Chapter 8

• Nivaan’s POV
• I was walking along the streets aimlessly when my phone rang. Tapping the button on the earshots, I called out, “Yes.”
• “Alpha, someone is trying to access your GPS,” Mark’s anxious voice sounded.
• My feet came to a staggering halt and I paused to think about this. It could be anything; right from a mere investigation to an imminent attack. I so didn’t feel like dealing with it. Letting out a deep sigh, I commanded, “Give them the location of a random warehouse and track down the person behind it.”
• I shook my head and continued my aimless walk. I did like that my phone helped me stay in touch with my pack but it could be often bothersome; especially when I just wanted to be left alone.
• I had covered half a mile when a sudden feeling of restlessness gripped me. It was as if something bad was about to happen. Then I felt it; my mate’s fear through our bond. My mate was somewhere nearby and in danger.
• Following this gut feeling, I made my way in the general direction of the pull. I kept drawing deep breaths in the hopes of locating her using her unique scent.
• I must have walked about a mile when I finally caught a whiff of pine and lemons. At first, it was very faint but it grew stronger as I walked further. My heart pounded against my ribs and I quickened my pace, coming to halt when I felt that the scent was strong enough for her physical presence.
• I was about to call her name out when her feeble and terrified voice fell in my ears, “Please Devil, please don’t do this to me…”
• My blood boiled and I felt a kind of fury I never felt before. It was pure, blinding rage. At that moment, everything else faded into the background. All I could think about was ripping the throat of the person hurting my mate.
• A deep, rumbling, growl escaped my throat sending a sharp warning. Everything became extremely quiet making it possible for me to focus on individual heartbeats. There were five of them.
• My mate’s heartbeat was erratic and labored. I could sense her emotions through our bond, fear, relief, and finally disappointment. Why was she disappointed? The resounding laughter answered my unspoken question. A spike of anger caused me to clench my jaws.
• “Look who is here to save you; your blind mate. Isn’t he the one you wanted us to beat up?” Michael’s mocking words hit me like an asteroid. Emilia had called them to beat me up? I knew that she wasn’t a good person but I hadn’t expected her to drop to this level. What did it matter anyway? It was not like I wanted to spend my life with her. As for the morons who had betrayed my mate; they had to be taught a lesson.
• I cracked my knuckles and warned, “Let the girl go else you all will be dead before you can even blink your eyes.”
• My words had no effect on them. They continued to mock and jeer at me. They called me useless; a coward and whatnot. But I wasn’t paying attention to their words. My ears were perked up and my brain was busy determining their precise locations. Taking an attacking stance, I warned one last time, “This is my last warning. If my mate is not sent towards me, I will kill everyone present here.”
• No one believed me; not even Emilia. She shook her head and grumbled in an exasperated voice, “Why did you have to be so foolish too? Couldn’t you just go and get some help?”
• Her words infuriated my wolf. He wanted to prove our strength and ability. With a defeated sigh I allowed my wolf to take partial control, letting his power infuse strength into my veins. With a ferocious growl, I pounced on those vile men.
• Emilia’s POV
• My eyes darted around the warehouse; looking for an opening to escape. I so wished that Nivaan was clever and a bit more self-aware. What was the point of sparring with words when you had no real strength? Even a powerful Alpha wouldn’t dare to fight with the Relinquishers alone. He should have called for help rather than confronting the men.
• A deep, ferocious growl drew my attention to Nivaan again. My eyes widened and my jaws hung to the ground as Nivaan gripped the man standing to my right by his neck. A low grunt rumbled from his chest as he snapped his neck with a single swift movement.
• Before I could realize what was happening, four of Michael’s men were lying on the ground. I had never seen anyone kill so many werewolves in flash, let alone a blind man. He had located them and snapped their heads off as if it was some child’s play. Terrified by Nivaan’s agility and precision, Michael released me and ran away.
• Nivaan gripped my hand and said in a voice shaking with fury, “You are the stupidest girl I have ever met.” I flinched as his claws dug into my wrists; blood trickled down the wounds making me gasp.
• My pained hiss seemed to douse all his anger. He released her hand instantly and said in a regretful voice, “I didn’t mean to hurt you but you are too stupid to come here alone. Have you got no sense at all?”
• Even though Nivaan was scolding me, I didn’t feel bad about it. I felt protected, secure. A shiver coursed through me as a gust of cold wind hit us.
• Nivaan took off his coat and put it across my shoulder; his fingers accidentally brushing against my bare skin. It sent tingles through my veins causing my heartbeat to accelerate.
• Nivaan’s nostrils flared and his jaws clenched. The claws emerged out of his fingertips and he roared, “I am gonna hunt that b*****d and rip him into so many shreds that even his ancestors won’t be able to count them.”
• The waves of anger emanating from him were so intense that they terrified me. I gripped his hand and said in a shaking voice, “Please don’t leave me alone.”
• Nivaan’s expression alternated between anger, worry, and frustration. In the end, his expression turned stoic and he said in a bland voice, “Let us get you home. Can you drive or should I call a cab?”
• I picked up the bunch of keys quickly from the ground and said in a raspy voice, “I will drive…”
• I opened the driver's seat and was about to sit inside when I remembered that Nivaan was blind. I was about to open the other door for him but he was already seated inside the car.
• “Are you even blind?” I muttered under her breath as she turned the key in the ignition. It roared to life and sped forward.
• Nivaan remained quiet all through the journey. I tried to strike up a conversation with him several times. But, either he ignored her or just grunted in response. In the end, I gave up and focused on driving.
• Nivaan’s POV
• My wolf was still restless. It wanted me to embrace our mate and console her but I kept it on a tight leash. I couldn’t let some stupid bond override my love for Valence.
• I even thought about rejecting Emilia but it seemed a bit too harsh after what she went through. Moreover, it would be best if she rejected me instead. Kiara wouldn’t be too happy about me rejecting my mate.
• I could sense Emilia’s emotions through their bond. She was badly shaken up but alright. The hatred I always sensed towards me was missing. It was replaced by admiration.
• No, I couldn’t let this happen. I had to find a way to turn it into hatred….
• The car came to a screeching halt in front of Ryanwood Mansion. I got out of the car and waited for Emilia to step out. Using her scent to sense her location, I gripped her hand and almost dragged her inside.
• I had come here once. So, I didn’t have any difficulty finding my way. I kicked open the door and shouted at the top of my lungs, “Alpha Ryanwood! Alpha Ryanwood! Where are you?”
• Emilia struggled to free herself but I held her wrist in an iron grip. I had to give her a reason to hate me again. Her tugs grew more forceful as she muttered, “What do you think you are doing, Nivaan? Let me go. My father can’t see me like this.”
• I didn’t pay attention to her. Instead, I called out to her father in a louder voice. The sounds of footsteps echoed in the room as Alpha Ryanwood trotted down.
• “What is the meaning of this Nivaan?” His furious voice boomed in the room a few moments later. This was exactly the reaction I had hoped to get. I pushed Emilia towards her father and said in a cold voice, “You should be asking your daughter this question. Ask her what she was doing in a lonely warehouse in the middle of the night.”
• I was about to leave but Alpha Ryanwood’s enraged voice made my steps falter, “Stop! You can’t go without giving me a proper explanation!”
• My eyes narrowed and the veins on my head popped. I didn’t like the tone he used to address me. My fingers clenched into tight fists, “I DO NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM ANYONE, ALPHA RYANWOOD.”
• I paused for a long moment, letting Alpha Ryanwood assess the weightage of my words. “As for the explanation, your daughter can do that better.”
• I stormed out of the mansion before he could say anything. I had no interest in getting involved in their family drama. I had just reached the gate of the mansion when my phone rang.
• “Alpha, we have caught the person behind the security breach,” Mark’s voice sounded on the other end.
• “Throw him in the dungeon. I will conduct the investigation myself, “ I replied in a dangerously cold voice. Michael had dared to lay his hand on his mate. He would have to pay for it.
• There was a long pause before Mark asked, “Are you sure, Alpha. You would have to enter the pack’s territory to reach the dungeon. If you want….”
• I didn’t wait for him to complete the statement. “I will be there,” I snapped and disconnected the call. I was dying to tear that b*****d piece by piece. I didn’t want anyone to disturb me while I tortured that moron. The pack’s dungeon was best for it.
• ***
• I had asked Marx to tie Michael up in the darkroom. I picked up the silver dagger on my way down the stairs. The anger that had reduced to a simmer, flared up in his presence. Waves of fury seemed to be emanating from me like smoke from the fire. I wanted Michael to suffer and beg before killing him.
• I stopped a few feet away from him and ran the tip of my finger over the edge of the blade. It left a trail of a fine burn mark on my skin but I didn’t even flinch. I had faced so much physical and mental torture that such a small injury didn’t bother me.
• The chains clanked and cluttered as Michael tried to escape; screaming as the silver burned his skin. Michael didn’t stop; he kept trying again and again. His screams and shouts sounded like music to my ears. However, it did nothing to quell my anger. I wanted the pitch of this symphony to rise higher and higher.
• Michael swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and begged, “Please let me go Alpha. I made a very huge mistake. I didn’t know that Emilia….”
• I punched him hard before he could complete his sentence. A cracking sound echoed in the room followed by a shrill scream. Placing the tip of the knife near the edge of his lips, I spat, “The next time you take my mate’s name, I will slice off your tongue.”
• Michael spat out the blood that had filled his mouth and he entreated, “I am fool Alpha. I don’t even know the basic etiquette. Please show mercy, Alpha Nivaan.”
• I drove the dagger deeper into his skin and growled, “Give me one reason, I should spare your life!”
• I wanted to continue the torture session for hours but a soft buzz distracted him. It was a voice note from Mark. Kiara was coming to visit the packhouse.
• A frustrated growl escaped my lips. I would have to cut this short now. I wasn’t ready to face my sister yet. I placed the knife against his throat and was about to kill him when Michael spoke up, “If you keep me alive I can tell you about Lupus Constellation.”
• My grip on the knife loosened, “How do you know about the constellation?”
• “First promise me that you will let me go after that,” his voice dripped like acid in my ears. F*** that bastard! He had the audacity to place conditions. Without a single word, I kicked him hard in his groin.
• He howled in pain as his arms and legs flailed in agony. I was about to kick him again but Michael stopped me, “My men have been keeping a watch on Alpha Gerard for weeks. He met up with a lady dressed in black robes. My men heard them talk about the Lupus constellation. She also said something about eleven babies.”
• I took a step away from him and questioned, “Can you recognize her?”
• “My men couldn’t see her face in the dark…” he paused for a moment before adding hastily, “If I tell them they can track her down using her scent.”
• My device beeped once again. Drawing in a deep breath, I muttered, “I will tell Mark to look into this matter.”
• Then, I turned on my heels and left abruptly; ignoring Michael’s complaints and cries.