Torn Between Her Alphas: Read Chapters 1-5

AMELIA

Tahoe, twenty-six months ago

I wondered how long it would take to die. So this was how I died— so brutal— burn to ashes. What did I do to deserve this? Was this what it felt like to be trapped in hell for eternity?

Smoke and fire were the only things I could see, obliterating the home where I grew up.

“Help!” I screamed out loud as I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them as I watched the fiery flames devour my bedroom door, leaving me no way to escape. The crackling sound was horrifying.

I was the weakest, the tiniest in the pack. At sixteen, I couldn’t even call myself a werewolf as I hadn’t shifted yet, which always got me bullied.

Tears blurred my eyes. Thick smoke began suffocating my lungs, making it hard to breathe. Sweat covered my whole body as heat seemingly slowly melted my skin.

I’d never been so terrified in my entire life until today as the flames began crawling over the pink carpeted floor. In point of fact, I didn’t want to die this way. If I only had another chance, but there was no other option. I didn’t make miracles. Though I prayed to the Moon Goddess, she wasn’t listening anymore.

“Zeph! Mom! Dad! Please, help!” I coughed furiously. I could no longer see anything in my room.

Windows. I swiftly turned to the window, it was covered with a huge flame, too.

“I’m so sorry.” I laid back in bed and curled myself into a ball, accepting my fate. As I endured the pain, I kept the beautiful memories in my thoughts before the fire began licking my skin, and what it was like a hot molten ball of fire struck me from behind, exploding my lungs.

I arched my back and clutched my shirt, gasping as an excruciating pain erupted in my chest. My eyes were cracked wide as I stared up at the burning ceiling.

Was this what it felt like to be burned alive?

I crawled off the burning bed, and then out of nowhere, I smelled pines. For a split second, a strong wind roared in a rush and charged through the room.

A tall man with flowy long white hair appeared. I couldn’t see his face, but I was sure he was a man. The last thing I heard was an airy and soft voice before I passed out. “You’re not going to die today.”

***

I woke up dripping with sweat. My entire body felt like burning from the inside, yet I was shivering, and chilling from the outside. I licked my dry lips, as parched as if I was left to die somewhere in the desert.

How was I still alive? Was I still alive? I heard murmurs from behind the walls. I turned and twisted in bed. My chest was so painful that it was run over by a truck, and flattened by a roller.

When my body trembled again, I mumbled, “Mom.”

The door creaked, and someone came in— it was my adoptive brother. I could smell his scent—a woodsy, musky, and spiced. Then I felt a hand on my forehead.

“Amelia, can you hear me?”

“Z-Zeph?”

“Yes, it’s me.” The mattress shifted. “I’m glad you’re awake now.”

“How long?”

“Three days. You were at the hospital for three days, but even Mom couldn’t figure out what was going on with you. We can’t risk you getting poked by the doctors and finding out our secret, so we brought you to the pack house. You’re in my room.”

“I thought I died.” My teeth tattered.

“Me, too. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when it happened.” Zeph held my hand.

“You were saving the world. You saved it.” My brother was with Alpha Ryden trying to save our world from a monster Cyrius. I was glad they did.

“What happened, Am?”

I cracked my eyes open. They were blurry at first, until his tired worried face became clear. What I wasn’t expecting was the shock on his face— his eyes bulged, staring at me.

I cleared my throat. “W-what’s wrong?”

He let my hand go and stood up, then stepped back in terror.

“You’re scaring me, Zeph.”

“I’m sorry, Am.” The way he swallowed hard, scared me.

I looked at myself. I was wearing jammies that I didn’t recognize they were mine. I patted my face. I didn’t see any burns, nor did my arms or hands. Then it hit me.

My heart started to pound as I lifted my gaze at my brother. “What happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me.”

“I’m sorry about the house. Where are Mom and Dad?”

“They’ll be here soon. They’re worried about you. We thought—” He swallowed hard again. “We thought we’d lost you. How is it even possible, Am? No one could have survived that fire.”

“I don’t know.” I pulled the blanket over my body when I began to shake again. “Can I get a Tylenol, please?”

“Let Mom check you first.” I could still hear the worry in his voice no matter how hard he tried to look strong.

I shut my eyes when it was too much. “I didn’t burn the house.”

“You know, people think you were suicidal after the bullying.” He came back to sit on his bed, putting the wet towel on my forehead.

I gasped as the cold towel pressed against my skin. “I swear to the Goddess, I didn’t set the house on fire. I was sleeping, Zeph. You believe me, do you?”

“Of course.”

“That’s all I need.”

I might have passed out again. I woke up with the yellow light illuminating the room from the lamp on the nightstand.

I sucked in a breath as I felt that I wasn’t alone. A tall shadow lurking in the corner of the room moved, and I knew exactly who was it without seeing his face.

Then the scent of intense deep woodsy amplified the fresh citrusy and cedar, a note of captivating vanilla that left a trail of heightened sensuality.

I sucked another breath as Alpha Ryden stood straight and took steps in my direction. My heart began to pump so hard. It made it hard to breathe.

He stopped just right at the foot of the bed and stared at me intensely. With his smell getting so strong it blew my mind. I could barely hear when he called my name. Apparently, his scent became like the most delicious thing on earth. It was addicting.

And then it hit me.

“I want you to leave this pack, this land, my land, and never come back.”

My eyes widened as I swallowed the lump in my throat. “W-why? What did I do?”

“You’re an abomination that I can’t afford to destroy my pack.”

“I didn’t do it.” My voice shook. My chin trembled. My eyes began to water as I lifted my gaze, meeting his.

His deep green eyes were like a dark forest, full of mystery and danger but I was willing to take the risk to explore. Until he added, “You will leave tonight or I will kill your family, including your brother if you tell a soul about this.”

“Don’t do this, please?” I would give everything and do anything for him not to harm my family. I shook my head as tears began to form in my eyes. “I can’t.”

“I, Ryden Braxton, Alpha of Crimson Heart Pack, reject you, Amelia Hayes, Omega, as my mate and future Luna. I banish you from the pack and my land and never to return.”

I shook to cry, feeling the agony erupted in my chest.

He just rejected me, tearing my heart apart so ruthlessly without a hint of regret.

Before he walked to the door, he paused. “And have fun on your 18th birthday.”

AMELIA

Gasping, my eyes flew open from a vivid carnal dream of many dreams I had almost every week. I froze as I stared outside.

When the Ford truck stopped at the red light, I rolled the window down to half and noticed the same gift shop across the street.

Then a captivating strong male scent with a gust of tobacco, cedar, and spices hit my nostrils.

I wished my heartbeat would settle down. It was extremely hard to concentrate and relax as I searched for where the smell came from.

Before I could explore the tattoo that was similar to a sigil on a man’s neck in a black Chevrolet Tahoe, the light turned green.

The moment I heard the bad news about Zeph, I knew it left me no choice but to go back to the pack and the place that rejected and banished me.

I knew this day would come. I just didn’t think that it involved with my brother being hurt.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Theia asked. Her hands were steady on the wheel.

It was funny how we met. She tried to steal my wallet. But I believed in second chances. So, we gave her one. Since then, we were inseparable.

“You should learn by now not to question her decision, Theia,” replied Ren, the flowy long white-haired guy who saved me during the fire.

He found me in the freezing cold forest the same night I walked out of my life, my family, my pack, and my mate. He gave me a home, a new family who accepted my uniqueness, who helped me nurture my newfound power and gift, also a responsibility.

“Earth to, Am.” Theia huffed out a breath.

My gaze landed on the newly Renovated Crimson Holiday Lodge that stood tall and proud at the center of the tourist spots.

“Is that—?”

I sighed. “Yup, the one and only, Ren.”

“And where we’re spending our days. I booked two rooms. Am and I will share a room, and you in the suite.”

I stared at Theia in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? Why do we have to share?”

“I’m your DD and assistant. Don’t complain.”

Ren chuckled beside me from the backseat of his truck. His family of Japanese descent was wealthy as hell, and he was an heir to a billion-dollar import-export empire. That night, when I lost all hope, he was there for me and took me to his home in his private jet. Then he introduced me to an Ancient Order of Werewolves somewhere on the mountain of Japan in a secret place called Elysian.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Livid, I stared at him.

“Theia has this idea of you and your ex rekindling your romance. So you don’t need another room.”

I still felt the heartache of being rejected even if it was two years ago. I guessed when you were mated for life, it wasn’t easy to forget, heal, and move on, but I also accepted the fact that we would never going to be together. He had a girlfriend now who matched his strength and was as striking as him, a perfect luna to his growing pack.

I snorted in disgust. “I didn’t come here to mingle. I came here to see my brother, and hopefully, to help him.”

The truck went silent and smoothly drove down the slippery road towards the pack house in the middle of the forest owned by the Braxton.

Right now, I was in an uncharted territory, and my wolf just stirred inside my chest.

“Calm down.” Ren squeezed my hand.

“I can even hear her heartbeat,” said Theia. “This must be hard for you, Am, coming back home.”

“Not that hard because I know I’ll be gone before everyone knows it.”

“You have to see your parents before we go, Amelia.”

“Of course, Ren. I missed them.” When emotions swelled in my chest, I looked outside the window. “I hope they feel the same way, too.”

The truck slowed down, indicating that we just arrived at the pack house. It was more of an inn with dozens of rooms for pack members. It even expanded from the last time I was here. Ryden did a great job as an alpha. His parents must be proud of him.

When his uncle, the previous alpha started to change the rules in the pack by forcing mateless members to mate, Ryden challenged him.

At nineteen, he became a good fighter and trained every day for a rainy day. He won the challenge and banished his uncle instead of taking his life. Since then, he has been fearless and respected.

“We can wait in the truck,” she suggested.

But Ren was already climbing out. “I won’t leave her alone to get mauled by the wolves.”

“Then I’m going out, too.” She turned off the engine and hopped out. When my heart hadn’t slowed down, I took slow, deep breaths before I climbed out. Ren had already my sword, a gift from our Sensei because he knew I never left it off my sight.

“Don’t show off,” he said before giving it to me.

My eyes narrowed. “I didn’t come here to make a fight.”

“I can feel your emotions. We’re bonded, remember?” We were not mates, but just like mates, our souls were linked together. Our powers were connected.

“How can I forget?” I rolled my eyes as I put on the sling.

“Ready?”

“We’re not going to war, Theia.” I glanced over at her as I stepped into the pack house door.

The moment I entered the entrance, I sensed a lot of tensed werewolves, and all of a sudden, the entire house went silent, pairs of eyes were on me, and I instantly heard a low growl from the corner.

Theia and Ren stood behind me, alert and unmoving.

Before someone could maul me, I spoke. “I’m here to see my brother, Zeph. If anyone can lead me to where he is, that would be great.”

“Amelia?” Finally, someone recognized me. It was Walker. He was one of the pack enforcers. He hadn’t changed a bit but grew facial hair and a bit of muscle. “Oh, my Goddess.” He came, smiling, which reminded me when tried to kiss me at a school dance.

The rest of the back eased out.

“Where’s my brother?”

“In the infirmary. He’s not doing good. Amelia. Where have you been?”

“I have no time to answer your question.”

“Right. Follow me.” He seemed happy to see me, unlike the rest. I wondered what Ryden had told his pack about my sudden disappearance. “You look great by the way. You changed a lot and you dyed your hair.” That was expected.

“Well, it’s been two years, so yeah, people grow up and move on.” I followed him through the hallway even if I knew where the infirmary was.

“Your mother just left an hour ago. Your brother isn’t improving. He would be happy to see you, though. Who are they, anyway?” He sniffed the air. “The white-haired guy is not a werewolf?”

I almost snorted. Everyone thought Ren dyed his hair, when in fact, it came with his power. “We all are, Walker. That’s Ren and Theia, my best friends.”

He pushed the door open. I was amazed at how the infirmary had improved in the span of two years. With four medical beds, and complete equipment just like the ones in the hospital.

My eyes landed on my brother lying in bed. “Zeph!”

His eyes opened wide. “Amelia?”

I ran towards his bed and pulled him into a hug. He winced. He must be in so much pain. I kissed him on the cheek when my eyes started to water. “I missed you, Zeph.”

“Hey.” He lifted his hand and touched my face. He looked so sick and pale but managed to smile. “Where have you been?”

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and smiled at him. “It’s a long story, but I will tell you everything.”

“I don’t have much time, Am.”

“That’s not true.” I pulled out my sword, making him gasp. “Not gonna hurt you, silly.”

“Amelia,” Ren called me through our link, and I knew why.

“Just a minute, Zeph.” I went to Ren who was glaring at me and already questioning my decision.

“You can’t.” I knew it was a warning, but I didn’t have a choice.

“Why not?” I asked him in a whisper. “This is exactly how I am going to use this elixir. Zeph is my family, too, Ren. I know you would do the same to save your parents.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Well, life isn’t fair, is it? And we haven’t found the last two of four, Ren. I can’t let my brother die if I can do something. You can stop me, but you better not.”

“What the fuck is going on?”

RYDEN

I just received a call from my delta, the head of my enforcers, Trent, that we had werewolf visitors. It didn’t happen often without a formal appointment in advance unless it was an emergency, or what we considered as threats.

I saw a truck parked at the pack house which didn’t belong to any of my pack members.

The moment I got out of my car, I instantly felt my heart pound hard which didn’t happen often. I couldn’t sense any threats in the air, but the faint of familiar scents, which was a good sign.

But nothing was a good sign with that scent that still caught up in the air— the same dazzling fruity scents of raspberry overdose with a hint of lychee and citrus, and a vivid fusion of woodsy and rose sensation before it faded.

The last time I smelled this scent was two years, one month, and three days ago, yet it was still fresh in my head.

Fuck.

I drew a deep breath as I entered the house. “What the fuck is going on?”

Trent met me halfway. “The girl. I thought she’s dead.” Everyone thought she was dead, except for me and her family.

“Where is she?” I still carried that extreme guilt until now, even after my death, but it had to be done.

“With her brother. She has companions. A white-haired Japanese guy and a Latina.”

I stared at him for a moment not to overthink what he said, but she had the right to move on. One thing I wasn’t sure was my message would reach her. Zarah, the witch was right.

I went to the infirmary, and her scent was getting stronger, it quickly messed up with my head. I breathed deeply before I pushed the door open.

She almost knocked me on my ass. I wasn’t expecting to see Amelia today, or not in my lifetime, after what I did to her. Since that night, I accepted fate and ought to live alone for the rest of my life. Apparently, the universe had its way of making a sick cosmic joke on me. On us.

Seeing her before me caught me off guard. She had changed a lot, not the same girl who walked out of this pack house two years ago.

Amelia wasn’t the same Amelia anymore. She was still beautiful, though— beautiful didn’t even cut it. I’d met a thousand women, but she was more stunning— striking. She even changed her hair color to fiery red— auburn, and it suited her pale skin perfectly.

She looked fierce, not the soft innocent naive skinny girl I used to bully. Her brows shot up, her jaw set tight the moment our gazes locked. Her autumn green eyes slightly narrowed.

“Amelia.” Even her name felt strange coming from my mouth. As much as I’d like to indulge myself in her beauty. She didn’t come here for me. That was the fact.

“Alpha Ryden.” At least she still acknowledged me as the alpha. “I’m here to see my brother.”

“I see, you receive my message.”

“Your message?” She stole a glance at the white-haired guy.

“Yeah. I don’t know how else to reach you, and your brother is not getting any better.”

She seemingly shook off what I said. “Thank you. I’d like to be alone with my brother if you don’t mind.”

“I actually do. I’m not leaving my beta alone with strangers.”

“It’s a family matter, Alpha Ryden, and these two, my people are not strangers. They are family.” When she said her people, it was clear to me that she was in good hands.

“He’s my family, too, Amelia, but I don’t know them.” I eyed at the two who were intensely staring at me as if I had stolen their bunnies before, and they just marked me their enemy.

“Theia and I will be waiting in the car. Make it quick.” The Japanese guy gripped her wrist.

“I have to do it, Ren,” she whispered to him.

The Ren guy nodded. “Do what’s necessary. We’ll be outside. You know what to do.”

She nodded at the guy and smiled at the Latina who was around her age, but shorter.

When her friends left, Zeph cleared his throat. “When you two are done, I need to rest.”

“Hey.” I went to his bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Same as an hour ago and yesterday, and the day after,” he said with a weak smile. “Scratch that. I’m getting worse, and you know that.”

“What exactly happened to him?”

I lifted off Zeph’s shirt and showed Amelia the bite mark on the side of his abdomen. “It’s more than just a wolf bite. It’s infected with something. Your mom tried her best to treat him with everything medically possible, but he’s not improving. In fact, the infected area was spreading. I also called a witch and the healer.”

“Shadow Hawks?”

I looked at her, surprised that she knew about the lycan princess who was also a healer. “Yes. How do you know her?”

“Words go around.”

“I lost all options.”

“Where did he get bitten?”

“Nevada. He’s attending a wedding at one of my allies.”

“Did the person responsible for this get caught?”

“No. No one saw it,” her brother replied. “I could barely remember what happened. It was fast. I must have passed out, and I woke up in the hospital. They transferred me here two days ago.”

“This happened five days ago. And he’s not healing.”

She grabbed the sword— a Katana, that I didn’t know was there beside the bed. It looked amazing, like done by a craftsman from centuries ago. Its scabbard looked customized and decorated with flames design in gold carvings. Even the hilt was a little rounder than the usual sword.

“Easy. Do you even know how to use that?”

She replied to me with a glare. “What’s gonna happen here is just between the three of us.”

“Why?” I looked at her, and she returned it back with such intensity that our bond started to boil up from the surface, just waiting to crackle up.

It amazed me that it didn’t disappear. It didn’t die down. It just bottled up ready to explode and light up into a huge fire with a little spark.

She began twisting off the pommel of her sword and pulled out a small bottle from the inside.

“What’s that?”

“An elixir that I promised someone to use it when necessary.”

“I can’t take that, Amelia.” Zeph coughed. He could barely speak but he tried harder to be strong in front of his sister. “I’ve accepted my fate. I’m dying. That elixir wherever you got that from doesn’t deserve me. I heard what you and your friend talked about. I’m fine. I’m just glad to see you before I go.” He dragged out his breath as he was done talking.

Exhaling, her eyes were thoughtful as she whispered, “You’re not dying today, brother. And we still have a lot to talk about, remember?”

A light smile spread across his pale lips. “First thing, you have to tell me why did you leave, little sister.”

Shit.

Amelia opened the lid of the small bottle. “Lift the bed, please?”

I did as she asked since she asked me nicely.

“You’ll take a drop of this, okay, Zeph?”

“If you say so.”

“Open your mouth.” She tipped down a single drop into Zeph’s mouth and sealed it tightly, putting it back inside the sword handle. and stuffed her sword into the sling on her back. She looked badass, though, and sexy as fuck.

“What kind of elixir is that exactly? And where did you get it?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She barely finished her words when Zeph screamed out loud. His body went rigid and turned blue for seconds which stunned me. Amelia remained the same without any reactions as if she knew what would happen.

“Zeph!” Before I could hold him, Amelia gripped my arm.

“Don’t. He’s gonna be fine.” She then let me go.

“What the fuck is that?” I stared at her. Before I could grab the sword behind her, she blocked me quickly. It surprised me and intrigued me at the same time.

“You can’t touch my sword.” It was a warning.

“Or what? It will burn me?”

When she chose not to answer, I turned to look at Zeph, and he looked peacefully sleeping.

“Is he okay?”

“He will be.”

“We need to talk, Amelia.”

She glanced at her brother for a moment before she turned to me. “We have nothing to talk about. I will see my parents and Zeph one last time, and then I will be out of your hair, Alpha.”

“No.”

“No?” She arched her eyebrows.

I clenched my jaw. Through gritted teeth, I said, “You’re not going anywhere.”

She snorted. “How do you suppose to stop me?”

“Is that a challenge?”

AMELIA

“Amelia!”

I turned around to see Mom with wide eyes, staring at me. “Mom!”

We met halfway, and I hugged her tightly. Her fresh scent flooded my senses, reminding me of how much I missed her. She didn’t even age a bit. She looked the same as the last time I saw her, aside from cutting her blond hair short.

“Honey. Oh, thank Goddess. I miss you, honey.”

We pulled apart, and I wiped the tears on her cheeks. “I missed you, too, and I’m fine, Mom.”

“I know you are, honey. Where have you been? You only left us one letter, and we couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“She didn’t want to be found. I told you, sweetheart,” said my dad, grinning at us.

“Dad!” I threw myself at him just like old times, and he spun me around, chuckling. “You put some weight on, honey.”

“You mean, I’m fat now, Dad?”

He smiled as he put me down to hug me tight. “You colored your hair.”

“Nope. It’s natural.” Who would believe me, though? Especially my parents who raised me since I was six months old.

His brown eyes studied me for a moment, then smiled again. The same smile I remembered. “I thought we lost our baby girl.”

“You didn’t, Dad. Never a day passed by I didn’t think of all of you.”

“She’s lying.” Zeph came out from his bedroom of the new house, freshly showered. I guessed it wasn’t new when it was built nearly two years ago.

“How—?” Mom asked in disbelief. I could feel the shock in her voice, and it was written all over her face. She then looked at me. “You did this?”

“I’m not a healer, Mom.” I squeezed her again. “I wish I was, though.”

“Then, explain this, honey.”

I looked at Dad. “It’s a long story, but I want you to meet my friends.”

Theia and Ren came out from their kitchen.

“Mr. & Mrs. Hayes. It’s good to finally meet you. Amelia never stopped talking about you both. I’m Theia.”

“Good stuff, I hope. Call me Amos.”

“Sir, I’m Ren.” Ren extended his hand to shake my father’s. Then he went to kiss my mom on the cheek.

My dad, though, kept staring at Ren, making me share a look with Theia.

“He knows something,” Ren talked to me through our link.

Theia and I didn’t have the same connection because she wasn’t like us but she sensed something was going on.

We went to the kitchen where I made my friends sandwiches. Zeph also joined us.

“Son, I don’t mean to be rude, but is your hair natural?”

I chuckled. “He gets that a lot, Dad. Don’t worry. You’re not the first.”

“I’m afraid this is natural, sir.”

“It’s Amos, son.” My father couldn’t take my eyes off Ren. My best friend was confident with his look, but somehow, Dad made him uncomfortable.

“So, where have you been for the past two years, honey?”

“Ren found me. He took me to his home. We met Theia along the way.” I told him the shortest version. In order to protect them, I had to keep my job a secret even from my family.

“His scent is like a sunny breeze. I know he’s a werewolf, but what kind are you, Ren?” Zeph asked.

“I’m like your sister.”

“What exactly?” Zeph looked at me, grinning, eyes shining. “Wait. You finally shifted?”

“The same night she left your pack. I found her alone, naked, cold, freezing in the forest.”

From happy and grateful faces, I watched my parents turn to sadder in guilt. Ren didn’t have to make it hard for them, but maybe they needed to know the truth.

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter, all these years, Ren. We owe you that much.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Mrs. Hayes.”

“Oh, Goddess.” Dad was on his feet, pointing at me and then to Ren. Then he paced without a word.

“What’s going on, Dad?” Zeph asked, clearly worried and confused.

“I know you’re special, honey, but I never thought I would see something like these miracles even in my lifetime.”

“What are you talking about, Amos?” Mom asked.

Dad looked at me. “You didn’t die or even got a scar in that fire. There’s a prophecy said, when an evil walked the earth, defeated, new beings reborn and elements unfold, creating new balance in the underworld.”

“That’s insane.” Zeph snorted. When he met my gaze, he seemed to have realized something. He’d seen something unexplainable that night without answers.

“Wait here.” Dad quickly left the kitchen.

“I told you, he knows something,” Ren reminded me.

“What is your dad talking about, honey? I know you’ve changed a lot, but you’re still my baby girl. Care to explain what’s going on?”

“Yeah, sis. Explain the magic potion and the sword. I knew the moment you walked into that infirmary, I sensed something heavy in the air. I couldn’t explain it. Are you a witch, too?”

I burst out laughing. Theia joined me, too. Before I could say something, Dad came back with what looked like an old musty book.

“Here.”

“Not that again, Dad. That’s a myth,” Zeph said, half-jokingly.

“This is not a myth,” Dad insisted as he opened the old book. “Your sister didn’t hurt in the fire because she’d caused it. Ren came from Asia. My guess is Japan. You never heard of Japan with a wildfire calamity, but a natural disaster like tsunami, typhoon, or earthquake because the werewolf carrying the air element was born there.”

“So what? My sister is a fire werewolf?” He snorted, while I remained silent. Dad knew, and I never knew about his beliefs in myth until today.

“She’s a fire wolf. She carries the element of fire.” The house went silent the moment Ren just dropped the bomb on my family.

Zeph gave me the same look before I left that night.

“She didn’t create the fire in your house. Once Cyrius was defeated, it unleashed some elements he stole, one of those was the fire elements. He’d killed thousands of beings, including the last werewolf with a gift. It’d chosen Amelia, and it was destined for her. But he also unleashed some dark and demonic elements,” Ren added, “and they don’t only come for us, but everyone.” There was more to it than his story. I knew Ren knew something more, but I didn’t press him.

“You can’t tell anyone.” I looked at Mom who hadn’t said a word. “Mom, are you okay?”

She grabbed the glass of water with a shaky hand and drank it. “I could barely comprehend meeting a healer with platinum blond hair. Then your brother who I left very sick is now walking in the kitchen. Now you. You have such a great power inside you, honey. Use it to do something good.”

“I have to stay here for a while and pretend I’m recuperating, Mom.”

She squeezed Zeph’s hand. “Of course, darling.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Hayes. She won’t combust,” Theia said.

Everyone chuckled, including my dad.

“Are you gonna tell us what’s the sword all about? Why no one can touch it?”

“Like an Excalibur, it’s wielded for me—”

“And her mate. It hurts or burns anyone who touches it. It’s a present to him to fight alongside when the time comes,” explained Theia, making me laugh. “Kidding. She’s just possessive of it. It’s given to her by her master.”

“The son of the Moon and the living Sun.”

“Dad, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You are the living Sun. It may lose in translation, but it seems it’s interpreted that way, but your mate is a werewolf, a direct lineage of the Moon Goddess.”

“An Alpha?”

I almost choked on my own saliva as I met Mom’s gaze. “Um, I don’t need a mate.”

“So, honey, are you staying here for good?” Finally, she changed the topic.

“I can’t, Mom. We have to find our…”

“Your people?”

I nodded at Zeph. “Yeah.”

“And then what?”

“Don’t tell them just yet,” Ren interrupted my thought.

“We just need to find them and learn about us. And it’s good to help people with our powers.”

“Why did you leave that night on your birthday, Amelia? I couldn’t put it together. You were still sick and you just left without even goodbyes. At least, make me understand.”

“Zeph—” I didn’t finish what I was about to say when I heard a knock. I didn’t have to check who was behind the door. I could sense it from a mile away. It was Ryden. I knew he would come to talk to me when I said no.

Dad went to open the door.

When I thought it would be easier to come back, heal my brother, and go, I was wrong. Things got quickly complicated.

“Alpha, what are you doing here?” Zeph asked, rising to his feet.

“I’m here to talk to Amelia.”

“What’s going on?” Zeph ping-ponged his gaze between me and him. He got nothing from me. I may still feel something for Ryden, but I didn’t come here to join their merry band of werewolves and start our romance.

“He’s the reason why she left.”

“Ren!” I snapped.“He was her mate and rejected her.” Ren was protective of me and so I was for him. We were like the Yin and Yang. We had each other’s back.

“Ren, that’s enough!”

“What?” my family said in unison. But my brother didn’t stop there until a loud thud echoed in the kitchen. He just punched his alpha. And I didn’t even flinch.

LUCIUS

A shiver skated down my spine.

For a moment, I froze as the sweet fruity floral scent lingered in the air. She was near. My Amelia was near. I swore I could even feel her presence. Her smell immediately eased the tension on my shoulder.

“Is everything okay?” Eann asked from the passenger’s seat. He was my third-in-command. He was a big fella, like a wrestler hooked on steroids.

“Yeah.” I watched Drak, my beta look at me over the rearview mirror as he might have noticed my anxiousness made me shift behind them. His gaze then went back to the traffic light waiting to turn green.

The moment I slid the window down, I sucked in a deep breath, and her scent flooded my senses, and I swept with calmness despite my racing heartbeat. I could sense the power in her blood and the power of the fire inside her.

But I also didn’t sense her alone. The protective sigil on my neck had been activated, creating a burning sensation on my skin. The reason why we were here in Tahoe. There had been killing of werewolves in mysterious kind.

As the traffic light turned green, the car moved, and I sagged against the seat and shut my eyes close to calm my heartbeat.

I felt the stares of the boys at me. “Focus on the road. She’s here. She’s back.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Eann asked. Eann and Drak knew.

They knew everything about me and my wife. How did I lose her and how did I end up being the ruthless Alpha King, and earn the right and title? And I was also a wanted criminal by the government, but I didn’t give a shit. They didn’t know the whole story, and they never would. I did what I did for the safety of my people. I did what I did to save lives. And I didn’t owe them any explanations.

I shook my head as I released a shaky breath. It was still a mystery to me how she became a werewolf and carried the fire wolf.

Hours later, we arrived at the old warehouse in the industrial park I bought years ago. The moment I found Amelia and the family that raised her, I bought some properties in my old name so I had getaways when things got heated with the authorities.

“You stay here. I’ll go scan the perimeters.” I checked my gun and slipped another knife into my boot.

“You’re in an enemy territory. You can’t just walk there alone.”

I glared at Eann. I knew he wanted nothing but my safety, but I was also his alpha. “Watch your tone. You and Drak will stay here until I’m back. You follow my order or I will cut your tongue.” I stole a glance at Drak who nodded at me.

“Forgive me, Alpha.” Eann dropped his gaze.

I ignored his apology and walked out. I drove towards the end of Braxton’s land. I knew he was my enemy, my worst adversary considering who he was to Amelia, and he also broke her heart.

I could take her and be mine, and he could not do anything with it, but a part of me, knew I couldn’t interfere with her destiny and the future. I’d seen it, and there was no way I would stop her from fulfilling the prophecy, even if it broke my heart over and over again.

As I strolled over the borders of the property, I sensed demonic activity in the north and a lot of werewolf scents, mostly rogues.

***

Two days later, I found a way to see her.

“What are we doing here, Alpha?” Eann asked. “Who’s house is this?”

I unlocked the back door and entered. “I paid the owner, an old lady to use her house for a day. The house next door is Amelia’s adoptive parents.”

“You told me, she might not remember who you are. Why can’t you just pretend and bump into her.” I heard the frustration in Drak’s voice.

I grabbed the binoculars and looked at the Hayes’ house through the window. My heart hammered in my chest the moment she came into view. My wolf stirred inside me as old emotions simmered, but they weren’t old. They were always there since I first saw her since I felt my heart beat for her, and since she became mine.

Everything always felt the same, it even got overwhelming now that she was just a couple of steps away from me. The temptation of walking into that house, knocking on the door, and introducing myself was overpowering my self-control.

I dropped the binoculars and sagged against the wall, breathing hard.

She’d changed a lot since she left this place two years ago. Her hair had changed, and she looked stronger and fiercer, not the same Amelia, my Amelia who was so soft, demure, and innocent.

I may know the reason why she came back, but I also knew for a fact that that motherfucker would take her back. And it broke my heart that I couldn’t do anything to stop it from happening. And it should happen so she could fulfill her destiny.

“I’m so sorry, Alpha. I wish I could take your pain.” Drak came and knelt before. “This must be heartbreaking for you.”

I chuckled bitterly as my eyes stung. “I’ve been heartbroken for twenty years, Drak. I could have taken her, kidnapped her, and locked her up in my fortress, but what good that it makes if she can’t fulfill what’s destined for her, and we will all be doomed.”

“Why can’t you just introduce her and start over?”

I shook my head and looked him in the eye. “You haven’t found your mate and you don’t know what it is like to get pulled like magnets towards who’s fated for you. She would be distracted and get confused with her feelings between me and that son of a bitch.”

“Do you think she will remember you?”

“No. She won’t. Despite who she was and the blood running in her veins, there’s no way I would take that chance, and I can’t afford for her to be distracted now that the plans are starting to fall into place. I’ve sacrificed everything for this to happen, and I can’t get myself entangled with them right now.”

Eann joined. “It’s just unfair, Alpha King. I wish we could do something for you.”

I nodded subtly even though my heart was bleeding and my wolf was howling in my chest.

“This is her new journey, and soon, she will find her way back to me. I don’t know when, but I believe what’s written for her. I won’t interfere with the path she takes, it will only delay what’s inevitable. But I can’t wait for another twenty years, and I may not be alive to be in her next life.”