Chapter 5

LEANNA’S POV

“Get away from him!” I yelled, my voice cracking with rage as I found myself plastered in between the wild alpha and my mate. 

I let out a low growl as I stared the alpha down. Too high on adrenaline to realize I was standing at a height similar to him. 

We stood across each other, the clearing stunned silent as neither of us moved a bit. I stared into his obsidian slits, catching the faint outline of a wolf staring back at me. 

Disbelief thrummed in my veins as I watched that image slowly fade. It was then I realized the black alpha had started backing away slowly, until he was right next to the bushes he walked out of.

I watched as he threw me a withering glance before he bolted into the bushes and out of my line of sight. I silently let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, as I turned to face the pond at the center of the clearing.

I knew what I was at that moment. The feeling of power that thrummed in my muscles, the feeling of crisp leaves beneath my limbs, the enhanced vision that made everything seem slower than they were, the multitude of scents that wafted into my nostrils, the sounds that creened from each and every direction. 

I knew what it all meant. But as I stood and stared at my reflection in the lake, I realized I was still unprepared to face the truth. 

The moonlight shone on my silvery white fur, casting an ethereal glow as my piercing blue slits stared back at me. My muscles hummed with every breath. A testament to the power that laid beneath.

I looked every bit like the wolf my mother was. Except for the tuft of purple fur that hung naturally between my eyes. Adding a layer of purple to my pupils.

“I…got my wolf?” I muttered incomprehensibly as I found it hard to adjust to the change in vocal cords. 

Tears brimmed in my eyes as they fell into the lake below. Casting ripples across my figure. Obscuring my vision of the sight I yearned to see.

I turned my gaze up to the moon as I let out a raging howl. Filled with barely suppressed emotions. I wasn’t sure how long I howled but I was forced to stop as a wave of exhaustion threatened to overwhelm me.

And before I knew it, I returned to my human form. I didn’t have to check to know my clothes were most likely shredded to pieces. 

I looked down to see patches of cotton hang lazily on my body. I didn’t utter a word, silently grateful for the fact that I wasn’t stark naked like I thought I’d be.

I looked down at my mate, before slinging him over my shoulders, only hesitating briefly before deciding to take him back to my place. 

The journey back was easier than I expected as I followed the hidden path I always used. I wasn’t about to explain to the entire clan that there was an injured human who just happened to be my mate.

I threw on a change of clothes, before deciding still to take him with me to see my grandfather. Especially since he was still unconscious.

I rushed to the hall where my grandfather was surely going to be, ignoring the weird looks being thrown my way by the other members.

“Halt!” I was stopped at the entrance of the hall by two of our warriors who looked to be on guard duty. A moon ago, I would’ve been cowed by their beastly auras but in that moment, it felt like nothing more than a cold breeze.

“I’m going to see my grandfather. Let me pass,” I said, my tone devoid of the shyness it once carried. I felt endlessly confident after getting my wolf, and my mate. I knew then that nothing could shake me.

“Were you summoned?” The gruffier one asked casually, flicking a snot particle at my feet. A feeling of indignation burned within me as I stared at him, letting my instincts take over.

I watched as his expression turned slowly. Becoming sour for a moment, before beads of sweat rolled down his face, until he dropped to his knees gasping for air.

“Please stop. I’m sorry,” he kept on repeating as he crumbled to all fours. His previously pompous figure now cutting a sorry sight.

I didn’t pay him any heed as I walked into the hall with my mate still hanging off me. I threw him a quick look, eager for him to awaken. I couldn’t wait to learn everything about him, starting with his name.

I ignored the gazes filled with confusion boring into my back as I closed the door behind me. 

The echoes of my footsteps surely announced my arrival before I came face to face with him. 

“Leanna,” he said, still face down as he decided his affairs were infinitely more important than whatever I had sought him out for. 

A wave of indignation burned within me as I tried my best to keep my cool. “Grandfather,” I let out indifferently.

I wasn’t sure if it was my tone, or if he sensed the presence of someone else, but he finally raised his head to address me.

I watched as his gaze flickered from my features, to that of my mate. A foreboding sensation gradually overwhelmed me as I watched his gaze flicker from suspicion to confirmation.

“Human?” He let out slowly as he rose up from his seat. His figure towered easily over anyone I had ever met. Save for the wild alpha. 

“You brought a human back to the village?” he asked once again, his voice simmering like a volcano on the verge of explosion.

I gritted my teeth as I stared him down. I was fully aware of what would happen the minute I walked in here. I want about to let him walk over me.

“He’s not just any human, he’s my mate,” I hissed, straightening my spine as I matched his gaze. Palpable tension filled the air, until my grandfather’s billowing voice broke it.

“Foolish! A wolf can’t mate with a human! It’s unheard of!” he growled. His booming voice shook the entire hall as the building creaked.

“I don’t care! He’s mine and there’s nothing you can say to dissuade me,” I spat, twisting on my heels as I decided I had gotten more than enough of his questions.

“Silly child, as long as I am your alpha, you will do as I command. And I command you to leave that human here and return to your quarters,” he growled in an imperious tone that left no room for argument.

I gritted my teeth as anger simmered beneath my skin. It was this hierarchy again. How many times was I going to be subjected to the silly rules that governed our society.

I turned to face him, fire practically spilling from my eyes as I growled with as much force as I could muster. “In that case, I’ll be the alpha and make my own rules.”

“Foolish child. You will never be alpha. No one will accept a woman who can’t even invoke her wolf,” he spat. His tone dripping with derision.

I fought back the urge to tell him about my wolf just to see the look on his face. Instead, I did what I knew I would have to eventually.

“In that case, I invoke my right to attempt the LUNAR TRIALS!” I half-yelled and in that instant, the imperious expression on his face shattered as the ringing of bells filled the ears of each and every clan member.

Informing them of my decision. Leaving me without any room to back out. We stood in silence as I stared at him with a defiant gaze that brooked no weakness.