EY'

a ferocious look that

thundered, reflecting the r

oddess chosen to

n and panic filled me as I faced Alpha Bran's angry gaze, wo

like you as my mate," he spoke stepping

mate," he said, while I shook my head n

ction, and break this mate bond," he comm

ed to say, while shaki

hrough the tense

til I she is ready to accept my re

fate as I was dragged away by Alpha Bran's men,

encircling the space, and the scent of stale

g me from the outside world. I sat on the cold stone f

Rather than accept me as his mate,

infrequent walking of guards patrolling the area. Still thinking about the

Bran

ream outside seemed to reflect the grief in my heart, rousing me from the depths of slumber but not quite bringing me to full awake

, with gushing black hair that equaled the darkest night, soul piercing eyes that carried ages' worth of wisdom, lips t

nty pups, each with eyes like mine and strength like yours," she'd add, her eyes sparkling lik

my memories. The pain of that loss is a constant companion, a burden I carry even as time passes. No

rward yet also unable to turn back time. The isolation of my chamber, once a

pha, once feared and revered, is reduced to a solitar

hip call, and I must put on the mask of power once more. However, beneath that mask is a heart that is still i

rong and unyielding, even in the face of personal grief. So I brace myself for whatever hardsh

d as I stepped out bare-chested and barefooted, a c

n sharpens the intellect, a type of self-impo

tine roads, and distant howls of pack members starting the day. I made my way

and allowed the cold to penetrate into m

echnique that helps me clear my head and focus my thoughts.

ion, a notion remained at

ond chance mate who isn't curses," I said sof

s that perhaps, just maybe, there could be anot

physical aspects of my regimen. I reached for the nearby logs, lifting them se

satisfying pump coursing through my veins. A cold bath in th

remendous noise broke through the peaceful morn

searched my surroundings. The pack was generally a symphony of or

the source of the disturbance,

noise, surveying the area with

ly forms reduced to a tangle of branches and splinter

de, the cursed wolf in my pack. She wasn't even a true wolf yet, her bloodline polluted by a curs

ring to defy my authority; the memory of his defiance still infuriates m

retched and awful as possible, was the fact that I had i

back to the present moment by the

poke up, bowing her

y tone showing none of

to?" I asked her, w

ob for the day

ead," I told her, while she just shook her

d?" I asked her, while she

food in this house," I told her, and she nodded immediately,

didn't accept my rejection and break our mat