Alpha Randall's green eyes looked down at her with anger and disgust as she tried to free herself from the chains that bound her hands.
"Alpha Randall..." She called out his name in fear as his huge frame stood over her, his dark, long hair loosely tied in a bun. The coldness of his stare told her all she needed to know - they had been found out.
Immediately, she feared for Aldric. Was he also caught? Is he safe? Questions ran through her mind as she also tried to concentrate on the man standing before her.
Klara sat beside her, tending to the wound on the left side of her temple. Reyana winced in pain when Klara administered a herb on the surface of the wound. That was when she realised she was hurt.
"The nerves..." Randall breathe out, still peering at her face.
Reyana tried to piece together the fragments of the events in her memory but everything was foggy and she couldn't recall how she got here.
"No... I..." She tried speaking when she heard someone walk into the room where she lay.
"Aldric?" She couldn't hide her confusion. "Wh..."
"Reyana. It's good to see you are finally awake. You got me worried," he stood beside her bed, his eyes unreadable.
Reyana had even more questions to ask but she was at a loss for words. Besides, she couldn't dare to ask those questions in front of the Alpha, not until she knows what's actually going on.
"Aldric... How did I..." She was about asking but Aldric's urgent words made her even more speechless.
"Do not attempt running away ever again, Reyana. You got us all worried," his voice was urgent but tender, which enraged Randall.
"We found you unconscious in the middle of the night out there in the woods. You obviously fell while running. What if something bad had happened to you?" Aldric went on, pulling her deeper into a web of confusion.
"What? Me? What do you mean?" Reyana attempted sitting up but the chains held her back.
"Enough!" Randall's voice thundered. He wasn't meant to care, but somehow, he was angry with the way Aldric spoke to Reyana. The care and concern in Aldric's voice made his blood boil.
There was acute silence in the room.
Reyana felt tears trickling down her cheek. She didn't need a witch to tell her what she needed to know - Aldric had made everything about her. She felt stupid for ever trusting him.
"Everyone, leave," Alpha Randall counted his words as he issued his command.
Everyone else let the room except Aldric.
"Now!" Randall thundered in authority, making Aldric leave the room without an argument.
Reyana felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving her gasping for breath as her heart pounded in her chest like a drum. Randall's eyes pierced into her with an intensity that made her skin prickle with unease.
Randall took calm, calculated steps toward the edge of the bed and sat quietly on it.
Their proximity made Reyana's eyes brim with unshed tears. Her throat felt tight, her voice barely above a whisper as she struggled to find the words to express her remorse. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Shhhh...." He lifted his finger, gesturing for her not to say a word as he massaged his temples with his fingers - an exercise he always carried out whenever he feels like he's loosing control of himself.
"Why?" His voice was eerily calm as he adjusted himself to face her, his gaze penetrating into her soul. "Why do you insist on testing my patience, Reyana?" His hand moved slowly, reaching for her face with a touch as cold as ice, his fingers grazing her cheek with a tenderness that belied the rage simmering beneath the surface.
His cold touch sent chills as well as an electrifying sensation through her whole body. She didn't dare to say a word because she could see the effort her was putting in restraining himself from hurting her at that moment.
"Reyana?" He called softly as he brushed a strand of her hair away from her face with a gentleness that made her heart skip a beat.
"Answer me!" He demanded, his voice thundering in the small room as he angrily punched the wall just behind the headrest of the bed, making her flinch in fear.
"I... I was scared... I am sorry... I... Please, forgive me, Alpha," she stuttered between sobs.
"Reyana, you can never run away from me. I alone can let you go, and that is a privilege I will never grant," He steadied his trembling body as he spoke in a flat tone.
"I will ensure that you are confined to the four walls of this pack," he declared, his voice ringing with authority. "Never again will you set foot beyond the borders of our territory." He stated firmly.
Reyana who had been crying profusely spoke up, "why not just kill me already? You can never accept me as your mate... You have a woman you love so much... You hate me with every breath you take... Why hold on to me? Let me go and I promise never to return to your pack ever again, I swear by the Moon Goddess..." Her small voice bore the weight of her anguish as her sobs grew louder.
Randall felt a sharp pain in his heart at her plea for rejection. He hated her, but he was never going to reject her... Never!
She spoke again, breaking the silence that had enveloped them, "I swear with my life, Alpha Randall, I never asked Valerie to accompany me on that fateful day. If only you can give me a chance to tell you all I know about that day, you'd understand that you have a bigger enemy you never know you have... I..."
"You don't deserve to say her name, Reyana," he said in a dead tone before standing up and walking out of the room.
"Prepare an Arcane bind. It's time to teach her the hard way," Randall ordered Klara who was waiting patiently outside the door.
"Yes, Alpha," she bowed as he went out of sight.
***
Visha gingerly stepped out of the dimly lit bathroom, her face contorted in pain as she clutched her injured arm. The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows across the stone walls, highlighting the severity of the deep cut she had sustained in the bathroom on her hand.
Blood trickled down her fingers, staining the rough-hewn floor beneath her feet.
With a grimace, she hurried across the chamber to her dressing table, the wooden floorboards creaking softly with each step.
Reaching the table, Visha rummaged through a collection of vials and jars until she found what she was looking for—a small pot of salve and a roll of clean linen bandages.
She winced as she applied the soothing ointment to her wound, the coolness of the salve providing some relief from the throbbing pain. As she wrapped the bandage tightly around her hand, she couldn't help but curse her clumsiness.
A knock on her door startled her as she quickly put away the bandages and ointment she was using.
She hurriedly threw on a long dress with sleeves which covered the bandage on her hand.
"Come on in," she said to whoever was at the door.
The wooden door creaked open and Randall walked in.
"Randall..." She called excitedly as she hurried towards him and wrapped her slender arms around him in a tight hug, "I missed you, Randall. I was worried when you left last night. I am sorry I got you angry," she had so much to say that she wanted to say them all at once.
Randall couldn't help but chuckle at her sweetness, "easy, warrior," he teased, planting a kiss on her forehead. "It's alright. You don't have to say too much."
She flashed him a beautiful smile which turned sour immediately, "How is Reyana?" she asked with a heavy voice filled with concern, "I heard you found her unconscious in the woods?"
"Yes. She is awake now."
Visha waited for him to say more, but that was all he was going to say, "What was she doing all alone in the woods?"
"She attempted to run away from the pack." He left her by the door and walked into the room, his eyes scanning the environment. He smelt something unusual.
"Poor Reya... I hope she gets better soon. I'll pay her a visit." she was lost in thoughts when Randall's question brought her back to reality.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked, wondering why she would want to pay her potential rival a visit.
"Of course. I feel bad for her. It's only normal for me to pay her a visit, to show her how much I care," she smiled and walked closer to him.
"You have such a good heart, Visha." he gently held her arm and playfully pulled her towards himself when she winced in pain.
"Visha? What is wrong?" he observed her carefully.
"It's nothing," she lied. But her lie caught up with her when Randall saw the blood stain on her sleeve.
"Blood?" He half-yelled, "What happened to you?" without waiting for a response, he rolled up the sleeve of her dress, exposing the deep cut on her hand. It wasn't looking good.
"What the hell happened to you, Visha?"
She stood silent, trying to find the right words to say. She hadn't prepared for this moment.
The air around the dimly lit office cracked with dark energy as a tall, imposing figure stood like a shadow amid the darkness as he listened intently to the report being delivered to him."There is still no luck, Alpha. Our ally is doing everything possible to get the assignment done, but the Blood Crescent pack is one hard nut to crack," The soft ethereal voice of a lady reported.The tall figure clad in a long black cloak turned around to face the bearer of the message. His eyes, pools of inky darkness, gleamed with an intensity that portrayed his displeasure.His rugged masculinity and commanding presence were like that of a god among mortals."For how long?" His deep voice, low and menacing sliced through the air."Just a little more time, Alpha," The young woman replied with a bow."Time is something I do not have, Jasina," Alpha Novak replied in a deadly tone."I know, Alpha. I'll make sure you don't have to wait for so long anymore. I'll come up with a plan," She tried to pacif
Aldric sat up on the bed, "A woman? In the woods?""Yes, Aldric. She was no ordinary person.""What do you mean? Who was she and where was she from? Did she say something to you?""She's from our pack. I never saw her face because she was well covered as if she was hiding something. She was hastily walking towards the border. She had a very dark energy, Aldric. She is a witch," Reyana explained.Aldric let out a slight chuckle, "Reya..." he fondled her messy hair, "Have you been having those nightmares again?" he smiled at her."What have my nightmares got to do with this, Aldric?" She asked with furrowed brows."Remember we found you unconscious in the woods? You must have had one of those nightmares when you were unconscious, making you think all you saw was real...""Stop it, Aldric! I know what I saw! How do you think I ended up half-dead in the middle of the woods? She used black magic on me!" She almost yelled out of frustration"But, Reya, in as much as I'd love to believe you,
It had been two long days since Reyana had last felt the cold grip of chains around her wrists. She had been released and was free to go about her usual activities around the pack.She stood before the mirror, her hands trembling as she brushed her hair in an attempt to regain some semblance of normalcy as she prepared to go out and get something to do with her time. She was done healing.As she stared at her reflection, Reyana's thoughts drifted to Alpha Randall, the man whose presence had become an ever-present shadow in her mind. Since that fateful night, she had not laid eyes on him, and Aldric on the other hand had been keeping his distance.Reyana was eager to go out and mingle with people because she was tired of feeling trapped and frustrated. She was finally a prisoner in her pack.Her heart sank as her gaze fell upon the bracelet adorning her wrist – the Arcane bind. A single tear traced a path down her cheek.The Arcane bind sat mockingly on her wrist. As harmless as it loo
The air crackled with tension as Reyana's heart hammered against her ribcage, her every breath coming out in shallow, ragged gasps. She could see the flicker of surprise in his green eyes.For a moment, time seemed to grind to a halt. Randall's world shrunk to a suffocating darkness as Reyana's words echoed through the caverns of his soul deep down the depths of his existence.Fear, anger, hurt, and pain intertwined in a suffocating embrace, constricting his chest with an iron grip as he felt a knot in his stomach.Reyana's boldness caught him off guard, her audacity piercing through the armor he had carefully crafted around his heart. He never expected her to reject him.Reyana felt fear sipping through the cracks of her fearless facade as Randall's silence and lack of expression sent icy chills down her spine.After almost an eternity of silence, Alpha Randall let out a smile... That was the first time she'd ever seen him smile, and she couldn't deny that he had the most charming sm
"The coronation is in four days," Aldric remarked, gently fondling her hair as they both sat in a hidden place somewhere around the garden with Reyana lying in his arms.Reyana wasn't so sure how to react. She knew how hurt Aldric must have been feeling at that point."You also have the Arcane bind on your wrist..." he stated, unconsciously running his fingers around the bind on her wrist.Reyana was still quiet, waiting to see where he was headed."This means we are stuck in the pack. There is no escape from here," his voice was low and sad.Reyana felt a painful thud in her heart as she sat up to face him, "Aldric... I love you," she declared, gazing into his hurtful eyes, "No matter what happens, we'll still be together. It's a good thing the Alpha doesn't want me. We can keep on seeing each other, just like right now."Aldric chuckled, "I wish it was that simple, Reya. As soon as you are crowned Luna, you officially become his.""I'll only be his Luna, not his lover nor his wife.
Klara listened with rapt attention to all Reyana told her. She looked closely at the dagger in her hand and thought of the best way to go about it."You mentioned something about it being poisonous, right?" Klara asked, still taking a proper look at the dagger."Yes, it is," Reyana replied, scanning the dimly lit environment to be sure no one was in sight."Although I haven't had anyone come to me for treatment of any injury for a long time. Are you very certain this person is from this pack?" Klara asked with furrowed brows."Yes, I am. She called me by name, Klara," Reyana's response had no doubt in it."Okay. I still think the Alpha has to be aware of this. It might help in our search for this person," Klara suggested."No..." Reyana quickly objected, "He'll never believe me. This happened on the same night I attempted to leave the pack. He might think I made up the story. We can tell him when we have proof of who this person is."Klara thought about her point and it was valid. The
Reyana knocked on the small wooden door as she waited patiently for a response.She pushed the door open when the door was answered."Reyana, you came back?" Klara asked with furrowed brows."Yes, Klara. I forgot to bring along the herbs you asked me to pick for you," Reyana explained, setting down the basket of herbs with a thud.Klara's eyes softened with gratitude as she glanced at the bounty Reyana had brought. "Oh, thank you, Reyana. You shouldn't have gone through all this trouble."Reyana waved off her concern with a smile. "It's no trouble at all, Klara. I was bored anyway. What are you working on?" She asked curiosity piqued as she observed Klara mixing herbs in a small bowl."It's for the Alpha," Klara replied, her voice tinged with sadness as she continued meshing the herbs in the bowl."The Alpha?" Reya was puzzled, "Is he sick?" She asked, hoping he'd just die and let her live her life.Klara shook her head slowly. "Not exactly," she murmured, her gaze distant.Reyana sen
Reyana felt the entire world spinning as the realization of who the bearer of the voice was came crashing down on her. Randall.His grip on her wrist tightened, sending a jolt of fear coursing through her veins. She could feel the heat of his body radiating behind her, his closeness suffocating her."What are you doing here, Reyana?" His voice sliced through the tense silence, dripping with malice and accusation."I... I..." Her voice wavered, her mind racing for an excuse to escape the suffocating atmosphere, "Klara asked me to bring your potion, Alpha. I'll be on my way now," She managed to stutter out through rasped breaths as she attempted to leave at once.Reyana still had her back pressed against the solid wall of Randall's chest, the mere thought of turning around to face him filling her with dread. She couldn't bear the thought of looking into his eyes.She took a few steps away from him, but Alpha Randall who still had his iron grip on her small wrist forcefully pulled her ba