Elena POV

I instantly relaxed my body to make him think I'd given up on struggling. The moment he let down his guard, I would strike.

He smiled, the smell of alcohol oozing from his breath as he said: "Good girl, I knew you'd come to your senses." He immediately began lifting my dress up, fumbling and letting it slip out of his hands a few times.

Good girl. Good girl. Good girl.

Just another word for doormat. They knew I would take whatever they did to me. I would accept it without a word because I was too scared to try to defy them.

I grabbed the bottle of bleach and splashed it on his face. Then I pushed him off me and took to my heels. I could hear his screams and curses as I ran out of the bathroom.

"Get back here!" He yelled, his rage bouncing off the bathroom walls.

I ran faster.

My eyes were blurry as I ran, and I touched my cheeks. Wet. I hadn't even been aware that I was crying.

I wiped my eyes furiously. None of them deserved my tears. They had killed the only family I had left, stolen my position, and framed me with their crimes.

For ten years, I'd suffered in silence, hoping that one day the moon goddess would come to my rescue and help me prove my innocence.

I had prayed countless times, begged even for just a chance. But the moon goddess had kept silent and left me to rot.

I stopped running.

I was in the pack house now. I must have been a sight with my bruises and torn clothes.

As I moved, I heard whispers of 'murderer' and what's she doing?' But I ignored them, moving straight to the center where everyone would see me.

One pair of golden eyes remained on me with intensity from the moment I entered. Alpha Draven.

I hadn't seen him before, but I knew he was the only alpha king with golden eyes. He was dressed simply in black, but the way he looked menacing just sitting there made up for it.

His black hair fell in thick waves to his broad shoulders, framing high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and lips that looked like they rarely softened into anything resembling a smile.

I bowed my head to him, seeking his permission. He nodded once, and the guards who had been stealthily approaching me instantly melted away.

Everyone was paying attention now; they all wanted to know what the pack slave had to say.

I cleared my throat and began speaking, my voice steady and strong.

"Ten years ago, my mother was murdered, and I was framed as the murderer."

I looked straight at Sophia. "Since then, I have been forced to pay for a crime I did not commit.

Every single one of you here turned your backs on me at the moment I needed you most. I wasn't even allowed to mourn for her.

So today I renounce myself as a member of Windborne Pack. From now on, I owe you nothing."

They started laughing, a few pack members even threw in words like 'good riddance to bad rubbish', and 'no one wants you here anyway.'

Luna Sophia watched everything with a smile, not bothering to counter my words. This must have been what she wanted all along; she couldn't kill me herself, but if she could force me to leave, her goal would be accomplished anyway.

I breathed in deeply and continued in a louder voice, " Today, with the moon goddess bearing me witness and under the eyes of everyone here, I hereby reject Alpha Carter as my mate."

The hall went silent, pack members turning to each other in confusion. Luna Sophia was on her feet, glaring fiercely at me. But I wasn't paying attention to her. The moment I'd renounced the mate bond, it felt as if something that had been tightly bound inside me had loosened. I could finally breathe a little easier.

I turned to Alpha Draven to thank him when he suddenly got up to his feet and started walking towards me. He's a very tall man, at least 6'2, towering over my 5 feet.

As he got closer, the scent of sandalwood and cold pine flooded my nostrils. It washed over me and soothed my injuries. I inhaled deeply, longing to breathe in more of that scent.

Suddenly, a voice that had long been silent within me, the voice of my wolf Lara, roared back to life.

...Mine.

Alpha Draven reached out to touch my face, his voice soft with surprise as he said, "Mate."

"Where is she! Someone, drag her out for me!" Alpha Carter yelled as he walked into the hall with red eyes. A large part of his black shirt had turned brown because of the bleach, and it had even gotten torn in several places.

His eyes roamed the hall searching for me. Once he caught sight of me, he immediately stalked towards me and stretched out his hand to drag me away from Alpha King Draven. I flinched, but by the time I looked at him again, his hand was caught in the grip of Alpha King Draven, and he was squeezing fiercely.

Alpha Carter's face flushed, and I could swear I heard a few bones pop. He opened his mouth to speak, gritting his teeth.

"You're the Alpha King, but surely you wouldn't interfere in the resolution of pack disputes between an Alpha and his pack members? This is a private matter between my pack member and me, Alpha." He sneered.

Alpha King Draven replied slowly, as if tasting his words, "No, I won't interfere in your pack matters."

Alpha Carter shot me a triumphant look, ready to grab me again, when Alpha King Draven continued, "But I will interfere when my mate is being threatened."

"Mate?" Alpha Carter choked, his eyes bulging."How could she be your mate? She's obviously..." He cut himself off, realizing he had been about to expose himself.

His eyes flashed to me, and I saw anger within them. He sneered. "So that's what that pain was."

Luna Sophia, seeing her husband at a disadvantage, finally came forward to try to ease the situation.

She bowed deeply to Alpha King Draven first before speaking, "My mate has offended you, Alpha King. I ask for your mercy.

He wasn't aware that she was your mate. You see, Elena here has been unable to find her mate for over a decade; we believe it's the moon goddess's punishment for the murder of her mother."

I knew what she was doing. She was acting as if she was easing the situation while secretly accusing me. She wanted Alpha Draven to reject me.

But I held back, I wanted to see how Alpha King Draven would respond.

Draven POV

As the son of a pack leader, I didn't have the luxury of spending my teenage years playing with friends or sneaking out to go to parties.

Every moment of free time was spent on rigorous training to build my body and my mind for the position I was bound to inherit.

Unlike others my age, I realized pretty quickly that having true strength was the only way to protect the things I cared about. Which were my pack, my home, my people.

I shouldn't have had to become a pack leader before I even turned eighteen. But after a rogue attack snatched my mother from us, my father became a shadow of himself.

It was hard to see him that way. The strongest warrior I knew was slowly wasting away. The name of his dead mate never leaves his lips.

But I didn't have it for too long. Within a few months of her death, he followed her, and teenage me had to step up to the responsibility of ensuring my pack's survival.

Luckily, I soon discovered I had been blessed with an ability that helped me conquer all the packs that had tried to take over after my father's death.

Not only did I kill those Alphas and pack leaders who'd lusted after my home, but I replaced them all with new people who would be loyal to me.

Finally, I could rest. Or so I thought.

Then the whispers started. Little comments from pack leaders who tried to recommend their daughters to me at every turn.

Servants slipping into my room at night or somehow falling into my arms while walking, even when there was nothing to trip them.

After months of relentless nagging from my advisors, I finally agreed to have a mate, but on one condition.

I would only accept the one given to me by the goddess. I would search for her in all the packs under my rule, and if I failed to find her, then they would give up and never mention the matter again.

Despite knowing the chances were slim, they'd agreed. So I was now on my way to yet another pack, to search for a mate that I didn't need or want.

Goddess helping me, I wouldn't find her on this trip.

************

When we arrived at Windborne, Carter greeted me with a wide smile. "It's an honor to have you here, Alpha Draven."

My lack of a response didn't dampen his smile one bit.

"Alpha Draven, Carter called, gesturing to the highest table in his pack hall. "Please sit and allow us to entertain you for a while. The maidens will be called out shortly."

So I sat down and waited. First, the warriors came in and had sparring matches. I watched at first, but soon lost interest when I realized they were repeating the same few moves over and over again.

In a real battlefield, they would have been wiped out already.

When the unmated females were lined up before me, a few stared at me while making little movements with their bodies as if they could somehow seduce me into picking them.

I snorted with cold laughter, and they immediately withdrew their gazes and bowed their heads.

That was more like it.

I moved from one maiden to another, self-satisfaction blooming in the pit of my stomach as I confirmed my mate was not among them.

Seems like the goddess still favors me after all.

I turned to Carter and shook my head, trying to appear regretful. "None of them are my mate."

His eyes, which had been wide with hope, dimmed instantly.

I sneered inside and got up to start leaving, but he stopped me. "Alpha Draven, you may not have found your mate, but I still wish for you to enjoy your time fully here.

Wind Borne pack is known for our hospitality. How could we just let you leave so soon, just because we weren't blessed with the honor of being tied to your pack by marriage?"

I paused for a moment. He's a smooth talker, but he was right. If I left, rumors would likely spread saying I was so disappointed at not finding my mate that I immediately left angrily.

**********************

Carter had excused himself for a while when a woman suddenly burst into the hall. She was bruised in several places, but none of the pack members batted an eye.

I raised an eyebrow. It looks like the Wind Borne pack is worse than I thought.

She bowed to me, and I nodded, permitting her to speak. Her words surprised me. She was a small woman, but she stood boldly in the center of her pack and renounced them, despite knowing they would probably attack her for it the moment I turned my back.

Or perhaps, that's what she had been banking on. My presence here was the perfect opportunity for her to escape the pack without fear for her life. I watched her with a quiet appreciation. This one had the heart of a warrior.

However, her next words shocked me and everyone in the hall.

No, not everyone. I could see the anger instead of surprise on Sophia's face.

I looked to the woman again, when suddenly a sweet scent assaulted my nostrils. It was a blend of cinnamon, vanilla, and honey, and it was coming from her.

My wolf, Ash, was already urging me to go forward quickly and investigate.

I walked towards her, and he was smaller than I had expected. She barely reached my chest, but to her credit, she didn't step back even as I moved closer to her.

I cradled her face in my hand, surprise coloring my voice as I said, "Mate."

Carter burst into the hall and tried to attack my mate. My wolf Ash bristled, ready to attack, but I held him down as I faced Carter and pushed my mate behind my back.

Sophia soon came forward to try to resolve the situation, but her words had Ash bristling even more.

He spoke to me 'Don't tell me you won't punish this woman for speaking badly about our mate?'

I released Carter's hand and asked him. "What exactly happened?"

He shifted uneasily on his feet for a while before explaining the situation to me.

I frowned. "Do you mean, no investigations were conducted, and my mate was punished just because she came out of the room?"

He tried to defend himself, "That's not all, Alpha Draven. When she came out, her hands were deeply covered in blood. She was obviously the murderer."

I stared down at him in silence. Was he stupid or just pretending to be?

"What child, upon seeing their mother lying in a pool of blood, would not try to touch her?

Are you taking me for a fool, Carter?" I finished lowly, a growl slipping out of my lips.

A low moan of discomfort came from behind me, and I turned, only to see my mate fainting.

I immediately stretched out my arms to catch her and pulled her closer to my chest as I said, "This isn't over, Carter. I'll be expecting a proper explanation."

I nodded to my beta, Lucas, who had stood silent beside me all the while. "Let's go."

Elena POV

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a soft bed. I stretched my hand to touch the bedding below me.

Silk. I rolled on it from side to side, relishing the caress of the material on my skin. It was worlds better than what I'd used even before I became a slave in my old pack.

Old pack.

Just two words, but they sent my heart into a frenzy. It pounded fiercely against my ribs as if it were looking for an opening to leap out of.

I was free. I would no longer be called a murderer. I would no longer have to endure beatings every day. I would no longer have to pick between starving and eating moldy bread.

I was free.

My enthusiasm dampened a little as I realized Alpha Draven might not want me. Even though I'd pretended not to notice, I had seen the look in his eyes when he had walked up to me.

Surprise.

He hadn't been expecting to find a mate. Or maybe he just hadn't expected his mate to be a slave.

Even when he'd protected me from Carter, there hadn't been any softness in his eyes as he'd looked at me. It had seemed like something he would do for anyone who needed it.

But I would do everything in my power to stay here. His defense of me against Alpha Carter proved that he was not the same kind as him. He would not abuse me, even if only to keep up appearances.

I felt a mild warmth in my chest. Happiness, I thought at first. But then the heat increased, almost to the point where it felt like I was being burned alive.

I ran, barely making it to the huge mirror in the room before I crashed to my knees.

For a while, I just stared blankly at the reflection in the mirror, my eyes widened.

My glowing eyes.

I looked down at my chest, not daring to breathe as my gaze traced the faint markings on my skin. They glowed, the lines all leading to a single point on my chest where the pain was coming from.

"Help." I choked out, on my knees, barely able to force the words past the invisible hand that seemed to be clutching my throat. "Help me."

A tear rolled down my cheek as I realized I was really going to die like this, barely a few hours after getting my freedom.

The door was kicked open with a deafening crack, splinters flying everywhere as Alpha King Draven stormed in.

He scooped me into his arms in two steps and started soothing me with his pheromones. The relief was instant.

I could finally breathe, and I could feel the burning sensation at my chest begin to recede until it stopped.

I glanced at the mirror, mand y skin was back to normal.

I sighed and moved out of Alpha King Draven's arms, pushing away strands of sweaty hair from my face.

I caught a glimpse of my dirty clothes as I did so, and my lips twisted. I tried to check if I smelled discreetly when I noticed he was watching me with a dark look on his face.

"I'm sorry for dirtying your clothes, Alpha," I said, lowering my head. "If you'll give them to me, I promise to wash them clean before returning them to you."

"Is this an attempt at getting me naked?" He said, his voice cold.

"No," I said, flushing deeply when I raised my head to see that he had lifted an eyebrow and was staring intently at me.

"What was that?" He asked as he stood back up. "Why were your skin and eyes glowing like that?"

I shook my head and replied honestly, fear creeping into my voice. "I don't know, Alpha, I've never experienced anything like it before. I can't explain it."

He glanced at me silently for a moment. "Draven."

"What?" I asked, my brows drawn closely together.

"You can call me Draven." He replied irritably as he started walking away. "Come with me."

I tried to thank him as I followed behind him, for the honor of being able to refer to him by his first name, but he just kept on walking as if he couldn't hear me.

************************

Draven led me into the woods.

We walked for a while without running into anyone else, and a tiny part of my mind wondered if he'd brought me in there to kill me.

I tried to estimate the possibility of being able to escape from him if that was his intention, but quickly gave up when I realized I was in a foreign place with no knowledge of my surroundings.

Being very weak from constant starvation was also another reason why I wouldn't be able to outrun him. Though I doubted I would have

been able to, even at my peak.

Still in the middle of my musings, I was startled when a cabin came into view. Thin curls of smoke drifted from the chimney and dissolved into the morning air.

I glanced at Draven; he was still walking forward with purpose, so I followed him. Right as we reached the entrance of the cabin, the door flung open, and a representation of what I could only call a witch doctor stood there.

She bowed deeply to Draven, and he bowed slightly in return.

This witch doctor was different from how I had expected all witch doctors to look. The one at my old pack had been half bent with age and frequently had sand in his hair.

But this one was young and in the prime of her life. Her dark hair was braided with silver and red threads, her robes loose and flowing down to the ground. I could see faint sigils running down her neck and arms, pulsing with light as she moved.

"Alpha." She greeted with a smile. "I see you've found her."

I watched Draven's face contort for a moment before he replied. "Yes, as you said I would."

Her smile widened, and she ushered us in. It smelled like herbs inside, but there was also a slight smell of smoke in the air that left a bitter taste on my tongue.

Rows and rows of bottles, jars, and strange ingredients rested on the wooden shelves. The witch doctor turned back to us. "I presume you have something you want to seek my opinion on, Alpha?"

"Yes," Draven answered solemnly, then he explained what he had seen.

The witch doctor circled me curiously, murmuring incantations. I stood still, waiting for her to finish.

When she stopped, she stretched out her hand to me. "Give me your hand, child."

I put my hand in hers, curious about what she was going to do. She covered my hand with her other hand and started murmuring incantations again.

A few seconds later, she gasped and jerked back, away from me, chanting louder as she rubbed her hands against each other.

My hand was still outstretched in her direction as I stared at her with widened eyes, but my heart had already dropped down to my stomach.