Bethany's POV

Sleep had evaded me all through the night. From my hideout in Carl's basement, I could hear the turmoil and chaos from our pack members. Everyone was scared, and they were trying to escape from the wicked Alpha, but there was no escape because the whole pack was surrounded.

I heard shuffling from the stairs leading down to the basement. I looked up in fear, thinking it was the warriors from the wicked Alpha, but it turned out to be Carl,

He looked frightened as hell as he walked past me and pushed at the broken cabinet leaning against the wall in the corner.

Could it be weapons that he needs to fight off our attackers?

"What are you doing, Carl, what do you have behind that door?" I asked once more, reaching out to turn him to face me, noticing he had been avoiding my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Bethany, I have failed you, and I have failed your father, our Alpha. I know I promised to stand by you and protect you, but I can't fight the wicked Alpha alone. He is too strong, and his warriors surround him; there is no way to defeat him. You have to leave here before it is too late."

"My father used to trade with the humans without the Alphas' knowledge; this is the path he used to sneak out of our boundaries. The cave leads to the other side of the woods, outside our boundary. When you emerge from the cave, follow the lonely path on your left; it leads to the train station, where you can board a train to the big city where the humans reside. Avoid the path to your right at all costs; it leads to the Red moon pack, and Alpha Dominic has already conquered that pack." He cautioned me seriously, sounding so strict.

I stunned. I deeply regretted that I was weak and needed everyone to protect me, but I know that I also want to live. These two contradictory thoughts left me unable to express myself.

I know Carl is right. I can't fight the wicked Alpha on my own.

Carl was shoving me through the door, urging me to leave quickly. I ran through the door, but after a few steps, I stopped when I realized Carl wasn't following me. I had to head back to where he stood, looking hopeless.

"Come on, Carl, we have to hurry, we need to get out of here before they get here." I urged him urgently, tugging at his hand, trying to pull him along, but he stood adamant, and he pulled his hand away from my grip, causing me to look at him in confusion.

"I can't leave with you, Beth. Someone needs to stay back here and hold them off. They know about us, my love; they are coming over here as we speak. Sooner or later, they will find this hidden path, and they'll come searching for you. I need to stay back and stall them for as long as I can. Go, Beth, save yourself before they find you. If I survive this, I'll come to the human side to search for you. Promise me, Bethany, promise you'll wait for me to come find you." He pleaded softly as he brought his hands to cup my cheeks.

The tears flowed freely down my cheeks as I shook my head vigorously. "No, Carl, you can't do this to me. I just lost my family, Carl, I can't lose you. Please come with me. If we leave now, we can catch a train before they catch up to us. We can get away if we hurry and leave now."

He pulled me into his arms and held me tight to stop my squabbling. He leaned down and captured my mouth in a passionate kiss, backing me up against the wall as he kissed me with so much passion, pouring all his affection into it.

"Listen to me, Beth, the longer you remain here, the more risky it's going to be. You're making it worse by staying here; you're actually risking our lives by delaying your departure. If you leave now, you'll be safe, and I'll have a better chance of getting away. Leave now, my love, I promise, I'll find you once I get out of here. It may take some time, but I'll find a way to get out of here, and I'll come find you." He placed his forehead against mine as he whispered soft, comforting words to me.

"Take this," he said, handing me a very large envelope. "It contains some clothes and cash that you can use to start up a new life while you wait for me to come find you. Your old phone is in there, but you can't turn it on yet; they could track your phone to find you. There is a new phone that I bought for you earlier in that envelope. I had wanted to give it to you on your birthday, but I think you need it right now. I'll call you on your new phone to check in. Try to blend in with the humans; don't draw any attention to yourself, or you'll get exposed...

Pam... pam... pam... pam... pam...

At that moment, a resounding knock at the door alerted us to the presence of our enemies. I panicked immediately and would have screamed in fear, but Carl was faster. He used his hand to shut my mouth firmly as he pushed me back against the wall.

"You're stronger than what you think, Bethany! Leave!! Right now!!" he scolded and yelled at me as he pushed me through the door, prompting me to leave immediately. I hesitated a little as I turned to look at him with my tears flowing down my cheeks. The pounding on the door kept increasing, and I heard angry voices outside calling to him, screaming his name so loudly that we heard it clearly from the basement.

He was right when he said they had found out about us; they sounded so sure that I was hiding in here. I was about to turn around and run as Carl had instructed, but I stopped in my tracks when I was hit by the most delicious scent ever. It was so intoxicating, so delicious. Like a magnet, his scent pulled me to him, calling to me. I don't know who the scent belongs to, but it's messing with my head, making me feel things that I've never felt before, things I never felt with Carl.

My wolf, Alexia, was howling and wagging her tail with joy as she screamed, but I couldn't risk my life for a mate who hadn't come to claim me all these years. I defeated the wolf instinct and chose survival and reason.

In shock and fear, I suddenly laughed out loud. How ironic this was! At this time, I have to separate from the person I love most, with an uncertain life or death. The mate comes, is there any meaning? My Luna?

Carl devoted himself entirely to me; no other guy could replace him. I turned to gaze at my love one last time, smiling sadly as my heart tugged at me, begging me to stay back.

"Go, my love, I'll come find you soon, I promise," Carl muttered softly.

I shifted into my wolf, picked up my large envelope in my mouth, and ran deeper into the hidden path, away from everything and everyone I ever knew, toward an unknown land I'd never been to in my whole life. I don't know what awaits me on the human side, but it's way better than being killed by Alpha Dominic.

"We don't need a mate, Alexia. Let's get far away from here before he finds us."My wolf wouldn't stop whining and whimpering sadly, telling me to go back to our mate.

Things have gone on until now, I don't believe in Mate anymore. If I had such good luck, how could I rely only on myself in the world? Why couldn't he have shown up sooner to help me get out of this?

This is an utterly unfair fate, one that will kill me. I want to escape from this fate, so I will not admit this, Mate. I want to live for myself, then take my revenge on Alpha Dominic.

I'll wait for my love on the other side, and I'm sure he'll find me. When he comes back to me, we can plot a way to get revenge on Alpha Dominic for all he did to my family. He will pay with his life, I swear it.

Dominic's POV

I never knew I would be this desperate to find a girl that I don't even want. I had waited to turn around and leave so Dwayne would search for her, but something in me just wouldn't let me leave. I want to find her and make sure she's okay.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Why can't I leave?

I had my men combing through the woods, searching every house, every corner, searching for her. I did not stay back as I had earlier intended; I went along with some guys, searching for her.

With the way I'm searching for her, you would think I have other motives for searching this hard; you'd never know that I want to put an end to her miserable life, send her to the afterlife.

That's why I'm searching for her, right?

I don't even know anymore. This whole thing is messing with my head. I need to get rid of her so I can get my head back in the game. Something big is coming, there is a war coming, and I need to be ready for it. The lycan would forever subdue our entire population. I don't need any distraction right now, and that is exactly what a mate will be to me, a distraction.

I'm sure she is somewhere in this lack, and I'm going to find her. As I went around the pack, searching every house, I realised that the people were not being honest with me; they were not cooperating with my warriors and me, so I resorted to threats and torture, just to get them talking. It's obvious that they know exactly where she is, or at least, they have an idea of where she could be, but they are hiding her location from me because of their loyalty to their Alpha, a misplaced loyalty, if you ask me. I'm going to be the Alpha king, so they should have more respect for me because their loyalty and allegiance belong to me, only me.

I had stood aside and watched while Dwayne supervised the warriors as they rounded up the Alpha warriors and questioned them. When one of them finally agreed to talk, I focused my attention on him, and that was when he said the words that got me so pissed that I kicked at everything in my path, using my boot to scatter everything in my way. The truth is, I don't even know why I am this pissed, but I just am, and here's the funny part: I can't stop this anger within me; it's so upsetting that I can't control it.

The stupid Alpha just got on my last nerves!!!

The warrior just told us that Alpha Rowley had betrothed his daughter, my mate, to a mutt named Carl. They have been for a while now, and they planned to get married a few months from today. Can you believe that?

He gave my mate to another guy, a lowlife, and I know certainly that she is still with him right now. She must have gone to spend the night in his house, for all I know, he could be with her this minute. That damn weasel, I'm going to kill him. I could feel my anger rising as I pictured that angel, that beautiful damsel I had just seen in her picture. I pictured her in his arms, and it was so infuriating.

The snitch pointed at Carl's door, and I smiled in appreciation for his help. Then I walked up to him and took away all his weapons and the crest that identified him as a warrior. "What is your name?" I asked him fiercely, staring deep into his eyes as he shivered in fear at my presence.

"My name is Blake Williams, my Lord." He stammered out shakily, with fear radiating off him in waves.

"Do not call me 'Lord', never in your life. As of today, I rid you of every privilege of a warrior; neither you nor anyone from your lineage would be allowed to serve a warrior because no snitch is fit to be a warrior under my service." I spat out fiercely, watching as his face drained of all colour.

I lunged forward and kicked Carl's measly door so hard it flew off its hinges with little effort. As we entered Carl's house, I saw a man by the door. It looks like he was coming from his bedroom, and I lost all rational thought as I lunged forward and punched him hard on the face, sending him flying in the other direction. He hit the wall on the other end of the room, and I followed him right there, toppling on top of him as I dealt him several blows to his face, punching him so hard as I kept yelling at him in both anger and frustration,

"Where the fu*k is she right now? I'll kill her, and I'll kill you too. Where is she?" I yelled continuously, punching him as I screamed like a lunatic. The fact that he is so handsome is even more infuriating, and it made me punch him even harder as I imagined my mate admiring his stupid face.

The worst part of it all is that I don't even know why I am this furious, I mean, I don't even care about her and I don't want her by my side. I don't want a mate, ever. I should be letting him have her because I never want to be shackled by the mate bond, but the mere thought of her being with another guy is driving me crazy. I can't even bear to imagine it, I can't stand it.

"You are Carl? Where is the Alpha's daughter?" I asked him once more, sounding so stern and fierce.

"Alpha's daughter? Oh, you mean Bethany?" he asked back. It could be his injuries, or maybe I am too furious and not thinking straight, but I think I can detect sarcasm in his tone, or maybe I'm just hearing things.

Bethany... I love her name. It sounds beautiful. Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning Bethany. No.. No.. No.. No.. I can't be having these nice thoughts about her. I can't let the mate bond control me. She is not beautiful, and I hate her name. I don't even want to hear that name; I want nothing to do with her or her stupid name.

"Now you listen to me, you dumb head, I don't care what her name is, I don't care about her. Tell me where she is, or I swear I'm gonna rip out your heart from your chest." I threatened angrily. I don't even know why I was telling him I didn't care about her; I guess I was trying to convince myself I really didn't.

"Jeez, stop screaming so loudly. We met briefly in the woods before all this started. I asked her to hide in the woods until I come to get her. I'm pretty sure that she is still hiding in the woods." Carl responded smugly, but I wasn't paying attention to his expressions, so I just pulled him up from the floor and pushed him towards the door.

"Take me to her, right now!" I ordered sternly, standing back as I watched my guys push him forward, taking him deeper into the woods. Carl smirked as he kept leading us into the woods.

Wait a minute,

Why is he smirking?

That snitch had told us that they both loved each other so much, he wouldn't be this happy to sell her out, would he?

We were deep in the woods now, but I wasn't feeling okay. Something doesn't add up. I felt her presence while we were in his house, but as we moved farther away, I felt the warmth slowly fading; it was as if my heart were melting into lava, and I felt torn from my mate. I could feel her presence in these woods, and I could tell she frequents them, but her scent is faded here; it was stronger in his house. I stopped in my tracks and studied the footprints around us. With my heightened eyesight, I saw our footprints clearly, but we were smearing any others as we kept stomping forward.

"Stop!!!"

I yelled at the top of my voice, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. I move forward, with Dwayne following closely behind me. We moved a few feet away from the crowd, then I saw their footprints, a male and female footprint, and they were heading back the way we came. To be sure I wasn't mistaken, I asked Carl to step forward, and when he did, I confirmed that his footprints matched the ones I'd seen just now, which meant the lady's footprint belonged to my mate, Bethany.

She had followed him back; she had been in his house all along.

Carl must have known I had caught on to his lie, and he tried to back away, but it was too late. I grabbed him and punched him so hard in the face, sending him flying the other way as he hit his back against a tree. I was standing in front of him within seconds, and I held him by the neck and lifted him off his feet, staring deep into his eyes,

"Where is MY MATE?" I asked him fiercely.

Dominic's POV

"Where is MY MATE?" I asked him fiercely, looking deep into his eyes as I stared him down. I could see the fear in his eyes as I called her my mate. My warriors were also looking at me with surprise; they had no idea that she was my mate.

With every minute I stand out here, I am losing my connection to my mate. I know we haven't connected yet, but I felt a calming peace when I caught her amazing scent. It had pulled me to her, and I loved the feeling of having her close by.

But I don't feel it anymore; it's as if the distance between us is widening by the minute. It felt as if all the warmth I'd felt earlier had been only my imagination, as if she'd never even existed. It's making me go crazy. I want to feel that warmth again, that peace that her presence brings me; it's so amazing. Even if I don't want her again, I still want to keep her close by.

Carl's eyes are pinned on me, and he isn't even trying to hide his hatred and disgust as he stares at me with a Smirk. I could tell he found it funny that I called her my mate. He is silently gazing at me, stalling. The silence is sickening, and he knows I'm already riled up, but he keeps pushing me toward the edge, testing my patience. The tension becomes thicker as my warriors whisper among themselves, wondering why I am being patient and lenient with him.

I don't know why I couldn't just kill him. It's hard to bear this atmosphere, I grinned evilly and threw him a few feet away from where I stood, using more force than necessary. He landed with a loud thud a few feet away, groaning in pain when his body hit the floor. I smiled in satisfaction as I watched him struggle to stand back up.

"When you say, MATE..." he looked unfazed as he looked up at me in anger, "Do you mean given by the moon goddess or chosen by your proud, disgusting self?" he asked in disgust, looking around for the first time since we took him from his house. I think he is weighing his chances of escape. He knows he cannot escape me, so he wants to make a run for it. My wolf growled at him, making him look up at me with that same stupid smirk.

His eyes kept diverting to different corners, and I knew that he had a plan. It seems like he is planning to escape, and now that I think about it, I think that has been his plan all along. He must have hidden her somewhere safe, and now he wants to run off to meet her so they can both escape.

I guess it's time to show him why I am the most feared Alpha. I mind-linked my men, telling them not to interfere in our battle.

I narrowed my eyes at Carl, mentally calculating every possible way he might attack me and every best way I could attack him. I want him to believe he has the upper hand in the fight, that he has a chance of escape, and that he will take it. He will win and escape; then I'll follow him subtly and find out where he is going.

I crouched defensively, preparing to attack him. It seems that he is waiting for me to initiate the attack, so I would gladly grant him that. I hope he realises that finding Bethany is the only way he will stay alive.

She is the only reason he is alive right now. Her calm soul is all that is keeping me calm right now.

Carl, the weak wolf, thinks he can run away with my mate. A sick smile crept across his face, and he rolled his shoulder back and put both fists in front of him. Judging from his stance, I could tell he was a good fighter, but he could never beat me in a fair fight. When I fight, I fight dirty, and I aim to win.

I curled my palm and gestured for him to come at me, then clenched my fists painfully tight, watching his every move.

When he made no move, I launched myself at him, Scott my wolf urging me on as he howled in joy, wishing nothing more than to tear Carl apart. I feigned a punch to his face, and he fell for the bait just as I'd expected. He moved sideways to avoid my punch, raising his hands to block it if he wasn't fast enough. I saw an opening, and I jabbed at his ribs, causing him to yell in pain as the force of my punch sent him reeling backwards.

I was on him before he could recover, and I punched and jabbed him severely in his midsection, kicking him hard on the face with my kickboxing skills. "How could she have fallen in love with a weakling like you! You disgust me, Carl. You would never be able to satisfy my mate; you are nothing but a weak moron. When I find her, I'll make you watch as I screw her over and over again, making her scream my name as she reaches her peak," I taunted him, and it had the desired effect.

"Nooooo..." he screamed furiously as he lunged at me, throwing all his weight at me as he toppled me to the ground. I could have easily evaded his attack if I wanted to. I mean, he has the skills, but he is still an amateur, and he could never stand up to my attack, even if he had ten hands and legs.

He threw several punches at me, hitting me as hard as he could, and I kept faking the pain as I took all his punches. The truth is, this dude never stood a chance against me. He hits like a girl, and I really want to pull him by the ear and drag him to the gym, teach him how to fight like a man, how to be a great warrior. I hate being around men who can't defend themselves, let alone defend their families. Men like Carl can never be leaders; they are the very reason the Lycans think they can Lord it over all werewolves, but all that is going to change when I become king.

I watched Carl with hooded eyes as he smirked in victory. I groaned at his stupidity, but I didn't let myself get too carried away because I hadn't gotten what I wanted yet; he still needed to lead me to her, so I lay there pretending to be weak and hurt as he smirked triumphantly.

"How the mighty have fallen, Alpha Dominic. I knew you were nothing without your warriors; I knew I could defeat you." He taunted me, laughing hysterically like a fucking idiot. This guy is so dumb. He stands above me, his legs spread. I could kick hard on his legs, and he would come down immediately. But I had to play it cool, so I crawled away from him, making it look like I was trying to run the other way. He kicked me severely in my stomach, stopping me in my tracks.