CHAPTER 8
~STEVEN’S POV~“The Dark-Hound Pack has already signed the agreement and is already under my control. I’ll have them help spread the message to all the other packs,” I said, scribbling my signature onto a letter I was going to send to Montgomery's mansion."But why don’t we spread the message ourselves?” Gregory asked, looking a little troubled.“The message will be from an unknown sender, proposing the deal to the alphas and asking those who agree to meet at an undisclosed location. The alphas who refuse to comply might get violent and want to attack the only pack they think the message is coming from. If they lay siege on the dark-fang pack, I can use the opportunity to assess them and know exactly what I’m up against,” I replied with a cold stare.“But… sire. Innocent lives will be lost; the dark-hound pack will be destroyed if they are attacked by more than one opposing pack at the same time,” Gregory argued.I let out a sigh, got up from where I sat, and walked toward a window in the dimly lit room we were in. “This is a game of war, Gregory. We are not bothered by what side is good or evil; we are not bothered about the means we employ to win; the only thing that matters is who comes out on top.""I never said you were evil,” Gregory said softly, turning to the ground.I remained silent for a moment, then said, “No, no, you didn’t.” I turned back to him and continued, “Get this message to the Dark-Hound pack; we shouldn’t waste any more time than we already have.”“Yes, sire…” Gregory replied and quietly exited the room.I turned away from the door after Gregory had shut it. I let out a sigh, staring through the window at the large fence that surrounded the mansion. This fence marked the end of the mansion and the beginning of the most treacherous part of my pack.Those images suddenly came to mind again. Flashes of a blurry face and a female voice I couldn't recognize. I clenched my teeth tightly and gently pressed both my palms against both sides of my head as a headache slowly came up.After a while, I left the room and headed for the gates, wearing a large, black jacket with a hood that covered my head.As I walked through the gardens surrounding the mansion, I stumbled upon someone. She was holding a tray, and her hair seemed a little messy.She stood there staring at me like we had met before, and after a few seconds, she snapped out of her mental stillness, saying, “My lord, good morning." I stared at her for a moment, then realized she was the girl Gregory had brought in recently, Gabriella.Her presence made me feel uneasy. I hadn't met her anywhere before, but somehow she seemed familiar. Her scent, her eyes, and the way she spoke somehow weren't new to me. I stared at her a little longer, then walked past her without saying a word in return.I could feel her intense glare as I walked away. I wondered what was going through her mind as she stared.After a few minutes of walking, I finally arrived in front of the gate. I had never left the mansion before because I was warned never to. Father and mother always told me there was something out there, something dangerous, something I could never face, no matter how powerful I was.And it wasn't a lie.Before my father died, I had an undying urge to see what was beyond the mansion—the so-called danger my parents always protected me from. But every time I got in front of the gate, an ominous and intense presence filled my entire body with fear.It was like something evil surrounded the mansion. Each time I peeped through the gap between the two metal doors, there was always someone standing there, a female with a smile on her face. She always had a large hat on, so her eyes were covered, and she was surrounded completely by nothing but darkness.The worst part was that only my parents and I could see her; everyone else freely went in and out of the mansion, but we could never.I peeked through the gap again, and there she was, smiling so innocently but with the aura of a demon surrounding her.I gulped in some saliva and gently pushed the gates open. I walked out of the mansion and into the outside world.~~~o~~~“Welcome back, Alpha Steven. You successfully faced your fears again,” the little girl said. She had bright green eyes and dark brown hair. She was only half my height, and her hat looked like that of a witch.Faced my fears again? Alpha? What was she talking about?“Whoa, I feel so exhausted. I slept for quite a long time, didn't I?” I asked with a smile, stretching my limbs.“Just three days. Nothing unusual,” she replied as she walked to my side. Her name was Margret, and she was only 10 years old.“So, where are we heading today?” I asked.And she replied with a short giggle, “Anywhere you want Alpha Steven,"“You always call me Alpha Steven. Why? And why do I always wake up at the gates of the alpha's mansion? You'll get me in trouble with the alpha of the pack!” I queried as I picked the little girl up and placed her on my shoulder.“You'll understand one day, Steven. For now, let's go have some fun!” The little girl replied with another giggle.“How about the girl I met at Montgomery's mansion? I hope she didn't get in trouble because of me,” I said as a worried expression grew on my face.“Don't worry, she's alright; in fact, she's really far away from Montgomery's mansion and has new friends to keep her company now. So, she's okay,” Margret replied.“I wish I'd get to see her again, though. She seemed really nice,” I said.She giggled again, then said, "Sure, you will, sooner than you expect."CHAPTER 9~GABRIELLA'S POV~As my eyes met with Steven's for the second time since I came to the mansion, I felt nothing but admiration and love for the man that stood before me. He had the same expression as the day I arrived; he seemed nothing like Steven from Montgomery's mansion, but for some reason, I felt like they were the same person. But why didn't he recognize me?I had lost all focus on my surroundings and even on my own body as I fell deeper and deeper into his intense gaze.His brows suddenly furrowed, and that sudden movement snapped me out of my reverie. I immediately bowed and greeted him politely, but he completely ignored me, walking past me without uttering a single word.I turned to stare at him as he walked away, wondering where he was heading. I stealthily followed behind him, moving from rose bush to rose bush, trying to avoid his eyes. After a few minutes, he arrived at the gates of the mansion. He stood in front of the gate for a few minutes, and I could see hi
CHAPTER 10~GABRIELLA'S POV~The silence in the air was unbearable. I could hear my own breathing, and with every step, I took crushed dried leaves under my paws, making sounds that echoed through the forest as if informing the other wolves of my location.I moved steadily, my eyes focused on the prey before me—a large, dark brown deer. As I got in close range, I leaped toward it, but before I could reach it, it jumped out of the way and took off. I landed head-first on a rock and yelled in pain.“Hunting is so hard; how am I supposed to survive this?" I thought to myself, using my paw to gently rub my head.“The other girls are gone; there's no way of finding them now, and the bell is going to ring anytime soon. What to do, what to do..."I said this as I sat there with a worried look. It had already been the first hour; I had never gone hunting before in my life, and my wolf wasn't fast or strong enough to run from other wolves.I let out a sigh,got up from where I sat, and walked th
CHAPTER 11~GABRIELLA'S POV~After waiting for a while at the door, other wolves started to show up with their kills hanging below their jaws. Some carry animals as small as rabbits, and some drag in games as large as boars.They all shifted back into their human forms and began walking back through the door. I looked around for the other girls but couldn't find them until I was inside, holding my kill tightly.“How was it?” Christine's voice sounded from behind me.I turned around to face her, and I found all three girls smiling at me.“Whoa! That's amazing, and it's only your first time?” Clarabelle exclaimed, staring at my game.“Well, a lot of things happened, but I don't want to go into detail,” I replied with a smile as sweat rolled down my face."Let's go dump these bad boys and get some rest; tomorrow's a big day!” Christine said, tapping her catch twice on its stomach.We all nodded, then followed her to the area where the kills were submitted. As we walked through the croud,
CHAPTER 12~GABRIELLA'S POV~I ran after the bright orange light through the passages, and each time I came to a corner, the light was already at the other end of the hall. It would remain shining for a moment, then vanish, fading out with the giggle of a little girl.I wasn't the least bit comfortable with what was going on, but for some reason I kept on following the light until it came to a halt in front of a large door.The lantern sat there, shining brightly on the carvings on the wooden door. I walked slowly toward it, and when I reached it, I picked it up and let out a sigh.“What place is this now? I'm completely lost,” I said as I exhaled. I stared at the large door for a moment, then turned to a small knob that hung from it.I wrapped my fingers around the knob and was about to turn it when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.“What are you doing?” Marie's voice sounded behind me.I felt a chill go down my spine, and I instinctively sprung up from the ground in fear. I fell b
CHAPTER 13~GABRIELLA'S POV~“What do you want?” She asked, her voice sounding very stern.“Well, I just wanted to ask you some questions,” I answered as she tightened her grip on my arm.“Snapping your bone in two would be much too easy of a task if you get on my nerves. Do not disturb me while I'm working, or I will end your life. Do you understand?” She said this as she continued to tighten her grip.I groaned in pain and replied, “Yeah, yeah. Understood. Please let go!”She twisted my arm in the wrong direction and pushed me to the ground.“Owww!” I whimpered as I held onto my arm.“Hey, can I come see you after your work?” I asked, but she refused to reply. She resumed her position as the brick wall that she was, and nothing I said could get through to her.My brows furrowed, and I squinted my eyes at her. Hurting me like that wouldn't go unpunished; I was going to get revenge.I picked up my tray of hot cakes and snuck behind her to dump it on her head. I raised the tray up, and
CHAPTER 14~GABRIELLA'S POV~~EARLIER~“My lord, I was asked to come collect your clothes for dry cleaning." A maid I stood beside said as we both bowed to Alpha Steven at his door.“Please, come in,” Steven replied, opening his door a little wider for us to enter.We walked into the room, and he directed us to the area where he kept his unclean clothes. I and the maid started to pick them up one by one, and as we did, I noticed one was missing.“My lord…” I said it nervously.“Yes?” Steven replied. “How about the clothes you wore yesterday? The ones you went out with. I can't seem to find them here,” I said.“What do you mean? I never went out; you must have seen somebody else, perhaps one of the other warrior wolves,” Steven replied, then turned away from me to continue his work at his desk.“A warrior wolf, wearing royal garments? I highly doubt that. What in the hell is going on?” I thought to myself as I stared at him.~PRESENT~I made my way into the hall where the human statue
CHAPTER 15~GABRIELLA'S POV~The rays from the sun shot through the multiple windows on the external wall.My eyes felt heavy, and the lower lids had turned gray from tiredness. I wondered how Cortana survived without sleep; she was definitely not your average werewolf.I continued to stare at the wooden door, waiting for Cortana to awaken. As the rays from the sun reached her face, she let out a soft groan and then yawned, rubbing her eyes.She suddenly stopped, opened her eyes, and immediately sat up. “What tha! I fell asleep. How did that happen?" she questioned with shock on her face. I could tell she was definitely not a fan of the idea of sleeping.“I might be able to answer that question,” I said from behind her. She turned to face me, and before I knew it, tears started to seep out of her eyes.“Hey, what's wrong?” I asked, placing my palms on her shoulder.“I've failed; watching this door is the only reason I've stayed alive all my life; it's the only thing I know how to do,
CHAPTER 16~STEVENS POV~“I'm really proud of you, Steven. You've come really far on this agenda of yours. Farther than any Mortimer has ever come,” Evelyn said with a bright smile.She stood before me on the balcony of the mansion, wearing a golden dress and holding a glass of red wine.“Yes, it was always my father's dream to see me achieve great things. He wasn't too specific about what it would be, but as I grew up, I learned that there was no greater goal than this. Now that the council has agreed to support me, none of the other packs stand a chance,” I replied.“Once I finally take over all the other packs and gain a position in the council, all the other alphas will be made my subordinates, and any of them who dare to defy me will be punished painfully,” I continued.“You know, you're such a unique man. When you were younger, everyone saw you as strange and delusional; only your father, and of course, me, saw the potential you had. I only wish you you don't… forget me after yo