Haunted by the Mysterious Alpha

CHAPTER 13

Calix’s POV.

The plan was simple— to invade the hamlet, eliminate as many of Alpha Thane’s men as possible, kidnap the princess, and be gone within the blink of eye.

It was that simple but as I emerged from the forest and stared into her beautiful blue eyes, I almost canceled that plan.

That brings me back to yesterday evening. I watched as my beta and the men trained in the tiltyard from the rooftop. Footsteps echoed behind me and it was Leia.

“Hey.” She smiled as strolled to meet me behind the parapet.

“Hello.” I replied and glanced at her, she was wearing a purple satin dress and a white muffler. Exhaling, I brought back my gaze to the men below.

“So, you’re still going on with the invasion plan?”

“Look, Leia!” I cut her off. “I do not want to listen to any of your pity stories or anything about forgiveness.” I growled, glaring at her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “So what are you going to do to her; kill her?”

Dragging a breath, I brought back my gaze to the men. “I don’t know, until tomorrow. I can’t decide for now.” The men finished and I retired in my room where I had my dinner. It was hard to sleep and so I paced my balcony, exactly the moment news from the spies we sent to the hamlet came. It is with a hurry that I walked to the throne room.

“There are a total number of fifty Alpha Thane’s men watching the princess and the territory, and their leader is Randolph, the alpha’s gamma. They take turns in watching the hamlet at night,” the man explained.

“And the princess?” I asked.

“There was no sign of her today. Although a female was heard screaming in one of the huts.”

I turned and my gaze met with Han’s and Mr. Westley’s. Leia’s gaze was worried. Why do I have a feeling that was my mate and she was undergoing a rigorous session?

My hands clenched to fists and I looked away, the thought of anyone hurting her coursing through making me want to rip off their heads. Hey, why do I care? She’s the daughter of my enemy and is as well, my enemy.

A growl rolled down my throat. “We leave at the crack of dawn.” I turned and headed out of the room.

This morning, I was surprised to see Leia in the tiltyard alongside the men as we readied to go. “Where are you going?” I asked.

She glanced at me, smiled and continued to clean her bow. Leia has practiced archery since she was a child, she’s without doubt the best archer in my pack. “I’m coming with you of course,” she said.

Sulking under my breath, I arched toward her. “No, you’re not coming,” I said.

“Why? I am the best archer you have and someone has to watch your back.”

“I don’t need you to watch my back, Leia, we are not kids anymore. Moreover, there are cannons and black powder to help disarm the enemies from a distance.”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “So, what are you saying? That my bow and arrows are old-fashioned now?”

I dragged a breath. “Don’t make this difficult, Leia. It’s traditional for men to go to war and protect the women.”

“No, Calix. It has been our tradition in Tyr, women are allowed to fight alongside the men provided they have undergone training and are fit.”

“And where has that tradition landed us?” I blurted and the men around glanced at us. “Do not act as though you’ve forgotten how your mother died alongside other Tyrese women that night while fighting Thane’s men!” I stopped and dragged a breath. “I won’t let history repeat itself. You’re not coming with us,” I said with an air of authority and proceeded out of the tiltyard.

We continued to the Mugo forest where we waited for our spies to once again survey the land. I wanted a seamless invasion. The feedback was reassuring and so we’d proceeded to the hamlet where I watched my mate saunter to the forest, her father’s gamma trailed after her.

I followed her and intriguingly watched as she discharged her father’s gamma and was left alone. It was dusk; the evening sun cast its warm glow on the waters.

My heart gave a lurch, at the desire to be closer to her, and I did. I moved and stood behind her.

The world did stop for a second as she turned and looked into my eyes. Impulsively, I’d looked into those brown eyes of hers and had drowned in them just as I’d done a few days ago.

Good grief! I battled within me not to pull her into my arms and settle my lips over hers again; just like I’d done that afternoon.

I walked past her to the river and stared at it; anything to keep my mind off her sweet scent which clogged my senses. This was the moment I was supposed to knock her into unconsciousness and effortlessly take her with me. For the life of me, I couldn't, perhaps it's her sweet voice as she wouldn’t stop talking.

The more I listened to her as she spoke, the more I wanted more than anything to remain by her side as the smiles lit up her face. She was very beautiful, and graceful, even though the clothes she was wearing was hideous. What happened to the colorful royal clothes she wore the other day?

Once again, I am reminded of her mental state. It must be the reason she’s asked to wear these in uniformity with the other patients.

What the heck! Why am I even listening to her? One blow at her neck and I will knock her into unconsciousness yet it seemed I lacked the willpower to perform the simplest of tasks on her. What was that? The moon goddess was out to thwart my plans as the desire to call off the raid, to make love to her right here on the sand and mark her, coursed through me.

“....So, are you from around here?” There she goes trying to uncover my identity. I turned to leave and she grabbed my hand. “..D–don’t go!” she begged.

That which I felt as our hands touched was something I have never felt before with anyone and I suddenly yearned for more. Fvck!

Why is this mate bond rendering me useless?

Why is she not backing away no matter how rude I’m trying to be? First of all, she apologizes for touching me, and then proceeds in her attempt to tear the walls around my heart.

“I only reveal my name to women that I want in my life!” I snapped in my frustration.

The shock in her eyes; the excitement shriveled from her face and I regretted saying that– but it was out and there was no going back.

“But– you are, we are...” she stuttered.

“What, mates?” I completed and scoffed. “Do you think I have not heard the rumors about your mentally unstable self! Who do you think would be stupid enough to want a wolfless girl for a mate?”

Okay, that was too much.

Regret flooded my heart and I wished I could take it back, especially as she staggered backward and clutched her heart.

With moist eyes, she dragged a breath. “You are here for the rejection so go on with it, be fast about it.”

A growl tore from my lips. I never said anything about rejection, if anything, I wanted to go after my men and call off the invasion. Too late, the first explosion rocked the land and my mate spun to her heels.

“Randolph.”

I hated the fact she cared for another male and my hands clenched into fists.

“Remember, no killing of the patients, the workers, and others...only Alpha Thane’s men.” I used the mind link. “And be on the lookout for her, she’s on her way back to the hamlet.”

“Fvck!!” Han yelled via the mindlink.

“What is that?”

“Your mate fvcking hit me with a plank!” he blurted. A smile flitted across my lips, she sure is feisty. The rumors didn’t talk about that one.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“She’s heading back to the forest. Darth, Athan, Tallan and I are chasing her.”

A smile spilled on my lips. Seamlessly, I moved in the wind as a growl tore from my lips and landed just before her. I wrapped my arms around her, backed her against a tree, and nuzzled the length of her neck.

“Hello, Emily Blakesley,” I said her name.

Gasping, she broke away from my embrace and stepped away. “It’s you! It’s you, the stranger from my nightmares.”

What fvcking nightmares is she talking about? One harmless question I asked and she picked up a stone.

“What exactly do you intend to do with that?” I asked.

“I don’t know, perhaps, shove it down your throat..” she yelled and prompted a chuckle from my men. No woman has ever spoken so disrespectfully to me.

I bolted and appeared behind her, grabbing her neck, I lifted her from the ground. She dared to hit me with the stone and I wrung it from her hands and tightened my grip another her neck.

But she was smart and brave. Any woman will be fazed by my actions and beg for mercy, but she sought for a way to hurt me back.

My world moved and fell into pieces as she said the rejection ritual over me. The pain was unbearable and seared through me. Commanding the men to go after her was the least I could do as I continued to suffer from the rejection.

I can’t believe it– my mate! She just rejected me!

The pain seared in my head and I huffed and suddenly, it stopped. I jerked to my feet and with my sixth sense, scanned the forest for her. And I saw her straddled on a grey wolf. A growl tore my lips.

Reality hit me as I tried to teleport and realized I could no longer use my gift after the throes of the rejection.

“A grey wolf just showed up, my lord,” Han used the mindlink. “I think it's Randolph. They’re getting away.”

“Stop them with all means possible,” I growled.

I emerged from the forest just as Han sank his teeth into the wolf of her father’s gamma and she took to her heels.

And that brings me to the present as I stared at her while she glanced at the cliff behind her. It was supposed to be a simple mission but the mate the moon goddess gave me decided to make it intricate.

“What are you going to do, jump?” I asked. “You and I know that you can’t swim.”

She glanced behind again at the cliff and for a moment, my heart gave a lurch. What was that, the fear of watching her die? It's not like I care anyway, there’s no forgetting of the fact that she’s the daughter of my enemy.

But I wanted to go over to her, pull her away from the cliff, and wrap my arms around her. Damn it!

Why am I still feeling the mate bond after the rejection?

“I will never surrender to you, Calix Ledger. I will rather die.” And right before my eyes, she jumped.

“Emily!!” I growled. Running over to the edge, I saw as her body hit the waters and she was lost in it. The sounds of bones cracking behind me signified my men shifting back into their human forms, and footsteps echoed behind me.

“Sh*t. She did jump.” Han panted and followed me in staring at the water. My heart began to thud harder than it has ever.

“My lord?” Han called.

I couldn’t get my eyes off the water, as I desperately waited for her to emerge from it. Perspiration prickled my skin and I lowered myself to a squat.

“How long can one survive under water?” I asked.

“A few minutes. But I don’t think she survived the rocks down there, my lord, there’re too many of them,” he said and I watched as the waves rolled in. “We did a perfect job, a perfect payback to Alpha Thane. She’d be dead by now.”

A wave of anger surged through me; not only did she reject our mate bond, but’d dared to kill herself. Straightening from the ground, I headed back to the forest and the men followed me. A few steps in and I couldn’t take it any more. “Drat!”

I peeled off my cloak. “My lord?” Han gasped. “There are too many rocks down there.”

Not listening to him, I darted to the cliff and jumped.