Waking up to a pleasant smell of sandalwood and cinnamon, I quickly stand up, comb my hair with my fingers, and straighten out my cardigan to look more presentable.
It's mate! You must go to mate now! Storm mind-links excitedly.
I know, Storm, I am ready. Let's go! I say to her.
Running down the stairs and the hallway, the scent is becoming stronger. It’s leading me towards the high-ranking bedrooms. I’m starting to become nervous and less excited.
We have never been in this hallway before. I mind-link Storm.
There! That's the room. Mate is in there! Hurry, go in! Storm says.
Standing at the large brown wooden door, I was about to knock, then lost my courage, taking a step back.
He is in there, go on, knock. Storm encourages me.
I'm sorry, Storm, I can't do it! I tell her.
I turn to walk away, and the door flings open. My eyes make immediate contact with Alpha Tate’s. 'Mate!' I say out loud in my trance.
Hearing a chuckle, a door down, someone was there. 'Are you kidding me? Slave is your mate, Alpha Tate?' Beta Sam asks.
I shake my head and break the trance from Alpha Tate’s brown eyes. He lets out a snarl and a growl at Beta Sam and me. I step back in fear, 'This can't be right,' I whisper.
'No, it's not right! You are not fit to be Luna or my mate! I won't accept this curse from the Moon Goddess!' he angrily says.
'I Alpha Tate of the Black Wood pack reject you Slave to be my Mate and Luna!' he spits.
We both instantly fall to the ground in pain. My eyes well up, and tears run down my face as I cry out in pain from the rejection.
Alpha Tate is holding himself up against the wall clinging to his chest, trying to contain the pain.
Pack members step out of their rooms to see what is going on. They are shocked to see the Moon Goddess has made Alpha Tate my mate but are happy to see I’ve been rejected.
Everyone smirks and laughs as I try to stand up. I have to use the wall to lean on as I flee the hallway and return to my attic.
I burst into tears as I lay on my mattress.
Mate rejected us! Storm says sadly.
'This is our fate now, Storm. We will never be anything more than "Slave" to this pack, and we will never know what it will be like to have a mate and what it’s like to be loved.' I sob.
A few months pass. During this time, Alpha Tate had new members join our pack who would torment and abuse me just as much as the other pack members would, especially Ava, who started sleeping with Alpha Tate.
I haven’t spoken since the day Alpha Tate rejected me.
It’s become rare to hear from my wolf since the rejection. I don't blame her, though. If I could hide away, I would too.
Never being able to ever shift into my wolf before, it gave the pack another reason
to beat and bully me, saying I was a freak of nature that I couldn't even shift.
After spending the day scrubbing the floors, I was just about to finish when Alpha Tate and Ava walk past me, hand in hand.
Ava kicks the bucket of the dirty water over and laughs while Alpha Tate glares at me.
'How you ended up with this freak of a slave in our pack bewilders me, Alpha,' Ava says.
'Well, she was such a freak and abomination that her parents abandoned her as a baby in the woods to die. My father was Alpha at the time. A pack member found her by chance and decided to keep her as a pack slave.' he tells Ava.
Ava laughs. 'Fancy being so hated that even your own parents didn't want you!' she taunts.
Continuing to mop the water up, I try to ignore their hurtful words. Tears flood my face as I sob.
'Oh, the little slave is crying!' Ava says with a chuckle. Alpha Tate also laughs. Then as they leave, Alpha Tate slips on the dirty water falling on his back.
A loud snap is heard as Alpha Tate screams in agony, 'My back! My back! I think it's broken! I can't move!' he yells.
'Alpha Tate!' Ava screams and gets down on her knees, hovering over him. She then looks in my direction. 'Well, don't just stand there! Do something, Slave, this is all your doing!' she yells.
Dropping the mop, I run to the other side of Alpha Tate and gently slide my hand under his back to feel around. He flinches at the sparks from my touch.
But yells in pain as I feel the broken bone, 'It's definitely broken... It will heal, but it's a bad break. It might take your wolf a couple of days to heal it,' I whisper.
'I can't stay like this for two days!' Alpha Tate yells. I gently pull my hand out from under his back. He starts crying out in pain again.
'What did you do to him now!' Ava snaps.
'I didn't do anything.' I whisper, keeping my eyes down. Beta Sam arrives and pushes me out of the way, and I fly into the wall from the force of his push.
Alpha Tate lets out a growl at Beta Sam, and we all pause in shock for a moment.
The pack members slide the Alpha onto a board and take him to his room. I quickly mop up the rest of the water.
Walking outside to tip the dirty water out, I come back inside. Beta Sam is blocking the doorway.
‘Alpha Tate has requested your presence in his room.’
I drop the bucket in surprise and step back. Beta Sam grabs me roughly by the arm and drags me inside down the hall. We reach Alpha Tate's room and enter.
Ava glares at me, and the pack Doctor smiles. 'Well, I will leave you to it.' the Doctor says and leaves the room.
Beta Sam pulls me towards the bed and pushes me down into a chair next to Alpha Tate. 'You can go now, Sam... you too, Ava.' Alpha Tate orders.
'I am not leaving you alone with her!' Ava snaps.
'GET OUT NOW!' he yells with his Alpha tone. Sam and Ava leave the room, and now it’s only him and me in here.
Shaking, I have no idea why I’m here.
'I suppose you want to know why you are here?' Alpha Tate says. I nod my head.
'The pack doctor said I will heal much quicker having my mate here...' he says.
There’s an awkward deafening silence.
‘I don't want you here, and I know you don't want to be here, but I need you to place your hand under me again. Unfortunately, your touch lessens the pain,' he explains.
Nodding, I stand up and slide my hand under his back. He flinches, and his eyes turn black briefly from the sparks.
He lets out a relaxed breath. Even though I can feel him staring at me, I keep my eyes down. 'I want you to look at me, Slave,' he says.
My back stiffens, and he notices. I shake my head softly, declining his demand. I haven't stared into his eyes since the moment I found out we were mates months ago.
'I want to see your eyes,' he says.
Why does he want to see my eyes? Why does he want to look at me at all? I become curious and slowly look up, making instant eye contact with him.
We stare silently into each other's eyes for a moment, and something strange happens. I feel a warm energy flow through my arms, and my hands emit a glow.
'Your eyes? They’re glowing silver, and your hands are glowing too! How are you doing this?' he panics.
I can't stop the glow. I’m not even sure what is happening. My hair flows behind me despite no breeze in the room.
The glow continues as warm energy flows through my body and then works its way out of the palm of my hand under Alpha Tate's back.
A crunching sound is made from his spine snapping back in place. Alpha Tate cries out. Then my hair drops back below my shoulders, The blue returns to my eyes, and the glow disappears.
Alpha Tate pales, his mouth partly opens in shock. He sits up in his bed and then looks at me. 'You-you healed me?' he says in disbelief.
Taking a few steps back, I look at my hands and begin trembling. How did I do that? I then peer up to see Alpha Tate standing before me, staring intently into my eyes.
'Mine!' he snarls, snatching me into his arms and holding me against his chest. Beta Sam and Ava run into the room, seeing Alpha Tate miraculously standing.
'Alpha! How did you heal so quickly?' Sam asks.
'What are you doing, Alpha? Why do you have the slave in your arms like that?' Ava yells angrily.
Alpha Tate is staring at me, oblivious to Sam and Ava yelling at him. I squirm in his arms and fall onto the ground.
Alpha Tate extends his hand to help me up. I stare up into his eyes. He rejected me. He has hurt me. Why is he looking at me with desire in his eyes? Why is he trying to help me now?
Standing up, I ran past Sam and Ava as fast as possible. I hear an angry growl come from Alpha Tate as I flee from the pack house to the small lake where I can be alone
Alpha Tate rejected us, hurt us! He must be playing with us now! I don't like Alpha Tate, and his wolf Grey always tries to argue with me. Storm mind-links. I know Storm, he can't expect us to run into his arms after how he has treated us all these years, and he rejected us! It's getting dark and colder out here. We should head back to the attic. I say. Trudging my way back to the pack house, I see pack members searching for someone. They must be searching for us. Storm says. I sneak around to the back of the pack house, climb up the lattice onto the roof, and stay low so no one can see me. Above the dining room, I hear Alpha Tate speaking to other people. I crawl closer to the roof's edge to hear through the open window below me. 'I am telling you now. Slave isn't an ordinary wolf. I saw it with my own eyes. Slave has the power to heal,' he says. 'Even if she does have this ability, what are your intentions with her?' Sam asks. 'If she can heal, then we can use her to take ove
Alpha Maximus My Beta and Gamma help chain me up in the dungeon. I sit in a metal chair covered with huge chains. Nathan injects Wolfsbane into my arm, which helps to weaken my Lycan when he takes over. Wolfsbane is a poison used against werewolves and Lycans. It’s one of the few that can weaken us. It’s a purple flower like lavender. It’s banned in most places, but we grow this plant here in Woodford. Our Alchemist, Kayla, creates the potions and medicines for us. I’m the last Lycan alive. Lycans dwindled in number because most never found their mates to keep breeding. It gives my Lycan, Chaos and I the fear that we will never find our mate. Every Full Moon, I lose all control over my Lycan, putting my pack in danger of being killed. The only way to stop me from hurting anyone or killing them is to have myself chained up in the dungeon until the sun rises. Lycans were extremely rare amongst werewolves. We are so strong that one Lycan could take on a few alphas at once, being greatly
The next morning, the sun rises, and I feel nervous and worried about leaving the pack for so long and about not finding her, and having to ret The sun is rising. I feel nervous and worry about the thought of leaving the pack for so long and the thought of not finding my mate. I don’t want to return without her knowing it would be bad for the pack and myself. I struggle to control Chaos as it is. I can't imagine how much worse he would be if we couldn't find her. I need to put my faith in the Moon Goddess. Surely, she doesn't want the Lycan breed to die out? Does she not want me happy? And not just me but my mate? Maybe she has been looking for me and wants me? Or maybe she doesn't want a mate? And that is why we can't find her because she doesn't want to be found or wants a werewolf, not a Lycan? What if she rejects us? Stressing out, I pace back and forth, trying not to panic. 'Alpha, are you okay?' Nathan asks. I look up and snarl. Shit! Chaos! Stop! I yell at him. My eyes ar
Slave Alpha Tate rips the cupboard door off and flings it across the room. He crouches down, staring at me with a stern, angry face. 'And what are you doing hiding in here?' he asks with a devilish smirk. He reaches in to pull me out. I hit him repetitively with my fists. It’s of no effect. Alpha Tate laughs. 'You’re starting to become feisty, little Slave, I see?' he says as he yanks me onto the floor. My body resonates with the sounds of broken bones. I feel the pain in my body. Standing up, I try to run past him, but he grabs the back of my dress, pulling me back. My dress rips, and my back is exposed. 'You’re quite fun to play with,’ he chuckles with evilness. 'Now, I have things I want to discuss with you,’ he says, scooping me up. He carries me to his office, kicking the door shut behind us, and sits in his chair, holding me firmly onto his lap. The hair on my body rises with goosebumps from this unpleasing situation. Alpha Tate grabs my face forcing me to stare at him. We
Alpha Maximus Having spent the last few weeks travelling through every packhouse on the map. I sigh heavily from exhaustion, 'What's the name of the next pack' I ask Nathan. 'Blackwood, we will be there soon, but tomorrow night is a full moon. So I suggest we stay the extra night there to keep Chaos contained.' 'I suppose it's the safest thing to do,’ I say, agreeing with him. As we park the car and step out, we suddenly feel a sense of doom. There’s a dark and eerie feel to the Blackwood territory. Dead trees surround the place, and a storm is brewing beyond it, adding to the eerie darkness. The only sound we can hear is the wind gushing through the trees. The dead branches and trees dance like they are all in a ritual. The dry leaves crumple under our feet as we approach the front door. The packhouse is a black Gothic house with huge windows all around. I can see a white curtain moving. Pack members peek through the window at me. Dried vines cover the house. Nathan and I glance a
Slave I’m still locked up in this dungeon. I’m starving, but I’m no longer thirsty. It rained last night. A small pipe funnels through the wall and collects raindrops. I held my hands cupped together under it to catch the water and sipped it from my hands. Every night, I look up at the moon through a tiny hole and feel as though the Moon Goddess is staring back at me. She makes me feel as if all of this is part of her plan, that everything will soon be all right. I have to be brave and try my best to keep surviving. My thoughts are cut off when I hear footsteps coming. My heart starts to beat faster. Though I can’t see who it is, I know it’s Alpha Tate from his scent. His presence alarms me. I can feel his anger and his need to kill. He opens the iron door. I look away, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing any fear I might have in my eyes. But Alpha Tate walks toward me and grabs my face. 'You’re still alive? I guess that’s a bonus for me, as tonight’s the night that I’ll kil
Slave Sam hands Alpha Tate a whip. I whimper simultaneously as the Lycan does as Alpha Tate whips the Lycan across the chest. I look away, covering my eyes. Tears flood my face as the whip cracks against his skin over and over. Finally, I look up to see blood dribbling down his chest. 'Stop! Please stop!' I shout, horrified at the horrendous sight. Alpha Tate pauses and gives me a deathly glare. ‘It will be your turn next, Slave!’ The Lycan uses the little strength he has to open his eyes and look toward me. As soon as our eyes meet, I feel my body wanting to be closer to his as if I were being sucked through a portal. A sudden sense of desire consumes me. I feel incredibly euphoric. Hot sparks flow through my body as my hands glow, my hair rises, flowing around me, and my eyes are a glimmering silver. Everything disappears around us. All I see is the Lycan and him gazing euphorically back at me. 'MATE!' we say together. As my glow dissipates, the dimness of the cell returns an
Slave I slowly step out from behind Nathan. My cheeks are still rosy-red from seeing Alpha Maximus’s large appendage. I keep eye contact as I slowly walk toward him and gently place my hand in his. There is an instant feeling of love and bliss between us. He rubs his thumb across the back of my hand, sending sparks igniting. Alpha Maximus smiles at me with his gentle brown eyes. My heart flutters and a sense of happiness fills my soul. I know right then that I can trust him and that I’m now his to cherish. 'Let's go,' he smiles. I nod and let him lead me out of the dungeon. It’s so bright outside. I have to use my free hand to cover my eyes from the sun. Alpha Maximus opens the door of the long black car. I have never seen a car like this before. He gestures for me to hop in, but everything is bright and blurry. My eyes are hurting too much. Alpha Maximus notices my eyes are struggling to focus. He places his hands on my hips and guides me into the back seat. He reaches for some tr