The stars hid while the inky black canvas framed a full moon. No winds blew and no animal let its presence known, not the hooting of an owl nor the cacophony of crickets. It was too calm for a well-observer, and it gave off a foreboding feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
The woods showed no sign of life, but if one had exceptional hearing abilities, the thunder of paws as hundreds of beasts zoomed past the towering trees could clearly be heard. Darting in and out of the shadows and pale silver lighting, their furry bodies moved gracefully. And with superior eyesight compared to humans, the night was as clear as day.
Despite their numbers, they moved in perfect unison, never once colliding. They stayed silent, letting their excitement and anger brew inside for the meantime. Masking their scents with wolfsbane, their prey wouldn’t see them coming.
They weren’t out for a run or a practice drill. Tonight, they were on the hunt – not for a deer but for a certain prey. And the Moon Goddess would bear witness to their justified carnage.
A few miles before their destination, their Alpha commanded them to halt. Noticeably bigger than the rest of his pack, his black fur blended with the night’s shade. His eyes gleamed red and held nothing but hatred.
His pack could feel it – the surging waves of fury and pain that intensified as they drew nearer their target. And he could feel, the same emotions that bubbled inside them. Although their minds were linked in an open channel, no words were needed to be said. They all knew and understood the importance of tonight’s raid.
He spoke via the link, his voice calm. And even his warriors tensed with nervousness at his calmness. They were in no position to mess up tonight.
He ordered the Head Gamma’s unit to take down the enemy scouts ahead and some of the wolves immediately ran ahead of the pack. After a few seconds, a howl rippled through the air. The deed was done; the ball sent rolling. Warning alarms rang aloud, disrupting the quiet evening.
Without wasting a second, the pack resumed their pace and headed towards the enemy’s base. It was a rather elegant mansion, the residence of the pack’s Alpha, and his family before the rogues took over. It stood on the center of the property, conveniently allowing its residence immediate sighting of anyone who dared approach. Incandescent light spilled through the tall glass windows and the lamps outside were all turned on, illuminating a wide lawn, which also served as the pack’s training ground.
The rogues filed out into the open grounds, some in human form while others in wolf, anticipating the adrenaline rush brought by an unexpected confrontation. Their leader was inside, watching them, manipulating their strings as he deemed fit. He had promised them the fulfillment of their desires and he always delivered. And if they won tonight, they’d get to enjoy a woman of their picking, from the many tied up in the basement.
Their enemies emerged, clearly outnumbering them, but they didn’t waver. For if they return to their leader, a fate worse than death awaited them. So, with a strengthened resolve, they charged at the pack of around a hundred and fifty.
Snarls and growling were heard all around and beasts fell one after another. Silver bullets scattered in careless trajectories, hitting both ally and enemy. The smell of iron hung thickly in the air as the ground drank fresh red. But neither side was backing down and soon their numbers dwindled.
They slowly backed away to the mansion, taking steps backward as they remained on guard. As rogues, they fought for everything they wanted. They were used to fighting, and they have defeated many packs, but their enemy tonight was too strong. Especially the red-eyed wolf who easily killed their comrades on his own.
Their allies decided to join in, along with their secret weapon. It was a waste to bring them out but it was undoubtedly effective in turning the tables, as they have won numerous battles using such tactic.
The pack kept their distance, wary of their enemy’s next move. They weren’t retreating but were preparing for something. The battle was in their favor but any small thing could change the odds against them.
More rogues joined the battle, but this time, they dragged innocents with them. Women and children, with their arms and legs bound, whose cries were muffled by the gags stuffed on their mouths. The Alpha let out a dangerous growl and his pack followed – the rogues have gone too far.
The rogues moved forward, this time with their meat shields in front, and the pack hesitated to attack. One wrong move and innocents would die.
The Alpha mind-linked the detached unit, whose mission was to stealthily enter the mansion, to secure the prisoners instead. Next, he ordered the Beta’s unit to divide in half, slowly break away from the pack and regroup with the Head Gamma.
The pack backed away from the approaching rogues, drawing them in. Then, when the rogues were all gathered up, the detached unit was suddenly behind them, and the pack attacked, trapping them in a pincer attack.
In the midst of the commotion, the other half of the Beta’s unit successfully rescued the prisoners and handed them to the medics situated at the rear lines. And it didn’t take long before bodies piled up in the center of the training grounds.
His pack spared none. Every filthy rogue deserved their end.
The pack immediately shifted back to their human forms and hastened to cover themselves. Then, with the Alpha on the lead, previously assigned teams entered the mansion while the others remained on guard outside.
They gathered inside the main hall and made their way towards the different rooms. The once elegant interior showed smashed furniture, broken walls, and trails of dried blood on the marble floor.
But the bedrooms were always the worst - the blended smell of old sex, tears, cigarettes, and alcohol- sickening. They found women tied up in thick ropes, with their bodies twisted in near-impossible angles. Their once beautiful faces, beaten black and blue, and the skin crusty with semen.
“Alpha, we found more imprisoned in the basement,” his Beta mind-linked.
“Get them out,” he ordered, before cutting himself off from the open channel.
He took long strides towards the master bedroom, where his target always stayed. He was one step behind again this time, and he knew the bastard was long gone. But he had to check - what gruesome present he had left behind, exclusively for him.
It was always a woman with one foot out the door but somehow still conscious, and they’d beg for him to kill them. And every time, he complied and ended them in the swiftest way possible, simply because he had no intention of saving those who didn’t want to be saved. And it was the bastard’s way of reminding him of his sin – of the monster that he was.
He stopped in front of two large wooden doors with intricate carvings decorating the surface – the symbol of the pack that had once been. Wolfsbane laced the door’s edges, to prevent the smell inside from leaking. The bile-rising smell of helplessness and innocence taken. Slowly, he turned the knobs feeling the cylinder slide and opened the doors.
The scent hit him first – sweet and mouthwatering he could almost taste it – and his wolf stirred. “Mate,” he growled and happily howled. “Mate! Mate! Mate!”
“Shut up!” he commanded and his wolf smirked.
_____ A/N _____
A million 'Thank You' for giving this book a chance. It truly means a lot to me and I hope you enjoy reading it š¤
Do drop in a review or a comment 'coz I would love to hear from you awesome people š¤
Much love,
- Caine Casann (C.C.) -
Please be informed that the Work is currently undergoing rewrite. Modifications to the Work will start only after its completion. Book 02 is being written simultaneously and will be uploaded upon its completion. We apologise for the continued delay of the projects. We'd like to keep our reasons private, but the primary reason has something to do with our health. We haven't been fairing well since the previous year and hope to recover this year... Hopefully, y'all are doing better. Do take care and stay safe. Thank you for understanding. Y'all are awesome! š¤
His eyes scanned the dark and settled on the king-sized bed, centered on the left side of the room. He didnāt switch the light on but he could make out the silhouette of a person lying there ā his mate. She didnāt move, seemingly unaware of his presence.His wolf wanted to go to her and make sure she was alright. His breath quickened at the thought of the state she was in. Images of the women he killed flashed in his mind ā their will to live robbed from them. Would she ask him to do the same? Could he bring himself to take away his own mate?No, did he even want a mate?His wolf could hear where his thoughts were headed. āYouāre not killing her!ā he snapped.āI didnāt say I will, Chase,ā he replied, and hi
“Why isn’t she waking up yet?” Caelum asked with a hint of anger in his voice.“Give her time to recover, Alpha. I say she’s doing remarkably well,” Melanie answered calmly.He glanced down at her sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, something he was sure she didn’t have with when she was in the clutches of that bastard. He balled his fists as murderous thoughts occupied his brain.It had been two days since he brought her to his pack and although Melanie assured him numerous times that his mate was fine, he couldn’t get over the worry that he felt for her.“Get some sleep, Alpha. I’ll notify you when she’s awake,” she coaxed.His ruffled brown hair, the dark circles under his eyes, and the smell of alc
Taking a glance back at the clinic, a smile played on his lips. She was finally awake and he had to ensure that the room was ready to accommodate her. So, he hurried back to his room which would soon be for both of them, and went through his checklist once again.He opened the walk-in closet, which now contained an array of shoes and clothes for a female, including some of the things he picked out himself, besides his own. He even had different bags on display for her to choose from.Then he stepped inside the bathroom and checked if everything was in order. He had the omegas shop for her lady needs since he wasn’t familiar with it.Satisfied, he went out of the bathroom and spotted the vanity table he had personally chosen for her. It had a wide rectangular mirror about three-fourths the length of the table. The smooth gray and black ma
Caelum put the glass down and rubbed his temples. First his Beta, then his wolf, and now the Head Healer. All three warned him not to scare her and it was exasperating. He wasn’t going to scare her that much, just enough so she’d never think of leaving him. She was his mate after all, and he wouldn’t let anyone else claim her.He stood and walked out of his office. Then without knocking, he entered the bedroom to find Astraea sitting on the bed with her back straight.She kept her head down, as he walked closer to her and sat beside her, their sides making contact. She neither flinched nor looked up, and it amused him.His voice was cold as he ordered, “On your feet.” And she immediately obeyed, which delighted him.“Open the closet,” he said and she walke
Moonlight barely lit the room. She felt the weight of a heavy arm wrapped around her waist when she stirred in her sleep. A heavy blanket covered her. It was warm, unlike what she was used to – the cold floor. She slowly turned to face him; she would be serving him for now. Her new master, the Alpha of the Blood Moon pack.She was taught how to serve a master well; it was all she knew. It was ingrained to her that punishments were imposed when her master wasn’t pleased, and so she stuck to the rules. And she learned how to please her master.She felt his manhood press against her butt and she arched her lower- half forward to avoid it. If he used it on her, she wasn’t sure she could take it. She turned her back to him and lifted his arm to free herself. But even in his sleep, he wouldn’t let her go. He wrapped it around her waist and pulled her c
He kissed her forehead, then got off of the bed. “Now, let’s take care of that empty stomach. We could head downstairs for breakfast or I could have someone bring it here. Which would you prefer?”“There’s no need to feed me… Caelum. It’s still Wednesday,” she said meekly.“So, what if it's Wednesday?” he inquired. She bit her lower lip, unsure of why he was asking her something so simple.Looking down, she fiddled with her fingers as she thought of how to answer. Was he testing her? Her master used to test her all the time just to see if she knew her place and still remembered the rules. To her, it was also a means for him to find an excuse to punish her and he had succeeded multiple times. She shook her head, not wanting to remember the punishments.Caelu
He offered her his arm to which she accepted. They walked out of the bedroom, into a wide corridor. He wore a casual white dress shirt, biceps restraining against the long sleeves, and the black double buttons adding a touch of color. Paired with faded denim jeans and a pair of oak colored chukka boots, his attire matched hers and they looked like a couple going out on a date.Life-sized paintings adorned the walls, it was mostly of nature and her head turned from left to right and back again as she stared at them. By the middle, one particular painting drew her attention, the violence depicted in it different a striking contrast to the rest.She found herself drawn to the image of a black wolf with bloodred eyes and a bloodied snout, with a couple of bleeding wolves in the background. He noticed her staring at the painting longer than the others and stopped to let her
Caelum walked past the training grounds and into a secluded portion of the woods. As they got closer to where he could torture his beta, so did Luca’s whining.“I don’t want to do this,” said he.“Well, if you had manners, you wouldn’t be here,” Caelum snapped, and he shut up.They reached a small area, thick with a certain herbaceous perennial. The robust tubers stood tall, proudly displaying clusters of blue-purple flowers that lined the tops of their stems. The domed outer sepals shrouded the inside of the flowers, and bees buzzed and danced from one to another. Carefully cultivated aconite, their own poison.A small shed was situated a distance away from the plantation. He ordered Luca to bring out the necessary materials and he had no choice but to obey. Luca returned to