I wake with a start. It is execution day."Hey!" a voice says.I look over to the crack. The girl in the next cell is peering at me."You're awake," she says. "Finally."I sit up. "I was dreaming," I tell her.I stop short of telling her it was about an Alpha mate of my own choosing."Are you ready?" she asks."Ready for what?""For the plan!" she cries.A sudden jolt of dread hits me. It is execution day.I try to compose myself. "Of course I'm ready," I say. "I will follow you.""Good," she says. "Good."I get up and peer through the crack in the doorway. I can see the hallway. The guards are waiting outside my cell. Several of them. I guess they're not taking any chances.They turn and pace toward me. I move back from the door.It opens.A guard steps inside."Are you ready for the gallows?" he says.I hold my chin high. "I'm ready."I have the herb in my pocket. If the girl is telling the truth about it, I will soon be free."Let's go," he says.He takes my arm
We run for our lives. Through the darkness. Through the night.We run until we can run no more.Then we walk until the last ounce of strength leaves are bodies.Only then, do we stop.We sit in a clearing.My feet are sore.But I don't care. I am free."I can't believe we made it," I say."The village isn't too far," the girl tells me. "We should reach it by tomorrow."I yawn. "Is it safe to go to sleep?"She nods. "The pack won't track us. As long as we don't light a fire. Can you cope with the cold?"I shiver, but nod. "What happens now?"The girl smiles. "Tonight we will rest and we will speak of home and family. Tomorrow we will go to the village.""Family," I say, thinking of my mother. "You know, you never told me about yourself. About how you came to be Romulus' mate."She smiles. "I'm just a simple girl. From a village. I lived with my mother." Her smile fades."What happened?" I ask."Romulus came," she says. "And he took me.""How?""I was out in the fields,
The wolves take us back to their den.Deep in the woods, they lead us to a cave.I am glad to get out of the cold and the dark. But I am scared about what my captors will do to me.I can't see where the girl is.They have taken her somewhere else.The Alpha takes me to a room.There is a fire inside. I warm my cold hands. Soon, I stop shivering.He sits and looks at me. He has not said a word yet."What do you want with me?" I ask.The white wolf looks at me. He growls.Then he bites me.Hard.It's so sudden I scream.I grab my arm. I try to push the wolf away.The wolf holds on.The wolf holds on and he does not let go.My arm is in excruciating pain. I feel like I am going to pass out.I cry out.I fight as hard as I can.I kick and scream.But the wolf does not let go.I scream and scream and scream.But he does not let go.I feel faint.Everything goes black.I wake up in a cold, dark cell.My arm, where I was bitten, is wrapped in bandages.I try to sit
The guard leads me through dark corridors. The lair is scary. Gloomy. I shiver as I follow him.He stops by a door. "In there," he says.I shake as I open the door.But inside, there is no executioner waiting for me. There are no gallows.Inside, there is the Alpha.I am confused.The door slams behind me.He turns and fixes me in his amber eyes."You survived the night," he says.It is the first time I have heard him speak."Yes," I say.He gives a little sigh. "Come here."I step towards him.He puts his hand on my back. He presses me against his chest. I can feel his heartbeat.It is quick.He moves his hand from my back, leaving his fingers on my bandage. He pulls it off my arm.He looks at my bite. "It's healing well."I look down. His fang marks have scabbed over.I nod."That's good.""Why?""It means we are destined. Just like I thought."I realize what is happening. The guard was lying. I have been claimed after all.And I realize I am not scared.Held
White Alpha's POVI pace back and forth in my den. How can this be happening?I know she is the one. My mate. I know we are destined to be together.I can feel it. I knew it from the first moment I laid eyes on her.But I was too hasty to bite her. I did not think it through.I was overwhelmed with my desire. I bit her before I knew her.The smell of death on her lingers in my nose.She is a killer.I cannot be with a killer.I have made mistakes before. The pack gave me another chance. If I get it wrong again, they will turn me out.I cannot take the risk on her.She is a killer.If I can smell death on her, the others will too.I pace around my den.I am angry and sad and hurt.I already miss her.I know I will not be able to stay away from her.She will call to me.She will call to me and I will go to her.I know I will.I cannot resist her.She is my mate.I want her here. I want to talk to her. I want to be with her. I want to make everything better.I want
HER POVI wake in my cell.I can't believe what happened yesterday.The Alpha claimed me. Then rejected me. Because I killed Romulus.If he understood why I did it, would it change anything?I had to kill him before he mated with me against my will.It was self defense.I know in my heart the white Alpha is my mate. He knows it too, or he would not have claimed me.Something is wrong.Something is holding him back.The door opens. It's the guard. They've come to take me to my death. To my execution.I can’t believe it. My mate is going to kill me. I wish I could explain to him that I killed another Alpha, a man who claimed me against my will.I feel bitter. I found my true mate. Now he is sentencing me to death.I walk through the hall with the guard.We reach the center gallows.The pack is small, but they watch me eagerly.I think of my friend who they killed. I should hate my Alpha, but I cannot. I know he is good. I know something is holding him back from loving me
The woods are dark. Branches snag at us as we run.We run together, nimble and fleet-footed.We have no supplies. We have no map.I am scared. But I am happy. I am with my mate. We are running away together.I am tired, but I do not slow down.We run all day.But I do not care. I am with my Alpha. I feel safe, warm, loved.A wolf howls behind us. He sounds close."Are they following?" I ask as I run."They have already scented us," my Alpha says."Then we must hide," I say."We will hide in the mountain," he says. "I know a cave where they can't scent us. We will be safe there until daybreak."He leads me through the woods. I trust his guidance. I know he will keep me safe."I love being with you," I tell him.He smiles. "I love being with you, too."Suddenly, a noise comes from the undergrowth.We both freeze.A wolf leaps at us. Teeth bared. He attacks my mate.He goes for the neck.My Alpha jumps.The attacker's teeth sink into his shoulder.Red blood stains his
John's POVI stalk back through the forest. I am furious. I cannot believe my Alpha chose a peasant girl over me. A murderer.I am too ashamed to return to my pack.I told them I would kill the girl and bring him back. But I did not. I could not. When I saw my Alpha and saw the love he had for her, I could not kill her.But now what?I will have to return to the den eventually.I have an idea.I know of a sorceress who lives in these forests. If I can find her cabin, I can get her to put a spell on the girl.My Alpha will be heartbroken. But at least he will be alive and back with the pack where he belongs.I am his Beta. I will do what I must to get back my Alpha.I break through the trees and behold the cabin. A small cabin. It is old and small.I knock on the door.It is opened by a wizened old woman. The sorceress.She is hunched over. Barely standing. She has a dog, a small dog that is her familiar.They both look up when they see me."It's a wolf," the dog growls.