Astella’s pov

The tension between us was like a string of current, sizzling, threatening to destroy us both and we glared heatedly at each other.

Suddenly, I watched his eyes slowly trailed down to my lips, and the unmistakenly look of need flashed across his eyes. They were originally the color of fire; Golden irises, but for a brief second, it seemed as though I had seen his wolf take over and the slightest hint of crimson red was noticeable.

As If compelled, my eyes slowly trailed down his perfect features, sculpted generously and perfectly, down to his lips. Realizing just how close we were, I leaned back, but there wasn't much room behind so I was left with placing my hands over his chest, intending on pushing him.

“Don't… “ he uttered, leaning even closer this time. There seemed to be some sort of restraint to his voice, like he was struggling to speak. My hands, intended for pushing him off, froze on his chest, and unknowingly, I curled my fingers around his shirt the moment he leaned in close.

My throat burnt with something strange I had never felt before. I swallowed heavily, feeling the air around us getting hot. I suddenly smelt arousal in the air, but it wasn't coming from just him but me. Was I reacting to him? To his presence, to his hand unknowingly gripping my waist? Or was it his hot breath fanning my face, my lips, drawing my gaze further away from all parts of his body and just in his lips…

Usually any other man that wasn't Ryan would repulse me, and even Liam wasn't excluded, but this man…

A man I had loathed even before I set my eyes on him… how come I haf this imminent urge to have his hands wrapped around me, to feel him inside of me. How come I was longing for his touch so badly.

With the last bit of restraint and strength left in me, I quickly pushed him away, and he seemed to have snapped from whatever had held him momentarily captive as he quickly backed off, his eyes widening in bewilderment.

A knock at the door startled me and I backed away from the door upon hearing a timid voice.

“Liam, I had a bad dream.”

I turned to Liam, wondering at the voice. It sounded like a child's. Could it be his child.

The look on his face I had seen previously had Changed to one that looked belittling and furious. He reached out and caught my wrist midair before hissing at me.

“Take the clothes to my bathroom and get dressed. And don't even try anything funny.”

I wanted to protest, already struggling to free myself, but when I felt his impending aura on me this time, it felt like all the blood left my legs, and I almost dropped to my knees.

Sensing the severity of the situation, I took the clothes and dashed into the bathroom. Just before I shut the door, I intentionally left it open, only to see a little girl walk in after he had opened the door. She had long luscious dark hair that trailed after her on the floor. It was not hard to miss, but what was even harder to not notice was her bright huge, violet eyes that glimmered like stars.

They were so huge, I feared she might see everything in her way, so I quickly shut the door, quietly but as fast as I could, hoping she had not seen me.

The moment I did, I leaned back against the door, releasing a sigh of relief, like a breath I never realized I was holding ever since.

I felt my stomach do a strange flip when I recounted what had just happened a few minutes ago with my back still to the door- just the way it was when he had me cornered. Those eyes of his, they held murderous intent when he had ordered me to come inside here, but not too long ago, it had held an uncanny need anf hunger as they searched my face and fell upon my lips.

Slowly, I reached up on brushed a shaky hand across my lips. They were cold, and so was the rest of my body.

I quickly took off my drenched clothes and tossed them to the floor as I changed into the new ones which had been brought for me. It was plain joggers and a single T shirt but they fit me well. I wondered If they belonged to his mate.

She must be really pretty because although Thane looked nothing like his daughter with the pretty violet eyes, the girl was so beautiful, for a few seconds, I wondered If I had hallucinated her.

I placed my ears to the door. I couldn't hear a thing. It was either the doors were really good at masking sounds of they had left the room. Either way, it gave me an advantage to finding a way to escape.

They probably won't hear me from the other side, and by the time he realizes I was gone and sends his men after me, I must have gone quite far.

It had stopped raining now and only a drizzle matted my head as I crawled stealthily out tbe bathroom window and landed outside, just underneath the bathroom window.

The moment my feet touched the ground and my toes sunk Into the wet soil, I quickly shifted into my wolf form. Bones cracked and I howled into the night, pain searing through my body as I felt very part of me change completely.

I quickly dashed away and Into the forest.

‘Where do we even go from here.’ I thought but I just let my wolf keep running, just as far as I was far away from Thane. I was still processing my feelings for Ryan and the fact that I had shattered Liam's heart after our years spent together and didn't want Thane confusing me any further.

The night grew darker and my wolf grew wearier after running for several minutes. For a while, she would stop at a lake and drink before she continued.

However, upon her third stop at a lake, we heard a growl from the side, and her ears perked upon the growl. With stealthy steps, she backed up, her eyes moving around, and it was then she realized it wasn't just one wolf… there were several of them, all gathered around her like a circle.

I panicked. My wolf form was more vulnerable to loosing the child growing in my womb if she was attacked, but I was prone to dying in their hands If I shifted back to my human form.

But I couldn't run because I was surrounded. I thought my wolf had ran well past the rogues territory, but it was a full moon night, so undoubtedly there'd be several of them looking for prey.

I had walked right into their trap.

My wolf backed away from a pack of them that began advancing towards me, away of the pack behind me, snarling. She took several small steps, circling round so she could see everyone, snarling back fiercely. She snapped her claws and growled even louder, trying to intimidate them.

For a brief second, she seemed to have actually accomplished scaring them, but after a few seconds, they began approaching her again, and this time, one jumped right for her but she nudged her powerful skull forward, sending it flying back and hitting some wolves behind it.

It was a perfect distraction and wasting no time, she dashed off, the wolves got at her tail. I could already sense her energy wearing off and realized I would have to take over anytime soon. If she kept up, I risked loosing my child.

I felt so bitter realizing at what cost did I deserve to even save the unborn child. For a father that had denied me and had gone as far as cooking up lies with my name. He had not even looked me in the eye, not even once as I was thrown out of the pack, neither did he even come looking for me.

My wolf howling in pain snapped me out of my thoughts and I realized a wolf had come for her and had his upper and lower jaws tightened around her hind limb. She howled in pain again and dropped to the ground.

‘No!’ I screamed, but it was too late, the wolf pulled back with its canniness stained with blood, murderous intent in its eyes as I shifted right Infront of it.

The others, having sensed I had been caught began circling around me.

I was cold, naked, scared, sore and screaming from the horrible wound on my ankle. A large chunk of my flesh had been taken and it was bleeding profusely. Sweat matted my head despite the cold as the circle became closer.

The first wolf came at me, this time, very fast. Shielding my head, I turned away, only to feel a sharp gust of wind blow right by me and the sound of a wolf whimper.

Confused as to why I hadn't felt pain yet, I slowly looked up, and my eyes widened at the commotion as the pack of hungry wolves from earlier fled, leaving just two Infront of me.

My eyes widened, and my almost gone leg was forgotten, as I scrambled back, lower lip trembling in horror at the sight before me. One of the wolf, the one that had bitten my leg and had still come at me for the kill was lying several inches away from me, dead with its head clean off its body.

But that wasn't what sent me scrambling back, shaking visibly in fear. It was the wolf standing In front of me. It was huge, probably the largest wolf I had ever seen, and I have seen many wolves in my life time.

This one was large, and its furs were thick and dark, a hint of midnight blue at the tips of the fur laid back, trailing down its chest, up to two eyes, two crimson red eyss that bored down on me, anger eminent in its aura.

It suddenly came at me, and I winced as It pounced on me, pinning me back down on the ground hard. I felt its claws dig into my shoulders. Tears from fear and shock slid down my cheeks, but as the minutes passed, I waited for death to come, but again, it didn't come.

I heard bones cracking, and for a few seconds, I was scared to open my eyes,but when I didn't feel any presence above me, pinning me down, I opened my eyes to see, in the wolf’s place, Thane standing there, completely nude as I was, glaring hard at me.

“Thane… “ was all I could say, scared to get up the floor, scared to face him squarely, scared of his anger, scared of what he was going to do.

Again, he had saved me, but this time he looked angry, so angry, I feared he might have actually saved me only to kill me by his own hands.

Some men suddenly appeared from the corner of the bushes and I recognized them as his men. It looked like this time around, there was a whole search party out for me.

“It seems as though I'd have to remind you who the Alpha is between us and who controls the authority… “

“You can go fuck yourself, Thane. I'm sick of this, you don't control me.”

The smirk on his face was cold and dangerous. I could only swallow, frozen to the spot I was on the floor, forgetting I was badly wounded and in pain just by looking at the sinister look on his face.

“Take her to the underground dungeons and have her locked her. She'll spend the night there without food nor water.” He then turned to me again. My glare was capable of killing him if it was possible but he seemed to not care. “Maybe that will teach you… you will bow to me Astella.”