Chapter 6

I was just Annie, but I had eyes.

The journey back to Silver Sword territory took exactly three long days. Every step was like a mountain to crush. My twins, Leo and Laman, were only eight months old, and they already had too much power even with their small bodies.

Very quickly in the morning, I strapped tight against my chest and back in soft cloth slings.

Their warmth pressed into my skin, but their strong Alpha scent was filling me up.

I applied herbs to their clothes instantly, to keep them safe from danger.

My legs were aching at the same time. My back was burning as well, but I still kept moving.

Nyx was calm inside me, only speaking whenever I needed her direction. “Left at the old tree,” she would whisper. “Stay downwind.” Her voice gave me strength when fear tried to slow me down.”

As the tall gates of the Silver Sword Pack finally appeared through the trees, my heart began to pound hard. I had to even stop at the side of the woods, stay and stare at the place where I got banished from.

The woods where Damon rejected me.

Where Cassandra smiled, my world was falling apart. My hands shook as I adjusted the slings.

Leo stirred slightly and made a tiny growl and I was glad, muttering those words into his ears.

“Don’t worry. You will become an Alpha like your father.”

His sound was tiny, but it had real Alpha power. Laman did the same a second later. Their voices were tightening my chest with love and fear.

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the woods.

Suddenly, two Betas spotted me.

Their eyes flared open as soon they saw my face. “Annie Wolfe?” one of them said, his voice full of shock. “You were banished. You should not be here.”

“I know what happened,” I snapped, keeping my voice firm even though my knees felt weak.

I am not here to beg. I need to speak to Alpha Damon. I also want to see my mother.”

They both sniffed the air.

Their noses started squeezing at the strong scent that came from the twins. One of the Betas had a nervous face and could not say a word when he saw me. He turned and ran back toward the gates without saying another word.

I stood still, my heart racing.

The twins woke up. Leo pushed his small face against my chest and made another low growl. I gently tickled them, whispering soft words to keep them calm.

The gates opened with a loud creak. Alpha Damon walked out first. He looked just exactly as I remembered him. He had tall, broad shoulders, golden eyes that once made my heart melt.

Those same eyes of his stared at me with surprise and something deeper that I could not name. Cassandra stood right behind him, her arms crossed and her face was already twisted with hatred as usual.

Damon stared at my face down to the two babies strapped to my body. Both twins woke up and growled tinily at the same time. The sound across the open space was like a warning. Even the Betas took a small step back.

“You returned to me,” Damon said, his voice low and rough, with a carefree tone. “But you came with… babies.”

“They are mine,” I answered, my jaws dropping. I would not let him see how scared I was. “I am not asking to be your mate or your Luna. I only want to return as an Omega. Give me a small place to stay while I look for my mother and learn the truth about my bloodline.”

Cassandra pushed forward, her eyes sharp and mean. “You even dare come back after running away?. And you think you can bring some stranger’s pups here? They smell like trouble and you also smell like trouble.”

“Quiet,” Damon snapped at her. His voice bore the Alpha power that shut her mouth fast. His eyes were locked on me the whole time. I felt the mate bond glared between us, like a small flame that refused to die. It was burning hard in my chest, but it also pulled at me in ways I did not want to feel.

Damon was blinking, his gaze fixed on me carefully. He noticed that I had a stronger energy the way I stood tall now, and the power that rolled off me and the twin

The silence was long.

My heart started beating so loud in my chest and I was almost going to think everyone could hear it.

Finally, he nodded. “You may enter. As an Omega, you are just in the lowest rank. You will live in the Omega quarters. But no special treatment will be given to you and no favors as well. These children will stay under my watch. I will decide what happens to them.”

Damon’s words burned like a slap. Calling me the lowest rank again made my stomach twist. But it was a way in, a chance I could use to find my mother and protect my sons.

I flinched.

Then, I decided to swallow my pride and nodded.

The Betas opened the gates wider. As I walked past Damon, his fingers brushed my arm for just a second. That single touch sent heat racing through my whole body. The mate bond started sparking bright and strong. I almost fell. Damon’s eyes started flashing with the same heat but he quickly looked away.

Inside the gates, the familiar sight made my throat tight. The training fields, the big Alpha house, the small houses where I once dreamed of a happy life. Everything looked the same, but I knew I was not the same girl anymore.

The Omega quarters were exactly what I remembered. It was small, dark, and smelling of the woods. The room they gave me had one thin mattress, a cracked window, and almost no light. I laid the twins down gently on the mattress. They looked so small in the ugly room.

Scarlett had not come yet, but I could feel her presence somewhere in the pack. She would find us soon. I was sure of it.

That night I sat on the hard floor beside my sleeping sons. Their little chests moved up and down peacefully, but their power still hummed in the air. I placed one hand on Leo and the other on Laman.

“I will keep you safe,” I whispered. “No matter what.”

I started hearing soft footsteps from outside. Someone was watching the quarters. Cassandra’s spy rogues were already moving. Their eyes were just everywhere and the wolf mind link was telling me everything.

But something had changed inside me. The fear that once made me run was calm now. Nyx stirred under my skin, and the voice was strong and calm at the same time.

I looked down at my twin pups and smiled in the dark.

The weak girl they banished was no longer me. I was not that former woman. I had returned and I was ready to fight.