“She needs to graduate. The least you can do is allow her to finish school. Then she can face her destiny.” The Elder responded.“It was easier to wait when she was focused on her studies. But now, she is open to love. I cannot explain how much that annoys me. The more she socializes, the higher the risk of exposing her identity to the enemy packs.”“I know. Still, there’s a stronger reason why you need to wait.”Gillow gave him a knowing look. “Cain and his agenda.”“He will kill the moon child to fulfill it. He will do anything to fulfill it. They know about the prophecy. They will be alert once they hear you’ve taken a mate. She will be in danger.”“I want to challenge him.”The Elder adjusted his balance on the stick. “The enemy packs need to be kept in the dark about her existence, otherwise, the reason for keeping her hidden all these years would be futile.”“I said that I want to challenge him.” Gillow deliberately ignored the wise man’s words. He was impatient.“It is not time.

“What I need right now is the truth from you,” Gillow told her. “What other dangerous thing have you done apart from sleeping with the enemy? And by dangerous, I mean anything that exposes her identity.” Karina recalled the tattoo program that Arda had insisted on participating in. It seemed harmless at the time and now, she doubted that Gillow would see it that way. She was afraid of what he would do if she mentioned it, so she shook her head. “No.” “Are you certain?” Karina nodded. “Yes.” Gillow pushed the barricade aside and stepped into the prison cell while she backed off and pressed her back to the wall but he kept advancing towards her until he was standing directly before her. Her breathing became erratic, her chest, rising and falling rapidly. She knew he was searching her mind, listening to her soul and she focused her mind on the ocean. The ocean…the ocean…the beauty of the ocean. Karina gasped as in one swift move, he held her captive against the wall with his body.

Arda had not bothered to look at the road because she had spent most of the past thirty minutes crying. Her cries ceased for a moment, her eyes cast down with grief. Through it all, Karina held her close and kept giving her words of encouragement. Karina kept telling her that everything would be okay. She kept telling her not to be afraid. This helped to calm her down a little but it did not take her fears away. Many questions were in her head and she looked at Karina. “They are so big.” She whispered her eyes on the men dominating the front seat of the car. “I’m really scared. Is the Alpha like them?” The only person she had seen with their kind of stature was that overconfident hunter she had crossed paths with but had first seen on her date with Luke. The very stranger she had felt a powerful connection to, so strong it scared her. And he was even taller than these men. Karina pulled her closer to herself and hesitated, refusing to respond quickly to Arda’s question. How could s

Her voice was soft and placating as she continued trying to calm him down. “It’s me, moon child, your mate. Please don’t hurt me.” She knew she would say anything to get out of the dangerous situation she was currently in. Arda could no longer feel the movement of his teeth on the side of her neck and saw that he had gone still. Slowly, he pulled himself off her, letting her go. Then he took a step back from her, the crimson color of his iris turning back to silver. Tears of relief filled her eyes and rolled down her face. Her heart was still thundering with fright as she kept staring at him. His features didn’t soften but at least he was not attempting to hurt her. "You said I will be safe here," she whined. "This is the safest place for you." "Yet you almost...killed me." "Something inside you calmed my desire." "And what if next time it doesn't?" "I don't have the answer to that question. That is why we have the Elder." "The Elder?" “He is our Diviner. Tomorrow, you will

Arda took a few seconds to catch her breath. Afterward, she let herself fall back to the bed and managed to fall asleep, her thoughts disappearing with that temporary welcome unconsciousness.Arda slept for a long time and when she finally awoke, it was daytime. Her eyes scanned the walls, searching for a wall clock. The Indian ethnic wall clock she found which matched the house’s contemporary traditional vintage style, told her it was 8:07 am.She couldn’t believe she had slept so peacefully. But with consciousness came the unpleasant reality of her current situation. She picked up her phone and found a missed call from Jacob. Great, she thought. Maybe he would offer her some explanation. She still trusted him.She was about to return his call when a knock sounded at the door and she sat up quickly, surprised by such a show of courtesy. She had already written off the Alpha’s people as brutes, well, except for Karina.The door opened and the guard who had carried her unceremoniously p