ADRIANA

I was thrown to the ground, the air knocked out of my lungs. Before I could scramble away, they were on me. Three of them. Guards I recognized.

"Stupid bitch." One of them grabbed my hair, yanking my head back. "Did you really think you could run? You left a blood trail a blind wolf could follow."

"Please-"

"Shut up."

They dragged me toward the cottage. One of them kicked the door open and they hauled me inside.

There was an old wooden chair in the middle of the room.

"Tie her up."

"No! No, please-"

One of them backhanded me across the face. Stars exploded in my vision.

"I said shut up."

They forced me into the chair. Rough rope bit into my wrists as they tied my hands behind the chair back. More rope around my ankles, binding them to the chair legs. I thrashed and fought, but it was useless. No wolf strength. No Yara. Just me, weak and helpless.

"That should hold her." One of them stepped back, admiring their work. "Alpha said to bring her back. He didn't say she had to be comfortable."

They laughed.

The door opened again and I knew who it was before she even spoke.

"Well, well, well." Lisa walked in, that cruel smile on her face. "Look at you now."

I didn't respond. Staring at her with a blank expression. I didn't want to believe I was actually related to her.

She walked closer, circling me like a predator. "Did you really think you could run? Leaving a literal blood trail behind you? You're even more stupid than I thought."

"Let me go, Lisa."

"Let you go?" She laughed. "Oh, Adriana. You still don't understand, do you? You're mine. You've always been mine to do with as I please."

She stopped in front of me, leaning down so her face was inches from mine.

"Do you know what Father's going to do when we bring you back? He's going to give you to the Lycan King just like we planned. And that monster is going to use you until there's nothing left."

"At least I'll be away from you."

The words were out before I could stop them.

Lisa's eyes flashed with rage. Her hand moved so fast I only felt it when the slap cracked across my face, snapping my head to the side. Pain exploded across my cheek.

"You ungrateful bitch!" She slapped me again, harder. "After everything I've done-"

"What have you done?" I spit blood from my mouth. "Besides torture me and take everything from me?"

Another slap. This one split my lip.

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She was hitting me with every word now, open-handed slaps that left my face burning. "You took everything from me! Mother loved you more! Everyone always loved you more! Poor little Adriana, so sweet, so perfect-"

"That's not true-"

"YES IT IS!" She grabbed my face, her nails digging into my cheeks. "And now you have a wolf, don't you? I can smell it on you. You finally got your precious wolf while I had to work for everything!"

How did she know? How could she tell?

"I... I don't know what you're talking about."

She slapped me again, this time with the back of her hand. I felt my tooth cut into my inner cheek.

"Don't lie to me!" She hit me again. And again. "I can smell the change! You finally shifted and you thought you could run away? Thought you were strong enough now?"

My vision was blurring from the pain. My face felt like it was on fire. But I refused to cry. Refused to give her that satisfaction.

"I'm going to enjoy watching the Lycan King break you," Lisa hissed in my ear. "I'm going to enjoy knowing you're suffering. Maybe I'll even visit, just to see what's left of you."

She raised her hand to hit me again.

A growl echoed through the cottage.

Lisa froze, her hand still raised.

The growl came again, closer this time. The windows rattled with the force of it.

"What the hell-" One of the guards started.

The door exploded inward.

It actually splintered off its hinges as a massive black wolf burst through it.

The guards didn't even hesitate. They shifted and ran, crashing through windows in their panic to escape.

Lisa stumbled backward, her face pale. "No, no, no-"

The black wolf's eyes locked onto her. She ran.

The wolf let her go, his attention turning to me.

I pressed myself back against the chair as much as the ropes would allow, my heart hammering. He was huge. Bigger than any wolf I had ever seen, including my father. His black fur shone even in the dim light, and his eyes were focused and lethal.

He circled me slowly, taking very slow steps, studying me.

"P-please don't k-kill me. Please." I didn't know when the stuttered words left my mouth.

I had never had to beg for my life before but I was sure I was doing a very lousy job. I froze and even stopped breathing when he moved closer to me and sniffed me.

Maybe if he knew I was a werewolf just like him, he would let me go.

"I'm a wolf too. I'm the Alpha's daughter."

He moved back a little, his head tilting as if considering this.

Then he shifted. And whatever I was going to say next got stuck in my throat because I could see everything.

His perfectly shaped body, his outlined abs, every muscle and every vein and then also him, down below.

I turned my head away quickly, my face burning despite everything. That was the biggest I had ever seen, not that I had seen my fair share.

He must have noticed my plight because he shrugged.

"I thought you said you were a wolf? No wolf minds being naked. You should be used to it by now."

I fought with my eyes to stop them from going down there as he moved behind me.

I felt his hands on the ropes binding my wrists. One sharp tug and they snapped.

"Who really are you?" I asked as he moved to untie my ankles.

"Someone who heard you scream." He finished with the ropes and stepped back. "Can you stand?"

I tried. My legs were shaking, and between the running, the beating, and the fear, I barely made it upright before my knees buckled.

He caught me before I hit the ground.

"Easy now." His voice was surprisingly gentle. "You're safe. They're gone."

"Who... who are you?"

He looked down at me, those green eyes intense.

"My name is Elijah."

ADRIANA

Elijah. His name sounded nice. It fit him.

He cleared his throat, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up and he pointed to my leg.

"It is bruised badly. I think you dislocated the ankle. Why were those wolves after you anyway? What's going on?"

I opened my mouth but a thought crossed through my mind. I was about to leak my secrets to a total stranger who was probably working with Lisa. Right now, I didn't trust anyone.

"It's none of your business." I rolled down my pants leg and attempted to walk away, now conscious of my situation but it didn't help matters as the pain was still there, causing me to fall back onto the floor.

Before I could attempt to move again, I felt a hand across my waist and under my legs.

"Let me help you." Without waiting for a response, he picked me up and secured me tightly in his arms.

He was so big, I immediately felt protected. Like I was being carried by a big strong teddy bear.

If it were another situation, I wouldn't have minded it but right now, I didn't even know who the man was. And after what happened with Lisa, I wasn't sure what to think.

I knew she wouldn't just give up. That's now how she is. She would want to torture me some more.

"White Crescent, huh?" My head snapped to him so quickly in shock. "What? I can smell it on you. Let's get you home. The woods are too dangerous for a little girl like you."

Home? No!

I was running from home and this person, whoever the hell he was, was taking me back. I won't let that happen.

"No! No! Let me go! Hello?" My cries fell on deaf ears. He just kept walking back in the direction I had run away from just hours earlier.

No matter how much I kicked and thrashed, he just wouldn't let me go.

"Let me go now!"

He laughed. He seemed to be enjoying this.

God, why did I always have to end up in situations like this?

I heard footsteps but didn't think much of it because he was here and whoever he was, he was dangerous.

He paused for a moment, took a deep breath and tightened his hold on me and cleared his throat.

"You don't need to be scared of going back. Don't worry, they're coming to get you. Isn't that fun?"

I could hear the smile in his words and I wanted to punch him. Except, it wouldn't do damage and I didn't want to piss him off seeing how large he was. But, how could he smile at a time like this?!

My life is on the line!

Shit, I didn't like the feeling I was getting at the pit of my stomach. Something bad was going to happen and I could feel it.

The dropped me on the floor as more footsteps approached us. Had Lisa gone back to bring more men to fight him?

As we stood waiting for whoever was approaching us, I took a quick glance at him.

I had never seen anyone so relaxed when things are obviously going to shit. He had a stoic face and looked straight ahead like he could scatter whatever it was, with his mind alone.

My ankle was throbbing badly though it was the least of my worries..

"That's them!" I looked up to see Lisa pointing right at the both of us.

No, she hadn't gone to bring more men. She brought my father, Landon, and more guards. This bloody bitch actually had some balls.

The look on her face made my stomach drop to the pit of my stomach.

"Get behind me, it's fine." Elijah pushed me behind him but he didn't need to protect me, this was my family. Or so I thought.

"What are you talking about, Lisa?"

She went to stand beside my father and held his hand.

"Dad, this is the rogue she's been seeking out secrets to and having an affair with. I told you we couldn't trust her."

My mouth hung open in shock, listening to the lies spew from her mouth without hesitation.

My father won't believe her nor would Landon. They knew me too well to believe such a stupid lie.

"Dad, don't believe that nonsense. You know better, right? You know I'd never do anything like that? This is not what you think it is. I can explain-"

"Oh shut up, traitor. Dad, I overheard her saying that she wanted to hand you over to them on a platter. You should punish her. She planned to kill you."

It was beginning to sound like a debate, a debate for whom my father should believe. The way my father was looking at me in silence and the way his eyes darted back to Lisa any time she spoke. I couldn't decipher what he was thinking.

"Dad, you have to believe what I'm telling you. She was the one who tried to kill me. She captured me in the woods and put a knife against my throat. She wore a mask and stood with some rogues! You have to believe me." He didn't move an inch but his eyes were focused on me.

I was so desperate, desperate for any witnesses to come forth and say something. From the way my dad was looking, he would most definitely take Lisa's side and as soon as that happened, I was done for.

"Listen, my name is Elijah and I am-"

"Please, please, not now. You're the center of this mess and even I don't know who you are. Just be quiet, I'll handle this."

He was a witness but he wasn't a good witness, he was the sole cause of this. If he hadn't come, Lisa would have killed me and dumped my body somewhere and my father would never know of my death. He would think I had actually run away.

And maybe that wouldn't have been so bad. At least, I would be with mum again and I won't have to deal with Lisa.

I stepped forward a bit.

"Dad, I-"

Landon came to me, looked me dead in the eye and slapped me across the face. It almost knocked me off balance but it was the confusion I felt that mostly dazed me.

Landon slapped me?

"You filthy whore, you've been cheating on me the entire time?"​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I opened my mouth to explain but words didn't come out. If anybody would have taken Lisa's side, I would never have thought it would be Landon because I thought he knew me better.

As I stared at him with tear filled eyes, I could see the rage in him as he stared down at me. I wasn't crying because Landon slapped me but because he didn't believe me.

"You have committed a taboo and you will be punished for it."

"Wait, Landon." I tried to hold on to his shirt but he pushed me away. "Landon, you need to listen to me."

It was no use, he had turned his back on me. If I didn't do something fast, I was going to be killed.

"Elijah" I dragged him to a corner "You need to tell them what happened. Leave no details out please,if you don't say something, my father would have me killed."

He looked back at my father, then at me and then nodded.

ELIJAH

My day had started pretty normal.

I dropped Leo's toy train and walked over to meet Anderson, the pack doctor, who was now gathering up his equipment.

"Anderson" I turned around to look at Leo, to make sure he couldn't hear me "What do you think? When do you think he would be able to talk?"

From his expression alone, I already knew what he wanted to say and it wasn't good news.

He simply shook his head, not wanting to add salt to the injury. Disappointment washed through me as I walked him out. Every time he paid a visit, I had always hoped that he would give me good news, that he would talk real soon.

Ever since Liam, my former Beta and his father passed on, he had been like this.

Leo was his father's son and the only thing Liam held dearest to his heart. Their bond was so strong that when Leo realized that his father wasn't coming back from the war like other men, he fell ill.

To make matters worse, Jane, his mother, left him because she wasn't able to cope with his illness.

Leo had no one to care for him so I took him in as my son. Not just because he was alone, but because Liam was my best friend and confidant. This was the least I could do for him so he could rest in peace.

By the time I got back to the room, Leo was already in bed so I crawled in with him and patted him to sleep. That was all he ever did. He played with his toys a bit but most times, he just slept.

It bothered me because I didn't want him to grow up alone. I may not be there all the time and I wanted him to have people around him to be there for him.

The door opened and Hazel stood in the doorway with her hand over her mouth. She signaled for me to come outside and I shooed her away. Slowly crawling out of Leo's bed, I made sure he was asleep before shutting the door behind me.

"What is it?" I met up with her in the drawing room upstairs.

She crossed her hands against her chest and pushed herself off the wall. She gave me a once over and I already knew there was something in her mind. I just couldn't guess what.

"You haven't given me an answer to my question."

I racked my brain but couldn't seem to even remember what the question was.

Hazel wasn't my beta officially, but she does everything a beta would. And she did it good.

"You said you were going to think about what I said." She sounded exasperated.

It still didn't ring a bell.

"You. Getting. Married. Again." She stressed each word.

I rolled my eyes and held the door handle.

"I was never married before. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be doing something important."

"Okay, wait." She grabbed my hand. "This time around, it's not just for me. Listen, things aren't looking good with the wolves from the White Crescent Pack. If we want them to actually sign the treaty, then we need a Luna."

"White Crescent doesn't have a Luna." I pointed out in a know it all tone.

"But at least, the Alpha has been married. Listen, just think about it and this time, try to do something about it."

Deep down, she knew that I wasn't going to do anything about it. Not now, not ever.

"Elijah, you-"

"I'll think about it, on one condition." Her smile fell. "How about you find your mate first?"

She burst out laughing.

"I'm not like you, Elijah. We're not in the same situation. Besides, men are trouble. I'm fine the way I am."

We both laughed and as she walked away, I actually put some thought into what she said.

Maybe Leo needs a motherly figure to finally talk.

"Finally, you're speaking a language I can relate to."

Of course, it would take a topic like this that would get Aiden to finally show his ugly face.

Aiden is family, and like every family, he is the most annoying of all.

He had been one of the supporters of Hazel's campaign to get me another mate but no matter what they did or planned to do, their plans won't work.

"Forget it, it's not going to happen."

Right now, my primary and only focus was Leo. The only thing that would make me so happy was to see him talking, nothing else.

"But just think about it. If you find a new mate, you'll be happier. Leo would have a motherly figure which every child needs and you'll be able to sign the treaty with White Crescent."

I ignored him because it was the only thing to do. The moment he started his rant, he would never shut up. I had never met a wolf that talked so much.

"Elijah, just-"

"Forget it, Aiden. Just drop it. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in being with someone else? Have you forgotten so quickly what Emily did or have you forgotten what Jane did to Leo? The way she abandoned Leo just like that? You can't possibly expect me to forget all that and move on!"

The memories were still very fresh in my head. The pain, the way I felt when Emily left me, the countless days that I tried begging her to come back. The horrible days after she left, how hard it had been for me to pull myself from that darkness. No, I couldn't possibly move on.

Just the mention of her name made me feel a pang in my chest, but I quickly shoved it away. I was over this, over her.

I had promised myself after everything that I wouldn't waste my time with women ever again. I would never marry, or claim a mate. And this little plan they have to push me to do it isn't going to make me change my mind.

"Elijah, I didn't mean-" Aiden started but I cut him off sharply.

"Forget it." My tone was final.

He got the message that I wasn't in the mood. They both didn't try to speak again.

I still wasn't back to normal, after the unnecessary reminder of Emily and what happened with her.

I couldn't concentrate so I walked out of his room and went back to mine before changing my course and heading towards the door.

A run in the woods was the perfect thing to take my mind off all this talk that was annoying me.

Quickly changing out of my formal wear, I put on normal clothes and slipped into the dark woods.

They say you learn new things everyday but I never thought this was what the day had in store for me. Watching the way this wolf's so called family were treating her was eye opening. I never imagined I'd get to see a wolf treat their own child like this.

As I watched the way these people treated her, it drove me crazy because they were the ones who were supposed to be protecting her.

Lycans valued their children, they loved and died for them but it obviously wasn't applying to these people. They treated her like a slave not worthy to stand before them.

Her father just stood there in silence, not saying anything to defend her while the girl, Lisa, just kept feeding him with lies. What good father would stand still and watch as his daughter is hit by another man in his presence but he didn't even move an inch.

I would have ripped his hand off first for calling me a rogue, then for having the guts to raise his hand on her. But I couldn't blame him, he didn't know I was an Alpha.

But I was a King only in my Kingdom and by White Crescent rules, Adriana and I should be sentenced to death. This was one of the rules that was set to be abolished by the time we sign the treaty.

Both our sides have seen countless people get sentenced to death for falling in love and due to it being a rule that my father had passed with the Alpha of White Crescent at that time, I had no other choice but to honor it.

There was no way I was going to allow her to get killed based on a lie. I would protect her with my own life if I have to, because she's innocent.

Before I can open my mouth to speak, Lisa beats me to it.

"Dad, say something. She's just going to lie her way out of this situation. Sentence her to death right away!" If her father had a brain, he would see that Lisa was so desperate to get her killed and he won't fall for her tricks.

"Just stop it, Lisa! I can't do it!" I saw Adriana visibly relaxing. I felt so bad for her because all this was happening because I showed up "But you're not going to be free. Take them to the dungeons and lock them up! I'll deal with this in the morning with a clear head."

The dungeons? No way in hell.

"Wait, listen to me, you don't know who I am." The guards didn't listen to me, they just began dragging us away.

"Dad? Dad, please! You have to believe me! Please!" Her father turned his back on her as his daughter was being dragged away.

"Hey," I called for her "It's okay. This will soon be cleared up and we'll be out of here."

"This is my fault. I'm sorry, if you hadn't stepped in to save me, you would have been safe. I'm sorry for this."

My heart broke, hearing those words. I wanted to tell her that if given the opportunity, I would save her over and over again without thinking about it twice but I didn't. She shouldn't have to take on the pain alone.

Frantically, I searched my waist for my Kingship band but tonight in all the years I've been King is the first time I'm leaving the house without it. Just perfect.

"Hey wait, listen to me " I tried to reason with the guards but they didn't listen. "I'm the Lycan King. My name is Elijah Stormborn, you will be committing a big crime!"

They dragged us into a building with no light. I still couldn't believe I was getting arrested.

"It's okay. You don't have to lie." Adriana gently whispered to me.

I'm not lying! Why wouldn't anyone believe me?!

I needed to figure a way out of here. It wouldn't make sense for me to fight all these wolves on my own. There were too many and I would put Adriana at risk. I wasn't even hearing Ezra so it meant this wasn't a situation that I would need to fight in.

Mind linking was my only hope.

"Hazel, I need help. I've been arrested by White Crescent."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​