Chapter 1 Down by the Coast

• There was no love nor emotions in the eyes of the man before me… only the flames of hatred burning brightly, consuming them.
• “Tell me… what are we?” I asked softly. The pain in my body was suffocating and no matter how strong I tried to remain, I couldn’t keep the pain from my voice.
• “Nothing more than Heaven and Hell.” His voice was equally cold, destroying the last of my resolve.
• “Then kill me,” I whispered hoarsely, trying to ignore the pain of betrayal that was tearing me up from within.
• A ruthless smirk graced his handsome face, his fingers curling under my chin and making the sparks from his touch rush through me; pleasurable yet equally painful.
• He was so close… yet so far away…
• “That would be far too easy… but I assure you, when I’m done with you, you’ll wish you were never born.”
• “You don’t mean that…”
• “Watch me.” He turned away, pushing me to the ground roughly, “Burn her.”
• My heart sank, my head hanging as the pain of his rejection tore through me. Even when I was doused in gasoline, I didn’t move, trying not to gag on the strong pungent smell that now cloaked me entirely, keeping my eyes clamped shut.
• Didn’t he realise I was already burning in agony from the pain he had inflicted within me?
• My eyes stung as I forced them open, watching him retreat, hoping… praying… that he’d turn back and change his mind. That perhaps deep inside of him, that man that I loved, still existed.
• He once said that I was his kryptonite…
• Was it all lies?
• He paused, my heart leapt with a glimmer of hope, but then I saw it, the blazing match in his hand as his eyes met mine…
• ***
• Present Day
• YILEYNA
• Charlene giggles excitedly as we sneak out off before one of the guards notice us. If Theon caught us, he would not be impressed, and I can imagine the lecture I would receive for not telling him we were leaving.
• “Quick!” Charlene chuckled as we checked for guards in the hall. Seeing that the coast was clear, we quickly rush out the doors, slipping outside, and Charlene does a happy dance as if we had just managed some kind of jail break, making my lips tug up.
• My amusement at my future Queen dims a little when I notice the attention I was drawing, swallowing down the emotion threatening to choke me, I ignore their disgusted glares and follow her, Charlene loops her arm through mine, tugging me along talking animatedly about something but my thoughts were elsewhere. Charlene, distracted by a stall, rushes over, peaking at the merchants' handmade crafts and my eyes follow her when I spot Rhys.
• My eyes locked with the seven-year-old Gamma’s son. I had saved his life that night, but I couldn’t save my own parents. Little Rhys also spotting me and stopped in his tracks, that night was so painfully vivid in my head, despite it being two months since the massacre. Two months since I lost my parents. My father was the Beta of the pack, a title that was to be mine, although I know the Alpha also blames me for their loss.
• Now I’m the disgraced Beta’s daughter, my future now unknown because of their loss. A grievance I caused our Alpha and pack. It’s as if they didn’t realize I also grieve their loss. They were parents, no one feels their absence like I do. And now everywhere I look, I am given the constant reminder of how I failed them, failed the pack. Yet little Rhys, his haunted gaze meeting mine, forced me back to that dreadful night.
• This memory would forever haunt me because they would still be here if it weren’t for me. My feet falter, my heart thundering as I met his gaze as memories of that night assault my mind, plunging me back into the depths of a nightmare I’ve been replaying in my head since ever since…
• Everything faded away and once again I was reliving that night…
• Blood and carnage, I could still smell the smoke from the flames that billowed into the night sky. The coppery scent of blood that stained the ground, hear the screams of our people, but none of that haunted me more than the pain of losing them.
• “The Beta’s down!” someone shouted, making me freeze, my entire world come to a stop for a painful moment, those words sinking in.
• I spun around, my heart in my throat. The blood was pumping through my body loudly, and an icy chill enveloped me.
• Goddess no….
• Dad!
• Someone blocked my path, and I slammed straight into a hard, muscular chest. I jerked away, trying to get past them, but a sturdy pair of hands grabbed my waist.
• “Yileyna!”
• “Let me go! Dad’s out there! Mom, too!”
• “YILEYNA!” His deep growl made me freeze. “Listen to me.”
• I stared up into the amber eyes of my crush, Theon. His hands cupped my face, a frown creasing his brow. But this time, it wasn’t his beauty or touch that hit me, but the words that left those plump lips.
• “It’s too late. They’re dead.” I stared up at him, not missing the worry that was laced in his tone as he tried to make me understand the words he spoke. The words that sent my world crashing down around me. Knowing that no matter what my life would never be the same again…
• “Yileyna!” I shake my head, brought back to the present by Charlene, drawing my attention from the boy. No longer locked under my gaze, he drops his head and rushed off, continuing on wherever he was going.
• Two months had passed since the night of the massacre, but the horrors of that attack still haunted the dreams of many. We lost thirty-four people that night, and another seven later on due to fatal injuries.
• What hurt the most was I knew Dad left the safety of the walls for me, to protect me and to make sure I was safe, and with his death, I lost Mom, too. True mates who have marked one another will die together. I never should have been down there… but me being me… I did and it cost them.
• A lot has changed since then. People now looked at me with contempt and hatred. I knew they blamed me for the loss of their Beta couple, but I blamed myself, too. It was my fault.
• “Goddess, if it wasn’t for her, they’d still be here.”
• “The cheek that she’s showing her face here…”
• The two women who walked past us muttered to one another. I smiled sadly, not bothering to look back at them.
• The familiar painful hold on my chest returned, and I swallowed hard, trying to focus on the destination we were heading towards.
• Charlene turned, glaring at the back of the two women.
• “Ignore them.” She said, wrapping her arm around mine.
• “I do, my beautiful queen.” I smiled at her; among everyone, she was the one who didn’t change towards me.
• Sure, the Alpha and Luna were ok with me, but I didn’t see them too often and I wasn’t blind to the hint of hostility from the Alpha... I still remember when he asked what I was doing out there, how my carelessness had cost us all…
• “Come on, we better hurry before Theon realises that we are no longer in the baths.” She giggled.
• Theon, he was also someone who treated me indifferently, the same as ever. The most emotion I saw on him was when he told me their fate…
• “You know, he’s going to get angry. Again.” I smirked, brushing away the thoughts that flooded my mind.
• “Oh well, you are one of the strongest people I know. In the last two months, you have taken that to an entirely new level. He’ll know I’m safe.” She stated confidently.
• She was exaggerating. I was skilled, but I was by far one of the strongest.
• Charlene… what would I do without her?
• But it didn’t take long for someone to turn on me… Would I lose her too?
• Since my parent’s death, I had focused on working harder, and pushing myself to my limits. I was seventeen, but I still hadn’t gotten my wolf. Werewolves usually shifted at any age from thirteen. The latest recorded shift was at nineteen. But the average age was fourteen to sixteen for most wolves. Charlene had shifted at fifteen, and I was now seventeen, nearly eighteen, with no sign of a shift happening.
• Everyone was talking about it. I was the daughter of the Beta couple. I should have shifted by now.
• In the kingdom of Astalion, there were ten packs, with the centre and the largest territory belonging to King Andres, father of Charlene and the Alpha of the Silver Storm Pack.
• I knew the expectation of shifting and proving my worth to take the Beta position had only grown since my parents had passed away, but there was nothing I could do to force it to happen. I just had to bide my time and wait for the shift.
• We walked through the bustling streets and past the lines of trees heading towards the coast. The sun was already low in the sky, and we would only have an hour at most.
• “Finally! Some space to breathe.” Charlene whispered as we headed down the rocky path.
• I didn’t blame her. Things had been rather tense as of late, and I knew there was something troubling her. If she wanted to share, she knew I was there for her when she was ready to tell me.
• We reached our destination, and she smiled, slipping off her shoes and taking her dress off. It was safe down this side. Well, as long as we were gone by nightfall, that’s when the waters became a threat.
• The coast this close to Westerfell was, for the most part, not too bad, but the sea was the kingdom of a dark species, and it was common knowledge not to linger anywhere close to the waters at night.
• I unzipped my boots, unbuttoned my leather pants, and stripped them off, leaving the white shirt that I had tucked into my pants on. It only partially covered my derriere, which was clad in tiny underwear.
• I was five feet seven, compared to Charlene’s five-foot-ten. For werewolves, I was slightly on the shorter side, and unlike Charlene, who had a slender toned body, I had slightly curvier hips and an ass that had a little more fat than the average she-wolf. With double D breasts that made me appear more like an Omega, so I was a little more conscious of stripping bare, even though we were alone.
• Charlene was only in her lingerie and was already splashing around in the water. I walked into the water, allowing the soothing tides to wash over me.
• I loved the sea, the feel of the waves rippling against me, the calmness of the fresh air and the smell of the clean salty water. It was more relaxing than anything else.
• “Yileyna!”
• My eyes flew open just as Charlene grabbed my ankle, dragging me into the water and making me gasp as I stumbled, tumbling backwards into the water. I gasped again as I broke the surface, brushing back my wet hair and giving her a mocking glare.
• “Charl! Oh, you asked for it!”
• We splashed each other, shrieking and giggling when we shoved the other under the water. I think for a while I was able to forget all my troubles. When the red glow of the sunbathed us in its warm colours, I looked at Charlene.
• “I think we better head back now. Theon probably found out we are missing by now.” I suggested reluctantly, not wanting to leave the warmth of the water.
• “Not that I’d mind him showing up. He’s so stiff and indifferent, I wonder if seeing us almost naked would even bother him?” She mused, swimming away. She liked him, just as I did. Despite being best friends we were both crushing over the same guy. Her bodyguard, Theon.
• “I doubt it. Nothing bothers him. Charlene!”
• “Five minutes! One swim and I’ll be back!” She called out, swimming away.
• I sighed, staring out at the glittering water and taking a deep breath. I ducked under the water, looking at the fish that were swimming around. I held my breath for several moments, enjoying the beauty beneath the surface, before my body begged for oxygen and I broke the surface, taking in a deep gulp of air as I brushed my hair off my face.
• “Get out.”
• My heart skipped a beat, and I turned, staring up at the man that stood at the edge of the water; his coppery brown hair brushed back, his amber eyes burning with a fury that was barely contained, and his chiselled jaw set taut as he clenched his teeth. His bulging arms were crossed over his broad chest, and the tattoos that peeked out from the collar and sleeves of his clothes only added to how hot he looked right now. The sun making his hair look like it was on fire, emphasising every angle and curve of his face.
• “Excuse me?” I raised an eyebrow, very aware that if I got out now, my shirt would stick to me and reveal my lilac lacy lingerie.
• “You left without telling me.” His voice is low and dangerous but it didn’t stop me from poking him further.
• “Obviously, or you wouldn’t have allowed us to leave. I’m surprised it took you this long to come here.”
• “Get out now.”
• “You’re not my guard. Charlene’s gone for a swim. Go find her instead.” I suggested, sinking lower into the water, leaving only my eyes above the water.
• “You know the waters are dangerous once night falls Yileyna, we need to head back.” His deep, sexy voice only made my core clench. “Do not make me get you out.”
• That wouldn’t be a bad idea…
• I sighed and swam to the edge in defeat. Getting out of the water, I glared at the taller man, wishing I was wearing my boots. At least I would have had a few extra inches on me. Standing at six feet five, he towered over me.
• “I never knew you were so scared of sirens,” I smirked tauntingly.
• “I’m not. I just don’t think you’ll be of much use with a few missing limbs.” He remarked, his gaze dipping down to my soaking body.
• I kept my eyes on him, trying to gauge his reaction. His eyes seemed to burn through the flimsy fabrics that covered me, and I felt very bare. My white shirt was now see-through, clinging to my curves, and the lace of my bra was clearly visible, my nipples stiff from the water that had cooled considerably. That, or because of the man that stood before me.
• Not one movement… not one hint of desire... His gaze ended at my thighs, and then I got the tiniest reaction. His tongue slid over his bottom lip, his eyes glimmering with a hue of gold before he turned his back on me smoothly.
• “Get dressed and get Charlene. The Alpha wants to see the both of us.” He snarled at me.
• Now? What did the Alpha want to see us for? These days he barely spared me a glance.