Irina’s POV
As soon as I am out the doors I run, pushing one foot in front of the other until the school is a tiny dot in the distance. Today hadn’t been as bad as it could have been with Vivian, I knew she saw me but maybe having her fiancé there was what stopped her. But, I could not get her evil grin out of my head, it was more sadistic than usual and in some ways I was glad Damien was there, just to stop her from torturing me for one day even if his scent was intoxicating
His scent! I didn’t understand why it was so strong around me??, surely others could smell it too. Is that why the other girls threw themselves at him. I come to a halt as I remember what my mother used to tell me. All the stories growing up she had told me that the day I find my mate, I would be overcome by a scent, a scent that only I could smell, a scent that called my wolf to his and vice versa.
Surely it couldn’t be possible, he was my half brother, we shared the same father, we were related by blood!! What was the Moon Goddess playing at!!
As I start walking again, a car screeches to a stop next to me, in the passenger seat was Vivian, chewing gum and playing with her hair, I wish I could build enough courage to throat punch her.
The window rolls down and she curls her lip at me, but it was Damien who spoke, much to her annoyance, he leans over her
“Need a ride?” his deep green eyes twinkle at me and for a moment I find myself lost in them, they were beautiful.
On the passenger seat, Vivian's eyes darken as she hears Damien. I was certain she would stab me if I dared to say yes
Shaking my head at him “No thank you”.
If I had only just found out that we were half brother and sister then no one else would know so I had to treat him for who he was, the Alpha’s son and that meant being polite.
Vivian giggles in her sweet voice, it just makes her sound more annoying than ever.
“Come on babe, she doesn’t want a lift. I told you already, she is a loner”
I watch as Damien frowns at her, but she had gone back to staring at her engagement ring, like it was the most important thing in the world and for just a second I felt jealous.
“Are you sure Irina?, you live a long way out”
Vivian bites her lip in the shadow of the car and her head snaps up to Damien “How do you know where SHE lives?”
Crap, crap. Crap! My address had been kept secret from everyone, only my father and now my half-brother knew where I lived, and I wanted to keep it that way. It would be awful if my bully knew where my house was
“I had to drop off some things to her mom from the Alpha” He rolls his eyes “Errands”
If I could see through the lie then she probably could too
Vivians’ eyes narrow, she didn’t believe him at all and I already knew tomorrow was going to be a day of hell.
“Are you sure, there plenty of room?” he gestures to the back seat, and I shake my head at him
“Thank you, but I like to walk”
He nods his head and pulls the car away as Vivian sticks two fingers up at me and I let out a long sigh. Looking up to the sky I just mouth why.
I take a different route home, just in case. Walking along the edge of the forest, I was desperate to go for a run and could not wait until I could shift, I bet running in wolf form would be even better, but I do as I was told and stay out of the forest line.
Standing just outside my home, I could hear my parents arguing about something and as I move closer, I realise they are talking about....ME???
I lightened my footsteps, just like how my mother had taught me. Creeping along under the kitchen window, holding my breath, listening carefully:
“We are doing this for her” The Alpha’s voice was low
“She is almost eighteen, we cannot keep this from her forever, she will find out eventually”
“Just give me more time”
“Irina does not have more time, I saw the way she looked at your son”
“No one can find out that she is not my daughter, it will be worse for her if they discover she is the daughter of a traitor”
I lean against the wall, screaming in my heart; It cannot be true!! All this time the Alpha had raised me as his own, treated me like his very own daughter but my biological father was the traitor, the Beta that almost ruined our pack??
“You have not got long to figure this out Alpha, once she turns eighteen her true nature will be revealed”
“I know Kelly. I lied to my son too”
There was a pause before the Alpha continues, “I told him you were the Gamma of your pack”
“But I am not the Gamma, I am the ….”
She trails off and I get distracted by a sound in the forest but when nothing appears I turn my attention back to my lying parents.
“Damien is due to marry and take over as Alpha soon, then this whole business with those two being mated will be over”
“You want to deny my daughter?”
“No, but…”
“There are no buts Alpha, she is eighteen in a few months, not only will she have Beta blood running through her, but she will have mine too”
“I know, I know but I need more time”
“More time for what exactly?, she is a female blood Alpha and it is my fault her birth father is dead”
I fall to the ground in complete shock. My mother had a status, but why did she choose to live as an omega?? Why was the Alpha hiding it?? Who was he trying to hide from?? What on earth was going on??
I stand back up, dusting myself down, ready to barrel in through the door and demand they tell me the truth when I smell that familiar scent again and he grabs me by the wrist
“Mate” Damien snarls as he pulls me away, he glances back at the house and I realise that he had heard everything too.
Damien’s POV I was disappointed when she declined the lift although as we drove away, Vivian gave me the third degree, accusing me of flirting with other girls and how I did not really love her. She was not wrong, but I was not going to tell her that yet. Driving up to her house, she whispers by my ear: "You know, I'm going to be home alone till dinner time". I know what she wants, she is waiting for sex. She has been asking since the day we got engaged, but I kept refusing her, telling her that we had to wait until we were married. I believe she has tried everything she could to try and lure me into sex. I admit she was attractive but something had me holding off, like my body knew she was not the one. I pushed her away, watching her disappear into her house angrily with a huge 'bang' of the front door. I felt relieved deep down in my heart. As I turned the car around, I head back in the direction where Irina had been walking. She was nowhere
Irina’s POV I couldn’t believe he was so easily willing to give up on his fiancée. They were perfect for each other! But as he watched me from the forest, I felt seen. It was an odd feeling, like he knew me better than anyone else, he knew Vivian had done something horrible to me. Even my own mother didn’t know I had a five inch scar on my hip from her. The way he asked me what she had done to me, he was concerned almost worried but he doesn’t push it and instead he let go of me. Inside my home, my fath… my Alpha had gone, my mother was sat at the kitchen table in tears, crumbled up tissues littered the table. “Why didn’t you tell me mom?” She looks up at me, dabbing her eyes with another tissue “Alpha is not my father, his old Beta was” “You heard” I nod my head and sit at the table opposite her, holding back the tears, I reach for her hand “You are an Alpha’s daughter?” She nods her head. “The
Damien's POV I could scent Irina before I saw her with my fiancee and I wondered why she had wandered so far this way, her house was on the very outskirts of the pack land. It was only as I looked out the window I saw Vivian wind her fingers into Irina’s hair. I don’t know why, but I just did not expect Vivian to be so cruel, so vindictive to those that would one day look up to her. They all hang their heads as I pace in front of them just inside the packhouse “Baby, please listen” Vivian begs me, trying to grasp my arm, but I didn’t want her to touch me, there was only one person I was willing to get close enough with and that was Irina “ENOUGH” I snap at all four of them “What do you think you were doing?” Vivian rolls her eyes, trying to change tactics “Come on ba
Irina’s POV He was going to be made Alpha tomorrow! I thought I had more time, I thought I would be able to leave the pack before then, but now, now he would be able to get in my head whenever he wanted and that was going to make it more difficult to push him away. Rejection was not an option. As an Alpha he could mark me against my will and I definitely did not want that. But if I could make myself less interesting, then maybe he would give up on me. “The whole pack will be there won’t they?” It was more of a statement to myself than a question. Obviously everyone would be there, it was a handover of power. Sometimes even neighbouring packs would be welcome. Maybe I could leave with them without anyone seeing me. “Yes”
Hey everyone. I know you are all eager for updates and I want to get it going for you too, but my editor is currently on leave for the Chinese New year and I need to wait for her to approve before the chapters can be uploaded. Hopefully it will not be long now and I will be able to give you daily updates. Which is my normal writing schedule for any of my books. I'm really sorry and hope you will remain patient for the updates. There's a alot of good stuff coming and I really hope you like it. Taylor West
Damien’s POV If I had stayed, her anger levels would have risen. I could feel how much she hated answering my questions. I was not doing it to upset her, I was doing it to protect her, to learn as much as I could about her. Irina was so angry when she shouted at me and unlike Vivian, I could feel the anger radiating off her like it was affecting me too. She was close to tears too. I wanted to hug her. I wanted to tell her that everything would be okay. I just knew that it would not have been welcomed. Instead, I leave. It was a lie, the crap she spun about helping her mom. If a house needed work, my father would sort it regardless of your status or rank. That was what a true Alpha did. Irina obviously felt that she neede
Irina’s POV The guy startled me as he stepped out of the forest. His short blonde hair catches the light and his eyes are a strange grey colour. I automatically jump to my feet and sink into a crouching position, remembering everything my mother had taught me. He holds his hands up surrendering “Calm down. My name is Shaun. I’m the Beta of Black Crescent. I am here to participate in Alpha Damien’s ceremony tomorrow. Are you okay?” I don’t care if he is a Beta and warn him that he was on Lonecrown’s territory, he laughs and tells me that it is actually neutral ground and he points out the boundary lines which circle the hot spring. Shaun moves around the hot spring and wipes my tears from my
Damien’s POV I let go of Irina at the sound of Vivians voice. Shit! Shit! Shit! Tears were already overflowing from Vivian’s eyes, and I hurry over to her “Are you going to say something?” her irritating voice is squeaky as she tries to wipe the tears away. “You didn’t let me finish Vivian” “Finish what?” “I was telling Irina that I wanted her to behave. My father invited her and her mother here. That is all” I should have just told her the truth and ended our relationship but for some reason my father wanted me to marry her and not Irina. Plus I needed to find out why Vivian had been in my fathers office. It was not what I want