Okay! The sky is dark enough.” Fang called out to the three other men selected for the night’s hunt. “Get in your truck.”“It smells in here.” Chanda whispered, pulling down the top of the wrap that covered her body in the back of the truck where she hid.As she expected, Fang hadn’t even let Jacob talk about letting her accompany them, immediately shutting him down.So, Jacob had come up with the idea of sneaking her in to the back of the truck he and Fang were driving in.“Shhh. You have to stay quiet or we could get caught.” Jacob scolded her. “I don’t even know why I’m doing this.”“Because you are nice.”“Yeah, yeah.” Jacob grinned and wrinkled his nose. “It does smell in here. But please stay quiet, okay? Once we are far into the woods, you can come out. Even Fang won’t be so heartless to make you go back alone. Alright?” He asked and Chanda nodded in response.“Jacob!” Fang called out, startling them. “Where is Jacob?” He banged on the side of the truck.“Quick. Go back under t
“It’s settled, then.” Aiden’s voice echoed in the tomb, where he stood with Velkan and his mother. They had gone to check on Chanda’s coffin. “The burial will be done in two days from now.” He said, looking between them.“That’s okay.” Leia said, with her head bowed. “She has gone to a better place.”“Lycan?” Aiden turned to Velkan. Velkan just nodded absently. His mind was blank and he felt empty and numb. He has been fighting this feeling since the day they found her body. Even when his wolf, Rex turned cold to him, he hadn’t cared. But now looking at her coffin and talking about burial, he felt like he just realized it.Chanda was really gone. “Velkan?” Aiden touched his arm.Velkan cleared his throat and turned to him. “Get everything ready. So, we can finally put this behind us.”“Great. I need to prepare the official letter for the Elder’s council. I will be in my chambers if you need me.” Aiden bowed to them and left. Velkan and his mother fell into an uncomfortable silenc
The half-moon shining dimly in the sky was the first thing Chanda saw when she opened her eyes. She was lying flat on her back, hands and legs bound together.She knew she wasn’t exactly moving, but the hard surface underneath her felt like it was shaking and the sky was going by really fast.She was in a trunk of a moving van.“Ouhh.” She moaned in pain when the movement beneath her made her bump her left foot against something dumped in the corner. She bent her neck down to her left side, so as to make out what it was. It was a little dark, so she could barely see that it was the curved outline of a body.Could it be Jacob’s body? she wondered as the horror of the past few hours came rushing back to her.Sweet, kind, Jacob was killed because of her. “Sweet goddess.” She murmured in despair. What do those bastards need with his body? She squirmed on the floor, trying to shift herself closer, but she mistakenly kicked the body again.This time, it groaned and shifted.“Sweet goddess
“Unhand me, Velkan.” Aiden struggled against the shackles on his hands and feet that bounded him to the tree. “Face me like a true Lycan. Or are you scared? Pity.” He laughed.Velkan glared at Aiden, his eyes dead and his body rigid with anger, as the sounds of Aiden’s hysterical laughter taunted him.There were a few people gathered around them, including Trenton who was leaning against a tree, watching the scene.“I should have killed you by myself when I had the chance. You should be thanking me.” He mocked Velkan.Velkan took out a silver blade from his coat and admired its sharp glitz under the dim moonlight. “Why, Aiden?” He asked in a soft tone. “Why?”Aiden spat in his face and continued laughing. Velkan just turned away from him and handed the blade to a guard standing close. “Stab his heart with the blade and throw him over the cliff.”“Ha! Like your mate?” Aiden laughed louder. “You don’t want the pleasure of killing me yourself?”“You would like that, wouldn’t you? But I w
Velkan strode up to the house, feeling tired and disoriented, with Aiden’s final words taunting his thoughts.You will die for my cause. What had he meant? He wondered as he knocked on the door of his mother’s chamber.The door opened and the maid he had always seen around Chanda peaked her head from behind it. “Come in, My Lycan.” The maid opened the door wider and bowed.“Mariam, right?” Velkan asked and she nodded. “How is the queen?” He stepped into the room.His mother had fainted when she realized that Aiden had killed her husband and son. Mariam and some guards had taken care of her while he had dealt with Aiden. “Did the doctor see to her?”“Yes, Lycan.” Mariam closed the door. “She is fast asleep.” She pointed to the bed in the room.Velkan walked to his mother’s bed and crouched before her, his heart breaking at the thought of the pain she must been suffering from all over again.“Hmm.” She moaned, her forehead folding into little lines. “Velkan.” Her eyes fluttered a litt
“All hail the Lycan.” A guard bellowed as Velkan walked out of the house’s front door.“Praise to the greatest.” The gathered members responded and bowed in unison.A feeling of regret stirred through his body as he looked over the now silent crowd that had gathered in the center of the pack grounds waiting for him.The last time they had converged like this had been when he had banished Chanda to the servant quarters.“People of Great Goda. Today marks a grave day-” He started to speak but paused when a commotion happening to his far- left end caught his attention. He looked over to see some guards ordering the captured rogues to move.He snorted when one of the rogues spat at a guard in rebellion, but his main focus was on the only female captive among them.She was dragging her feet slowly on the ground, with her hands bound together and her head faced to the ground so her face was covered with her short black hair.He turned his attention back to the eager crowd.“Today marks… Sil
See why I hate packs?” Fang said aloud as Velkan disappeared back into the house and the crowd scattered. “You bastards preach unity but betray yourselves at the slightest chance. Burn down the packs. Freedom to all!”“Ho! Ho! Ho!” The men erupted in cheers.“Shut up and start walking.” The guards controlling them shouted. “The show is over. Move it.”They reached an open area where some men were training. Chanda sighted others in their wolf forms fighting.“Let me help you with that.” Hugo shimmed next to her and pulled on the ropes on her hands, freeing her from her shackles. “Tell me, Serafina. What is a pretty wolf like yourself doing, living in the woods of the Arches Forest?”Chanda ignored him as she rubbed on the bruises the ropes had left on her hand, hoping he will go away. She really hated the way he said her name.“Let me guess. You were banished from your pack alongside that poor bastard we killed in the woods. Were you lovers? Was he your mate? Awwn, did we kill your one
“Noooo!" Chanda screamed and ran in front of Fang, blocking him before Snow could strike him with the sword. She had watched one friend die, she couldn’t bear to lose another.“Please don’t.” She fell to her knees and held onto Snow’s feet. “Don’t, I beg you.” She pleaded.“Move out of the way, female or you die with him.” Snow ordered. “Please spare him.” She looked up at Snow, blinking hard against the tears in her eyes. “Please. He will do anything you ask of him.”“The hell I will.” Fang refuted.“Will you just shut up for once, you dumbass?” Chanda got up and turned to Fang. “Listen to me.” She gripped him by his shoulders. “This will be a great time for you to think before you act. He killed master Conan and the others without a second thought. Do you think he will hesitate to kill you too?”“Maybe this is the end meant for me, Serafina.” Fang replied. “I have nothing left in this world to live for.”“Me, Fang.” She yelled and shook him. “What about me? Do I mean that little
CHAPTER 58“I wasn’t informed of any new maid moving in today.” Lupe stood in front of the door, blocking Chanda from entering inside the servant quarters. “I suggest you go back to where you came from, lady.”Chanda had completely forgot about the old woman’s existence in the pack. Normally the old Chanda would have tried to reason with her, but Serafina just didn’t give a damn.“Listen to me, Lady.” Chanda mimicked her. “Do you think I willingly want to stay anywhere close to you? We are both in a pickle as it is.”“How dare you speak to me in such a manner?” Lupe looked insulted. “I am going to report you to the Lycan for this disrespect.”“Do as you wish. But first, move aside.”“I said no.” Lupe smacked Chanda right across the face and threw her bag to the ground.“Why you old witch! I will tear you into little pieces.” Chanda grabbed Lupe by hair and pulled her to the ground.“Stop.” Lupe screamed but Chanda held on.“This is for all those insults and punishments. You should kno
Chanda gasped. “The Oro blade really exists?”The Oro blade was the sword used by the Klana leader. The sword was rumored to have made by the guardians of the underworld and that the Klana leader had his soul entwined with the sword. “I guess those stories about us were very detailed.” Snow smiled. “Yes, the Oro blade exists. When my father was killed, the sword was stolen from him.”“But if the myth is true?” Chanda said. “Anyone who touches it becomes possessed with some evil spirits. How could Velkan’s father had easily taken it and not be affected?”Snow reached into his pocket and brought out a small green crystal. He held it up in the light and it glowed brightly. “This is the stone that gives the magic power to my father’s sword.”“Wow.” Chanda mumbled, enchanted by the beautiful glowing crystal. “Its magnificent.” She instinctively raised her to touch it but Snow slapped her hand away, bringing her back to her senses. “Sorry.” She murmured.“I can see the stone still has the
“He wants you to become a maid?” Mariam almost screamed at Chanda when she told her of Velkan’s punishment. “Are you sure you heard him correctly?”“I’m not deaf, Mariam.” Chanda playfully threw a garment at her face and continued packing up her things. “But I do think it is strange.”“Of course, it is strange. There are a lot of maids in the pack, why would he want you as his personal maid?”“Maybe he wants to keep a close eye on me or maybe he just wants to humiliate me, I don’t know.” Chanda shrugged. Velkan’s decision was definitely unexpected, especially after Snow claimed he had earlier decided to not punish her at all. But she would gladly take being a maid over death, anytime and any day.“What are you even doing here at this time of the day?” She asked Mariam. “Are you not supposed to be with your mistress, tending to her every beck and call?” “I was in her room with her and her mother, when they mentioned that you were becoming a maid so I rushed down here to confirm if it
“This is completely outrageous.”Mia was perched on the side of her bed, getting ready to take the bath that her maid, Mariam, was preparing for her while her mother paced around the room, angrily.Mia had always wondered why the woman couldn’t just sit down and complain or at least stand still. Why did she think she had to move around just to pass her point across? Just watching her was causing Mia, a headache.Still, she had to be the reasonable daughter and calm her mother down.“What exactly is outrageous, mother?”“This is not the time to be making jokes, Mia.”“I am not joking, mother. Why are you upset?”“Are you being serious right now? Were you deaf when the Lycan decided to make that thing…” Sera paused when Mariam dropped a bottle of soap on the ground.“Sorry, it slipped.” Mariam muttered, slowly picking the bottle up.“Are you maids ever good for anything? Even in this pack, good maids are hard to find.” Sera snapped at her. “Just a bunch of good for nothings.”“Please,
“I am Snow Klana”That can’t be true, Chanda thought. She didn’t which was more absurd, the fact that Snow claimed to be the son of the Klana’s leader or the fact that the Klana Clan still had existing members. The whole thing just felt like a big trap to her. A trap that will come back to bite her if she didn’t thread carefully.But even if it what Snow said were true, is her hatred for Velkan that huge, that she would be willing to side with group of dangerous wolves known to be feral killers. These wolves had made packs extinct due to their attacks.Was she willingly to take the risk of unleashing possible terror to both regions just to get her revenge?“Am I talking to myself here? Hey Serafina.” Fang snapped his fingers in Chanda’s face to draw her attention. “Where did your mind wander off to again?”“Hmm. You were saying?”“I was giving you, ideas on how to approach this hearing and to make sure you don’t get in more trouble.”“It is not a hearing.” Chanda picked up her bucket
The tomb was dark and quiet as usual, so Velkan didn’t understand why he thought coming here in the middle of the night would bring him some sort of… solitude.A guard walked up to him at the entrance with a torch.“Lycan.”“Stay here. I will be out soon.” Velkan took the torch from him and stepped inside the tomb. The light of the torch made the tomb bright, so he moved his hands along the walls, tracing the carvings of the names of all the former Lycans that had come before him. His hands stilled when he got to the last one.Odon Goda, it read. Great father, and leader.“He was an okay husband too.”“Mother.” Velkan wasn’t even surprised at her presence. “Are you following me?”“I went to your room and you weren’t there. I checked the cliff, you also weren’t there. So, I figured you will be here.”“Is there a problem, then?”“With me, no. But I think there might be one with you.” She took the torch from him and stared walking further down. “Let us keep moving, her casket is still fu
Chanda wasn’t sure she had heard what Snow said correctly, so she voiced out the words slowly. “You want to kill Velkan, the Lycan of Goda Pack?”“Yes, I do. I want Velkan Goda dead.” Saul passed a thread through a tiny needle, and started stitching up her cut. “And you, Serafina are going to help me.”“You want me to help you kill Velkan Goda?” Chanda repeated, not paying any attention to the pain on her shoulders.“Yes. Heavens, stop repeating yourself. It is annoying to listen to.” Snow frowned. “And why are you so shocked when you already planned to do it yourself? You did fail, but it was nice attempt.”“Is this a joke?” Chanda pushed his hands away from her, leaving the needle dangling from her shoulder. “Is this some kind of test or something, uh? I get it.” She pointed at him. “Your Lycan wants to test just how loyal I am, right? If I say yes to your request, I will get charged with treason, then he will have a valid reason to drag me to the middle of the pack and cut off my h
“My shoulder feels like it’s about to fall off.” Chanda whined as Fang, assisted by a guard, laid her down on a sleeping bag. “It hurts badly.”“Of course, it hurts, you dummy.” Fang lashed at her.“I would go get the doctor.” The guard walked out.“Tell me, Serafina.” Fang started pacing the room. “Was that stunt you pulled part of the plan or have you gone completely nuts?”“Stop yelling at me.” Chanda groaned. “I am in pain and you are making it worse.”“You haven’t seen pain. Thank the goddess, the Lycan didn’t sink that sword deep into your neck.”“Leave me be.” She pleaded. His voice was causing her a headache. “Go away if you won’t help me.”“The doctor is coming.” He said. “But really, how could you do that? Just because you have won a few battles in the training against some of the weak warriors doesn’t mean-”“I have won against you too.” Chanda murmured.“Doesn’t mean,” Fang continued, ignoring her jab. “That you can go challenging the Lycan to a one-on-one match. He could
“Velkan, wait.”Velkan turned back to see his mother, Mia and Sera running after him.“Slow down, Son.” Leia called out to him, but he just fastened his pace. He badly needed a drink to cool his anger. He barged into the house and headed for the bar, taking out a bottle of whiskey, but Mia was fast and she took it from him.“Let me pour you a glass, Alpha.” She smiled. Velkan just nodded and moved aside.“Son, are you okay?” His mother finally appeared beside him.“My lord.” Mia offered him the glass. He downed in a gulp. “Another.” He said, handing the cup to Mia.“No. You shouldn’t drink that much.” Leia took the glass from him. “Come, sit.” She led him to a chair. “Talk to me. Are you okay?”“How would he be?” Sera erupted in anger. “Can you imagine the nerve of that… that female? Daring to challenge her Luna to be, my daughter in front the pack like that?”“Mother.” Mia warned.“It is absurd.” Sera snapped. “Who knows what would have happened if the Lycan hadn’t defended your hon