Alder's POV…
3 Years Later*
Waking up due to the continuous knocking on the door, I groaned, highly exhausted. I could feel my head being invaded by a bad headache, and my footsteps were lackey while moving sluggishly to the door.
I held the doorknob, then pulled it backwards to behold the radiant face of a palace maid.
“What the fuck do you want so early in the goddamn morning?” I grunted, highly displeased by her intrusion on my sleep—can't any of these pesky maids understand I'm a busy wolf? That I despised being pissed off.
Throughout the break of dawn yesterday, I've been training my ass like hell! The maid seemed a bit scared, but eventually found the courage to speak.
“Please forgive me young master, but I came here as instructed by the Alpha” she said with a light smile now that I almost wondered where she got the courage from.
“My father sent you here? Why?” I asked, a bit pissed that my peace was disturbed. I had wanted to spend the whole day alone.
“To inform you on the need to arise early for your coronation, young master” She informed with her head bowed down and her eyes glued to my feet.
My eyes tripled In size as the realization dawned on me—I'm getting crowned as the Alpha of this great pack this weekend! Fuck! How could I possibly be so forgetful? What could I possibly be thinking about?
I grinned widely and gleefully before paving way for the maid to drop my breakfast on the center table in the room. She left afterward while I went ahead to the window. I parted the curtains, then the morning sun kissed me gently. I smiled, overly happy.
Finally, after all the waiting, I'm going to be an Alpha; the constant training, the lethal missions I embarked on just to impress my father weren't in vain.
The pains I felt earlier had disappeared thanks to the joyous news. Yet, my muscles felt a bit sore while I had a steamy hot bath.
I got dressed royally before leaving the room—so glad I was, I didn't bother to have breakfast. I descended the stairs luxuriously yet anxiously the moment my eyes landed on father, who's in the dining room, having breakfast.
“Good morning father” I greeted, smiling handsomely. He paused briefly in his meal, then gazed flatly at me.
“Finally awake, I see. Alder for someone who's going to be the Alpha you're quite lax” He literally grunted a response, then again I didn't take his expressionless tone into consideration.
“Won't you forgive me, father? Y'know how busy I've been with training and defending the pack from rouges”. I explained, as I hoped that he would understand.
“Tch! Excuses. An Alpha knows how to balance between these things Alder; you're not the only one defending the pack, we have warrior wolves too”
“What warrior? Please father if you're trying to bring up the issue of Cassi Williams, please don't” I muttered, highly displeased. I wasn’t ready to talk about her yet. Especially not with my Father.
“Alder.” He called out and I quickly shut him off.
“It's enough father. Don't spoil my mood with that wolfless thing, someone who couldn't even defend herself is gone, why do you all keep making a fuss about it?” I scoffed before walking off. I could feel his gaze piercing into my soul while I walked away, but to hell with that.
★
“Future Alpha Alder!” Some yelled aloud, on-top of their croaked voices.
“We love you so much!” Others yelled.
“We're appreciative of your handwork!” Some yelled too, all the words mixing together that I could barely make out what is what.
A major factor why I avoided stepping out of the palace is the shamelessness of the she-wolves—especially the Omegas. I acknowledge the fact that I'm indeed the most attractive male in the entire pack, but they don't have to be so gutless about it. Thankfully, I was in a palanquin, so physical contact wasn't possible. Finally, we halted at the spacious field where the warrior wolves normally trained their asses off. Initially, I'm supposed to be among them again. Yesterday's training was extremely exhausting, so I'm taking a break today.
The other wolves immediately acknowledged my presence as they bowed respectfully.
Despite the aura of superiority that constantly lingers around me, one wolf in particular always appear not to give a fuck; he's goddamn impolite and fucking rude—that individual was none other than Jake Williams; Cassi's brother.
Highly infuriated by the lack of respect towards me, I marched angrily to the dartboard, which he's engrossed in shooting arrows at. Jake is the top archer in the group—talented, good-looking, but not as surreal as I, though.
“You're becoming quite gusty, huh?” I snarled angrily at Jake, interrupting his session. He paused, glanced at me through the side of his eyes, then diverted his gaze back to the board.
I balled my fist, now vexed—who the fuck does he think he is?
“Don't you have any sense of acknowledgment, peasant? A sibling to such a weakling doesn't even have the right to breathe the same air I do!” I smirked haughtily, only for him to sigh. Jake faced me fully with a blank countenance.
“Forgive my lack of courtesy, young master, but I don't bow to murderers” he stated-his fearlessness got me tongue-tied. “What!” I thundered.
“For how long do you intend on being foolish? Do you honestly still believe I caused the death of the weak bitch?” I snarled angrily at him and rolled my eyes in disgust. I despised him. I despised them both.
“Don't address my late sister in that manner, young master. Your foul tongue is capable of causing anyone to commit suicide - Cassi unfortunately was soft at heart and mind, of course she'll take your words to heart. I'm certain you caused her death, young master!” his tone maintained its calmness until he attempted to leave.
“And so! Wasn't she always a hindrance in this pack as a whole? Weak, timid, gutless and wolfless; she couldn't even defend herself from Intruders, yet you call her a wolf? Jake'' I turned to his direction, gaping at his face.
“You should be thankful she's dead. I mean, her death wasn't even essential” I let out taunting laughter and I could tell Jake almost lost his temper. Then again, he let out another heavy sigh.
“Her death isn't certain yet—her shoe was found at the cliff, not her dead body. Good day, future Alpha” he responded causally before walking off triumphantly.
My blood only boiled excessively in fury as I gritted. That son of a bitch!
He's so going to get it from me—I'll make sure of that. The death of his sister brought upon great grief to the entire Williams, but who fucking cares?
The world is better off without a simpleton like herself. “Fucking bastard, he'll get what's coming to him!” I swore mischievously. Having nothing else to do, I went back to the palanquin where I eventually got taken to a pub—some alcohol won't hurt would it?
Luckily, I encountered countless friends—Lewis and Clark, the sons of the current beta Dorian.
“Yo Alder!” Lewis beamed cheerfully, gesturing to me to sit next to them, which I did. “Pay some respect, would ya? He's going to be the Alpha of this pack in a few days” Clark grinned widely, and truly, I felt happy.
Lewis grimaced. “Yeah yeah. But what sort of Alpha doesn't have a mate? Come on Alder, aren't you like 24 or something, and you ain't got a mate? Like damn! That's messed up!” Lewis shook his head in disappointment and I felt my blood boil so hot that I’m almost tempted to land some blows in his face, instead I squeezed my palms into fists and do nothing.
“I know right? It's still shocking how long it's taking you to get a mate. A strong one though, we don't want some weak ass whore” Clark laughed and Lewis joined in the laughter. They poured bottles of whiskey for themselves before Lewis spoke again.
“She's gotta be pretty too y'know!” they clicked bottles and resumed their mocking laughter. There I sat wordless, and in thoughts.
Before they could humiliate me anymore. Before they would say something that might actually make me lose my cool, I slid out of there noiselessly.
★
“Fuck…!!” I spat furiously with my leg, kicking the door in fury. I drove my fingers into my hair, ruffling it, obviously frustrated.
“Like, what the fuck am I going to do? I ain't got a mate, and I'm about to become an Alpha? What a sick joke!” I muttered to myself, pissed, annoyed and angry that things were taking this turn. This would have been different if the moon goddess that chose for me another Wolf.
So maybe this was her fault.
“It's so laughable!" I groaned distressed. I contemplated hard on the issue—pondering why the moon goddess didn't bestow me with a strong mate; why did it have to be fucking Cassi? Why her of all the beautiful maidens that existed?.
Argh! Then a thought suddenly invaded my head—what if father finds out Cassie forcefully accepted my rejection? Won't…he canceled his plans for me?
Will …he honestly go along with his plans again? Oh, shit.
‘Don't worry your little head, dude. She's fucking gone’ my wolf—Crown spoke hoarsely to me. “Yeah. She's dead” I muttered, falling heavily on the bed and I hoped that was true. That it was true.
I laid flatly on the bed with my eyes staring blankly at the ceiling with a smirk slowly creeping up on my lips. I calked.
“She's dead! Cassandra Williams' dead. I shouldn't be worrying myself over a dead bitch. Ha! What a relief!!” I let out and exhaled deeply as though I was telling myself to believe it.
Cassi's POV…My eyelids felt so heavy—so heavy were they that whenever I tried opening them, it felt like lifting a boulder. Never have I felt so lifeless and almost left with little blood in my system.Finally, with much effort, I opened my eyes slightly only to behold complete darkness—I didn't have any idea if it was day or nighttime; everywhere was pitch black. The wind continuously left trails of goosebumps on my now pale skin as I tasted my blood, which overflowed from my lips.“Why … Didn't I slapter to pieces?” I questioned myself in an inaudible tone. There I laid motionless due to the numbness that took over my whole body—my legs inclusively. Then again, I didn't even have the will to stand up. I want to die!Why can't the moon goddess grant me that simple wish? It's not too much to ask for, right? I assumed my wish came through as bright rays of light emanated from nowhere—so bright it was that I had to shut my eyes.Briefly, the light disappeared and when I snapped my eyes
ALDER’S POV.I woke up with a start, my breath came out in pants and my heart was beating way too fast. My gaze was fixed on the ceiling as I tried to control my breathing and at the same time try to remember what exactly made me wake up with so much fear.It was a dream, no.......a nightmare but I have no idea what it's about. I remembered that the last thing on my mind was CassandraI growled " That evil bitch! Even in my sleep she won't let me rest."I stood up from the bed and headed for the fridge in my room. Grabbing the chilled bottle of water, I downed it all in one go and that seemed to calm my beating heart a bitAlthough I was finally relaxes, the fear was still fresh in my mind. Did Cassandra come back to take revenge? Did she perhaps kill my chosen mate because I rejected her?" No no no." I shook my head "That's not possible. She's dead. She took her own life because she was too weak to do anything else. What a waste of Earth's space and resources"I slammed the door of
ALDER’S POV.I stared at the lake in my wolf form and listened to the sound of the crickets. This garden always made me very relaxedI strode out of the forest after receiving the mindlink that my father was searching for me in the pack.Immediately I got to the pack, I changed and out on a short before going to see my dad"Hi Dad" I greeted as I walked into his studyHe stared at me through the rim of his glasses before looking back at the documents on the table" I wanted to inform you that the Alpha title Ritual will commence on the full moon"" Oh okay" That's three day from now" I would have loved it if you had found your mate, it's the perfect time to complete the mating ritual as well" I winced " But the moon goddess probably has other plans"" Yes, she does. I'll take my leave now"I ran out of the pack house with one thought in my mind, I need to find myself a mate before Dad finds out what I didThree days laterI stared at myself in the mirror, I was dressed in a white thi
CASSANDRA’S POV.I don't know how long I stood there, just watching the three of them. My brain couldn't register the new information I just heard.Is this a joke or something?"Are you telling the truth?" Alpha Vincenzo asked, almost smiling" Of course your majesties. I re-ran the test all over again just to be sure and it came out positive all three times" Seth affirmedLuna Celine gasped, her hand flew to her mouth as she choked on her tears, Alpha Vincenzo held his mate in his arms and held her tightly as she cried her lungs out. ."We got out little girl back, Celine" He placed his chin on her forehead " We finally found her"." We almost lost her, Vin. She tried to kill herself" ." But she survived right? And she's here, with us. So there is nothing to worry about, okay?" He assured her.Luna Celine nodded her head and the Alpha wiped her tears away before resting his forehead on hers."We'll be fine love. I know we will"." She's on her way here, but how do we break the news
ALDER’S POV." It's Cassandra Bellevue"I wasn't expecting the punch that came next, causing me to stagger.I looked up to see my dad, breathing heavily, his eyes glaring"Cassandra? The girl that took her life? The one I tried to talk to you about? That same Cassandra?!!" He growled" The one and only" I scoffed, and that only made matters worse" She's your mate?" Mom asked me" Was. She was my mate" I corrected" Why the hell did you reject her, future Alpha?" Jack asked" Why? Are you seriously asking me why? Your bitch of a sister-"This time I saw it coming but I couldn't avoid it, even if I wanted to, the huge black wolf coming towards me suddenly slammed into my ribcage, sending me flying into a tree.I groaned as I stood up, my dad sure still does pack up a punch. I wiped away the blood dripping out if my mouth" For the sake of the moon goddess, respect the dead" My dad growled, as he towered over me in just shorts"Respect? What respect? She deserves nothing from me" I star
CASSANDRA’S POV.As I walked out of my parents huge mansion, the guards of the gate bowed to me before looking straightforward.I smiled to myself because it was exactly the same thing the hallway guards did and it made me feel importantI hummed as I walked back to Mrs Smith's home, following the flower trail." Hey! Happy bug, why are you so joyful?" I looked up to see Elia wiggling her brows at meI giggled " Oh, it's nothing."" Are you sure? You look like you got hit with the happy truck" She smiled" I'm just happy. I ate so much food at Mo- Luna's and she treated me so much like my own mother" I smiled, happy that I was able to stop my slip up" Oh, I can believe that. The easiest way into your heart is through your mouth" She laughed" I don't think that's how it's being said you know"" Of course it isn't. Your type just requires a different kind of expression." She said thoughtfully " Wanna go to the lake?"I thought about it for a while, there's nothing bad about taking a d
ALDER’S POV.I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the things that were happening outside. I haven't left my room at all since the incident that took place last night.They keep making it sound like she was the moon goddess gift to me which I know she wasn't.There had to be some mistake somewhere.A knock sounded on my door " Future Alpha, The Alpha has requested your presence in the war room".I continued staring at the ceiling, refusing to answer the guard at the door." Future Alpha!" He called again.I sighed before replying " I'm on my way"." He said I had to accompany you there".I sighed again, I've been doing that a lot lately.I stood up from my bed, opened the door and walked out of my room with the guard behind me. As I walked out, I refused to meet anyone's eye as they bowed to me, the last thing I wanted was to see hatred in the eyes of my people when all I was doing was thinking of their well-being.When I arrived at the war room, a place where we major
CASSANDRA’S POV." Wake up, you lazy lycan pup" I felt someone straddling my waist and jumping on my back" Go away, pest" I mumbled, using my hands to push away the disturbance of my holy sleepThud....... The next sound I heard as she fell to the groundThe next thing I knew, I was rolled off my bed and fell on the floor breaking my buttock" Ow! What the frigging hell?" I screamed" Oh! So it's painful when I do it?" She placed her arms on her waist glaring at me" Of course it is. I heard my butt bone crack, you nitwit" I screamed at her.Elia can be a cruel villain at times. One time, she threw into the lake when I refused to wake up and I was so damn tired that day that I didn't realize when she moved me from my bed into the lake at the forest" Well, that's not half bad. Just get ready, we need to be at the pack house for the announcement"" What announcement?" I raised my brows" Some important shifter is here, so they want to let us know of his presence and all that bullshit