Chapter 5

Chapter five

     “Every saint has a past and every sinner                    

                         has a future”

                   

***ROXANNE***

NEWS OF ALPHA RYKER’S ARRIVAL sent shockwaves through the festival. The atmosphere shifted from anticipation to fear in a twinkle. The once vibrant celebration descended into chaos as pack members, caught off guard, exchanged alarmed glances. 

Alpha Ryker had never attended the lunar peak’s festival and for ours to be the first he was coming to, there was bound to be chaos. For he was the Alpha of Red Moon and there was also rivalry between our packs. 

I had heard about Alpha Ryker. He was the most feared and cruel Alpha of Lunar Peak. Anyone who fell into his trap had to suffer his wrath. Pack members huddled in anxious clusters and their conversations were heavy with worry. 

I knew he was a deadly man when I saw my brother’s face fall. 

“Zane, do something about it! My nails and hair. It took me months to get my dress ready. I can't let this get ruined. Do something,” Chloe yelled. 

The chaos heightened as Alpha Ryker and his pack members marched into our territory. Their entry was a deliberate challenge. It was an invasion that destroyed the harmony within our pack. 

Confusion reigned as my pack members who were unprepared for this unexpected confrontation, tried to make sense of the upheaval. 

Tension hung in the air as claws unsheathed and growls resounded. People began running to and from. I tried to get on my feet to run. I didn't know why they were running but I was sure it was the only thing I could do at the moment. 

Why were they here? What did they want? I stared at the cowards I called pack members as they ran helter-skelter. All they did was bully but look at them now. Even their Alpha couldn't protect them. And where was Chloe? She wasn't here to use her smart mouth. 

“Alpha—”

“Enough,” Alpha Zane yelled as he tried to strategise. He turned to his beta, Black, “Keep your eyes on them. Don't let any of them leave your presence. Try to be still, I will go and find out what happened. Understood?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Alpha Zane’s gaze swept over everyone and he hastily selected a few of the pack members he wanted to go with him. I watched their backs as they left, while worry ate me raw. I couldn't see what was happening— I couldn't help. All I could do was listen as their voice reached us. 

Alpha Ryker and his men approached White Moon's main pack but his path was abruptly intercepted by Alpha Zane and the pack members. The rivalry was detectable and the apprehension heightened as Zane confronted him. 

“Alpha Ryker, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you to my— our territory?” Zane demanded, his tone unfriendly and cold. 

Ryker stood tall with unwavering confidence. He eyed Zane like he was something he could crumble in his palm. “I have my reasons, Zane. None of which concerns you.”

“Need I remind you, that you are in my territory and everything that happens here is my business,” he increased his voice, striking a challenge, “If you won't explain yourself then leave. You and your pack are not welcome here.”

Ryker smirked in amusement as he listened to Zane, unfazed. His gaze locked with Zane’s, “Are you sure about that, Zane?” 

Zane suddenly went silent as the challenge hung in the air like a hurricane waiting to strike. It didn't take long before it escalated and in a swift and synchronised motion, Ryker and his pack shifted into their wolf form. 

A growl rumbled in Ryker’s throat as he launched for Zane. The two Alpha’s locked in a fierce battle. 

“Things are going to get bloody,” I heard someone say. My ears perked up. I got on my feet as I picked up Zane's grunts, I couldn't be still. 

“Alpha is bleeding, if they keep going he might die,” another person yelled. 

My heart beat rapidly. I couldn't lose another family member. I wouldn't let that happen. I stole away from the guards and ran to the battleground, blending with the people there, in the process. 

Before Ryker could strike my brother again, I threw myself in front of him in an attempt to shield Zane. It was a dumb act but no one was going to intervene. 

“Please! Stop it please," I pleaded with desperation, shocked by my voice as they left my lips. My presence was unexpected and it left my pack members whispering amongst themselves and halted the combat. 

Ryker’s attention averted at the sudden intrusion. He forced his gaze from Zane’s and settled them on me. His brows furrowed and his eyes had a dark yet cold look in them. He seemed to have slashed me just by looking at me and in that moment, I knew I had messed up. 

***RYKER***

AMIDST THE WAR, I could feel my senses heighten and I caught a whiff of something weird, a subtle fragrance carried by the winds. My nose twitched and I paused— my sudden action creating access for Zane to strike me. 

My steps faltered, not as a result of the blow I received from Zane but because of the intoxicating scent that invaded my senses and enveloped me. 

My eyes scanned the battlefield, and I could feel myself following the transient trail, the magnetic pull intensified as it led me to the direction of the unfamiliar scent. I was stopped. By Zane. 

We shifted back to our human form with the battle getting more intensed.

“Don't tell me you're shying away from the battle, Alpha Ryker,” he said as he tackled me down. 

I fought to get Zane off me and grabbed him by the neck as whispers intensified and everyone watched with eagerness and fear, wondering which team would overthrow the other. I tightened my grip on his neck, and he wrapped his hands around my wrist as he struggled tirelessly to release my grip on his neck but I was unfazed. Our strengths couldn't be measured. 

“You already made a big mistake, trying to wage war with the Alpha of war,” I lifted my hand in an attempt to strike him and that was when her pleas reached my ears and she threw herself in our middle, the impact causing me to let go of Zane. 

Who had dared stand in my way? 

I let go of Zane and shifted back to my wolf form, scanning with my eyes to see the intruder.

There she was, amidst the chaos a slim figure bathed in glory. I scanned her small frame as she fell on her knees before me. The audacity of this wolf to stand between two packs at war intrigued me. At first, I was lost, I mistook her for one of our own because of her Auburn hair but I knew every member of my pack and she didn't have our scent. She smelled like lilies while we smelled like smoke. Her scent grew stronger, weaving through the smoke and sweat until it wrapped me in its embrace. She was my mate, I could feel it. I was eager to see her face.

“What is she doing?” 

“This girl is foolish. To stand in the way of Alpha Ryker. 

I ignored the side talks coming from every angle and tilted her cheek up so I could see what she looked like. The moment our eyes locked— I froze. 

My wolf shifted and I gulped. Maybe it was the unexpected tenderness in her eyes or the recognition that sparked within me, but I could feel my anger dissipate.

I couldn't tell why but her plea for peace seemed to resonate with me. For a split second, the fierce pressure dissolved as the wolves watched the sudden twist. My wolf leapt as she broke the contact and diverted her gaze. 

She was my mate. 

The reality hit me like a lightning bolt and I staggered backwards, distancing myself from the confrontation. The reality that my mate was from an enemy pack!

I couldn't do this.