Sera’s POV
Mating Grounds, Werewoods
As we venture deeper into the woods, everywhere becomes silent. Suddenly, a branch breaks behind us, and we turn to look. Lucian appears from behind an immense tree, a smug look on his face. His sidekicks appear one after the other and surround us in an ambush.
“I promised to make you my mate, didn’t I? Well, I am here to fulfill that promise,” Lucian said. He had a benevolent smile as if he was doing me a favor, but he just wanted my pack to boost his ego further and enlarge his pack.
“A woman need not be an Alpha. Just sit pretty as my Luna and let me take over.” He had a condescending look on his face. “Or I could just kill you and take over your pack.” His gaze changed, and he looked menacing.
Amary stared at Lucian in disdain, a bored look on her face. I had seen her fight only once, and that was enough to tell her prowess in battle. I had been strong since I was a pup, even before I could shift. Although Marc was the older twin and male alpha, I was the stronger twin. I had alpha blood, and my wolf was a rare alpha. Lucian and his men were small fry.
Amary’s disdain angered Lucian. With a look from him, his men surrounded us and shifted. Growls and the sound of bone cracking filled the air. The first one, a medium-sized brown wolf, charged at us with a loud growl. Just as it was about to scratch us, Amary swiped it to the side with a paw.
The rest paused in shock at the sight. I smirked with disdain. Few had seen my wolf in battle since I only shifted a year ago. Stories of the battle had not spread fast enough. I guess Ralf was too embarrassed to expose his behind. I smirk at the thought.
Lucian interrupted my thoughts, exclaiming, “I would handsomely reward whoever captures her!”
Lucian retreated and gave room to his men to face me. I guess my wolf’s strength took him aback. They attacked all at once, hoping to overwhelm my wolf. I scoff at the thought. Amary was a powerful alpha wolf, and such tactics were useless.
Lucian’s men suffered a quick defeat, and his face paled in anger and disbelief.
“Useless! A woman defeated all of you together. Leave it to me to get the job done!” Lucian came forward, looking conceited. He shifted to wolf form; I must admit his wolf was huge. His wolf was grey with narrowed, ruthless, deep blue eyes. Amary and Lucian’s wolf had a stare-down. The actual battle was about to begin!
Lucian’s wolf charged at us, but Amary dodged him. She was on full alert. Although Amary was strong, she was cautious, as Lucian was stronger than the rest. She planned to observe Lucian’s move, defeat him in one fell swoop, and resume enjoying the run.
Lucian’s wolf tried to strike multiple times without success and was getting impatient. In battle, when you are impatient, you become careless. Amary targets his belly, and when he is not paying attention, she slashes at his belly and leaves a fatal wound. Lucian’s wolf howled in pain and stared at us in disbelief.
And that is how you take down a powerful enemy. We ignore Lucian’s team and get on with our run, leaving them with heavy injuries.
As we go deeper into the woods, Amary suddenly becomes restless.
“Amary, what is going on?” I asked. My voice fills with suspicion, and a bad feeling creeps up my heart as I study her. She ignores me as she moves forward with intent.
She suddenly howls in excitement as I glance around in confusion. Suddenly, it hit me. A very woodsy, musky scent hit me, and I was shocked at its potency. An enormous back wolf appears before us, and my wolf’s excitement is plausible. As it approaches us, the wolf has a dangerous look in its grey eyes.
I am frozen in shock as my wolf yells, “Mate!”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I shook my head in disbelief. My mate Dylan was dead. He died a year ago in the battle with Beta Ralf. Who, then, is the wolf before me? Who then is this that Amary called our mate? I was speechless as the wolf approached dangerously close.
I could see the look in his eyes. The murderous look had transformed into what looked like excitement or anticipation. I don’t know, but I don’t intend to find out.
I screamed in my mind. “Amary, run!”
Amary ignored me, as usual. Since I shifted on that fateful day a year ago, Amary has never spoken to me. She had been silent for over a year, only for her first word to be “mate.” A wave of sadness washed over me. How ironic, since my mate died at the hands of my wolf.
Amary wagged her tail in excitement as the enormous wolf drew closer. She was not listening to me. No, I didn’t need a new mate. I am still trying to recover from the damage the last one dealt me. All they ever do is lie to you, use you, and deceive you, and I can’t go through that cycle again.
“Amary, listen to me now and run!” My annoyance was evident in my voice. I regretted giving my wolf complete control. I wanted quiet time, but now I don’t need it. I tried to take back control and discovered Amary wouldn’t let me.
The wolf reached us, cutting short my shock. The two wolves stop and stare at each other, then perform some dance. I was staring at them in confusion when suddenly the wolf pounced on Amary and marked her, to my horror. I felt intense heat from within me as I blacked out.
I suddenly come to, and I am lying on the ground, naked as the day I was born on the mating grounds. My face paled as I remembered the marking. I raise my hands to my neck as I feel a little sting there. There were two holes there, which is evidence of the marking. I moved to get up, and my entire body felt sore. I froze in shock as a glance at my body told me what I needed to know. We had not only marked each other; we had also mated.
My legs fail me as I realize the implications of this. I had found a mate, and we were bonded together.
No, not now that I have met with the Council and officially resumed alpha duties. This would give alphas like Lucian ammunition to take my pack away. And who knows, my so-called mate could also have his eyes on the pack. You never know with these alphas.
My face grew pale at the thought. I clenched my fist tightly. I had to act fast.
I glance to the side to see a male human blacked out there. He had a mark as evidence of the mating. I couldn’t see his face, and I didn’t care. I was going to walk away and pretend this had never happened. Yes, that was it.
I picked a set of clothes from the trees, prepared by the Council for emergency. I was almost done dressing when he showed a sign of waking soon. Putting on my shirt, I dashed away in a hurry.
Draco’s POV“Alpha, the Maniac’s hideout is just ahead.”Bruno’s voice echoed through the mind link as we crouched low in the underbrush of the eastern part of the Werewoods, our shadows elongated by the setting sun.Two days of relentless travel had brought us to this place, a barren land that reeked of death and decay.“How many?” I replied in a gruff voice as I scanned the surrounding area on high alert.“Fifteen rogues, including the Maniac. They know we are here. I can sense it.”My dark gray eyes, unchanged even in wolf form, surveyed the rocky terrain that lay ahead. It was a cave-like structure with an entrance that yawned like a mouth waiting to swallow them whole. Every instinct screamed danger, but the thought of securing the peace of my pack and the entire Werewoods drove my resolve.“Tell the team to stay close, Sebastian,” I said to my Beta. “This ends today.”The team moved through the shadows with practiced silence, with our wolf forms melding with the evening light.
Sera’s POV“Elder Selene?” I rasped out, staring in shock as the familiar figure approached with lightning speed.Selene arrived before our shocked forms and, with an icy gaze, released a heavy palm strike, which sent Aria's petite body sailing across the air.She crashed heavily into a corner, and a splitter of blood dripped down her chin.I watched with widened eyes as her face paled in an instant, showing how heavy the hit she’d taken.“Sera, are you alright?”Elder Selene’s words snapped me out of my daze, and I turned to give her a bewildered glance.“Elder Selene? Why are you here?”She stretched out a hand to help me off the floor as I spoke.The moment I stood, an intense pain erupted from my belly and between my legs, and I almost collapsed.The adrenaline rush that had fueled my previous actions, giving me the strength to leave the bed and protect my pups, appeared to have deserted me.“Careful, dear. Let me get you into bed. You need rest,” Elder Selene said with furrowed
Aria’s POVI watched in sickening satisfaction as Sera’s pale face lost even more blood, my mouth carved in a sadistic smirk.Heh.“It’s much too early to be scared now, isn’t it?” I walked around the trolley placed by the foot of the bed to Sera’s side, studying her like a hunter studies its prey.I had her right where I’d always wanted. Weak, helpless, and all alone.Ripe for the picking.“So it’s been you all this while?” Sera stared at me with wide eyes, like she was seeing me for the first time.“I know, right? Who would have ever thought? A weak, petite female shifter couldn’t do much, right? So I used that to my advantage,” I shrugged.“The Werewoods is such a funny place, you know? They hear about a powerful rogue and everyone assumes it’s a male wolf.” I rolled my eyes as I spoke, coming to stand by Sera’s bedside.I studied her disheveled appearance like a work of art.Cold sweat drenched her nightwear, and her thick brunette hair lay damp on her weak shoulders as she watc
Sera’s POV“Sera? What’s wrong?” Millie’s voice came from behind my room doors just as they burst open and she hurried in wearing a lace nightie, her eyes clouded with sleep.I took in a mouthful of breath as beads of sweat gathered at my nape.The cool night air contrasted with the heat wave within me as I struggled to remain still.Millie came to my bedside, brows furrowing in concern as she studied me.“Sera?” she asked, taking in a sharp breath as she noticed the watermark on the bed.“Get Hyde in here, Millie. I think pups are coming,” I squeezed out through gritted teeth as Millie remained frozen in shock, her eyes wide with quivering lashes.“Right, Hyde..” Millie trailed off as she snapped out of her daze and hurried out of the room.The sound of activity filtered into the room through the door, and I realised my scream had woken the entire pack.It was past midnight, but the noise coming from below was that of a typical sunny afternoon.A sharp contraction came, and I held
Sera’s POVThe familiar thud of steady footsteps came from the hallway just as Marc and I were in the middle of a conversation, and I turned to watch as my mate came into the room, along with his refreshing scent, which brought me peace.But the look on his face was anything but peaceful as he marched into the room in rhythmic steps.“What’s wrong?” I asked, brows raised in concerned question at his demeanor.“Marc was right. Aria’s working for the Maniac Rogue,” Draco said in a grave voice, his eyes softening as he laid them on me.My face paled at his words.This situation hit close to home as I’d trusted Aria, despite the holes in her memory, and I’d believed her to be harmless.Just the thought of all the times I’d been in danger by remaining close to her made my heart skip a beat.My mate came forward and wrapped his arms around me, offering much-needed comfort.Marc, who’s long been forgotten in the room, cleared his throat as he stood from his place on the couch with a teasing
Draco’s POV“Millie, have Miles and Bruno bring her in quietly,” I said to Millie, my lips set in grim lines.“Yes, Alpha.” Millie bowed as she exited the room.I couldn’t believe I’d been this careless for so long, letting a mole roam around the pack under my watch.The she-wolf had always been suspicious, and her missing wolf aura had given me a disturbing sense of foreboding, which I’d chosen to ignore in the face of inconclusive evidence.But, from experience, common sense was useless against the good old instincts.A pair of curious eyes on my person forced me to look up, leaving behind my disturbing thoughts.I found Marc staring at me, eyes lit with questions.“You must be Alpha Draco, of the Silva Moon Pack?” he asked once I glanced at me.“I’m Draco Macer. It is a pleasure to meet you,” I said awkwardly as we shook hands.We hadn’t been introduced in the heat of the moment, and now everything had quieted down. It felt strange meeting a member of my mate’s family after he’d be