Leora

After Coda helped me finish up the bathroom stalls in the Alpha's quarters, I moved down to the pack house. The hall was my first port of call. The one thing Amarie did well was ensure the omegas were left to handle the cleaning and that certain areas were blocked off so we could do a thorough job before he let them back in. While I was in the bathroom, many of the pack seemed to mingle downstairs while the cleaning happened upstairs. After I finished in the bathroom, I could hear everyone throughout the house. I needed to work fast.

If time hadn't been on my side before everyone moved upstairs, I'd be in for it. My conversation with Coda put me behind my usual schedule. I normally had the top floor completely clean by now. As I heard approaching footsteps on the stairs, I filled the bucket with water and soap and pulled it into the hallway to complete my last task on this floor. The gait of the approaching person made me tremble. This wasn't who I expected to come up here at this time of day. This couldn't be good.

I moved too quickly, twisting my foot awkwardly, and tripped over the bucket. My body crashed to the ground, and pain radiated through me from the fall. I grabbed my shoulder, which had taken the brunt of it, and then something cold and wet coated my side. At first, I thought it was blood, but then I realized it would be warm, not cold. I looked over to see the bucket on its side. What I felt was the cleaning water.

With Alpha Brennan and his son Caleb coming.

And Alpha Brennan hated messes.

"What is the meaning of this?" he snarled as he reached the top of the stairs. Caleb's gaze raked over me, and when our eyes met, I felt a strange zap of electricity. "What did you do?"

Shit. This was not good. It wouldn't matter that it was an accident. What mattered was that I had made a mistake. Again.

"It's alright, Father. She just tripped over and fell," Caleb defended, moving over to try and help me up, but the zap of electricity made him step back again.

My wolf screamed MATE in my head, and I groaned internally.

Fuck my life.

Alpha Brennan gasped. Then his eyes hardened to two hard stones. "Caleb? Go back to the house."

Caleb stalled, confused. "But Father..."

"Back to the house with you!" Alpha Brennan growled menacingly, making Caleb squirm. The young Alpha gave me one last frustrated look before disappearing down the corridor and out of the pack house.

My wolf whined, a dull ache engulfing my chest. When Alpha Brennan's claws dug into my scalp, and I felt the pressure of my hair being pulled as I was dragged to my feet, my wolf surged to the surface to keep me calm. It didn't work. My body shook as my eyes met Alpha Brennan's brown ones, which were glowing gold with the rage warring inside him.

I cast my gaze down to avoid provoking him further. My feet dangled off the ground, and my head felt like it would explode if he didn't put me down soon. I couldn't risk doing anything to piss him off further-one wrong move, and he'd hurl me down the stairs.

His son, Caleb, was my fated mate.

I needed no soothsayer to tell me that Alpha Brennan heavily disapproves of it.

"No son of mine is having a weak excuse of an Omega as a fated mate. It has never happened in the history of our pack, and it won't start with me. I'll make sure of it."

When my feet finally touched the ground, I felt a little relief, but then Alpha Brennan yanked my hair and dragged me down the stairs with a fistful of my hair wrapped around his hand, knuckles white. I couldn't tell which hurt worse-the hairs being ripped from my head or the pressure on my scalp from being dragged. Either way, my vision blurred with stinging tears that filled my eyes. I tried to lessen the pain by putting my hands on Alpha Brennan's, but I heard him snarl in response. There was nothing else for me to do other than let him do what he wanted right then. I was at his mercy.

Which was the worst thing to be?

After two sets of stairs, my heart thumped louder in my chest than anything else. It was the only thing I could hear outside of my Alpha Brennan's growling. If anyone witnessed this, they wouldn't dare help me. Anyone who got between the alpha and someone he wanted to punish ended up dead. We could only be heading toward the dungeon.

Unfortunately, I was proven right. When we reached the bottom of a near-endless staircase, I was swallowed by the darkness of the dungeon's depths. Brennan dropped me to the ground, and I shook violently as I waited for the punishment. I knew better than to think this was over. This was far from over. His movements were fast, and suddenly, his hands were around my wrists, yanking me to my feet. I felt the rope scratch at my skin as it was pulled up above my head. Before I knew it, my feet weren't on the ground, and the rope bit into my skin enough to draw blood. I dangled above the ground, and my shoulders screamed from the pain as I waited for what came next.

The alpha stepped into view, the yellow lights above glinting off his shaved head. The menacing look on his face made my blood run cold. His muscles rippled underneath his button-up shirt as he unbuttoned the cuffs to roll them above his elbows. I knew what this meant. If I wanted to survive, I needed to drift off into my happy place. He wouldn't be satisfied with the results until I was unconscious. Sometimes, he threw a bucket of cold water on me to wake me up so he could start over again.

As I went back to that field and dreamed of my mate, who would take me away from all of this, I felt his fist connect with my side. I sucked in a breath, knowing that if I screamed, it would only send him into a worse fit of rage. If I wanted to live long enough to meet the king and request to leave this pack, I needed to endure this.

A punch to my temple came quicker than I expected. I don't know how much time had passed, but when I came to, I was in a cell at the end of the hallway. This was so that even if someone came down here, they wouldn't see me, and I'd be stuck until Brennan came back for me. Who knows how long that would be? Days, most likely. The last time I was in here, it took him four days before he released me. I expected this to go the same way.

I didn't understand how Caleb could be my mate. He...just wasn't who I was expecting based on my dreams. He wasn't the gold-eyed man who came to me.

Maybe the gold-eyed man was only a figment of my imagination, my wolf supplied in a tiny voice.

It could be.

While tucking my knees into my chest, I curled into a ball to bring myself some warmth as I lay on the stone floor against the stone wall. The bars of the cage added to the coldness of the room, and my body ached as I moved.

Leora

I stayed in the dungeon for two days before Caleb came to visit me. During this time, I was barely given any food or treated oformy wounds. Life in the pack continued, with no one coming for me. Amara couldn't save me even if she wanted to, and I knew she was worried out of her goddamn mind. Each night was spent crying and praying for a miracle.

My wolf had retreated to the deepest part of my mind, weaker than ever, and sad that she could do nothing to help. Even if I managed to shift, I couldn't rip the dungeon's iron bars apart. I wasn't that strong.

After the second day, I heard firm footsteps coming down the staircase, but I was too weak to care. My stomach rumbled, empty. My mouth tasted bitter, and the blood from my wounds had all dried up, but still needed stitches. When Caleb drew the iron bars apart, his eyes landing on me with an inscrutable expression, my wolf resurfaced, chanting MATE with all ferocity.

Quiet, I chided her. You don't know what he might do to us. He might be like his father.

But he's here, my wolf protested. That counts for something.

Let's watch and see, I replied.

Caleb stepped into the dungeon and knelt in front of me, his large hands finding my face and going over the bruises caused by his father's strong grip around my neck. I held my breath, my eyes closed. He sighed. "I'm so sorry. So so sorry. I should never have left you alone with him."

I pursed my lips, wondering where he was going with this. My wolf wagged her tail happily.

See! I told you!

Oh, shut up, I said.

Caleb swooped me off the floor, bridal-style, and I melted into his arms. I didn't have to retreat into my happy place in my mind because it was playing out in reality. I couldn't believe it. Alpha Brennan's son, Caleb, the most sought-after Alpha of the Redwood Pack, was my mate, and he was here, saving me from a cruel fate caused by his father. It was all too good to be true.

He carried me up the staircase and out into the pack house's open. My entire body ached, and it got worse when I kept hearing gasps from anyone we came across. I was too weak to observe with my eyes, so I just kept my head close to his chest, enjoying his warmth and manly pheromones. His biceps were so firm, and when he carried me into the pack clinic, lowering me onto a bed, I got an excuse to touch them. Boy, they were so strong.

He pushed my hair back from my eyes and kissed my dirtied forehead softly. "Rest here for a while, my love. The pack nurse will treat you shortly."

I nodded. "Thank you," I said weakly.

"You're welcome."

-

Caleb stayed by my side the entire morning and afternoon, and only left for an hour or two when Alpha Brennan called. The pack nurse stitched me up really well, and I was given food, so I had gotten stronger to sit up and even talk. Amara still hadn't come to see me, and I took it as she might have been getting overworked by Amarie or Luna Celestine. When Caleb got back after he met with his father, I noticed a troubled expression on his face.

"You're up," he said absentmindedly, coming to sit beside me on the small clinic bed. He was bigger, so he took up more space, but I didn't mind. We, sitting in proximity, seemed like a scene out of my wildest dreams, and the air around us buzzed with lukewarm electricity caused by our attraction to each other. "Hope you're comfortable?"

I nodded. "I-I-I can't t-thank you enough for everything. Really, you've tried for me."

He shrugged. "What are mates for?"

My heart swelled with pride.

Mates.

Tears sprang to my eyes. I couldn't believe my luck.

He drew me closer, so that I sat on his lap. I rested my head on his chest, and the tears finally fell. All these years of pain, all these years of sorrow, of hard work, of abuse, of everything bad. It was all coming to an end. I, a weak excuse of an Omega, finally had a mate.

He saved me. Caleb. My mate. My Alpha.

I drifted to a calm sleep. Nothing could go wrong now. Nothing at all.

Nothing.

-

I woke up in darkness, cuffed on both wrists.

Again.

"What is going on?" I exhaled, my voice echoing against the dungeon walls. I couldn't believe my eyes. How did I get down here again?

My wolf whined, confused. I was still in my clinic gown, my stitches intact. "Caleb? Amara? Hello?! Is someone out there?"

What could have happened? Why...why did Caleb return me here? Or was it Amarie who did it? Caleb was my mate. I knew it was too early to trust him, but he'd proved to be unlike his father. Kind. Compassionate. I mean, he'd saved me. He'd ensured I got treated, got food, and was strong enough again.

There was no way he'd bother doing all that and return me here.

It just wasn't... possible.

A bright light came from the staircase, and Caleb appeared in view. Happiness swelled in my chest as he pulled the dungeon doors open and stepped inside, shutting them quietly behind him.

"Caleb," I whispered. He stopped a few meters short, staring at me, his eyes unreadable. "What...what is happening? I was sleeping in your arms one moment, and then I woke up, and I'm back here..."

"Weak..." He spat.

Pain sliced through my chest. "Huh?"

"You are weak," he muttered, stretching out his left hand to touch my jaw, his fingers light against my stitched bruises. "You're weak for me, Leora. We...we can't...we can't be together."

His words felt like a dagger stabbing into my chest. My eyes watered, and my wolf whined in pain. "What are you saying, Caleb? We're destined for each other. The Moon Goddess wants this for us. We're meant to be... together."

His eyes gleamed, and then I couldn't believe what happened next.

He burst out laughing.

A loud, long, scathing laughter that made my hackles rise.

"By the fates, you're so damn delusional, little Omega. There is no us. There will never be us! I am set to take over after my father, and I can't have a weakling for a Luna. It has never happened in the history of the Redwood Pack, and it won't start with me. I won't pass on my chance to rule because of you."

I blinked back tears as the realization hit me. The meeting with his father...this was the outcome. Alpha Brennan had placed a condition on him. Reject our bond, or lose the chance to be a future Alpha.

I fell to my knees. Fates, when would this suffering end? Just when I thought things would turn around and be good, it was only getting worse. My alpha. My mate treasured a position over loving me.

"And so," Caleb continued. "I have to do what I have to do. I'm so sorry, Leora. The Moon Goddess might want this for us, but I don't want this for myself. I can't defy my father or the pack. Not for you. Never."

Bastard, my wolf howled. Fucking spineless coward.

"I, Caleb Brennan, reject you, Leora Alabaster, as my mate and Luna. You shall remain here for a long time until my coronation with my chosen Luna is done in the future. If you want to survive, it'd do you well to accept the rejection."

Pain, like boiling water, engulfed my entire being, sending me writhing on the floor. I gnashed my teeth in anguish, crying and thrashing around as the agony wracked through my weak body. After what felt like eternity, it subsided a little. "I accept your rejection, Alpha."

It was never worth it in the end.

Never worth it.

Bryan

The Redwood pack had been the first pack to visit on Gunner's list.

Why?

I had to ask myself that on the way there. Something about hot females tended to draw attention to this pack, and Gunner had heard rumors that the alpha was too harsh on the pack, which caught his interest in the channels of pack talk. I handled many tasks for the pack, but Gunner acted as my voice and made public appearances on my behalf. I would rather not deal with people constantly talking to me about things I didn't care about. That sounded like a nightmare, but not nearly as nightmarish as planning this entire affair. It had been days since we left to do this tour looking for a mate and even more days spent planning the logistics of this journey.

Gunner was better at that kind of thing than I was, and he always reported back to me after every meeting with the alphas of the kingdom. Apparently, Brennan missed the last one, and some secrets spilled out during their discussions. Another alpha visited the Redwood pack recently and didn't like what he saw. According to Gunner's reports, the omegas were treated poorly, and one in particular seemed to be the target of just about everyone in the pack.

"Yeah, Alpha Devon stopped by before the full moon run the other day and heard someone using something like a whip upstairs. When he went to investigate, Alpha Brennan's son, Caleb intercepted him and said he'd take care of it. When he came back downstairs, Devon mentioned smelling fear on him, like he's involved in something he doesn't want Devon to know about." Gunner glanced over at me. "I'm wondering if we need to look into it while we are here."

That sounded like something I needed to investigate during our visit. The attractive females weren't necessarily at the top of my concerns for this visit. If I found my mate here, that would be a bonus. If he was abusing his omegas, dealing with Brennan would be a priority.

"How long has this been going on, and we are only finding out about it now?" I growled. It boggled my mind how someone could raise a hand to those they were supposed to protect. Omegas were to be cared for, not abused. They didn't have power, but they were the calm—the stabilizers of the pack. What would happen if they were abused? Did their fear and pain ripple through the rest of the pack? That thought created a snarl that made Gunner scoot over toward the door.

"You good there, boss?"

My knuckles went white on the steering wheel. "No. I don't want to imagine what abusing the omegas might be doing to that pack."

Gunner growled. "Poison the bonds, most likely. Being afraid and the pack feeling that all the time must drive the dominants insane."

I pressed my foot down on the gas. Fuck red lights or stop signs right now. If this asshole thought it would be a good idea to frighten or raise a hand to those he swore an oath to protect, then it looked like he needed a lesson on what it meant to be an alpha. That pack was under my rule, so I could take charge of its members and retrain them on what it meant to have power over those who didn't.

It didn't take long before I pulled into the driveway of the Redwood pack house. The structure was large enough to accommodate every lycan within their ranks, which was better than I expected, considering Brennan didn't know how to take care of his people properly. It appeared to be three stories high and had enough square footage to house everyone if needed. A white fence surrounded the front of the house, but I could also scent the few lycans who were on patrol this evening. Good. At least Brennan knew better than to leave the house unguarded. That would make me angrier than I already was after hearing the rumors about the Redwoods.

Brennan and his son, Caleb walked out onto the porch, his shaved head shining under the moon's glow. I could see the scowl he wore from here, the same one he had worn ever since his mate died. Maybe that's why he couldn't ensure the happiness of his people. The death of a fated mate leaves a hole in the soul that no one else can fill.

Doesn't matter. He should never make his pack suffer because he is suffering. My lycan growled.

I had to agree with that statement. I will make him suffer if the rumors are true.

Good.

"King Bryan, I welcome you to the Redwood pack. What is mine is yours." Brennan bowed his head and then tilted it to the side to show me proper respect. His son followed his lead, muttering a welcome. He couldn't be more than twenty-three, and looked calmer than his father.

Behind me, Gunner scoffed, but I ignored him. We didn't need to air our plans to investigate while we were here.

"Alpha Brennan, it's a pleasure to be here at the Redwood pack."

A wave of caramel and vanilla hit me like a truck, and I sucked in a breath to take in more of it. My mouth watered, and my lycan surged to the surface, screaming MATE! as he pushed against the walls of my mind to shift. I fell to my knees, struggling to restrain him long enough to look at Brennan and his son.

Mate? How could that be? This was the first pack on our trip. How could we possibly find her this quickly?

It didn't matter. My mate was here. I had been searching for her for years, and I finally found her. I thought this trip would result in me not finding her, yet I found her on my first try. This was amazing. My lycan howled with excitement and continued to push against my mind, desperate to shift so he could track her down himself. With the need to find her and make her mine, I thought it was a good idea.

Until I realized there was something off about her scent.

There was the bitter scent of fear mixed with caramel and vanilla, along with a large whiff of smoke. I knew the smoke accompanied this alpha, but the other scent was new. At least, that's what I thought. I hadn't smelled this the last time I was here. How could I have missed this amazing scent?

But why was she afraid? The beast inside me snarled, wanting to know the same thing. If I allowed him out, he would destroy everything in his path because our mate was afraid. We were the only ones who could protect her from whatever made her feel this way. If my lycan were in control, he wouldn't ask questions. He would just kill.

Not the best look for the king.

So I needed to gather every unmated female before the lycan managed to take control.

"Bring every female you have who is not mated to me. Now!" I growled as I pushed Brennan aside and stepped into the pack house.

Gunner's hand slapped against my shoulder, stopping me from tearing the door off the hinges. There was the same fire in his eyes that I was sure was in mine. I wasn't the only one who found a mate here.

My eyes widened at my beta. Finding a mate was rare, but two of us finding mates was almost unheard of. A male became stronger upon finding his mate, the bond helping to calm his chaotic beast. This would be an incredible advantage to have both me and Gunner mated. The Moon Goddess must be up to something to grant us this privilege.

But still... Gunner might have a mate here, too? The odds of that happening were astronomical. I found myself anticipating that, at any moment, my mate would walk through the door. If not mine, my best friend's mate could enter. It had been a few years of us searching for our mates. No one had given us this feeling, their scents becoming so intoxicating that we needed to find them right then and there. My heart raced at the thought of seeing her for the first time, that caramel and vanilla scent pulling me into a chokehold and not letting go.

Yet the thought of my mate being in this pack swept that happiness away.

It was still a battle inside me as I waited for the females to be presented to me. Anger boiled enough to cause black dots to dance across my vision, but I pushed it aside, knowing she would walk through that door at any moment. My heart hammered in my chest at the thought. If it wouldn't frighten the females to see me bouncing on the balls of my feet while I waited for confirmation of them being my mate, I would do it.

"We need to stay calm, brother. Or we will lose control of our lycans," he whispered to me, sensing the turmoil I faced inside.

Gunner was right. I couldn't lose my temper here. My lycan would take over and rip this house apart while trying to find our mate. That wasn't on the agenda. If I wanted to locate my mate and determine whether Brennan was treating his pack well, I needed to calm down. After several deep breaths, I wrapped my energy around my lycan to keep him contained. He didn't like it and growled at me for it, but he accepted it, knowing the females would soon be presented to me. We would find her, one way or another.

Brennan approached us hesitantly, his eyes cast toward the floor to avoid upsetting either of us. He motioned for us to follow him, and we obliged. As we walked, the mixture of scents from the pack, tinged with fear, permeated the air. I balled my fists and released them as an exercise while I continued to take deep breaths.

Why would Brennan think we wouldn't smell this? Fear was a strong emotion and wasn't easily masked. The strong scents of cleaning products mingled in, and it dawned on me.

The bastard thought the chemicals would mask the potency of fear. An imbecile. Nothing covers emotions like this.

He doesn't deserve to live.

I stifled my growl. No, he doesn't. But he also deserves to die slowly.

Yes.