Veyron's POV
I was holding myself from looking back to stare at my excuse of a mate. Why a human? Of all the beings, Moon Goddess, you gave me a weakling! I'd have even accepted an elf instead of her. She's frail, weak, small, averagely nourished but oh, so beautiful. I felt myself harden at the thought of what she'd taste like as my wolf growled in wanting.
"No, Veyron, we can't claim her," I mentally scolded my wolf, shifting uncomfortably on my horse as I felt myself getting aroused. My wolf filled my head with all we could do to that body of hers. I doubted I'd be gentle I couldn't guarantee I would. So I must relax, lest I kill her, and nothing hurts more than losing your mate. Marked or unmarked, the result is the same: I go berserk, kill a few surrounding people in my case, maybe the whole area and finally die of heartbreak, which feels like hot coal shoved down my throat before finally dying. I shuddered at the thought.
"But she's ours. I want her now; we can tell the men to look away," I growled in response.
"We can't have her. She's not qualified; she might die. Or are you planning to take it slow and steady, with how you're panting like a wolf who hasn't had a she-wolf? And we just had one in our chambers last night," I mentally scolded my wolf as I watched the world grow dark and my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
I didn't offend the Moon Goddess again now, did I? She can't possibly be offended about the little vain thought I directed towards her.
We rode in silence, my gaze shifting from the road to Aylin. Aylin. Hmm, an Anatolian name meaning "beauty of the moon." The humans definitely try to honour us as much as they can although, I must agree, she lives up to that name.
My train of thought was cut short as I noticed the leaves on the trees moving awkwardly against the direction of the wind, and immediately I signalled for my men to stop.
Aylin's POV
We walked and walked, my thoughts shifting from the reason why I was taken to what they would use me for.
I can't be a sex slave for these beasts! How am I going to survive it? And to add a little bit of salt, I'm also a virgin. I mean, I have touched myself twice and more but not penetrated. Or maybe a slave, if I'm to be hopeful, not counting death as one of my options. Ugh, imagine carrying wooden buckets of clothes, or chamber buckets, or worse, used werewolf linen! Oh, horrors! I thought to myself.
I wanted to spit in disgust but remembered I was nestled between two men who could snap my neck like a twig, so I swallowed instead. I preferred having my head attached to my shoulders.
I nearly gasped as we came to a sudden stop, feeling the men on either side of me go rigid as they raised their noses to the air and started sniffing. I looked towards where the King was and saw him raise a hand unmoving, silent head turned towards the trees. I immediately realized something was not right.
We stayed still for a minute, and I was about to take my chances to ask one of the men what was wrong, hoping I would get an answer without losing my wrist. Suddenly, a creature sprinted out from nowhere among the trees or rather, I didn't see where it had been, as it was dark with no moon in sight.
Immediately, the men pushed me behind them, throwing me into the hands of a young man who looked to be around eighteen or nineteen. He dragged me to the nearest bush away from the others.
"Do not make a sound if you want to live," he whispered in my direction. I couldn't make out his face, but I knew he'd have no problem making out mine, given his sharp eyesight.
I looked towards the rest, watching as they shifted into their wolves skin tearing and bones cracking for a few seconds and now, in place of men, there were wolves, with the King's black wolf being the largest and nearly as large as the creature.
The men circled the creature, snarling, to which, in turn, the creature wasted no time attacking them. In one moment, I saw the creature's eyes they were red as fire with sharp, white teeth. It nearly resembled a big dog or horse.
"What is that?" I whispered, watching as the creature took a huge bite out of one of the wolves.
"It's a Barghest a creature of magic and malice," he whispered back.
In one moment, I think the creature heard us, as it suddenly stopped attacking the wolves and sprinted toward us. My temporary guard immediately stood up, his eyes darkening, starting to shift but the creature was suddenly swung to the left by a huge black wolf, which I recognized as the King. I watched him aim for the neck and bite down, watching as the fiery pits in the creature's eyes dimmed as its life drained out, dark liquid pouring from where the King's wolf held it.
The man guarding me pulled me out from where we were hiding and led me toward the carnage. I watched as the wolves shifted back to their human forms and were now as naked as the moment of their birth. I gawked, realizing how much muscle mass surrounded me.
I saw them gather one wolf who didn't shift, realizing he was dead. He was lifted by one of the men and draped over his shoulder, possibly to take back to their kingdom.
"Are you okay?" a voice I recognized as the King asked. I immediately turned toward the sound; my eyes met a gorgeously sculpted body like it was carefully crafted dark blood smeared across his chest and mouth. I looked down, my eyes nearly meeting the outline of his hips.
"Don't let her out of your sight, Malcum, and stay in the middle of the group. This attack was not coincidental it knew what it was coming for, and it was you," he stated, looking directly at me like I had some kind of explanation. But I was just as clueless as he was.
"The thing that attacked us is a Barghest a hellhound. It is made with dark magic, uniting fire and death, and aimed at fulfilling one purpose: to kill. And we just got lucky, because that one seemed like a newborn," he said, nodding toward the creature.
"Who are you?" he asked, to which I had no response, as I myself had no answer.
Alaric's POV
I stared at her, wondering why she would draw attention to herself and from whom. Did she perhaps carry some kind of curse?
"Has this ever happened before?" I asked, staring into her eyes, ignoring the sheer beauty of them.
"No," she replied shakily.
I nodded toward Malcolm, the youngest of our scouts, to keep walking as I mounted my horse, groaning at the uncomfortable feeling of sitting naked — it was never something I had to do, especially outside the pack walls.
It was almost sunrise when we reached the gates of the pack.
"Open the gate! The Alpha has returned!" my Beta announced as the gates swung open and we made our way into the pack before they were shut.
I mind-linked my Beta to take Aylin to the dungeon, to which he raised an eyebrow but obeyed. I hurriedly went to my chambers, ignoring the stares of the she-wolves, and threw on a pair of trousers and a shirt.
I opened my bedside locker and reached for a small pouch where I kept gold coins. I dropped two onto my palm as I made my way outside the chambers and toward the witch's cave who, unknowingly to me, was waiting for my arrival to warn me of the misfortune I had brought within the walls of the pack, in the embodiment of my human mate