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.

"Dwayne... guards..." I called out weakly, pretending to seek help, and he laughed so loudly, acting as if he'd just won a trophy.

"I could kill you right now and end your pathetic life. I'm sure everyone would thank me for it. Too bad I have no time to waste on a villain like you. You make me feel sick, your love is dirty, you don't deserve her at all. You'll never find her; she would never be your mate," he yelled at my face, threatening me as fiercely as he could, then he got up and kicked me one more time before taking to his heels and running back the way we had come, heading back to his house.

I should have known that she was still in that house; her scent was stronger there. How could I have missed that?

"He is headed your way, don't lose him, and don't let him catch you. I'll join you guys pretty soon." I told Dwayne through our mind link as I stood up and dusted myself. I can't believe he actually threatened me to keep me away from my mate. Who knew he had it in him?

"Sorry, Scott, I had to let him win." I apologized to my wolf as he healed my pains and injuries. I ran as fast as I could, kicking my feet beneath me. Dwayne had gone in with him, but the others stayed back. I'm sure it was Dwayne who ordered them to stay back; he knew Carl would hear the footsteps following him. One of my warriors briefed me on what was happening. He said Carl had picked up a backpack, then run into his basement, where he went through a secret passage.

I got a map from one of my men and looked over the landscape of this territory. If there is a road in his basement, it would lead to the woods outside their boundary. And there is a path there that leads to the train station.

Bethany has escaped from right under my nose. How could I have let this happen?" I thought within me as I threw the map to the floor and I ran after them, following the path in the basement. I could smell her in this basement, and her scent is driving me crazy.

When I resurfaced at the end of the tunnel, I followed the path to the train station, letting her scent lead me. Her scent grew stronger as I neared the counter. I got to the train station, and her scent enveloped me, just as I saw the last train honking and speeding away.

My heart tells me she is on that train, and I feel her warmth fading around me as the distance between us grows. I can feel my heart breaking, and Scott is howling in pain and anger.

"She is gone!" I muttered softly as I watched the train speed away. I guess she lingered a little to wait for him; she must have left with the last train, because she couldn't wait any longer. She had risked her life to wait for this smut. How could she love him? Why didn't she wait for me to find her?

"We'll find her Alpha, even if we have to search every city; we'll certainly find her," Dwayne promised, making me scoff at his petty thoughts. He must think I am so desperate to find her that I cannot do without her, but I'll prove him wrong. I'll prove to them that the moon goddess was wrong when she said every Alpha needs a Luna. I don't need her. I can rule perfectly without a mate.

"I don't need her, Dwayne. She is a distraction. A war is coming, and we need to be ready." I told him sternly, removing every emotion from my face. My heart was hurting, but I had to hide it and suffer in silence.

We were so distracted that we didn't notice when Carl opened his backpack and took out a burner phone. He smashed it on the floor and stamped on it furiously. Dwayne ran up and tackled him to the ground, holding him in place as he glared at me. I gestured for him to lift him from the floor, and I looked at him intently, smiling evilly as I stared him down.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance, Carl." his eyes widened in fear as I lunged forward and landed a deadly blow on him, making him go unconscious immediately.

Bethany's POV

Three Years Later,

Life as an independent adult away from her family and friends was not easy. In fact, it was harder than I'd ever imagined, and it was humbling. I'm a weak wolf who ran away from home. I don't deserve Carl, I don't even deserve to be called a leader. I am serving my punishment right here in the human territory. I deserve what I'm getting, I deserve it all because I'm a weak wolf.

I am the Alpha's first daughter. I should be capable of leading and defending the pack in my father's absence, but I'd failed them all. I ran away from my responsibilities, and I had also put my boyfriend in danger, leaving him at the mercy of the tyrant. Since I left, my heart has done nothing but ache, and my body seems heavy. It's been three years, and my life has been so sad and miserable. The only happy moments I have are when I let my wolf out to run in the park. I have no contact with my people. I couldn't reach Carl on the phone, who had given me before I left. When I arrived in Washington, I used part of the money he gave me to rent a little apartment in the suburbs.

The first week, I couldn't sleep; I kept tossing and turning on my bed, thinking of the different ways I could kill that bastard who ruined my life. I keep hearing the screams of my family and friends in the pack as Alpha Dominic and his warriors pillage and raid our pack. I could hear his evil laughter as he pushed his sword through my father's heart. My mind kept conjuring different mental images, showing me different ways that he could have killed my family.

"You're up, Alexia, a client is asking for you specifically," Carol called out to me, bringing me back to reality.

I work in a strip club as a stripper. I am trying to save enough money to seek out Ashford, the Lycan king. If I were a pauper, he would never take my complaints seriously, for I would have nothing to offer him. From what my father used to say, he is a greedy king who loves money, so the plan is to become wealthy and seek help from King Ashford. As a werewolf with nothing, this is the fastest way to make money. I will control the distance from the guests and never show excessive enthusiasm.

The intelligence network among the guests was simply beyond my imagination. I heard many stories unheard of in the human world and met many great figures. This allowed me to gain more experience in my revenge plan, and I became more confident that I could do better.

I got vital information about home one day. I was giving a strip tease to one of my usual clients when I heard chatter from a group of friends in the next booth as they celebrated the dawn of a new era. With my heightened hearing, I listened intently to their conversation, and it infuriated me to learn that these jerks were actually celebrating because Alpha Dominic had defeated and conquered the last of the Alphas who stood against him. Many say he is even stronger than Lycan King Ashford.

I concluded my time with my client and clocked out furiously. I couldn't work anymore that night and headed home in despair. With this much power, it would be pretty hard to bring justice upon him. I doubt even the Lycan king would be willing to wage war against him, given that he has over one million warriors at his disposal and is now stronger and unstoppable.

Did I waste too much time? Can I still get my revenge on him?

"Come on, Lexi, wake up. A client is asking for you, and he is in the champagne room. Why do you keep zoning out? Look, girl, you need to hurry; this deal is cool and legit. I recommended you to him after receiving a partial payment myself. Just go over there and give him your best performance, you'll love this deal, I promise." Carol urged me on, sounding a little too excited.

I widened my eyes in shock when I saw the wads of cash she'd received as part payment. That was all the motivation I needed, and I banished every thought as I ran up to the Champagne room upstairs. Immediately, I opened the door, I got hit with their scent,s and my wolf whispered in my head,

"Wolves."

There were five guys in total, and they all looked so gorgeous and handsome, with well-toned skin and well-chiselled chests that told you they spent quality time at the gym. I eyed them suspiciously as they also watched me warily. I know they couldn't perceive my scent because I mask it every damn day. I've run into a couple of werewolves in this club, so I've learnt to mask my scent with my special spray, which can keep it hidden for a whole day.

"You look shy, or should I say scared. Is this your first time on the job?" He asked me in a grumpy tone, keeping his eyes locked with mine.

"No, it's not my first time. I'm a professional, and I'm good at my job." I responded to him as I gathered the courage to walk up to the little stage in the middle of the room, rolling my hips to the slow beat, dancing around the pole for some seconds. Then I walked to the high-ranked wolf, walking behind him, leaning over until my breath fanned his ear, then I ran my hand down his chest, smiling in satisfaction when he took in a deep breath, looking me deep in the eyes as I came around to give him a lap dance,

"That's enough!" he muttered, a groan, as I wanted to tease him further.

"As much as I would love to with you hard and fast, I have to obey our Boss's orders. He won't be happy if he learns the goods were sampled before being delivered to him. Here's the deal: our Boss is hosting a party with his generals to celebrate his victory. He needs a lot of strippers for the event, and he is willing to pay a million dollars for the week. You and your friends would be picked up by 7:00 am tomorrow."

"If I may ask, who is this Boss you speak of, and where would this party be held?" I asked him curiously, and he turned to his companions as they exchanged a knowing look before turning back to me and saying,

"You must be very inquisitive." He remarked dryly. The party would be held at Castle Black, and if you must know, the name of our Boss is Dominic Rayleigh, our one true King." He said proudly.