"GO AND WASH up, son" Alpha Ezra said to Kincaid. "I will be coming to speak with you soon. Maybe you will tell me what you were thinking when you were caught by North London patrol."
Kincaid snorted. His mother rubbed his cheek fondly with her hand and herded him into the house.
"I could ask the same of you, bringing the girl here," Luna Amelia said, coming to stand beside her husband.
"Jake was eager to sell her off to me. Even if she was going to be my sex slave," He muttered.
"What?" Amelia gasped. Her hands covered her mouth. "But why? Wasn't she part of his pack?"
"She was part of his pack, but I do not know the reason she was being mistreated." He shrugged off his thick woolen coat and hung it on a rack. "I am going to see how she blends in with us, and maybe I will think of inducting her to be part of us."
"I think she would like that."
Ezra chuckled. "I don't think she would like anything. Besides, I hope Kincaid might pick a fancy in her, she is a beautiful girl, and well mannered too. You saw how she asked for my permission before leaving."
Amelia nodded. She clapped her hands together. "I pray he does. Oh moon goddess, let my son find a worthy Luna before his father steps down. Give him a second chance mate."
Alpha Ezra touched his forehead with his index finger in a gesture of prayer. "Arrange some sizable clothes for the girl and send them up to her room, and then I want to see her."
Amelia nodded and said, "I will do so immediately." She started to walk away, but then stopped and came back. "Do you know why Kincaid was spotted in North London territory?"
Ezra sighed and shook his head. "I was hoping you would get that information for me. He speaks to you more than me."
"The boy is in pain. Give him a break."
"It's been years, Amelia. Far too long. Besides, I'm also in pain," Ezra grunted. "When I stand up, my waist hurts, you don't see me sulking or doing something reckless as being caught on rival territory, do you?"
Amelia scoffed. "Give him a break." She repeated.
"When you speak to him, tell him he doesn't have much time left. I will be stepping down soon and if his emotional and mental being isn't strong enough, the weight of the pack will bear his physical being down." Ezra said. He walked to his minibar and poured out a bottle of scotch. He took a small sip before adding. "Tell him to pick a chosen mate soon. We have girls of his age mate in the pack for him to choose from."
Amelia nodded and left the Alpha to drink alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
*KINCAID*
"HOME," HE SNORTED as he walked into his room. It was just as he had left it. The back-turned piece of an adult magazine still laid the exact way he had tossed it aside 3 weeks ago. The one foot of his yellow sock still hung out his drawers.
Who even has yellow socks? He asked himself and gave a wry smile. He pulled his shirt over his shirt and looked at himself in the full-sized mirror in his room. His muscles rippled and moved as he twisted and turned. There were marks on his skin where the chains had held him. He shook his greasy hair from his face and went to the bathroom to wash for the first time in almost a month.
Just as he lathered his hair and turned on the shower, Caer, his wolf said, "We are not alone,"
Kincaid snorted. "We are never alone," he muttered under the shower. He took his time washing off the grime and dirt from his body and scrubbing till his skin was red and sore.
When he came out of the bathroom, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, he saw his best friend and future beta, Liam, standing in the middle of his room. Liam was a tall, slim young man with brown sandy hair. He was also one of the wolves that had followed Kincaid in the revenge mission all those years ago. The two had been inseparable since they were 4 years old.
"I was beginning to wonder when you would be back," Liam said as Kincaid took another towel and rubbed his hair dry.
"I was caught," Kincaid said. "And thrown in their dungeons."
"You wanted to get caught, Caid," Liam said. "We both know Caer knew I was in the room even with the sound of the shower all around you. You couldn't have got caught unless you wanted to."
Kincaid shrugged. "Maybe."
"But why?"
"I waited for a week, wanting to catch a glimpse of the girl," Kincaid said, putting on a fresh shirt. "I didn't see her. I needed to get inside."
"And you thought getting yourself locked up in a prison cell was going to make you see her?" Liam chuckled. "Why don't you just speak to your father? Tell him you would want that girl to be --"
"Careful, Liam," Kincaid growled. Nobody ever spoke of Roxanne or even mates near him. Liam sighed and raised his hands in surrender.
"Sorry," Liam said. "Now tell me, did you get to see the girl?" He sat on the bed and picked up the adult magazine.
Kincaid shook his head and Liam burst out laughing. "So you got caught. Thrown in the dungeons and suffered for 2 weeks, all for what? Nothing?"
"Fuck you, man," Kincaid muttered, which only made Liam laugh even harder. A knock sounded on the door and the door opened.
"Luna," Liam immediately stood up and bowed.
"How are you, Liam?" Amelia asked softly.
"I'm doing fine, ma'am," Liam said. "I only came here to check on Kincaid. I heard he was back."
"It's alright, Liam," Luna Amelia said. "I will let you two boys catch up later, but now, I need to speak with him. Do you mind?"
"Oh of course not, Luna," Liam said, bowing again and walking out while leafing through the adult magazine from Kincaid's room.
"Hello mother," Kincaid said when they were alone. Amelia walked across the room and stood at his window, thinking of how to start.
"What do you want?" He urged. "I want to dress up."
"You can dress with me in the room," She said. "I've seen everything, you have nothing to hide."
"Yeah, right," Kincaid scoffed and walked back into the bathroom. He came out a few seconds later wearing brief shorts.
"Your skin..." his mother commented.
"It's nothing. They bound me with chains," Kincaid muttered as he pulled a fresh shirt over his head.
"Why were you there?" His mother asked. Kincaid paused what he was doing to look at her. He wondered how he was going to answer the question. After thinking for a while, he shrugged and muttered, "I needed a break from Scotland."
"And you thought going to a rival pack's borders was a good idea. Especially it, being the pack that was responsible for--"
Caer's growl rumbled deep from Kincaid's chest. It reverberated against the room. But Amelia was not deterred. She continued, "Especially it, being the pack responsible for your mate's death."
"Mother!"
"You are going to need another mate, son," Amelia said. "Every Pack deserves a Luna."
Kincaid scoffed and pulled on a brown cargo trouser. "Good thing this pack has you then."
"Kincaid Stuart!" Amelia snapped. Kincaid sighed and sat down beside her. "Your father can't be the alpha of this pack for much longer. You are going to find a mate, I have prayed to the moon goddess for a second chance mate, "
Kincaid groaned. "Mother, if she planned to give me a second chance mate, wouldn't she have done it all these while?"
"That doesn't matter," Amelia said. "I have prayed. And if she doesn't give you one, you are going to have to pick one and get yourself a chosen mate."
"Mother --" Kincaid started to say.
"Promise me that you would," His mother cut him off.
He looked at her tenderly, he could not refuse his mother so he nodded and said, "Yes ma'am. I will mingle more with the female wolves around and hope for a second chance mate."
"And if you don't find one?"
"I'll pick a chosen mate," Kincaid answered. "Can I go now? I need a run to clear my head." He asked sarcastically.
Amelia nodded. Kincaid walked out of the room. It was after he was gone that Amelia remembered that she hadn't told him about the new girl staying with them.
She sighed, smoothened the bed, and removed a yellow sock hanging from a drawer, she figured that Kincaid and the girl would meet on their own accord there was no need to interfere. She tucked the sock in his wardrobe and walked out, closing the door gently.
*ADRIENNE*I lay on my bed for a while, trying to go to sleep, but my mind was worried. I still didn't know what I was doing here in Scotland, and my scar kept on tingling.After a few minutes, I gave up trying to sleep and instead, I went to the bathroom to wash away the dirt and grime from the travel. I hoped the warm showers would calm my nerves and make it easier for me to sleep.When I got out of the shower, there was a folded pile of clothes on my bed. I picked one up hesitantly and looked at it. It was a large hoodie. Certainly bigger than my size, but just how I liked it. I put it on and slipped on a pair of jogger trousers that were exactly my size."Who had brought these in?" I wondered as I packed them and tucked them in the built-in wardrobe. Just as I was done, a small knock sounded on the door and Alpha Ezra came in.I immediately bowed, surprised that he did not summon me to his office, instead,
*KINCAID*"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" He cursed as he shifted back to his human form. "I can't even enjoy a solitude run again!" He snatched up a pair of pants from the floor and put it on. The pack had designated places where clothes were kept in the woods for shifting back."Just when I was starting to enjoy myself!" He snarled, marching back to the packhouse. As he broke out of the tree line, he saw a silhouette standing underneath an oak tree and waiting."Shit," He cursed under his breath."I can hear you, Caid," the voice rang out in the darkness as the person stepped out from underneath the shadows. It was Lucy, a girl who desperately wanted to be his girlfriend and future Luna of the pack."Hello Lucy," Kincaid said, walking past her. She matched his stride and walked beside him."I was wondering when you would come and see me," She replied. "I heard you got back this afternoon.""Word sure travels fast in this pack,"
*ADRIENNE*THE BRIGHT RAYS coming through my window woke me up. For a second after I woke up, I was back in North London and in the underground dungeons. I took a deep breath, expecting to be choked out with the gaseous wolfsbane, but instead, my lungs were filled with fresh air. I opened my eyes slowly and remembered that I was now in Scotland amongst the High Moon pack.The sounds of chirping birds filled the air, I went to my window and looked out. The pack was bustling with activities. I could hear a ruckus coming from the downstairs kitchen and dining room. In the front yard, groups of wolves were going about their morning duties. I hurriedly went to the bathroom and washed up before putting on another of the clothes that had been given to me yesterday. I packed my hair in a tight ponytail to keep it out of my face and walked downstairs slowly. I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to myself, so I kept my head down, not meeting anyone's eyes.
*KINCAID*"WHAT DO YOU mean you have to keep me here for some days?" Kincaid snarled. Doctor Alan, who was unfazed at the raging giant, simply shrugged."It's very unusual for a werewolf to just... blackout," Doctor Alan said, writing on clipboard. "I have to make sure it doesn't happen again, and what caused it in the first place before I can let you go.""You can't keep me," Kincaid said, standing up. "I am your Alpha. I give the commands and you follow them, not the other way around."Doctor Alan flushed red. He adjusted his tiny glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Technically, You are not yet alpha. Not until your father steps down - which he hasn't."Kincaid growled. The sound seemed to shake the walls of the ward. Doctor Alan involuntarily took a step back. "And besides, you wouldn't want to collapse again in front of the pack. They would worry about you, and such tension is bad for the easy flow of the pack."Kincaid saw reason
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*HE LOOKED PEACEFUL while he slept. Almost Angelic, and for some reason, watching him sleep made Thea calm and she purred in my head contentedly.What was it with this guy? I wondered. He was oddly familiar, maybe it was because we had shared a traumatic experience together in the dungeons. I remembered the doctor's words before he left, he spoke very gently to me and assured me that he had given Kincaid a dose to knock out a polar bear through 2 winters. I had chuckled at the joke, and the doctor had laughed along, but the laugh didn't reach his eyes. So as I wiped Kincaid's sleeping brow with a cool towel, I wondered if the doctor wasn't exaggerating. The scar on my neck tingled. It had been doing that recently, like an injury that had not healed properly and still contained bad blood inside. Maybe I would talk to Amelia about it. I sighed, Luna Amelia was also very nice. It seemed like everyone in this pack was nice and gentle. Being one of the ancient packs, T
EVERY MORNING IN the pack house was always hectic and was always filled with noise and activities from the main lobby and dining area. Sadly, my room was just above the dining, so almost every sound was transported up to me.I had barely slept for 3 hours, since I left the hospital in the early hours of the morning. I woke up and groggily made my way to the bathroom to wash up. I looked at myself in the mirror and chuckled. How absurd could that Lucy girl be that she would think I am going to take her man? I scoffed.I had blazing red hair, it was always so stubborn and hard to style that most times, I simply packed it in a tight ponytail or left it hanging around my very plain face. My face was speckled with freckles that dotted around my nose and underneath my eyes, which has to be my most unique feature. They were light brown. Something I had gotten from my father. I brushed my teeth and bound my hair with a rubber band before going downstairs.
*KINCAID'S P.O.V*THAT FUCKING BITCH!He licked the inside of my mouth to ease the burning pain.She had done the exact opposite of what he said. Too much sugar. Bad coffee seeds, he could feel them stuck between my teeth. And the coffee was very hot. Scalding hot. He took one sip and felt the hot liquid burn his tongue, down his throat, and settle in his belly.He could not see her facial expression but he heard the smirk and amusement in her voice as she excused herself and walked out."You should learn not to disrespect females, Kincaid," His mother said after Adrienne had gone. "Even if you are the strongest alpha in the world."He snorted. "Women should learn not to grate the nerves of men stronger than them," he eyed the cup of coffee in his hand again and then took another sip. I must admit, it's pretty good, he said to himself and Caer nodded in agreement.But he hated her guts and bravado.
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*"YOU HAVE NO idea of what you are doing," Thea said in my head like I didn't know that. I hoped I was poised as good as the character I was copying from a movie. I held my fists up."Engage!" Delta commander Adam yelled.There was an arrogant smirk on Lucy's face as she circled me. Was she waiting for me to attack first? If so, we were going to be here a long time. My gaze strayed to the part where Kincaid and Liam sat. What were they doing here?There was an intense look on Kincaid's face. I was expecting him to sit back and enjoy the pummeling I was going to receive from his "girlfriend", but instead, he didn't seem to enjoy this at all. He looked angry and --Pain radiated throughout my whole body from my lower thigh where Lucy had just kicked. I didn't even see her move, maybe because she was lightening fast or because I was distracted by Kiincaid, who should not be here anyway --Another yelp almos