Chapter 6

Arianna POV:

Pam, Pam! There's a knock on the door. I look at the clothes that have been ripped on the floor. My mate begins to pace behind the desk, his hand dishevelling his hair.

We have to think of something fast, as the scent of the heat is still in the air. It won't take her a second to know what happened here. 

Another knock comes, harder this time.

“Kael?” Lucia asks behind the door. 

He looks calm or if he is scared he is definitely hiding it well. He swears softly and opens the windows. We hear voices but they are distant so they should not be able to get a view of the Alpha's office.

My wolf stirs restlessly, especially from the bond that has been sealed between us. His gaze meets mine and lingers a bit. His silver eyes glow faintly in the dim light, a mark of the bond’s completion. 

“Stay here,” he murmurs, wearing a set of clothes he has in the office. He is half way through buttoning it then Lucia’s voice comes again, it sounds closer this time. 

“Are you in there? Is everything alright?”

“Hold on a bit.” Kael replies.   

I feel my face go red in embarrassment as I attempt to dress, but it is of no use. The thought of his chosen mate finding out in this manner. It felt like I was sneaking around with my mate. My wolf purrs at the thought of another woman entitled to our mate. 

He guides me under the table and blocks my view. A few moments later the door is being opened and Lucia’s voice is in the room. 

“What took you so long?” She asks. 

“I had to round up what I was doing.”

Heels click on the floor as she seems to be approaching the desk. My heart skips a bit and my palms are feeling sweaty. If news gets out it would be seen as cheating on another person's mate because she is the mate the pack recognises and no pack takes it lightly.

He is the Alpha, my chest tightens and my stomach churn with the urge to throw up at the thought of being kept a secret. I am the pride of my pack, my dad will never allow such a thing. 

“I have missed you,” Lucia says. Muah! “Why are the windows all open?”

My wolf wails and I block her. She could wail for hours and I am not feeling up for that at this moment. 

My knees were cramped under the desk but I didn't move, afraid I would make a sound. I was under the desk with little pieces of clothes, what was left of the top. 

My mind went to my mum, what would she say if she found out I was hiding from my mate's mate? I watched my parents so in love with each other as mates that my dad didn't even take a chosen mate after my mum passed. 

“Does the stranger know about the situation of her pack?” Lucia asks. 

I shift the chair by the desk slightly and Kael coughs. “Can we talk about this later?”

“Alright. I will see you later.”

The door shuts and the footsteps this time are bolder as they approach the desk. 

“You can come out now.” 

I come out from the desk. I pull my hair to one side and his eyes flicker to my bare neck, lingering for just a few seconds and back to my face. His face carries a trace of guilt and my chest tightens. There's a feeling in my guts, I am not going to like the next thing. 

“What–” I start.

“We went to confirm your story on the attack on your pack,” Kael pauses, scattering his hair a bit then puts his hands in his pockets and continues. “The whole pack was burnt to the ground.” 

My throat tightens. I couldn't breathe again, it felt like my oxygen supply ran out. I place my hands on my chest, bend slightly and straighten my posture. Then he moves towards me, but I hold my hands up and he stays away.

What happened? No one survived? I won't see Dad and my brother again? What does this mean?

I have a lot of questions but my mouth is just open, as I didn't seem to find words to say. I feel my eyes water. He hands me a pair of clothes which I quickly wear. I head for the door, he pulls my arm just as I reach.

“Are you okay?” 

“Of course, I am so happy to hear my pack is no more.” I reply, pulling my hands away. I leave the office and thankfully he doesn't stop me. 

The faster I can get out of here the better. I need air, space, anything to steady my ranging heart and mind to think properly. The moment I step outside the town hall, the cold night wind slaps my face, clearing my senses. I need to leave this pack, it's not like I am needed here and the people that attacked us that night are still out there.

There are people in the town square, the smell of burning wood fills the air from the fire in the centre and distant shatters from different people. The moon shined brightly today. I pulled the sweater over my head and kept my head down, walking through their midst towards the field where the forest was close. 

I am away from the pack members in the field. 

A rough voice calls out behind me. “Hey, pretty thing.”

I turn. A group of five young males lean against the wall, they seem half-drunk and were looking for a rush of adrenaline, definitely the kind to stay away from.

“Never seen you before,” one says, stepping closer. “You one of Alpha’s little spies?”

My pulse quickens. “No,” she says carefully. “I am–new.”

“Oh, new,” another echoes, grinning. “We will like to have a taste.”

They spread out and circle me. There's a gleam in their eyes that was wrong as their eyes scan my body and I pull the sweater close. It didn't mean anything good. I feel the need to run but I doubt how far my legs will carry me.

“Stay back,” I warn softly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

This seems funny to them as they were laughing. I am not sure I heard myself correctly too, but my heart is beating quite loudly while my mind is racing. 

The first one lunged, faster than any human could move. Fuck were wolves special abilities now. I need super special abilities if I would survive this group because their movements were not in any way sluggish. 

Before I thought of it, I side step, grab his wrist, giving it a twist so fast. There was a crack then he fell to the ground leaving the others staring at themselves. 

I glance at my hands trying to understand what just happened. I took up Luna responsibilities from my mum after her death, but they didn't come with martial arts lessons. I didn't know I had that in me.

Another came at me. With more confidence this time I duck and sweep legs whilst slamming my elbow into his ribs, not even losing my breaths. The urge to shift is so strong and I bare my teeth to them. 

Two left rushes towards me. I spin, land a kick and he falls with a loud thud. The final one manages to grab my arm which I used to hold onto him then I flip the guy that's twice my size face flat on the ground, he is still holding onto me preparing to bounce back when a spark erupts under my skin, like moonlight bursting through flesh. My wolf purrs loudly. I don't understand what's going on. 

He yelps and releases my hands as if they're flames.

I stumble back and stare at my hands. They glow faintly and my veins are illuminating like a neon light in the dark. As quickly as it came the glow faded.

The wolves lay groaning on the ground, none dead but with bruises and crack bones. 

I hear voices coming in the distance so I run quickly. 

My breath is heavy as I slip into the forest beyond the wall. Branches snag my sweater. 

I sink to my knees beneath the leaves underneath my feet and clutch my head. Am I some sort of superman? What happened in the moon goddess?

Everything seems blurry and I clutch my head more tightly.

The forest fades away. I am standing on a ridge overlooking the Bloodcrest pack house, but it is burning and the wolves are howling. They are rogues, a lot of them. Three female wolves lay motionless near the border and their blood stains the soil.

I gasp and stagger back into the present. The forest is silent again, there's no sound apart from birds in the distance. My hands tremble violently.

“No,” I whisper. “That wasn’t real.”

It couldn’t be. Is this about the attack on my pack?

My breath came faster. I press my palms to my eyes, trying to take the image away but it lingers when I close my eyes, like a flash and a dream I want so desperately to wake up from. 

I wrapped my arms around mys

elf. “It’s just stress,” I whisper. “That’s all.”

But deep down, my wolf keeps stirring uneasily. We saw tomorrow.