The sun penetrated through the window of the small, rundown room where I slept. It was casting a golden hue on my body. I got up, sitting on the floor, stretching my body. I felt so sore from the cold cement pressing on my bones all through the night.

The ragged blue blanket offered little or no comfort, but I didn't mind; I wasn't supposed to have comfort, not after what I had done.

My name is Eliana Paw, a rogue, and I have been for the past ten years. I can't believe how quickly time flies; it felt like yesterday, the very day Karen died.

The day my life changed for the worse. The guilt and nightmares had kept me awake at night all these years. Reminding me constantly never to be happy. But last night was worse; I couldn't shake off what I saw earlier.

A familiar rustling outside my window caught my attention. The other rogues were stirring. I rubbed my eyes when I heard a coarse voice call me from outside. But pretended not to hear.

Most of the rogues don't know me. I hunt when I have to and only speak when necessary. For some crazy reason, I kind of love it this way.

"Eliana!" The voice came again. I was still pondering whether to answer or not when the voice came again.

"Shift duty, now, East perimeter," Rick ordered. I heard footsteps as he walked away.

I got up from the floor, put on my coat and a pair of boots, and tied my hair backward in a high ponytail.

I pulled open the door and straddled out. I always shudder each time I'm posted to the east border; it was one of the most dangerous borders. It was close to the old border of the most powerful pack.

I hadn't dared approach since I left home; their patrol rarely comes this deep into the woods, but we still have to stay alert.

I could hear my wolf stirring endlessly as I approached the east border; it hated this part of the woods. It was an endless reminder of our past, but it's not like we have a choice.

I was almost at the border, just a twist over the fallen oak tree when they ambushed me.

"Happy Birthday, Minx." Rick and Knox said, "Scaring the shit out of me."

"Damnit, guys," I blurted, clutching my chest. They both laughed heartily.

I can't believe I forgot today was my eighteenth birthday. How can I remember? I'm just a ghost of what I used to be.

"I know you don't like celebrating your birthday, so we got you a little something," Knox said, all smiles, his icy blue eyes staring at me.

"Here, we got you a little something." He pulled out his hand from behind to show a pair of black leather gloves.

He took my hands and helped me to wear them. "These should keep you warm," holding my hand affectionately.

It was this pair of strong arms that saved me that night that I almost fell off the cliff. Sometimes I don't know whether to be grateful to him for saving me or to curse at him.

"I should get going; I don't want to be late for my shift." I headed out.

No matter how I look at it, I have no right to celebrate my birthday. When I killed my sister, tears welled up in my eyes. I was staring at the gloves when I suddenly heard a twig break, then footsteps. I looked up frantically when the scent hit me.

"Pack patrols?" I gasped. They never patrolled this deep into the woods.

I quickly ducked behind a big tree, my heart racing, slamming against my ribcage. My wolf growled inside. For some reason, my wolf has been unsettled. The closer I get to the border, the more unsettled it becomes.

I looked around searching for a way to escape; I can't possibly stand here till they catch me.

I took a quick peep as they advanced close; I could count five men, and one of them was an alpha.

There was no mistaking that aura.

I was still thinking of a way to escape when a scent struck me. It wasn't like anything I had ever smelled, but my wolf recognized it.

The scent of sandalwood and earth, my eyes lit up in realization, while in denial.

"Mate," I heard my wolf growl the word I had feared the most.

I pressed my hand on my chest to calm my beating heart. I can't have him see me, definitely not like this.

As they wandered in the forest, I stood hidden, but I couldn't get my eyes off him; the mate bond was messing me up.

He was tall, cold, and commanding; he was everything I had heard in whispers amongst the rogues.

He was feared as the most ruthless alpha. And has always been open about his hatred for rogues.

Fate must be enjoying this cruel joke. How on earth did he pair me with someone like that?

I sighed in relief when I saw the patrol head back. I went down on all fours and crawled away. I was almost halfway back to the rogue border when I heard a cold voice that stopped me in my tracks.

"Stop!"

I froze; his voice was sharp, firm, and lethal. It was etched into my bones, sending cold shivers down my spine. Without being told, I knew who the voice belonged to; my wolf was almost leaping, fighting to take control.

"Turn around," he commanded. My wolf continued howling inside, pushing me to go to him.

"I said now," he barked at me. I slowly turned to face him.

"Go to mate," my wolf kept purring into my ears, but I dared not.

He stood a few feet away from me, flanked by two warriors. But his scent and alpha aura suffocated me.

His dark hair was tousled by the wind, his jaw was clenched, and his icy blue eyes glared at me like he was seeing my soul. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed hard.

The moment we locked eyes, the mate bond hit me. I could sense I wasn't the only one feeling it; his nostrils flared, and my legs instantly became weak.

I was still in disbelief that the alpha of the Blackclaw pack was my fated mate.

He stared at me for a while like he had seen a ghost, one he hadn't expected to see and didn't welcome.

I could tell without being told that, just like me, he was fighting the bond.

"You!" he snarled in disgust.

The warriors looked between us with a confused expression.

He took a step forward, and I quickly took a few steps backward, eyes still fixed on him.

"Name," he demanded.

"E...Eliana, Eliana Paw," I slowly said, scared.

His brow furrowed, but his face quickly turned cold and unreadable again.

"Paw, you must be the fallen daughter of the old alpha; you are the daughter who went rogue ten years ago, the disgrace."

"Of course, I was a disgrace to my father."

"You, my mate!" he blurted out as reality began sinking in. Not with excitement but anger.

His words stung like a bee; my heart ached.

"I didn't ask for this," I fired at him, trying to remind him that we were both slaves to fate.

"Neither did I, but here we are," he spat out. His words twisted deeper, and I groaned in pain.

He advanced towards me and was only a breath away from me, then stopped in his tracks; the warriors quickly looked away.

My wolf whimpered, pushing me to cover the distance between us and kiss him. But I held it back.

I wasn't going to do something that would get me killed.

He looked me over for a few seconds and spat out.

"You are coming with us," he commanded.

My eyes lit up in shock. "Wait.... What?"

"You're in my territory and mine, so you are coming with me." He turned almost immediately and began walking away.

I stood frozen, furious, and at a loss. The moon goddess must have wished to punish me for my past and decided to send him as my fated mate.

I spun on my heels to run, but he grabbed me by my throat and suspended me in the air.

I hit his hands a few times and tried speaking but ended up making incoherent noises.

After a few seconds, he let me go, and I landed on the floor, coughing hard.

"Get up!" he ordered. I quickly scrambled up, glaring at him.

Running from him was useless; he would hunt me to the depths of the underworld if he had to.

So I followed him. My wolf wouldn't allow me to run, and I didn't bother trying to. He would kill me if he caught me.

Maybe this would turn out for the best. But just as I was in my thoughts, a scent hit me. It sounds crazy since right now, I should be possessed by my fated mate's scent, but I couldn't dismiss the scent no matter how hard I tried to shake it off.

It smelled strange, dark, and chilly, but what was stranger was that the scent was coming from him.

But for some crazy reason, the scent smelled familiar. I could swear I had smelled that scent a couple of times in the past but can't just place it, but why he has it on him aside from his scent beats me.

"Move!" His voice jerked me back to reality.

Chapter Three

The forest gave way to the towering shadows of Bloodclaw pack territories. My body stiffened, and my blood ran cold. The sun was already setting. The air was different here; it was warmer, charged with energy, breathing order, and discipline, unlike what we had back home.

I sighed deeply, unable to believe I now referred to the rogue base as home. You wouldn't blame me; I spent the greater part of my life there.

As we made our way closer to the pack territory, I couldn't help but think that I was an intruder, carried in under the disguise of a curse named fate.

For some reason, I knew this might be the end of me.

I trailed behind him, my fated mate, like a prisoner heading to her cells. His back was square and straight, with purpose, like he hadn't just met his other half a few minutes ago.

He hasn't spoken a word after he ordered me to come, not sparing me a glance.

The two warriors walking behind me said nothing too, but I could feel their gaze on me and the tension in their movement. Each time they looked at me, their facial expressions turned to contempt.

I recognized the look very well; it was the same look I had been used to for the past ten years.

I didn't feel bothered about it; how could I when, at the last moment, even my father looked at me with disgust?

Once we were out of the woods, the high wall of Bloodclaw Pack towered before us. It was carved with iron and stone; it looked ancient and luxurious.

Two men stood guard at the gate, their eyes narrowed the moment they saw me walking toward them, behind the Alpha.

One of them had golden hair, was wolfishly muscled in the right places, and was wearing a button-up shirt. With a scar across his nose, he frowned at me.

"How dare you, a rogue, come this far to the pack gate? You must have a death wish," he spat out, heading towards me with disgust written all over him.

"Rogue filth," the other murmured.

In the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of me. I made a dodge, but he was too fast.

He grabbed my neck, lifting me off the ground, his eyes red with anger.

He was choking the life out of me. I hit him a couple of times on his hand while my face turned pale, my eyes popping out of their sockets.

Tears escaped my eyes as I thought this was truly the end for me, but in an instant, a strong force knocked him off, and I fell on my knee, coughing hard, clutching my neck, wide-eyed and in shock.

I heard a loud thud on the floor, and I turned to see the golden-haired guy on the floor. I turned, and I was shocked to see the angry look on his face.

"No one lays a finger on her; she is mine!" he growled.

His once icy gray eyes had turned pitch dark; a shiver ran down my spine. I knew his wolf was in control now.

But he quickly snapped out of it in a matter of minutes and glanced at me.

"Get up," he ordered, without any emotions, cold as ever. And I quickly scurried off the floor immediately.

The last thing I want is to anger this wolf; I wouldn't survive it, at least not in this state.

He turned, walking towards the gate. The guard on the floor, whimpering in pain, got off the floor, and both, shaking in fear, bowed their heads in submission.

We passed through the gates into the world I had long forsaken and had no place in.

I swallowed hard as a lump formed in my throat. The inside of the pack was breathtaking, with grand structures built from dark stones and timbers towering around a massive courtyard.

Everything was neat and orderly, and unlike the rogue base, there were houses for each family.

The warriors were sparring at what seemed to be the training ground, close to an auditorium. We walked past some elders sharing tea under a canopy.

While the woman was busy drying some herbs. They were all chatting amongst themselves until they saw me.

They stopped abruptly, heads turned, and mouths parted in silent gasps. I could hear their whispers even when I didn't want to.

"Is that...?" I heard one whisper.

"No, it can't be...." The others shunned her immediately; it felt like the mere mention of my name would bring bad luck to them.

"Eliana Paw?" I heard another call, and they all gasped, turning and staring at me in shock. I guess they are the remnants of Shadow Pack the day Damon conquered it, killing my father.

"She's still alive?"

My body stifled, my head on the ground, I continued following my executioner. They sneered and laughed at me, while some stared at me with venomous eyes.

"She is the one that killed her sister." Then came the very word I have been running away from all this while. I felt my whole world crash again, but I knew better than to make a sound.

"You mean the Alpha's daughter that ran away after drowning her sister?"

"Exactly!"

"She is nothing but rogue filth now. Why is she here? I hope she isn't back."

Every word was a dagger to my heart, the stares another reminder of who I was and who I would always be to them: a killer.

I kept walking behind him like every step didn't burn. I walked with aloofness like I wasn't affected by their words. I wasn't going to run, not this time.

I could hear my wolf snarl inside, growling and fighting to take control and gut their heart out, but I hushed her.

It was the fate thrown at me by the moon goddess, a punishment befitting the crime. How could I dare complain? I deserved everything I got.

The alpha led me to the stone steps of the main pack house, a place I had dreamed countless times would be my home, alongside my fated mate. But now it felt like a gibbet.

He paused abruptly at the top of the stairs and turned to look at me for the first time.

Our eyes met, and cold shivers ran down my spine. His eyes were still unreadable, like frozen silver.

"You will stay at the west wing." I had no say in the matter, so I didn't bother to say a thing.

"She is to be alone; no one is allowed to speak to her without my permission," he ordered the guards who had been walking with us the entire time.

"Yes, Alpha," they both bowed their heads in submission.

He took one final disdainful look at me and whispered.

"Don't get any ideas while you are here, and don't get your hopes high either; you are merely here because fate allows it. Don't mistake that for acceptance." Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held it in; I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction he craved.

He waited around to get a response and walked away, leaving me standing at the stairs with two wolves who wished me dead.

The heavy mahogany door of the packhouse creaked open, and the two guards gestured for me to enter, and I willingly followed them—no welcome, no words, just silence.

The door shut behind me with a final thud the moment I entered. Once inside, it felt warm, scented faintly of oak and something darker, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Every single thing in here glowed, and, grand, the floor looked shiny. I looked up to see picture frames of the pack's triumphs hanging on the wall, like some trophy.

The footsteps of the guard leading me to my prison echoed in front of me, with a permanent frown etched between his brows like a tattoo.

I watched as the hallway swallowed his lean body and slowly walked behind him. His pace was too fast, and he didn't bother to check if I was catching up with him.

The deeper we ventured into the pack house, the more elaborate it became; the walls of the hallway were decorated with pictures of the past Alpha. Each stared at me like judgment. I paused the moment I saw Dad's portrait but quickly walked away.

The guard took another turn, and a chilly air hit me. The farther we walked, the more silent it became, the voices of the pack members fading behind us.

When we reached a corridor lined with cracked sconces and faded wallpaper, he stopped in front of the door.

"Here, this is where you will be staying," he announced briskly.

I swallowed hard; he pulled the door, and it creaked open; a cold shiver ran down my spine.

He stepped aside and gestured for me to enter. I walked through the door, and the state of the room made my heart race.

"It hasn't been used for years now; don't expect any comfort," he said. I sighed.

The room was dark and dusty, with a spring bed with one sagging leg in the corner. With no linen, A cracked mirror hanging above a dresser,

This wasn't a room; it was a tomb. Without saying a word, I understood perfectly what he wished for me.

"Someone will bring you food later," he said with a tone of finality before he walked away. Shutting the door behind him.

I stood at the center of the tomb, bewildered.

"This is where the alpha of the strongest pack sent his fated mate."

"Not a guest room or servants' quarters, but a place fit only for ghosts.

I could feel my wolf whimper, but I pushed it down; there was no comfort tonight.

I sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the mess of a room, when memories of that day hit me. I groaned, plunging my hands into my ears to stop Karen's screams as she drowned. I was gasping for air, then I heard it, a creak. Not from the hallway but inside the room.

I stopped and lifted my head; that was when I noticed the mirror had shifted. Just slightly, but enough to tell the difference.

I moved closer to see a crack in the wall just behind the mirror. I reached out a hand, trembling and heart throbbing, and I pulled the mirror aside.

To see a narrow opening in the wall, barely wide enough for a person. But in the darkness beyond, a door, hidden, locked, forgotten, but it was there, not like my imagination was playing tricks on me.

I gasped, my heart racing, and I backed away slowly.

"What is this place?" I whispered to myself. What secrets does this cursed tomb hold?

And why, out of all the rooms, did he send me here?

I slowly dropped the cracked mirror on the dresser. With my gaze still fixed on the hole in the wall, I took one final look at the hole, and my curiosity wouldn't let me stay still.

The hole was narrow, and my shoulders could barely pass through it, but the draft was to confirm that there was something ahead.

I slid in, but the passage was tighter than expected, the air thick with dust and ancient furniture.

The deeper I went, the colder it got; my heart was pounding and my wolf growled in distress.

There were no lights, no sound, just my bare feet padding against the stone floor and my heart racing.

A few steps further and I reached it, the metallic door I had seen, but up close it was a rusty iron door, framed with stones.

I hesitated for a second, scared of what lay beyond the closed door. When I couldn't wait anymore, I touched the handle, giving it a little push, and it slowly creaked open.

Moaning on the hinges like a growling beast, long undisturbed, immediately the door faced away, and a scent hit my nose, something damp, like old books or dried herbs or something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

Inside the chamber was a small round room, the walls covered in faded writings and symbols. I couldn't make head or tail of what it was talking about.

There were stacked books on the floor, and at the center was a table with an object wrapped in a faded red cloth.

Curious, I moved closer, holding the tip of the cloth to see what lay behind it. I heard my wolf whimper.

"Don't touch it," I heard her purring into my ears, but it was already too late.

It felt like I was hypnotized, pulling the clothes before I had even realized it.

My eyes lit open at the crescent moon-shaped silver locket, with some ancient runes etched around its edges.

As soon as I lifted it, I felt a wave run through me, quick and weird. Like a wave of recognition, I shouldn't have.

I staggered back, clutching the locket, and flashes of memories hit me.

A fire, distant screams, and crying, Karen reaching for something glowing in the water.

Before I could realize it, the images were gone.

"No," I cried out, clutching the pendant tightly.

The memory came and went like a spark of lightning.

"What is this place?" I asked myself the moment it dawned on me that whatever it was I saw was because I was in there.

"Curious? Good, I heard a voice behind me. I turned instantly, heart racing and scared out of my guts.

But there was no one behind me. The chamber was empty with only me standing in it.

"Who... are... you?" I asked, stuttering in fear.

"Not all graves are marked with tombstones," the voice came again.

I fell to the ground. This could only mean one thing: I wasn't alone in here. Someone or something knew I found the chamber.

Breathing heavily, with my fingers clenching the pendant, I didn't dare move; I froze on the floor, begging the moon goddess to save me.

But then I heard it; the sound was unmistakable: footsteps. But when I peered into the darkness, I saw no one.

But still, I felt it, an undeniable presence.

The pendant pulsed in my hand, warm now, as if it was responding to something. My wolf stirred within me, alert and silent.

"Who's there?" I asked again, my voice barely audible.

There was nothing but silence, and then a flicker—a shadow moved across the chamber walls.

"Someone is here," I whispered. I got off the floor immediately and backed away from the door, moving towards the table. My heart racing, I scanned the room for a weapon, and my eyes rested on the iron rod in the corner.

I grabbed it tightly, waiting to launch an attack on whoever it was.

I heard the footsteps again, but they were slower this time and stopped abruptly.

Then came the voice again, male, but it was also low this time.

"You shouldn't be here," gripping the rod and frantically looking around and trembling in fear.

"Show yourself," I spat out.

Immediately a figure appeared from the shadow, hooded, cloaked in a faded brown, his face obscure in the shadows, although veiled, but I could feel the weight of his eyes.

I couldn't sense his wolf, and that terrified me more than anything.

He stepped closer but not threateningly, his gaze buried at the pendant I was clutching in my hand.

"You touched it," he said, looking shocked. I looked from him to the locket, and I didn't say a thing.

Exhaling slowly, he pulled back the hood. I gaped, staring at the ghost standing in front of me.

I swear I had seen a portrait with this face hanging somewhere in the pack house while the guard led me to this tomb.

He was the Alpha I saw with his portrait turned upside down, dead for decades.

"Orin Stormwolf," I whispered internally, the name I saw written under his portrait.

"You shouldn't be alive," I whispered, staring at him confused.

"And yet here I stand," he gave a wicked smile. Scaring me even more.

"Who are you?"

"I was once the alpha of this pack before I was betrayed and buried in its secrets." My blood turned to ice.

"Now, I merely guard what remains of the truth," eyes narrowing.

"This place had remained shrouded for decades, but you found it, which can only mean one thing."

I swallowed hard. "It means what?"

"The pendant chose you." I looked down at the pendant glowing faintly in my hand.

"What is it?" I asked him, looking at the pendant.

"Something that should have been long forgotten, like you."

He tilted his head slightly to the side, looking at me like some puzzle.

"You aren't just a rogue girl with guilt in her heart; you are the thread that pulls everything loose."

A cold shiver ran down my spine, and I trembled.

Before I could even say another word, he began walking back into the shadow.

"Wait," I yelled out, and he paused.

"What do I do with it?"

"Keep it hidden, for the sake of your life; tell no one, especially her," he said and vanished into the darkness.

"Who?" I yelled briskly.

"You will know," I heard his voice in the air, and then silence.

I stood at the center of the room, confused, staring at the locket in my arm when a knock jolted me back to reality.

"Shit!" I screamed and hurriedly ran out of the chamber.

I maneuvered my way out of the passage, and the minute I was out of the hole, I placed the back mirror where it belonged, stuffing the locket in my pocket.

"Come in," I said, sighing in relief.

A maid bearing a platter of food pulled open the door; the look of terror etched on her face was disturbing.

Without being told, I could tell she was scared of the room.

"I... I brought dinner," she stuttered. I didn't say a word but just watched as she placed the platter on the dresser. I noticed she had clean bedsheets.

She dropped them all and vanished out of the room, leaving the door open as she walked away, but I heard her stop abruptly just outside the door. She lingered for a couple of minutes before she continued walking.

I sighed, grateful that I wasn't caught.

"Don't get any stupid ideas." His words played in my head. I went over to the dresser, picked up the sheets, and began making my bed.

When I was done, I packed the dirty old ones at the corner and was admiring my work when a voice startled me from behind.

"I like what you have done with the place." I turned to his gray eyes glowing in the dark hallway.

Of course, he came to see how broken I had become; he sent me to this side, a forgotten part of the pack house, to crash and burn; he couldn't stay away till he got the satisfaction he craved.

But I would rather die than give him the satisfaction of seeing me crash.

"Would have invited you in, but there is only room for one."

My wolf growled within me as the mate bond kept tugging at me.

The glowing gray emerged from the darkness but stopped at the door, just close enough to see him well in the light.

He chuckled wickedly. "Brace yourself, little wolf; it gets crazier at night."

I froze when I heard him say that but quickly masked my fear; I wasn't going to let him know that I was scared.

"Thank you for the heads-up." I cleared my throat, hoping he didn't catch on yet.

"Good, enjoy," he smirked, whistling as he walked away.

"He is just messing with me," I reassured myself and shut the door. I turned around to see a cat sitting on the window. I froze. It ran to the death trap of a window and disappeared.