shut her mouth after hearing Finn curse and pull his hands away from the table. She grabbed his wrist and saw the burn marks forming on his hands. The table was made from silver!

    That poor girl!

    "I''ll unstrap her," Sariah murmured, ncing at his face warily after seeing his body shake. Was this from anger? Or was it a mix of rage and his werewolf genes? His amber eyes started to glow as she removed the cor gingerly; she ced it on the side after seeing the thick cor mark of burnt skin. She was quick to unhook A''s hands and legs; the she-wolf must have passed out from the pain; she did not even stir.

    Finn came forwards after Sariah helped sit A up, her head flopped back, her hair falling back in waves to cover her mutted back. Sariah used the nket to cover her up as much as possible; even with her body burning up, she wanted her dignity in ce along with not catching a cold. Finn then lifted her up, one arm under her knees and the other holding her torso against his, her head resting on his chest.

    Sariah ced A''s hands in herp and looked at her face, blinking away the tears. A had cuts on her face and bruises, but one cut on her lips stood out the most; it was cut precisely in a nt from her bottom lip to the top lip. Even with her body covered in cuts and bruises, Sariah could see she was a stunning girl.

    "Will they scar?" Sariah''s whisper was filled with anguish. She did not know this girl, but nobody deserved this treatment. She looked at Finn''s face and pursed her lips from watching the muscle in his jaw tick.

    Finn began walking away, but Sariah jumped in front of him, speaking over her shoulder, "I should go first." She needed to protect them, and their time was most likely running out.

    Sariah led the way out of the log cabin; there were no signs of Clint or the other hunters, making her wonder if they had truly gotten away. But she refused to let herself be excited; they weren''t in the clear yet. They snuck around the cabin and raced towards the barn.

    Sariah had set up the car, but she couldn''t move it far from the others without it looking suspicious. She wanted to move it to the woods or next to the cabin, but Clint would notice and immediately be suspicious. Sariah skidded towards the ground and picked up the small bag she left behind the car''s front wheel.

    She pulled out the keys, eying her guns and her surroundings. Hopefully, she wouldn''t need to use them. She opened the back door for Finn, who climbed inside with A sprawling out across the seats and hisp. Sariah bit her tongue from the tightness forming in her chest at how protective he seemed for his friend.

    The huntress shook her head and climbed into the driver''s seat, throwing her bag onto the passenger seat. She knew what the feeling was and did not wish to confront it. She did not know the pair well enough to make any judgments.

    Sariah turned the car on and instantly put it in gear, cing her hand on the passenger seat headrest and looking out the back window, reversing the vehicle swiftly to the point it made a screeching noise while spinning it around before speeding off down the dirt track.

    "Shouldn''t we be quiet?!" Finn looked outside the windows with widened eyes.

    "Clint has sensors up ahead. Everyone will know something is wrong once we pass them. I''m making sure we have a good head start before they do." Sariah nced in the rear-view mirror as she spoke before paying attention to the road.

    She left her headlights off on purpose, though it was still hard to see. The bumps in the road rocked their bodies from side to side, and Sariah whipped her head back to look at A after hearing her whimper and sob out a name.

    "Damon!"

 Chapter 222 - Give Chase: Part One

    [ <strong>Damon</strong> ]

    After Gabriel used his vampire mind-control powers on the hunters, they were given a few locations where A and Finn may have been taken. Damon was frustrated at the turn of events, but it was better than no location. With his pack warriors in the area, he ended up splitting them into groups to search each site.

    Damon thought it might be a wild goose chase, but Gabriel was adamant that Ss and Clint had many contingency ns depending on what would happen at thepound. One thing was for certain though, the hunters did not expect Ss and Robert to be killed.

    After a day of already going to two locations, Damon mmed the car door shut behind him, and he hit the steering wheel, almost breaking it.

    "Control yourself!" Gabriel snapped as he appeared in the front passenger seat. Once again, the pair were covered in blood from another brutal attack. The only reassurance that word would not get out to the other hunters was that they were sticking to a schedule before they moved.

    Chase also confirmed this before climbing into the other car with Kane, Vinnie, and Luther. Damon growled out his frustration and forced back his ws that started to extend again.

    "Werewolves.." Gabriel murmured before raising his hands with a smirk after receiving a re from Damon.

    "A is not here!" Damon directed his anger at the vampire before turning the key in the ignition.

    "There''s still one more location," Ajax spoke up from the backseat calmly. Damon nced at him in the rearview mirror and cursed after seeing the shapeshifter sitting there naked. Ajax smirked and grabbed the nket they brought along with them, and covered up his lower body.

    "I am sure she will be there." Gabriel looked out of the window nonchntly, which pissed off Damon even more. The vampire was meant to be A''s friend, and he acted like they were going on a road trip just to kill a bunch of hunters.

    "You judge too quickly," Gabriel responded to Damon''s thoughts.

    "Is that so.." Damon growled as he sped the car up, joining onto the motorway. He didn''t need to check the speeding car behind him to know that it was Vinnie driving the other ck SUV, following them.

    They drove for another thirty minutes in silence. Each creature was lost in their own thoughts. Damon''s tight grip on the steering wheel never faltered. If A was not at the next location, he knew he was going to lose his shit. Darius had been very close to the surface of his mind all day, making Damon feel more wolf than man at the moment.

    He nced at the other side of the motorway after he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Gabriel and Ajax also straightened. Before Damon couldmand Ajax to shift, the window was already open, and the shapeshifter disappeared from view. A car sped past at high speed on the opposite side of the road, swerving in and out of the others dangerously close, followed by three other vehicles.

    Damon couldn''t help but check the sky, and for the ck falcon, he knew he would be flying to catch up to the cars and checking to see if A was in one of them. His instincts told him she was there, and without questioning his gut feeling, he drove towards the exit, ready to follow those cars.

    [ <strong>Ajax</strong> ]

    Ajax flew above and caught up to the car chase. He lowered himself down enough to check to see who was in the car. He didn''t know who the woman was but one look into the backseat, and he felt his heart almost burst through his chest.

    A and Finn!

    "Finn! Open the window!" He mind-linked the werewolf. Finn straightened in his seated position, startled by Ajax''s voice before turning his head to the side. It took him a moment toe to terms with a falcon flying by the side of the car.

    "Hurry up! This is dangerous for me as well, you know!" Ajax managed to fly around a car in the fastne before whizzing back and into the now open window. He shifted on the spot and stayed crouched down in front of the back seat. He instantly stilled after seeing the state A was in.

    She was lying on the backseat, her head in Finn''sp, her body covered by a nket. But not only was she pale and ill-looking, but there were cuts on her face, one deeper on her lips. Ajax stroked her hair-

    "What the hell!? Who is this!?"

    He halted and looked at the girl driving, who clutched at the steering wheel again after nearly losing control of the car from his appearance. "Finn, who''s the girl?" He asked quietly before gripping at the front passenger seat for bnce from the sudden swerve to the side.

    "Sariah, Ajax.. Ajax.. Sariah. She''s the one that helped us escape."

    "Finn mind-link Damon and Kane. Damon should know by now as I haven''t returned." Ajax ordered and looked out of the window at the three cars catching up. "Sariah, what a lovely name.. I''d love to get to know you more, but right now, we seem to be in a bit of a pickle! Please say you have weapons?"

    Sariah reached her hand out to the side and threw the bag back towards him. Ajax opened it and grinned at the handguns and ammunition packed inside. He started to climb into the front passenger seat but was abruptly yanked back down to the floor again.

    "You''re fricken naked, Ajax. Take my seat. I''ll go up front," Finn growled. Ajax''s eyes widened at the fierce expression on Finn''s features before he grinned back and shrugged.

    Finn lifted A up slightly, and the shifter and werewolf had to maneuver around awkwardly until Ajax was sitting down in Finn''s spot. But he instantly crossed his legs and moved A around, so she rested her head on the side of the window. He knew it wasn''t the best spot, but they were speeding in a car being chased by hunters. It was going to be bumpy no matter what position A was in.

 Chapter 223 - Give Chase: Part Two

    Ajax kept his hands hovered above A, making sure she wouldn''t fall forwards. She was like a doll, unable to hold herself up. He put her seatbelt on, hoping that it would be enough, for now anyway, until they got rid of the hunters.

    "That''s not going to befortable!" Finn snapped. But the sound of gunshots denting the car made them duck their heads and look outside the back window.

    "We don''t have much choice!" Ajax snapped back and pulled out the guns from Sariah''s bag. "Finn, you can shoot, right?"

    He nodded his head and epted the handgun. Almost simultaneously, the pair rolled down their windows just as one of the cars came up to Finn''s side of the car. Ajax leaned out of his window slightly and aimed at the other car''s driver. He pressed the trigger finger a few times, his shot almost perfect, but the windscreen did not even break.

    "They have bulletproof windows!" Ajax shouted out and ducked back inside after being reshot at.

    "Aim at their wheels!" Sariah responded frantically before making a sharp right off the motorway.

    She sped them past the traffic queued up at a red traffic light and barely made it through the small gap between a lorry turning into the road. She made a sharp right turn again, skidding across the street before straightening and elerating again. Ajax whipped his head to the side and caught A before she flopped over and hit her head into the passenger seat.

    The nket fell down to her stomach, and Ajax paused again, his eyes wide at her injuries. In particr, there was a cut on her chest that made Ajax''s jaw tighten and his eyes harden. He wrapped the nket around her tightly and repositioned her again.

    He grabbed the gun again that dropped to the floor and instantly let loose a bunch of shots, aiming at the hunter''s car wheels. After three shots directly into the front wheel, he watched as the car suddenly went out of control and flew off the road. More gunshots could be heard, but it wasn''t directed at them.

    "Damon¡­" A croaked. Ajax turned back to her, but her eyes were still closed.

    "Do you think she knows he is here?" Ajax asked. He knew how mate bond''s worked, and the wolfsbane and silver blocked the pair from each other, but if they were at a close range, did they still miraculously know that they were nearby?

    "I dunno, but we need to get rid of thest two cars.. Luckily, it doesn''t look like Clint is with them.." Finn shouted over his shoulder. He was already leaning out of the window again, shooting at the other car that was closing in on them again.

    "Get back in," Sariah grabbed at Finn''s arm and yanked him back in. He looked at her confused, but she turned the steering wheel to the left abruptly and mmed into the hunter''s car. They knocked into the front right corner of the vehicle with such force that the car went off the road straight into a tree.

    [ <strong>Damon</strong> ]

    Damon watched as the car at the front whizzed past an oing lorry. He swerved the car to the side, following the hunter''s vehicles that also went onto the pavement, rounding therge vehicle. By now, Gabriel already had a gun out, his hand aiming out the side of the window as they caught up to thest car. He began shooting while Damon pushed down on the elerator.

    "Bulletproof.." The vampire murmured and redirected his aim at the car''s wheels. Damon narrowed his eyes as he felt his mark burn. A was so close to him, they just needed to-

    One of the cars ahead drove off the road and mmed into a tree. It spurred Damon on more, and he reached down into hisp for his own gun.

    "Let''s end this shit now," Darius roared in his mind. Damon held the gun against the steering wheel until they made it closer to the hunter''s car in front. Their car started to overtake them to the point where Damon aimed his gun directly at the front passenger''s head and shot him. The window was rolled down from them, shooting at the car A was in.

    Damon didn''t waste any time and shot the driver in the head, he slumped forward, and the car horn went off as the car slowed down and started to turn towards them. Damon mmed on the breaks, narrowly missing the car before turning back onto the right side of the road.

    "It''s just us now. Keep driving to Chester," Damonmanded through the mind-link to Finn and Kane. It seemed they didn''t need Chase and the others in the end, but they served as good extra muscle.

    He wanted so much to get them to stop at a petrol station or something so he could see A. Every fiber in his being was yearning for her. She was so close, only in the car ahead. But he wouldn''t risk it; they needed to get away and back into the safety of the Vampire King''snd. He was reluctant to keep using the vampire''s protection, he didn''t want to be in debt to anyone, but it was closer than Silver Thorn.

    "You will not be in my debt. I am fond of A and Finn," Gabriel murmured as his gaze stayed locked on the car ahead. "I must warn you, Alpha.. I have checked the state A is in.. it might be a bit of a shock."

    Damon nced at the vampire''s darkening gaze, and he felt a fire burning inside of him already at the rage trying to consume him. He took slow, deeps trying to calm down and the restless wolf inside of him.

    "She was tortured.." Damonmented, his question turned into a statement, one Gabriel nodded his head to confirm. Why would they torture her if her blood was so valuable to them?

    "It was Clint who took A.. Huh, there is a hunter with them¡­ It looks like we keep taking in strays.." Damon frowned at Gabriel''s remark, but he did notment.

    Darius'' growl rumbled through Damon''s chest, and his eyes shone at the intense pain he was starting to feel. When things were settled, he would find Clint and kill him.

 Chapter 224 - Safe

    **** Content Warning ****

    The following chapter references scenes of abuse. Please read at your own discretion.

    ----------------------------------------

    The cars stopped in the parking lot to ONYX nightclub. There were no queues regardless of it being a Saturday night. Gabriel must have phoned ahead and shut it down. Damon swung the door open as soon as he saw Finn carrying A wrapped up in a nket, unconscious.

    Everything else around him seemed to vanish, the sounds of footsteps, the breeze, the sight of hisrades. All he saw was his mate, her hair sticking to her pale face, covered in cuts. He instantly pulled her into his arms, his legs copsing beneath him as he held her to his chest, stroking away her hair from her face.

    "A"

    "A"

    "A"

    He wept her name. She had never looked so fragile before, even when she escaped the hunters twice before. His mate always returned seemingly unscathed though he always knew the truth of her injuries.

    This time their bond was blocked, and the look of her startled and enraged him. Without realising it, he had been rocking her back and forth.

    "Damon.." Her tiny voice snapped him out of his despair, and he stared into her half-open eyes. She reached her hand up, gently grazing the stubble on his jaws, and smiled so tenderly that he felt his heart pinch and his breathing halt. Relief flooded her eyes before her hand dropped, and her eyes shut once more.

    A was physically and mentally exhausted. But hearing her voice, feeling her in his arms settled him and calmed the beast within him. Damon stood up, his face hardening, the mask of the Alpha King back in ce. He nced at thest ck-tinted SUV arriving in the parking lot as Chase and Kane rushed out towards them, followed by Vinnie and Luther.

    Everyone except Chase halted at the sight of A in Damon''s arms, but Gabriel grabbed his arm and shook his head. Damon turned his back on everyone and went to the club''s back entrance, following through the quiet and luxurious interior until he was in the golden elevator. Damon closed the doors on purpose as Gabriel approached. Damon saw how the vampire''s eyes were locked on A''s face, and he knew he couldn''t deal with any jealous thoughts at the moment.

    As soon as he made it to the penthouse, he rushed to their room,ying A atop the bed. He slowly began unwrapping the nket and paused. His eyes roamed her body andnded on the most distinguished mark of them all. The hunter''s emblem had been cut into her skin below his mark. It looked deep and painful.

    Damon lowered his face into his hands, his mind a mixture of anguish, rage, and guilt. He failed in protecting his mate. A went through all of this because they weren''t careful enough. He stroked her hair again, this time taking note of the burn mark around her neck. Was this from silver?

    Damon clenched his teeth together. He could not imagine what A went through or if she would be the same after. His hand paused on the side of her cheek. He hoped to see her smile again and make precious memories to help hide these dark ones. Her recovery may take some time, but he would be there to help her through this.

    Damon tossed the nket aside and helped A under the quilt. Once she was covered, her body rxed more, and she sighed. Damon undressed and crawled under the covers in his boxers, instantly sliding his arms around her frail body. She tensed at the action but then rxed into his chest, sighing, "Dam Dam."

    [ A ]

    A flickered her eyes open; she did not want to wake up from her dream. No, it wasn''t a dream but another memory of her and Damon''s childhood. Her memories in between her time of being tortured by Clint were the only things keeping her frompletely copsing in on herself. Malia was locked away from her, and the saddest thing she looked forward to was being transferred from Clint''s cabin and to the nextpound.

    She grimaced at the idea as her eyes finally focused on her surroundings. Blinking, she saw the high ceiling and the dark, luxurious interior of a bedroom. She felt disorientated and slightly disturbed by the warmth clinging onto her side. A''s instant thought was Clint cuddling her.

    Her body began to tremble, but she focused on her anger to stop herself from looking weak. Her eyes were wide, her heart already shot out from her chest. She slowly turned her head to the side, almost afraid of what she would find. Her shoulders instantly rxed after seeing the face of her man resting by her side.

    "Damon," Her voice trembled with the tears blurring her sight of his Greek-god-like features. His eyes opened at the call of her voice. Her tears flowed down her face, a silent cry in front of the one she loved.

    "A..I-"

    "Am I dreaming?" She interrupted. She kept her voice quiet, fearing that if she was any louder, she would wake from this dream.

    Damon shook his head, kissing her on the cheek, and slowly wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "No, this is real.. You''re safe.." His deep voice calmed her manic heart. And like a spell being lifted, A realised how silly she was being. Of course, it was real. How could it not be, his smell, his warmth, the room they were in.. It was real.

    "You are safe, A.." Damon spoke gently; his hands were still cupping her face, his silver eyes burned with love and sorrow. A closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, her shivering body rxing in his embrace. When she opened her eyes once more, she saw the tortured expression on Damon''s face.

    "I must look.." A trailed off. Thest time she looked at her body was in the shower and.. She felt sick to her stomach; her body felt disgusting not just from the marks but by those hands that touched her, wiping away the dried blood in the shower.

    "A, if I don''t clean you, your wounds would be infected." She stared into those ssy blue eyes that looked at her like she was a broken doll. No words would leave her mouth by the horror that this man both abused her body with a knife to then gently clean it. If there was no cor around her neck, no wolfsbane in her system, she would slit his throat-

    "AILA!"

    She inhaled sharply, and her surroundings melted away; her dazed gaze was now wide and staring into warm, molten silver orbs. She was trembling. How long had Damon been calling for her?

    "I''m here. You are safe," Damon stared at her intently as he repeated the exact words over again like a luby to calm a baby as he held her against his chest. The beating drum of his heart, his scent, and his words washed away the memory. His huge arms wrapped around her like a protective cage. Acting like a shield from the outside world and the memories of the past few days that tried to resurface to her mind.

    "Damon, I need to shower," She murmured.

    "Okay. Can I take care of you?" He asked so gently that a few tears escaped her closed lids. She sniffled, wondering if a shower with him would ever be the same.

    "Maybe.. But.." She gulped and pulled away, staring at him. Fear and anxiety started to build in her chest. She covered her nose and mouth with her hands. "He.. he.. cleaned me after.." Her eyes flickered away, not wanting to meet his. How would he see her? After another man touched her? She had not been raped, but he still..

    "Shhhh.. You don''t need to tell me more.. If.. Hey, look at me.." Damon gently touched the side of her face. There was no single force behind his touch, but she knew to look at him and did so on her own ount. Her saddened eyes met his burning gaze. "If you don''t want me in the shower or if there is anything else you feel ufortable with.. Tell me, A."

    A nodded her head and swallowed past the lump in her throat. She felt exhausted, but she needed that shower. Maybe it was a step in the right direction? Who knew? All she wanted to do was get this horrible feeling off her skin.

    She slowly sat up, grimacing at the pain in her body and the aches in her muscles. Damon sat up instantly, staring at her in rm. It looked as though he wanted to say something, but he held back. "I will shower. Come with me?" She asked nervously. She did not want some psychopath to ruin something between her and her mate.

    Damon had taken care of her plenty of times in the shower. She was not about to stop that. A swung her feet to the side of the bed and slowly stood up. Though her legs felt weak, she reached her hand out to steady herself and found the warmest touch of Damon''srge hand under hers. He watched her carefully but did not say anything even as she walked slowly towards the adjoining bathroom.

    A sat on the closed toilet seat while Damon nced between the shower and the bathtub big enough to fit at least four people. He turned the taps to run the bath then looked at her in expectation of a refusal, but she smiled instead in approval. Or so she helped, it felt forced, but she felt too weak still to say much.

    There was no way she could possibly stand in a shower, and maybe a bath was just what they needed. She wanted to stay connected to Damon. Although she felt very self-conscious right now with her body the way, it was. But she knew within a few days, the marks would be gone.

    Once the bath was full enough, Damon approached her slowly. Her eyes followed the rippled muscles in his stomach up to his broad chest and to his devilishly handsome face. She reached her hands up, and he lifted her up bridal style.

    A leaned her head into his chest as he kissed her head. "Help me wash it all away."

 Chapter 225 - The Kings Blood

    Following A and Finn''s return, she stayed with Damon in their bedroom for a few days until her strength returned and her mental state was better. Damon took care of her, revealing an even gentler side to him that made her love him that much more. He never pushed her to talk about what happened, and he followed her lead if their kissing became passionate, which it always did.

    A feltplete again, especially with the return of Malia and the effects of wolfsbane out of her system. Most of her cuts had healed now except for the hunter''s emblem on her chest. The bond was no longer blocked, and A could feel a wave of emotions crash into her from Damon, which immediately followed with their lovemaking to help soothe each other.

    In the days she had spent in the bedroom, Damon had sought Gabriel to help quicken A''s recovery with his blood, but he was nowhere to be found. Much to his annoyance, but A did not mind. She was happy spending her time with only Damon until they were needed to return to normality.

    But, once she felt ready to leave her room, A couldn''t help but stare at thest remaining scar on her chest in disgust. She threw on some new ck jeans and a cami top and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

    Even though she was disgusted before, she would not cover up her remaining scar. Now she had to leave the bedroom with her head held high and show that such a man and organisation would not keep her down. Without another word, she marched out of the room, followed by Damon in search of Gabriel.

    Or any vampire that could give her some blood to rid her of such a mark. However, due to the sunlight, they couldn''t find any vampires in the penthouse. But Gabriel was the king and first of his kind, he did not have such a weakness, and so A narrowed her eyes and started going directly to his study.

    "If he is not there, then we should see the others. They have been eager to see you." Damon caught up to her,cing his fingers with hers, his thumb caressing her skin ultimately to soothe her. She did feel a little chaotic, but thanks to her Alpha, she slowed her pace and took a deep breath in before rxing her muscles further and knocking on Gabriel''s door.

    "It will be good to see the others. I can feel their anxiousness," A murmured as they waited. She heard the sounds of movements on the other side of the door before the angelic sound of Gabriel''s voice floated through her mind.

    "Come in."

    A turned the doorknob slowly and walked into the study. The ce that Gabriel liked his privacy the most, yet he did not turn them away. It made her curious, but her questioning gaze was answered when the vampire''s eyesnded on the hunter''s scar below her chest. His demeanor became frosty as he gestured for them to take a seat in the two leather seats before his desk.

    Gabriel was leaning back in his chair, his ankle across his knee, his hands sped together as he stared across at them sternly.

    "I know why you are here, and yes, I have been avoiding you and this situation." The vampire began, almost immediately causing Damon''s face to darken and his silver eyes to glow in anger. A tilted her head to the side. She knew Gabriel had his reasoning, and he would exin now.

    She touched Damon''s arm bringing his attention back to her, and the fire burning behind his eyes diminished at her serenity. "Why do you not wish to give me your blood? I know it is a big deal. You are the King, but you''ve helped others before me," She asked quietly as she redirected her gaze to the vampire staring at her grimly. He smiled, yet it did not reach his eyes.

    "I COULD give you my blood, but the cost in doing so.. Is not something you would want," Gabriel replied cryptically.

    "He sounds like that damn seer," Malia piped up with a slight growl. She still did not quite like him; though her judgment of him had changed, it seemed her natural feelings towards a vampire would not change.

    Gabriel chuckled. "What is the cost? Speak normally, or you will hear my wolf grumbling some more." A tapped the armrest with her fingers, her thoughts jumping back to the damn scar on her chest. A scar that would forever remind her of her time with Clint and the Hunter''s Association, who are constantly after her.

    "A.." Damon touched her hand gently, bringing her darkened gaze back to the present. She stared into his molten silver orbs and felt her worries dissipate. Her gaze flickered back to Gabriel, who stared at her in concern.

    He cleared his throat, uncrossing his legs and leaning forwards, so his elbows rested on the desk as he stared back at her. "If I give you my blood, then you will awaken your vampire side.. Your need for blood might consume you as it does for most newborns. Though your circumstances may be different.."

    A blinked at this new revtion. She knew she was part vampire, but she did not think much more would change. A had ripped into human''s flesh before (yes, she had be quite the animal since Malia showed up-)

    "Hey!"

    A ignored Malia''s interruption to her thoughts. As she was thinking.. She had ripped into human flesh before without feeling the need to drink their blood. Was this because of what Gabriel said? She had not fully awakened. Yet, her speed was that of a vampire''s; she was sure of it.

    "Yes. The Cross family has always been quicker and stronger than most werewolves hence making them royalty. It usually shows in brute strength, but you seem to show vampiric speed more than strength. Anyway, the Cross lineage have always had their vampire powers and need for blood dormant-"

    "What if another vampire gave me their blood? Would this still be an issue? How do you even know any of this?" A enquired, ignoring the re she received from him for her interruption. She didn''t usually have bad manners, but the scar on her chest was making her agitated and impatient.

    "I know this because your dearest ancestor, Amelia, also experimented on her son. She brought him to Cassius, who fed him his blood after her blood failed in awakening the vampire in him. Once he had Cassius'' blood, he was like a newborn on steroids. But I am not sure if this was because he was only 14." Gabriel unsped his hands and stood up from his seat, turning to graze his hands along the many books in hisrge bookcase against the far wall.

    "How do you know this? Did Cassius tell you?" A asked, her gaze following his hand. He hummed in response and smiled over his shoulder. "You were close enough for him to tell you?" She was not convinced. After his storytelling, it was clear they were not as close as they used to be, especially with the whole love triangle, stabbing his brother and putting him in a coffin thing.

    Gabriel chuckled and stopped searching the bookcase, his gaze locking with hers. "Cassius swore to me he would not look for her. But she sought him out while he was traveling and I on the throne. He returned with many tales. But this one was to relieve himself of his guilt from seeing her and abiding by her wishes. Though I do believe it is also from his mere curiosity. If our roles were reversed, I would have done the same, then probably killed her.."

    The smile on his face made A shiver. Would they ever get over Amelia? She hoped so; it was not good for Gabriel to hold on to such things. Especially because he can live forever. His smile turned into a smirk before his attention went back to the bookcase.

    Gabriel''s handnded on a thick leatherback book and ced it gently atop the desk. A and Damon leaned forwards, observing the state it was in. "What happened to her son? Was it ever documented that he was half vampire, half werewolf?" Damon asked while A carefully grabbed the book. She opened the old pages and immediately looked at Gabriel in surprise after reading the first line in what appeared to be a diary.

    "Many knew Amelia was a vampire, so it was no secret their children were half-breeds. But they did not document it. The only documentation there is about her son is in that book. It was his diary. Maybe you should read it before requesting my blood again."

    "How did youe about this diary? It should have been with the others.." Damon asked usatorily.

    A merely listened to Damon and Gabriel while she skimmed over some of Davian Cross'' handwriting. She already knew that werewolves received their wolves at an earlier age in the 16th Century, so it was not surprising that Amelia made her son take vampire blood after he made his first shift. From what she could see, he wrote from the age of 14 to 18, describing his experience of being both wolf and vampire.

    "I took it after I killed Matthias. It seems Davien left it in the study. Stop ring Damon, the deed is done now." Gabriel turned away to stare out of the window, almost as if to dismiss them.

    A stood up, the book in hand, "Thank you. I will read it." She began turning to leave and halted at Gabriel''s voice in her mind.

    "I am sorry I could not protect you."

    A turned her head to see the vampire looking at her, guilt-stricken and full of worry.

    "It was nobody''s fault," She whispered and turned her back on him before his eyes couldnd on her mark again. If vampire blood was not an option she was willing to take, then she would just burn the damn mark.

    "That is your only option. Would you really want to be a crazed vampire? Sinking fangs into people?" Malia asked in disgust. A sighed and leaned into Damon, who put his arm over her shoulder once they left the study.

    "No, even for this scar. I would not risk bing an out-of-control vampire."

 Chapter 226 - Check In

    Gabriel walked back to his desk, picking up the bottle of red wine from the bottom corner of his bookcase. He held onto the bottle staring at it as A and her wolf''s words still floated through his mind. His wolf would despise A''s vampire side; it went against a werewolf''s instinct. Gabriel knew the origins of werewolves were due to him and his kind; if he and Cassius never arrived on earth, then there would be no werewolves.

    He ced the corkscrew on top of the wine and began undoing it, his back still to his desk. This wine had been saved for one person in mind for centuries. He poured it into two wine sses, sliding one of them along the other end of his desk.

    "Are you satisfied now?" Gabriel spoke to the other vampire in the room as he re-corked the bottle.

    "Hmmm, Chateau Lafite 1787. Are you trying to butter me up, brother?"

    Gabriel sat back in his chair, staring across his wine ss at Cassius. "When I first drank it, I thought of you and saved many bottles."

    Cassius sipped his ss while sauntering around his brother''s study, his other hand touching paintings and the walls like he was sizing his ce up. It was spacious, dark if not for the windows at each end of the bookcase. "How thoughtful," Cassius muttered.

    Gabriel watched his brother carefully; the vampire had been waiting outside, hiding in the shadows after their heated discussion ended with A and Damon''s sudden appearance. Gabriel sipped his wine, humming in appreciation at the taste. Cassius turned to face him and put his half empty ss on the desk.

    "Though I do not wish to share another drink with you. Did you think I would be grateful when you returned for me? To celebrate with your dearest younger brother in a toast of such exquisite wine?" Cassius drawled before unbuttoning his suit before sitting down on the loveseat at the far wall across his desk. Hiszy gazended on Gabriel as he leaned back into the seat, his fingers ying through his shoulder length hair.

    "If you are here only to grumble, please leave. I have much work to get on with. An empire doesn''t suddenly stop running because its king''s brother wants to y." Gabriel ced his ss on the desk slowly, his icy gaze unwavering from Cassius''.

    Cassius chuckled darkly in response. "Maybe if you had not failed in doing the simplest things of protecting her. Then I would not be troubling you," He snapped back. Gabriel red at his brother and sighed after seeing him smile. "As you have just stated. You have an entire empire, an army at your disposal, and you went to the hunters with how many of you?"

    "I did not anticipate the ambush. You know that not a lot of vampires are needed-"

    "You should never have let A out of your sight!" Cassius mmed his hand down on the armrest, causing a slight cracking sound.

    Gabriel clenched his teeth together. "Then where were you?" His voice was dark and low as he kept hisposure. "Were you plotting against us while this happened?"

    Cassius stood up, buttoning his suit once more before spinning on the spot, his hair whipping behind him as he began to leave. "You act as though you know A after spending a week with her. Do you really think she would let others risk their lives for her? Do you also think her weak? Even so. You were not there to see the chaos in which we were in. I do not need to exin myself to you." Gabriel''s words made Cassius halt.

    He turned his head back, ring cier daggers at him. "Still, you let Clint mark her like a ve." He scoffed and reached for the doorknob.

    Gabriel stood then and zipped to the spot next to his brother; he sped his hand atop his shoulder. The pair looking handsome in their suits stared at one another. Mirror images, both filled with hate but one whose heart was vengeful. "Will this be ourst leisurely drink together?" Gabriel''s hand tightened on Cassius'' shoulder.

    "There is nothing more I wish to see you about. I came to check on A, and I have." Cassius shrugged his hand off before swinging the door open and disappearing.

    Even with their animosity towards one another, Gabriel enjoyed his brief time with his brother. Although he knew Cassius was ''out to get him'' and take over the throne after staying hidden for centuries. Gabriel knew he had a soft spot for him, no matter how much his brother might do, because he was just as cold-hearted.

    Though his brother''s actions of showing up only to check in on A was both suspicious and surprising. Cassius must have spies in the area because if it was he who was watching their movements, then he would show up in time to help A. Wouldn''t he?

    Gabriel sat behind his desk again, his hand turning the stem of his wine ss as he thought deeply about his brother''s actions. He wanted A, and he wanted the throne and possibly more. Would Cassius have stepped in and saved A? If he had been watching, Gabriel was certain Cassius would not intervene. He was scheming and knew they woulde for her.

    Cassius would not hold back from giving her blood. She would be a powerful ally and one that he could easily control. Both from knowing her wolf''s name and if he were the one to give her his blood.. He clenched his eyes shut at the idea of it and finished thest of his wine.

    If A ever wanted his blood after reading Davian''s diary, then he would give it to her. But he doubted she would. Their blood was like a drug, and after reading the hybrid''s diary, Gabriel understood more what ordinary people must go through once it was in their system. Though Davian''s situation was different to the average human.

    Gabriel sighed and raked his hand through his hair before standing up and putting away the papers he had been looking through all evening. He ced the folder into his desk, locking it and putting the key in his trouser pocket. Gabriel brushed down his suit jacket and started to leave his study. After speaking with Cassius, he felt restless.

    He walked towards the rooftop terrace, pausing at the ss doors as he approached and watched A and Damon join the others at the breakfast spread he ordered servants to set out. The weather was warm with a light breeze, and he knew A was starting to feel stuffy being inside all the time. Her thoughts were usually quiet, but over the past few days, he could hear them as though she was standing right next to him.

    The weather, the people and her favourite foods seemed to improve her spirits and not think too much about the hunter''s mark on her chest. Gabriel moved his head slightly at the smallest of sound that nobody would ever pick up on, but he was too sharp and aware not to notice. She was good at concealing herself; he would give her that.

    With his back to the neer, he spoke up, his voice startling her. "I do not know what it is about me that tells you I tolerate disobedience. If I tell you to have the week off, I expect you to take the week off."

    Her light footsteps walked gingerly towards him, stopping at a safe distance. "I heard the news about A.. I just wanted to check that she was okay.. Is she? .. Is she okay?" Esme''s voice was quiet. Gabriel looked at her reflection and sighed. She stood behind him, her hands fisted by her sides, her eyes filled with worry and anger.

    "She will be. She''s a strong wolf," Gabriel replied with what he hoped wouldfort the girl.

    "Strong or not. Abuse will still affect someone¡­ Anyway, if she wants to get rid of that hunter''s mark, she should just burn it off. " Esme absentmindedly touched her covered forearm before realising what she was doing and forced her arms back by her sides, a re of anger behind those stunningly dark eyes.

    How long had the little she-wolf been in the penthouse? When did she see A''s mark? He needed to be more careful with her. If Cassius saw her, he could use her to his advantage. And that was not something he would take lightly, nor would Damon or A.

    Gabriel turned around and stared down at her. "Leave, unless you wish to take on double the amount of work next week?" He rose his eyebrow at her reluctance to go, but she bowed her head and spun on the spot before rushing off. Since when did she bow or curtsy at him? He stared after her retreating form before turning to join the others on the terrace.

 Chapter 227 - Breakfast With Friends

    A walked onto the sun terrace with Damon, hand in hand. His warmth was moreforting than the sun beaming down on her, soothing her from the ufortable thoughts of her vampiric being. As they approached the grand marble table with an array of fruits, pastries and pancakes, A picked up on the usual banter that instantly made her smile.

    "Blink five times if you need me to rescue you from Finn.." Ajax leaned in close to a woman with brown hair and blue eyes; he stared at her intensely while she leaned away from him with widened eyes.

    "She needs rescuing from you," Finn growled as he yanked the shapeshifter out of the girl''s personal space before sitting down next to her. Ajax smirked and walked towards the empty chair on her right and flopping down as he threw a grape into his mouth.

    "After seeing the way she drives, I don''t think she needs rescuing from anyone. Heck, I reckon she could take us all on.." Ajax winked at the girl, who blushed in response.

    "Erm, well, I definitely couldn''t beat Chase.." She nced in Chase'' direction, who sat on one of the sun loungers, away from them, his back to the group.

    "You never know.. I haven''t trained in a while," Chase spoke over his shoulder with a wicked grin. Finn looked between the pair and frowned. But their heads whipped back when they saw A and Damon arrive at the table. Finn, Ajax, Chase and Kane instantly jumped up and rushed to A''s side.

    "How are you feeling?" Finn asked; his eyes assessed her like he was looking for any injuries.

    "Luna, it''s good to see you up and about," Kane bowed his head.

    "Chica, you''re sending me to an early grave. Swear down I''m getting grey hairs now because of you," Ajax yed with his hair and winked at her causing A to giggle and shake her head.

    Chase stepped forwards, then gaining her attention as he stared at the hunter''s mark on A''s chest and silently pulled her into a hug, ignoring Damon''s growl. A sighed and patted Chase on the back before stepping away; he held her by the shoulders, staring at her with worry-filled eyes. She had the sudden urge to worry over him too. He looked like he had not slept in a week, with a shadow of golden stubble along his jaw. It was only then she remembered Chase also lost his father; it had to be rough on him.

    A could only imagine what he was going through. Ss was horrible, and she knew he abused Chase even before he turned his back on him. But there must have been times when the pair were just like any other father and son, and that was what tormented him.

    Chase released her shoulders after Ajax nudged him in the back, pulling him out of his reverie. A also snapped out of her thoughts when Damon put his arm over her shoulder and gave it aforting squeeze. The hunter then cracked a smile, "It''s good to see you back."

    A smiled in gratitude, ncing at each of the guys, forcing her thoughts to the back of her mind. "Thanks, guys. I''m already feeling better!"

    Ajax nced at Damon and smirked, "Did the big bad Alpha not do his job properly-" He yelped and jumped out of the way from Damon''s fist.

    "Seriously¡­ this kid," Malia muttered in disapproval. But A could hear the smile in her wolf''s voice.

    A rolled her eyes but couldn''t help but smile at the normalcy of it all. It was strange; in the course of a week, she had attacked the hunters base, been kidnapped again, spent a few days recovering, and this morning discussed with Gabriel about giving her his blood. Now she was chilling with her friends once more, her mouth nearly salivating at the food on the table.

    Oh. A almost forgot about the other girl who was with them. She stood at a distance behind them, but once A''s eyesnded on her, Finn gestured her forwards, his handnding on her back as she approached. A briefly looked at how close they appeared, but of course, did notment.

    "A, this is Sariah. She helped us in our escape.." Finn beamed at her.

    A only stared at Finn for a second, observing his features and the look in his eyes as he stared at Sariah. A looked back at her, who nced at her mark and frowned. A clenched her teeth together but held her head up high; she put the cami on for a reason, and it was to show that no matter what they did, she could still stand tall against the hunters. Against Clint.

    "I am so sorry, A. I truly am. I should have helped sooner and maybe-"

    A held her hand up to stop her. "It doesn''t matter now. Thank you for helping us; it must have been difficult to make that decision," She interrupted Sariah. A didn''t need to ask to know that Sariah was a hunter, but it surprised her that this was now the second time a hunter had aided her. It made her wonder if not all of them were like Ss, Connor and Clint in the organisation.

    "You never said such a thing to me.." Chase grumbled under his breath.

    A chuckled before intecing her fingers with Damon, choosing to ignore the ex-hunter. Chase knew she appreciated him and everything he had done for her. A sighed and squeezed Damon''s fingers slightly. At the moment she felt very clingy towards him, she couldn''t help it. His touch, his presence soothed her, and maybe her mate was benefitting from it, considering how possessive he got over. Damon growled in response to her thoughts, leaning down, so his lips touched the side of her neck and inhaled her scent.

    "I can''t say I don''t hate it," He purred into her ear before nibbling on her earlobe. A turned her head, staring into his eyes, finding herself getting lost in them again.

    "Please try and refrain from such things.. I don''t want my breakfast toe back up.." Ajax interrupted their intimate moment. Damon red at the shapeshifter, the muscle in his jaw ticking.

    "Come on, I''m hungry. We can chat with food," A eximed excitedly, leaning away from Damon and pulling him along behind her towards the chairs.

    Although she returned a few days beforehand, it was spent with her forcing her food down. Her appetite had been next to nothing, but Damon''s concern vibrated through the bond, and she felt guilty for worrying him more. But now, the look of it all made her stomach rumble inint and Malia almost wanting to burst through so she could eat immediately.

 Chapter 228 - Into The Lions Den

    Not long after they started to eat, Gabriel arrived and sat down with a folder he dropped onto the table. The group looked at it in curiosity, but it seemed none of them wanted to disturb their happy mood. One nce at Gabriel''s face confirmed the severity of what was in the folder. But like the others, A wished to enjoy her food and thepany of the others. Not only would she have to listen to this news, but after, she would need to read Davian Cross'' diary, though it was more from intrigue.

    A knew already that she would not be taking Gabriel''s blood, but from a few lines she read, she knew the diary would be fascinating. How couldn''t it be? Davian was the first natural hybrid in history. He was also her ancestor and Amelia''s son.

    A ced her knife and fork down after finishing thest of her pancakes and stared across the table at Gabriel. He waited patiently and possibly knew she was rearranging her thoughts about the diary and everything that happened prior to sitting at the table.

    "What''s up?" Her voice interrupted the banter going on between the guys, and they all silenced, ncing between the pair. Damon was the only one who remained quiet while the others had been messing about.

    Gabriel passed the folder over to A and waited patiently as she looked over the confidential papers of government officials. Her brows drew together as her blood suddenly went cold. She looked back at the vampire, asking him silently if her thoughts were making up impossible theories, but the look on his face confirmed her suspicions. A sighed and flicked through the other papers, staring at each headshot image of a man or woman in a suit in control of the country.

    Damon tapped his fingers on the table as he looked over her shoulder, reading everything she was. He knew what she was thinking and the silent confirmation between her and Gabriel. She could tell through the bond, he was not that surprised by the documentation. The hunter''s hadpounds all over the country with academies and countless weapons.

    "A.. What is that?" Finn leaned towards her staring at the documents in her hands. She passed it over and nced at Gabriel.

    "Care to exin?" She was still processing what her mind already added up. However, she knew Gabriel had time to process and probably research into this more, especially with his contacts.

    "The leaders of the Hunter''s Association, the ones who had been putting money into the organisation, are government officials found in that folder. This is what Chase and Kane found at thepound.." Gabriel exined.

    The others stilled at this revtion. It meant that humans high up in the government were the ones keeping the Hunter''s Association afloat. They were probably put down as confidential or a necessary secret task force, though they would never reveal what they were for.

    Chase instantly stood up and snatched the folder out of Finn''s hands.

    "There was a lot more than this.." Chase trailed off as his brows knitted together.

    "I re-organised it. The stack of papers you stole had a lot of unnecessary details. I haven''t thrown them out, but this is easier for everyone to go through.." Gabriel locked eyes with Chase, and A could tell there could be a silent conversation going on between them.

    Chase nodded his head and passed the papers to Sariah. "I''ve met most of them. They know I am Ss'' son, and I doubt they know the ins and outs of how the Hunter''s Association work. Unless someone has already reced Ss.. Which is doubtful at this stage.. They won''t know until their next meeting with Ss that something is wrong.." Chase trailed off again as though he was deep in thought. A could see his mind working in overload.

    "We need to think about what our next actions would be.." Damon murmured as he sped his hands together on the table. A tapped the table with her finger, her mind going in different directions on what they could do.

    They were government officials. If they wanted the downfall of the hunters, then assassinating them would be the best way to go, but it wouldn''t necessarily do much about the organisation itself. It was still vast and widespread across the globe. Could they really take them down?

    "They know I am next in line to take over the hunters.." Chase continued before turning his back on them and putting his hands in his pockets. A''s eyes widened as she realised what he could be suggesting. She stood up and walked towards him, her hands fisted by her sides.

    "Chase.." She reached her hand out, but he turned around, so he faced the group; his face was set in determination.

    "I will go back to the hunters and serve as the next boss."

    "They know you betrayed them.." Kane was the first to speak after a tense silence at Chase'' statement. He did not suggest that Chase would betray them; it seemed the Beta now trusted him after seeing Chase'' actions so far for the Silver Crescent pack.Nobody there thought of the possibility of Chase betraying them, they all knew his intentions, but it was dangerous if it was ever found out that he was actually working in aid of the creatures.

    "Actually, Ss kept it under wraps about Chase'' betrayal. Only a few actually knew of it." Sariah spoke up.

    "Of course. It could never get out that the great Ss Hunt''s son betrayed them," Chase spat sarcastically. A could see the resentment ring behind his eyes. "I will go back."

    Sariah stood up then, "I will help you."

    "Won''t they recognise you in helping A''s escape?" Ajax asked. He swung his legs around in his seat, so the chair sat in between his legs. He leaned his arms against the back of the chair and tilted his head to the side as he stared at Sariah.

    "I can easily make up an excuse.. the mutt overthrew me, and I had no choice.. That sort of thing," Sariah replied with a perfect typical hunters response.

    "Oh, you''re good.." Ajax smirked.

    "Aren''t you rushing into this quickly? We need to think about this-"

    "It''s the perfect n. What else could we do? I''m in a powerful position now, A. I can control the hunters and help the creatures." Chase looked down at her in determination. She could see his mind was made up, and there was nothing she could do to stop him from doing something so risky. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and looked at Sariah, who also seemed to be fired up.

    "What about you? I''m sorry, but I''ve only just met you. Chase, Ipletely trust-"

    "Sariah is my mate," Finn stood and pulled Sariah by the waist closer to him. A stilled and nced between the pair, ignoring Ajax''s chuckle.

    A stepped forwards, blinking past the shock of what Finn said. "Mate or not.."

    "A.. If they are mated, then she won''t betray him," Malia interrupted her. A bit her tongue and stared at her Delta, then at Sariah. She did help them escape, and somehow Finn and the hunter were mates. It wasn''t like she was against it..

    Sariah slipped out of Finn''s hold and stepped forwards, sping A''s hands in her own, startling the Luna from her reverie. "Even if I were not Finn''s.." She gulped, revealing her nervousness at the idea of being mates with a werewolf. "Mate.. I would still do this." She pulled back her sleeve, showing off her wrist where A expected to see the hunter''s tattoo.

    "I have not killed a creature, though I am trained to. It was my choice not to. Who am I to judge of another being''s worth? I may have been brought up in their world, but I have never felt a part of it. I know that I am not the only one.." Sariah added, squeezing A''s hands gently. A stared into the depths of Sairah''s eyes, and she could see the truth and strength behind her words.

    A rxed and smiled. "I see you are just as honourable as Finn.. I am sorry if my words hurt you. I am just worried over my friend.." She turned her head to look at Chase, who grinned. She nced between the pair again and frowned, "But will you be okay being apart?"

    Sariah tilted her head to the side in confusion while Finn looked away, his face already looking pained by the distance. A sighed; it looked like he wasn''t going to say anything to her. She also wondered how much the hunters were actually taught about werewolves and their mates. From the puzzled look on Sariah''s face, it seemed not a lot. Or maybe it was different for a human and werewolf?

    Either way, it was not her ce to get in between mates. Sariah was determined to help Chase, and Finn seemed to want to please his mate. "Okay. But you need to stay in contact with us. Maybe once a week, you update us? I dunno, we can sort out the detailster.." A said as she removed her hands from Sariah''s and patted her on the back as she walked away.

    When A meantter, she meant it, but their discussions started straight away. It seemed everyone was excited by the prospect of having spies inside of the Hunters Association. It opened many possibilities, but A still felt ufortable with sending Chase and Sariah into a lion''s den. Could they really do so much to help them?

 Chapter 229 - Set Free From Sorrows

    The group dispersed after the long talks about Chase and Sariah ''going undercover''. A was the most worried it seemed out of the group by persistently asking questions in Chase'' n. There were many risks, and she needed to be at ease with him going and knowing each meticulous detail. One huge hup, in particr, was Clint. He was still among the hunters and knew Chase was no longer with them.

    Chase tried reassuring her that he would take care of him. But it made her more nervous than confident. However, Chase insisted that he would use the hunter''s resources in finding Clint. He was optimistic that the hunter had probably moved onto anotherpound, and it wouldn''t take too long to find him.

    After their final discussions on the matter, A was the first to stand up and stretch before grabbing the diary she left on the table. She looked at Damon, wondering if he woulde with her to the upstairs library/lounge area, but his phone interrupted her silent question.

    Damon sighed and raked his hand through his hair. "It''s the Alpha King," He muttered and answered the phone. A kissed him on the cheek as a farewell, she knew their discussions could get quite heated, and they were more so as ofte. Mainly because of their attack on thepound and the recklessness of it.

    Rumours were flowing through the packs about the death of Ss Hunt. It all started after they went to the Shadow pack to interrogate the hunters. Word of Silver Crescent, Alpha King and the white wolf attacking the hunters spread like wildfire with crazy stories. Damon was apparently already infamous for his brutality on enemy packs, and now it seemed A was bing well known. A only knew from Nairi''s text messages, who kept updating her.

    Ajax followed behind A while his gaze looked upon Finn and Sariah, who started to walk along the terrace to the railing for views of the city. Chase and Gabriel seemed to be in a silent discussion staring at each other while Kane waited by Damon''s side like a bodyguard. It seemed the only time Kane rxed was when he was Nairi, but then he was the Beta of the pack, second inmand after A and Damon''s right-hand man.

    A and Ajax walked side by side; the shapeshifter whistled a bright tune with his hands behind his head as they ascended to the floor with the open spaced lounge/library overlooking the piano and lounge area. A slumped down onto the leather armchair facing the floor-to-ceiling windows and watched the bustling city life before her. She stared quietly, watching the near ant-sized people flock across the streets, going off on their everyday mundane lives. A listened to the slow-moving traffic with the asional angry driver shouting insults. Cyclists whizzed past them, and further back in the distance was arge park providing some much-needed greenery.

    A clutched the diary to her chest as though it would disappear. Yet her thoughts were not on anything in particr. She was happy people watching. It was still surreal for her. Since the moment she went for a run in the woods, her life had turnedpletely upside down, and her life had be fast-paced to the point she had probably aged some. A unknowingly let out a sigh, getting lost in the scenery before her.

    "What ya thinking about princess?" Ajax asked, leaning over the back of her chair and staring down at her. A tilted her head back, rxing her neck on the leather material.

    "For once, Ajax, my mind waspletely empty. Is this what it feels like for you all the time?" She smirked.

    Ajax mock gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. "Are you trying to insinuate I am an airhead?!"

    A bit her lip, refraining fromughing. Ajax flicked her forehead with his fingers before sitting down on the hanging egg-shaped swing chair next to her. "You''d be surprised at how much goes on inside this beautiful head of mine," He murmured while watching her. A was still staring at the high ceiling, her fingers slowly starting to tap against the leather book she still held onto.

    "You know you can talk to Finn and me about anything. Gabriel, too.. we would probably understand more than you think," Ajax''s usual carefree demeanour was reced with one of seriousness. A lifted her head and leaned her elbow on the armrest, resting her cheek against her fist, assessing the shapeshifter.

    "You seem to look your age," She murmured, causing Ajax to raise an eyebrow but not make a wittyment. Her mouth and throat went dry, but she continued to stare at her friend. "The difference is the torture was a perversion, a release for Clint. He treated me like nothing but a living doll. Cutting me thenter washing me." A quickly looked away when she saw the pity and disgust burning behind Ajax''s eyes.

    "A-"

    "Anyway," She cut him off instantly and looked down at the diary in her hands. "It''s over with now. If Chase doesn''t find him, then I will. He not only tortured me but killed my parents... Someone like that shouldn''t be wandering around. I am most certainly not the only victim or thest."

    A opened the diary, ignoring Ajax''s stare that heated one side of her face. Ajax was watching her, but she wanted a distraction again, and what else would be more interesting than her crazy life right now? Davian''s diary. Malia was also waiting impatiently to see what the journal would say. Though they had already agreed to A not taking Gabriel''s blood, she would still read her ancestor''s story.

    "I hope you will be set free from your sorrows once he is killed," Ajax whispered, interrupting her reverie. "It felt good to rip Ss apart, but.. It would never change the past."

    A whipped her head to the side at Ajax''s words. The sorrow behind them made her chest tighten. But instead of seeing Ajax sitting in his human form, he had shifted into a small ck house cat. He hopped over to her armrest before she could say anything, then curled up on herp, purring. A held the diary up, looking down at the cat in confusion.

    She had to remind herself it was Ajax and not an ordinary cat. But after a few minutes of sitting ufortably and trying to distract herself with opening the diary, she found herself subconsciously stroking his head. The purring was indeed soothing and pushed past any sorrow and conflicting emotions swirling inside of her. Ajax may have been a flirt, but he was a friend first, and she knew this was himforting her in the best way he could possibly think of.

    If only he knew that cats didn''t usually like her like dogs did when she worked in the vets. Either way, she felt her lips curl into a small smile at his thoughtfulness, and she slowly forgot that he was indeed a man. A began to read a few of Davian''s diary pages, already getting absorbed into his life as a fourteen-year-old werewolf.

    There was not much at the beginning of the novel, only mentioning such things as his first hunt, his first challenger though he was yet to be Alpha. But after an hour of reading such things that she found delight in, her interest was piqued even more when he first mentioned his mother.

 Chapter 230 - Davians Diary

    A leaned closer to the diary at the mention of Amelia Cross.

    Davian''s diary:

    My mother is, as I suspected, a woman with a ck heart. There was a time where I loved my mother, but slowly, I came to realise her kind smile never reached her icy stare, her hugs were cold, and the sweet words any mother tells their child were empty and full of lies. Love turned into loathing and resentment.

    On many asions, I have wondered if my father, too, is of a darker nature, for how could his mate be someone like her? What fate did the Moon Goddess see to reunite such souls? My father is a good man. Did the Goddess predict he would alleviate my mother''s wickedness? s, I am the offspring of such a couple. Though my wolf hase through, I have not seen any such powers from my vampiric nature.

    This is why mother is intent on using me as her test subject. It is better me than Milo, though I doubt she would put her precious youngest son in harm''s way. Though he looks like a younger version of me, both of us resembling mother more than father. I hate it..

    A paused on that sentence, recognising Milo''s name and remembering the portraits of her ancestors she found in the mansion. They were of all the Alpha King''s and Queens of the Cross family, and it was then she realised Davian was not the one to seed the throne after Matthias. So, his younger brother did? And what she remembered of Milo was that he, too, had white hair and blue eyes. Had she read it wrong that the gene was only passed down to one sibling?

    "No, I remember you reading it," Malia added after pondering on the same thing as A. "But Davian and Milo are the first of the Cross line with both werewolf and vampire blood. So, it is possible that they both took on the gene?"

    It was possible. But was there more to it than the simplicity of keeping one person on the throne with white hair and blue eyes? "If I had a sibling.. One without this unique appearance. Would they be as powerful as me?" She murmured aloud, startling the ck cat still curled up on herp.

    "Only one can inherit the white wolf. So, if we did have a brother or sister, they would be weaker because we are the white wolf," Malia hummed in the back of her mind.

    That was true, so it must be the same for the brothers unless something happened to Davian.

    "Stop thinking and read it! It''s obvious something happened to him! Otherwise, he would have be the Alpha King!" Malia eximed her annoyance, and A rolled her eyes and looked back down towards the diary.

    ¡­

    This is why mother is intent on using me as her test subject. It is better me than Milo, though I doubt she would put her precious youngest son in harm''s way. Though he looks like a younger version of me, both of us resembling mother more than father. I hate it.

    I cannot avoid it anymore, lest I run away. Yet, my pride would not allow me. When I take over this pack, then I will cast aside my mother. I can only hope that Milo has matured and understood our mother''s ways by then.

    But would he?

    The only moments I see a flicker of humanity behind those cold eyes are for him. I do not envy him, for my eyes are open to the ugliness that is she. If Milo knew of what she is capable of, he would think it a sick joke, an illusion. But I now know. And I will try to protect him as best I can.

    But for now, I must be prepared for tomorrow. Tomorrow I meet an acquaintance of my mothers. A vampire who goes by the name of Cassius. Mother has said his blood is much purer than hers. I do not fully understand, but I hope that the experiment fails, for surely I would be nothing but a monster?

    ¡­

    A''s finger brushed over Cassius'' name in the diary, her thoughts lingering on him for a moment. Her eyes flickered to the cloudy sky outside, and she wondered what the vampire was doing. Her brows drew together at her own thoughts, but she could not help it. The vampire dide into her life; even if he was disguised as Gabriel, he still left quite the impression on her. And now his name appeared in Davian''s diary marking the turning point from when Davian the fourteen-year-old werewolf bes a hybrid.

    She flipped the page over and took note of the date and how his writing style had be messy. It was as though he was in a rush to write what was on his mind before the ink whipped off the page with a tear. Davian did not write in the diary for a month, then the intervals became longer in between, unlike when his daily ritual of note-taking.

    ..

    Cassius.

    That name will forever be engrained in my mind.

    My master.

    I hate him. But I hate my mother more for making me this way.

    ..

    I cked out again. The desire for blood overrules everything in my being. Even my wolf cannot control me. He is scared for me. And so, he should be.

    ¡­

    My wolf called to me today in my frenzied state. I was sickened at what I was doing. My fangs were in a woman''s neck, and she seemed to enjoy it as I felt the life drain out of her. But the power surging through me was like nothing I had ever felt before. Is this the blood? Or me?

    My surroundings were coated in blood. Bodiesy at my feet.

    How am I still alive?

    ¡­

    A kept flipping through the pages; it kept speaking of the blood and power rushing through him like a drug. Davian couldn''t control himself, and he had no master to help him. Davian had to figure everything out by himself. There were countless horrors written in the diary to which he woke up whenever his wolf could get through to him. A shivered in response to what she read and now knew the consequences of taking Gabriel''s blood. She would not do it.

    Her hand halted on turning the page. The writing was neater once more, and it seemed Davian was much calmer than before. It read:

    I returned to the estate. My mind is clearer than it has been in years. At my sudden appearance, the guards were in disarray, but I quickly went past them to see my family. I ran away after I unknowingly attacked ten of my pack members. I should be a rogue, cast aside and banished from the pack. Yet, when my father saw me, there was no anger but sadness and pain behind his eyes. He hugged me and cried, asking me where I had been.

    My father and now Milo knew what Amelia did to me. Milo, though a little wary of me, seemed to despise her. I believe he still loves her, but then her wickedness was never directed at him, so for that, I cannot fault him. It seems Amelia left after I did. Not in search for me but to another man. A shapeshifter.

    I can feel the sorrow surrounding my father and his temper causing him to act out rashly. His mate had left him for another man; it was sickening. Though I have not found my mate, I hope I never would. I am a cursed man swimming in the blood I so much desire. No, the power that I so much desire.

    If I wanted to, I could rule over everything. But I know this is Amelia''s true intention, and so I will not fulfil such a wish. Even though I crave power, I will satiate that need from drinking blood. I can live without it, I know that now, but the blood makes me stronger and helps with the itch to be something much more powerful.

    I was a child forced into bing a monster. But I will not fall to monstrous tendencies anymore. I will pass the throne onto Milo and take my leave. There is no ce for me anymore.

    ¡­

 Chapter 231 - Her Choice

    A turned the page and frowned. No, that can''t be it!? She kept flipping the pages, but the remaining pages of the diary were nk. A hissed and pulled back her hand, she got a papercut, and a drop of her blood spilt onto the page. She brought her finger to her mouth and stared at the diary in disbelief.

    What happened to Davian after that?

    She knew from Gabriel''s past that Matthias and Amelia were killed, leaving the pack in the hands of his son. So, Milo took over the pack, but where did Davian go? Was he still alive?

    "A, have you seen Ajax?"

    A snapped out of her thoughts and released her finger from her mouth, turning her head to look at Finn. He approached them, one brow raised when he saw Ajax''s clothes on the wicker swing and a ck cat now stretched out on herp, almost falling off.

    "Seriously, he''s so disrespectful. If I was Damon right now, I''d throw him out of the window!" Finn growled as he reached for the cat that flipped over and scurried out of herp, making a break for it. Finn and A watched as the cat jumped up and sat on the bannister of the balcony that overlooked the floor below..

    A closed the diary expecting Finn to chase after Ajax, but when he didn''t, she watched as he threw Ajax''s clothes to the ground and sat in the egg-shaped swing.

    "You know, it''s safe here, right?" A began and watched Finn''s furrowed brows and darkening gaze. "What I mean.. Is that Sariah will be going soon. You do not need to stand guard, and I give you permission to spend as much time with her as possible."

    "Luna, as much as I would like to. I cannot leave you-"

    "Delta." Her voice demanded his attention, and he sat upright. She did not use her Alpha''s voice this time, but it was a warning. "Being apart from your mate. Marked or not will be hard. Do not make memand you to do this because I know you want to spend time with her. I will also make sure that when information is provided. You will be the one to receive it. That way, you will at least see each other once a month."

    Finn scrambled to kneel in front of her and held her hand in both of his. He bowed his head, "I am always thankful to have found a Luna I can serve happily under."

    A ced her free hand above his and squeezed gently. "Finn, you really are too sweet... Come on now. If Sariah sees you now, she might get jealous," A joked and winked at him when he whipped his head up, his eyes wide in surprise and his ears reddening. He abruptly stood up and smiled.

    "Nah, she''d never be jealous of us. You and Damon are¡­" He looked at A sheepishly as she tilted her head to the side. "Well, anyone can tell you two are together from a mile away. Especially when he res at any man approaching you."

    A burst intoughter. He was absolutely right, and she felt bad for any man outside of their group to ever approach her. But she did think he was much better than previously. Maybe it was because they were marked now. Their emotions were settling down, even though she still had.. urges.

    "That''s because he so fiiine," Malia piped in on her thoughts. A bit her tongue. It was hard having a sexy Greek-god like mate; she felt like a woman with issues always wanting to jump him.

    Finn shook his head, unable to hear her thoughts, but he was looking at her like he knew precisely who she had on her mind. "I''ll go back to Sariah." He began walking away and halted after A called out to him.

    "Do you really think you will be fine with her gone?" She asked him, turning in her chair to look at him.

    Finn shrugged, "I have to be. It''s her choice, and I won''t stop her from doing something she believes will help. I think it will be different with us.. She is a human, and.. I cannot force the pack life on her."

    A frowned at his words. She was worried for her friend, but she also understood where he wasing from. Yet, even if Sariah was human, she had no doubts about their soon to be rtionship. Finn was a good man that any girl would dream of being with. She was sure from her small observation of Sariah that she was equally affected by Finn. He was handsome and-

    "Keep thinking like that, and I''ll be the one jealous," Damon growled and marched towards her. A''s expression became dazed at her mate''s sudden appearance. With A and Damon''s eyes only for each other, Finn smirked at the pair and shook his head, running off before things became steamy. He grabbed Ajax as well, holding him under his armpit as he left.

    A slowly stood up and rounded the armchair just in time for Damon to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her towards him. It had been a few days since he took charge; beforehand, he was gentle because of how fragile she was, both mentally and physically. But she could tell Damon sensed her strength return though he was still worried. Damon rxed his grip, his jaw muscle ticked as his burning molten silver eyes slowly began to flicker down, and he leaned his forehead against hers.

    A wrapped her arms around his neck and tipped her head up, meeting his lips and gently kissed him. She could feel his tumbling emotions from his conversations on the phone. He had several, one from his dad and other Alphas, along with the seer of their pack. A pulled back and looked at him.

    "What did the seer want?" A queried. His thoughts weren''t clear as it seemed her body was starting to distract him. She smirked as he growled into her neck and began kissing her tenderly down her neck.

    "Hmmm, why are you thinking of another man in my arms?" His kisses led to nipping her shoulder. "I''m right here."

 Chapter 232 - Ripped Clothes

    "Hmmm, why are you thinking of another man in my arms?" His kisses led to nipping her shoulder. "I''m right here."

    A sighed; the seer was an old man. She then yelped as he picked her up suddenly and looked down at his features, finding herself melting from his dazzling smile. Her mind went nk from any worries as their lips crashed into each other, her hands gripping his face while her legs wrapped around his back. He sucked on her lower lip, and his tongue gained entrance to her mouth, instantly intertwining with hers. A''s hands threaded through to his chin-length hair.

    Heat spread through her body as she clung to him. Her eyes snapped open after realising the vibrations through their bodies were from him, carrying her away from the library area. A nced around and instantly hid her face in Damon''s neck at being seen by Gabriel. The vampire stopped mid-step on the stairs; his face darkened, but he seemed to recover and smirked at her. Damon chuckled at her sudden shyness, but it didn''t stop him from squeezing her ass..

    A gasped and swatted him yfully as she watched the doors to their bedroom close behind Damon. She was gently ced on the bed; A didn''t let him go as he crouched over her and met her lips once more. She sighed and bit her lip as Damon pulled away and stripped off his shirt, revealing his perfectly sculpted body. Her hand went to reach for him, caressing the ridges of his abdominal muscles up to his chest as he leaned closer to her.

    A gasped at the sudden ripping sound of clothes and the cool air touching her skin. Her cami top ripped in two, revealing hercy ck bra underneath. Damon''s eyes trailed down the length of her, hungrily taking her in like she was the only one in the world he could see.

    "Because you are the only one in the world I see," Damon whispered, leaning on the bed with his forearm while he caressed her cheek. A''s hands slid from his chest and into his hair as she stared into his striking silver orbs. Damon kissed her sweetly on the lips; their tongues collided briefly before he pulled back and trailing kisses down her neck. She tensed slightly as he made it to her corbone.

    "Remember, A," He whispered and looked up at her, his hair brushing her skin. He caressed the crescent mark he left on her, sending a delightful shiver down her body. His lips then met her skin, and she gasped as heat pooled into her core at such a featherlight kiss to her mark. "This is a sign of our love. You are mine, and I am yours. The scar below will not tarnish that."

    A wettened her lips, her body rxing under his touch once more. She couldn''t help it. Whenever he was near that damned scar, she would tense up, reminded of that foul man.

    A sharp pain shot through her suddenly, and she felt her body bing light as a fluttery feeling passed through her. Damon''s canines were in her mark as his hand began to caress the side of her body, leaving behind goosebumps in their wake. Her breath left her lungs as he removed his canines from her and licked away the tiny pool of blood on her mark. She was blissfully aware that he was kissing away her pains.

    Damon had been so gentle and sweet over the past few days, and today was no different. Even with their passion for devouring each other, he was still taking care of her first. Damon continued to trail kisses down her body as his hands worked on her jeans and pulled them off along with her boots. He pulled his own jeans and boxers away, his hardened length springing free, ready and looking delicious in A''s eyes.

    She giggled at her clothes still intact on the floor. "You didn''t fancy ripping those ones apart?"

    Damon smirked as he crawled back up on the bed and rested his chin on her stomach, making her bite her lip at how sensuous he looked right there. His hands caressed her inner thighs, and he kissed her over hercy underwear. "You only have one pair left.." He replied huskily and chuckled at her shocked expression.

    "What!? How.." A trailed off and nced at the ripped material by her sides. He had been gentle but not patient enough to take clothes off her like a normal person. But she couldn''tin, she found him sexier doing it, at least they were rich to keep buying clothes. They would just need to calm down from now on; it was a waste of material, and-

    Damon pulled her underwear away; his eyes stayed on her the whole time, glowing as if to warn her that her thoughts should only be on him.

    "Well, isn''t he being nosy today.." Malia remarked drily. Damon smirked in response, buried his face between her legs without warning, and used his tongue to lick her folds. A gasped and moaned as she watched him skillfully, making her wet from his tongue and watching the deviousness behind his gaze that was locked with hers.

    A felt her core tighten and her hands w at Damon''s shoulders. He pulled away and licked his lips, still hovering above her, "What do you want, A?" He teased her as his gaze gleamed in mischievousness.

    "I want you.." She sighed dreamily as her body began to melt again. Her nerves were on edge with an electricity that only he could awaken inside of her. She wanted him in her, im her as his, like he did every day and night.

    "Not that I''mining.. But do all couples do it as much as us?"

    Damon thrust inside of her entrance without any warning, interrupting Malia''s question. A moaned at the delightful intrusion and clung onto Damon''s back with her hands. He kept his body low to hers as though he didn''t want any part of their bodies unattended by each other''s skin. He slowly slid his length in deeper until there was no more space between them.

    A sucked in a sharp breath; he was so big it was hard sometimes to deal with. Again, she definitely wasn''tining. She released her breath as he slowly pulled back his hips; their faces were inches apart, staring into each other''s eyes as he began to thrust harder and harder inside of her. Each time, rocking the bed back and causing a ruckus, but luckily for them, their room was soundproof.

    Damon pulled away and began to grab her right ankle to change positions, but A had been continuously receiving thest few days. Damon had made her feel beautiful even with the cuts on her face and body, along with the scar. Now she was fully healed; she did not feel self-conscious. A pushed on his shoulder gently, taking the lead, so he fell onto his back, and she straddled atop him.

    A smiled in response to his hungry eyes on her body, his hands on her hips squeezing in anticipation. She lifted up again and re-entered his rod, sliding down onto him slowly, taking him in even deeper while biting her lip. Damon leaned up onto his elbows before raising his hand to pull apart her lips.

    "Hold on," He growled, and with one hand, unsped her bra. "That''s better." His mouth found her nipple and began swirling his tongue around the tips, teasing her as she began to breathe heavily, her mind not focusing on what she should do with her lower body as he massaged the other breast and desire flooded her body. He released her from his devilish tongue and hand, flopping onto his back with his hands behind his head like the king he was as his queen began to ride him.

    A began to grind on him, making sure he had a show of her body. His eyes looked on at her like she was the sexiest woman alive. Every now and then, his eyes sparked and glowed, showing his control almost going to Darius. It seemed he was having a hard time while she teased him slowly.

    But in the end, she only teased herself as well. A changed positions andid her hands on Damon''s chest. His hands moved to her hips as he thrust into her; their bodies slowly coated in sweat as their pace increased and their breathing became ragged. Damon''s eyes glowed brilliantly, and within a sh, A was flipped over, and he was behind her, her legs wide open on all fours. He pushed into her, thrusting urgently and deeply; his hand snaked around her hair, pulling gently.

    "A,e for me again."

    A whipped her head around. Darius had taken over. It made sense; he was a little on the rougher side with her. She didn''t mind; it was her mate either way. She met his thrusts, and her core began building up again, she didn''t know how many times she hade so far, but A knew this time she would copse after.

    Her gasps turned into high pitched moans as Darius'' hands went back to her hips, and he mmed into her. She felt a low growl escaping his lips, and his mouth bit onto her shoulder, A moaned loudly, and they came together. Darius flipped over and pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead as she sighed into his chest. His heavy breathing and musky sweat coated body slowly pulled her into a blissful sleep.

    "You don''t know how hard it was without you, A," Darius'' regal voice whispered into her hair, unaware that she was still only a bit conscious.

 Chapter 233 - Spooky

    After dozing off and staying in bed with Damon, both sleeping and tumbling around in the sheets, the pair finally left the bedroom the following day fully satisfied. No one interrupted them, leaving the Alpha and Luna to some peace and quiet, which they knew would end soon. Today they were leaving Gabriel''s penthouse and returning to Silver Thorn to their pack.

    A found out that the seer reported a premonition to Damon that A would be crowned Alpha Queen at the next full moon. This was in three weeks, which was quite abrupt considering there was a ritual she had to heed to on the day of the full moon. This was then followed by a royal ceremony the next day where Alphas and Lunas from other packs would attend to greet their new sovereign.

    A sighed and rolled out of bed, leaving Damon and his hotness in the bed. She had a quick shower and managed to find another top that wasn''t ripped to go with her jeans and some heeled ankle boots.

    "Nairi would be proud.. No more joggers and hoodies?" Malia jested sleepily, followed by a long yawn. It seemed her wolf was still waking up, but A felt fresh even with a few tender muscles after her time with Damon.. A rolled her eyes in response to her wolf''s remark as she towel-dried her hair and returned to the bedroom again, stopping when she couldn''t find her mate.

    Hmmm, she left him naked in bed. Did he need to answer another phone call? A dropped the towel and ruffled her hair a bit before walking towards the bedroom door. But as she reached for the doorknob, a pair of muscr arms wrapped around her waist and was pulled back into a chiselled, naked body. His musky scent and warmth rxed A''s tensed body, and she tilted her head to the side for Damon to lean his head into her neck.

    "Where are you going?" He asked huskily; his nose trailed down her neck as he left a few kisses.

    A ced her hands atop his, "I was looking for you," She whispered, already feeling her body waking up to his featherlight touches.

    "Hmmm, you found me. Now, what should we do?" He hummed into her neck, one of his hands slipped under her jeans, and he began to stroke her ever so lightly atop her underwear. A leaned her head back against his chest as pleasure rippled through her body, her nipples hardening against her bra.

    "You are insatiable," She breathed. Damon chuckled, and with his other hand, he turned her head, meeting her lips with his own, his tongue dipping in immediately. A felt her willpower begin to crumble away. But Damon pulled back and chuckled again; he removed his hand from her jeans and pped her ass.

    "I think it''s you who is ravenous," He replied and began walking away. A turned around and watched his finely sculpted ass disappear behind the bathroom door.

    "Only for you, Alpha," She purred and shook her head before escaping into the hallway after hearing his stepsing for her. A giggled as she skipped away from the door, smiling back at Damon, who only revealed his torso, the rest of his body hidden behind the door as he watched her get further away from him. She saw his eyes glow and his smile turn into one of mischievousness; he mouthed, ''Later.''

    A bit her lip and saw his face darken, and a growl escaped his lips. His hand clenched onto the door frame before he retreated inside and closed the door behind him. A chuckled to herself and walked down the stairs, making her way to the dining room. They needed to leave, and if she re-entered that bed with him, they would definitely miss saying their farewells to Chase and Sariah.

    A stopped just before entering the dining room; there was another presence, one she was familiar with but not familiar enough to let her guard down. She spun around and was faced with the maid Esme. Like before, she seemed pretty skittish, her eyes ncing towards the door and back on A.

    "Hello Esme," A was the first to speak, and her voice seemed to calm the wolf, to which she was d. Damon had told her previously about Esme''s story, and she wanted to do more for her, but it was better she worked under Gabriel until they could help.

    Esme bowed her head, "Good morning, Luna," Esme''s quiet voice barely reached A''s ears. She nced at the door again, so A walked closer to the rogue, gesturing for her to walk along the corridor. Esme quietly followed behind her. A frowned at the notion and slowed her steps, so they walked side by side, taking the she-wolf by surprise.

    "Does Gabriel not know that you are here?" A murmured, still keeping her voice low. She was unsure of his location, but he might very well be in the dining room from how Esme was acting. Or she was scared that the others would see her; again, A found it understandable. Esme needed to stay hidden.

    Esme shook her head, "No. I''m meant to be off for the week. But I wanted to see you before you go."

    A tilted her head to the side. Why does she want to see me?

    "I heard.." Esme gulped and looked down, "that things happened to you with that hunter.. If you ever want to talk about things.. You know.. things you can''t talk to your mate or your friends about¡­ You can speak to me. I mean.. I hear it''s easier to talk to a stranger.. and I am a girl that helps .. a girl who you know.. well, I guess you already know-"

    A pulled Esme into a hug, halting the girl''s babbling speech. The girl''s tense body began to shake, then rxed in her arms, and she clung to the back of A''s shirt. A felt tears spring to her eyes, it was not her sadness that made her tearful but the strength it took for Esme toe forwards and speak to her about such things. She hoped to help the she-wolf as quickly as possible, but for now, she would be in Gabriel''s capable hands.

    She trusted the vampire with one of her own. Even if she did not know Esme well, already as an Alpha Princess, she thought of the she-wolf as her own. "Thank you, I will reach out if I need to, and I hope you would consider doing the same. I will listen no matter what, big or small." A pulled away and stared into Esme''s dark brown eyes. "Keep in touch with me. I''d like to know how you are doing. Plus, it''s gotta be boring hanging with vamps all the time." She winked.

    Esme smiled gently and nodded her head. "I would like that. Oh, and they''re not that bad.." She trailed off as a blush spread across her cheeks. A blinked in surprise. Did she like someone? The sound of footsteps snapped the girls out of their thoughts; A turned her head and saw Damon descending the stairs. A dropped her hands, her attention on her mate, and when she looked back to say farewell to Esme, she stood there alone.

    A turned her head around, looking for the she-wolf, but like magic, she had disappeared.

    "Spooky," Malia said with a shiver. A shook her head; there was nothing spooky about it. Esme must be good at hiding. A''s heart pinched at the idea of it, but Damon''s approach slowly made her heart flutter in happiness.

    Damon put his arm over her shoulder and started leading her towards the dining room. "I thought your stomach would beining by now. What are you doing out here?" He muttered, but she could tell he already knew from Esme''s light lingering scent.

    "Nothing really," A murmured as she nced around for Esme still. She was d to stay in touch with her; she would get her number from Gabriel.

 Chapter 234 - Farewells

    Damon and A finally arrived in the dining room, where half the food had already been eaten. The room was loud and rowdy as per usual with the group, except for Gabriel and Kane, who looked like the more ''mature'' adults out of them. Granted, Gabriel was like a trillion years old.

    "Was history not your forte by any chance?" Gabriel''s voice floated in her mind. A refrained from giggling by his ''death re'' and ignored him as soon as she saw her food and sat down next to Finn.

    After eating their breakfast and spending theirst morning together, it was finally time for the group to depart and two of the members going their separate ways. A felt herself bing more and more nervous as she watched Chase and Sariah throwing their bags into an SUV provided, of course, by Gabriel. A waited patiently as Chase, Finn, and Ajax said their farewells with their ''manly'' handshakes and pats on the back before caving in and just group hugging instead.

    A felt warmth flourish her chest by the scene before her. Chase was a hunter, and now he was epted as a friend by Ajax and Finn. A nced to the side at Gabriel, wondering how he felt about it all. After all, Gabriel had been in thepound the longest..

    Gabriel arched his brow at the scene. "Children," He muttered under his breath before sping Chase''s forearm and patting Chase''s shoulder. "Stay safe, human," Gabriel said, then pulled him closer and whispered in his ear for everyone to hear, "And if you betray us, I will greet you with death." He pulled away and smiled.

    "Well, that went better than I expected.." Malia muttered with a whistle.

    Chase smiledzily in return, unaffected by the vampire''s threat and nodded his head at Kane and Damon beforestly standing in front of A. The pair stared at each other for a moment before Chase wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin above her head, closing his eyes while ignoring Damon''s warning growl and tapping foot. A gritted her teeth together and clenched her eyes shut.

    "You better be careful," She mumbled into his chest.

    "I will. Don''t worry, A. I know these people like the back of my hand. When it''s safe, I''ll be in touch," Chase replied and squeezed his arms around her before rxing them and leaving a chaste kiss on the top of her head. A let go and watched as he turned away and climbed into the car without looking back. She sighed as worry gnawed at her chest.

    "You have seriously turned into a mama bear about that boy.." Malia snickered. "You keep forgetting whose son he is and the reputation he has among hunters and creatures."

    A knew that, but she couldn''t help it. Maybe when she hears from him next, she will calm down. At least he had Sariah with him. A heard about how the girl was like a ninja and could drive like she was in Fast and Furious. From the sounds of it, the pair of them were quite impressive hunters, and they were now on the creature''s side.

    Her eyes flickered to the side of the car, and she looked away with a small smile at the sight. Finn had Sariah trapped between his body and the vehicle as he whispered into her ear, and she smiled up at him. A did not want to intrude and did not focus on their conversation, but he kissed her cheek, and their sped hands released as he walked away from her. Sariah waved at the group with a smile and climbed into the car.

    Damon wrapped his arms around A from behind, and they watched as the car drove off into the distance. "Hmm, I don''t like his smell on you," Damon said, breaking the spell of her sadness as she chuckled at him. "I''m serious," He continued and held her tighter.

    "When are you two leaving?" Gabriel deadpanned. "You keep giving me a headache with all this.. PDA."

    Damon burst intoughter, thoroughly enjoying Gabriel''s annoyance. A''s face flushed in return, remembering the vampire catching them the previous day walking from the library.

    "Don''t worry, we''re going," Kane chuckled with them and opened the door to their car, climbing into the driver''s seat with a wave of his hand. A knew the Beta wanted to get back to his mate and be out of vampire territory ASAP, and he already had the car packed with their belongings.

    Finn and Ajax strolled up to Gabriel, looking a little nervous about what to do next. Gabriel held his hand out to Ajax first, but the shapeshifter shook his head. "Oh,e here, you dinosaur!" He pulled him into a hug and patted his back. A giggled at Gabriel''s shocked features.

    "Dinosaur?" He spat, then smiled and huffed when Finn also hugged him. The pair then ran towards the car, calling out ''shotgun'' and fighting over the seat.

    Damon sighed and raked his hand through his hair before shaking hands with Gabriel. "We will see you at the ceremony?" Damon asked him; Gabriel pped his hand atop his.

    "Of course, I would not miss it. I do not mind putting up with a bunch of cocky Alpha''s for one night," Gabriel smiled, and Damon patted his hand before turning away and pulling Ajax and Finn apart, bristling with rage at how his car might be ruined from their childish behaviour.

    Gabriel stepped towards A and bent down, gently grabbing her hand and leaving a kiss on her knuckles. A bit her tongue as he stared at her for a moment longer than necessary, her brows drew together, but the vampire smiled gently. A genuine smile, unlike his previous snarky ones.

    He straightened up, holding her hand still. "I know you are one brave and reckless woman, A Cross.. But try not to get into too much trouble before the ceremony. You will be a Queen soon."

    A looked to the side, "I think I''m more stupid than brave, but don''t worry, there won''t be enough time between now and the ceremony to get into too much mischief."

    Gabriel chuckled and released her hand. "I''m a trillion years old, A. I know the difference between bravery and stupidity. Don''t doubt yourself." He patted her head and suddenly disappeared.

    "He''s a wise old man.." Ma murmured as A began to turn away. She halted after something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. A looked in the direction of a busy street crowded with people rushing to their destination.

    And like some crazy film in slow motion, A stared at a man dressed in a suit, his white hair falling across his chest, gazing back at her with a smirk stered on his handsome features. A took a step forward, but he vanished from sight. A nced in a few directions for Cassius, but she knew he was gone.

    A released her breath and climbed into the backseat of the car until she sat in between Ajax and Finn, who failed at acquiring the front passenger seat. She looked out the back window, her mind still thinking of Cassius before she settled down and crossed her arms. She had a feeling that she would be seeing the vampire soon.

 Chapter 235 - Welcome Back

    On their return, A and Damon seemed to release their breaths by how their pack appeared in one piece with no reports on any attacks from the hunters. Nairi and Chiara did well to keep order, and there were noints from their pack members. A was taken back by their weing pack members, who stood outside the front of the mansion waiting on their return.

    Once A climbed out of the car with Finn''s hand extended out to her for help, the pack roared in excitement, pping and ''whooping'' as she walked towards them. They crowded around her almost in awe, like she was a celebrity.

    "I don''t know why you are so surprised," Damon whispered into her ear, his hand curling around her hip, slipping her out of Finn''s hold. "You saved the pack and then assisted in taking down Ss Hunt."

    At his words, the pack roared again, jumping up and down on the tips of their toes. They were so excited, A could feel the animalistic energy radiating from them. The pack was waiting to go on a run with their Alpha and Luna.

    "You can''t reject them now," Malia murmured, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.. A felt her body shiver in anticipation and the bubbling exhration at being one with the pack again.

    "I won''t hold you back from running, Malia," A replied with a smile spreading on her face. Damon leaned into her and kissed her forehead, and without saying a word, the pair began stripping down to their underwear. The other pack members cheered and started running off, either shifting straight into their wolf forms, running naked or stripping as they ran.

    A watched as the golden Beta ran off after Nairi''s wolf and a ck panther chased a ck wolf she knew to be Chiara. Finn shifted by her side, his clothes ripping into shreds on the ground, and he jogged ahead, his ears alert as he scanned the surrounding area, stopping at a safe distance, waiting for his Alpha and Luna. Damon waved his hand, dismissing the Delta, who then sprinted off into the woods.

    But before A could scurry off and shift, Damon pulled her into him, his fingers threading through her hair as he crushed his lips onto hers. A whimpered and shivered under his touch, all thoughts altogether leaving her mind.

    Damon pulled away and smirked at her, pping her rear for her to move. A giggled and started running, the grass and mud feeling amazing under her bare feet. The ripples of her body changing coursed through her, and she shifted. She could already hear Damon''s shift and sprinted ahead through the trees on all fours, not waiting for her mate.

    A wanted to run as a wolf for a while, letting the wind flow through her fur, her senses fully alert, the sights smells and sounds of the forest a calming song awakening the wolf inside. After running around with Damon and other pack members, tumbling around making her white fur messy with mud and foliage, A released the reins to Malia. Simultaneously, Damon let Darius take over and, in a haze, A watched Darius and Malia y and hunt. She felt free, even with Malia taking control of her body.

    By the time she grew tired, it waste into the evening. They did not need to feast after hunting, and so, A and Damon shifted, changing into the clothes from their bags left at the cars. There was only one set up of clean clothes left, and she didn''t want to go back to the mansion, especially with how excited everyone seemed. And so, A found herself wearing a ck denim mini skirt, along with a ck cami top and some military boots.

    She returned with Damon, who kept cing his hand on her ass and looking at her like he would devour her. Chiara and Nari were the first to pull A away from Damon and lead her towards the woods once more. The orange glow lit up the darkened woods, the sounds of the flickering mes and their pack chatting, and fights of wild werewolves made A look at her friends in surprise. A bonfire was set up in the clearing where the stalls stood tall from their previous gatherings. It truly was a weing party.

    A looked behind her, meeting Damon''s loving gaze, who was indifferent to the party ahead of them. Beta Kane, Ajax and Delta Finn stood by his sides, Kane''s arm over his shoulder as he whispered into his friend''s ears. Damon smirked, his molten silver eyes shimmering and reflecting back the orange hue from the fire. Why were his eyes so ethereal?

    "Hey, we set this up for you. Stop looking at your mate who you see all the time and dance with us!" Nairi''s words snapped A out of her reverie.

    "At least you didn''t drool.." Malia whispered in her mind. A pouted after hearing Damon''s throatyughter from behind her. But before she could check on him or reply to her wolf, Nairi was pulling her and Chiara by their hands and getting closer to the bonfire where others danced.

    Nairi was the first to start swaying her hips from side to side and giggle when both Chiara and A stood there awkwardly watching her. "There''s no music.." A pointed out the obvious.

    Nairi released their hands and raised her own, twirling around as she looked up at the sky. "Nature is our music! Listen!" She giggled again, sounding like a madwoman. A raised her brow at her hippy-like friend and nced at her Gamma.

    "Jake, Zeke!" Chira shouted, and the two warriors mbered over from their spots on the stalls. "Get a stereo or something. We need some music. How could you guys forget-" She clipped the pair over the ear, "something so simple." She finished.

    A bit her lip, refraining fromughing. The pair were 6ft plus henchmen being scolded by their fearsome Gamma. They ran off immediately; if they were in their wolf form, A imagined them looking like their tails were between their legs and ears ttened. In the meantime, Nairi continued to dance in a world of her own, though there were others the same.

    Dancing to nature? It seemed she still had stuff to learn as a werewolf.

    "A, I''m sorry-"

    "Enough. No more apologies from anyone. You are my Gamma and friend; you did exactly what I expected you to do. The children are safe, are they not?" A interrupted Chiara with her hand held up. She meant it; what happened has happened, and now she was with her friends, her family, enjoying everyone''spany at a bonfire she never expected tofort her.

    Chiara nodded her head and tucked her hair behind her ears before pulling A into a hug, quickly patting her on the back and looking away bashfully. A almostughed again; Chiara and Ajax were so different, and maybe that''s why they worked?

    "Am I allowed to return to my mate now?" Damon asked from behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek. Nairi stopped dancing and narrowed her eyes at their Alpha.

    "You''ve had plenty of time with her. Let us have our Luna!" Nairi folded her arms over her chest, almost ring at Damon, but she cringed and looked down. No one could look the Alpha, especially the Alpha King, in the eyes and argue against him without consequences, even if they were friends.

    Damon ignored Nairi and lowered his head atop A''s shoulder, looking at the side of her face. "Is that what you want?" He whispered.

    His voice sounded sad, and A knew if she looked at his devilishly handsome face, she would cave in and leave her friends for some ''time alone.'' But as much as she loved him, she couldn''t turn away from everyone. They set all of this up for them; they couldn''t leave a bonfire party.

    "Not yet anyway," Malia murmured. Her wolf was already thinking ahead. "One to two hours then we could slip away.."

    A gulped and looked at Damon''s face; his eyes burned into hers, making her mouth go dry and her head dizzy, almost giving in to what they both wanted. "I''ll see youter," She whispered and kissed his stubbled cheek. A giggled at the shocked look on his features. She listened into his thoughts andughed even harder, leaving a kiss on his nose before grabbing Nairi''s hand and running off towards the other side of the bonfire.

    Darius and Damon were so surprised by her refusal that they were almost hurt and started to wonder if they lost their charm on their mate. "No, listen to the bond," Darius growled, he sounded angry, and A could feel the need to punish her, radiating off him to where she was.

    Damon chuckled and met A''s eyes through the mes. He smirked, "Yeah, she still wants us."

    A rolled her eyes and turned her back on him, starting to sway to the music that began ying. Chiara joined them, and even she danced, showing her awkward self was actually a decent dancer. They danced to the beat of the music and even danced with others who joined them. Many wanted to speak to A and ask about her health. They were aware that A was kidnapped and tortured, and she felt their rage and admiration at seeing her hunters scar on her chest.

    After a while, A slowed her dancing down, raising her hands to the skies looking up at the stars. Her body rxed even more after feeling the cold breeze and being surrounded by nature. She feltrge hands hook onto her swaying hips, and she didn''t need to turn around to know who had snuck up on her. Her hands went behind her, and she leaned back into Damon''s broad chest; her hips still moved slowly, rubbing up against his jeans, and she smiled slyly at the hiss leaving his lips and his growing erection.

    With her eyes hooded, she nced at her friends; they, too, were distracted. Nairi''s arms were around Kane as they danced heatedly, and Chiara was sitting with Ajax, him leaning in towards her, whispering and making her smile, with Finn on the other side of him looking awkward and surveying their surroundings. The pack was still alert to any intruders, with pack members on patrol and guarding the territory.

    A dismissed any more thoughts about anyone else but her and Damon and enjoyed the music and the man who was growing impatient by her ''sexy dancing'' as his thoughts so eloquently put it. She purposely leaned her rear into him more, and his fingers dug into her skin. He brought his lips to the side of her neck and left butterfly kisses up to her ear, nibbling on her ear lobe. "You shouldn''t tease me," He growled.

    "It''s not teasing. I was warming you up," A breathed before yelping by him, suddenly turning her around. She flung her arms around his neck and met his smouldering gaze.

    "Hmmm, then I should help you warm up," He licked his lips, and she felt her heart flutter. His hand slowly lowered down past her rear and grazed her thigh. His featherlight touch made her core tighten and heat up as he slowly went up her skirt.

    "No, not here!" She mind-linked him. She was aware that others could still hear them; even though she started it, she couldn''t help but get embarrassed still. Damon smirked, his eyes burning into hers.

    "Are you sure?" Darius'' voice took over, and there was an almost evil glint to his eyes. A shuddered in delight, but she shook her head; she could not lose herself in the moment and let him do something like this so out in the open. "I think you forgot about that time at dinner.." He continued with a smirk.

    A narrowed her eyes and grabbed his hand, bringing it towards her face. Damon looked at her confused, then inhaled sharply as she wrapped her lips around the tip of his finger and began to suck. "Not here," She mind-linked again. A growl escaped his mouth and his eyes illuminated until she released his finger, and she bit her lip teasingly. Without another word, Damon sped her hand in his and led her away from the bonfire.

 Chapter 236 - Under The Moon

    Leaves crunched under A''s boots, and she found herself getting excited the further they went into the woods and away from the sounds ofughter and music. A shivered at the sudden gust of wind and wrapped her free hand over her shoulder. Damon continued to pull her away, making her strides much longer to keep up with him.

    She could feel his growing impatience and desire bubbling inside of him, which made her want to pounce on him, but she still had some restraint. As soon as the light was long into the distance, Damon spun on the spot and pushed A up against a tree. His hands clung to her hair, his lips crashing into hers, his knee pushing her legs apart. She moaned into his mouth, and his tongue slipped in aggressively, takingplete control.

    A lost herself to his touch, his kissing alone making her underwear damp. Her hands rested on his chest and slid up to his jaw, feeling the sharp edges that could cut her hand easily. He broke away from her lips and began trailing kisses down her neck, his hands lowering and groping her breasts. She sighed dreamily as his right hand lowered further and, without warning, ripped her underwear away.

    Fuck.

    "I think you should wear skirts more.." Damon murmured, his voice breathless.

    His finger slid inside of her, and he pulled his head away, staring at her like she was a delicious meal. "Always ready for me. It would be a shame if I teased you.." He said huskily, his eyes lighting up in amusement at her horror-stricken features. "But you''ve been teasing me all night, dancing with your friends," His finger began to pump in and out of her core excruciatingly slowly. "Ignoring me, shaking that sweet ass. But my patience has worn thin; I can always punish you another time."

    Wasn''t he already punishing her? His voice alone was torturous.

    A whimpered as his thumb began circling her clit; she started to move her hips in response. "Aren''t we getting a little greedy," Damon smirked, "Undo my pants, and free me."

    A obliged immediately; her fingers fumbled on his belt, and she forced herself to concentrate; she inhaled sharply from the flood of desire coursing through her being as her core tightened around another finger entering her, stretching her sweetly. She became breathless, and her legs shook from the increased pleasure.

    Finally, she pulled the zip down to his jeans and freed his length from his boxers. He felt so warm against her cold hands. "Now, show me what you did at the bonfire," He purred as his fingers left her aching entrance.

    But even though she wanted more, she also wanted to hear him groan in desire from her mouth around him. With delight, she lowered herself to her knees and looked up at him as she began to glide her tongue from the bottom of his shaft all the way to the tip. Her gaze held his as she did so, licking up the pre-cum on the tip before sucking around the head like she did his finger. Damon''s hand went into her hair, his half hood gaze watching her every move as she released him and continued to lick his length.

    He thrust forwards slightly, and she swallowed him up, almost choking on his enormous member going to the back of her throat. He began to thrust into her mouth; she kept her eyes on him and watched him tip his head back before they locked gazes again. "Good girl," Damon groaned before pulling out of her and lifting her back up like she weighed nothing.

    "Wrap your legs around me," Hemanded as she leaned up against the tree once more.

    A bit her lip as she followed hismand, her legs wrapped around his back, and she flung her arms around his neck. His hand went between them, grazing her folds before she felt his erection prod against her, entering her smoothly. A released her breath at feeling so full from the size of him.

    She looked into his steely eyes, bing breathless as he slowly thrust into her; she met his thrusts and dug her nails into him as he increased the tempo, hitting just the right spot for her core to tighten and her first of many orgasms to overflow her. Her cheeks heated at how quickly she came; her eyes widened in shock at the sound of him chuckling. "First of many, A¡­ I''ll make sure everyone will hear you screaming my name," He growled into her neck.

    Damon hadn''t stopped his pace, his thrusts bing harder, and she found herself building up again. Her breaths became ragged, her moans so sweet to Damon''s ears. He moved his hand down between them and groaned as he began to flick his finger on her clit. Her gaze became wild with desire, her hair already messy, her body still a little dirty from their tumbling around earlier.

    His little spitfire, his angel, losing her mind from him. He loved the feel of her, her scent, how she crazed for him; he could feel everything through the bond and how she clung to him like he was the reason she could breathe. But he was exactly the same for her. They were in their own haze, their bodies heated under the cool night air, their ragged breaths and the sounds of their bodies moving against the tree filling the air.

    A gasped, and he felt his length being tightened by her greedy sex; her hands wed into the back of his neck, "Damon," She breathed, almost screaming his name. He grinned and nipped at her ear, her orgasm arousing him even more. Damon released his finger from her clit and grabbed her ass cheeks, lifting her and cing her on the ground, still connected by the hips. He could see her panting, feel her legs shaking against him, and it spurred him on even more.

    The leaves and foliage crunched underneath the weight of their bodies. A rxed her legs as she caught her breath. Damon kissed her gently, but he wanted nothing more than to be rough with her. However, having sex in the forest was like a breath of fresh air and seemed to call to him more, like it was natural for them to bask under the moonlight.

    "I don''t think you said my name loud enough, angel," Damon murmured against her lips. He pulled back and stared at her almost bruised lips, reddened cheeks and dishevelled hair that seemed to sparkle under the stars. A was everything and more, stunning and ravishing, he could rip her clothes off, but he quite liked keeping them on, especially that skirt.

    "No reply? Are you embarrassed?" Damon smirked as he slowly and deeply thrust into her once more. A released her breath, her crystal blue eyes staring into his, reflecting back a burning gaze. She looked a little naughty..

    A started to rotate her hips around. "Maybe you should try harder then," She smirked, and he bit into her lower lip in response.

    "Let me take over," Darius growled in his mind. Whenever she ''acted up'', even minorly, his wolf''s dominance needed to take over. If Damon didn''t allow him to, he could take over him easily and at any time without consent. That was the only pain of having such a feral, dominant wolf.

    Damon didn''t reply as his tongue slipped into A''s mouth, as he buried himself deeper into her. He growled against her lips, his chest vibrating against hers, and he felt her breasts perk up and tighten against her clothes. Darius was pacing in his mind burning with the need to fuck her senseless. Well, it wasn''t like he didn''t get any enjoyment out of it, and so Damon released the reins to his body.

    Darius pulled away from his beloved, his eyes shining brightly like two full moons. A gulped, and he smiled at how she already knew who she was dealing with. He shrugged her hands off his biceps and grabbed her wrists in one hand, pinning them above her head. "Did you say harder?" He grinned wickedly, his eyes gleaming from how she bit her lip, her eyes lighting up in anticipation.

    She nodded her head, and he instantly began pounding into her, his hand gripping onto her wrists as his other hand slid up her shirt and found her nipple under her bra. He squeezed gently and felt her core squeezing his length, her legs mping around him once more. A began to pant, and Darius grinned, watching as her eyes glow brightly.

    A slipped away and let Malia take over. Her wolf was much more submissive to Darius, and if she kept up being mischievous towards her mate, then they probably wouldn''t be able to walk for a week again. This wasn''t the first time she let her wolf take over; she just didn''t have control over her body and just enjoyed the pleasures of their sex instead.

    "Malia," Darius majestic voice slipped through her mind, almost purring her name. But he didn''t slow down his pace or thrusts. He was relentless, the sounds of their lovemaking echoing through the woods, the pounding of their skins making Malia go wild. Darius released her hands and quickly flipped her over, pushing her chest into the ground, her ass sticking up as he entered her from behind.

    "Ah!" A groan slipped out of her mouth at the inexplicable pleasure from the deepness and angle of him sliding inside her. Malia moved her head to the side, looking behind her as Darius began to thrust into her, his hands smacking each butt cheek. She could feel her loins getting wetter and her core tightening to such a degree, she began to pant again.

    Her hand slipped down to her clit, and she took the initiative to help relieve herself. Darius chuckled and smacked her ass again before going over her more, one hand on the damp earth and the other reaching around her, groping and ying with her nipple. She gasped again, and all at once, they came together, "Darius!" Malia moaned into their mind-link.

    Her legs buckled, and she copsed to the ground. Darius caressed her back before pulling her into his chest, his fingers threading through her hair and pulling out a few leaves. Their chests heaved against each other, and the wolves kissed each other before releasing the reins back to A and Damon.

    A grinned and helped Damon pull his boxers and jeans up before snuggling into him once more. They bothughed at their shamelessness and kissed each other sweetly, gazing at each other adoringly. Neither of them cared about being on the ground as they stared up at the stars and moon twinkling against the navy dark sky.

 Chapter 237 - The Queens Schedule

    Over the course of the next three weeks, A fell into a routine, preparing for the uing ritual and coronation. She felt much better being home, feeling her pack''s happiness at their return and the light mood surrounding them. Their Alpha and Luna''s presence seemed to put them at ease.

    Within that time, A had to learn how to dance with Damon. She often daydreamed of a ''Dirty Dancing'' scene between her and her mate, but it didn''t take much for them to get hot and sweaty after their lesson. Mainly him carrying her off to another room or even lovemaking on the piano in the grand hall where they trained. They couldn''t help themselves; learning how to waltz was still skin on skin contact. Plus, who didn''t like a man who could move? Especially one who looked like Damon.

    Training also returned to normal, and A joined in, sparring with Chiara, Kane and asionally Damon. She had significantly improved, and the only one capable of defeating her now was the Alpha; he still had more experience than her and knew how to defend himself against her swift blows.

    A also received news from Chase within that time. She sent Finn and Ajax out to meet with Sariah, who was skilled enough to slip out without notice and report on their findings.. A became anxious when her Delta told her that Clint and a few others had gone missing or had yet to return to the Hunters Association. Chase was also in the process of being epted as the new head of the organisation; there were trials he and others had to go through.

    Apparently, it was obvious Chase would win with his'' set of skills'' along with his lineage of being the founding family of the Hunters Association. A was still anxious but felt much better after hearing from Sariah. But she was now more apprehensive about Clint''s location; would he return for her? She decided to put such thoughts to the back of her mind, ensuring their borders were well protected and other packs were aware of a dangerous, psychotic hunter missing.

    She could not live in fear of a man she would happily meet again only to put an end to his life. A never imagined the day she would think such thoughts about someone. The day she was kidnapped truly did change her life; up until now, attacking humans was from self-defence. Again, she put everything to the back of her mind and enjoyed every little moment with her friends, mate and family.

    The day after the bonfire, her parents decided to stay in the packhouse,muting to work until A was crowned queen. She spent a few daysforting them and receiving a scolding for her reckless behaviour. But A could also see they were proud of her now helping run the Silver Crescent pack by Damon''s side.

    A was included in pack matters, gaining more insight and helping Damon with decisions. He let her lead in some matters and pointed out issues in other decisions that she had not thought of. Their partnership as an Alpha couple was blossoming, and the pack were more in awe at the ''power couple'' who took down Ss Hunt and a small band of the hunters.

    There was also quite an urgent matter that was brought up, one A was shocked by and found it challenging toe to a conclusion. When Chiara returned to the pack with the children the hunters kept captive, most of them were able to return to their parents except the young shifter girl, who the Gamma ended up taking in. But there was another, a young boy who was the child of one of the servants in the packhouse.

    Damon and A were in the middle of discussing a minor punishment suitable for one of the ''younger'' warriors who misbehaved when the servant, Diane, came forwards, knocking on the door to their study, her head bowed with the young boy clinging onto her leg. A was leaning against the wall with Damon seated in front of his desk as Diane nervously came forwards, Finn behind the mother and child acting as their guard. A dismissed Finn, who went back to stand guard outside the study.

    The Alpha and Luna were dumbfounded after the servant profusely apologised; she wept in front of them before exining herself. A walked around the desk and handed Diane a tissue, trying to smile at the boy who hid behind his mum more.

    "Please take a seat and calm down. What has you so upset?" A asked and leaned back onto the desk while Diane and the boy sat down. A watched the boy''s concerned face, who wouldn''t meet her eyes and watched his mum with tear-filled eyes.

    Diane sniffled and held the tissue against her nose as she nced between A and Damon. "I have made a grave mistake.. One that has put the pack in danger." She began. A looked at Damon, a quizzical look in her gaze, but his steely gaze was burning holes into the top of the servants head. "My boy, he was kidnapped by the hunters and.. and-"

    "Why did you not say anything?" Damon''smanding interrupted what she had to say. Diane gulped and looked at Damon in fear before ncing down to her hands, squeezing the tissue into a ball on herp.

    "I would have. I really would, but they ckmailed me and said if I didn''t help them with providing intel, then Lennox would be tortured and never returned and.. and.." She couldn''t hold back the tears and covered her face. The young boy, Lennox, hugged his mum, hiding his face from the bristling Alpha.

    Damon sped his hands together, leaning his elbows onto the desk. A could feel his temper rising and watched his hardened face. But he spoke calmly, "Did you help the hunters in the recent attacks on the pack?"

    Diane nodded her head, "Yes," She croaked, her head still bowed in shame.

    Damon''s jaw ticked in response, and he looked at A. "What do you want to do? Normally she would be put on trial in front of the pack, and such a betrayal would end in her execution.." He mind-linked her. A''s eyes widened, and she looked between the mother and child.

    "I don''t want to put her on trial. She was ckmailed, Damon.."

    "Many pack members died.." Damon replied, his tone patient. She was also reminded of Hollie''s death, but it didn''t mean this servant needed to die.

    "Her child was abducted.." A murmured back in their mind-link. Damon nodded his head, confirming already where her thoughts were leading her.

    "We will not put you on trial in front of the pack." A began, and Diane lifted her head in surprise, her red nose and ssy eyes staring at her and holding her breath at the Luna''s decision. "But you cannot stay in the pack. Another pack may take you in if they wish. Otherwise, your lives will be as rogues.."

    Diane''s mouth dropped open, and tears ran down her eyes once more. Her son began to cry in her arms, but A couldn''t do anything more for them. This was the best oue; she could only hope that maybe another pack would take them in. But she knew the chances were slim; Diane betrayed the pack aiding in the deaths of many.

    Once she was banished, the other packs would be alerted. What pack would take her in?

    "You have one week to collect your possessions and leave," Damon added.

    "Thank you so much!" Diane stood up, holding Lennox against her hip and bowed her head, she began to turn away, but she stopped and looked down at her son. "If I cannot make it into another pack.. Would you take Lennox in?"

    A''s eyes widened, and she looked at Damon, unable to respond to such a request. "Your Luna has been merciful and-"

    "I only ask because I do not want my son to grow up a rogue! He needs an education and to grow up in a pack! Please, please!"

    "Silence!" Damon snapped, standing up and ring down at the servant. Oh, he was pissed. Diane interrupted him, the Alpha of the pack. Finn burst into the room then at Damon''s raised voice, but he held his hand up. Finn nced between them all but stood off to the side instead of returning outside. A heard the young boy whimper, and she ced her hand on Damon''s heaving chest.

    "Damon, you''re scaring Lennox," A said gently, then looked at Diane, who was baring her neck. "We will ept Lennox into the pack if you cannot find somewhere suitable within the next three months for him."

    Diane gasped and bowed even lower, still holding Lennox in her arms. "Thank you, thank you."

    "Get out," Damonmanded, and she scrambled out of the room. A fidgeted nervously, she didn''t regret her decision, but Damon''s actions made her wonder if she could have done better. He looked back down at A, whose hand was still ced on his chest, intecing their fingers, and kissed her hand.

    "You will be a great Queen."

 Chapter 238 - The Ritual: Part One

    Three weeks flew by, and the next thing A knew, it was the day of the ritual. Unlike the royal ceremony the night after, this was a ritual only the pack members of the Silver Crescent pack and the Alpha King and Queen of the Blood Moon pack along with their Beta and Delta attended. The ritual itself waste into the evening, but A needed to start early in the morning in preparation.

    A had to lead a hunt with some of the pack members, showing that she could hunt and provide for the pack. This was then followed by her hunting a predator by herself, proving herself capable of protecting the pack. It would take up a whole day to hunt and provide for a third of the pack and then find a worthy opponent to go up against. It was said Damon brought back a 1500-pound bear when he was to be throned, King.

    A shook off her nerves before the front doors.. She was dressed in only shorts and a sports bra that she didn''t mind ripping into pieces from shifting. Damon stood by her side, already dressed up in a suit and looking all sorts of sexy. He leaned down and kissed the side of her temple before grasping her hand as Finn and Kane opened the double doors for them to exit. They walked forwards, A smiling at the gathering pack members while her heart pounded against her chest in anticipation.

    In times like these, she was always reminded of how big the pack really was. A stepped down and bowed her head at Damon''s parent''s and squeezed Damon''s hand before releasing it and headed off towards the ten warriors waiting at the edges of the forest. She led them for a while in human form before shifting and running on all four paws. She could hear the pack cheering behind them and chuckled as some followed through the forest until they made it past theke and into the mountains.

    It was strange to think that thest time she was in the mountains, she fought with the hunters then led them away from the pack. It felt like a lifetime ago. And now, she was leading some of the pack into a hunt; it was both thrilling and educational. It was exactly what she imagined from watching wolves in documentaries. They worked as a team and spoke through the mind-link as they hunted their prey.

    After half a day, A sessfully helped the pack hunt down bunnies, boar and deer. Everyone ate heartily and left the remaining meat for any other wolves hungry. A then set off on her own, back out into the mountains, following scents and focusing on all her senses. She let Malia take over a few times as she was a much better tracker and hunter.

    They decided between them that the best predator to go after would be a bear as well. Whether it was 1000 pounds or more, she needed to show she could take it down.

    "Oh yeah, cos taking down one of those hybrid thingy''s wasn''t impressive enough," Malia muttered. She had a point¡­

    "This is for the ritual, though. The pack and the Moon Goddess needs to see we are right for the job," A murmured as she lowered her snout onto the earth after catching a scent and following it through some woods. She soon sprinted ahead and found herself face to face with an irate bear. She paused momentarily, her animal-loving side came out again, and she had to swallow past the lump in her throat before lunging forwards and taking down such a beast.

    She mped her jaws down on his jugr and waited until it went ck and copsed on the ground. A stepped backwards, catching her breath and grimaced at the w marks on the side of her ribs. The bear fought well and managed to swipe its powerful ws and scratch deeply into her side. But after what she endured over the past weeks, she looked at the gaping wound as a mere scratch. There was no wolfsbane or silver on it, keeping the wound from healing, and so, she shrugged it off.

    It took her and five other werewolves to help carry the bear back. By the time they returned from such a distance moving a bear, they had left it by theke, ready for the ritual which would begin at midnight, when the full moon would be directly above theke. A walked off after receiving congrattory praises from pack members passing her to the bonfire set up. She was only returning to get changed and rest before the official ritual.

    After returning to the packhouse, napping and cuddling with Damon, she left to go to theke at 11:50pm. She wore nothing but her bra and knickers and a sheer white robe to keep the chilly wind off her shoulders. Initially, the Alpha King and Queen would be naked for the ritual, but it was a little ''outdated'' now. Though the rest of the ritual stayed the same.

    The pack was scattered in the woods and surrounding the area where A and Damon would stand in theke. The only lighting was from the torches scattered among the pack members, the bonfire in the clearing and the moon they waited patiently for to get into the perfect position. The mountains hovered over theke that reflected the stars and the luminous moon. There were no clouds in the sky, leaving it to be the perfect time for A to be ''crowned by the Moon Goddess''. The Goddess never shows up, but it has been said that she watches from afar.

    A dipped her feet into the icy cold water, the bottom of her robe clinging to her ankles from the water seeping into the material. She inhaled sharply from the cold but bared with it, knowing that the ritual didn''t take long at all. She gazed up at the sky and smiled when the moon was in position, and like some type of fairy tale, it shone onto theke and illuminated its dark waters into a brilliant crystal blue with the moon and stars reflected on it like a mirror.

    Damon stepped forwards then; he wore nothing but his shorts, revealing his chiselled body. He was to enter the water with A but not inside the moon''s reflection. The Alpha was only there to make sure she didn''t drown or something. He walked to her right side and dipped his fingers into the bear''s ripped throat, returning to stand in front of her with his bloodied fingers.

    A closed her eyes as she felt the blood being smeared onto her forehead into the shape of a ''C'', an ''O'' and backwards ''C'' to reflect part of the moon phases. He then glided his bloodied fingers down her chin and neck, leaving four bloodied ''w'' marks. A opened her eyes and shook off the robe before taking Damon''s hand; he led her further into the water that only went up to her knees where the moon rested among the calm waters. Damon released her hand and nodded his head in encouragement.

    "Beloved Moon Goddess, Queen of Night, Selene. I stand before you bare and prove to you of my strength, stamina and wisdom in leading the pack and the world of werewolves. From my hunts today, I prove to you I can provide for my pack, and I prove to you that I can protect this pack. I vow to always do what is best for the packs." A spoke to the sky; her voice echoed across theke and through the silence of the night. All that was left to do now was to kneel in the water and wash away the animal''s blood.

    The only way they knew this ritual was worked was from a significant transformation that took ce. A wasn''t aware of this until Damon showed her the night before. After the water runs down the new Alpha King or Queen''s face, their eyes take on a golden colour. This colour showed the Moon Goddess'' approval and anointment of the new heir. The golden glow also proved that they could control other Alpha''s and packs if they desired.

    A kneeled into the water, shivering from the cold and wondering if her numb toes were going blue. But she couldn''t rush this part of the ritual, even though it wouldn''t take long. As A leaned forwards and cupped her hands into the water, she gasped as her head felt incredibly light. She watched in slow motion as her body fell forwards and her head submerged into the icy water. But when her face hit the water, A was pulled forwards, the scenery around her blurring and transforming, and she found herself standing atop an emptyke.

    A looked around in shock. There was nobody there except herself dressed up in a white robe. Her chest suddenly felt warm and full, like she was exceedingly happy. But she couldn''t understand where such happiness came from.

    What was this feeling? Where was everybody?

    A looked to the left side again and gasped before automatically bowing her head. No, this wasn''t real; she was seeing things. She must have gotten a cold and was feverish and now hallucinating.

    "This is not a hallucination, my child."

 Chapter 239 - The Ritual: Part Two

    That voice was so angelic, A thought she might copse from how sweet-sounding it was. A''s body felt calm in her presence as though nothing in the world could hurt her. She kept her head bowed, not daring to look her in the eye, and she could tell from her aura alone of who she could be.

    The woman giggled, the sound so beautiful, it made A blush. "You may lift your head, A Cross. I am Selene, Queen of night. Unfortunately, I can only speak to you briefly; my powers cannot hold off hypothermia from your body for too long."

    A lifted her head and squinted at the Moon Goddess'' dazzling light. She was such an ethereal being that it was impossible to look at her face directly. But from what she had seen, she was incredibly beautiful; it seemed like an insult to use such a basic word to describe her loveliness.

    Tiny gold and silver stars twinkled among her hair that fell past her waist in waves as dark as the night sky. From what A had glimpsed at, her face was sculpted sharply, her full lips a rosy pink, and her eyes golden.. There were silver markings below her eyes, and when A squinted some more, she could see they were the moon''s phases.

    The beloved Moon Goddess, Selene, casually stood next to her, wearing her own silver robes covering her smooth milky skin. A gulped and looked down at her feet, still wondering how she was standing atop theke''s water and why she was there. Selene smiled, her hands folded together in front of her, the silver robe''s sleeves covering her hands.

    "I have been watching you, A. And I must say I have been impressed. You, out of all the Cross'' have started to do the ''impossible'' and worked together with the vampires in the name of helping all creatures. But that is not why I am here. I have always known you would lead the people into a new era, as you would say." Selene turned then and ced her hands on A''s shoulders as she stared down into her eyes. A stopped squinting as the bright light dimmed, and she blinked in surprise.

    "A, my child. You are of both werewolf and vampire descent, and your vampiric nature will awaken soon," She smiled sadly as A''s body tensed at her words. "When it happens, you must remember who you are and where youe from. I cannot say anything more for fear of changing one''s fate. But just know that power is not everything."

    The Goddess'' grip on her shoulders tightened as though she was trying to make A understand the gravity of what she was saying. But all A could think of was that she was going to be a vampire. "Are you telling me that you can see the future?" She asked stupidly. But she needed it confirmed otherwise; she wouldn''t believe it, even if she was talking with the Moon Goddess, Queen of Night, like they were old friends reuniting.

    Selene nodded, "I do. That is how mates are paired together."

    "But, what about Amelia Cross? You paired a vampire like her and a werewolf together.." A asked in confusion. After listening to Gabriel''s past and reading Davian''s diary, she found herself utterly confused by that pairing. Amelia Cross only caused suffering and darkness to others.

    Selene dropped her hands, her kind face saddening before A. "It was a miscalction on my part. The vampires and werewolves were ready to go to war again. Over the centuries, their wars were causing more and more deaths to the humans, and civilian casualties kept rising. I believed that if I paired off a werewolf and vampire, it would close the gap between the two species. But the visions I had of Amelia kept changing. She was first presented to me as a kind woman, but I believe it was a corrupted vision sent to me by Gabriel''s and Cassius'' creator."

    A shivered, thinking about Gabriel and Cassius'' creator. There was an ominous feel from thinking of someone more powerful than the twins that created vampires. Selene smiled kindly again and looked down at the scar on her chest. "Do not fear what you will be, embrace it and control it. There you will find peace and help lead everyone into the future." The Goddess leaned forward and kissed A on her forehead. Warmth spread through her flowing down to her chest. The area where her scar was beginning to throb a dull pain that slowly diminished.

    A looked down; her eyes bulged in shock as the scar faded away and fell off her like ck dust into the water. In its ce was another crescent moon below her mark, but this one was the opposite way and had a golden shadow behind it. "Thank you," A whispered with tears filling her eyes.

    "Oh," Selene giggled, "they are bowing to me. So sweet. Now your pack knows you have been blessed by me."

    A followed Selene''s gaze and blinked back at the imagery reflecting in the water. A could see herself kneeling in the water, her hands on the ground, her head tilted up with water dripping down her face, washing away the animal blood. Her eyes lit up with a wless golden glow.

    "Goodbye, A. Heed my words well, child."

    With thosest words echoing through her mind, A fell forwards into theke once more, and she re-emerged back into the state from where her body was positioned in the water, her eyes looking up at the sky. A gasped and sat back onto her feet in the water with a tear falling down her face. She looked down and saw the scar was reced by the crescent of the Moon Goddess. She turned her head around and gasped at everyone bowing on the ground facing her.

    She was still filled with many questions from her brief interaction with the Moon Goddess, but she knew the answers onlyy with Selene. A slowly stood up on shaky legs, pins and needles stabbing through her feet and calves. She fell forwards but grunted after feeling Damon''s hands around her waist. He instantly picked her up, his arms under her back and knees, and let her head rest onto his chest.

    He was so warm, like her personal heater, and so she clung to him, her shivering body rxing in his hold and looked around at her pack members, who stared at her in awe.

    A could hear their whispers again-

    Strength of the white wolf,

    Our Queen met the Queen of Night!

    Blessed by the Moon Goddess herself!

    Alpha Queen A Cross.

    Luna, Queen.

    "You really are something else," Damon murmured and kissed her forehead, "you should rest. You were in the water for quite some time."

    But even as magnificent the asion was, A''s memory faded, and Selene''s ethereal beauty and features faded away, and she forgot how she looked. Only the Moon Goddess'' words lingered in her mind. It was inevitable that she would awaken her vampiric nature, and from how the Goddess spoke, she would have issues drinking blood, just like Davian.

 Chapter 240 - Ailas Coronation: Part One

    The Alpha King or Queen''s coronation was a massive event among the world of werewolves, but it only required a ball for the Alphas and Lunas to meet and congratte them. For thest few weeks, the ''grand hall'' of the mansion was prepared for such an asion and even had two thrones ced to the right side of the room. A and Damon made sure security was tight; it wasn''t just their pack they needed to protect for the night but other pack leaders.

    At 7pm, A could hear cars approaching the packhouse and chatter among new guests entering the packhouse. The house and estate were lit up along with a red carpet falling down the steps to the front doors, and the pack members on patrol closest to the house were dressed up in ck suits. Guests entered in their suits and gowns, grabbing their champagne sses as they entered.

    While the guests were arriving, Damon was lying on his bed, mind-linking with other pack members, sending out orders for security while he waited on A. She was in the room next door getting ready with Nairi and Chiara; their giggles and excitement could be heard through the walls, making the Alpha smile. After the night before, he had been worried about his mate, but luckily, she did not be ill after spending quite a bit of time in the water. A ryed the Moon Goddess'' words to him, the pair kept it between them, but he could feel the fear creeping into her asionally when she was not distracted. Nheless, her mood had significantly improved from the removal of her scar and being in thepany of Nairi and Chiara.

    Finally, after hours of getting ready, A emerged from the bedroom, instantly taking Damon''s arm.. The pair eyed each other appreciatively. Damon looked dashing in a tuxedo, and A wore an off the shoulder champagne evening gown with her hair pulled back into a low bun. Her make-up was done, showing off her jewel-like blue eyes.

    Damon leaned forwards to kiss her-

    "No!" Nairi burst in front of them. "I did not do her hair and make up for you to mess it up, mister!" She pointed her gloved hand at Damon, making A burst into a fit of giggles, leaning away from her mate. She was right; it was tiresome looking ''perfect'', and Nairi would scold her for messing up her masterpiece.

    "Fine," Damon grumbled, ring at Nairi before leading A away.

    "Have fun, kids!" Nairi called from behind them. A looked at her and Chiara, who were dressed in their own ball gowns, in her favourite colour. The girls smiled warmly at her, Nairi pping her hands excitedly and Chiara holding her thumbs up, cheering her on.

    "You''ll be fine. And after tonight, you can put your hoodie and leggings back on," Damon mind-linked her with a smirk.

    A pouted as they descended the stairs. "Hmm, but you prefer me in a skirt.." She replied, fluttering her eyshes.

    "I prefer you in nothing," Damon purred in her mind causing her to p his arm yfully.

    "I don''t think you''d allow me to walk around naked." She smirked back. Damon''s face dropped, and she could tell he was picturing just that and everyone ''fawning'' over her.

    A found herself rxing. She smiled gratefully to him and took a deep breath in as they approached the double doors to the hall where music from the band could be heard. The doors opened, and the room full of people stilled to the grand entrance of the Alpha King and Queen. A stared at the new faces she was yet to meet and rule over. These were the men and women, Alphas and Lunas in charge of packs around the country along with their guards.

    Damon''s hand pressed into her lower back, a smallforting gesture that spurred her to life and guided her through the path of people. All eyes were on them, or more specifically on her. But A kept her gaze ahead, staring at the two thrones meant for them. To one side of them, she could see Alpha King Magnus and Alpha Queen Lilian, who bowed their heads towards them. A gulped, looking at Magnus'' stern face, but when her gazended on Damon''s mum, she rxed, seeing her kind smile.

    She had fond memories of both Magnus and Lilian as a child, but many years had passed since then. She wondered if they were happy with their son with someone who seemed to lure anything dangerous near her and the pack.

    "Stop worrying. My parents love you," Damon murmured through the mind-link.

    "That should be thest thing on your mind right now," Malia piped in, "You''re in a room full of the country''s leaders."

    That was true. A stopped thinking about such ''minor things'' inparison to proving herself to a bunch of Alphas and Lunas. From ncing at a few faces, she was certain that they weren''t happy with such a young couple as their King and Queen. But, if they were the strongest among the northern territories, then they couldn''tin. If they were so unhappy, then they could always challenge them. Now, she felt confident more than ever that she could take on anyone and defend her throne.

    A and Damon sat down on their thrones, and the hall erupted into apuse of pping and yelling. After they settled down, each Alpha and Luna lined up to greet the new Alpha Queen, introducing themselves and the pack they control. It was a lengthy task, but it needed to be done. A found herself enjoying some introductions more than others, most likely due to their hostility and arrogant personas.

    By the time they finished, A felt her butt cheeks were numb and her back aching from keeping such a stiff posture for a few hours. More champagne was poured and passed along to everyone, including A, who took a sip before stepping away from the throne. With one hand holding the crystal champagne flute and the other resting in Damon''s outstretched hand, they walked towards the centre of the room. Damon retrieved her ss and passed it onto a waiter''s tray who was passing by swiftly, making A follow the drink longingly with her gaze.

    The band started to y once more, and A looked back at her mate while others in the room began to back away from them. Damon bowed, followed by outstretching his hand once more in which she ced her hand in and curtsied. The pair stepped towards each other like they rehearsed and began to waltz across the floor. A''s gaze was locked with Damon''s, and she found herself rxing in his arms, letting him lead the way and forgetting about the others in the room.

    The dance flew by so quickly that it took A a moment to realise they had stopped, and the sounds of her surroundings became clearer once more. Everyone was pping to them and others who had joined them in their dance. Damon winked and kissed her on the cheek, taking his time as he leaned away from her. As soon as they parted from each other, A found herself surrounded by people.

    After much chatting, it was apparent that A and Damon each had their own duties of entertaining their guests. The pair were slowly separated from each other, but A kept checking in on him through the mind-link or their bond. He asionally would e to her rescue'' pulling her away from people that took too much of her time and energy.

    But now, she was in the middle of a group of Alphas she really felt like pping. Unfortunately, Damon was in the midst of a deep discussion with his mother and father and was led away outside of the room for privacy. A tried to tune in on the bond, but he blocked it!

    "Maybe you should be concerned that they don''t like you," Malia snickered. A sighed, then covered her mouth. The men were staring at her intently. Did they ask her a question? In thest ten minutes, they had been in a discussion she felt no need to partake in, but it seems she should have been paying attention.

    A tilted her head to the side, "I''m sorry I missed what you said."

    "Is it true that you worked together with vampires to take down the hunters?" Said one of the Alphas whose name she had already forgotten. She would call him Alpha A for now.

    "Yes, it is true. Gabriel-"

    "That cannot be correct. The hunters are still running about killing creatures," Said another Alpha, interrupting her. Hmm, Alpha B? For rude bastard?

    "We did not take down all of the hunters just-"

    "I think it''s quite extraordinary that you managed to get the king of all vampires to help you," Alpha C interrupted. He eyed her from head to toe, making her seethe and grit her teeth together. "Did you use your feminine wiles? You are quite the beauty; even a vampire would be.."

    A stepped forwards, straightening her shoulders, and red at him. She did not say anything, but she watched as the Alpha shrunk, struggling to keep his head up. She raised a brow at his insolence, but his shaking form soon bared his neck to her.

    "Why are they so rude?" Malia growled.

    "Because they are testing me," A replied with a sigh. It was so tiring. What was the point? Were they seeing what sort of a leader she would be?

    "Then why did you say you took them down?" Said another Alpha, who stepped forwards, moving Alpha C back and continued the discussion.

    "Why would you work with vampires? Are werewolves not enough? It must have been awful working with such creatures-" Alpha A rambled on.

    "I only agreed that we worked together with vampires. I never said that we took down the Hunter''s Association." A interrupted and red at all of them, unknowingly revealing her golden eyes. "If you had not been so rude in interrupting what I spoke, then you would have heard the correct information. And Ipletely disagree; working with the vampires was very beneficial. It showed that we could work together towards amon goal, which I believe you would all agree can help in the future for all creatures if we took down the Hunters Association."

    The Alpha''s instantly bared their necks, unable to respond. A watched them, her eyes still a golden colour. "You should do well to remember who your Queen is," She said firmly before turning her back on them and walking away. Power coursed through her body, making her feel invincible as the guest''s parted way for her, baring their necks to her.

 Chapter 241 - Ailas Coronation: Part Two

    A''s eyes returned to normal once her anger diminished. Finn handed her another champagne ss which she gratefully took and gulped down half the contents. After speaking with those arrogant Alpha''s, she was in need of some air.

    She strolled towards the patio doors, her arms folded, with her ss in hand as she smiled and greeted pack members until someone blocked her path. A halted, then smiled genuinely when she saw Gabriel standing before her, looking dashing in a ck suit, shirt and tie. He smirked at her and bowed before offering his hand.

    "May I have this dance, your highness?" He asked, his eyes boring into hers.

    "Of course," A replied, cing her ss on a side table and putting her hand in his. Gabriel led her back towards the dance floor before cing his hand on her back and pulling her a little too close towards him. But she did notin as he began to sweep her across the floor. Many stood to the sides and watched the spectacle of the Vampire King and Alpha Queen dancing harmoniously..

    "You look stunning, by the way," Gabriel said quietly as he released her waist and spun her around, stopping her so she faced away from him. A blinked and tensed at the change of steps and movements, she had not been taught this, but Gabriel led her well for her to follow. One hand snaked around her waist, and the other hand reached out to hers, intecing their fingers as he lowered his head close to her ear.

    "But I prefer you in ck or red," He murmured, causing A to shiver at their close proximity. A gulped, keeping her gaze ahead as her heart pounded against her chest.

    Finn stood off to the side, watching A from afar with Ajax standing next to him for once behaving. The Delta presumed it was because many Alphas and Lunas could easily beat him up and question A as to why there was a shapeshifter at such an event. But then again, A was dancing with a vampire, their sworn enemy, in front of everyone.

    "Where is A?"

    "She''s dancing with Gabriel," Finn replied instantly before frowning at the familiar voice; he turned his head to the side and inhaled sharply at the white-haired vampire standing by his side wearing a ck suit and tie with a white shirt. Finn whipped his head back to where A was dancing and stepped forwards, but Gabriel ced his hand on his chest and shook his head.

    Finn gaped at the vampire and tried to move again, but Gabriel snapped in his mind, "Do not do anything foolish."

    A searched the hall without moving her head. Where was Damon? She reached out with her mind then stopped when the vampire''s fingers dug into her waist more, easily bruising her.

    "You cut your hair.." A whispered.

    "Do you not like it?" He asked as A''s gaze locked with Gabriel''s from across the hall.

    "Did you think I would not notice, Cassius?" She asked instead of answering as he turned her around to face him again. Cassius smiled as he tightened his grip on her hand and waist after she tried to pull away.

    "Is there something wrong with me attending your coronation and congratting you?" He queried instead. His gaze lowered to her lips before snapping back to her eyes as he continued with their waltz.

    "I will allow it.." She began and almost smirked when she saw surprise sh across his features. "But only if you behave yourself."

    Cassius chuckled and leaned his face closer to hers; A strained her neck back from him. "That will be hard. But for you, A.." He trailed off then whispered in her mind. "I''ll do anything."

    "You say that Cass, but-"

    "You''re not a damsel in distress, A. I left you in my brother''s hands and what happened, happened," Cassius snapped back instantly, already reading where her thoughts were running to. He looked frustrated, and she swore the red flecks in his eyes shone for a moment. "I was not in Chester until you returned from that wretched ce," He spat in disgust.

    "A, be careful. He acts like he won''t hurt you, but he''s still the strongest being on earth," Malia whispered. Her wolf felt ufortable and kept her voice low, knowing that Cassius could hear her.

    Cassius red at her, and A rolled her eyes. The song was slowlying to an end, and Cassius slowed their steps and released her waist, raising his hand to her cheek, but as he did, the vampire grinned at the sudden hand snatching his away. "I''ll thank you to take your hands off my mate," Damon growled lowly.

    A''s stomach flipped at the sight of her Alpha intervening without attacking the vampire. He must have heard herment about letting Cassius stay if he didn''t do anything or read the situation through their bond. Cassius stepped back with his hands raised, a smirk now stered on his features. A nced around at the sudden quietness of the room, and she found herself bing angry.

    She argued with those men who imed it was impossible to work together with vampires, and now Cassius, who looked like Gabriel, was causing a scene. A sighed and red at the vampire who now bowed in front of them. "Your mate is so lovely. I merely forgot myself for a second. I apologise," Cassius replied sweetly, stepping back before turning away and walking towards the bar.

    "Why are you letting him stay?" Damon mind-linked her, his gaze was still following the vampire, but A gained his attention again as she cupped his cheeks in her hands and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

    "Because he won''t do anything. There are too many werewolves in this room, and Gabriel is just as strong as him. It would be a losing battle," A calmly mind-linked back and began to walk back towards the patio, away from the room full of eyes following her every move. She kept her head held high and ignored everyone, even though she wanted to speak to Gabriel, but it would only cause more drama. She wasn''t sure who was aware that there were actually two vampire kings, but it would be best to keep the spotlight off her vampire guests.

    Damon sped her hand, gaining her attention once more as she turned her head to look at him. He looked apologetic, and she pouted in response. "I can''t wait to have you all to myself again. When does this ceremony mrky usually end?" A mind-linked him.

    Damon chuckled and caressed her cheek, "We could sneak off when everyone gets too drunk?" He smirked.

    "Deal! I will make sure the champagne is flowing!" She replied aloud and sighed after he kissed her forehead and followed his father out of the room.

    "A, I''m so sorry! I was-"

    A held her hand up, halting Finn''s apology. She spun around to face him and patted his shoulder, "You did well to stay out of it," She mind-linked him. "Where is Gabriel?"

    "He stalked off after Cassius," Finn replied as he searched the room for the vampires. A ced her hand on the temple of her head, feeling a little overwhelmed. Finn frowned and put his hand on her lower back, guiding her towards the patio doors. "Did you want some air?" A nodded, thankful to her Delta, who could read her without reading her mind like some.

    The gardens were lit up with only a few people outside smoking or drinking. A walked to the side where the lighting did not reach and leaned against the wall, the surface cooling her skin down. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes,forted by the shadows of the night.

    "You are doing much better than you think."

    A snapped her lids open and nced at the neer who stepped out onto the patio. Finn eyed him suspiciously, stepping in front of A, but she waved her hand, and the Delta backed away, letting the mane closer to her. She pushed off the wall and held her hand out for him to take. The man smiled but ced a champagne flute in her hand instead. "Please, rx, and have a drink."

    A looked at the ss in her hand and shrugged, leaning back against the wall once more. There was something about this man that she feltfortable being around him. She eyed him, wondering if she had met him before, but his looks, though handsome, didn''t stand out in her mind. He towered over her, dressed in all ck, his stylishly messy ck hair fell over his forehead, his crystal blue eyes shone incredibly bright. No, she would have remembered a man with such looks.

    "What is your name?" She finally asked after taking a sip from her drink and openly scrutinising his looks. It was then she realised he had been staring at her face, taking in every detail as though he might forget it. It was unnerving; thest time someone looked at her in such a way, he was a vampire twin in love with her ancestor.

    "I did not mean to stare. I''m sorry if I made you feel ufortable; that was not my intent." The man said and began stepping away from her. A''s brows drew together, and she reached out to stop him, but he lithely moved out of her hand''s grasp. "We will meet again, A Cross."

    He smiled again, walking towards the patio door with his hands in his pockets. A suddenly stopped following him as the lighting from inside the house shone on his face, revealing red specks on his crystal blue eyes.

    "Wait! What is your name!?" Her mind was reeling. She was talking to a vampire, a pureblood? His eyes..

    "Davian."

    And within a split second, he disappeared.

 Chapter 242 - An Unexpected Guest: Part One

    A scowled at the now empty spot in front of her. Davian, Davian Cross, her ancestor, was right in front of her? Why had he suddenly shown up? How did he know.. She stopped her thought process. Of course, Davian would know about her; he must keep track of the family, especially now that A was the st Cross''.

    "How random. No wonder he stared. You look like Amelia, his mum," Malia murmured thoughtfully.

    "It must be really strange.. From what I read in his diary, he hated her.. But there was no such hatred in his gaze," A replied to her wolf before taking another sip from her drink..

    "Maybe he was in shock? It''s been quite some time since hest saw her.." A nodded along to Malia''sment.

    "Is everything okay, A?" Finn appeared by her side, looking at her, concerned. A looked at his face incredulously. Did he not hear Davian say his name?

    "Erm.. That was Davian Cross.. My ancestor?" She mind-linked him, her voice conveying her confusion at how rxed he appeared.

    "What!?" Finn gaped at her.

    "Excuse me, would you like another drink?"

    A turned her head to the waiter and shook her head, cing her half-empty ss of champagne on his tray. She needed to slow down on her drinking; she wanted others drunk so she could leave early with Damon, not be too drunk herself. "Well, he said Davian, but it''s a big bloody coincidence that he turned up, revealing his eyes that are so simr to Gabriel''s." A continued her conversation with Finn.

    "I expected him to have white hair.." Finn nced at hers pointedly. Of course, the ones upying the throne were well known for their white hair, and it was said in Davian''s diary that he had inherited his mother''s genes.

    "He could have dyed it to.." A trailed off as her attention flickered to her surroundings. The garden was eerily quiet. She looked behind her and noticed that the people drinking and smoking stopped what they were doing and watched her. Finn and A were conversing in a mind-link, so there was no need for them to be rmed by what they discussed.

    A turned her head back to Finn and watched as the waiter who took her ss ced the tray on the ground and lunged forwards, putting Finn in a headlock and piercing a needle into the side of his neck. A instantly stepped forwards, recognising the clear liquid, but as she did, a knife reced the needle against his throat. A was also kicked from behind her knees at the same time, making her fall to the ground as she too was injected at the back of her neck.

    Stupid! Chiara always taught her to be wary of her surroundings.

    A tensed at the burning sensation, but she struggled against the person who pushed her face into the ground, keeping her down.

    "If you make a sound or move, your friend dies, mutt." The waiter hissed. A paused and grimaced as her bun was then pulled back, and a silver knife was pressed up against her throat. "Now, stand up."

    A red at the waiter. No, the man dressed as a waiter. "You guys are seriously stupid. There are about 200 werewolves in there." She snarled before smirking as the de cut into her skin more, causing a line of blood to trickle down her neck. Her beautiful dress was covered in dirt and now blood; at least her scent would be strong.

    "Shut up!" The man dressed as a waiter pulled his knife away from Finn''s neck and stabbed him in the side of his ribs. "I''m not fucking ying around."

    Finn groaned, and A''s smirk dropped from her face as she nced at her Delta with fire burning behind her eyes. Finn moved his head from side to side, unnoticeably to the men holding him hostage; she already knew what he was trying to tell her. But she was not about to let him die for her. Finn was her friend first, Delta second.

    "Get up!" The man holding the knife against her throat didn''t wait for her to move and instead began to pull her up by her hair again. As soon as A was standing, she felt herself being pulled backwards; she stared ahead at the patio doors hoping for someone to see. Instead, her heart dropped, the curtains had been drawn together, nobody could see what was happening outside, and the music was drowning out any noise created.

    They had this nned, whoever they were. A found herself looking at the other men and women who had gathered around them as they all walked towards the woods. They kept Finn with them, he was the only reason she had not tried anything, and they knew it. She could smell his blood and hear his struggle for breath.

    The atmosphere was tense; the only sounds were their breathing and their footsteps crunching into the ground. Each person nced at the other but mainly stared at A. She used the time to figure out how to get out of the situation. There were guards posted all over the territory; did they kill them? They would have seen them by now, surely? A narrowed her eyes at the ''waiter'' holding onto Finn; he seemed to be the leader of this group.

    This group of six people- it was rtively small but easy enough to sneak into the party. A subtly checked for any tattoos on show at their wrists, but their clothing covered the area. Were they other werewolves or hunters? Her question was answered when they abruptly stopped in the middle of the woods, where the light scarcely trickled through theyers of trees and leaves.

    **

    Inside the mansion, Damon stopped talking mid-sentence to his father after Darius barked through his mind, "The bond!"

    Damon reached out through the bond and felt A''s presence but nothing else. It was blocked and not from her efforts, and she had wolfsbane in her system! Without saying another word, Damon spun around and started searching for his mate through the crowds of people.

    "Finn!" He reached out through the mind-link, but his voice echoed back to him. Finn had to be with her; he would have answered instantly or reached out to him.

    "Chiara, Kane, where''s A?" He barked through another mind-link as he began to panic.

    "I haven''t seen her for a while.." Chiara replied nervously. "We will look for her." His Gamma read his mind without needing to wait for his next orders. Damon stormed off through the crowds of people who parted after seeing his threatening gaze. All except for one person who stopped him momentarily.

    Gabriel looked at him, and he knew from the steely look on his face that the vampire read his mind. He vanished from his sight, and for once, Damon was relieved to have a vampire around. Gabriel was quicker than the werewolves; he was sure to find her and help her.

    Damon rushed towards the front doors, mind-linking the guards and werewolves on patrol. Their Queen was missing. The pack was on high alert; he ordered others to stay in their homes, protect the children and weak. He didn''t know what to expect, but the least casualties, the better.

    "Wrong way," Darius growled. The bond was murky but still strong enough for them to tell when they were getting further away from their mate. He turned around and ran around the side of the mansion.

    Multiple gunshots were fired, halting Damon briefly before he raced towards the trees.

 Chapter 243 - An Unexpected Guest: Part Two

    A was turned around, facing away from the mansion; she inhaled sharply at the man standing before her. A man she longed to kill. His eyes trailed the length of her, making her skin crawl,stlynding on her eyes with a smirk crawling up his cruel face. He stepped forwards then halted, eying Finn and sighing, "Why have you not killed him yet? Must I do everything myself?"

    "She is too strong. If we kill him, that''s our leverage- ugh!"

    A whipped her head to the side; the man held his hands against his throat, blood seeping down his neck and across his fingers. He fell to the ground gasping for air. The other men and women surrounding them suddenly dropped to the ground; their throats also ripped apart and started to bleed out onto the floor. A felt the knife against her throat rx then fall to the ground.

    "A!" Finn rushed to her side, the man holding him also dying on the ground. But A was not paying attention to the men on the earth or who ripped their throats out. She knew it was probably Gabriel or Cassius. One of the twins now stood off to the side, checking his bloodied nails nonchntly while A smirked at thest hunter left alive..

    "Clint," She spat his name in disgust as she slowly stepped towards him.

    "A, let me take care of him.." Finn trailed off after seeing A''s eyes sh golden as she red at him. "I erm will be here if you need me," He finished.

    A didn''t wait for another second as she lunged forwards, her nails extending, pushing through her limits of the wolfsbane burning through her body. Clint blocked her first two hits, but she quickly jabbed him in the side hard; she heard the sound of bones breaking and grinned. He wheezed after the blow and tried to strike her, but she blocked it and kicked him on the same side she broke his bones.

    Clint staggered backwards. "I see.. you got rid.. of .. my .. mark," He struggled to speak as he tried to breathe.

    Ashed out, swiping her ws against his face. Leaving a w mark down his cheek. "I thought I''d repay the favour and leave my own mark on you," She snarled. "Pity you won''t live long enough for people to see it." Blood trickled down his cheek, but he didn''t flinch. Instead, he grinned wildly.

    This made her furious; Clint was mocking her even now. She grabbed him by the neck, her nails cutting into his flesh and paused. A looked down at the sudden sharp pain shooting through her body. Clint stabbed her with a knife in her stomach; she growled and pushed him away before pulling the de out. Gabriel and Finn reappeared by her side, but she held her hand up, halting them and jumped on Clint, pushing him to the ground as her canines sunk into his neck.

    Clint didn''t so much as bat an eyelid. He swiftly reached around her and stabbed her in the back multiple times with another knife. A gasped and pulled away from his bloodied neck; she stood up and reached for the de. In the time her hand sped at the knife''s handle, Clint reached for a handgun strapped to his side and shot her four times in the heart.

    "If I can''t have you.. No one can," He grunted, then aimed higher at her head but was tackled to the side by Finn.

    "A!"

    A sunk to her knees to the blinding pain, causing her eyes to well up in tears. ck dots danced across her vision that started to gradually go blurry. She didn''t know what was happening around her, but her body was in pain, and her head felt light. She was losing a lot of blood, that much she knew. A copsed into the dirt listening to the sounds of gunfire and shouting, her head spun, and her breathing became hard. Her lids felt heavy-

    "A!"

    Damon... That''s Damon''s voice.

    She forced her eyes open and stared at Damon, who now hovered above her. She could see his arms wrapped around her, keeping her close to his chest on the ground. But she couldn''t feel his warmth. She stared up at his striking features; tears fell from his eyes and dropped onto her cheeks. She tried to raise her hand, but she felt too weak, her arm dropped, but Damon caught her hand and inteced their fingers.

    "Stay with me! A, the bond is slipping.. I can heal you," Damon croaked, his grip on her body tightening. A watched as golden dust-like particles began to shimmer from his hand and into hers. A gasped, finding an ounce of strength to yank her hand away from him.

    "No, don''t. You''ll die," A said weakly. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

    "You''re dying!" Damon roared his frustration. A hated seeing the despair on his face, she wanted tofort him, but she was finding it so hard to stay awake. "I''m not about to let you die!"

    "Maybe, it''s better this way-"

    "Don''t you dare! Don''t you dare give up on me now, A. You can''t leave me! Not after everything we''ve been through," Damon grasped her face and kissed her on the lips, his thumbs stroking her cheeks as he stared back into her crystal blue eyes.

    "The hunters will keeping for me.." She trailed off before losing herself into his stormy eyes. "I''ve always loved your eyes." She took a shaky breath in. This was it, wasn''t it? "You are the love of my life, Damon Steel. I''m d I got to see you.. onest time.."

    "Shh, don''t say that, A," Damon croaked, his voice full of tears. His hands gripped her face, his eyes moving down her body at her injuries.

    A resisted closing her eyes; she wanted to keep seeing Damon. But his features became blurry; all she could see were the outlines of his face, his hair and body.

    "A.. My love, you can''t.. You can''t leave me here.."

    Damon was speaking to her, but she couldn''t understand the rest of what he was saying, slowly his voice became distant until all noises vanished. Her eyes stung, and tears fell down her cheeks at not hearing him. At least she was in his arms in the end. If only she could feel his warmth.

    Her body became numb to everything around her, the pain she felt dissipated, and she felt as though she was floating in some water. Her lids kept drooping until they finally closed as a sudden warm sensation washed over her like a cocoon enticing her into a deep sleep.

    A''s body went ck in Damon''s arms. Damon stared at her for a heartbeat, his own stilling at the sight of his mate dying in his arms. He then looked around for a vampire. Thest thing A would ever want.. But he couldn''t let her die. Even if this made him a selfish man, so be it!

    "Gabriel!" He screamed his name as he clutched his mate''s limp body to him. The vampire pushed him aside, catching A in his arms and instantly ripped his teeth into his wrist, parting A''s mouth and cing his bloodied wrist over her lips. The blood trickled down her chin and neck and onto her dress. She was a bloodied mess.

    "Drink, dammit!" Gabriel cried.

    Damon crawled back to A''s side and listened intently to A''s heartbeat. He held his breath to the decreasing beats; he barely paid attention to his surroundings. He knew right now Cassius or Gabriel was giving his blood to A; the other twin had returned with a bloodied face, his white shirt stained.

    "Why didn''t you give this to her sooner?" Damon growled; his eyes were following the slow rise and fall of A''s chest and the beat of her heart. If she died, he knew he would lose his mind. Nothing would matter anymore.

    Nothing.

    Gabriel or Cassius did not answer; he was ignoring him. The vampire''s hand caressed A''s cheek, his gaze not moving away from her face. Damon snatched the vampire''s hand away from her face, and he finally flickered his gaze away from A. "Do not interfere," He snapped as he pulled his hand out of Damon''s grip.

    "Cassius.." The other vampire stepped forwards. Damon inhaled sharply; he wanted to rip him into pieces; his emotions were now flickering between despair and rage.

    Thump thump.

    A''s chest fell, followed by a silence that poured fear into Damon''s being. He stared at his mate, his body rigid, his mind going numb in shock. A''s heart had stopped.

    The blood wasn''t working!

    Damon''s body acted before thinking, and he inteced his fingers with hers again, inhaling deeply, and poured his power and soul into her hand. A golden glow shimmered from his hand and began to flow through her forearm.

    "Don''t," Cassius warned him and ripped Damon''s hand away. The Alpha snapped at him, baring his canines, and lunged towards him, but he was grabbed from behind by Gabriel, who held him back.

    "I''m sorry, Damon," Gabriel whispered genuinely. The Alpha struggled against the vampire''s strength then stopped as he watched Cassius lean into A and press his lips against hers like he was giving her a kiss. Damon growled and thrashed against Gabriel some more, even while blood trickled down the side of A''s lips.

    Thump thump.

    Damon stopped moving and gasped. Cassius pulled away from A, his lips covered in blood as he stared down at her. Cassius looked back at Damon and Gabriel, a smirk forming on his features. Damon''s blood ran cold; he stopped thrashing against Gabriel, who dropped his hands.

    Cassius picked A up, whose body flopped into his. He turned around, and in a sh, the pair was gone., leaving the forest empty before them.

    The only remnants left that A was there was her blood coating the mud and grass. Damon growled, his voice vibrating the ground and trees; he shifted on the spot, letting his dark midnight fur sprout and his snout elongate. As soon as his four paws started pounding into the earth, he let Darius loose.

    "FIND HER!"

    { Music Rmendation: The Other Side ~ Ruelle}

    **

    Authors Note:

    This is the finale of volume one!

    Thank you so much to everyone supporting my work and following A and Damon''s story! I cannot believe I have actually finished a novel! I hope you have enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading volume two. There will be a break between the volumes so I can focus on my other novel - Heart Over Sword while working andmuting to and from London. I will update my instagram when volume 2 will be released, I hope to start releasing in January 2022, but it all depends on my schedule!

    Again, thank you so much for reading one of my first ever works!

    Kelly Starrz

    XOXO

 Chapter 244 - Hunting A Leech

    Large ck paws thudded against the earth at a rapid speed, sshing through puddles as the wind flew across the wolf''s face, ruffling its fur. Damon snarled as his silver eyes shone menacingly. He barked threateningly at the wolves falling behind, but he was far too powerful and quick to keep up with.

    "Alpha! Alpha!" They called for him through the mind-link. He could hear the panic in their voices echoing through his mind. But he couldn''t respond, he couldn''t think, all he wanted was his A, his mate. His sole focus was to get her back.

    That leech''s foul scent of strawberries was what kept him going. Damon was on the right track, and he hadn''t lost the bastard''s trail. Even if his lungs screamed for air and his legs copsed beneath his feet, he would get back up and continue forwards. His everything had been taken from him AGAIN. Nothing else mattered until he had her back.

    The voices in his mind merged with the howls of the wind as Damon ran and ran on this never-ending trail. The trees whipped past him, but they all started to look the same, and his vision started to be blurred. The darkness that trapped the earth in shadows became suffocating, and he gasped for air, gasped for his A.

    But the more he ran forwards, the more the woods seemed to continue on taunting him. The smell of strawberries had vanished, the sounds of his fellow pack members were gone, and all that was left was the sound ofughter. Damon snapped his jaws and reached forwards with his ws only tond hard on his face.

    Damon growled ferociously; the rumbling of his voice made the walls vibrate, awakening the pack to their Alpha''s anger and despair. His eyes snapped open, and he pushed up from the ground into a kneeling position. His body was numb to the world around him. His face didn''t feel the sting from where he''d leapt out of bed because of his nightmare.

    It was the same recurring nightmare he had nightly. But the thing about nightmares is that they end as soon as you wake up. Damon was forever living in his one. Even when he woke, the circumstances hadn''t changed. Cassius had taken A; it was not a dream.

    Damon wiped his hand tiredly down his face, feeling his stubble now growing into a beard. He looked like a mess and acted like a beast; his temper was at its worst, he felt bad for those around him, but he couldn''t help it. Darius had spun out of control on several asions as well, yanking the reins of control over Damon''s body and shifting on the spot.

    Many windows and patio doors were currently broken because of the Alpha, whether it was Damon losing his temper or Darius shifting and jumping through the ss taking off. His office was in the process of being repaired after he received more news telling him that there were no traces of A or Cassius. Damon and Darius flipped out at the time and shifted, almost killing Beta Kane in the process, who had delivered the news.

    Theck of sleep and constant worry about A was taking its toll, and he didn''t know how much longer he could take it. Damon knew if there was a lead, anything to indicate where she might be, then he would have more control over his emotions. The packs didn''tin under hismand, though; luckily, he could say he hadn''tpletely lost it; he made sure Beta Kane would tell him if his orders seemed too risky or not. Kane knew how to deal with him and especially his wolf.

    With a sigh, Damon finally got up from the floor and walked to the couch, where he left his shorts. Once he pulled them on, he left the bedroom he''d grown used to sharing with A and headed down the hallway to the former Alpha King and Queen''s bedroom, stopping once he was through the patio doors and standing on the balcony. He leaned his hands on the white concrete letting the chill in the breeze dry the sweat on his skin from his nightmare.

    Since he kept shifting, he gave up on wearing a shirt; he smirked, knowing A would enjoy ogling at his body. In fact, this spot always seemed to soothe him the most, reminding him of the first morning A was with the pack again; she''d been watching the training, but he knew she''d been watching him the most. He felt her curious eyes eying his body; while he kept hisposure, his wolf was thrilled by his mate''s attention.

    He was so impatient, waiting for A''s wolf to return and find out he was her mate. Damon smiled sadly at the recent memory.

    A..

    "She will probably get jealous that the she-wolves here have been able to openly check us out again," Darius muttered lightly, thinking of their mate fondly, but his wolf''s words made Damon grit his teeth.

    "Those bitches need to stop pestering me. A is not dead, and she will be returning," He growled back. The she-wolves hadn''t yet approached him, but he could hear their whispers growing louder the longer A was not by his side.

    His hands tightened on the concrete, causing parts to crumble beneath his fingers. A storm swirled behind those silver eyes as he stared across the grass to where his warriors normally trained. But today, like all the other days, his men were out searching for his Queen, his mate, his A.

    A month had passed since Cassius took A away from him. A few days after she was taken, something stirred in the mate bond, causing him to halt mid-run in his wolf form. He could feel A''s overwhelming emotions. She was confused, scared and annoyed but appeared uninjured.

    He''d howled loudly in the woods, causing his pack members to join in, calling for his mate toe home. Though he knew she couldn''t hear them, it made him feel better at the time, especially after feeling her for the first time in days.

    But that momentary relief was soon ripped away from him. A blocked the mate bond the following day. Throughout the month, though, Damon would suddenly feel her emotions washing over him at full force, pausing him from whatever activity he was doing. Each time, Damon and his wolf''s mood would improve for a few hours, even if he could feel the high levels of anxietying from her. He knew she was checking in on him and showing him that she was okay.

    That was enough for him for now.

 Chapter 245 - Smug Couples

    "Alpha," Beta Kane''s voice floated through Damon''s mind, snapping him out of his reverie. "Have some food."

    His Beta wasn''t ordering him; he was pleading with him. Damon had been hunting each morning to help the restlessness within him and his wolf. It was better for his pack but not eating with the others also seemed to put them on edge; he needed to show he wasn''t apletely useless Alpha.

    Darius growled at his thoughts, "If anyone dared to think such things, I''d rip their face off."

    Damon smirked and released the fragile balcony from his fingers, turning abruptly to go to breakfast. "It was only a passing thought. If anyone did believe it, then I''d let you put them in their ce." He reached the top of the stairs and stopped briefly; a growl instantly rumbled through his chest before he continued down the steps and past the annoying shapeshifter.

    "Well, good morning to you too, my honey bun!" Ajax rushed to keep up with the brooding Alpha and quickly fell in step with him, smiling up at him, his hands behind his back. "I wasing to give you a wake-up call, but you keep waking up before me!" He pouted. "Where''s the fun in that?"

    Damon sighed deeply, choosing to ignore him. Ajax, over the month, had been more annoying than usual and had taken a few hits from him in the process. Gamma Chiara requested that he increase his tolerance level of the shapeshifter; his Gamma, who seemed to have a little soft spot for him, told Damon to let Ajax fort'' him.

    What sort offort was Ajax trying to give him?! When he couldn''t avoid him, he thought his ears might bleed from how much shit he talked. ''It makes him feel better'' Were Chiara''s words. At least someone bloody would!

    "Ya know, I don''t think A would appreciate this scruffy look you''re going for. I know I can pull it off because.. well, just look at me," Ajax slid his hand over his jaw and winked at him. Damon raised a brow but still didn''t respond, even though he felt like smacking him. "But the beard.. It''s not a good look. You want to look your best when you see her, right?"

    Damon stopped just before the kitchen and looked at the shapeshifter. Maybe he had a point. "Has there been news?" He asked, knowing full well he would have received a report by now if there was. Ajax''s smile dropped, and it was all the answer he needed; he marched forwards again and nodded at the other pack leaders waiting for him.

    "Alpha."

    "Alpha."

    "Alpha."

    Each of them bared their necks before continuing with what they were doing. Damon''s gaze fell on Delta Finn; he hadn''t once met his eyes since the night of A''s disappearance. Finn felt responsible, and although Damon didn''t believe it was all his fault, he still couldn''t speak to him unless it was pack rted or news about the Alpha Queen. He looked away from the Delta and piled some meat on his te; after weeks of hunting for his breakfast, he''d stick to meat and some fruit when he joined the others like today.

    But there was another reason why he''d seldom been since A''s disappearance. He sat down and stared at the empty space next to him before looking at his food and ignoring the stares he felt from the others. Even if he ignored her seat, he couldn''t ignore the two couples in the room.

    The first, Beta Kane and Nairi, who seemed to have calmed down on their public disy of affection, but still couldn''t hold back from giggling or giving each other knowing nces and longing looks. The other couple, who acted like they weren''t a couple, but everyone could see they were a couple, was Gamma Chiara and Ajax. When they weren''t looking after the shapeshifter orphan they adopted from the Hunters, they would flirt. Which was always strange because Chiara seemed to always ''threaten'' the shapeshifter, and he''d somehow worm his way into making her smile after.

    Damon was happy for them, but at the same time, it made him long for A more, and his mood would plummet.

    "Gabriel is visiting today," Beta Kane spoke up, bringing Damon back to the present conversation that he had nked out on.

    Darius growled threateningly in his mind. Or so he thought, his chest rumbled lowly, and everyone shifted in their seats. Ignoring their worried nces, he looked at the golden-haired werewolf and narrowed his gaze.

    "What does that leech want?" He growled his annoyance. "He''s been missing since A was taken. Maybe I should order our men to attack upon seeing him."

    "Now, now.. Let''s not start another war now," Ajaxughed nervously. "And your men would get hurt. Let''s just think about that as well for a minute.."

    Damon nced at the shapeshifter. "Gabriel could have been working with his brother the whole time-"

    "I don''t think Gabriel would do that," Ajax interrupted; his features were serious for once.

    Damon red at Ajax for interrupting him, but he let it slide and continued, "He shows himself now after a month has passed without so much as a word? He should expect such a warm wee from my pack."

    "You did ignore his calls over thest week," Gamma Chiara pointed out, then held her tongue when Damon red at her next.

    "He would havee sooner, but you didn''t answer his call," Beta Kane continued, ignoring the Alpha''s re as he paid attention to the food on his te.

    Looks like he''ll be ring at everyone this morning, and they really wanted him there to ruin their precious double date mood? But how did they know Gabriell wasing?

    "Who said he coulde?!" Damon demanded, ring at each of them in the room, except for the young shapeshifter child. Luckily she was drawing on some paper with crayons next to the Gamma, not paying attention to the conversation. He was d; he didn''t want to frighten the poor thing.

    "Naturally, he''d call the next person''s number he had out of us," Ajax smiled, and his eyes lit up in delight like he knew what he did was wrong but enjoyed annoying those around him. "Of course, I couldn''t say no to the King of Vampires! He''s a scary man, you know!"

    By now, Ajax was backing away from Damon, stumbling over his feet as he smiled nervously. "Come on, Damon. I''m a shapeshifter; I don''t abide anyone''s- eek!" He ducked out of the way of Damon''s fist.

    Damon looked in Chiara''s direction and mind-linked her in disbelief, "Really? This guy?"

    Chiara shrugged, "I don''t understand it either."

    He shook his head and returned to his seat. At least there was one good thing about Ajax, his irritable ways did distract him from his misery. Although he did wonder if the shapeshifter would go too far one day and Darius wouldpletely lose it. That would be another thing to be guilty about, and once A was back in his arms, she would more than likely scold the pair of them.

    A..

    He stabbed his fork into his sausage and again looked at her empty seat.. He would find her without Gabriel''s help.

 Chapter 246 - A Lead: Part One

    After finishing their breakfast, each of the pack leaders went their separate ways; their goal, of course, was to search for A. Beta Kane and Nairi led their own group of warriors in different locations; Gamma Chiara continued to patrol around the pack territory, going from the mountain range, the town, and the vast fields surrounding the mansion.

    Ajax would shift into his falcon form once he dropped off Elle at the school on the estate. While Delta Finn was left with Damon, following behind the brooding Alpha quietly. He was to stay by his side as extra protection and as a means to serve him.

    There was only so much his pack and the other packs could do; Damon didn''t know where else the vampire could have possibly taken her. And without Gabriel''s help, who knew his brother better than anybody, Damon was feeling more and more useless as the days went by. The only part about this was that he was confident Cassius would not be quiet for long, but he wanted to find A before his ns were known to them.

    The Alpha and Delta walked down the hallway, past the library Damon had not entered since A was gone, and his phone rang. He pulled out his smartphone from his shorts and frowned when he realised his burner phone was the one ringing. Damon put the phone against his ear immediately, holding his breath to hear some good news. "Chase," He answered while stepping into his half-destroyed office. He kept the door open for Finn, taking the werewolf by surprise.

    Finn scrambled forwards, and Damon let go of the door, circling around the desk until he satfortably in the leather chair, turning his back to the room and staring out of the window that had duct tape covering half of it from where he''d leapt through it in his wolf form.

    "This is only a quick call. I don''t have much time," Chase spoke urgently down the phone.

    Damon straightened his back at the tone of his voice. The ex-hunter, their ''inside man'' to the Hunters Association, had his own resources to find A. The hunters also wanted to know the Alpha Queen''s location for their own purposes, though he trusted Chase to lead them astray if they did get any leads. Chase had messaged or called once a week when he had a spare moment; most of the time, Damon would receive a text message saying ''no new leads'', and if he phoned, it was to see how he was doing.

    That in itself was stranger than anything. Damon never thought there would be a day he would be on the phone with a hunter, and that hunter even asked about his week. But that was his mate for him; she somehow brought people together he never anticipated being on friendly terms with.

    "Go on," Damon replied, tapping his fingers against the leather armrest.

    "I don''t have the full details yet. But I may have a lead." A banging sound in the background made the hunter pause, and Damon listened further to the sound of Chase''s footsteps and the rustling from his movements. "One of the guys reported back after one of their missions failed in Qina. There were only two survivors. But they described two vampires going by the same descriptions as Cassius and A. White hair, blue eyes, the man wearing a suit and the girl a dress."

    Qina!?

    Qina was a town two hours away; it was situated near the border between the Northern and Southern territories of the two Alpha Kings. A deep frown formed on Damon''s face; he wondered how none of the packs in the area had seen them. But he knew searching for A would be tricky; Cassius could use mind control to make his people forget they ever saw them. Even though he was grateful for this news, he was concerned about what might have gone wrong for the two hunters to escape Cassius'' grasp.

    He killed thirteen of his pack mercilessly, but two hunters escaped him. He didn''t feel anything through the bond, so A must be safe. Still, Damon''s grip on the phone tightened, and the pressure almost made the screen shatter. He took a deep breath in and rxed his hold, trying to remain calm. "How long ago was this?" He asked quietly, making his voice sound calm and neutral as his mind continued to race at the first lead they''d had since A had gone missing.

    "I phoned you as soon as I was free. My men returned two days ago and reported to me today after receiving treatment," Chase whispered.

    "Two days ago!?" Damon mmed his fist on the armrest and shot up from his chair as anger surged through him. His chest heaved, and his body started to shake; he had to work on trying not to shift right then.

    Cassius and A would be long gone by now.

    "Damon, calm down," Darius snapped. In response to his wolf, Damon growled but paused after realising Darius was extremely calm, excited and irritated at Damon. "Of course, you are annoying me with your idiocy. Cassius was in Qina two days ago, that''s not too far from here, and it''s been a month. If he was nning on running far away with A, he would have done it by now. Even if they have moved on from Qina-"

    "They might still be in the area!" Damon finished his wolf''s sentence, slumping back into the leather desk chair. Darius huffed and grumbled to himself about Damon.

    "Damon!" Chase snapped. The Alpha forgot Chase kept calling his name while listening to his wolf. "I have to go. But like I said before, I will keep an eye out. Oh, also Sariyah will call Finn tonight at 10pm." With that, he hung up, not waiting for Damon''s thanks.

    Damon turned and looked at Finn. The Delta had a slight smile tugging on his lips at the mention of his mate''s name. Damon, in return, felt a smile pull on his lips, but for an entirely different reason. There was a new lead. He pushed off from the chair and dashed towards the door.

    "Alpha? What are your orders?" Finn asked, quickening his feet to keep up with Damon''s fast pace.

    "What do you think?" He smirked, looking at his Delta, his silver eyes full of life for the first time in weeks. "We are going to Qina."

    Finn''s face lit up. Damon knew he wanted to prove himself, and this was precisely what he needed. No matter if he told the Delta that it wasn''t his fault, Finn wouldn''t believe him.

    "Kane, Nairi, have you left yet?" He mind-linked the couple.

    "We were leaving now," Kane responded for both of them.

    "Change of n, go to the living room," Damon replied, marching in that direction. He wanted to rush out to Qina straight away, but he couldn''t be rash; he was the Alpha and needed a n. "Tell the warriors to be on standby."

    "Understood, Alpha," Kane and Nairi mind-linked back.

    Damon and Finn entered the living room. The Alpha started to pace while Finn stood with his arms crossed on guard still, though Damon could see his leg twitching in excitement.

    "Tell Ajax to return as well. If he''s not back in time, then we will leave without him," Damon ordered Finn, knowing he was the only one able to mind-link the shapeshifter. Quite frankly, he was d Ajax couldn''t mind-link him; it would cause him so many headaches.

    "Understood," Finn bared his neck in response. Damon watched with intrigue as Finn mind-linked the shapeshifter, and from the Delta''s expressions, it confirmed Damon''s suspicions about getting a headache from listening to his voice. The Delta cringed, rolled his eyes and sighed within a minute of mind-linking the shapeshifter.

    Ah, he almost forgot. "Chiara," Damon sent a mind-link through to the Gamma and felt the connection. "We have a lead on A. I need you to continue guarding the pack. I will let you know when we are leaving so you can return to the packhouse. Silver Crescent will be in your care until I return."

    "A.." Chiara let out a relieved sigh then rposed herself. "I understand, Alpha. I will return to the packhouse when I finish this circuit."

    Damon disconnected as Kane and Nairi rushed into the living room. Nairi''s eyes were wide and filled with excitement and tears, and her mate Kane, who was usually as stoic as Damon, also appeared to shine brightly with anticipation.

    Everyone was rearing to go to get their Alpha Queen back.

 Chapter 247 - A Lead: Part Two

    Ajax was thest to arrive as the group hovered over a map on the coffee table before the sofas. Damon was on the phone, his back to everyone as he looked out of the window, his head turned back to watch the shapeshifter flop down on the sofa with ease and with an easy-going smile on his face. The Alpha sighed, "Okay. Stay sharp. Keep your phone on you for further instructions."

    Damon hung up and put the phone in his pocket as he redirected his attention to Beta Kane, who pointed at the location on the map.

    "Isn''t the pack in charge of Qina, the Blue Hounds?" The Beta asked as he tapped on the town and flicked his gaze back to the Alpha.

    "It is. I just spoke with their Alpha. They have not seen A or Cassius-"

    "Can you really trust what a hunter says?" Kane asked and flinched when Damon growled at being interrupted and at his Beta''sment.

    "Chase has already proven he is trustworthy," Damon replied quietly and in a clipped tone, powerful enough for no one, not even Ajax, to argue with.

    Kane crossed his arms but lowered his gaze from the Alpha. "But I don''t trust the others. What if Chase''s cover has been blown? If they are like Ss or Clint, they will take advantage of this situation."

    That was another point that made Damon furious since the night of A''s coronation, Clint was also missing. His body never turned up either, making him believe the fucker was still alive. Even though he wanted to rip him to pieces, Damon''s priority was finding A; Chase would have also mentioned if Clint returned because that would blow his cover.

    Damon raked his hand through his hair in frustration. "We have more than enough werewolves to fight a few hunters. It is also the Blue Hounds'' territory, so they will also help. But I don''t think it is a trap. It also isn''t very reliable, but this is the first lead we have had since A went missing."

    The room grew silent at the Alpha''s words sunk in. "What''s the n then?" Ajax was the first to speak, breaking the tension brewing in the room.

    "I want to go with two groups. The first will be a small group to search Qina, if they are still there or Cassius has spies left there to report to him, a small group is less conspicuous. We can blend in better. The second group will be on standby, ready to fight if need be, and of course the Blue Hounds pack will also cooperate. They will be ourst point of call, though," Damon instructed as he mirrored Kane, with his arms crossed against his chest, looking all the more imposing with his shirt tightening on his bulging biceps.

    "Why is the Blue Hounds thest point of call?" Ajax asked as he tilted his head to the side, his elbow resting on the armrest, his thumb and finger holding his sharp jaw up.

    Finn stepped forward now as Damon chugged down his water bottle, taking his time before responding to the shapeshifter. "The Blue Hounds are a small pack, and because of this, they tend to be on the milder side of werewolves.." Finn paused after seeing Ajax raise a brow. "They don''t like fighting, their warriors-"

    "Pfft, you can''t even call them warriors," Kane sneered. "What?!" His head swivelled to the side after Nairi had smacked him hard on the shoulder.

    "They prefer peace over fighting," Nairi finished. "But this tactic somehow works; no other packs want to take their territory because it would be an insult to win it over."

    "Like I have said before.. Werewolves are such violent creatures," Ajax murmured before his eyes widened, acting almost like he didn''t realise the room was full of werewolves. He pped his hand with a broad grin on his face. "Oh, don''t mind me!"

    Damon rolled his eyes, and the others merely looked at the shapeshifter, not bothering to answer him. Everybody knew now how much of a jester he was, and the more noise they made, the more noise he did. Although Damon found him highly annoying, he had to admit even now, while everybody was tense and nervous over the situation, he was somewhat d that Ajax was there to relieve it.

    "What will the groups be?" Finn asked, tantly ignoring Ajax as he looked at Damon in determination.

    "We need some trackers to sniff the ce out as well; they will pick up on any scents. A''s will be easier to find than Cassius; we will need to tell them that he smells of strawberries," Damon responded, then looked away, his gaze going vacant as he sent a mind-link to Jake and Zeke, his best trackers and warriors.

    "Kane, I need you to lead the second group. Take at least fifteen warriors, including Nairi. You will need to split off and take a different route to us again. The idea is to avoid attention, so make sure the SUVs aren''t driving in a line. I''ll leave the rest to you. We''ll leave in ten minutes, that should be enough time. Make sure everyone''s armed as well; I''m not taking any chances," Damon ordered, and his Beta bared his neck before marching out of the room with Nairi in toll.

    Damon turned his attention to Finn and Ajax. "You guys are with me. Ajax, when we''re there, I want you airborne. Finn, we''ll have a few trackers, but that''s it."

    "You need more guards than that," Finn responded, holding his arms behind his back and meeting the Alpha''s gaze.

    The muscle in Damon''s jaw ticked from his Delta''s suggestion. "Are you saying I am incapable of taking care of myself? The Alpha King?" He drawled out his question.

    Finn lowered his gaze. "I did not mean any offence. I am stating as the Delta that you need more than just me to protect you-"

    "I can protect myself," Damon snapped, stepping towards him and stopping just before him. His temper started to re up from something so simple, but he couldn''t help it. His mate that kept him in check was not there. He bit down the rest of what he wanted to say, letting only a low growl vibrate in his chest, revealing his annoyance before he turned away. "We are searching the area covertly."

    "Please, Alpha. Just one more," Finn pleaded and gulped when Damon spun on the spot and red at him, his silver eyes glowing murderously.

    But Damon''s eyes flickered back to normal when he saw his Delta standing his ground for the first time in a month. The corner of his lips tugged upwards briefly before heposed himself again. "Fine," He snapped. "Bring Darren. You''re in charge of him. Don''t disappoint."

    He turned around, dismissing the Delta as he headed towards the stairs to change his clothes.

    "Darren!? You can''t be serious.. After everything, he''s done-"

    "A wanted to give him a chance. This is it. If he fucks up, then we''ll boot him to the curb," Damon called from halfway up the stairs, not ncing in the Delta''s direction as he scrambled up the stairs after him.

    "Finn, chill. Have you seen Darrentely?" Damon heard Ajax consoling him.

    "That could be an act," Finn growled. "The fucker is sleazy as shit."

    "Then it''s a good thing we are putting him to the test," Damon added to their little discussion before disappearing down the hall.

    After putting a shirt and jacket on, Damon returned to the front of the mansion, the cars already lined up waiting for him. Gamma Chiara stood to the side and bared her neck to him, and Beta Kane stood beside Damon''s car with Finn.

    "Ready?"

    "Ready."

    "Let''s go."

 Chapter 248 - Welcome To Qina

    The two groups had separated on the motorway, and they were at least thirty minutes away from Qina now. Damon struggled throughout the journey to contain his anxiety. Everything about his stature remained the confident, mighty Alpha King, all except for his right knee asionally shaking. He stared out of the window, still remaining nonchnt and hoping that he was not affecting the members in the car.

    Ex-Delta Darren was the one driving; he had been quiet and full of anxiety the entire time; Damon presumed it had more to do with the chance he had been given and nothing to do with his Luna, the Alpha Queen, A being missing. Either way, the Alpha did not pay him any mind; maybe Darren wasn''t as foolish as to speak right now. Yet it may also be because the other Delta and Ajax had been surprisingly quiet in the back since they left the packhouse.

    Damon''s trackers, Zeke and Jake, were also in a separate car, though they could fit in the SUV they were in; Damon wanted to take extra precautions and take two cars in case anything were to happen. After A''s coronation, Damon decided extra precautions were better than none; Cassius was a sneaky bastard, and he didn''t want to see him running off with his mate again.

    The Alpha stopped shaking his leg and took his phone out of pocket after feeling his leg vibrate. His eyes narrowed at the name, and a small growl vibrated from his chest and caused the car to shake along with it, snapping each member out of their thoughts and to the suddenly angry Alpha.

    "What?" He answered.

    "I believe people greet one another with a simple hello, or have times changed so drastically that you cannot even manage that?" Replied a certain sarcastic Vampire King. "Why have your men stopped us at the gate?"

    "I don''t have time to deal with your bullshit right now. Put up with the wait if your business is that important. But I have to go now."

    "Damon-"

    Damon hung up on Gabriel, ignoring Finn and Ajax''s nces. He looked back at his phone and blocked Gabriel''s contact before messaging a few Alpha''s in the surrounding areas. He alerted them about their ns to search Qina after getting a lead about the Alpha Queen, and now he had it confirmed in the small group chat he made that their packs were scouting the nearby areas.

    When they finally pulled off the motorway, they drove past a worn-down sign, ''Wee to Qina''. The rest of the town and roads looked more promising than the sign they drove past, its streets and roads looking clean and without any potholes. The shops and the bricked housing were to a high standard, each of them at least three storeys tall. If the Blue Hounds weren''t so peaceful with such a small territory, others would have tried to im it. Thends they did have had rich soil, and the housing and parks were pleasant, perfect for bringing up pups.

    They parked up in the centre of the small town, outside of arge grocery shop. Everyone got out of the SUVs almost simultaneously. Each individual had a job to do and set off to do it.

    Jake and Zeke were the ones leading the way, smelling the air for any trails of the strawberry scent Cassius would leave behind and A''s. Ajax shifted in the car, and Finn opened the door for the little ck falcon to fly out to the skies above. Damon followed after the trackers while Darren remained his close guard and Finn was further away, keeping track of Ajax''s location and scouting their surroundings.

    As they started to go down different alleys, the faint scent of human blood could still be smelt. This was to be expected from Chase''s report about only two of his hunters escaping. The weather over thest week had also been mainly sunny without any rain that would wash away any scents. Luck was on their side so far. As they followed the smell of humans down the alleys, Damon answered his phone to the Alpha of the Blue Hounds.

    "Hello," Damon greeted in a clipped, authoritative tone.

    "Alpha King. It is a pleasure to wee you to my territory; if you need anything, please let me know. I would have greeted you in person, but I know how urgent this is for you-"

    "Thanks. You didn''t need to call me to wee me," Damon replied. He knew the Alpha was probably too scared to wee him, but he didn''t care.

    Technically, he owned all of the Northern territories; the Alpha''s were there as his subjects in charge of thends he could not oversee in person. "You said hunters were here and died but not by your hands. Do you know why they were in your territory? I thought they tended to stay away from the Blue Hounds pack."

    "Ah, I am afraid not. This is the first time they have made any efforts in attacking the pack. In particr, they seemed to be after the children. But luckily, we were going through a practice drill that day, whereby they were to escape and seek cover. We have underground tunnels connecting to basements near the schools and houses, ready for children and the families for protection when the pack is attacked," The Alpha informed Damon of inside information that would never be discussed with others. But Damon was the Alpha King and needed to know such things.

    Damon stopped after nearly bumping into Zeke, or was it, Jake? The trackers were in their wolf forms and were almost identical with their brown fur and the white patch on their chests. The wolves had stopped and were sniffing the ground. One of them then hopped up onto a dumpster and onto a t rooftop, sniffing the ground in a circle.

    Damon watched them and started to jog behind them as the other wolf hopped back down, and they set off down another alley. They''d picked up on a scent, making Damon''s heart beat quickly in his chest, and his hand grip the phone against his ear.

    "You did well to have these in ce. I''m not sure if their missions are still the same, but we havee across children in the hunter''spounds, most likely for experimentation. You''ve searched through these tunnels and bunkers, yes?" He asked, rushing after the wolves but not breaking a sweat or getting out of breath.

    "Yes. The hunters didn''t know about them," The other Alpha replied.

    "Okay, thanks. Send me the locations of these bunkers. I want to search them myself," Damon ordered before hanging up.

    Jake and Zeke suddenly stopped at a dead end. A dead end didn''t mean anything; they could have used the rooftops just like how one of the werewolves proved earlier when he was smelling their scent. But Damon''s stomach dropped, and his eyes started to glow as two luminous full moons, Darius resurfacing and almost taking the reins when they realised the trail had gone cold. The wolves were sniffing the ground and going in circles; they tried the walls and the air, but their ears started to lower, and they looked at their Alpha nervously.

    "The scent has gone, Alpha," Zeke mind-linked him sadly.

    "But," Jake jabbed the other wolf with his snout. "We still have half the town to search."

    He was trying to remain optimistic. But the hunters had been killed down these backstreet alleys. "Keep searching," Damon ordered and remained in control, though it was hard as Darius was pacing against the fringes of his mind. "We will check those bunkers out."

    "You think they might have gone there?" Finn asked as he stepped forwards.

    "If there are bunkers to help with attacks, then the tunnels would also probably lead escape routes to somewhere safe and far from the town."

    Damon and Finn turned around to Darren''sment, surprised by his helpful input. The ex-Delta looked down instantly when Damon rested his eyes on him.

    "That is what I thought. Even if we do not find anything, maybe the route will reveal something." Damon looked back at the two wolves, who were starting to head off. "Once you''re done, if you don''t find anything, meet us underground. You might be more helpful there."

    "Understood, Alpha," Zeke and Jake mind-linked instantly and started to jog down the alleyway, their wolves shrinking into the distance.

    Damon checked his phone for the locations and led the way to these bunkers and tunnels. Even though the Blue Hounds pack were known for being peacemakers, they were still smart enough to have these tunnels set in ce.. It reminded him of the tunnel that led out of the packhouse, but the only issue, if there was a tunnel that led away from the territory, was that if rogues or others knew of it, then it could also be exploited.

 Chapter 249 - Tunnels

    Damon, Finn and Darren stood in the primary school field, away from the screaming children at the other end. The teacher was aware of their visit, but it still didn''t mean they weren''t overly cautious, even if he was their Alpha King. He was still a stranger, and they didn''t want any problems to arise.

    Another teacher led them to the bunker''s location. It was presented as a tiny grey building containing backup power generators. Signs were ced across the door, but when the teacher unlocked the door, it revealed a door in the ground to which they lifted up, and lights flickered on. Damon stared at the seemingly never-endingdder and looked back at the teacher in concern.

    "You get kids to climb down this?" He scolded, frowning and wondering if any of the children freak out from climbing down it because of the height or get scared because the light bulbs barely lit up the sides.

    The teacher nodded vigorously. "Yes, they are used to it. It is also a great technique of facing their fears," He tried to reason, which did not work on the young Alpha.

    "Or making their fear worse.." Finn muttered. "And add another fear like ustrophobia onto their list.."

    "I will speak to your Alpha about this. The bunkers need to be reconstructed-"

    "But that would create a lot of noise and reveal their locations! Alp-"

    Alpha Damon stepped up to the teacher, his eyes glowing, and a monstrous growl resounded the room, causing the teacher to drop to his knees and bare his neck, his body shaking in fear.

    "It also seems like you need to be taught some manners," Darius'' deep, majestic voice drawled with a low growl at the end of hisment. He looked down at the quivering man on the floor and clicked his tongue. "Get up." On his order, the teacher stood with trembling legs. Finn snatched the keys from him.

    "You are dismissed. Don''t let me see your face again," Darius'' voice boomed, shaking the walls along with it. The man hobbled back, his legs still shaky in fear of the Alpha King''s wolf. For a moment, the room was silent and still, with the three werewolves staring at the hole in the ground.

    Darius was still fuming more than Damon about the teacher''sck of respect. If it hadn''t been for Damon fighting for control over his body, he was confident his wolf would make a point by punching a hole through the wall. But with their strength, that wall would ultimately fall down along with the rest of the building.

    While Damon took long, deep breaths, the other two nced at him like he really might break the building apart.

    Darren shut the door and looked anxiously at Damon, gulping. "I think I should go first," He announced hesitantly.

    Damon stared at him for a moment as his wolf settled back down. He struggled to pay attention because of Darius''s ragingmentary and loud growls. It was causing him a splitting headache. His wolf wasn''t just acting up due to the teacher, but he was feeling extra irritable because there were no traces of A''s scent anywhere.

    If her scent was left behind, only the trackers might be able to smell it. But the longer they''d been searching through this town, the more his mood began to sour, even though they knew the possibility of finding them was nil.

    Damon nodded to Darren''s suggestion, and the ex-Delta first started to climb down the metaldder. Damon was next, followed by Finn. It took them a whole three minutes in eery silence until their feet met the ground again. They looked around and found that the bunker was massive, with multiple beds, storage units, kitchens, bathrooms; it wasrge enough for more than just the primary school children.

    Then after some more searching, they came across another door that led down a very dimly tunnel. Although the light didn''t bother them with their heightened senses. Damon led the way down the tunnel, followed closely by Finn and Darren. He kept sniffing the air, but like everywhere else, it seemed hopeless. They continued to walk down the tunnel for another twenty minutes, making Damon wonder if they had walked across the whole town.

    "This is so long.." Darren muttered, cutting through the silence that Damon had preferred.

    Damon whipped his head back to Darren. "I didn''t realise this was running into your precious, pathetic time," He snapped. His irritation was apparent now, and why he preferred the silence, especially when it was Darren talking. If Finn had said the same thing, he might not have snapped at him so badly.

    "Finn isn''t stupid enough to say that," Darius growled.

    Darren lowered his gaze instantly and bowed his head slightly. Damon was about to speak again until he felt a slight draft, and his hair brushed across his face slightly. "We are nearly there." One side of his lips tugged up as he continued forwards until they finally saw another door at the end of the tunnel.

    Finn almost ran to the other end and yanked the door open, brightening the tunnel with the outside light as he inhaled the fresh air.

    "Alpha, we are just climbing down the tunnel now," Jake reached out to him through a mind-link. "We couldn''t pick up a scent, but we will try down here as well."

    They would be at least twenty minutes, depending on whether they pick up Cassius and A''s scents. The sound of Finn throwing up brought his attention back to the Delta near the open door. He walked to Finn''s side, first searching the field of tall, wiry grass with only a muddy that led around a corner, before returning to look at the Delta.

    "What''s wrong?" Damon finally asked once his assessment of the area was safe. Although it should be considering Darren was scouting the area, following the path and back.

    "I got ustrophobic," Finn muttered with an audible sigh and wiped his mouth.

    "I didn''t think you were ustrophobic. If you are, then you should have helped Ajax outside," Damon replied in annoyance but still peeked at Finn''s mmy face with a shake of his head. "Speaking of which, if you''re feeling better, ask him to find us and tell us where we are."

    Ajax would be much quicker than if they were to run around by paws. The shapeshifter, at least, could get a bird''s eye view of the area. Once their location was confirmed, he''d split Kane''s group up into two, and a few of them could search the area.

    Damon was pacing by the time Jake and Zeke arrived; at the same time, Ajax popped his head out of some of the grass. Using it to hide his naked body. The trackers confirmed Damon''s suspicions; they couldn''t pick up any more of his beloved''s scent. Ajax also told them they were

    located on the other side of the town, and the path led to the next town over.

    With this information, Damon sent out a mind-link to Kane before setting off with his trackers in the same direction. He ordered Finn and Darren to bring the cars and for Ajax to cover them from above. They tracked down a few trails in the other town for the rest of the afternoon, confirming A and Cassius did use the tunnel. How they knew where it was, was a mystery, but he didn''t put anything by the ancient vampire.

    Now exhausted but also feeling refreshed from running in his wolf form and letting Darius take control for some time, he closed his eyes in the car. The vibrations and the noises of the motorway lulled him into a sleep that for once was peaceful, making him wonder if the tiniest progression had set his heart at ease if only a little.

    When he next opened his eyes, the sun had gone down, and the nket of night fell over them, revealing the luminous moon and stars as a canvas above the grassy fields. The car slowed down, and he knew they were nearing the packhouse. Darren suddenly pressed down on the brakes, causing the wheels to screech and everyone in the car to fling forwards, straining against the tightened seatbelts.

    "Darren! What-" Damon growled until his eyes snapped to a certain vampire that had been showing up in his nightmares.

    Damon ripped the seatbelt off, yanked the door open, causing it to fall to the ground and leapt towards the white-haired vampire in that damned suit.

 Chapter 250 - Alpha King Vs Vampire King

    Damon tackled Gabriel to the ground and raised his fist, but the vampire sighed and pushed his chest, causing Damon to fly backwards, crashnding on the top of the car bo. Gabriel stood again, patting his suit down and readjusting his tie before strolling towards the raging Alpha King. Damon gripped the bo, his ws growing and scratching the metal as he growled loudly.

    "Now, now. Let us talk like gentlemen here." Gabriel held his hands out in mock surrender. Or so it looked like to Damon. He couldn''t help but see red when he looked at the white-haired vampire, both because of his annoying face that he''d seen nightly in his nightmares and because he''d gone M.I.A and not providing his help. This made him wonder if he cared about A at all.

    "Where were you!?" Damon shouted before leaping forwards again,nding a punch to Gabriel''s face.

    The vampire''s head flipped to the side, his white locks flicking across his forehead. He rubbed his jaw and slowly turned his head back to look at Damon. "There is only so much I will take, Damon," He threatened quietly.

    "And not that I need to exin myself, but Esme needed me. That is all I will say." He shrugged nonchntly with his hands in his trouser pockets.

    Damon grabbed him by the shirt. "Esme needed you.." He scoffed as his fists started to shake, and his eyes began to glow.

    "A needs us, and he was doing what?!" Darius roared into Damon''s mind, leaping against the barrier of his mind and trying to take the reins so he could do worse than Damon had done to the vampire.

    Gabriel red back at Damon and wrapped his hands around Damon''s wrists, his iron grip pressuring his bones. He grimaced from the slight cracking sound of a fracture, but he continued to clutch onto Gabriel''s shirt furiously. Damon''s ws grew again, piercing into Gabriel''s chest. Small blobs of blood spread on his shirt, but Gabriel did not so much as flinch and looked more annoyed than anything.

    "Damon, buddy, you need to calm down! Gabriel is here to help now," Ajax raced to his side, looking between the pair frantically. Finn and Darren started to go towards Gabriel as the gates opened with more pack members arriving and circling the pair in the road.

    "I see this is a bad time." A feminine voice called from the side, resulting in not only the Alpha King and Vampire King to look in the she-wolf''s direction but all the pack members there. Esme was sitting on the wall, swinging her legs, her dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, a ck mask covering half her face and matching the rest of her ck attire.

    Her nonchnce seemed to piss Darius off even more, and he growled in return. Gabriel''s grip tightened on Damon''s wrists before he let go and punched his chest, sending the Alpha flying again. Hended against the bo again but dropped to his knees, clutching his chest, trying to breathe in the air from where he was suddenly winded. The pack members stepped towards Gabriel, both looking uncertain and furious that he''d touched their Alpha.

    Damon stood and red at the vampire. But then two others appeared by his side, baring their fangs. Luther and Vinnie did not touch him nor say any words; they were obviously guarding their King.

    "Enough!" Esme hopped down,nding in a crouched position on the ground before sauntering towards them.

    Damon growled at the she-wolf''smand causing his pack members to turn and look at her with disgust.

    "Rogue." Was whispered among them aloud and in the pack mind-link.

    "Where is she!?" Chiara''s voice shouted into the mind-link. Others who were stood among them now responding swiftly to their Gamma''s question, still staring at the approaching rogue.

    Damon looked at the petite she-wolf, who had now stopped in front of Gabriel almost protectively. He raised a singr brow at the bizarre scene before him, making his temper begin to diffuse. "Why were you not waiting with Gabriel?" He questioned, eying her attire suspiciously.

    Although Esme''s circumstances were dire, and he wanted to look out for her, leaving the she-wolf in Gabriel''s care was the best he could do. But he couldn''t deny that she had been a rogue most of her life. He still needed to be cautious.

    Esme hummed and pulled her mask down. "I was testing the security of your ce. I can give you a few pointers if you want?" She replied yfully but lowered her gaze as soon as his chest started to rumble, reminding her of who exactly he was.

    Chiara then arrived, pushing two giant warriors aside and ring at Esme. She took a step forwards, her face full of fury, but Ajax walked to her side, his face bright and wrapped his arm over her shoulder. "Did you miss me?" He asked, beaming down at her. Chiara shook him off, still ring at Esme.

    "What did you do to my Gamma?" Damon asked, ignoring Ajax and stepping forwards, making the crowd part for him. He watched in interest as Gabriel stepped slightly in front of the rogue. Had Gabriel been looking out for Esme this whole time? He looked between them and paused as Gabriel''s gaze softened as he looked down at the she-wolf. But he did it so quickly; Damon thought he imagined it.

    Esme shrugged. "I was showing her the weakest parts of your patrols. That was all. Butpared to others, it is by far the strongest. As expected of the Silver Crescent pack." She bowed her head respectfully.

    "You made us wait outside here. The least you can do now is invite us in so we can talk," Gabriel added, waiting expectantly for Damon to give the order to his pack to officially stand down. He would never go against Gabriel unless it was necessary; he was the King of vampires and kept most of them in check.

    Damon gave the nod to the pack members, and they all stepped back. "I am just alerting the pack to the guests visiting. They are vampires but will not be causing any trouble, and I expect you to treat them respectfully," He mind-linked the whole pack. Although he was a little disgruntled by it, he also didn''t want any more issues between the werewolves and vampires.

    Plus,nding a punch on Gabriel''s annoying face made him feel miles better.

    "Head back inside," Hemanded his men nearby, then turned to Darren, who had been staying by the car. "Return the car to the garage, and get a mechanic to fix it in the morning. Other than that, your duties are done today. I''ll call for you if I need you."

    Darren bared his neck to the Alpha and opened the driver''s door again, climbing inside and waiting for everyone to clear the road. The pack members walked in pairs and in a line back through the gates avoiding the moving vehicle. Gabriel and Esme climbed into a sleek ck sports car that was parked off to the side of the wall. He drove slowly behind Darren''s SUV.

    Damon felt a little ufortable watching Gabriel enter his estate; thest time he was there, he killed the Alpha King.. Though times had certainly changed, and after venting some of his anger out on Gabriel, he would be having a chat with the vampire, and maybe the arrogant sod might be helpful.

 Chapter 251 - Castles And Spells

    Not long after returning to the packhouse with the vampires and rogue in toll did Beta Kane and the other warriors arrive. Kane reported to Damon immediately, taking in the sight of the vampires in the living room in which Damon stood among. Luther sat next to him while Vinnie appeared to be on guard like the musclehead he seemed to be.

    The Beta looked warily at Gabriel, looking rtivelyfortable on the sofa with his arms spread against the back, his ankle crossed over his knee and a drink in one hand. "That is definitely Gabriel, right? Not the brother?" Kane mind-linked Damon after finishing his report that they couldn''t find anything.

    Gabriel chuckled darkly and red at the Beta. "I am NOT my brother."

    Damon refrained from sighing; the vampire''s mind-reading was getting old. But nothing they mind-linked each other would be private, so they might as well speak aloud.

    Esme, who was leaning against the wall behind Gabriel, nced in Kane''s direction, eying him; Gabriel turned his head slightly as though they were in the middle of a conversation.

    "No, if you were, you wouldn''t be sitting there right now," Damon muttered in annoyance. "Kane, you may finish for the night." Gabriel raised a brow at the Alpha''s response but did not say anything, most likely so another fight would not break out.

    "And we know just how much he likes his suits," Darius growled in his mind.

    Kane did not move from Damon''s side even after his suggestion to call it a night. "Have the warriors at least gone to rest?" He asked his Beta. Kane nodded and crossed his arms, his sharp eyes fixed on the vampires. Even though they''d worked together before, there was still some tension in the air. If it wasn''t for A, then they would not be meeting under these circumstances.

    "Will you at least sit down?" Luther spoke up, rubbing his jaw as he looked at not only Damon and Kane standing but Chiara and Finn, who also assumed a defensive position. It was only Ajax, as usual, who seemed to rx and mirror Gabriel''s seated position, but he was holding onto Chiara''s sleeve, tugging at it for her to sit next to him.

    "It''s rude acting like we are going to gobble you all up," Luther continued with a frustrated sigh.

    Damon nodded and watched as Chiara relented and sat down next to Ajax, and much to the shapeshifter''s annoyance, her gaze was still on Esme. Damon understood, though, it was rogues who killed her mate, and Esme, although she was not the one to do it, having her presence here was making her agitated. If she was not protected by Gabriel or him, then Chiara would probably kill her.

    Finn continued to stand as Damon expected, while Kane sat next to Chiara, though his back was still straight and he did not lookfortable. Damon leaned his hip into the side of the wall, crossing his arms as he looked between Gabriel and Luther. "Better?" He asked, and the vampires smirked, making him want to lunge at them again.

    "What did you have to do that made us wait so long outside the gates?" Gabriel asked, tapping his finger against the armrest.

    "You''re acting like you were bored? Wasn''t Esme causing havoc for my pack?" Damon shot back.

    On the walk back to the packhouse, Chiara filled him in on how she''d been running after Esme. The rogue was a professional at hiding, and even his Gamma had trouble finding her. He was annoyed with Esme; she''d made his pack nervous at a time when he was not there, their Luna was still missing, and some of their best warriors and trackers were also gone for the day.

    But he did marvel at her a little. One tiny she-wolf like her did this, and she had been right. Esme also filled him in on the weak parts of his pack''s defences while everyone had been getting settled in the living room.

    "Yes, but you gained something from her chaos, correct?" Gabriel replied with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Damon stared at the vampire for a moment before ncing at Esme, who seemed a lot more confident than thest time, he''d seen her. "Now, am I correct in assuming that you had a lead today on A''s whereabouts?"

    Damon''s chest tightened even though he knew his chances of finding her today were slim; he couldn''t help but have some of his hope being crushed. "Chase phoned me this morning. He said the hunters went to Qina, only two returned, reporting that two vampires with white hair were the ones to kill them all. Can you actually help, or are you wasting my time?" Damon asked; his gaze had darkened the longer he looked at Gabriel, so he forced himself to look away.

    He really wanted to punch him again. Once was not enough.

    "Qina? Near Maine.." Gabriel straightened and shook his head with a chuckle. "Damon, you silly Alpha-" Damon pushed off the wall, growling, unable to control his temper again after another day without his mate.

    "Instead of being so impatient this morning, you should have told me," Gabriel ignored Damon''s bristling form. The Alpha paused for a moment, sensing the excitement in the vampire''s features. "I have a castle in Maine."

    "I sent some of our warriors to check out Maine; they never sighted any castles," Kane spoke up, leaning forwards now, as he stared at Gabriel.

    Gabriel smirked, "That''s because it has a spell on it."

    Damon nked at what the vampire just said, then he was reminded of the location spells A''s mum had been trying to cast daily until she fainted from fatigue.

    "Is this spell powerful enough to hide a person''s location as well?" He asked, his curiosity piqued at the new turn of events. Darius was also now pacing impatiently at the edges of his mind, listening intently to what Gabriel was about to say.

    "Yes. I got Einar to cast the spell when the castle first was built. No one is more powerful than that warlock," Gabriel replied confidently.

    "This is what I mean; you could have saved this torturous hell I have been living in thest month and told us this shit from the start," Damon growled, mming the side of his fist into the wall he was leaning against again. The wall shook, and some of the paint cracked and crumbled to the floor.

    "Even if I was there from the start, we might still be searching now. Don''t underestimate how much money we have; I have more castles, vis and penthouses than I can count on my fingers and toes. Not all of them have spells on, but the one in Maine in particr does."

    Was he bragging or just making a point?

    "Anyway, I still would keep an open mind. Cassius could be leading you into a trap, maybe to try and rid you forever-"

    "Can we not use Einar to remove the spell?" Esme spoke up from her spot against the wall, interrupting the white-haired vampire.

    Damon frowned at her suggestion. "Is he still alive then?" He didn''t know enough about witches to determine if they were immortals like vampires.

    Esme nodded. "I could call in a favour-"

    "No!" Gabriel snapped, turning his head to look at the rogue. "I don''t want to owe him any more favours."

    "Then can you get us to the castle?" Damon asked though he was very curious about this warlock. Gabriel made him sound like that Brother''s Grimm viin, Rumplestiltskin.

    Gabriel turned back to face him, settling his ss down on the coffee table. "Of course.. I know it like the back of my hand."

 Chapter 252 - Bloodthirsty Rogue

    Damon straightened, pping his hands together loudly and making the others jump in their seats and whip their heads in his direction. Gabriel and the vampires were the only ones who looked at him, bored and unimpressed.

    "What are we waiting for then? Let''s go now," Damon demanded, turning on the spot and about to march down back down the hallway, but Kane blocked his path.

    "Alpha." He began with his title, lowering his gaze in respect, but it still made Damon''s chest rumble in warning because he knew Kane was about to go against his orders. "We all want to get our Luna back. But-" Damon growled again as he clenched his fists shut, refraining from snapping at his friend. Kane cleared his throat. "We would be at a disadvantage going now. Everyone is tired and hungry," Kane reasoned. "And the sun has gone down; if there are other vampires, they won''t be restricted like usual."

    Damon raked his hands through his raven coloured hair, inhaling deeply and releasing a long breath. He knew Kane was right, and if he was in more of his right frame of mind, he would not be so erratic in his decision making. Damon reached out and patted Kane on the shoulder.

    "You are right. Thank you. We will go in the morning," He thanked his friend and released his shoulder before he sent a mind-link to his butler and workers to arrange a BBQ for everyone. It was quicker and easier to do for numerous pack members who decided to stay in the mansion for the night. Kane had already ordered them to rest in whatever free guest room there were.

    "On it, Alpha." A small group mind-link was sent back from the workers. When living in such arge pack, their food storage was constantly being filled up on a daily basis, and his workers cooked food whether he ordered them to or not. It was only when he made requests that the food would be switched up specifically to his or the pack''s needs.

    "Plus," Ajax began, making the Alpha turn his head and sigh audibly at what was expected to be anotherment that would get under his skin.

    "You still need to shave and get some beauty sleep to look more like your handsome self." He winked and smiled broadly at him. Chiara nudged her shoulder into Ajax''s side, frowning at him intentionally. "What? We are all thinking it. You know." The shapeshifter stood up, putting his hands in his jeans. "We WANT A to return. She won''t if she saw what a sorry state you are looking- eek!"

    Damon took two giant, thunderous steps towards him, his eyes glowing and a growl resonating through the walls. But Ajax disappeared into a heap of clothes on the floor by Chiara, and he knew the shapeshifter was already down the hallway making his escape. He''d transformed into a little mouse again.

    Everyone froze as they all could hear Ajax''s feet scurrying across the floors before the breaking of bones started to echo back to them, and his gait changed to two bare human feet sauntering up the stairs like he had no care in the world. Damon didn''t have the energy to chase him down, nor the patience he needed to finish up here. He looked at Chiara expectantly.

    "What?" She asked aloud, ncing at the various faces in the room, their gazes on her.

    "You know what," Damon sighed, his eyes flicking down to the pile of clothes on the floor.

    Chiara sighed and collected them with a slight blush growing on her cheeks. "I suppose I should go tell him off as none of you want to put up with his antics," She excused herself, abruptly standing up and marching furiously after the shapeshifter.

    Damon had to hold back theugh forming on his lips. Chiara''s excuses to see Ajax were getting increasingly worse. He hoped for everyone''s sake she would admit to their rtionship soon. If Ajax made her happy, then he wasn''t going to oppose it, no matter how annoying he found him. Though he knew it had more to do with the loss of her mate than the gossip of others, Chiara was the Gamma for a reason and didn''t take any bullshit.

    Damon nced back at Esme after thinking about Xander, Chiara''s mate, who died at the hands of rogues. He wondered if sending Esme away would be better for her.

    "She stays." Gabriel red at him, surprising the Alpha further about the protectiveness in the vampire''s voice.

    "I''m her King, and I decide whether she stays or goes. If her presence is making.. is making my pack ufortable-"

    "I am quite certain my presence makes everyone much more ufortable, and don''t you mean the Gamma. If I am to help you, Chiara will need to get over it."

    Damon clenched his teeth together, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he red back at Gabriel. "You do not have the authority-"

    "Esme is MINE," Gabriel hissed back, the red specks in his crystal eyes glowing brightly.

    His? Damon''s eyes widened, and he looked back at the she-wolf, who seemed unconcerned by what the vampire was saying. No.. Gabriel didn''t mean..

    "Yes. I did," Gabriel responded in Damon''s mind as he held his gaze.

    "How? She already has-"

    "Not anymore," Gabriel replied sharply, cutting him off before changing the subject. "And stop coddling your Gamma. She is a big girl and something like this is good for her. She has Ajax tofort her," He continued in his mind, more than likely to keep Chiara and Ajax''s ''secret''.

    The vampire readjusted his tie, loosening it and undone the top two buttons of his shirt. The small action didn''t go unnoticed by the she-wolf behind him; her gaze lingered hungrily on his slightly exposed skin.

    Damon shook his head, their rtionship solved a few issues Esme caused the werewolfmunity, so it wasn''t something he needed to worry about. "Fine," Damon spoke aloud, gaining the attention of the room again. They knew the two Kings were talking privately and had stayed quiet the whole time.

    "But how can Esme help?" Damon asked genuinely. He never looked down on anyone, but Esme had been missing/ on the run for over two years. She couldn''t even mind-link them. Would she be helpful?

    "Looks are deceiving, Alpha," Esme spoke up, pushing off from the wall and making her presence more known to the others. Unlike before, when she seemed to purposely keep herself small and unnoticed. "I can prove myself, and when I do, you will add me to your pack."

    "What!?" Both Damon and Gabriel eximed and looked at her in surprise.

    "You heard me. You know I''ve been in a pack before, so don''t act like I am some crazy, bloodthirsty rogue.." She looked off to the side mischievously for a moment with a slight smirk. "I may be a little scary, but I will work for you. Keep me in your pack until you no longer need me. It will be easier for me to mind-link others that way."

    "And if I refuse?" Damon questioned, eyeing her suspiciously. Why did she want to help so bad? Thest time he spoke to her, she could barely stand staying in the same room as him.

    Esme shrugged nonchntly. "Then everything will take much longer inmunication, which is stressful in such tense situations. It''s your loss if you say no, but it''s up to you. It was only a suggestion."

    Damon stared at her for a long minute, thinking about Chiara and the others in the pack. It wasn''t rare for packs to ept new members, but it was pretty umon for a rogue to be epted unless that rogue was somebody''s mate. Damon released his breath. "We will leave tomorrow for Maine, prove yourself useful and then I will think about it."

    He said this but knew his mind would be more fixated on seeing his mate. With that thought, he looked back at Gabriel, who still seemed irritated by Esme''s decision. "I will use the same groups I took today. It''s notrge enough to call attention to us if he has spies around.." He looked off thoughtfully, a flicker of anger boiling in his chest at the idea of seeing Cassius the next day. "But will they be enough to take on whoever is at the castle?"

    "Bring them, I have Luther and Vinnie as well, and I can call on another vampire toe," Gabriel replied. Damon nodded; if he couldn''t take down Cassius, he knew Gabriel could.

    Couldn''t he?

 Chapter 253 - Do You Cater For Vampires?

    Gabriel never answered his unspoken question. Damon wondered if the vampire had stopped listening to his thoughts or if he didn''t want to answer him. Cassius was his twin brother; instead of killing him all those years ago, Gabriel locked him up in a crypt. Would he really help destroy him or only help get A back?

    Damon couldn''t turn back now. Cassius needed to pay with his life; whether Gabriel helped him or not, he would find a way. But first, his priority was getting A back.

    "Alright, we should get something to eat and rest up. We leave early tomorrow," Damon said after the smells of the BBQ wafted through to where they all were, causing not just his stomach to growl but a few others as well.

    "Do you cater for vampires?" After seeing Damon''s face drop, Gabriel smirked, and Luther burst intoughter. "It is a joke, Damon."

    Damon turned away, ignoring them and leading the pack members down the hall and through the kitchen, where on the kitchen ind were piles and piles of meat along with the usual food and tes. He gestured towards the food, letting his pack members go to it first; it had always been a given that the Alpha would eat first, but he never followed such rules. He had been a grumpy git for thest month, and so he should try and make it up to his pack.

    After Finn, Damon lined up behind him, grabbing a te and turned after hearing Esme behind him. He gestured to the food making a few of the warriors nce in her direction questionably and a few ring at her. The rogue shook her head, keeping his pack members happy, but she still brazenly met their eyes and held them. Damon turned back, shaking his head.

    "When you said early in the morning.. How early are we talking?" Esme asked as he started to pile up his te.

    Damon handed Esme a te and returned to add to his pile. "We leave at ten. Is that okay for you and your nightwalkers?" He half mocked but was utterly serious at the same time. Other than Esme, the others were vampires. Did they need more sleep, or did the sun annoy them at certain times of the day?

    He knew they were not ordinary; otherwise, they''d burst into mes like the others.

    "Ten is perfect. I''ll have time to eat," Esme grinned, which made Damon pause at how lively and happy she seemed. His eyes softened, and he nodded before sitting down next to Finn and the trackers. He watched Esme walk back to Gabriel, who had also strolled into the room, and they sat down side by side, lookingfortable next to each other at the dining table.

    He suddenly felt bad for attacking Gabriel now, realising that whatever Esme went through must have been something big, and like how Damon would always be there for A, Gabriel would now be there for Esme. With that thought, his gaze met Gabriel''s knowingly before he returned to his food and paid attention to the conversation between Finn and Zeke.

    After eating and showing his vampiric guests to their rooms, Damon returned to his own and once again felt the overbearing weight of loneliness seep into his being as he stared at therge bedroom. Still, he showered and crawled into bed, listening to the rumbling of Darius'' voice, "Tomorrow, we will see our mate." Thoseforting words wrapped around him warmly and sent him off to sleep.

    Even though Ajax''sment infuriated him the night before, Damon did follow through with his annoying suggestion. Though he didn''t have much luck on the ''beauty sleep'', his mind had been warped in nightmares forever reaching out to his mate. He woke up covered in sweat more times than he could count. But the dark circles under his eyes weren''t as bad as before. The redness that he''d been ustomed to seeing had calmed down.

    He shaved his beard, trimmed it down to his usual neat stubble, and washed his hair, looking more refreshed with more colour to hisplexion in weeks. After having breakfast with the pack members and the guests of the house, the groups were soon dispatched in a line of ck SUVs. Surprisingly, Gabriel sat in the same car as Damon, Ajax and Finn. Esme seemed to be in the car full of vampires, seeminglyfortable around the creatures now, and his Beta was with the trackers, with a few more cars following behind of his warriors.

    Again, Chiara remained behind to protect the pack with Nairi, she was one of their best fighters, but they couldn''t risk an attack while he was away. He also advised her to strengthen the areas Esme suggested the night before, hoping to distract the Gamma as well. He nearly left Ajax with her as well, but he was getting ustomed to having the shapeshifter with him, flying above them.

    Like the day before, Damon tapped his fingers and shook his leg impatiently as Finn drove. Even with the way Finn was speeding to help ease his Alpha''s suffering, it still felt like he''d been in that seat for twelve hours and not two. But Gabriel spoke up once the sat nav announced they were ten minutes away from Maine on the motorway.

    "The castle is the other side of Maine, so it will be about twenty minutes. There are country roads that lead to it." The vampire pointed on the map along some roads and made a circr shape on one road in particr. "You should park up as soon as you go into this road; use the field no one will stop you. It is a private road."

    Gabriel gave directions for the next twenty minutes, and Damon mind-linked the others, repeating them until they were safely on the side of a quiet thin country road. Stepping out of the car and into the soggy mud, Damon couldn''t help but chuckle at Gabriel''s disgust at ruining his expensive shoes. The vampire red at him but then was briefly distracted by Esme approaching them.. They locked gazes for a moment, then he turned around and led therge group the rest of the way, walking further away from the road and merging into the depths of arge forest.

 Chapter 254 - Snow Queen

    They trudged through the woods for another twenty minutes quietly. The tall trees twisted and turned; their branches and leaves shaded the group from the sun. It was so thick and dense that it almost looked like the forest was in its own time zone, a night during the day. No oneined about the trek, keeping their thoughts to themselves. Damon had already told them if they wished to speak to do it through the pack mind-link.

    "We are nearly there," Gabriel''s voice entered Damon''s mind as he slowed his walking down, stopping as he stroked the side of a few trees, his eyes scanning them until he smiled and looked back at the Alpha with a nod.

    "Finn, find out if Ajax can shift into something unnoticeable like a small bird that doesn''t look out of ce," Damon mind-linked his Delta as he nced at Ajax behind him.

    Ajax nodded and looked back at Finn, who mind-linked the Alpha, "He will shift into a ckbird. Did you want him to change now?"

    Damon gave Ajax a nod, and the shapeshifter stripped out of his tracksuit bottoms and top, instantly shifting into a small ckbird. He pped his wings and disappeared behind the canopy of leaves. Once he was gone, Damon traipsed over to the vampire then started to pass him, but Gabriel grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back. Damon frowned and looked back at him, annoyed by the tug of his shirt.

    "The barrier is just past that tree, but as soon as you cross it, there is a trap. Follow me, so you don''t fall into the ditches," Gabriel spoke in his mind again.

    Traps? They really were going to a castle led by an ancient vampire who lived in such times.

    Damon nodded then looked at his pack members. It was better if only a few of them checked it out first, and the rest could be on standby. "There are traps set up, and only Gabriel knows the safe route. Kane and Finn,e with me," He ordered through the pack mind-link as he started to follow Gabriel. The Beta and Delta followed behind him, and Esme followed behind them.

    The pair frowned at her until Damon mind-linked them to leave her be. He didn''t want the hassle of any drama from Gabriel about leaving her behind. Plus, she wanted to prove herself useful to join the pack even though he thought it useless if A was to return today.

    Everyone stayed in a line, following each other and watching where they stepped. But after some time of avoiding these traps, they could not see, the invisible barrier that seemed to contain a secret castle started to show signs of its magic. Gabriel was the first to walk ahead, his silhouette shimmered and blurred like a lens zoomed too closely in a picture, and then he disappeared.

    Finn and Kane nced at each other nervously, but Damon and Esme were the first to follow the vampire. As they walked forwards, Damon felt like he''d walked through some cold fog that clung onto his body and wettening his hair. Damon''s breath suddenly fell short like the oxygen was pushed out of his lungs, but as quickly as it came, it went. The scenery of trees warped and flickered before bright skies, and the sun shone down on him, blinding him momentarily.

    He squinted, keeping his arm over his eyes before finally, they readjusted, and he blinked to the bright greenery. They walked up a slight slope of a hill, and there before them was a magnificent white stone castle with blue-tiled spires at the towers. It was safely hidden from the surrounding forest. Ivy and vines grew up on one side of it, making the whole scene look like something out of a fairy tale book.

    Before the castle was a smallke and a tree with a white cushioned swing. Behind it was many gardens filled with blooming flowers, fountains, arches and mazes. Damon searched the area with his eyes, not moving as his body stayed tense from the sudden pulling sensation in his stomach.

    It was like a tight rope, and the other end was tugging at him to move forwards. His heart rate spiked, and his eyes lit up with unshed tears.

    "Mate," Darius growled; he was joyful too, but the seriousness of his voice brought Damon back to reality. This wasn''t some sort of a reunion where he could walk into the castle grounds and take A. They had to work out what to do next.

    "Is A here?" Finn mind-linked him.

    Damon nodded as his foot tapped impatiently, and he crossed his arms.

    "Ajax said it sounds like there is a party," Finn added. They couldn''t hear anything from their position, but a party was thest thing he thought would be happening right now.

    Someone tapped his shoulder, and he looked around until he saw Esme gesture him to follow her. He frowned, but she rolled her eyes then bared her neck at him after Darius growled through him, his chest rumbling loudly at her disrespect. She turned and walked past the small group to the left, not waiting for them to respond or follow.

    Gabriel smirked and patted Damon''s shoulder, almost to nudge him in her direction. He ended up rushing after the rogue, surprised by her speed beforeing to an abrupt stop. They used the cover of some bushes to look over the back gardens of the castle. Esme silently pointed towards the first-floor window and there standing with her arms crossed with his beautiful mate.

    How the hell did Esme know where she was?

    "She ran ahead of everyone. Did you not notice her leave?" Darius questioned and questioned his skills as the Alpha King.

    Obviously not. Damon''s silence answered his wolf''s question for him while his eyes were fixated on A. Now he could hear some of the music, cheers and screams, and even saw a few people dancing through the second-floor windows. It was midday, and they were having a party? Who were they exactly?

    It looked like A was alone on the first floor. She stood there wearing a white, strapless jumpsuit, her neck adorned in jewelled nes, her hair falling down in perfect curls to her waist. Damon thought his heart had stopped from seeing how stunning she looked. She was like a snow queen, her crystal blue eyes cold. The emotionless look on her face and the dried blood in the corner of her mouth made his own blood run cold. Her eyes that had been staring at the ground flicked up, looking straight at Damon.

    Time stood still as he held his breath, listening only to the beat of his and her heart beating as one. Both thumped loudly, racing at the sight of their mate. But when Damon tried to feel through the bond, to mind-link her, he felt the barrier up between them still.

    She lowered her gaze and moved her head by a small fraction to the left, her attention taken by something behind her.

    "Why hasn''t she tried to run to us? Everyone is distracted; this is the perfect time to get her out of there!" Darius roared in his head impatiently.

    Damon stepped forwards andshed out at Gabriel after the vampire grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop him from going further. "Damon, Do. Not. Rush. Anything," Gabriel growled, punctuating each word.

    "Why?" Damon snapped. "Why are you stopping me from going to her? Is this a trap?" He could feel his wolf losing control over being held back from his mate; now that they could see her, everything was intensified again. It was hard enough keeping his wolf at bay, convincing him they would get her.

    Damon felt paranoid now as he looked at his mate and back at the face he despised the most. If he didn''t go to her, she would disappear from him again.

    He couldn''t let that happen!

 Chapter 255 - How Cold

    Gabriel stepped in front of Damon, gripping him by the shoulders, his fingers as strong as steel and making his bones shake beneath from the strength. But the Alpha was still fixated on his mate; she was now looking behind her.

    "Breathe, and think for a second, you damned wolf!" Gabriel released his shoulders but grabbed him by the shirt now, pping his cheek to get his attention again. "If you blow this.. Your chances of finding her after this are slim!"

    Damon squinted at him, his nose wrinkling from the vampire''s ps. "That is exactly why I should go to her now! It is the perfect opportunity!" Damon growled back, baring his canines as his eyes glowed back at the vampire. His arms mmed down on top of Gabriel''s, making him release his hold on him, and he grabbed him by the shirt, throwing him over his shoulder.

    He took another step forwards until his breath rushed out of his lungs, and he flew backwards. Damon blinked as his backside skidded on the ground, but he instantly jumped to his feet, staring wide-eyed at the petite she-wolf who had attacked him. Esme lowered her leg from where she kicked him and held her hands up in surrender. Finn and Kane were now growling at her, both grabbing her wrists. Damon stalked towards her, his hands curled into fists, and he stopped to stare down at her.

    "You weren''t listening, Alpha," Esme snapped and nced at Kane after he growled at her. She was unfazed by the two werewolves towering over her, but she still had the sense to lower her gaze and bare her neck slightly to Damon. "That small opportunity you wanted to take would lead to your death. It would be a waste to die so young, and your mate would still be in Cassius'' hands."

    Esme''s words made him pause, and he looked over her head to see that A was now gone from the window. Damon clenched his eyes shut and raked his hand through his hair. He didn''t know theyout of the castle, he didn''t know how many vampires were in there, he didn''t know anything.

    When he opened his eyes again, he signalled for Finn and Kane to step back, and he nced at Gabriel, who was walking to stand by Esme''s side.

    "Do you just expect me to stand by and watch then?" Damon growled, his eyes still glowing as he looked from Esme to Gabriel.

    "I expect you to act like a King," Gabriel snapped. "Put your feelings aside for now. Cassius will not hurt her. But understanding your enemy takes priority. This isn''t just about taking A away from you, Cass has other things nned, and we need to work out what it is and how to stop him."

    Damon chuckled darkly as he looked between the Vampire King and rogue before ring at Gabriel once more. "If our situations were reversed, could you just stand here and watch your mate from afar?" Damon growled back; he knew he was being unreasonable, and he knew Gabriel was right, but he couldn''t help it.

    HIS MATE WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM!

    His mate.. was.. His eyes moved over to the castle.

    "Get down!" Damon snapped as he dropped to the ground. Everyone followed suit just as quickly and looked down at the castle grounds through the leaves of the bushes. Finn and Kane were on the ground to his left side and Gabriel and Esme on his right. They all watched in shock as Cassius walked outside, smiling as he turned to look behind him.

    "That was close," Kane mind-linked them, cing his hand on Damon''s back both in aforting manner and to stop the Alpha from charging at full speed to the white-haired vampire smiling as he sauntered outside in his blood-stained white shirt and trousers.

    "Gabriel, hold me down-"

    Darius pushed through his mind then, ripping the reins from Damon, and he lunged forward, but Gabriel jumped onto his back, with Kane and Finn holding his legs.

    "I''ll rip him to pieces, and then I''ll rip you to pieces. GET. OFF. ME!" Darius growled through the mind-link to Finn and Kane but mainly spoke to Gabriel.

    "Get him under control, Damon," Gabriel hissed back in his mind. "Or we''ll inject you with wolfsbane."

    No matter the threat, Darius'' hold was too powerful. Cassius had been haunting his mind over thest month, and he was before them with no care in the world. Like he owned the whole world. No, like he had someone ultra precious with him. That special someone was now walking down the steps towards him, a small smile tugging at her pink lips, making Darius'' struggles stop as he sniffed the air.

    His heart was pounding wildly again, and he felt crushed by the smile on A''s face. Why was she smiling? A smile she was returning to Cassius. The vampire grabbed her hand, pulling her along through the gardens, and stopped at the firstrge fountain with three women statues, one standing and two sitting down, holding jugs that sprinkled out the water.

    "Is this better?" Cassius asked as he stared at her with concern.

    "Yes," A replied simply, looking warmly at the vampire. Although Damon and his wolf were both trembling in anger, the sound of A''s voice calmed him, and his shoulders rxed.

    Cassius let go of her hand and ced his hands behind his back as he started to stroll around the fountain, looking at the gardens. While his attention was on the flowers and the sun, A''s smile dropped as she looked down at the water, leaning her knee onto the dry surface of the fountain.

    Darius had been in a trance, watching his mate''s cold eyes watch the water, the sunlight''s reflection causing shadows across her marble-like skin. While his wolf was distracted, Damon slowly and easily took the reins back to his mind, and his wolf remained quiet, observing her.

    "You didn''t seem to mind itst night. What has happened since then?" Cassius stopped by A''s side again, and he reached his hand towards her, cupping her cheek in his hand and staring at her intently. "I need to make sure my little wolf isfortable here."

    "I''m not hungry anymore," A replied quietly, turning her head away from Cassius. "Send them home. Your friends are giving me a headache. How old are they?"

    Cassius chuckled. "I admit they are still young and impulsive. But sending them away now in the sun.." He trailed off, searching her features. "They will burn to ashes."

    A didn''t respond, so Cassius gripped her chin by his fingers and turned her to look back at him. "Should I send them away?" He whispered darkly with a sardonic smile.

    A stood and faced him properly, a smirk forming on her features. "Let them burn."

    "How cold," Cassius mocked before nting a kiss on her cheek.

 Chapter 256 - Damons Struggles

    Damon saw red.

    Damon''s upper lip pulled back, and he snarled at Cassius'' lips touching his mate''s cheek. His own lips burned from Cassius'' touch fuelling his temper. ws grew from his hands, and his skin started to rip from the fur sprouting out from his hands. He buckled forwards but fell t as he struggled to move with everyone, now including Esme, on top of him. Even with the sudden added weight of Kane''s golden wolf and Finn''s grey one, he continued to struggle. They had shifted on the spot to keep him moving.

    His struggles started to tire him out, and he felt frustrated. He wanted tosh out at each of them for keeping him there. He had to watch from afar as another man touched his woman, and instead of being allowed to rip him to pieces like most Alpha''s would, he had two wolves keeping him down. A was just before him, but she was out of reach.

    Damon growled, pausing when his protruding canines bit into flesh and blood spurted into his mouth. He looked down in shock, retracting his canines. He looked up to see Esme had covered his mouth with both her hands, and he''d bit her. She didn''t so much as hiss or grimace at the pain. In fact, she was looking at the gardens, disinterested in her bleeding hand.

    Did she not feel pain?

    Damon felt his face burning as though someone was ring at him. When he looked up, Gabriel was indeed ring at him. He did feel bad and wanted to mind-link Esme to apologise, then he scoffed, remembering he hadn''t epted her into the pack yet. But even more shockingly, Esme patted his head like she understood. Gabriel grabbed her injured hand and licked away the blood; her wound already healed now.

    "Oh, A.."

    At Cassius'' voice, Damon looked back at the castle grounds. The white-haired vampire had taken a few steps away from A and was now looking over his shoulder. "Are you sure you''re not hungry?"

    A shook her head, keeping her back to him.

    "I figured you were holding back again, or was the sight of what those youngsters did to the humans too much for you?" Cassius asked her nonchntly, making Damon wonder what sort of party was going on in that castle and if this was the reason she acted so coldly about killing the other vampires.

    The wind blew across A''s stylishly curled hair, and Damon watched her eyes intently. But from where he stood, he couldn''t read them; all he saw was a distant, chilling stare. She abruptly turned and scoffed. "Why are you asking such a ridiculous question? Did you think I would suddenly be okay with killing humans to feed?"

    Cassius strolled back towards her, his hands in his trouser pockets now as he tilted his head to the side, observing her. "Of course, I did not-"

    "Then why did you bring them? Why did you put on such a show if you knew I''d hate it?" She asked with a slight growl.

    Were her eyes glowing now? Damon couldn''t see with her back facing him.

    "I''m getting you used to it, my sweet, sweet A," Cassius replied as he stopped in front of her.

    His!? Damon''s ws dug into the earth again, but this time he refrained from growling, ncing at Esme''s hand reappearing in front of his mouth. It was such a strange action, but it stopped him from making any noise. If Damon injured her again, who knew what Gabriel would do.

    "I do not wish to get used to it," She snapped. No, that wasn''t A''s voice; it was Malia''s. Darius howled in his mind, and he wondered if her wolf could feel him begging for her to return. A''s shoulders stiffened slightly; it was the smallest of actions, but it didn''t go unnoticed by him nor Cassius as his eyes hardened.

    The vampire nced around them before he stepped even closer to her. sping his hands on her shoulders, A leaned away from him like she couldn''t stand being close to him. They stood in that position for some time until her body slowly rxed and her head almost sagged.

    What..

    "Cass was speaking to Malia telepathically. At least he was being careful of his surroundings still. But my brother basically pushed Malia back into a small corner of A''s mind," Gabriel answered Damon''s question in his mind. He frowned at his words and how A seemed morefortable from Cassius'' touch now.

    "Comfortable.." Darius growled menacingly as he paced against the edges of his mind again. His wolf was surprisingly under control, considering Cassius seems to have locked her away somehow; Darius hadn''t tried to take the reins in a while.

    Cassius cupped A''s cheeks, caressing them with his thumbs, the action made Damon''s blood boil, and he clenched his teeth together as his ws started to pierce his skin from where his hands were clenched together.

    Shit. He couldn''t have his scent here. Damon stretched his fingers, but his eyes remained on his mate and Cassius, his gut twisting and his chest tightening.

    "How are you feeling?" Cassius asked as he stared at A intently.

    A swayed slightly but shook her head and grabbed Cassius'' wrists, gently removing his hands from her face. "I am fine," She replied quietly and turned away from him. Her face looked pale, and she clenched her eyes shut as she held her hand against her head. "I have a slight headache."

    "You need to feed more," Cassius strolled back towards her, rolling the sleeve of his left arm up.

    "No, I just need rest. We''ve been up for more than twenty hours.. Unlike you, I still need to sleep more," A joked, but her features didn''t match the tone in her voice. She looked fatigued.

    Cassius stepped closer to her and rested his chin on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "Are you sure?"

 Chapter 257 - Blood Of A Vampire

    Cassius stepped closer to her and rested his chin on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "Are you sure?"

    Gabriel''s knuckles had gone white now from how hard he''d fisted his hand. The ruby-red specks in his eyes were glowing now, and his lips parted, revealing his fangs. Esme looked at him, and he shook his head, to which she whipped her head back to the scene unfolding before them, her eyes darkening. Damon didn''t like the exchange, but before he could ask Gabriel, Esme put her hand over his mouth again, making him nervous at what he was about to see.

    Cassius bit into his forearm, and A clenched her eyes shut, swallowing loudly before opening them again; her eyes shone, and her lips parted slightly. Cassius reached for her waist and pulled her back into him, putting his forearm just before her lips. A inhaled sharply and instantly grabbed onto his arm and wildly bit into it, her eyes shutting with a slight moan leaving her lips.

    "I don''t know why you even try. You can''t hide anything from me, A." Cassius said quietly as he stroked her hair back.

    Damon''s chest was heaving now from the burning rage that was ready to blow. But he controlled himself enough not to harm Esme again, though he was losing feeling in his legs and back from the giant wolves lying on him. He honestly didn''t know how to react to what he''d witnessed; he knew A would need blood, and she might struggle for a while like how Davian did. But the Alpha didn''t expect his mate to be drinking from another vampire.

    "That''s enough!" A man''s voice growled. Damon looked behind Cassius and A, but nobody was there. That was when he saw a ck-haired man walking shirtless and only in a pair of jeans. He had hopped up onto the hedge maze, then jumped across the bushy walls until he hopped back down and marched towards the pair at the fountain.

    "It is enough when I say it is enough. A is thirsty," Cassius warned the neer but also appeared disinterested in him.

    "She will get addicted," The man snapped and reached his hand out towards A. She opened her eyes and growled at the man, her lips still against Cassius'' arm.

    Darius'' hackles were going up from how she was reacting, and he tried to tackle Damon''s defences to his mind again. It was frustrating and making him fatigued, from refraining to go down to his mate, fighting his wolf for control and not making any noises. His wolf was fine to whimper and whine in his mind, but Damon still had to control himself even as he watched that filthy vampire''s arms wrapped around her like he owned her.

    "A.. I''m helping you. You don''t need anymore.." The man said soothingly, his hand wrapped around one of her wrists, but he did not do anything more as he stared into her eyes.

    A started to tremble like she was struggling but managed to pull Cassius'' arm away from her bloodied face. She stared wide-eyed and slowly looked back at the ck-haired man. Cassius clicked his tongue in annoyance and red at the man.

    "That bastard." Finn mind-linked with a slight growl. Gabriel smacked his side to quieten him, even though it was a little hypocritical.

    "Fine," Cassius snapped. "Ruin our moment." He let go of A''s waist and lowered his arm before abruptly turning. "As per A''s request. I will get rid of our guests." He zipped back into the castle, a blur only showing the door had swung open and shut.

    Damon looked back at A and saw her leaning forwards and swaying, almost like she was drunk. "You should feed more so he doesn''t do that to you," The man advised with a sigh as her forehead used his chest to keep her upright.

    Darius growled in Damon''s mind, not liking the idea of this man being close to their mate. Cassius was no better; he just wanted to grab her and take her away from this wretched ce.

    "It is not what you think," Gabriel spoke softly in his mind. "That''s Davian Cross."

    "What?" Damon whipped his head to the side, looking at Gabriel, then returned to watching his mate and Davian Cross'' back. "He''s still alive.." He trailed off, staring at the man''s broad back. He wasn''t exactly what he expected of her ancestor; the ck hair, for starters, was questionable. The Cross family were known for their white hair and striking blue eyes, simr to Gabriel and Cassius'' looks.

    Even from where they were standing, Damon could see that he had a few piercings in his ears and on his right shoulder de was arge tribal wolf tattoo. The wolf was howling inside of a full moon with small moons in different phases above and below it all connected together in a dotted diamond shape. At the top of the diamond was a star.

    His looks surprised Damon, considering the hybrid was from a different era. But that was the least of his concerns. What was Davian doing there? Damon presumed he despised Cassius as much as his mother from his journal entries.

    A pushed off him and sighed, wiping her hand across her mouth. "I have had plenty. There are countless bodies in there," She snarled and abruptly turned, staggering off and almost falling onto her side. But Davian caught her before she did.

    "Why the fuck is Davian helping Cassius?" Damon asked Gabriel in his mind.

    "I don''t know."

    "What do you mean you don''t know? You read minds!" Damon growled back.

    "He has figured out a way to block his mind from being read-"

    "How? How is that possible?!" Damon''s ws started to grow again. He wasn''t just angry; he was upset and tired. He wanted to take A home today, but it looked like it was going to be another day without her.

    Gabriel shrugged. "Cassius is his master. He must have figured it out somehow; it is also not as rare as you might believe. Some people are naturally on their guard." He nced at Esme, then looked back at Damon, who was watching his mate walk back to the castle. "And we aren''t going backpletely empty-handed. This may take a few days if they are staying here permanently. Be patient; at least you can rest better tonight."

    Rest better.. He didn''t know if seeing his mate would give him more nightmares, not because he feared her but because he longed for her even more. He was saddened that A kept the bond blocked because it wouldn''t stop her from feeling the mate bond tugging at her, telling her he was close by. Their eyes had met, their hearts beat as one; she knew he was there, but she chose to ignore it.

    "A did well," Dariusplimented their mate, surprising Damon. "She acted like we weren''t here, even though she doesn''t seem to be in her right frame of mind."

    Darius was referring to herment about the other vampires burning in the sun.. They must have done something vile to upset her; he refused to believe that she wanted them dead because they annoyed her.

 Chapter 258 - Sire Bond

    Damon was still on the ground with his Beta and Delta lying on his back and legs as he watched his mate walk back towards the castle, not once turning around to look in his direction. The mate bond gnawed at him to go to A; his mark burned with the need to grab her and run, but his mind was louder than his heart now. He didn''t know the castle''syout or who else could be inside, and as much as he hated to say it, Cassius wouldn''t hurt A.

    Damon sighed defeatedly, then frowned from the aches and pains in his back. "Guys, can you get off me now?" He asked in the mind-link.

    The two giant wolves hopped off of the Alpha, lying t on the ground. Damon stretched and stood up, his eyes still fixated on the castle where his mate went back into. "Gabriel, could you read her mind?" He asked him quietly, aware that the music and now the noises of horrific screams would hide their voices.

    "What the fuck, Cass!"

    "Why are you doing this?!"

    "No! No! N- Agh!"

    Everyone froze at the cries of the vampires and the slight smell of burning flesh and blood in the air. Cassius must have thrown them out into the sun, but it also sounded like he was ughtering them himself. Damon hoped A was okay. His leg shook anxiously, and the muscle in his jaw ticked, feeling useless once more. He forced himself to turn away from the castle and his mate, to which the bond between them continued to tug at him like an annoying pest, reminding him that she was only there.

    Damon clenched his teeth together and brushed down the dust from his jeans and top, ignoring what was happening at the other side of the castle. He looked at Gabriel, waiting for his response to his earlier question, but he was not paying him any attention. The vampire was actually holding Esme by the shoulders, his eyes zing at her. It looked like they were having a heated telepathic argument.

    Damon crossed his arms, his chest tightening at the sight of them; argument or not, they were lucky to have each other. He looked away in annoyance, he was surrounded by fricken couples, and he couldn''t even go to his mate.

    What the hell were they even arguing about?

    Esme slid her hands over Gabriel''s and gave them a squeeze, her eyes softening before pulling them away from her shoulders. She turned and looked up at Damon, pulling her ck mask over her nose and flipping her hood over her head. "I''m going to check out the castle grounds. I will see what I can find out. Don''t worry, Alpha, I''m very good at staying out of sight," She announced confidently, causing Kane to scoff at herment and Finn to shift ufortably from one foot and to the other.

    Damon tilted his head to the side, a humorous smirk on his lips. "And why would I let you go down there and blow our cover?"

    "I won''t blow our cover, Alpha," Esme growled. Damon stepped towards her, towering over her with his mountain-like frame inparison to her teeny petite body. His own chest rumbled from her growl, once again inciting the rogue to bare her neck in respect to him.

    "She is certainly bing daring," Darius growled disapprovingly in his mind.

    "I don''t want her to go, but.." Gabriel trailed off and looked down at her. "She has certain.. skills that won''t let her get caught. If I were you, I would take her up on her offer; it will take much out of her."

    Damon didn''t know what that meant, but if Gabriel was willing to let Esme go, then that meant he was confident in her capabilities. If the ancient Vampire King felt that way, then he would put his trust in them. With a sigh, he nodded his head and held his hand up, halting his Beta from disagreeing. "Finn, tell Ajax to keep a lookout for Esme as well," Damonmanded, then returned his attention to the she-wolf. "IF you do well, I will ept you into the pack."

    Esme scoffed, "That''s a given." And with those words, she turned abruptly to face the castle and jumped forwards, sliding down the hill on her backside beforepletely vanishing into the shadows of the outer wall.

    Damon blinked at her disappearing act and looked back at Gabriel. "Did you make her a hybrid?" He whispered and looked back at the gardens in rm, searching for the slightest blur of her body dashing to hiding spots. But there was none; she had vanished entirely.

    However, if anyone should have gone down there, it should have been Gabriel with his super speed. He also knew theyout-

    "I haven''t been to this castle in over 500 years. Which is the perfect spot for Cassius to stay, really. He might have changed theyout in that time," Gabriel interrupted his thoughts with his exnation.

    Damon nodded in understanding and continued to search for the little she-wolf. He really didn''t know where she vanished to; he almost gave up until Esme suddenly popped out of some flowers. She put her thumb up before sprinting forwards and rushing up the steps leading to some white French doors A and Davian went through earlier.

    The little she-wolf peered inside, her body t against the wall. Damon watched in a trance as he saw her shadow flickering below her, growing outwards, he nced at the sun and the groups'' shadows, but they stayed the same. Was his mind ying tricks on him? He nced back at Esme and blinked in surprise when she suddenly disappeared again. It was almost like the shadows had swallowed her up, but those, too, had vanished.

    "Is she a witch?" Finn asked hesitantly, causing Gabriel to chuckle and look at him mysteriously.

    "Esme is.. something else entirely," Gabriel jested, but his eyes were still alert, searching the premises before he looked back at the Alpha. "In answer to your question earlier.. I could read A''s mind.. She is in a fragile position right now. Her state of mind is in the midst of transforming; it is almost being built up again by Cassius. He was giving his blood to her not only to keep her hunger at bay but so he can gain more control over her-"

    "What do you mean by MORE control?" Damon interrupted with a growl. His hands clenched together into fists and his eyes glowed menacingly.

    "Like how Cassius is Davian''s master.. he is also A''s. As his childe.. Not child in the sense of being rted; it is just a term we use.. But as his childe, A will struggle to defy her master. The sire bond formed between master and childe.. it creates emotional attachments, and.. She could easily be moulded-"

    Damon grabbed Gabriel by his cor as he searched his eyes, his own burned into them. "What do you mean by moulded!?" He eximed loudly. His hands were trembling again, and he was finding it incredibly hard not to punch Gabriel''s pretty looking face. He looked exactly like Cassius, but hitting him wouldn''t relieve him of his anger.

    "Save it for that bastard," Darius spat as he paced against the fringes of his mind.

    "All I mean to say is certain characteristics might rub off on her.. When I read her mind.. it was still like a newborn''s, lusting for blood and revenge. Her wolf.. is also struggling," Gabriel replied tly. He didn''t seem to mind Damon was creasing his shirt again.

    Damon released him with a huff and slid his hands over his face and into his hair as he stared at the castle longingly. He yearned to be with his mate.. What was A going through right now? He wanted tofort her, embrace her in his arms and tell her everything would be fine.

 Chapter 259 - Welcome To Silver Crescent

    Damon knew he was to me for the part in her abduction. First of all, he hadn''t stayed by his Queen''s side throughout her coronation night which brought the hunters to attack her. He then selfishly asked Cassius to save her by any means necessary, and that was by giving her the damned vampire''s blood. She''d awakened her vampire side now because of him, and she was suffering because of him-

    "If you continue wallowing in self-pity, I might just put an end to you myself," Gabriel said quietly, ring at him before returning his attention to the castle. He continued to speak as he put his hands in his pockets; it was frustratingly simr to Cassius. "Stop ming yourself. Both of you."

    Damon nced at Finn, who whipped his head to the side to look at the vampire. It seemed his thoughts weren''t the only ones being read.

    "You never expected this to happen. The hunters.. No.. Clint and his goons turned up for A, and Cassius took advantage of that. Neither of you failed her, and from what I could see from your memories, Damon.." The vampire turned to look at him now, cing his hand on his shoulder. "A''s path was already set. I don''t know too much about how your Moon Goddess works, but I know how fate works. Whether it was at her coronation or another time, A was going to awaken that dormant vampiric side of her. And Finn.. you almost died yourself, give yourself a break, mate."

    Damon sighed, nodding along though Gabriel''s words were somewhatforting him. He knew the vampire was right, but it wouldn''t stop him from feeling guilty and from missing A desperately.

    "I miss her," He admitted aloud. It was a ridiculous statement now; everyone there knew he missed her, but saying those words out loud made his chest burn in motivation. It may have taken him a month to find her, but he knew where she was now and could observe from afar until a n was set in ce. He was in a good position right now.

    "That''s better. Your thoughts were so irritating," Gabriel muttered and removed his hand from his shoulder.

    "Maybe if you stopped being a nosy bugger, then you wouldn''t find them so annoying," Damon snapped, then smirked after hearing Gabriel chuckle. Their slight bickering lightened the mood around them, removing thest bit of tension between the Vampire King and Alpha King.

    After some time waiting for Esme, Damon mind-linked the pack members still waiting in the woods. They confirmed there hadn''t been any movement, and the two warriors who guarded the cars also confirmed there had been no sightings of vehicles. The Alpha nodded, pleased by this information, as he crossed his arms against his chest. He was grateful to his Beta for putting up with his mood swings and telling him to be patient and wait until the daytime.

    The sun certainly was something to be happy about; if they went during the night when the vampires were partying, they could have been in a worse position right now, and possibly with a lot of his pack members injured or dead.

    Damon whipped his head to the side, the sudden rustling noise bringing him out of his thoughts. His body tensed, bracing for an attack, and he grew his ws, ready. But Gabriel strolled over to where the noise wasing from and out popped Esme from another bush. Her dark brown hair had a few leaves and twigs that Gabriel started to remove.

    Damon, Kane and Finn all rxed with an audible sigh, inciting the she-wolf''s giggle. "Sorry to disappoint guys," She smirked and strolled over to them. "After all the bloodshed and killing those pesky young vampires, as Cassius put it.. Other than A, Cassius and Davian, there only seemed to be two others, and then I counted about eight guards in the castle. None outside, but I presume during the nighttime, that might not be the case.. Also.." the she-wolf looked at Damon. "A is staying in the west wing."

    Gabriel shook his head, chuckling darkly. "Well, my brother isn''tpletely absurd. That''s at least something," He muttered, then sighed when he realised everyone was looking at him to exin further. "This castle was Cassius'' and Amelia''s favourite. She used to stay in the east wing."

    Damon paused as he suddenly felt sick. "Where is Cassius staying?" He asked quietly, keeping hisposure as he looked down at Esme.

    The she-wolf looked at him for a moment, making him more infuriated. He stepped closer to her, almost threateningly so, but she rolled her eyes and held her hands up again when he growled. "I couldn''t tell. I think he is staying in the north wing-"

    "How could you not tell?" Kane asked as he stepped in front of the Alpha. Damon knew he was doing it to protect the she-wolf more than to threaten her. From the looks of it, Esme wasn''t concerned about their threatening behaviour.

    "Why would she be when she has Gabriel?" Dariusmented mockingly.

    Esme ced her hands on her hips. "Don''t look at me like that. I''m an excellent tracker, thank you very much. What I mean to say is his scent is all over the castle. He has obviously been living there for a very long time. A''s scent was in the west wing, but his scent was there as well-"

    Damon growled and flicked his eyes at the castle, ring in its direction as his wolf visualised ripping Cassius'' head from his shoulders. It was veryforting to him.

    "Woah, look, his scent is the strongest at the northern wing. So, if he is a gentleman-"

    "He''s not." Gabriel and Damon snapped at the same time.

    "Okay, okay.." Esme ced her hand on Gabriel''s chest, almost like she was calming him. But Damon couldn''t tell what he was feeling; the vampire was as stoic as ever. "Look, I''m just telling you what I saw."

    "How did you get around without being seen?" Finn asked, looking at her curiously.

    "Rogue." Esme shrugged. "I got good at hiding."

    It was a tant lie because everyone saw what happened, but they didn''t push her further on it. They didn''t know the she-wolf well, but she was a valuable asset, and if she was willing to work with them to help bring his mate home, then he''d wee her into the pack. "As agreed earlier, I''ll ept you in the pack. You know the process, right?"

    Esme nodded. "I, Esme Snow, vow to do what is within my power to protect Alpha Damon Steel, Luna A Cross and the pack members of the Silver Crescent pack." She made the sign of the crescent moon, tapping her head and chest before lowering her hand away.

    "I, Alpha Damon Steel, ept and wee you into the Silver Crescent pack," Damon repeated the same gesture before growing, cutting his wrist with his w and letting two drops of his blood fall into Esme''s mouth. As soon as she closed her mouth, Damon felt her essence connect in the pack like a rubber band pinging in ce.

    "Wee to Silver Crescent," Damon mind-linked her, and she smiled nervously. He stared down at her with high expectations now after witnessing this unique skillset of hers. He knew he was doing the right thing, and with Esme now able to mind-link pack members, she could help map out the castle''syout and guard rotations while she was there. The possibilities were endless, and it didn''t put his pack members in danger.

    With Esme and Gabriel, along with other skilful werewolves and shapeshifters, Damon knew it wouldn''t be long until A was back in his arms, and they knew of Cassius'' ns.

 Chapter 260 - One Month Ago

    *One Month Ago*

    Rays of light filtered through her closed eyes, disturbing her from a deep slumber. A slowly blinked open her eyes and shut them again with a slight frown. She somehow felt lightheaded and her throat incredibly dry. She licked her lips and forced her lids open again, adjusting to the brightness of the unfamiliar room she found herself in.

    Rising up into a seated position, A noted the mahogany antique French style four poster bed she had been sleeping in, her groggy mind believing herself still to be asleep. She looked at the spacious bedroom in awe and confusion. The high ceilings hung two magnificent chandeliers. The eggshell blue panelled walls were separated by gold engravings flourishing up to the top in splendid patterns and little white cherub statues in the corners. Paintings were framed in gold, and golden candle holders hung on the walls.

    It''s very regal.. Where the frick was she?

    A turned her head slowly as she took in the mixture of new and old furnishings in what she could only describe as something a princess would live in. Before the bed was a backless loveseat matching the colour of the walls and across from her were floor-to-ceiling arched windows where the sunlight beamed through. To the right were golden doors, and when she looked to the left-

    A stilled, suddenly very aware of a hand clutching onto her waist, she didn''t recognise the pale skin or unfamiliar feeling radiating from her waist. When she followed the upant''s bared arm up to their face, she saw tousled white hair covering sharp features.

    "Ah!" She screamed and jumped out of bed, then groaned after hitting her back harshly into the wall on the far side, causing one of the paintings to fall to the ground. She stared wide-eyed and gaped when she saw Gabriel lifting his head, looking at her sleepily and moving the white strands of his hair away from his eyes. A smirk tugged at his lips, and A faltered in her realisation when she suddenly smelled the sweet scent of strawberries.

    A crossed her bare arms and growled, "Cassius. What is the meaning of this?!"

    She pinched her arm, believing it to be a dream. It made more sense; she couldn''t quite remember what she''d done the night before. But she knew enough that it was Cassius in the bed shirtless with her. She clenched her teeth together after feeling the slight pinch of pain, and her gaze hardened at the vampire.

    Cassius sighed and sat up in therge four-poster bed, stretching his arms upzily, uncaring of his dishevelled and naked appearance. "Careful, little wolf. I don''t want you to hurt yourself. Your senses may be a little overwhelming right now," He yawned and pulled back the covers before appearing just before her in ck, silky pyjama bottoms. "I mean you no harm."

    She couldn''t remember what happened, but one thing was for sure, she would not be casually sleeping in bed with Cassius. It was apparent she''d been kidnapped. Again.

    "Uhuh, and I am meant to believe what my kidnapper says now?!" She snapped and pushed past him, running towards the double doors. But as her hand grasped on the handle and began to open it, Cassius mmed the door shut, his figure looming over her.

    "If it weren''t for me," He leaned his head closer to hers, his lips almost brushing her ear. "You would not be alive right now."

    A shiver ran down A''s spine, and she gasped; her mind shed back to what had happened to her. The coronation, Cassius, Davian, the hunters, Clint andstly, her loving mate Damon. Thest thing she remembered was dying in Damon''s arms.

    A gasped again, her trembling hands covering her mouth as tears pooled in her eyes. Her mate, where was he? She started to breathe heavily as she felt for the bond and sighed in relief when she felt Damon was alive.

    A slowly turned around, leaning against the door and ttening her hands against the surface, trying to put some distance between her and Cassius. Which unfortunately wasn''t much. She eyed him suspiciously.

    "Why am I here, Cassius?" She asked slowly, but panic began to stir in her chest, and her voice rose as the following questions blurted out of her mouth. "Where is Damon? Why were we sharing a bed!?"

    Cassius tilted his head to the side with another smirk tugging at his beautiful lips. It irritated her further. He was standing there nonchntly like her situation waspletely normal.

    "Get changed. I''ll answer your questions after." With that said, Cassius turned around then spoke over his shoulder. "The dressing room is-"

    "Tell. Me. Now." A interrupted him, punctuating each word with a growl as her feet padded across the cold, marble floors after the vampire until the warmth of a patterned rugforted her bare feet.

    Cassius stopped and spun on the spot, making A almost bump into him, but she hopped back, putting that much-needed space between them. Azy, dazzling smile tugged at his lips as he looked her up and down through lustrous eyes. "If that is what you want. I don''t mind the view."

    A looked down, only now realising she was in a short silk ck nightgown. She crossed her arms over her chest and red at him. Thest thing she wore was her bloodied gown-

    Cassius scoffed and raked his hand through his hair in irritation. "I am not a scoundrel, A. I am a gentleman above all else. My maid was the one who tended to you." He held his hands up now with a yful smile on his features.

    "A gentleman wouldn''t sleep in the same bed as me nor touch me in my sleep," A replied, then bit her tongue at the sudden cold re she received from the vampire. Her body suddenly went cold under his scrutiny. Even though she made ament to gain a reaction out of him, A somehow sensed he was telling the truth, although his actions were suspicious.

    Cassius was shameless at times, but he wasn''t that shameless. "Where is the dressing room?" She asked quietly, lowering her gaze, deciding to y along with whatever Cassius wished.. For now.

 Chapter 261 - Warped Feelings

    Cassius turned back around, and she obediently followed behind him. He opened one of the doors A saw initially when she woke up. As they walked through it, it revealed a walk-in closet that extended to two different corridors. It was like nothing she''d ever seen before with high arched ceilings, another chandelier, white walls with those cherub statues in the corners of the room.

    "Anything you need is down this row." Cassius handed her a remote control, pressing a button, and the wall slid away, revealing rows of clothes, ranging from coats to dresses, trousers, jeans, everything she could possibly need. "Behind you is for your essories. Shoes, bags, watches, jewellery-"

    "Where can I find leggings and a hoody?" A interrupted, forcing her eyes to look away from the range of designer clothes. It was all lovely, but it meant nothing to her. Wearing somethingfortable and easy to move in was her aim.

    She wanted answers, and she wanted her mate. Her chest kept burning, revealing the distance between her and Damon, his absence made her feel anxious, and she wondered if Cassius did something to him whilst taking her away from him. But she sensed through the bond he wasn''t injured, but upset and angry, his despair wed at her heart.

    Cassius sighed and pointed to some drawers at the end of her side of the room. "A whole closet, and you go for workout gear? I hope you don''t n on running away," He joked though she could hear the small line of threat in his voice.

    A already foolishly attempted escaping earlier. She needed to be much smarter than that to deal with someone like Cassius. But how could she ever outrun an ancient vampire who could easily use mind control on her if he wished?

    Cassius chuckled as he stepped into the open closet and murmured quietly, "There is no need to usepulsion."

    His words made A''s hands still on the leggings she pulled out from the drawer. What did that mean? Malia?

    Wait..

    Malia?

    Hello?

    MALIA!? Her mind echoed her voice back, almost like her wolf was gone.

    A''s heart started to pound vigorously in her chest as her wolf still didn''t answer her back. Why wasn''t Malia answering her? A looked down at her hands, watching as her ws grew from her fingers, and she sighed in relief. For a heart-shattering moment, A thought she was alone again, that her wolf had died. After all, she did die, right?

    But if Malia was gone, then the gift of her wolf would have disappeared. She reasoned with herself, calming her racing mind as she got changed.

    Cassius strolled back towards her, wearing ck trousers, a white shirt and a maroon waistcoat. He was clipping his cufflinks to his shirt sleeves and stopped before A, who was already in her leggings and a vest, holding onto a white hoody.

    Cassius'' gaze swept over to the markings below her corbone; both crescent moons flipped on opposite sides lined up one after the other. One indicates her mate bond with Damon, and the other reveals the blessing of the Moon Goddess. But his lingering gaze looked away as A pulled over the white hoody, hiding her frame.

    "Can you.." The vampire touched his maroon tie. A narrowed her eyes at him, but she almost feltpelled to abide by his wishes. The feeling was strange, yet Cassius was not usingpulsion on her; she wanted to help him with his tie. Why? He had hands and could tie his own damned tie. He was capable of it; he was asking for something a wife did for their husband.

    A swallowed past the lump in her throat and stepped closer to him, avoiding his gaze as she started to sort his tie out. "Malia will return speaking to you by tonight." A flicked her eyes up to meet his at the mention of her wolf. "I want my time with you spent without the ramblings of your wolf in your head. It is tiresome listening to her as well as you."

    "You could always get out of my head," A snapped, ring at the vampire as she finished knotting his tie. She stepped away, but Cassius caught her hands and kept them on his solid chest. The feel of his hands sent a small buzzing feeling up her arms.

    A stared wide-eyed into his crystal blue eyes. What was this feeling? She tried to pull away, but Cassius kept her hands against him with his formidable strength. "I''m not always in your head, little wolf. But Malia''s thoughts can be rather loud sometimes; it is almost like she is on speaker purposely insulting me. It is troublesome when I need your undying attention."

    He wasn''t wrong, Malia did insult him a lot, but she felt lonely without her. She sighed in defeat, not wanting Cassius to feel troubled; she didn''t like that. She had a strange sense of wanting to make sure he wasfortable. A frowned at her thoughts, then nodded, pushing down her strange and warped feelings about the vampire who kidnapped her. "Fine. Exin yourself."

    Cassius smirked and gestured towards the door. A sighed, feeling incredibly impatient from the vampire prolonging his exnation, but that was how Cassius was; he was quite dramatic at times. With those thoughts and her annoyance bubbling up inside of her, she stormed off, pushing the door open only to freeze on the spot when it mmed into the wall with a loud thud and cracking sound.

    A slowly turned her head to the side and grimaced when she saw the door was at an angle, slightly off its hinges, with the wall now being marked with cracks and going upwards. In her irritation, she didn''t realise how much power she put behind her arms; she didn''t think it was that much.

    "Don''t fret. I can get it fixed. Try and stay calm, A. You are letting your emotions control your new powers at the moment," Cassius advised her as he grabbed her hand and started to lead the way. A tried to pull her hand away, but one nce from the vampire made her stop. The sensation of holding hands was somewhatforting. She didn''t like it.

    Cassius pulled her through the golden double doors, and she looked around at the luxurious living room. The golden-white loveseats sat across from each other; a firece ran along the wall. More arched windows were opposite the firece, with long draping light blue and gold curtains to warm up the light d¨¦cor of the room. Again, there were chandeliers, and therge room appeared to be adorned in old paintings that she knew cost a fortune. To the far corner was a desk with arge standing globe to the right of it and bookshelves behind it.

    Cassius led her to the sofas, and he sat down next to her, spreading his arms out, lookingfortablepared to her stiff posture and folded arms.

    "Answer my questions, Cass," A whispered, getting straight to the point. For some reason, she was already fatigued before even listening to him. But instead of it feeling like emotional fatigue, it was something else.

    In fact, her throat was burning again, and she was hungry. Was sheing down with something? Maybe her near-death experience put more toll on her body than she thought. How long had she been out for?

    That was when realisation crashed down on her like a ton of bricks. Cassius saved her; Amelia, her ancestor, was a vampire.. Davian.. Her thoughts started to swirl out of control as the growing hunger became unsettling. She licked her lips and kept swallowing.

    "A, you are craving blood," Cassius replied simply. "Three days ago, you were on the brink of death before I fed you my blood. I am your master now. My blood runs through your veins.. You are officially a hybrid."

 Chapter 262 - Master & Childe: Part One

    A stared at the white-haired vampire like he''d gone mad. But the events leading up to her death in Damon''s arms were crystal clear, and this new sensation of feeling hungry, or as Cassius put it, ''craving blood'' along with this strange need to make sure he was happy, only meant that his words were correct. She looked away and stared at one of the paintings on the wall while she ignored the burning in her throat and tried to rearrange her thoughts.

    She then scoffed. "So, you are my master?" She turned to look at him again, her features nowposed. "What does that even mean?"

    Cassius smiled and leaned towards her, A wanted to move away, but she stayed still and stared back at him expectantly. "It just means I am responsible for you. I awakened your vampiric side, and now I need to show you the ropes," He replied nonchntly with a shrug. A knew there was more to this whole ''master'' concept than what Cassius said so simply.

    Like how she had a mate bond, this felt simr. She felt connected to Cassius in a way that she couldn''t quite exin. "It is called a sire bond," Cassius interrupted her reverie. "We can feel each other''s life force and emotions. So, it is simr to a mate bond."

    Life force..

    "So, if I was injured, you''d know?" A asked though it was more of a rhetorical question now. Cassius nodded as his fingers started to y with some of her hair falling behind the sofa; she could feel the small movements on her scalp. A shiver ran through her, not from fear but because she didn''t feel ufortable with him, and that in itself was scary.

    "You keep portraying me as a viin, A. You know it does hurt me that you think this way," Cassius whispered; his eyes were on her hair before slowly returning her gaze. He looked sad, and it made her feel sad. "I saved your life, not only this time but times before when the hunters came for you.. I just hope maybe this experience might make you open your heart a bit more for me."

    A lowered her gaze from the pinching in her heart. His words were hard to hear; she didn''t want him to be sad. "Cassius.." She began, pushing down this unwanted feeling and remembering all of what she knew about the vampire. "I am not Amelia." She locked eyes with him and watched as his own became icy; the sad expression on his face fell to one of a stoic mask.

    "I know you are not Amelia," He drawled in a low, menacing voice. It made her hands tighten together in herp, but she held her own.

    "And you know I am already mated-"

    "You know.." Cassius cut in and leaned his face closer to hers, his lips near her ear. "I think you are getting the wrong idea about me. Did my brother make me out to be such a bad guy?" He pulled back slightly to stare at her. A''s eyes widened at how close their faces were, and so she turned her head away slightly, staring at the wall. Cassius chuckled and leaned away, giving her that space she wanted. "I thought you might trust me a bit more than Gabriel, but I see your mind is already made up. Not that it matters.. I have sired you, so you wille to understand me more as time goes on."

    Cassius stood up and walked to the firece, resting his hand on the mantelpiece before turning around to look at her. She had been observing him as his words registered with her. He nned to keep her by his side.

    "What is your n?" She asked, not bothering to hide her thoughts. Maybe her ''master'' might tell her.

    "Hmmm, why would I trust you with such information?" Cassius tilted his head to the side and arched his brow.

    That was true; she''d only been there for three days.. Cassius wouldn''t tell her his ns, just how she didn''t trust him; for obvious reasons, the vampire did not trust her.

    "Are you going to tell me why we were sharing a bed? It''s a little creepy how you were holding me and makes me feel ufortable just thinking about it¡­" She decided to change the subject until she figured out exactly what to do next. If only her wolf could talk to her right now, maybe she''d relied on her too muchtely, but just her voice would beforting.

    "I''d also like to hear more about this encounter," A low voice spoke from the other end of the room. A whipped her head to the side and gaped when she saw Davian Cross sauntering towards the sofa, his hardened eyes on Cassius. He was dressed in jeans and a navy t-shirt, his feet bare on the cold floors.

    "Sheesh, you both make it sound more perverse than it was. Davian, you know why I had to sleep in the bed with her," Cassius replied irritably, tapping his finger on the mantlepiece.

    On the other hand, A was now standing and staring at the only other blood rtive she knew. Thee Davian Cross was standing in the same room as her, the same Davian Cross whose journal she read to understand more about her own abilities. Davian Cross, who seemed to hate Amelia and Cassius, was speaking so casually to the vampire who had changed his life. Even though his presence brought herfort, she had to question why the hell he was here.

    Was Davian his aplice?

    No, no, no, that didn''t make any sense. But why was Davian here? Did he have something to do with Cassius kidnapping her? If anything, she''d assume her ancestor would want revenge more than anything.. She eyed him warily, not putting all her trust into him, blood rtive or not, she didn''t know him, and he had no obligation to her.

 Chapter 263 - Master & Childe: Part Two

    Davian spared A a nce before his eyes narrowed slightly at Cassius. "Then exin to her why you were in bed with her. From what I remember, you only need to guard your childe and feed them when necessary."

    "Childe?" A asked, looking back between Cassius and Davian.

    "Cass is your master; you are his childe," Davian exined, his gaze still only on Cassius. "It is only a name, nothing to think too much about."

    A nced at Cassius before walking around the sofa and going towards the windows, still waiting on an exnation. At least where she stood now, there was some breathing space between her and the ancient vampire, and even though she looked at Davian with suspicion, she still felt better with him in the room. The whole encounter was keeping her distracted from the overwhelming burning in her throat.

    Cassius sighed and walked towards A, but Davian took a step towards him, causing the ancient vampire to pause and smirk. "Are you really going to get in my way?" He asked darkly. "Step aside."

    A watched as Davian didn''t move, ncing at A with furrowed brows before looking down regrettably at the floor as Cassius passed him. "The usual process toplete the transition of bing a vampire requires a few days. Once blood is given, the master has to stay with the sired to make sure the transition isplete. They have to stay by the childe''s side; otherwise, they could die. I had to keep giving you my blood; it wasn''t as simple as it was with my other childe here." He stopped by A''s side, leaning his arm against the window as he reached his hand out to move some of her hair away from her face.

    A stayed still, allowing him to do so, her mind still reeling with Davian standing behind her and from this new information. "So.. you have been feeding me more of your blood?" She asked quietly as her eyes swept across the view of the surrounding forest. After waking up in arge bedroom meant for royalty, she was not surprised when she saw the white walls and stonework of a marvellous castle.

    "Yes, you would die otherwise," Cassius replied, lowering his hand. "I can feel how much you are craving blood right now as well. The maid will bring you some shortly, it''s not quite the same as drinking directly from the source, but I doubt you want to bite into a human-"

    A whipped her head to the side at the mention of drinking blood from a human. She scoffed like he was mad. "It was only a few months ago that I thought I was human.. Then I found out I was a werewolf.. not only a werewolf but some strange hybrid type wolf that the hunters were after, a Cross, Alpha Queen of the North. I will NOT be drinking from anyone," She stated with a low growl and walked away from the window, brushing past Davian, feeling slightly annoyed now by his presence. She thought he might help her, but it seemed he was under Cassius'' control.

    "You said I''m a hybrid.. I am not one hundred per cent vampire.. So I shouldn''t need to drink blood.." She continued, now walking towards some french doors that led to a balcony overlooking the side of the castle.

    A knew she didn''t know everything, but she remembered what Davian wrote in the journal about his experiences. So maybe if she stayed clear of blood, it might help. She didn''t need to drink the blood, right?

    She opened the doors only to stop as she stepped through; Cassius suddenly appeared before her, his face hardened, his hand holding onto a crystal flute with blood in it. "What nonsense are you speaking? You may be a hybrid, but you still require blood. Especially right now. A, it may not seem like I am helping you, but I am. LISTEN to me," He admonished, making her flinch from the power behind his words.

    "Davian.. Do you really need it?" She whispered, knowing well he could hear her. Cassius scoffed in annoyance and red at her as he stepped closer to her, holding the ss out for her to take. Davian appeared near the entrance to the balcony and crossed his arms.

    "Over time, you will need less and less blood. But.. you are like a newborn now. You need to drink.. Just.." He looked away with uncertainty. "If you think you can''t control yourself-"

    "That''s what I''m here for," Cassius interrupted, stepping closer to her. She was now leaning her back against the balcony, her hands gripping on the stone. "Now, DRINK."

    At hismand, A reached out to the ss and, without any hesitation, started gulping down the liquid. The moment the blood hit her tongue, her eyes sparkled at the delicious taste, her hand gripped on the balcony wall behind her more. She breathed heavily and looked into the ss, wanting more of that heavenly taste. Her whole body felt more alive, brimming with energy and power she''d never felt before.

    A''s eyes looked up to Cassius'' as a shiver ran through her. He took the ss from her as her hand went to her lips in shock. Her throat felt better, but she wanted more.

    "More?" Cassius asked with an encouraging smile. She nodded and nced at Davian, who had been watching her. But the moment Cassius'' back was turned, A turned and hopped off the balcony. Shended on the soft grass and looked back up where Cassius was now leaning over, his expression unimpressed. "Come back, A," He said quietly, but there was nomand in his voice.

    With this new energy bubbling inside of her, she scoffed at her ''master''s'' words and sprinted towards the woods. A knew there wasn''t any point in running away because they''d just catch up with her, but she was running away from the way the blood made her feel. It was powerful, and she could already feel how it would be addictive.. If she wasn''t careful, then she might just end up like how Davian was.

 Chapter 264 - Davian Cross

    A sprinted through the woods as quick as her legs could carry her; her throat and lungs felt on fire from the burning sensation. She didn''t know if it was in need to drink more blood or because shecked oxygen. She abruptly stopped, gasping in the fresh air and stepped to the side using the coverage of a tree. A leaned back into the bark and tried to slow down her breathing and pounding heart that thudded so harshly it made her wonder if it was going to leap out and leave her.

    With her hands behind her head, she clenched her eyes shut. A knew from Davian''s diary that she could get addicted to drinking blood; she knew from the Moon Goddess'' warning that she needed to stay in control. If she didn''t, what would happen to her? What would happen to her wolf? These were questions she desperately wanted to ask Davian. He''d been through it. But she wasn''t sure if he would help her or not, already she saw him obeying Cassius''mand.

    It was something so small, but A noticed it. Davian couldn''t disobey Cassius; it was almost like the Alpha voice Alpha''s used to control their packs. Most didn''t like to use it because it went against their nature of protecting the pack and leading it, but the advantage of it was to be used against disobedient werewolves who did not agree or want to follow any orders. She thought of Finn at that moment and how if she knew he would sacrifice himself for her, which was precisely something he''d do, then she, as his friend, would never allow it and use the Alpha''s voice on him.

    Finn.. A released a long breath, thinking about her Delta. Unlike Damon, whereby the bond told her if he was well, she didn''t know about her friend. That night was still a bit of a blur, but she remembered he was injured quite severely. Her teeth clenched together when she remembered that Clint was the mastermind behind this n. That psychopath was the one to have led her here in Cassius'' castle, wherever it was.

    A draped her hands down her face, covering her eyes as she tried to distract herself with thoughts of the hunters and Clint instead of thinking about her desire to drink blood. Though her desire to shed Clint''s blood along with the hunters who were after her burned brighter than before. They''d killed so many creatures, chased her, and threatened her pack all because she was there, and that wasn''t even the worst part; they''d killed children and imprisoned them.

    She dropped her hands to the side as she stared at the trees across from her, suddenly flinching from biting her tongue. A parted her lips from the taste of blood in her mouth, then felt her teeth with her tongue, her eyes widening when she felt the sharp tips of fangs. Her trembling hand went to her mouth and touched the fangs she believed to be a part of her imagination. She scoffed and slid down the length of the tree until she was crouched over.

    Why was she so surprised at feeling fangs in her mouth? She was a hybrid.. Part werewolf, part vampire. This was a part of who she was now, or had it always been a part of her? Considering her blood was always mixed. This was something else she now had to get ustomed to, but that didn''t mean she had to follow Cassius. She could find her own way. Davian said it would get easier.

    The sound of feet stepping into the dirt snapped her out of her reverie. A looked to the side and smelled the air for a scent. Whoever was approaching her wasn''t Cassius, but they were extremely quiet, yet she had a feeling they were making their presence known to her. She was so consumed by her thoughts that it took her a while to realise they were nearby.

    A sawrge bare feet and dark jeans approaching her, and she rxed further against the tree, looking forward again. Davian stopped and leaned his arm against the tree she was crouched against. "This isn''t a very good hiding spot, you know. You didn''t even hide your scent," He muttered, then sighed when she did not reply.

    Davian walked around A and squatted down in front of her. "You know if you kept running, I would have let you get away-"

    "Are you sure Cass would have allowed that?" A snapped and looked up at him; he flinched and looked away, grabbing a stick to y in his hands.

    "His orders were to bring you back. He never said to put one hundred per cent effort into it. You could have lost me.. You''re fast like I expected. Although hiding.. is not your best skill," He jested, but his smile fell when he looked back at A.

    "So, you mean to say, you can get away with not following orders or following them to a certain degree depending on how Cassius says them?" A asked while assessing his face. They did look rted even without their hair colours matching. His jaw was sharp, his cheekbones high, and they even had the same nose.

    Davian nodded as he too scrutinised her face much like the night of her coronation. Well, she was the spitting image of his mother, unfortunately. "What happens if you disobey?" A asked, wondering about her own future with Cassius.

    Future.. She didn''t even want to think about a future only filled with that white-haired vampire. Her mate and pack needed her. She''d only been awake a few hours and could feel the desperate calls of them, her own body wanting to flee and go straight to them. But Cassius would know where she''d go first; going back to Silver Thorn was not an option. If Cassius wasn''ting after her, then his little minion here would, and he was probably stronger than Damon.

    "You can''t disobey," Davian replied simply. A searched his face and was saddened to see that his simplicity was because he was used to it. But, even though Davian said that he was still only squatting in front of her and was not forcefully bringing her back to Cassius. Yet.

    "But you haven''t exactly brought me back to Cass yet?" A retorted as she officially copsed her backside onto the ground and spread her legs before her after realising Davian wouldn''t try anything.

    "No, the urge to take you there right now is hard to resist. But I know you need some space from him. I''ll answer whatever I can. So use this time wisely, A," Davian advised as he threw the twig away and picked up another with leaves on.

    A stared at him for a moment before lowering her gaze. She was pretty sure she understood what Davian meant by being unable to disobey Cassius. He told her to drink earlier, and she obeyed him without hesitating, though the idea of drinking human blood repulsed her.

    She had been human a few months ago!

    "I''m surprised Cassius didn''te himself. Where is he?" She asked while putting her hands in the sleeves of her hoody anxiously.

    "Feeding." A raised a brow at this. Was Cassius so arrogant to think she''de back so easily? Davian decided to expand further on hisment after reading her unimpressed face. "You.. drank a lot of his blood over thest few days. He needs to regain his strength."

    A nched at this. She''d drank so much of his blood while unconscious, enough to make him fatigued. Cassius didn''t look fatigued, but then he was a vampire. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting the wind howl between them as their only disturbance to thefortable silence. She didn''t care if Davian was struggling right now to take her back; she needed to be away from the temptation of blood.

    "How long did it take for you to control your urges?" A whispered, her eyes still shut. Now that she was thinking about it again, she couldn''t ignore the fire flickering up her throat.

    She''d had enough blood!

    You do not need it.

    You do not need it.

    You do NOT need blood! A started repeating it to herself in the hopes of oveing this new feeling.

    Davian sighed, "It will take some time. I won''t lie to you, but considering you''ve just been awakened, you are doing really well."

    A snorted at hispliment and opened her eyes. "I ran away so I couldn''t drink more.. out of sight out of mind.. is what I was going for anyway," She muttered, the corner of her lips trembling to stay up and hoping to hide the emotional turmoil within her.

    "At least you didn''t kill multiple people because you were hungry.." Davian replied tly. She flicked her eyes at him and watched as he continued to strip the leaves off the twig he picked up, his features full of guilt. After all these years, he still felt guilty. If Cassius had been with him from the start, would he have killed all those people?

    "I thought you hated him," A said, looking down as her hands yed with the ends of her sleeves.

    "I do." A looked up then with hope blossoming in her crystal blue eyes. "But it is hard to hate your master.. If you hate him as much as me.." He looked at her as though he didn''t believe she did. "You will see what I mean."

    Did she hate Cassius? A frowned at the question she could not yet provide an answer to. He hadn''t done anything yet that would make him hate him so much and felt sad by the idea that her opinion of him might change. She certainly didn''t trust him.

    But if Davian despised Cassius as much as she thought he did, why was he here?

    "I thought.. Cassius didn''t help you.. your diary didn''t mention him. He left you to fend for yourself as a hybrid.." A looked at him questionably, hoping to clear a few things about her ancestor. She didn''t sense he was a bad person, and maybe he might be able to help her out of this.

    Davian sighed and hopped up to stand, throwing away the stick. A looked up at him but pushed herself up as well, brushing down the back of her leggings. "Cass did leave me.. And I did fend for myself." He began to walk away, putting his hands in his pockets. A caught sight of the guilt passing over his features again before he looked away, almost trying to hide his eyes from her. Or maybe he couldn''t stand looking at her for too long.

    "So.." A urged, falling in step by his side. She was happy to see they were not going directly back towards the castle.

    Davian stopped and looked down. "I''m sure you know all about Gabriel and Cassius.. and the tomb under Silver Crescent''s packhouse.."

    A frowned, not knowing where Davian was going with this.

    "A master can call to their childe, no matter how far away they are.. They can keep calling to them.. I resisted going to him for ten years.. But one night, I was weak from a fight. I''d lost a lot of blood.." He scoffed. "Not that that should be an excuse.. Anyway, Cassius broke through my guard, and I went to him.."

    Went to him.. The tomb..

    "I was the one to set Cassius free."

 Chapter 265 - Trust

    A stared at Davian for a long moment as her body was in turmoil of emotions. She didn''t know how to feel about Davian releasing Cassius, but she knew he felt guilty about it, and she knew from his diary andmentary that he despised him. This indicated just how much of a hold Cassius had over Davian, making her wonder if she would ever be free from it. Her ancestor was powerful; she could tell just by standing next to him, the essence radiating off him almost smothered her.

    Did age also add to the strength of a vampire?

    It didn''t matter right now. "You freed Cassius," She replied calmly and emotionlessly. "Have you been with him since?"

    She wondered if Davian had been helping him from the start.

    "No, I helped him escape and then fled," Davian looked down as he steered her by the elbow to miss a muddy puddle on their path.

    A murmured thanks before looking back at him, the mystery that was her ancestor. "So, how are you here again?" She questioned while pulling the hood up over her head to keep her warm as they continued to stroll back towards the castle.

    "He can call on us anytime. I''ve helped him over the years and now even have his number, so I know what he wants before I get on a ne back from wherever I''ve been staying." Davian sighed and rubbed the back of his head, flicking his gaze to her. "I¡­ this time it wasn''t intentional."

    A frowned, lost by his words. "What do you mean?" She peered up at him curiously. Even though the circumstances were pretty shocking, it was pretty nice for her to talk to someone who wasn''t manipting her for his own gain. Or so she hoped. It was best to still be on her guard with Davian, no matter what, unless he proved himself not to be on Cassius'' side. From what Davian had told her already, he had no choices even if he didn''t want to do something; if Cassius wanted it done, then he would make it so.

    "I was¡­ keeping an eye on Cassius for a while trying to work out what scheme he was up to, especially after I couldn''t see Gabriel. He''d been missing.. I wasn''t sure if he''d killed his brother or not. Anyway, I was going to keep my distance, but.. then the spell on my journal revealed another Cross was reading it.. That was when I realised I had to see who it was, and well imagine my shock when I saw you.." He nced at her, and she looked down.

    A clenched her teeth together in annoyance; she didn''t mind looking like her mother, who was sweet and strong, and everything a mother should be, but now she was constantly beingpared to Amelia.

    Davian cleared his throat, and she realised he''d been looking at her in concern. "I knew you weren''t Amelia. But when I saw you, I knew Cassius would want something with you. So, I returned to him to see what his ns were."

    A stopped and turned to him, feeling safer under thest coverage of trees before it opened up to ake in front of the castle. "What is he nning then?" She whispered, ncing warily around at the shadows of the forest and the castle. She didn''t expect Cassius to be nearby, but she felt nervous and nauseous, which was better than the urge to feed.

    Davian shook his head with a sigh. "I don''t know; he doesn''t trust me."

    A gaped at him. If Cassius didn''t trust Davian, then he really wouldn''t trust her. She''d only been with him half a day, and before that, she was friendly towards him because she thought he was Gabriel. She already gave Cassius a chance at her coronation to not lead down the path of destruction, yet here she was.

    Although A shouldn''t be surprised by Cassius''ck of trust, he was in some twisted romance with Amelia, and Davian openly showed that he detested Cassius. Davian only helped Cassius because of the sire bond, even though he was Cassius'' ''childe''. That meant that he didn''t trust anyone, which was sad and infuriating. But maybe she needed to prove to Cassius that she was someone he could trust, and once she knew of his ns, then they could figure the rest out.

    "Maybe that human blood is making you go a little whack, girl, but this is Cassius we are talking about. How are you going to gain his trust!?"

    Malia!?

    A gasped out loud and squealed, with tears pooling in her eyes. "Malia!!!" She screamed in her mind, momentarily forgetting about all the problems piling up around her.

    "Well, that hurt my head," Malia remarked dryly. "Yes.. It is I.. the one and only.. It''s so nice to be in your presence and actually talk to you!"

    "Are you okay?" Davian asked, looking down at her in concern once more.

    A smiled, nodding her head. "My wolf is back," She whispered, the smile still on her face.

    Davian''s brows rose at this. "She is a lot stronger than I thought. Cassius won''t be happy," He replied quietly.

    "Fuck Cassius," Malia growled loudly, taking over A''s voice.

    Davian burst intoughter at this but nced around nervously. "Yes, fuck him," He murmured. "It is nice to meet you."

    A smiled gingerly, tucking her hair behind her ears. "She''s gone now, but she said it is an honour to meet you," A replied, then cleared her throat, trying not to roll her eyes at her dramatic wolf.

    "I n to y into whatever role Cassius wants of me," She whispered to her wolf. She nearly told Davian her n, but she didn''t want him to know everything even if they worked together. Cassius might use Davian as a spy for him. They may get closer and be friends, but at the end of the day, without any choice, Davian answers to their master.

    No, it was best to keep this between her and Malia. They just needed to make sure Cassius wouldn''t dig through her mind either.

    "How do you n on doing that?" Malia asked with another growl. "You can''t just waltz in there and act like you agree with everything. Cass knows you are different to Amelia, and you have morals. Also.. What if he wants to sleep with you?!"

    Damn, she really did miss her wolf, even if it had been half a day. She was soforting.

    "Cass won''t try anything, not for a while," A murmured back thoughtfully. Sure, he''d been flirty before, but like Malia just exined, Cassius knew she wasn''t Amelia. She wouldn''t cheat on her mate.

    A looked back at Davian, who had been waiting quietly by her side, shifting from foot to foot. She could tell Cassius''mand was growing stronger the longer they waited, but she still needed to ask a few questions before returning to the castle.

    "I don''t want to get addicted to blood.." A began slowly. "Is there a way for me to go without it or-"

    "Absolutely not," Davian replied sternly. "If you don''t drink, you will lose all sense of morality. You''ll only want to feed, just like how type 1 rogues are."

    A blinked vigorously. "Is that what happened to you?" She asked, searching his eyes.

    Davian grit his teeth. "Yes. I refused to drink, and then the hunger became too much-"

    "I don''t like this suggestion, but what if I drank from Cassius?" She wondered what the consequences of that were.

    Davian inhaled sharply and looked at her like she was crazy. He raked his hands through his inky ck hair, dishevelling it further. "Don''t even suggest that.." He nced at her and saw her questioning gaze. "His blood is more addictive than a human''s. I don''t know how, so don''t ask me," He added after she opened her mouth to question further. She bit her tongue and waited for him to continue. "That''s not even the worst part of it.."

    He started to move forwards again, almost looking at the castle as though he''d been beckoned. A followed suit and looked in the direction he was gazing at, only to see Cassius'' figure standing in front of one of the windows. His features were expressionless, and he turned his back on them, walking away.

    "What''s the worst part?" She whispered, ncing at the now empty spot in front of the window.

    Davian frowned and looked at the ground. "I''ve heard that drinking much of your master''s blood.. it.. well.. your personality can change to match theirs. It also gives them more control over you.. You''ll want to please them even more.. it can sometimes be obsessive. I have met a few vampires who lost their wits because of it."

    "What do I do then?" A asked him as they stopped in front of therge golden arched doors.

    "You feed like a normal vampire, little wolf."

    A jolted in surprise by the sudden whisper behind her ear. She turned to face Cassius and the growing smirk on his face. "Thank you, Davian. You may go now," Cassius said tonelessly, his eyes resting on A.

    Davian straightened his back. "I think I should stay and help if you are nning on giving her more blood-"

    "Stay or go. Whatever, as long as you don''t stop her.." Cassius muttered; his eyes red at him in warning as he slipped his hand into A''s.

    Malia growled in her mind at howforting Cassius'' touch was to A. But to her wolf, she wanted to rip his hand away from his wrist.

    "Either be quiet or be locked away, Malia," Cassius'' hissed in her mind. A whipped her head to look at him, yanking her hand out of his.

    "Cass, please don''t threaten her-"

    "I am advising her-"

    "You were threatening her. She is a part of me; whether you like that or not, you have to deal with it," A replied, tilting her chin up defiantly.

    Cassius stepped closer to her and ced his hands on her shoulders gently, peering into her eyes. "I will listen to you, IF you listen to me now," He replied sternly. A frowned slightly from the tone of his voice. It sounded like he wanted her to do something now.

    Cassius smiled and took her hand in his again. "You need to feed, my Queen." A halted in the corridor where he had led her to, ignoring the slight draft from the windows overlooking a stunning courtyard with a fountain inside. "I will instruct you," Cassius whispered as he stepped closer to her. "Do you trust me?"

    Trust.. It would take time to gain his, and he knew her well. Honesty was her best bet right now; he could probably feel the fear slicing its way through to the tight knots in her stomach.

    "No, I do not."

    Cassius smiled sadly as he pinned a strand of her hair behind her ear.. "You will."

 Chapter 266 - The Drawing Room

    A held her breath at Cassius'' words as she stared back at him warily. Her heart pounded against her chest in angst, but she nodded in response, feeling torn between the slight trust she was giving him; it was both feigned and startlingly so not pretence. It was then, as she let Cassius lead the way into arge drawing-room, she realised that her n was going to be much harder than she initially believed.

    This sire bond affected her differently from her mate bond to Damon. A wanted to trust him, but it was from this bizarre feeling of fondness towards Cassius, he was her master, and she didn''t want to cause any trouble for him. Yet at the same time, she knew his character, knew his past and not to mention he had kidnapped her. It was as though she was being torn in two, trying to gauge which were her true feelings, she tried to look for her wolf to try and help her away from this fog clouding her judgement, but Malia stayed quiet. Rightfully so, they needed to keep Cassius happy, and by doing so, Malia''s presence will remain with her.

    A released her breath, unknowingly still holding it from earlier and nced at the magnificence of the drawing-room. Her trainers squeaked along with the white and gold marble floors as they walked by arched walls holding up a ck and gold brass balcony overlooking the room. The high ceilings held chandeliers with a marvellous painting of the sky with cherubs and angels with a beaming sun, and the corners of the rooms once again had the cherub statues, this time with instruments in their hands. She lowered her gaze to see a grand piano in the corner across from multiple dark blue sofas, golden coffee tables that were intricately engraved along with vases and fresh flowers.

    A stopped beside one of therge arched windows that overlooked the courtyard she saw earlier before resting her eyes on a few paintings in between the windows. They were portraits of Gabriel and Cassius, seemingly from different eras as well. A''s heart dropped at seeing their faces growing colder as time seemed to go on. All because of a certain vampire. She looked down, frowning and wishing more than anything for Cassius and Gabriel to make up.

    If they did, wouldn''t that solve everything?

    Cassius sighed and released her hand. "What are you thinking so intently about?" He asked quietly while looking at the portraits, his face impassive.

    "Have you not already read my thoughts?" A swiftly replied, keeping her eyes set on the portraits before her.

    "I don''t make a habit out of it. So, no, it ruins any ns to engage in conversation. What were you thinking so deeply about?" Cassius asked again, still facing the portraits.

    A looked at him, tilting her head to the side slightly, concern marring her forehead. "I wondered why these were still up and if you despised your brother as you im to," She replied hesitantly. From the cold look and slight re he sent her and from the way Davian inhaled sharply at herment, A knew the topic was not one broached lightly or at all. The room felt suddenly colder, the atmosphere tense as she waited for Cassius to respond to her.

    Cassius chuckled darkly, and his eyes lit up in amusement as he nced at her. "You seem to take more interest in me than you im to." Came his response that avoided herment. The white-haired vampire walked away from her, his steps slow and echoing in the grandness of the drawing-room. "This room was originally built for Gabriel. It was one of his favourite rooms.. I even brought this piano for him recently," He smiled sadly, staring at the piano. "Do you think it is strange?"

    A took a tentative step forward, then another as she rounded to face Cassius, watching his features, his eyes that were lost in the past gone, but the fondness that was once there slowly darkened into something cold and menacing. She could feel his emotions even as his face hardened once more and he became expressionless. Cassius was torn about his brother; it made her own heart shake in anger from what her ancestor did. She didn''t just get in between brothers but also broke her family apart, turning her son into an uncontroble hybrid.

    "I don''t think it is strange.." A whispered, hoping that by engaging with this side of Cassius, he might open up to her more. It was worth a try in gaining his trust, though there was also another part of her that wanted him to trust her, be happy and free himself of this anguish. "If you brought this recently, doesn''t that mean you want to make amends?"

    Cassius smiled thinly, and he nced at her from the corners of his eyes.

    "I think it is time for you to feed." A nched at the sudden change in topic and gulped when her mind spun towards the idea of feeding.

    She clung onto Cassius'' forearm and stared up at him nervously. "You won''t let me go crazy, right?" She asked breathlessly as her heart began to pound again from the desire to drink.

    Cassius smiled at her, resting his hand on top of her head. "Of course, I won''t. I''m your master now; I''m here to help you."

    A scoff from behind the pair gained their attention. A whipped her head around, and she blinked in surprise, forgetting that Davian had followed them in. He was standing against one of the pirs below the balcony overlooking the drawing-room, his arms crossed as his eyes flicked between them. He didn''t look pleased by how close they were, but A continued to hold onto Cassius'' arm, deciding it was the best form of action for now.

    "Oh, don''t look at us like that. I''m sorry that I never helped you when you awakened. But I can''t exactly let our precious A go without any direction. The times have changed now; people will notice more if there were mass murders of bodies drained of blood," Cassius replied flippantly, waving his free hand at him nonchntly.

    "Now, take a seat," Cassius instructed A, gesturing her towards the cushioned sofa. She sat down obediently, her hands now ying with the ends of her sleeves. Cassius pped his hands twice, letting it echo, and the doors to the far right opened.. A watched as five humans entered the room, stopping before her in a line.

 Chapter 267 - Feeding

    A nced at Cassius, who had a knowing smile on his lips, then she whipped her head to the side, looking at Davian questionably, but his face was stone-hard, his hands gripping his biceps tightly. He didn''t meet her eyes and instead looked at Cassius moodily. A followed his gaze to thennd back at the humans who smiled at her, making her cheeks redden at them staring at her.

    All five of them looked like models, three of them men and two women. The men were shirtless with well defined tanned bodies, and the women wore ck dresses and heels like they were at an asion. It was bizarre. She couldn''t understand why there were five people standing in front of her.

    "Cass, I thought I''d be drinking from a ss again.." She trailed off as she read Cassius'' amused expression. "Isn''t this unsafe?"

    Cassius rounded the lineup and grabbed the petite brte on the far left of the line, bringing her towards the sofa. He sat down and pulled her down to sit between them. He moved her hair away from the right side of her neck and trailed his finger down her skin, staring at A as he did so. "If you keep drinking from a ss, you will find it harder when in contact with humans. Although, you should give yourself more credit. By now, a newborn would have killed this woman," He said calmly as his eyes pierced into hers.

    A bit her tongue, controlling her urges as her eyes lowered to the carotid artery, almost pulsating beneath the skin of the woman sitting next to her. The metallic taste of blood made her blink in surprise; her fangs had grown again. The sharp points pierced into her own flesh instead of the flesh she so desired to do it to. Cassius reached his hand out to her cheek. "Stop biting your tongue," He reprimanded her sternly and pulled her lips apart with his thumb. "You need to feed."

    A swallowed loudly, her eyes flicking from Cassius'' gaze to her neck. "Isn''t this a little weird? Are they being controlled right now?" She asked while uncontrobly leaning closer to the woman, but her hands clenched at the sleeves of her hoody, her ws growing and piercing into her skin.

    Her question was barely registering with herself now as she heard the beating of the woman''s heart, her eyes zoned in on the slight perspiration at the back of her neck, making her scent smell all the more enticing.

    Her mind instantly became cloudy from the sudden smell of blood, and she almost saw a red mist cloud her vision. But watched blood trickling down the woman''s V neck dress, she followed it back up to her neck where she found Cassius'' lips on her skin, drinking from her other side. Her ws stabbed into her skin more, her lips now inches away from the woman who was now moaning in delight. A ringing sound pierced through her ears, and her hearing felt muffled.

    ".. Feeders."

    Feeders?

    Was that Davian''s voice?

    But even with the question on her tongue, A dived forwards, closing the small distance between her and this ''feeder'', her fangs bit into her slender neck, and the blood poured into her mouth. A closed her eyes, feeling the ultimate power of life being drained from the woman and pouring into her. It was thrilling, addictive and she didn''t want to let go. Her ws withdrew from her skin, and she found herself clinging onto the woman, she drinking from the right side of her neck and Cassius draining her from the other.

    "..enough."

    A continued as Cassius pulled away; she eyed him licking his lips and smiling before she closed her eyes again,pping up the blood that was so sweet.

    Was her heart slowing down? Maybe she should stop.. But.. how?

    "A, that''s enough! Cass, stop her!" Davian''s voice pierced through the ringing noise, bringing her back to reality. She thought anyway.

    But even though she could hear Davian''s panic, Cassius'' calm aura was what made her think it was okay. He was teaching her, right?

    Davian yanked her away from the girl and pushed her against the far wall. A hissed at him, her ws growing and scratching into his arms. He pinned her arms to her side, his strength outmatching hers. Still, she couldn''t see past this red mist.

    She was hungry. She wanted MORE. She wanted that feeling of ultimate power!

    A struggled against Davian, her eyes going to the other four humans still standing there obediently. The brte was lying on the sofa where she''d been sitting with her initially, her blood soaking the cushion.

    "Drat. I should have put some nkets down," Cassiusmented as he sauntered over to where the two hybrids were.

    "Do you think this is a joke?" Davian growled.

    "Of course not. But you worry too much, Davy. The girl is fine, and I would have pulled A away if it became dangerous-"

    "Dangerous!? Who for? The girl would have been dead if you waited any longer. And YOU fed on her as well!"

    With Davian slightly distracted, A kneed in him the groin and sprinted past him, leaping forwards and crashnding on one of the shirtless male models. She hovered above him, her hair curtained around them, as her hands clung to his broad shoulders. His green eyes widened in shock but what surprised her, and calmed her from this scatty brained moment, was his next action. He tilted his neck to the side, giving her more ess to his neck. A blinked profusely, pausing momentarily before biting into his neck.

    The man gasped and groaned.

    "Shit, A!" Davian shouted from behind her. She clung to the man tighter, enjoying the taste of him more as her body rxed into him. Her breathing was ragged, and she didn''t care about controlling herself now.

    Cassius squatted by her side and stroked her hair, pulling some of it away from the blood pouring down the man''s neck. "Easy, A. You will enjoy it more if you take your time.. That way, he will enjoy it more as well.." He instructed in her mind. "Take your time." His voice deepened, and she slowed down on swallowing the feeder''s blood. As soon as she did, the man rxed below her, and he sighed, his hand going to her waist, gripping onto her as he closed his eyes and moaned.

    The moan made her gasp, and she pulled her fangs out of him. He was feeling pleasure to the point she felt the bulge pressing against her in his jeans. "Cass!" She whisper-shouted, sitting upright and staring at him. "You didn''t tell me it would cause THAT sort of pleasure!"

    Cassius burst into musicalughter, and he shook his head. "Oh, sweet A.. It is pleasurable, but it might be because you''re straddling the poor guy right now," He smirked and nced at her legs.

    A gasped and jumped off, her thoughts going straight to her mate. The fever she just had about drinking bloodpletely dissipated. "I never thought something like that would be what stops you.." Davian muttered as he walked back towards them.

    A nced down at the man who grinned at her, his eyes slightly dazed before sitting upright. She looked away, feeling her cheeks heat and hearing her wolf growling irritably in her mind. She could feel the blood around her mouth drying, and she looked down at her white hoody in shock. It was utterly ruined.

    "You may go, unless.." Cassius turned to look at A. "Are you still hungry?"

    A shook her head quickly, she could still feel her hunger and desire to drink more, but she''d sobered up after attacking that man. Cassius stared at her for a moment, probably because he could feel the need she was fighting against. But he waved the four feeders away before stepping towards her again.

    "There are different ways of feeding.. One of them is to cause the human pleasure while doing it. I think, for now, we will stick to that route," Cassius said with amusement in his voice. "Otherwise, you might kill everyone, and I''m quite fond of these feeders, so I''d like them to stay awhile. It also seems you are quite fond of Geralt."

    A frowned at hisment, feeling disgusted at herself, wanting a shower and throwing her clothes in the bin. "I guess Geralt is the one I attacked?" She asked while walking away.

    "Not attacked.. Fed on. Anyway, Davian take Laura back to the feeder''s quarters and watch over her," He ordered Davian before looking back at A.. "I need a private word with my childe here."

 Chapter 268 - Ailas Struggle

    A watched longingly at Davian, wishing him to stay in the room with her, but orders were orders, and he left carrying the girl she almost killed out through the arched wooden door at the far end. She nearly killed someone because of some messed up cravings she had for human blood now. It made her feel sick, and A recoiled when Cassius took a step closer to her. He frowned at her reaction, but she didn''t care; she covered her face with her hands feeling the tears spring to her eyes.

    She''d turned into a monster. A monster that ravished two humans, and she didn''t care, even when she felt their life slipping away, she was too absorbed in how great she felt than what was slipping through her fingers. Right now, she was nothing more than a being controlled by her desires, and it disgusted her. She was disgusted with herself.

    A inhaled sharply after feeling Cassius pull her into his embrace. She stood there stiff, her hands still covering her face as the tears stained her cheeks. She started to tremble, her temper rising, and she snapped. A pushed him back by the chest, but he was as hard as a stone and didn''t budge, making her angrier. She started hitting his chest in frustration, uncaring of the pain throbbing in her fists; she continued to beat him, sobbing as her legs copsed beneath her and she held onto his shirt.

    Cassius kept her from slipping onto the floor, his hands tightening on her back. "I hate you.." She whispered through a sob, "How could you let me do that? How could I.."

    She trailed off, her eyes going unfocused from more tears as she stared at her hands clinging onto him. She felt the sting her words caused him and instantly felt bad, which also made her feel crazy and want to rip her hair out.

    Cassius had tensed from her words, and she looked up at him; his eyes were steely, his lips thinned, and he didn''t look at her, though his arms tightened around her back, almost crushing her too tightly against him. With her breath leaving her against the struggle of being in his arms, she managed to speak again. "You can feel the bond, Cass.." She heaved a sigh. "I .. hate myself. I''m just.. pissed off at you." She cringed even saying the words, but he didn''t seem to be as affected by her anger.

    Instead of answering, Cassius lifted her up in his arms and carried her bridal style. A yelped and looked at him wide-eyed. "Put me down! I can walk!" She screamed, her eyes tearing up again, but this time for an entirely different reason. Her nose started to sniffle, and she hid her face feeling her mate mark burning and her body tingling at the same time from Cassius'' touch.

    Cassius continued to walk, ignoring her cry. "Put. Me. Down! Or I will make every single fucking second hard living with me. Please.." She pleaded and swallowed past the lump in her throat as the vampire pulled her hands away from her face and peered at her, searching her features. She was acting emotional, her gut was twisting sickly, her heart clenching in pain, and she wanted to curl up in a ball and hideaway.

    No, more than anything, she wanted to be with her mate.

    A raised her eyes to meet Cassius''; they''d softened even though the rest of his face was unreadable, his thoughts hidden, and somehow his feelings were blocked from her. Had he blocked the sire bond just how she could block a mate bond? That wasn''t important right now. Her own emotions were raw right now; she''d never acted so impulsively and now weeping in Cassius'' arms.

    With a sigh, he dropped her legs but kept his arm around her waist until she was standing again. A thanked him quietly, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks as she looked away. "I''m sorry." She blinked back in surprise and looked up at Cassius, who appeared sincere. "I said I would help you, and I am. You may not see the method in my madness yet, and I''m sorry for that, but it will help you in the long run."

    A nodded though she felt rather numb as Cassius led her out of the drawing-room. She felt emotionally tired even though her body was brimming with energy from the blood she''d drunk. Both from losing her mind and attacking the humans and from being carried in Cassius'' arms. It hit her then, so suddenly and in a dyed manner that she was so far away from Damon, her mate who carried her in his arms just how Cassius did then. It shocked her to her core; she felt rotten, almost like she was betraying Damon by being carried like that.

    A opened the double doors to the room she''d woken up in, its splendour bouncing off on her like a reminder that she did not belong there.

    "A.."

    She stopped and turned to Cassius. "You will need to feed again soon.." He trailed off as his eyes scrutinised her hardening features. "I''ll feed you this time. It is NOT a request," He added after she tried to protest. A pursed her lips, the fight inside her gone for the day; she looked at him tiredly, waiting for him to continue. Cassius sighed and closed the distance between them, resting his hand on her shoulder and peering down at her. "I am doing this for you. Trust me, PLEASE, A. You nearly died, and you barely survived with my blood in your system. You NEED to feed; otherwise, you might as well dig your grave now."

    A froze at his words, realising he was deadly serious; she could see the plea in his eyes, making her relent to his wishes. "Do you like me being submissive, Cass?" She asked daringly. So far, her n to make him believe she was on his side wasn''t going so well, but she needed to remind herself this wasn''t going to be a quick process, and he wouldn''t believe her if she suddenly agreed to everything he said.

    Cassius'' grip on her shoulder tightened. "I like you how you are, A. We may have this bond now, but I''m not going to use it against you.. Also.." He released his hand and sat down at the light blue loveseat in front of the bed, patting for her to sit. "It was Damon who begged me to save you."

    A sat down rigidly as she processed his words. Cassius meant to use Damon against her, but it didn''t affect her how he might have guessed it would. She remembered herst moments in Damon''s arms and how much it pained her not to see him again or hear his voice. A knew if their roles were reversed, she''d do exactly the same. How could she live in a world without Damon?

    Cassius snapped his fingers in front of her, and A blinked profusely, then looked at him. She''d been staring across the room while her thoughts ran away with her about Damon.

    "Drink now, then you can shower and change into something else. You may have just ruined your onlyfortable clothes," Cassius smirked, his eyes wandering down her blood coated hoody. A knew she looked like something out of a horror film; she hoped to be a little more refined in the future when she needed to drink blood.

    A sighed and shifted in her seat and looked at him expectantly. Cassius smirked again, unbuttoning his waistcoat and then his shirt, removing them andying them on the bed behind them. A''s brows furrowed, and she looked away from his marble, lean body. "What are you doing?" She asked, looking anywhere but at him. He was doing it on purpose; she could feel the delight her reaction caused him.

    Cassius rested his arm behind her on the back of the loveseat. "I do not wish to see my clothes get blood on them. I have expensive taste, you know." He grinned, then tapped his neck, looking at her expectantly.

    A rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist instead, but he swiftly moved his hand, wrapping his arm around her head and pulling her to his bare chest. "Drink from my neck," He said hoarsely. "Remember what I taught you earlier."

    A scoffed and flipped her hair aside as she brought her face closer to his neck. "And if I want to make it hurt?" She asked menacingly, expecting him to order her to do it pleasurably.

    "Then make it hurt," He replied gruffly, his arm releasing her as he started to stroke her hair. "Maybe that''s something I can work with.."

    What does he mean by that?

    "What is he nning?" Malia whispered, but her following words were lost on A because Cassius used her nail to cut a line on his neck; the smell of his blood made her zone in on his neck.

    The smell was different to the human''s, but it was much, much sweeter. She lunged at his neck and sunk her teeth into him; Cassius groaned, his hand gripping on the nape of her neck. She wasn''t making it pleasurable for him, but it was because she''d lost all of her senses the moment her tongue tasted him. Cassius'' blood was like heroine; she''dpletely lost herself to the high. It could have been minutes or hours, and she wouldn''t know; she clung to him and ravished his neck like she couldn''t get enough.

    But all too quickly, her fangs were pulled out of his skin, and she found her red clouded vision slowly dispersing. She felt dizzy, like she needed more oxygen, and wherever her body was right now felt like it was spinning.

    "A."

    Her name called by her master pulled her out of this soundless high. She stared into his eyes and saw her own reflected in his; they widened instantly after seeing her eyes glowing brightly but from red dots in her eyes. She started to move, but Cassius shook his head, "Wait a few minutes, you.. drank quite a bit." It was then she realised they were on the bed, and Cassius was hovering above her, holding her down. She suddenly became nervous, but his chuckle soothed her. "I''m not a monster, A. Go have a shower."

    With those words, he got up and disappeared from her sight. A pushed herself up into a seated position, clutching her head as the room span around her.

    What the hell.

 Chapter 269 - Her Reflection

    A heaved a long trembling sigh as her vision returned to normal, and she felt surprisingly full. It must have been Cassius'' blood that satiated her desire for more; that burning sensation at the back of her throat was gone. Although if she wasn''t forced to stop, she knew her mind would still be fixated on drinking him all up. Thinking the words made her feel sick, and feeling the dried blood on her face and looking down at her hoody wasn''t making it any better.

    But this was a part of herself she had to deal with now. With that thought, she slowly slid off the bed, staggering slightly and halting until everything was clear again. She headed back towards the walk-in closet, turning a right at the far where she glimpsed another door that led to the bathroom. Opening it, she saw the interior of the castle walls had not changed, but the chandelier highlighted the sombre mood lighting above arge copper bathtub that stood on a raised ground. The shower was one ss screen blocking a section of the wall with a jet shower all in a rose gold colouring. It was all very luxurious and chic, but she didn''t expect any less.

    Though she was a little suspicious by the feminine d¨¦cor and wondered if this might have been Amelia''s quarters or if Cassius had the interior design explicitly changed on the intentions of her arrival. She hoped that neither was the case, but she had a sinking feeling that it was.

    A stripped out of her clothes with a sigh, leaving them on the floor and locked the bathroom door. A didn''t think Cassius would try anything, but she felt better from doing it, putting that much-needed distance between them. Having a shower to rid her body of three days worth of sleeping and the blood she''d so easily consumed from another human. She stepped into the shower once the jets were on, and the steam started to cloud the ss. With the warm water cascading down her body, she closed her eyes and let her mind go nk for once.

    A didn''t want to think about anything, just for a few minutes. She''d been through a lot, and the person who her heart called out for, longingly burning for his warmth, smell, and protective arms, wasn''t nearby. Now standing under the shower, alone, she let the tears fall down her cheeks. It was the only time she would allow herself to feel pathetic and weak because once she was going to leave the bathroom, she needed to harden herself against Cassius and this sire bond.

    With the tears streaming down her cheeks, she took her time washing her hair and body, imagining Damon was with her. But that seemed to make her feel worse, and the warmth she sought chilled her body even more as the sudden loneliness crept into her being.

    "I''m still here, you know," Malia pointed out with a huff, though A knew she was trying to cheer the pair of them up. Her wolf was more agitated than her, but she was following A''s lead and didn''t try to take the reins and run back to Silver Crescent.

    A turned the shower off, stepping out of the shower; she wrapped a towel around her body and started to towel dry her hair walking towards one of the oval-shaped mirrors in front of the two sinks meant for couples. Her hands paused the towel on her hair as she stared at herself in surprise; the towel fell out of her hands which she instantly bent over to grab, smacking her head against the sink.

    "Argh," She groaned, sping her head and checking herself out in the mirror. The red mark that had formed from stupidly banging her head already faded, and she found herself staring again. She didn''t look real; her skin was utterly unblemished and slightly paler though not a sickly pale, the marks on her skin below her corbone stood out more, making her smile gently at the little reminder of who she needed to stay strong for. But then she raised her eyes again to her face and opened her mouth, expecting to see her fangs.

    But her teeth were fine; there were no fangs. A wondered if Davian was the same. She kept staring and decided to test an idea out, though she hoped it wouldn''t ''bite her in the ass'', and she went mad. All she needed to do was think about blood or sinking her teeth into-

    Her fangs instantly grew before she could finish what she was thinking. Her eyes widened, and then she freaked out, seeing her eyes sparkling again with those red ruby specks scattered across her eyes like red stardust. They were beautiful, she had to admit, but it was a disturbing beauty that she never expected to see on herself. Even her hair, she''d noted, had more of a healthy glow without any brittle strands.

    "Ah.. but look, we are even prettier like this.." Malia winked, then slipped into the front seat of her mind, taking the reins and staring at herself fiercely. The red in her eyes dimmed back to her usual blue hues that then glowed before her wolf added, speaking aloud. "You''re the freakin Alpha Queen, own it and own what extra power and looks you have now."

    With that said, she felt a shimmer of power course through her and A''s eyes transformed into brilliant golden hues. The golden irises of royalty. Her gaze lowered, and she noted the Moon Goddess'' blessing again. Malia was showing her the strength within her. She was right. She needed to be strong now and tackle whatever came her way.

    A needed to endure whatever Cassius put her through. It was going to be hard. But it was for Damon, for the pack and for her people. No matter how much her desire for blood as a vampire was, she needed to push through it and keep sane. She needed to gain Cassius'' trust, and that meant following through with his instructions, but she also needed to be alert around him. The bond was messing with her head, and it was hard to distinguish her real feelings towards him.

    "No matter what happens, Malia.." A flicked her gaze back to her reflection. "No matter what I do.. You NEED to bring me back. Remind me of who I am."

    With her jaw set and her gaze hardened, the glow of her golden hues still sparkling, her wolf agreed. "You don''t even need to ask me, A. We are in this together," Malia replied confidently. She smiled, feeling the warmth in her chest from something that felt like a pinky promise to each other.

    A released her breath, and she nced at her mate mark. Her hand stroking across it longingly then forced herself to close the barrier of the mate bond between her and Damon. It pained her to do so, but with all that had happened in one day, she couldn''t put her mate through her uncontroble emotions. He shouldn''t have to bear with it. He shouldn''t have to deal with her disappearance in the first ce.

    But A couldn''t go back to him. Not yet. Not until she worked out what Cassius'' ns were. She didn''t know how long they were going to be separated, but the only thing that was keeping her sane about this was that he was surrounded by people that genuinely cared about him. Damon would be searching for her, of course, so it might not be as long as she thought.

    "Girl, Cass probs want world domination or something," Malia snickered, although she was worried for them and the pack.

    "He''s not some super viin!" Aliaughed, surprised at herself and possibly her sanity forughing in such a situation. But she couldn''t keep wallowing around. That wasn''t like her at all.

    With her sense of self back in ce, A turned around with her shoulders pulled back and marched out of the bathroom and to the closet, finding a pair of jeans and a blouse. She set off and decided to get more acquainted with her new temporary home. She focused on the castle''syout, deciding it was best she knew all the corridors and rooms. She just needed to think of herself as a prisoner like with the hunters, tiptoe around the ''bad guy'', to which her bond was telling her he wasn''t a bad guy, and to gain as much information as possible from Davian.

    Nodding along with her n, A slowed down her steps when she heard some music sting from a room across from her. Her hand hovered above the doorknob, but then she cleared her throat and opened the door. A inhaled sharply at the scene ying out before her.

    The scent of fresh blood wafted to her nose, making her heart frantically beat and her mouth go dry. The feeders from earlier were all scattered about the room, each with a bite mark or two on their skin, and in the middle of the women dancing sensually was Cassius. He wore a dress shirt again, but it was unbuttoned; his hair was dishevelled from where one of the women was clinging to him, kissing his neck, her hand in his hair. He was enjoying himself so much that he didn''t notice her.

    Good.

    A shook her head from the surprise that had raised her brows then started to turn around, not wanting to be a part of anything that was happening in the room. But as she sped the doorknob again, she felt his presence before he made it known.

    "A. Join us," Cassius'' velvety smooth voice called to her from behind her. A part of her wanted to join, wanted to please him, wanted to drink that blood.

    A turned her head and almost jolted back from how close Cassius'' face was to hers. He lowered his gaze to her lips longingly then looked back at her eyes. A leaned forwards and ced her hand on his chest. "Thank you.. For the invitation. But I am full." She held his gaze and opened the door before walking out of the door and leaving behind the temptation to drink more blood and lose herself. But seeing all those bodies and what that little party was going to turn into kept her mind sharp.

    She could do this.

 Chapter 270 - We Need To Go Hunting

    A twirled on the spot letting the skirt of her dress balloon around her. Her heels made her stumble slightly and sloshing some of the champagne from the flute in her hands. She leaned into Cassius, gripping onto his arm, halting herself from falling further. She was drunk on the alcohol and the two feeders she''d fed from; both were lying on the couches, pale, their necks almost ripped open. But their hearts still beat, and Davian was caring for them, leaving her to enjoy the music and Cassius''pany.

    It had been two weeks already, and she was in some crazy routine, following Cassius'' lead. A maintained her humanity at the end of the night, when she''d stare at herself in the mirror, the blood staining her clothes and her wolf reminding her of their mission. Malia exined to her once that during the time she fed and lost herself to the craving of blood and sometimes Cassius'' blood, A was almost unreachable. It was like a red, thick fog was kept between them, and it would take her a while to find her. After some time, they realised it had nothing to do with Cassius and more to do with the vampiric side of her that would take over.

    Already A had killed a feeder after going overboard in gaining Cassius'' trust; she''d lost control of herself and he let her. She revealed to Cassius how disgusted it made her feel, and from doing that along with following his orders, she sensed the trust growing between them. Cassius seemed to like her humane side, although his own seemed to have gone long ago. But after searching deep inside the bond, she realised her presence made him curious about it. That didn''t mean he was sad by her killing a feeder; he found it more annoying than anything.

    Yet A was still putting down the groundwork, which was precisely why she was dancing with her master right now like there was no care in the world. Cassius removed the ss from her fingers and ced it on a side table in front of a grand painting. He spun A around until she was flush against his chest, and the music changed to one of a violin.

    Cassius kept his hands on her waist, and A hesitated in wrapping her hands around his neck, sping her fingers together where his white locks were already starting to grow out from his shortened haircut. "It really was a shame you cut your hair," A murmured, eyeing the strands that shimmered under golden lighting, giving it a faint yellowish glow.

    "Hmm, did you prefer it longer?" Cassius asked, his eyes searching her face.

    "Well, now you just look like Gabriel.. I thought the long, annoyingly elegant hair suited you better," A replied, losing her footing slightly. Her mind was still hazy from the blood and the alcohol in her system, so hazy that she forgot Cassius'' mood dropped by the mere mention of his brother''s name. His grip tightened on her, and any warmth and sensual gleam in his eyes was gone. Now she was staring back into what was like icicles piercing into her skin and making her shiver from the cold, his features stoic and unreadable.

    Cassius released her waist, raised one of her hands and spun her around, returning her back into his chest. It took her a while for the room to stop moving around her, and she could focus on the vampire''s face. With much effort, she tilted her head up to look at him. He was smirking again, his eyes hooded as he lowered his face to hers. A''s eyes widened, and she held her breath, her muscles going tense. But Cassius stopped just before her lips.

    "A.." His hand caressed her jaw, and his thumb brushed across her bottom lip. "Stop ying games with me."

    A''s lips parted in surprise, making Cassius'' eyes light up in amusement. "What are you talking-"

    He moved his lips to her ear, making her shudder and halt in their dance. "Then how far are you willing to go, A?" He whispered, the warmth of his breath heating her face to a rosy blush upon her cheeks,

    A released a shuddering breath. "I''m following your lead, Cass. What game could I possibly y?" She whispered, afraid of speaking any louder for fear her voice might tremble. Cassius'' fingers dug into her skin, and his lips lowered to her neck, making her inhale sharply from the sharp points of his fangs grazing against her skin.

    "Following my lead.." Cassius murmured. "Hmm.. But can you help me, A?"

    That snapped her out of whatever hypnotic state she was sumbing to. "What.." A frowned, looking ahead of her and watching Davian''s face harden as he re-entered the room after removing the two unconscious feeders. He stilled on seeing the pair dancing and the conversation they were having; her eyes were screaming for help, but she kept her voice calm. "What can I help you with?"

    Cassius chuckled and pulled back, releasing her from his hold. He turned around and walked towards the pired wall and the arched door. He was expecting her to follow him, and so she did, although her legs still felt like jelly from the intoxication of blood and alcohol, along with her high heels. She quickened her steps to keep up with him and rxed after sensing Davian followed them.

    It was strange, but she was starting to see her ancestor as more of like a protective brother; he was always there to split her and Cassius up if he was taking things too far. A was grateful to him; he''d stopped her each time from killing anyone else. Since she drained the feeder, Davian stayed by her side and would snap at Cassius if he was being careless around her. Luckily, Cassius onlyined of Davian ruining the fun or mood and never ordered him as his master to stop interfering.

    A looked around, surprised that Cassius had led them outside the front of the castle and stopped in front of theke. It had a small pier with a rowing boat and a tree to the side with a white cushioned swing attached to it. The white-haired vampire stared at theke for a while; the moon''s silver hues glistened across the dark waters and illuminated her master''s hair and most likely her own into some ethereal being. But when he turned his head to look back at her, she saw the sadness and felt the loneliness wing inside of him.

    A automatically took a step forwards, her own heart-squeezing from the look on his face and the emotions pouring into her through the bond. But Davian''s hand wrapped around her wrist, halting her, she looked at him, and he was frowning.

    "Shit," He whispered. "I can''t move." With a sigh, he let go of A''s wrist like it had burned him. "Be careful." He held her gaze, and she gulped from the intensity of his stare. She nodded then walked up to Cassius, who was ring at Davian before he whipped his head back to look at theke.

    A presumed Cassiusmanded Davian through his telepathy. He''d been doing that a lot recently, so she wouldn''t know exactly what orders Davian was following. She stopped by Cassius'' side, keeping her eyes on theke that reflected the moon and the stars above. It made her want to reach out to the Moon Goddess and ask her for guidance about her situation. Was she doing the right thing? Or was there a better way?

    "I know your loyalty to me is almost forced. The bond does that to you," Cassius began; there was a slight bitterness and sadness in his voice though his features were anything but. He was unreadable as he stared at theke. She wondered where he would go with this; she thought she was doing well but maybe not, considering he was bringing up loyalty.

    "I want it to be real. I knew it wouldn''t be, but I have been working on something I think you would appreciate.. and maybe our goals might align.." Cassius continued with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

    A stared at him; her own feelings were mixed. She did and didn''t want to be loyal to him, but she needed to show she was to gain insight into these goals. Whatever it was he would ask of her, A could feel he was close to revealing any ns. But she kept her anticipation and excitement to herself, keeping her face neutral. "Maybe.." She replied, waiting expectantly for Cassius to expand further before reacting appropriately.

    Cassius smiled, his gaze again on theke as the wind blew the strands of his hair away from his chiselled features. "We need to go hunting."

    A frowned at his words. "As in.. hunting humans?" She asked, feeling a little bbergasted at the idea of going from a feeder to actually hunt a human. It felt simr in the sense of going from buying your meat at a supermarket to going to the wilderness and hunting and killing the animal yourself. Though she had already killed someone, she thought this would be different. But then she observed his features more and realised that wasn''t what he meant. "Hunt who?" She asked slowly.

    "How do you feel about hunting down the people who kidnapped you, killed your parents and tried to kill you?" Cassius asked and smiled at her like he''d already won something precious.

    A stilled and looked away, her nose twitched slightly, and a fire ignited in her chest, her eyes glowing with the embers of the ruby specks lusting for their blood. "Hunters.." She whispered in malice, her tone unrecognisable to her own ears.. There was one hunter in particr that she felt an all-consuming hatred for.

 Chapter 271 - The Huntress: Part One

    Running footsteps echoed down the alleyway, the sound of the boots sshing through puddles in haste and the ragged breaths and pounding hearts of the hunters made the hunt all the more thrilling. The hunters'' n to attack the Green Rock pack didn''t go the way they''d hoped. As soon as they were in position, hiding in between the housing estate, A and Davian turned up, and the men''s screams woke the neighbourhood with a start. All that had been left behind was the blood sttered across the pavement and walls.

    The only issue was that the other hunters were aware that their n was ruined and started to retreat. They were deep within the pack territory, so they were trying to make a quick escape. A watched from the top of a building, her head tilted to the side as she watched them flee.

    "Don''t you want to catch them?" Davian asked. He was against this n until she agreed he coulde along with her, and Cassius would watch from a distance unless they needed his help.

    "I do..." She smirked. "But it''s quite funny seeing them run away believing they are free without any consequences."

    Davian frowned at her and the way her eyes were cold and distant as she watched the hunters. A ignored the concern growing on his features and started to jog across the rooftops, keeping their ''prey'' in sight. "A.." Davian began as he fell into step beside her. "Do you really want to be hunting humans right now?"

    "They aren''t just humans.. They are hunters," A snapped back before she jumped from the rooftop andnded gracefully in front of the men, stopping them from climbing into the van behind her. They scattered to hide behind the dumpsters and pointed their guns and crossbows at her.

    A rolled her eyes and raised her hands in mock surrender. "You know you really shouldn''t kill me.. I''m A Cross." Their aim faltered, and A heard a few sharp inhales. She could already see a few gears turning behind their eyes. But that distraction was all she needed to run forwards and smack the gun out of the first man''s hands, knock him out and shoot the others in the head.

    After hearing a crunching sound, A whipped her head back and blinked when she realised Davian had taken out the driver who tried to sneak up on her. Davian had shifted into his wolf form, and she stopped to admire his fur. He was arge silver wolf with blue eyes; the colouring was dazzling even under the guise of night. His snout had splotches of ck on, but besides that, he was ultimately silver and a little bloodied around the mouth.

    Davian hopped back up onto the rooftop and returned with his jeans hanging low, a ck t-shirt in his hand as he scowled at her, pulling the shirt over his muscr frame, hiding another tattoo just above his left hip. A turned back to the hunter she left alive and nudged his foot to wake up.

    "When did you start thinking all hunters were the same?" Davian asked with a slight growl as he grabbed her arm to stop her from pping the man awake. A looked back at him, her brows drawing together, she parted her lips, but then she felt the tingling sensation on her back, indicating Cassius was close. Close enough to hear their conversation.

    "Don''t get in the way of my revenge-"

    "This is pointless killing," Davian snapped and grabbed her by the biceps, his ws digging into her skin. "Why are you doing this?" He searched her eyes and his grip loosened on her arms, she was looking at him desperately, pleading with him through her eyes, but she couldn''t say anything.

    "I didn''t kill this one," She replied coolly, and just in time, the man started to groan. "Why don''t you get rid of the bodies while I have a little word with this one."

    Davian sighed and released her, turning his back to her and started to drag the bodies away towards the van. A squatted down and smiled at the man who didn''t look that much older than her; now that she was closer to him, she could see his short-cropped brown hair and light green eyes. Everything else was hidden under a mask and hat.

    "What''s your name?" A asked while unsheathing therge knife on his thigh. She raised a brow at him, wondering if he was meant to be a butcher of some kind. She threw the de across the dirtied back alley floor and patted him down further, removing hidden knives and pistols.

    The man was unfazed by it all and watched Davian carrying the other hunters to the van. A snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Look.. You answer my questions, and I''ll let you go," She added, regaining his attention.

    The man stared at her, and he scoffed, "Yeah, right. Why do you want my name?"

    A looked over his face for a while before answering slowly. "Hmm.. You remind me of someone. I can''t exactly call you green eyes now. It''s up to you, though." She shrugged in nonchnce. "That''s not what I am here."

    A grabbed him by the front of his jacket and pulled him up to standing, pushing him against the wall before releasing him. He was taller than her and built simr to all the male werewolves. "Everett," He murmured though he seemed to act as though his head injury was making him clumsy; by holding onto the dumpster''s edge, A could tell from his bright green eyes how alert he really was. Everett was only acting.

    "Everett," She nodded. "Do you know a hunter by the name of Clint?"

    Everett''s eyes snapped back to her, his lips thinning. "I do.." He replied slowly, his eyes wandering her features as her mouth twitched slightly. "But I don''t know where he is."

    A''s face fell; he''d already asked her next question. "Are you a friend of his?" She asked, wondering if he was a friend of the psychopath.

    "That sicko? No. I worked with him on a few asions and then asked to be reassigned," Everett replied earnestly. A studied him for a moment, then sighed, realising he was telling the truth and that this hunter didn''t seem to have any issues with her being so close to him.

    Usually, they''d look at her in disgust or breathe as little as possible as though she was infecting the air. A was right to assume he was simr to Chase, someone that might be helpful to him. But she wasn''t here to help Chase; she didn''t know Everett nor who he was in the hunter''smunity.

    "Are you done here? I''m getting hungry, and you know how I get when I am hungry."

 Chapter 272 - The Huntress: Part Two

    Everett''s eyes flicked to the man now standing behind her. A looked at Cassius, who was walking with his hands sped behind his back. Unlike A and Davian, the white-haired vampire wore white; it was almost like he wanted to be caught. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Everett. "Is this my snack?" Cassius was right behind her now, and his words made the hunter pale.

    "No," A snapped. "I need to know if he''s telling the truth, and then we are letting him go." She turned her head to look at Cassius, and her breath hitched from how close his face was. She leaned away from him, but Cassius'' arm snaked around her waist, keeping her in ce.

    "Then you need to focus on his eyes," Cassius muttered near her ear. "Usepulsion."

    A blinked profusely, and Everett''s brows rose in surprise. Which made sense; she was known to be a werewolf. A cleared her throat and whispered, "How?" This was the first time in the two weeks since they started this madness of hunting down hunters that Cassius was teaching her instead of taking the lead and using his mind control.

    "Just stared into his eyes, and push your will into his-"

    "How do I-"

    "Think how you want to control him. Then you will see how his eyes will gloss over. Try it," Cassius instructed and stepped back. A looked at Everett, who started to look anywhere but at her.

    "Everett." She grabbed him by the chin and turned his face to look at hers, but he nced down, which was starting to make her irritable, especially now that Cassius had mentioned being hungry; it was making her own hunger start to burn. "If you don''t look at me, I will let my friend here eat you."

    That got his attention, and he looked at her. A threw all the power she could behind, thinking about how she wanted to control Everett, and within seconds his eyes glossed over. "Do you know where Clint is?" She asked instantly.

    "No, I haven''t seen him in a year. But I heard he is in hiding after attacking the Alpha Queen. He breached protocol, so the hunters are searching for him and will punish him," Everett recalled in a hypnotic, droning voice. It made A feel sick that she was forcing this out of him, but it was better than torture, especially with a hunter like Everett. He didn''t seem bad.

    A released him from thepulsion, and he sagged slightly, breathing harshly with sweat coating his thick brows. Cassius chuckled from behind her. "Don''t put too much power behind it; otherwise, he''ll go unconscious or go into a vegetive state."

    A gaped, and she whipped her head back to re at him. "Why the hell didn''t you tell me?!" She demanded, her hands fisting by her sides.

    Cassius shrugged. "I just did. And why does it matter? He''s just a hunter."

    A released a long sigh and clutched her head in her hand. "I am letting Everett go," She snapped, and her eyes glowed with the slight rumbling of a growl in her throat.

    Cassius smirked and held his hands up. "Then let him go. But he will probably die. Hisrades are all dead, and he is the only survivor.. They''d probably think it is a little suspicious and kill him."

    A slowly turned her head back to Everett, he didn''t say anything, but she knew from the expression on his face that what Cassius said was true. "Then.." She trailed off before an idea sprung to her mind. "Find Chase Hunt. Tell him what happened. Tell him A Cross released you. Don''t tell anyone else; just head straight to him."

    "I can''t just look for Chase Hunt! He''s.. He''s.." Everett trailed off, and she could almost see the awe on his face. Ah, was he a fan of his? Chase was like some sort of celebrity in the Hunters Association because of his skills and dad.

    "Yes. You can," A said slowly, holding his gaze and usingpulsion on him. "Find Chase Hunt and tell him A Cross attacked the hunters but let you live. No one else was here."

    She needed to ensure that Cassius wouldn''t go after Everett once she released him. She knew what he was like, and that was something he''d do and continue like it never happened.

    Everett nodded his head slowly. "Find.. Chase.. Hunt.. A Cross.. attacked.. hunters.. let me live.. No one else is here."

    A nodded and looked back to see the van and dead bodies were gone, along with Davian and Cassius. Good. She sighed and released thepulsion on the hunter, who repeated it again. A stepped back and crossed her arms while the hunter grabbed his belongings on the ground.

    "Go," She urged. "Before the Green Rock pack catches you."

    Everett nced at her nervously, then dashed down another alley and disappeared into the night. A felt worried about him, but there was nothing else she could do for him, and she hoped he would make it back to Chase. In thest two weeks, they''d been tracking down hunters in search of Clint; it was a good distraction and one she hoped would bring her closer to Cassius.

    A was showing a colder attitude now; the countless deaths had been taking their toll on her, and she was bing ''thick skinned''. But what kept her going was that at least the people she killed weren''t innocent. In a way, they''d been helping packs and rogues from hunter attacks. Yet, one look at Everett, and she knew he wasn''t like the others; at least that was something.

    A walked back onto the high street and stopped when Cassius'' ck SUV appeared before her. The night was quiet, and A knew Cassius must havepelled the pack members that nothing was wrong. She climbed into the passenger seat and asked what was on her mind. "How do you know where all these hunters are?"

    "I have my sources," Cassius smirked. "It''s how we have been under the radar from the Alpha King."

    A grimaced and looked out of the window. At the mention of her mate, her heart clenched tightly, and her wolf howled in her mind longingly. It had nearly been a month, and although she had been running around after hunters, she still returned to a cold bed and what felt like a hole in her chest. Without Damon, she felt empty, but she could tell just how close she was to finding out what Cassius was after. It wasn''t just about her, there was something else, and she needed to unravel what it was for the good of her pack and other packs in the country.

    "And possibly the world," Malia whispered, making a shiver run down A''s spine.

 Chapter 273 - The Compound

    A sat in the car on yet another little trip to take out some hunters. This time they were on their way to apound; she was nervous about it. Thest time she attacked apound, there was more than just three of them, and even then, they left severely injured. The hybrid wondered what Cassius was nning with this; they already knew Clint would not be with the hunters.

    The idea infuriated her that they wouldn''t see him anytime soon; anyone they''d interrogated didn''t know where he was or were loyal enough to die than giving out such information. Even Cassius'' torture methods didn''t get the answers they needed.

    "What are you thinking so deeply about?" Cassius'' voice drew her back from her reverie. A''s unfocused gaze outside the car window returned to the vampire and hybrid in the car.

    She nced at Cassius driving and muttered. "I''m just wondering why we are attacking apound. It took more than three of usst time, and we had a n."

    "You shouldn''t be nervous. I''m here, and Davian is also powerful," Cassius replied nonchntly. "I don''t think it is a bigpound either."

    "I went with Gabrielst time.." A trailed off and inwardly cursed at her stupidity. Cassius didn''t say anything, but she could tell from his hardened gaze that he wasn''t happy at the mention of his brother''s name. It made her wonder how he pretended to be him the whole time she kept calling him Gabriel.

    They sat in silence for the rest of the journey, but A didn''t mind. Cassius pulled up on the side of a country road before turning in his seat to face his ''children''. "We kill everyone and rescue those held captive," Cassius looked at them sternly. "You''ve got guns, but we will try and do this quietly."

    "Cass.." A stopped him from leaving the vehicle, her hand ced on his arm. Cassius looked at her, his brow raising as he waited for her to continue. "What do you gain out of this?"

    "I told you before. I''ll make sure your goals are met." He smiled, gripping her chin with his thumb and fingers before releasing her.

    "How do you know my goal is taking out a hunter''spound-"

    "Why wouldn''t taking out hunters not be your highest priority? Not even just as the Alpha Queen. They have been terrorising all creatures. Haven''t you noticed from the countless we have killed? I know going to thispound, and a few others will motivate you more." Cassius nodded his head then turned away, climbing out of the SUV. A frowned and shared a look with Davian before they exited the car.

    The pair followed behind their master, sprinting quickly across fields. It annoyed her that the white clothes she wore would get ruined, but all of her previous clothes had also been stained in blood. Cassius preferred her in white for some reason, and because of that twisted sire bond, she kept dressing up in white and taking more care in her appearance. However, she changed into something morefortable for their ''mission''.

    Her white skinny jeans matched with a silky white vest, but instead of heels, she made sure to put white trainers on. Her hair was pulled back behind her, the rest of it flowing down her back in a half-up hairstyle.

    Cassius was as usual in an Armani suit, and Davian for once wore shoes. She was getting used to seeing his bare feet and jeans without a shirt look. It was very.. werewolf-like and daydreamed about Damon walking around like that. Then she felt jealous of the she-wolves at the packhouse seeing her mate still.

    Cassius clicked his fingers in front of her face, and she snapped out of her thoughts, smiling sheepishly at the vampire. "Now is not the time to be daydreaming." His voice resonated in her mind.

    They were waiting behind a tree as Davian cut through the fencing at the back of thepound. His ws screeched against theining metal until he pulled away theting, forming a hole big enough for them to climb through. He swiftly jumped through and hid behind a building nearby. Cassius grabbed A''s hand, and the pair sprinted through the gap, meeting behind Davian.

    "On second thought, I''ll just kill all the hunters at the radios, so they don''t call for backup. You guys should have some fun," Cassius smirked and suddenly disappeared.

    A looked at Davian, and he sighed. "Let''s do this as quickly as possible."

    A nodded, her eyes void of emotion as she went through the motions of slicing, biting and shooting her way through the army of men and women. Among them, she didn''t see any like Chase or Everett, so she put them down like the rest, merciless and cruel. She stopped at the end of the barracks, her chest heaving from the onught, her clothes drenched in their blood with only a little sttered on her face and luckily none in her hair.

    "A, do you smell that?" Malia asked, interrupting her from checking her hair out in a makeup mirror one of the hunters left on their bedside cab next to the metal bunk bed.

    A ced the mirror down quietly as she sniffed the air. It was blood, but not the blood of humans. It was faint, but she could still follow it. A set off quickly out of the barracks and into another building, cursing when a silver bullet pierced her right shoulder. She hid behind a wall and pulled her pistol out, checking the chamber for bullets. There was only one left.

    A slowed her breathing and listened intently for the footsteps and breathing of the hunters nearby. She could tell there were three of them down the corridor stepping ever so quietly towards her. She wondered about going down the hall she was on and sending them on a ''wild goose chase'', but there was the possibility of them sneaking up on her when she would get distracted.

    Instead, she waited until the first hunter was only a few feet away from her; A peered around the corner and jumped back after he let loose a bunch of bullets from his AK47. She waited and smirked when she heard him curse and reload; she took her chance, rounded the corner and shot him in the head just as the bullets were put into the chamber. He flopped to the ground, and she jumped to the floor with him, out of the array of shells shot her way from the other two hunters.

    A scrambled for the assault rifle and pushed down on the trigger, aiming at the remaining hunters. She kept a hold of the gun and sniffed the air again; the unfamiliar yet familiar scent of the blood led her down some stairs, and she stopped in front of arge bolted metal door. It reminded her of the one that kept her and the others locked away in thepound she found herself in.

    "That feels like aaaages ago now," Malia murmured. They may not have been able tomunicate, but her wolf watched ''on the side lines'', and she was right; it felt like more than a year had passed. But it was because of everything that has happened since. Staring at the keypad made her a little nostalgic, not that her memories at the hunter''spound was anything to be fond of.

    "Are you just going to stop and stare at it?"

    Davian''s voice whipped her head back, and her brows rose at how dishevelled he looked. The shoes he wore were gone now, and he stood there in just jeans again. He must have shifted and attacked in his wolf form. "My wolf needed to let loose. You haven''t let yours out much. I''m surprised she hasn''t tried taking control," Davian said as though he''d read her mind. Or maybe it was the look she had been giving him.

    "She does try, but.. Cass.." A trailed off and shook her head, not letting her emotions get to her now. She guessed they were nearly done, considering Davian was beside her.

    Davian growled in response, his upper lip pulling up and twisting, his eyes zing. "I can''t believe he knows her true name. I''m sorry I can''t help with that," He sighed before stepping forwards. "Here, let me."

    Davian grabbed the handle and yanked on it, pulling it loose from the hinges, surprising A at his strength. But the ring rm system made her flinch and kick the keypad, which did absolutely nothing. "Man, the movies are so fake.." She muttered before stepping through the broken door and halting at the cells and torture chamber with wide eyes.

    The ring noise vibrated through the walls, and loud growls and banging on the cell doors made A inhale sharply.

    "What the.." Davian trailed off as he stepped around her, frowning at the beasts inside the cells.

    "They''re.. I thought they stopped creating them.." A whispered and walked past the hybrid and stopped in front of the middle cell. The two beasts on either side of the middle one tried to swipe their wed hands at her but missed while she stared at the huge lycanthrope being whose eyes matched her own. This one was calm, and it stared down at her.

    "A, what do you mean?" Davian asked and stepped towards a table with one of the beasts unconscious and strapped against it with tubes sticking out of it. A nced at the other two trying to attack her, her eyes glowed a brilliant golden hue, and they instantly stopped and whimpered, crouching down to her level. However, the one in the middle was looking at her with much higher intelligence. His eyes were crystal clear as he gazed upon her.

    "How were they making these?" A whispered in wonder.

    "Fuck," Davian dropped a vial as he hissed. "They were putting wolfsbane into him. I guess it works on them as well."

    A sighed a trembling breath, ncing at therge beast whose feet were on the ground, and only their back and backside barely fitting on the table. She slowly looked back at the lycanthrope who had slowly lowered himself to meet her eyes; hisrge furry hands were wrapped around the bars as he snarled. "Do you understand what we are saying?" A asked, making Davian chuckle from the side.

    But the lycanthrope nodded its head.

    "Of course they do. They were werewolves before they were injected with your blood," Cassius spoke from behind them. "You havemand over them, so free them and tell them to follow us."

    A looked at him, her eyes going wide. Was this what Cassius was after? The lycanthropes?

    Cassius tilted his head to the side. "A, why have you gone so pale? We are helping them, no?"

 Chapter 274 - Controlling The Lycans

    A stared at Cassius, her heart thumping loudly in her chest, making it seem like only the noise in the room. Even Davian stopped and looked between them and the beasts behind her in the cells. The lycanthrope in the middle cell to which her back was facing suddenly wrapped its gangly furry arm around her neck and pulled tightly. A gasped at the sudden restriction to her throat and put her hands on its arm, but it lifted her from the ground as it growled behind her ear.

    "I.. will.. free you.." She croaked with her eyes stinging with tears.

    Cassius and Davian appeared before her, but she kicked her legs out to them. "Stop, A!" Cassius grabbed her leg, and she whimpered from the strength in his grip. This then caused the beast behind her to loosen its grip but kept her in ce.

    "Don''t.." She sucked in some much-needed air into her burning lungs and rushed out breathlessly. "Don''t kill him. He wants to be freed.. He''s confused!" She kicked her free leg into Cassius'' arm, making him grunt and part his lips, revealing his fangs with a hiss, his eyes glowing with sparks of red. She was disobeying him, she could feel his annoyance and the pull of the sire bond to make him feel better, but she bit her tongue with her own fangs in defiance.

    The taste of blood filled her mouth, but she didn''t care; it kept her from agreeing with him. Her hands tightened on the beasts, feeling remarkably morefortable with it nearly strangling her. She didn''t mind being its hostage, but it wouldn''t work in its favour; Cassius knew she could control them, so feigning the victim and helping them escape properly was not going to happen.

    "A," Cassius said her name so sternly she shivered both from his eyes and his chilly aura. The beast''s arm rxed further and seemed to hold her up more than anything now.

    A loosened her hands and patted his arm gently. "Let me resolve this, Cass," She snapped back after feeling her wolf bristling and growling; it made her chest vibrate along with it.

    A turned her head and stopped, her eyes wide when she realised its snout was right by her head. He really was intelligent; if he was a beast, more animal than human, then he would have acted like the other two and could have killed her in seconds. Clearing her throat, she strained her neck to meet the lycanthrope''s crystal blue eyes. "I won''t force you," She spoke so softly it was almost a whisper. "Lend me your trust."

    A then tried something that just sprang to her mind, she opened her mind up to mind-link, and her eyes widened at the instant connection.

    It worked!

    "Please be patient," A sent him a mind-link after feeling his presence.

    The beast growled, its jaws parting, revealing itsrge teeth. "I WILL help you," She urged on through the mind-link. Would he speak back? She didn''t know.

    A''s eyes flicked back and forth as the tense seconds ticked by.

    "For now, I will trust you, Alpha Queen," The beast''s baritone voice echoed through her mind, and she was released. A scrambled to her feet, surprised that he let her go. Turning around, she stared back at the beast, then flicked her gaze back to the vampire, aware that they didn''t speak aloud.

    Cassius'' steps echoed in the dank basement as he walked towards her, his face unreadable. His hand went to her face, gently holding her jaw, his eyes flicking to her neck. "If you couldn''t control them, he would be dead," He drawled, hiszy gaze sweeping up to the beast behind her.

    A''s shoulders tensed by a small fraction, but Cassius detected the slight movement instantly, his eyes sharp and always on her. "Is that one on the table still alive?" He asked slowly; his eyes still locked on A and his question directed at Davian. He lowered his hand from her face while he waited.

    A balled her hands up into fists by her side as she quietly observed Cassius'' features. Why did he have to be like this?

    "This one is still alive. Whatever they did to him just knocked him out," Davian replied from across the room. A nced at the lycanthrope, his legs dangling off the table, its feet resting on the floor.

    How were they going to carry that? They couldn''t leave it behind. A turned her head back to the beasts behind her, an idea forming in her mind.

    "They can carry him," Cassius instructed, speaking her idea aloud.

    "We need a key first," A murmured as she started searching for one near the cabs on the wall across from the unconscious lycanthrope.

    Cassius chuckled. "Honestly, A, it is only in moments like this that I remember you haven''t been a werewolf and now a hybrid for long. Come back here and make sure they don''t attack me."

    A blinked back at him, a smirk crawling on her lips. "I thought the almighty Cassius would be fine against them," She mocked as she started to walk back to the cells.

    "I don''t want to waste time," He rolled his eyes and pped his hands, gesturing for her to hurry.

    A stopped in front of the cells and stared at each of the beasts. Their eyes gleamed back at her, and she closed her own, her stomach tightening as she called on the power within her. Opening her eyes again, the blue hues were reced by glimmering gold irises. "Do not attack us or try to run away," She said, ncing between the three lycanthropes before dropping her gaze and releasing her hold.

    Sometimes it was easy to use,ing naturally to her like it did earlier, but other times, like now, she had to really focus. Maybe over time, it would get easier, not that she had any intentions of controlling a bunch of lycans.

    "Good girl," Cassius muttered before cautiously going to the bars and ripping them away. The metal mbered on the ground, and he repeated the action for the other cells. "Get them to carry that one."

    A stepped closer to the creatures, watching their movements warily still; even though she had this control over them, she didn''t trust it. She didn''t know anything about these beasts, whether they were stuck in this form or if the effects were going to wear off at some point, or they might be like type 1 rogues. Although besides the one that took her hostage for a moment, the other two seemed to act like type 1 rogues already. There was so much to look into this, but then that would make her as bad as Robert and Ss for wanting to research more into this. It wasn''t worth testing on them.

    Shaking her head, A called on her powers again, her eyes warping into golden honey, and she spoke quietly, "Please carry your friend and follow us." Once the words were out, she sighed, feeling drained. Unlike the Alphamand on normal werewolves, it seemed to take a lot of energy to control them. Now feeling fatigued, she felt her fangs grow in her mouth as her throat began to burn. She ignored it but couldn''t help swallowing a few times as she watched the giant beasts saunter over to theirrade on the table.

    "A, are you okay?" Davian walked to her, giving the 8ft tall beasts a lot of room. It made her chuckle at the nervousness behind his eyes.

    "Isn''t he like five hundred years old?" Malia snickered, distracting A from Davian''s question.

    He frowned, then narrowed his eyes. "What did your wolf say?"

    "She''s saying you''re too old to be scared of them," A smirked, enjoying the distraction though she still had to clear her throat from the sandpaper-like feeling that was growing along with her tiredness.

    Cassius grabbed her fisted hand used her wed index finger to leave a cut on his neck. "What are you.." A trailed off as she saw his blood. She took a step closer to him, her ws going back into her nails while she was fixated on Cassius'' neck.

    "Now is not the time for this." Davian grabbed A''s hand and jerked her away from Cassius. But even though Davian was holding onto her, she was still looking at her master''s neck in a hypnotic state. "Cass, STOP. If she is out of it, who will control them?" Davian warned with a growl with a growl behind his voice.

    Cassius sighed and snaked his hand around A''s waist. "Your knightly attitude is getting on my nerves. She is getting weaker and needs blood. I''d rather her have mine than lower herself to drink from one of the corpses above. Stop acting like I am trying to have my way with her," He snapped, his tone sending a chill down A''s spine.

    She''d been clinging onto Cassius'' shirt while Malia was telling her not to lick the now dried blood on Cassius'' neck.

    "Yes, because this.." Davian gestured at Cassius'' hand. "Is not trying to have your way."

    A closed her eyes after a headache was starting to form in her temples. "Can we get moving? If I can''t drink, then let''s go. They are waiting," She said through gritted teeth, her hand going to her temple.

    The pair stopped arguing, and they set off back out of the building. The beasts followed behind obediently, one of them running and carrying the unconscious creature, and the other two ran on all four paws. Once they were in the car, A lying down on the backseat with Cassius and Davian in front; they headed back to the castle A was used to but still did not call home. The beasts followed behind the car, sticking to the fields and forests, though their thundering paws made it sound like a stampede was chasing them.

    As soon as they made it past the protective barrier and they drove up the long white bricked path towards the castle, A finally sat up, the throbbing of her head still painful and keeping her wolf quiet. Cassius instantly jumped out of the car and pulled A into his arms, carrying her bridal style, this time, she was too fatigued toin. She wanted to know what happened to the lycans, but her head was pounding, her throat burning and her body were bing weak.

    A wasid down on the bed, and Cassius handed her a ss of blood. She was grateful for the ss and annoyed that she preferred ''straight from the source'', but it kept her from going overboard. Right now, in this state, she knew another would die by her hunger. "Sleep now, I''ll sort your.. Lycan''s out."

    A frowned at the tone of his voice, but her lids were starting to droop. Did hemand her? Or was she very susceptible to even the slightestmands right now? Either way, her head fell back onto the pillow, and she let sleep take over with her thoughts running away with her and the mind-link of a certain lycan trying to get through to her.. But darkness fell over her like a warm,fy nket and all went quiet.

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