*HERON’S POV* “Boss, we are here.” The Beta announced. Sage and I sat in my Bentley in the parking lot of Luckingham College. Based on the information that Gamma Axel reported, she was due for lunch in the next ten minutes. Additionally, Dean Vassell supplied us with her class schedule. Most girls would jump at the notion of being mated to an Alpha. Did she not know who I was? She had a wolf, so my dominance should have been detected by her. Not that I wanted her to be with me because of a title. “Bring her to me when you find her,” I told him. Sage opens the car door and gets out of the driver’s seat. I remained at the back so that she could join me. The intention was to go for a drive to discuss the mate bond. It was best to see her now and get the first talk out of the way. My wolf is restless and anxious to see her. The distance between us was a cruel issue. After dinner with my parents, my father learned the truth about Charlotte. He intruded on my conversation with Axel and

*HERON’S POV* Overloaded with work, I stayed up all night getting the paper work done. My Dad oversaw two states, which is not an easy task. The work does not scare me, but operating a pack as a mateless man does. My soon-to-be Luna gives me mixed signals. The initial impression of her was that she wanted to reject me. It fills me with ambivalent apprehension and I hate it. Quite frankly, I would have allowed her to do the rejection, but the chance existed that my parents would have been disappointed if I did not at least try to make it work. A soft knock disrupted my work mode. Her pineapple scent hits my nose. A slight smile came to my lips. "Enter." She walks in with my breakfast on a tray, "Good morning, Alpha." I remained silent but watched her as she moved. I must be a sadistic beast to enjoy seeing how vulnerable and afraid she was. There was something about her that made me feel entertained. Sometimes I'm amazed at how clumsy she can be. We do not talk much to one another

*HERON’S POV* Of course, Mikayla protested about inconveniencing me after feeling acutely embarrassed. But if I have to see her in those moth-eaten clothes one more time, I swear that I will rip them off her. "Alpha, you shouldn't do this." She argued mildly. "Mikayla, do as you are told." I finalized. Heaven knows why I'm doing so much for this omega. I usually didn't pay her type any mind, but since she became part of my household, I wanted her to look the part and blend in. My heart could not settle with seeing her in her deplorable state. As my Omega maid, she was a reflection of me. The dreadful attire had a tendency to lower my spirits and could give the impression that I was a cold-blooded alpha. She's always so unhappy and a frightened little mouse. I still detest the fact that she keeps an eye on me for my mother. She found a mall, and where she led me to was a second-hand store. I did not have to be inside to recognize the status of their clothing line. "Mikayla, are y

****TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter covers abuse.***** *MIKAYLA’S POV* Damn! Hastily I turned to face them. Bile rose in my throat as I scrambled to my feet. My wolf became restless as she was sick and tired of her. Surely, she was up to no good. She enjoyed mistreating me. Living at the orphanage gave me no time for training, because no one cared enough to send us. So I was unable to counter her attacks, much less to battle her and company, since she would have begun her warrior training upon meeting her warrior mate. Today, she has her twin friends, Kelly and Becky, by her side. Both girls had brown hair, blue eyes and gamine features. Panic ripped through me as I hyperventilated. The contemptuous expressions they held gave me waving dread. For crying out loud, she's got her man, Archie. He mated and marked her. It's not my fault that he has straying eyes. Why can’t she see that her mate was the malefactor? "I was just leaving," I muttered. Barefooted, I walked in the other direc

*HERON’S POV* Sage teamed up with me. Before we went out into the night, I had reviewed the footage from the cottage and the ones at the pack house to see to the point where she had entered the forest. Sure enough, she was on her way back but never reached her destination. So, we ventured into the shadowy black nocturnal forest. Even though the moon was high in the sky, the dense overhead trees blocked most of its light. The woodland floor was encased in darkness, but thank the goddess for the wolf's vision. The wind was brusque, biting at my flesh and whipping through the trees. Forest life moved around us: owls hooted, birds flapped about in the densely overgrown trees, bats squeaked, frogs croaked, and smaller animals scurried across the forest grounds. No news from Forbes or Axel bred the upbeat consolation of a dwindling candle flame. So, we decided to proceed deeper into the tangled heart of this primeval forest. Heavy hearted, I morphed into my wolf and darted into the over-