My hands trembled to the side, and my lips quivered as I choked back a sob. The crowd remained silent in anticipation. I, on the other hand, felt like the air clogged my chest. Seeing the condemnation on their faces, I could not breathe as sweat lined my brow and upper lip. I shot a glance at Alaric. His face showed not one iota of emotion, giving nothing away. My eyes swam in unshed tears on the brink of spilling as I remembered what everyone said. Alpha Leo, brutally killed his father and raped his mother. I could not blame Alaric for letting his anger supersede the mate bond. Just like my mother, who turned out to be my aunt, he was in this for revenge. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. My blood in exchange for his parents' blood. I took a deep shaky breath when Alaric gave out my sentence for being Alpha Leo's daughter, paying for my father's atrocious crimes. “I. Alpha Alaric, sentence you, Erin Acklen, daughter of Alpha Leo Acklen to a fate worse than deat
I watched Alaric’s retreating form, and my blood boiled. Since I am made aware of our bond, I am sure that he was quite aware, too, of who I am. But why is he not claiming me? Does it have anything to do with what Boris told him? That I am a liability? What about when he proposed the idea to mate with him and produce babies with him? Was it just a ploy to get a rise out of my father?I looked at him as his figure got smaller as the distance between us widened, still trying to wrap my head around his recent decision to auction me off. I stepped forward, intending to follow him, but Beth snagged my hand to tightly grip my wrist, her action catching me by surprise. I snatched my hand back, but she was way more powerful. The effect of Wolfsbane is slowly wearing off. But it still rendered me without my usual strength. I could not fight her even if I tried. In frustration, I looked at Beth with barely-held fury in my eyes. Beth seemed to delight at my expression, showing her
“Don’t test my patience, slave!” He snarled in disgust. I know what he was doing. Intimidation works quite well with the timid, but not for someone like me who had been suppressed all her life. I already lost so much and I do not intend to lose again. “What did you just call me?” Alaric smiled, his expression one of triumph. “You are a slave. You are no longer a princess in your father’s pack. He let you go and did not try to rescue you. Your Alpha father wanted you dead!” He shouted almost smugly. He said, aggravating the hatred in me. “I am not your or anyone’s slave.” I snarled back. Tension filled my body as I poised for an attack. “You are the lowest in my pack. A slave to the rogues. And in just a few hours, a rogue male will make you his slave to do anything to your body that you can not do anything about. A slave is the most decent thing I can think of to call someone like you.” His words were meant to challenge me. My nostrils flared. As he ticke
Alaric’s eyes looked bloodshot and his expression grim. Even so, my eyes lapped at him like a man in drought. I devoured the sight of him while he returned my stare. I was only made conscious that we are making a spectacle when Beth asked, her interest piqued. “What is wrong?” “Why did he stop?” Rose made a follow-up question. I heard them, but I could not make my eyes go away. Alaric seemed to share my feelings because he, too, did not bother to look away. He held my stare, uncaring of the curious stares from around us. The pressure of his stare had my stomach swirling in awareness, reminding me about the agony he put me through last night, and my mouth tightened in resentment. “Oh good, Beta Ben is here.” A girl gushed, breaking our eye contact. From the corner of my eye, I looked at Alaric’s Beta and was stunned to see how ripped he was as well, standing the same height and same build as his Alpha. But that is where their similarity goes. While Alaric's black hai
Running as fast as my feet could carry me, I looked over my shoulder from time to time to check whether anyone noticed my absence and was now chasing after me. I heaved a sigh when I saw no one. This time when I moved forward, I increased my speed to get off this place faster. Nothing is holding me back now. Even in my drugged state, my mind remained lucid. I have to grab this chance to flee while the focus of the camp’s attention centers on the fight between Alaric and Ben. If I did not escape now, it would be hard to find another opportunity like this again in the future. I don’t know how long I had been running, but the heat and the adrenaline rush got to me. My chest feels like it is near to bursting. I could feel myself on the brink of collapsing, so I called out for my wolf. “Maya, are you there?” My wolf answered in the affirmative, and we shifted. “We have to cover our tracks, or Alaric will find us.” I reminded her. Our eyes began to wander to our surroundi
ALARIC’S POV“What are you looking at?” Ben asked when he saw me by the window, looking at the ground below. I pulled my gaze away from my mate, who had become a constant source of puzzlement these past few days, to meet Ben’s inquiring face. “Nothing.” Ben, unconvinced, went to poke his head out of the wide window to check for himself what had gotten me occupied. He had this knowing look when he spotted Emma, my favorite slave. "Are you h*rny?" He asked, and I slapped his hand away. Then, his eyes took on a peculiar twinkling after his sight landed on Erin, tending to the vegetable garden outside my house and picking up what she needed for cooking. “Erin seemed to know her way around the house - a far cry from the pampered daughter of the Alpha that I expected.”We have the same observation there. I, too, am puzzled at how she had been so proficient in the household chores. It was like she had been doing it almost all her life.“And have you noticed how rough her hand is?” Be
ALARIC’S POV “A formal complaint has been lodged against us by the Red Stone Pack for attacking them the other day.” Anton, our pack’s secretary, informed us as he handed each of us a copy of the complaint. I read through it and scoffed. My men looked at me, waiting for a response. At that same time, Ben entered the hall where we usually conducted our pack’s business and chose to sit down on a chair away from me. His action caused confusion in the group. As my second-hand man, Ben usually sits beside me. He also looked a little miffed, which tells me that he was still hung up about the argument we had before coming here. “I told you, it was not one of our best moves. They knew it was us. This is their way of retaliation. Our years of hard work would be for naught.” Steven, an elderly member of the group and one of my advisers, said. “We wore masks. How come they recognized us?” Anton inquired. “I don’t know, but I fear that it is only just a matter of time before the
Erin’s POV“You are a pure-blooded werewolf. Are you sure your mother is not your Alpha’s Luna?”The abruptness of the question caught me off guard. I gasped in surprise. Where did he get the idea that I am my former Luna's biological daughter? I do wish that it were true, but the facts don't lie. Alaric, noticing our position, released me suddenly, making me lose my balance, and were it not for his quick thinking, I would have landed on the floor. Awkwardly, I stepped aside and thanked him for helping me. I thought about his question and answered it as best as I could. “My former Luna told me herself that I am the daughter of her sister to her mate that night you caught me in the woods,” I said with a faint bitter sound to my voice. Alaric nodded before his gaze took on a pondering look. “Why?” I asked curiously. I am sure he did not ask me about my lineage just because. He shook his head. “Nothing.” We were silent after that. I opened my mouth and asked what had been bogg