CHAPTER NINE

Through the dense fabric of time, a heart that was once warm turned ice, so cold that even time itself could not warm it, it distances itself from warmth for it doesn’t seem to see the use of the warmth it brought to him, his once warm heart died, the day his loved one died. No one knew if it would ever beat the same again.

RICK’S POV

Searching for my mate felt like looking for a ghost, an invisible being, that had never existed. Some Lycans got their mate the moment they awaken as Lycans. But mine?

Seems impossible.

My father tried dragging me to every gathering imaginable to find my mate, but nothing ever happened. Eventually, I gave up the idea.

Loneliness became my shadow.

The one person, who was meant to stand by my side, my brother, took his own life for love. The only family I rely on vanished in a single moment.

The only person who stayed by my side was my beta, Charles; the death of my brother left a scar carved deep into my soul.

And for that, I hated the werewolves, with everything in me.

A week after the king’s death, I decided to carry on with my revenge, since he never allowed me to say a word on that, I didn’t understand why we couldn’t avenge my brother, the werewolves were the reason for his death and yet he kept quiet, he is a decisive person but he kept chilled on this.

I have promised myself to avenge him no matter what it takes, even if it is at the cost of my life, and I will kill anyone who tries to stop me, now that my father is dead,

I won’t tolerate anyone anymore. Charles is in support of this because they killed his sister; he could have been the only one who would have stopped me. We have been best friends since diapers. He was the only one who truly understood.

The day we decided to attack the werewolves, something deep inside me was excited not because of the revenge but something else,

The Attack

“The dungeon is ready,” Charles said, through the mind link.

“How many men should we go with?” he asked.

“Do what you want,” I replied. “Minor details don’t concern me.”

We arrived at the school, and we came earlier than expected, because it seems like they were making plans to escape us,

I went for the alpha kids first. I will find those informants they had in my pack later.

As we approached a larger section of the school, it was separated from the other buildings. I assumed it to be the principal’s office.

A scent that hit me like lightning.

My mate.

My mate?

A werewolf?

The moon goddess must be mocking me.

First, she took my brother.

Then my mother, took my family?

She kept me without a mate for a thousand years, only to choose a mate for me from my enemies.

That’s most likely ridiculous, cruel, and insane.

“Let me check this room. You should go and handle the others,” Charles suggested.

I nodded my head and went to the other side.

I don’t think I'm ready to face my mate. Not yet. Not when the bond felt like a storm in my chest.

But one thing I know for sure is that I want the werewolves' pack to suffer.

I made sure that no one was left in that school.

When I returned to the car, Charles was leaning against it, arms folded, lost in thought.

He looked shaken.

I ignored it.

I cracked, my voice to bring him back to the moment, and he looked scared for some reason.

I didn’t want to meddle with that, so I ignored him.

“What should we do with the alphas?” he asked.

“Killed them,” I replied.

He nodded and walked off.

I became so drained by today’s event, that I decided to go and rest for the day.

Nightfall

“I lie here, my heart as cold as the sheets beneath me, wondering when the numbness will fade.” Its emptiness echoes in my heart, I’ve felt it for so long.

“I’ve grown accustomed to this loneliness, but sometimes it feels like a shroud, suffocating me.” But with everything that happened today, “perhaps things will change.”

Morning

A commotion outside woke me. I dressed as fast as I could, stepping outside, the morning was showing its magnificent glory. I heard some commotion outside. Watching what was happening, I grasped the rail. It felt like ages to go down the stairs. For some reason, I felt so excited.

I almost tripped, because of how fast I was walking, but I had to slow down at the door, I had to calm my nerves down, and maintain my usual aura, cause I'm losing it.

As I was going down.

That’s when I saw him.

My mate.

I didn’t know why the moon goddess paired with a guy but I definitely appreciate how she created him.

He was breathtaking.

My eyes locked on him while I descended the stairs, “his crimson hair blazed with a fierce intensity as if it was fueled by some inner flames.” It has a warm golden undertone, like embers glowing softly in the dark.

“His eyes sparkled like emeralds in the sunlight, a vibrant green that seemed to dance with every moment.” His eyes gleam with a mischievous spark, drawing me in like a magnet.

His body is so frail, as delicate as the ****, his slim Weist. Just about the size of my curved, like it was perfectly made for me, and those tiny, long legs, how am I supposed to resist him in the future, without the mate bond?

He is stunningly handsome; he is so cute that I cease breathing for a while without realizing it.

This is the kid from the principal’s office Charles said, as he dragged him to the floor, ruthlessly

Something in me snapped.

My heart flamed.

My fists tightened.

My body moved down as fast as I could

I stormed down and grabbed Charles by the collar.

“Why did you touch him?” I snarled.

How dare he touch my mate?

What gave him the confidence to touch what is mine?

I was so irritated, I finally let his collar when I saw that he was almost out of breath.

“Take him to the room opposite mine,” I commanded. That is, I suppose, as I walk out of the room, remembering I didn’t know his name.

“What’s your name?”

“Gray,” he answered softly,

I lowered my head, trying to hide the smile tugging at my lips.

Gray.

His name suits him, mysterious yet calm.

And his voice! It wasn’t just pleasant it was melodic, smooth like music that refuses to leave my head.

When I reached the council room, chaos had already taken over, chairs pushed aside, and low murmurs rippled through the air like an uneasy whisper in the storm.

I could hear them even before stepping in, right from the mansion’s walls to the conference room; they were nervous, their voices trembling with fear as they greeted.

Most of them were terrified they might suffer the same curse that the werewolves had suffered if this continued.

The moment I entered, silence struck like a blade. Every eye dropped to the floor, and the same mouths that had been complaining moments ago were sealed shut.

Cowards.

“Does anyone have anything to say?” I asked, my voice slicing through the tension.

No one moved, no one spoke, the air reeked of fear and submission, and it disgusts me.

Then the door creaked open.

The seer walked in, her cloak brushing the ground like a whisper from the dead. Her cloudy eye lifted towards me.

“Trouble,” she said, her voice trembling like thunder in the distance.

“Trouble has befallen this pack.”