Reece

Emily was my childhood bestie. We'd done everything together, from causing mischief to playing in muddy water that had our parents grilling us and almost forbidding us from being close to each other. We had cried together, laughed together, endured bullies and bullied right back.

Pack members knew us, they said our friendship was marked in stone and sealed by fate. As youngsters, we never really understood them, only that we enjoyed each other's company and the fact that my father was the Beta of her father who was an Alpha, made things easier for us.

Emily saw me as the brother she wished for but could not get, her own brother was more or less a nightmare to her. She was treated like an outcast by her family, rather than the true daughter of an Alpha and the little sister of a future Alpha.

But I had no issue filling the gap; I was older than her anyway, so there was no trouble there.

I was lucky to have had a father who cared for my well-being, and my elder sister, who was now the wife of a Beta of another pack, did her best for me, especially in trying to fill up the role of our late mother. My family was nicer than Emily's had been and it made me proud of how she'd turned out regardless and I had sworn to never let anything or anyone hurt her.

Even now, staring in the face of the pillager of our pack, who was shockingly our mate, I was ready to make sure no harm came to her, especially not from this devil from Hades who had ruined the good life we had. I wondered why the Moon Goddess gave us this hateful person as a mate.

Ilan - my wolf - was also under the binding mate bond, and I wanted him to snap out of it.

"Ilan, get over it. Stop acting all affectionate toward this varlet," I communicated telepathically to him. I wanted to give this ruffian a piece of my mind, not drool stupidly at him but I would be helpless, unless my wolf was able to pull out of the mate bond.

It worked and Ilan growled and it resonated through me. "Let us go, you evil being!"

"Allow you to go where, my dear mate?" He sneered when referring to me as his mate.

I sneered right back. "Back where we belong," My hands soon balled into fists.

I caught Emily's pleading look; she was still under the mate bond's pull. I ignored her, Emily always wanted peace. She was too quiet and too cheerful to want confrontations. In fact, she hated conflicts. But this was our lives at stake here and I was not going to let go so easily.

He cocked his right brow, an annoying smirk formed on his lips, "You mean you want to return to the ruined and now-desolate pack land?"

"Who made it so?" I gritted my teeth, "Who came into our pack in the early hours of the morning to kill and plunder? To maim and destroy? To keep some alive as slaves, who did all that?"

He merely regarded me with indifference and it vexed me more. I wanted him to react, I wanted him to get incensed, so I could challenge him to a duel.

"Mind how you talk to an Alpha," He spoke in a tone that would normally cause chills to spread along the spine of anyone and make one go reasonably quiet but I was far from being reasonable. He was not reasonable when he trespassed our pack and left it in ruins!

"Or what? What will you do?" I challenged spitefully, "If you were so powerful, you'd not have done what you did the gutless way. You would have challenged the Alpha of my pack to a fight. You'd have declared war on us and seen us defeat you to shame!" I spat at him.

He grabbed my jaw and pressed harder. I pretended it didn't hurt, I refused to let him see my weakness. I would not let him see how much he has broken me.

"Please, let him go," Emily beseeched.

"Don't implore him, let him do his worst! This is what he does, rather than fight like the Alpha he is, he prefers the cowardly way," I said to Emily while staring defiantly at the vile man before me.

Yes, he was getting irate, just as I'd wanted. But the anger soon dissipated, and he let go of my jaw. Amusement filled his eyes instead, and I wondered what was funny.

"You think killing my people and taking the rest of us as slaves is funny? You think it is?" I growled, wishing I could tear this bastard into a million pieces and feed him to snakes!

He rested a hand on my shoulder, looking rather entertained, "I like your fierceness, mate,"

Then he rose, put his hands in his pants' front pockets and turned to walk out of the cell, much to my dismay. This wasn't how things were supposed to pan out. I wanted to fight him and send him to hell, even if I had to go down there with him!

Why was he laughing? Did he see me as a wimp or just some buffoon who provided amusement?

The nerve!

"Get back here! How dare you walk out on me like that, you clod?" I yelled, rushing towards the gate that a guard who just arrived had already locked.

Still undeterred, I shook the bars of the gate hard, my eyes filled with fury.

"Come back here! Are you deaf?"

"You, go and sit down and stop yelling. This isn't a market square!" the glowering guard warned me but I didn't care.

"Tell your coward of a leader to get back here. I'm not yet done with him. How dare he walk out on me?"

Now the guard looked amused, "Because he's Alpha, the most powerful one in existence. An entity you are destined to bow to, till you expire. If it doesn't settle well with you, that's none of our business. If you miss your dead relatives too much, there's always another option. Bite your tongue and go to hell,"

The guard flaunted the huge golden key in his hand at me, a mocking grin surfaced on his face. Then without another word, he left arrogantly.

"Damn it!" I spat through clenched teeth.

Even a mere Omicron wolf looks down on me? How pleasant!

EMILY

"What is wrong with you Reece?" I admonished after rising to my feet and heading to where Reece stood with a heaving chest.

Why was he like this? He was usually not like this but recently he was getting irate over everything. His anger could get us punished or worse, killed!

"What did I do?" he barked, fury was still evident in his eyes.

"Don't play dumb. This is not our pack, Reece. You know how dangerous this Alpha is, he could get us killed," I tried to reason with him.

"What's the worst thing that could happen to us, Emily? He has already robbed us of everything. Our life, our pack, our home, our family, friends... Everything is all gone, and you want me to wear a phoney smile and act all friendly with a despicable demon like him?" He shot at me.

I understood his anger, I truly did. I knew how much we had lost, I did.

I had lost too. I lost exactly as he'd lost but I did not like the way he was going about it. He was being too aggressive and violent right now. He was not being reasonable at all, and I really needed him to be.

"We still have each other, Reece. We're here together. Going through life as we'd always done."

"So because of this reason, we should let it go, just like that? What do you think will happen to us one day? Do you desire to spend the rest of your life behind bars? Do you want to grow old as a captive? Or do you not understand the essence of freedom?"

"I do understand, I just..." I trailed off. I honestly had no reply to give at this point. He had a point, a very valid point and the more I pondered over it, I got more befuddled and scatterbrained.

I was scared too.

I did not know what to expect of my future but it was surely not this.

I let out a sigh, "I don't know Reece. You have a point, I really see it. But I just don't want you going all aggressive on him, it won't look good for us,"

"What do you want me to do then? Please don't tell me to let go and be calm, because being calm has never done anything fruitful."

"But aggression takes us nowhere," I argued.

"Are you for real? Are you seriously saying that to me, Emily? Did you see his face before he left? Did he look like someone who loves peace? Are you not understanding that this has been his scheme all along?"

"What do you mean by that?" Weary, I went back to my position and sat.

I watched him pace up and down in the cell. I could sense his anger growing with each minute that passed. I had seen Reece get angry before but never this much. It really troubled me!

"Reece, please come sit. Come sit with me." I beseeched, patting the cold space beside me.

"How can you be so calm? I mean, our lives are sailing away right before us and you just sit there as though everything is just fine and dandy?"

"What do you want me to do?" I say in vexation.

"To be with me on this and for once, I want you to get mad. This is worth being angry about. This is worth your rage, bestie. Stand up and let's fight together!"

I sighed, "And what would that change?"

He stared at me as if I'd just said something unbelievably ludicrous. I met his gaze head-on, quirking my brow; a silent dare for him to give an answer.

"Fine then, sit there. Sit and watch them oppress you. You're used to it, I guess,"

My gaze narrowed, and my chest burned. "What do you mean by that, Reece?"

"Am I lying? You've been oppressed by everyone you know. Every single person, except me. Your father treated you as more of a distant relation imposed on him, while your own brother made you question whether or not he was your kin. You allowed too many kids to bully you and all you did was stay calm and do nothing. Aside from your family that are now dead, which of those people have regretted what they did to you? Even your family did not die regretting. And you talk to me about violence not being the answer?" He seethed, hitting the cell's bars and punching the walls in fury.

Tears blurred my vision and before I could stop myself, I stood, walked to him and slapped him hard across the face. He held his left cheek, glaring heatedly at me.

"Emily, you slapped me?"

"Say that one more time to my face, Reece." I gave him a rough push, growling, "Say it. Repeat yourself, you clod!"

"This is what you do best. Cry when you're being told the truth. If you want me to say it to your face again, fine, I'll gladly oblige. You are not calm Emily. You are weak! A simpleton who lets anyone and everyone step on her,"

I let out an angry cry and hit him. I kept hitting him so hard, but he did not retaliate. He received every hit but still had on his glare. "You keep hitting me because you know I wouldn't hit back. Why don't you use the same energy on others? For example, the animal that just left? He is the real enemy, not me!"

"I hate you, Reec," I kept hitting him.

How dare he say things like that to me? Why would he insult me so? He was supposed to be my best friend. He was supposed to be on my side, not against me. He had said some pretty mean things.

I hated how he made me feel. His words were so mean and they hurt. "You should not have said those words to me, Reece. You are mean. I hate you. I'm not as strong as you or as brave. That's why I'm grateful you're here, you blockhead."

I wanted to give him one last hit when he grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry, Emily, I should not have said that. It was mean... You're my best friend and you always will be. I have never said this but I envy how calm and cheerful you always are, no matter the circumstances you find yourself. That's how you were able to live with your family. And I'm glad you and I are mates,"

I nodded, accepting his apology. Reece was my best friend and the only family I had now, "I don't hate you. I love you, bestie,"

"I know you didn't mean that. And I love you too," he whispered.

He wiped my tears and planted a kiss on my forehead.

Emily

"Wake up, Emily," Reece's edgy voice roused me from the tired-induced sleep I'd drifted off to.

I raised my head to discover I'd fallen asleep on my mate's lap and he too had just been awakened from sleep. The clanking sounds made me turn my head and I saw a tall, olive-skinned prison guard with a horrible scar on his right brow that ran past his eyelid and stopped at his right jawline. With steady hands and a solemn face, he was opening the cell's gate.

"What's happening, Reece?" I rubbed my sleepy eyes to chase away any remnants of lingering sleep.

"I don't know," He stood, gently pulling me up with him. Then he quickly put me behind him. "What's going on?" He questioned the guard.

"Both of you, out!"

"For what reason?" Reece interrogated.

The irate guard suddenly rushed forward and tried to grab me but Reece kicked him in the gut hard, his face twisted by anger. "Are you nuts?" my mate growled.

The incensed guard grabbed hold of Reece, wanting to beat him but Reece was faster than him. Before the guard could land a punch successfully, Reece already gifted him another ruthless kick- this time, where the sun doesn't shine!

"Don't you dare try to lay any of your dirty fingers on my mate and I ever again. You don't have to be a douchebag to get your damn message across. Just tell us calmly and we'd go with you. But trying to manhandle us, you made a mistake there," He told the guard, and opening the cell's gate wider, he went out, pulling me with him.

I agreed with him on this one.

The guard was trying to be a bully, yelling and commanding and rough-handling us. Reece had given him quite the kick on his groin. He glared at Reece who was unperturbed.

My bestie was strong, he was always a powerful werewolf and that had worked well for us in the past.

Back then, whenever I was with him, most of the pack's kids were afraid to trouble me. And for those who dared do so when he wasn't around, he merely waited for the right opportunity and taught them a lesson.

"This way," Though the guard was still glaring at us, resentment written in bold letters on his face, his tone was no longer loud and commanding. He also did not attempt to touch us again. He had learned his lesson the hard way, which was well-deserved.

He led us through hallways, long lonely but wide corridors that beamed with light at every corner until he stopped before a door that was left ajar, he knocked and waited.

"Come in." A gruff voice was heard after a few minutes had passed and it was unmistakably belonged to him, the evil Alpha who was our mate.

The guard then motioned for the both of us to go inside before turning to leave us at the entrance.

I nervously clasped Reece's hand as we walked in side by side, but my steps faltered a bit when the Alpha turned his head to look at us. He was not the only person in the room, there were two other unfamiliar men with him.

"If it isn't my mates," That sneer I detested was back on his face.

What would it take for me to conjure the courage to smack his face? I sighed as soon as I pictured it in my mind. It would happen never, I was certain of it!

"Permit me to say Alpha." One of the men requested. He had short black hair that barely reached his neck. His looks were not bad, but compared to the Alpha or my dear Reece, he could be considered trash.

"What is it, Beta?" I hear the Alpha ask icily.

"Did you just call them your mates?"

So he was the Beta. This guy looked mean and his eyes depicted how sinister of a man he was. I couldn't help shivering slightly.

The Alpha King seemed to be surrounded by men who were as vicious and relentless as he was, judging by their looks.

The saying that birds of the same feathers flock together was actually being practised here. I was not at all comfortable with the way the Beta was staring at me, there was something wantonly about it and it set off the wrong vibes.

I averted my gaze and stationed my eyes elsewhere- at the polished glass table that held a decanter of whiskey and glasses.

"According to the Moon Goddess, yes they are," the Alpha replied wryly.

I realized the Beta was not among the men who had pillaged our pack and taken captive our people. I briefly wondered where the rest of our people were.

What cells had the Alpha kept them?

His gaze roamed over our bodies and the air was overwhelmed with the mate-bond, it thrilled and enchanted me. I felt helpless under its strong pull, and holding Reece's hand was just making it worse. It was too tempting to hold one of your mates when under its spell.

"Leave, you two!" Our mate suddenly commanded.

I jolted, thinking it was me and Reece that the Alpha ordered to get out of his sight, but I soon realized that it was actually the two men.

They looked quite flummoxed by the Alpha's orders. If only they could comprehend how powerful the mate bond was at the moment, how greatly it affected the three of us.

"But Alpha we are not yet done discussing the..." The Beta tried to argue, but he swallowed the rest of his words when he saw the glower plastered on the Alpha's face. That was when he realized his king meant every word he said.

"Let's go," He instructed the other man and together, they left.

Now it was just us three left. Our mate rose from his seat and walked to us. Indeed, I loathed him but I couldn't deny how attractive he was. Reece's hand was caressing mine and I bit back a moan. The Alpha noticed this and pulled us apart.

"Snap out of it, you two!" And just like that, his menacing voice pulled us out of the mate bond's trance.

This man was crazy.

He was a git. Toying with the mate bond and us, just because he knew it affected us the most. I hated it and from Reece's face, he hated it too.

"Why did you bring us out of the cell?" Reece's jaw was set in ire.

"Stop being so fiery all the time," The Alpha's eyes flashed. Reece's anger soon receded and I knew why.

Our mate was an Alpha wolf; Reece's wolf would always come second to his as a Beta. Betas were always the second strongest wolves after the Alpha wolves. This Alpha's wolf had demanded respect and as it was naturally meant to be, Reece's Beta wolf could only surrender.

"Why have you called us?" I asked calmly.

I knew Reece, he was stubborn and might try to challenge the Alpha's wolf again. I wasn't ready for another big bad wolf challenge between the Alpha who wouldn't hesitate to snap our necks and my best friend who was too stubborn to back down.