His eyes scanned the dark and settled on the king-sized bed, centered on the left side of the room. He didn’t switch the light on but he could make out the silhouette of a person lying there – his mate. She didn’t 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 – 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. “You’re not killing her!” he snapped.
“I didn’t say I will, Chase,” he replied, and his wolf growled.
He felt the wall for the switch and flipped it on, the bulb flickering before lighting a rather luxurious room. Alcohol bottles scattered on the floor and a life-sized painting torn to shreds hung on the wall facing the bed.
From the open doors leading to the balcony, a gust of wind blew past the white lace curtains and he shivered from the cold contact. It carried with it the smell of the dead, the supposed mark of his victory. For to him, it was but a mockery; his prey had slipped from him yet again.
A wandering cloud lazily passed by the silver orb overhead, allowing its moonlight rays to lighten the night. And as if carefully planned, a glint just before the opened door caught his eye.
Atop a coffee table on the balcony were a half-empty bottle of scotch and an unfinished glass, the condensation sliding down its smooth outside, and an unopened bottle of wine chilling on a bucket full of ice. But what drew his attention was the small piece of paper that was jammed into the bottle’s mouth.
He took the crumpled paper out and read its contents. Then it crumpled again in his fist. Hastily written on the note were the words ‘next time’. The bastard was openly taunting him!
Murderous thoughts ran through his mind and his chest let out a threatening rumble. Then a soft groan reached his ears, snapping his thoughts. He jerked his head back towards the direction it came from – the bed, its occupant hid from view by salmon-colored satin curtains.
The deep blue carpeting silenced his footsteps as he went to her side. Her scent soothed his troubled mind and he braced himself to see her. He lifted the curtain, and the sight of her was horrifying.
Her naked figure revealed everything. Hues from deep purple to blues and greens decorated her body, welts and cuts ran along her olive skin, and she was bleeding from her red and swollen center. Her face was unrecognizable, with a black eye and the lower half smeared thickly with dried blood. Her breathing was shallow, and when he checked for her pulse, she was barely alive.
Anger welled up inside him, the bastard almost killed his mate! His wolf snarled and fought to come out. Chase wanted to comfort his mate and make sure she would live, that he had to block him out to regain control of himself.
He carefully wrapped her in a blanket and carried her out the doors, bridal style. She weighed like a pebble, and looked lifeless in his bulky arms. He pressed her closer to him, ever so slowly like he was afraid she’d break if he applied the slightest pressure.
He went back downstairs to regroup with his already waiting men. She was covered from head to toe with the blanket, but there was no mistaking the stench of blood and sex on her. They understood, she was treated just like the rest. They gave him questioning looks, but none dared ask. After the number of raids, they’ve done, it was the first time he brought down a woman.
His gaze hardened and they looked away. He didn’t want them staring at her; although her body was hidden from them, she was still naked underneath the flimsy sheet. He didn’t answer them, instead continued out the door and his men followed behind.
The captives were huddled on the grounds, wailing as they reunited with the surviving members of their pack. Some were too overwhelmed that they fainted, and the medics were quick to assist.
He surveyed the surroundings, but he couldn’t find who he was looking for. So, he opened a mind-link and the other end immediately answered.
“Do you need anything, Alpha?”
“Get me a car, Luca,” he stated.
“You’re leaving? What, miss her already?” Luca mused and he frowned.
“Now!” he ordered then cut the link.
He looked down at the woman in his arms with a thoughtful expression. He didn’t expect to find a mate, after years of thinking he never would. He’d have a lot to prepare for her. But, first things first - she’d have to live.
He opened another mind-link, to contact the Head Healer of his pack.
“What do you need, Alpha?” came the voice on the other end. She sounded worried. Having been left behind, she was only contacted for emergencies that the medical unit couldn’t handle.
“Prepare for my arrival. I’m bringing in a new pet.”
“What pet?”
“My pet, Melanie,” said he and before she could reply, he cut the link.
The Head Gamma suddenly appeared beside him and reported on the status of the raid.“Alpha, body count of seventy-eight and minor injuries on our side. The medics are treating them as we speak. Ninety-three captives and most of them asked for shelter.”
“Take them to the pack and make sure to give Melanie a heads up this time,” he replied.
“Yes, Alpha,” the Head Gamma replied and he was gone from his side.
While he waited, he questioned why no one came to him to ask of the woman he carried. It was possible she had been orphaned, but at least an elder should’ve approached him.
Luca came over within a few minutes and opened the car’s door for him.
“Would you like me to take her to the medics, Alpha?” Luca asked, extending his arms to take the woman from his. He growled, which made his Beta flinch and retract his arms.
“Nobody touches her but me,” he said then carefully laid her down on the backseat. Then he closed the door, went to the driver’s seat , and drove away, leaving behind a confused Beta who bowed slightly.
At a speed well above the limit, the engine roared in protest. But he didn’t care, he had to get back, fast.
When he got to the packhouse, a young woman was already waiting for him outside. He carried his mate again and the woman came over.
She gave a slight bow and said, “Everything’s been prepared for, Alpha. Please take the patient to the care unit.”
“This patient happens to be your Luna, Melanie,” he said in a matter of fact voice. Her eyes widened for a moment then bowed and apologized.
The Alpha nodded to acknowledge her words then she led him to the clinic. Melanie opened the doors for him. He laid his mate down on a hospital bed, cupped her face with a hand, and turned to leave. He stopped by the doorway. Then without turning back warned, “If she doesn’t live, two corpses will leave this room.”
“Understood, Alpha,” she answered, bowing to him as he left.
She turned her attention to the unconscious woman, her face placid as she bitterly said, “How will you turn out this time, Luna?”
She slowly removed the blanket off her body, revealing her face first and she gasped at the sight of her. In all her years of attending to numerous patients, from battered women and children to dying men, she had never seen such monstrosity afflicted upon another person until then. With shaking hands, she carefully removed the blanket and her stomach churned as her knees trembled.
Her chest constricted in pain as her heart reached out to the woman and she regretted her initial reaction towards her. Then she took deep breathes to calm herself and steady her shaking hands. When she was ready, she opened her eyes and looked at the Alpha’s mate with genuine concern.
“My… Luna,” she whispered, accepting the woman before her.
-----AUTHOR'S NOTE-----
Thank you everyone for reading this book. It makes me so happy to know that you're following their story.
I have to inform you, however, that this book is now signed! Yay!
And starting December 04, the chapters will be locked.
I hope you continue to support me, and follow their stories.
Thank you everyone. Y'all are really awesome.
- Caine Casann (C. C.) -
“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
Her age didn’t show on her face. Lines formed on her forehead and on the corners of her eyes, but she held a youthful glow. Her hair had a healthy shine to it and she let it hung on her shoulders. Despite her age, she carried herself with a certain charm that would surely lure an old geezer. She bowed to him and said, “Pleased to meet you, Alpha Caelum. I am Astraea’s grandmother.”Caelum’s eyes darkened at the sight of her. For some reason, his gut told him that there was more to her than a calculated smile. She had a kind face and a small voice but he couldn’t trust her yet. Appearances were deceiving and he should know better than anyone.“Follow me,” he said coldly and she nodded in understanding. He turned for her to follow then ordered, “Except you, Luca.”Luca looked at him con