Aella
"I don't understand why you can't feel the pull yet, but we'll figure it out when we get to our pack," He said, a soft smile etched on his face.
"You didn't reject me?" I whispered, a lone tear slipping through my eyes.
He looked taken aback by my question, "Why would I reject my Luna?"
"I'm wolfless, I can't even feel our bond, not to mention leading your pack beside you," I replied, head lowered.
He cupped my chin, raising it slowly to meet his gaze. The intensity of his gaze had my toes curling. "You're my mate, the only one for me. That's all that matters; we'll figure everything out along the way. And I'm sure you're more than capable of leading our pack,"
He said our pack, tears glistened in my eyes, his words warmed the emptiness that had taken hold in my heart, "you..."
"You can't take my daughter away, Alpha Eros; she's engaged, the old laws forbid it." My father interrupted our moment, bursting my bubble and reminding me that I was still at the center of the pack grounds where I was about to be bound to a man old enough to be my father, for life.
"She's my mate, I'm leaving with her, and there's nothing you can do about it," Eros growled, the sound shaking me to the core.
"Taking her means war. Are you declaring war on us, Alpha?"
"How dare an ordinary beta talk when I am talking? Are you challenging me?" A feral roar left his lips, his mismatched eyes shone brightly, his pupils flickered red, a sign that his wolf was about to take over.
Beta Andrew whimpered, bowing his head in submission. Subconsciously, I shrank back, away from Eros, unable to breathe from the pressure of his aura, and a whimper slipped from my lips.
"Little one," recognition and guilt flashed through his eyes; he reigned in his aura. I gasped out in relief. He reached out to me, but I took another step back, the pressure I felt now still weighing on me.
Hurt flickered in his eyes. "I'm...Sorry," he said softly, "I forgot you were here."
My eyes widened in surprise at the words that just left his lips. There's a sort of unspoken rule that Alphas don't apologise, "it's okay." I shook my head.
"You're okay?" He asked again, his eyes bore holes into my body; nothing could ever get past those eyes. I nodded and looked at him reassuringly before he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm leaving with my mate, I'm willing to overlook everything that happened here today, but the next person to lay even a finger on my mate will die faster than they can blink," his voice went dangerously low as he spoke, but it echoed through the crowd, some released breathes they were holding, obviously happy he was letting them go.
As the weight of his words fully settled, he pulled me tightly against him, glaring daggers at everyone present; the lower-ranked wolves cowered from his gaze.
"This is illegal," Andrea's voice came out in a whimper, "You can't do this," she shrieked from behind Beta Andrew.
Eros shot her a glance; she trembled from where she stood, seeing her cower and hide like a coward, her previous demeanor and dignity all gone. I felt refreshed.
She looked nothing like the terror of my dreams or the orchestrator of it.
He turned to me, his eyes soft and pleading, "The choice is yours, little one, just say the word, and I'll take you out of here." His voice held a promise.
"Aella," Antares finally spoke, his voice carried a hint of warning, "scram." A roar erupted from Eros, the pack members scampered away, but Antares stood his ground, unshaken by the roar. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.
With one last glance, Antares turned and left without looking back. I shook off the unease and chill I felt as I watched his retreating.
"What's your choice, little one?" Eros blocked my view, drawing my attention back to him.
Looking at all their cruel faces and the chains that would have doomed me to a future I never had the chance to choose for myself, I knew the choice I had to make.
"Take me away," I muttered, clinging to Eros. A huge grin spread across his face, making his scar look less frightening. I returned it with a smile of my own.
Eros took my hands into his large ones, taking large strides away from the pack grounds, with me solidly behind him.
As we drew nearer to the pack boundary, chills ran through my spine, apart from the whispers and the finger pointing I was already used to, this felt way too easy, but I felt calm, finally, I was leaving this horrible place behind.
Mom, I hope you can see me wherever you are, I whispered in my heart.
The sound of footsteps, leaves crunched under boots, approaching us rapidly, added to the unease I felt.
Figures emerged feint her dark.
"Last I checked, this is still my territory, Alpha Eros, mate or not, you're not allowed to take my people away." Crux emerged, followed by Lilith, Beta Andrew, and a few faces I didn't recognise.
"Ellie, how could you leave Dad behind? Don't you know how worried he gets when you're too far from him?" Lilith said with fake sweetness.
I scoffed, the hurt, anger, betrayal, disgust I felt earlier all came back like a tidal wave, "more like he can't wait to get me out of the way, to keep his perfect little family without the mistake standing in the way." I shot back.
Lilith froze, not expecting me to talk back to her, especially since I had always preferred to avoid any sort of confrontation with her or her mother.
Eros looked at me with clear approval in his eyes, standing behind me silently, just enough for me to know that he was there.
"Alpha", one of the men who came with Crux, greeted Eros as he jogged over to us.
Eros only nodded.
"We don't want trouble, just hand her over and be on your way," Crux said
"I would only leave my mate here over my dead body, and believe me, yours would drop before mine," Eros replied with a bored tone.
"Aella, come back to us," Andrea said in a syrupy voice that threatened to make me gag.
"So you can derive more pleasure from tormenting me? What did I ever do to you? I asked.
"You're a mistake, a disgrace, and a murderer's daughter," Lilith burst out.
"What?"
