Claimed by the Wolf Billionaire (BBW Paranormal Alpha Romance) (7 page)

Chapter 2

The next sun had set behind the mountain tips which towered the valley of her new home. The evening was still warm when Cynthia awoke in a small hut just outside the mouth of a cave. She had been practicing being a nocturnal, a creature of the night, but found it was still a relatively major transition. Groggily, she fastened her hair with a single booby pin that Mila had given her ‘to control the volume.’

Rila, her wereguard had been assigned to be with her. It was a touch of jealously that Rila had over the humans. Born as a female werewolf, her womb was naturally infertile. Rila watched with bitterness at how her clan mates responded to the human females, ogling at them, checking them out, and treating them with reverence. Rila hated all that. But she had accepted the fact that human females were a necessary evil for the continuation of her specie. For the pack to expand, human females needed to be procured for the alpha.

When Rila’s pack had been crushed by the berserking Thane, she would have also been locked in the cage, tormented beyond her wits, if it weren’t for her role as a breed-mother – that is – to find human mates for the alphas. The breed mother was a special inter-pack role held solely by Rila for the benefit of all the clans. As a breed mother she acted as a correspondence between the human world and the werewolf world, ferrying human females and delivering them to their alpha’s territory.

When she picked up Cynthia and Mila they had already been chosen. This meant that they had gone through the lengthy selection ‘process.’ This process included being imprinted by the alpha, and more importantly, introduced to his territory. Cynthia and Mila had both lived and bonded with their respective alpha male and his respective pack.

“I want to see Asch,” said Cynthia.

Rila made a slight growl.

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no?’ First, you tricked us into coming here, then you’re going to deny my right to see my alpha?” exclaimed Cynthia.

“I bought you to your alpha,” said Rila. “Thane is your new alpha.”

“Thane isn’t my alpha!” shrieked Cynthia.

At least, as long Asch lives, Cynthia would not consider any other. She knows the rules. She belongs to Asch. If he still lives then she can reject Thane.

“What do you care about who you serve anyways?” said Rila with a swollen look, “you just do what you’re told human bitch!”

“Listen, I don’t know what your problem is. But I demand you to bring me to Asch. I have a right to see him. He’s still alive and let’s not forget that you were supposed to bring me to my alpha. Well my alpha is still alive and I want you to bring him to me!”

Pack rules. Rila still had to conform to them. Cynthia had a point. She’s still bound to present her to her alpha. Maybe Thane doesn’t have any sense of responsibility, but Rila still had a shred of dignity inside of her.

“Sigh. Let’s go.”

Chapter 1

It was the eyes that haunted her.

In all her years of werewolf research, never had she seen such eyes that were so devoid of the human element. Her highly tuned expert eyes could not detect any inclination of control, nor the remnant of compassion. She had seen different werewolves’ eyes; blue, amber, red, but never had she seen eyes with such a primal intensity that all color had burned off, revealing blank whiteness crisscrossed by reddened veins focused on an intense slit of black.

The primal stare culminated to a glossy finish of malignant hatred. This was not a werewolf anymore, she thought. This was a wolf reduced back to its feral beast-like nature.

Pulled back lips revealed large bristling fangs accompanied by threatening growls of aggression. From her research, she knew this sound indicated a fight to the finish. These two wolves cannot be stopped. This is barbarous, she exclaimed, but before any words can leave her lips, she was pulled back by the hopelessness of her situation. A young woman in the edge of a werewolf camp with no form of protection to comfort her.

With an incredulous stare, she noticed a peculiarity in the striation of a scar in one of the wolf’s face. It gave an impression that called her back many days ago when she was junior researcher.

She had met this wolf before.

A glance to the moonlight turned her thoughts to the caring pupils of a man she’s met before. Her lover, her fated mate, her alpha – but it wasn’t him – it was someone close to him. Scanning mental notes of her enormous research, the singularity of the wolf’s identity dawned on her.

These eyes belonged to her lover’s lieutenant. What more, if this was her lover’s lieutenant, then surely the other wolf would belong to Mila’s own pack. It was their respected wolves that were to be massacred in a fight to the finish!

Horrified by the clarity of her understanding, Cynthia quickly turned to Mila.

“We need to stop this Mila!” Cynthia exasperatingly said.

But Mila’s eyes were firmly held beyond the arena and into her new alpha.
 

“Stop what?” Mila says as she twirled her hair facing Thane. Mila’s eager eyes glossed over and softened at the alpha sitting in the distance. She lifted her chin, exposing her sensuous neck trying to lure him in. She knew what she was doing.

“The fight!” Cynthia exclaimed. “These wolves are part of our own pack! I’m sure of it.”

“Pack?” Mila airily said as if pulled from trance. “Do you think he’ll like me?”

Cynthia’s face reddened with anger. Her nostrils flared as she clenched her fists.

“And besides,” Mila said jubilantly, “We have a new pack already. Does it really matter who is alpha?”

A sudden coolness hits Cynthia’s core as she reeled from the audacity of Mila’s answer. Did she not have any loyalty? How can she be so cold hearted as to take up a new alpha so quickly?

But Mila wasn’t paying attention anymore. Her gaze was glued to the alpha on the other side. Cynthia followed her gaze, looking at Thane for a moment. She was certain he was staring straight back at her.

A silence descended on the encampment, shocking Cynthia’s attention back to the fight. One of the wolves had finally succumbed. Laying bloodied and battered on the ground, it morphed to its human form with the last of its rapidly fleeting strength.

Racing towards the railings, her eyes widened as she stared with disbelief at the outline of the lieutenant -- her fated mate’s number two. The sight made her stomach clench. She held her hand to her mouth to cover a gasp as her inquisitive self scrambled to understand why this had happened.

His bereft human body illuminated by the pale silver light showed signs of abuse. His chest had been heavily scarred and the deep outline of his ribs hinted at malnourishment. A dark thick mound of thickened skin draped in blood encircled his neck. Was he collared? Cynthia inspected every detail of him, trying to find an answer to what was happening.

“He’s coming over!” squealed Mila as her blue eyes sparkled with gleam. “Oh.. and he’s so hot!” she said with a wide grin.

Thane walked in a determined strut towards them, and stopped dangerously close to their space. In his werewolf form he seemed larger than any werewolf both had seen before.
 
His large angular face marked a jutted chin, and his thrust-out chest of black fur radiated of superiority.

“Nice to meet you Thane! I’m Mila!” Mila said as she stopped herself from reaching out to grasp Thane’s massive chest. “I’m looking forward to us getting to know each other,” she said flushed in appearance.

“You’re Caim’s fated mate,” he said in a loud voice. “Bled him out last night. You belong to me now.”

Mila smiled and gave an appreciative sigh.

“And you,” tilting his head staring intently at Cynthia. “You’re Asch’s fated mate.
 
You WILL belong to me soon.”
 

NOT YET.

Thane’s thick hands found the curvy hips of Mila. Picking up and rotating what is rightfully his, he pulled back Mila’s hair and grasped her chin while glaring at Cynthia.

Mila shuddered in Thane’s tight clasp. But relaxed when she realize that maybe that this type of rutting was what turned Thane on. She wanted to make a good first expression. And besides, she told herself she would be open to anything.

Leaning in imposingly, Thane tightly looked at Cynthia.

“You WILL belong to me. You’re the last piece. Special.”

Chapter 2

The next sun had set behind the mountain tips which towered the valley of her new home. The evening was still warm when Cynthia awoke in a small hut just outside the mouth of a cave. She had been practicing being a nocturnal, a creature of the night, but found it was still a relatively major transition. Groggily, she fastened her hair with a single booby pin that Mila had given her ‘to control the volume.’

Rila, her wereguard had been assigned to be with her. It was a touch of jealously that Rila had over the humans. Born as a female werewolf, her womb was naturally infertile. Rila watched with bitterness at how her clan mates responded to the human females, ogling at them, checking them out, and treating them with reverence. Rila hated all that. But she had accepted the fact that human females were a necessary evil for the continuation of her specie. For the pack to expand, human females needed to be procured for the alpha.

When Rila’s pack had been crushed by the berserking Thane, she would have also been locked in the cage, tormented beyond her wits, if it weren’t for her role as a breed-mother – that is – to find human mates for the alphas. The breed mother was a special inter-pack role held solely by Rila for the benefit of all the clans. As a breed mother she acted as a correspondence between the human world and the werewolf world, ferrying human females and delivering them to their alpha’s territory.

When she picked up Cynthia and Mila they had already been chosen. This meant that they had gone through the lengthy selection ‘process.’ This process included being imprinted by the alpha, and more importantly, introduced to his territory. Cynthia and Mila had both lived and bonded with their respective alpha male and his respective pack.

“I want to see Asch,” said Cynthia.

Rila made a slight growl.

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no?’ First, you tricked us into coming here, then you’re going to deny my right to see my alpha?” exclaimed Cynthia.

“I bought you to your alpha,” said Rila. “Thane is your new alpha.”

“Thane isn’t my alpha!” shrieked Cynthia.

At least, as long Asch lives, Cynthia would not consider any other. She knows the rules. She belongs to Asch. If he still lives then she can reject Thane.

“What do you care about who you serve anyways?” said Rila with a swollen look, “you just do what you’re told human bitch!”

“Listen, I don’t know what your problem is. But I demand you to bring me to Asch. I have a right to see him. He’s still alive and let’s not forget that you were supposed to bring me to my alpha. Well my alpha is still alive and I want you to bring him to me!”

Pack rules. Rila still had to conform to them. Cynthia had a point. She’s still bound to present her to her alpha. Maybe Thane doesn’t have any sense of responsibility, but Rila still had a shred of dignity inside of her.

“Sigh. Let’s go.”

****

Two passages crowned the mouth of the cave. The first headed towards Thane’s resting place and the second towards a roomy dank prison cellar carved in stone. Cynthia wanted to visit neither. But she reminded herself of her alpha, Asch. Stepping forward the passage leading to the prison, Cynthia could feel a gloomy aura envelope her body. It felt like the souls of the tormented still lingered in the stones. But again, she shut-off these thoughts, thinking that souls were not of the analytical mind, and was of no use in improving her situation. She was a woman of science. A rational thinking woman, who was emotionally invested in her alpha male.

The narrow opening of its entrance opened up to a large cavernous hall.
 

“This way?” Cynthia asked.

Mila nodded and waited by the entrance.

Looking around, she found make shift cells in roomy pockets of space etched from stone framed by thick steel bars.
 
Most of the cells were eerily empty. Only one of the cells contained life. Movement stirred inside of it.
 

A familiar sight called to her. The sight of her alpha, Asch. She found herself running towards his cell, falling to her knees upon reaching the steel bars of his prison.

He was lying on the ground with a chain on his neck.
 
His corrugated leanness shocked Cynthia to disbelief. Cynthia leaned forward.

“Asch..”

Asch abruptly arose to her presence. Sniffing, Asch’s head slowly turned to her. His wild snapping lunge was only thwarted by a metal collar that chained his neck. His werewolf transformation was quick and unexpected. In her horror, she found his eyes with the same malignant hatred that she had seen in the lieutenant. She could feel the rage stay on her.

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