Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Aramis POV:

I smelled her pure fear. She was so afraid to go into a new pack.

She was scared to death.

I had never hated myself like I did in that moment.

My heart skipped a beat as a thought struck me. She couldn't pretend, because this feeling, this sheer panic, came out of her pores so unadulterated that it couldn't be anything but real.

I quickly brushed that thought aside.

She's not your mate. She's not your mate. She's not your mate.

I kept repeating those words in my head, and yet it didn't help the nagging need to grab her and carry her far enough away that no one could hurt her anymore.

I was about to bare my teeth as I restrained myself with all my strength.

She is an illusion. Just an illusion.

But although I tried to devote myself to this sentence with my whole being and to embody it, I couldn't prevent myself from saying the next few words.

"I swear to the gods, if you hurt her hair, I'll make you wish you'd never seen the light of day. She'll have enough to eat, a decent home, and damn everyone will welcome her with open arms be called!" my deep and husky voice filled the dark forest while my eyes never left Alpha Heariv. My strength spurted from my pores as I held him in my mental claws and yanked him off the ground and into the air.

Alpha Heariv held his breath while I dangled him at a breakneck height.

"Did I make myself clear?" My voice sounded more like a growl, I stabbed him with my cold stare and bared my teeth. As soon as he nodded, unable to utter a word, I set him down on the floor.

Without looking at Zaira again, I turned and ran into the depths of the forest. Eastbound.

Zaira's POV

Deaf. This is how I felt right now while chasing after Alpha Heariv. You would think that just the thought of going back into a new pack would make me run away screaming in panic.

But I did exactly the opposite.

Without arguing, I followed him and we walked silently through the forest. I felt infinitely empty. My heart had been ripped out, trampled on, and finally blown to pieces. Not even sadness filled me.

I just wanted it all to end, I was so exhausted and just couldn't go on. I was literally broken.

What should I do next? I did not know it. I waited for a sign from my wolf, but she was silent.

I sighed and looked back over my shoulder. The sun had already set and the wind rustled through the fir trees, which stood close together in the darkness. Though the night didn't strain my sea skills, I couldn't spot him between the trees. He wasn't there anymore.

He insulted me, pushed me away and left me like I was dirt. His words were still buzzing in my head, chilling my body.

"I DON'T WANT YOU! AND I NEVER WILL!"

"I never want to see you again. I'll put you in a new pack and from then on you won't be my problem anymore. Never again."

I should be angry, I should scream, throw myself, curse him. hate him! But not a single drop of anger flowed in my blood. I think he broke me completely, I couldn't bring myself to feel any more, just this dull emptiness.

The point, however, was that I could understand him. Why would he want me as a mate? I had nothing to offer him, was worth nothing, I knew that perfectly now. I thought of my parents, so much had changed since then and I wondered if I had imagined their love.

I lifted my head, stumbling briefly as the vision blurred before my eyes. I felt pus trickle down my stomach and even though my inner numbness took away the pain from my wounds, I knew my body couldn't ignore them and they were relentlessly weakening it. Still, I kept pushing him, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other without tipping over. Just when I thought my body was about to give up, we came to a ledge.

I stood next to Alpha Heariv and looked down at a small settlement that was in the middle of a forest. There were many small huts placed around a big house, but with enough distance between them that the forest could also spread in the settlement and thus a certain security for the pack was created.

It was wonderful.

"Welcome to the Silverstorm Pack."

I took a quick side glance at Alpha Heariv and realized that no matter what Heariv did to me, nothing could hurt me more than the loss of my parents' love and my mate's rejection.

***

"You must be Zaira!" Bright brown eyes shimmered in the night as I quickly bowed my head in submission. I was still wondering how she knew my name when I smelled that she was the alpha female, the Luna. Which also explained the fact that she knew my name, she must have been telepathically communicating with her mate, Alpha Heariv, as only mates could communicate with one another. "Nice to meet you!"

"The joy is all mine Luna Heariv." softly whispering, head still bowed. Luna Heariv stood in front of me and her mate right by her side. Alpha Heariv and I had just arrived in the valley when she ran towards us between the small wooden huts and pulled him into a tight hug. You could literally feel the love between the two mates, it was magical. I would have cried as I felt the loss of my soul mate suffocate me again if it weren't for that dull veil that made me a cold shell.

Two fingers gently touched my chin and lifted it with light pressure. I was initially torn by the fear of looking up and the consequences of defying her. My heart was literally pounding against my chest.

I cocked my head without further hesitation.

It was pure coincidence that a moment before that, she whispered to me in her soft voice that it was okay to raise my head, that I had nothing to fear. Because I didn't raise my head for that reason. I knew it was a lie. I wondered why?

Why should n't I ?

What did I have to lose? That was the reason. Because whatever happened, I didn't care.

"And now your eyes honey." What the hell? , "You don't have to be afraid.", soft and yet firm, the voice of a Luna. I would be lying if I didn't admit that I struggled. Normally I would never have voluntarily met such a dominant wolf, a Luna, not after my life in the Darkmoon pack. It was solely due to my deep emptiness, my indifference, that I now looked into her brown, expressive eyes.

Her fiery red, long hair surrounded a heart-shaped face from which two concerned eyes regarded me. "What pack were you in before?"

"In the Darkmoon pack, Luna." Monotone, that's what my voice sounded and felt like. Alpha Heariv growled softly and anger flashed in his eyes for a moment. I automatically wanted to lower my head, out of habit, but was gently stopped again.

"We've heard a lot about the Darkmoon Pack and none of it was even remotely good." Now the alpha spoke. "We can't imagine what you experienced there, but you are one of us now, you belong to the Silverstorm pack from today and we will protect you from the Darkmoon pack, I give you my word on that."

I tried to make sense of his words, but I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did they want me to trust them first before torturing me so that I suffered even more? Or was that just a joke?

I waited for them to grab me, lock me in a cell and beat me. They knew I was an omega, they could smell it. I was too weak for a pack, I already knew that, they would only need me as a cleaning fairy until they got tired of me.

But none of that happened.

"Honey, look at me." She waited until I looked at her again. "I know you don't believe us, but we'll never hurt you, I swear to you. Our pack isn't like the Darkmoon pack, we're family." She paused for a moment, just like if she expected me to speak up and say something back. Why would I do such a disrespectful thing? Why did she want me to do something like that? All I knew was that after such an act, something horrible was always in store for me.

Sadness shimmered in her eyes. She wanted to take a step in my direction, but stopped mid-movement and looked at me more closely. My control over my body was slowly getting worse and I could hardly stand on my feet, the wounds were in bad condition. "I see this conversation will have to wait a little longer. Let's get you to Will for now, he's a doctor by training and will take care of your injuries."

At first she wanted to support me, but when I pulled away from her, she decided not to touch me, at least for now. She motioned for me to follow her, then hacked at the Alpha and walked leisurely ahead, into the interior of the settlement.

Unable to move in sheer amazement, I watched them go for a moment. What on earth was that? You wanted to doctor me? With the best will in the world I couldn't make sense of it.

Not wanting to just stand there any longer, I ran after them.

This was probably becoming a habit.