Ruby's POV

The place was silent, my mouth was dry, and my lips chapped. My head also hurt and it felt heavy too. The place seemed creepy as I struggled to open my eyes.

I sat up once I was wide awake and conscious and looked around the darkroom, trying to get accustomed to the darkness. When I tried to move, a sharp pain shot through my wrist. I winced and felt the rope that was used to tie my hands... it burnt my palms and I pulled back immediately after realizing the rope had silver in it.

I tried to loosen the rope used to tie me up even though it burnt me continuously but the pain only increased and got too much to bear and the rope was too thick and tight to be loosened...

I began to get frustrated with every failed attempt. I cried and coined my feet on the dirt as fury began to pile inside me.

I hate being trussed or imprisoned, the silver in the rope hurt like hell and all I

Rayne's POV

I was woken up by the feel of metal pressing into my skin. This time, I was well aware of where I was and what I had gone through.

As I opened my eyes, I practically got blinded by the sunlight glints shining directly on the cage. I was also made aware of the fact that my metal cell had been heated up already and the top felt hot to the touch, so I had to lie down in a strange sitting posture.

I was really tired of staying in this small metal prison, and also tired of complaining about it too. In total honesty, all I actually wanted was a good long sleep and some water— preferably chilled.

That will feel like heaven. And maybe, just maybe some juice, cookies, and chocolate....oh mom!

Suddenly, the sound of the door of the metal cage I was placed in, opening, broke me out of my reverie. I looked up to see someone trying to position himself in front of my cage. My heartbea

The case

Alpha Gilbert's Pov

Still, in my reverie, my mind drifted to the day I almost kissed Rayne. It's a shame I didn't get to do it, before discovering her real self. The slimy little gorgeous cheating thief of a bastard that she was.

I could already feel the softness of her lips. I could already taste the vanilla and strawberry flavor in her mouth. No, I didn't kiss her before then but I knew that was what she would smell like Because that was what she smelled like.

Half an inch away from confirming my thoughts, my phone beeped from inside my pocket. I ignored it the first time, but it came for the second, third, and fourth time.

"I think you should check that," her sweet melodic voice chimed.

"Fuck" I groaned before punching the air. I couldn't believe I was only seconds away from kissing her. Something I had wanted to do for a long time now. Who the hell is this person that was blowing up my phone? Could they not wait until I get back or later? I angrily shoved my hand into my pocket and collected my phone.

It was a message from the head of the guards and then another from Jenny. All four missed calls were from Lucas. Something was definitely up I thought before dialing Lucas's line.

"Where are you? There is an emergency. Please come to the packhouse this minute." One of the messages read. My face furrowed.

"What does it say? You look worried," she questioned me, with one of her hands on my shoulders and the other lying by her side. The urge to just grab her and lose her whole was mighty, but I know it was not the best time. Her slightly opened cleavage was mightily begging for my attention. For me to grab, squeeze and suck them but I willed myself to not. I could already feel the heat travel downwards to where it mattered most.

I closed my eyes tightly shut for a moment and let out a deep puff of air before opening my eyes to stare back at the cat-like ones looking at me.

"There's an emergency. Let's go back to the packhouse, please. I need to go check out what is wrong". I said to Rayne.

" Okay," she nodded her head and stepped to my front.

"I'm sorry for how things turned. I will make it up to you, okay?" I said as I pulled her back. Her butts smacked me behind and damn!

"It's fine. Please don't worry about me and go check what is wrong. I'll return to the refugee camp. Call me if you need anything or when you are done." Her eyes held mine with so much promise I could touch them if I stuck a finger to her eyes.

"I will walk you," I said instead

"There is no need. I'm much closer to the refugee's camp than you are to the packhouse. It will take you longer if you decide to walk me to my destination first. I can manage." I was hoping her voice would quiver at the end but it didn't. I had suspected her reply would come like this.

"You sure?" I inquired.

"Yes, I'm sure. I can take care of myself. Thank you" she told me and sashayed with a gleam of pride radiating off her. Her hair perfectly layered swayed in all directions as she swung it—leaving me with the urge to shove the stranded ones off her face.

And I acted on it. I shoved the stranded hair out of her face and stuck them at the back of her ears. She paused to look at me as I felt her pulse plummeting. She definitely felt it too— the high voltage of electricity between us. It was impossible not to.

"Uh, Gilbert? " she called skeptically when I delayed bringing down my hands from her hair. I cupped her face.

"You are very pretty, Ray. Whatever created you did a perfect job on you, indeed you are the glees of sunshine " I said before my brain registered what was coming out of my mouth. Over the years, I've never felt this drawn to any woman. The only people I feel a thing for are the women I skirted the brim of a Playboy with. Yes, I was that infamous womanizer, complete with strings of lewd stories.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile that unnerved me. Everything about this lady disarmed me and effortlessly ridiculed the walls I built around myself all this while—she depicted all that I knew and made myself believe without even trying.

I leaned in closer and planted a wet kiss on her blush which, of course, made her blush even harder. I moved forward to kiss her again on the forehead. I refrained from going any further because I didn't want to come on too strong or create a scene. Only the divine knew what I would have done to her there and then had I touched her lips.

"Let me watch you leave at least," I said after peeling my lips off her skin.

"Okay," she squeaked before turning around, turning her back to me. I watched as she took small careful steps away from me—farther and farther until she completely disappeared out of my sight.

Without much ado, I turned and walked to the packhouse. I didn't run because I didn't want to shift—shifting to my wolf form and then shifting back to my human form meant getting naked, and no, I didn't want that. It was too cold to be butt naked.

"What is the emergency," I asked Nathan, the head guard when I arrived at the packhouse.

"A case of theft." He said, almost trembling.

"Where? What went missing?" I asked, darting my eyes between him, Lucas, Gavin, and Jenny. "And where were you and the rest of the guards when that occurred?" I directed my question to Nathan.

"I was with Lady Jenny. I escorted her to the neighboring pack to get some training supplies," Nathan answered. I craned my neck and stared questioningly at Diana and she moved her head to affirm Natha's claims but maintained a straight face for the rest part.

"What went missing?" I repeated my second question.

"Ah...Uhm...Alpha Gilbert, you might need to calm down for this one," Gavin said for the first time since my arrival.

"If you haven't noticed, this is me being calm," I retorted. "One or all of you should get talking before I lose my shit. What went missing?"

"You know we are starting a new level of training next week, and we don't have the facilities for that?" Jenny asked me.

"Yeah. What has that got to do with this?" I asked impatiently?

"Everything," she announced; paused then continued. "I decided to go get most of the items from the crescent pack. I had already contacted Alpha Mateo to inform him of my arrival at his pack and my intentions. Nathan and I were already on our way when we remembered we were not with the purchasing power. We came back to get it but couldn't find it. I looked everywhere for it, but up to this moment we still haven't found it...."

"We have," a voice called out from behind us, and we all turn to look at the source. It was Liam.

"And where did you find it?" I asked.

He shared his head, buckled his lips, and then stood in akimbo.

"Erh..."

My recollection was interrupted by some distant noises. From a little stretch, I saw Lucas and Jenny trotting towards my pack office with Rayne on a rope, being dragged behind them.

I snickered immediately when my eyes landed on Rayne. She looked terrified with her wits...

"Jenny, did you bring the food I asked you to

bring?" I questioned.

"Yes, I did. I won't forget it for the world." She answered.

"serve her the food" I ordered Jenny who gracefully adhered to my instructions.

"Eat and Merry, Rayne. Today your sins have been pardoned." I said with a cheeky smile. Rayne's eyes looked unbelievably but she had no choice but to eat. During the short time I was close to her, I found out about her favorite food.

Chocolate, pasta and meatballs, Apple juice, pancakes, and strawberry unsweetened yogurt.

I watched as Maybe pounced on her meal with so much vigor. She didn't even bother to use the provided cutleries. After a while, she stopped eating and looked at me.

"Are you done?" I asked and she nodded in affirmative.

Great!

"Now, let the fun begin" I added with the most sickening grin I could muster.

******

"Fuck" I growled loudly, ripping off the white and blue necktie around my neck. "How dare Lucien put me on a tight corner? How dare he seek the number one thing I laid claim on?" I mumbled restlessly, streaming the length of my bedroom.

Alpha Lucien was still in the room designated to him for the night and that too with Kira, Rose, and Ashley. I could hear clearly the sound of pleasure that gushed out from the pit of their stomach. The thought that it could have been Rayne, my Rayne with him plummeted heavily on me, causing me to ball my fist and give the wall in my room another nice punch.

"Lucas... Jenny, to the room now!" I mind-linked both of them and in zero minutes they were standing before me in his room.

"Once again, for the last time... I am asking you. Whom amongst the both of you toiled with my drug" I spat out the words with venom. Had it been any other normal or ordinary wolf, the rancor in my voice would have pushed him or her into saying what he or she hadn't committed. "I won't repeat my question" I snarled, my wolf threatening to take free and take over the situation. Thankfully, Lucas noticed it on time and spoke quickly.

"We wouldn't dare go against you, our Alpha. All these years, we've served you with nothing but diligence and loyalty, from nothing we served you until now. We wouldn't stab you now that we are at the peak of success... You'd have felt it somewhere in your bones and spirit if we were the ones that betrayed you" Lucas said in a lowly voice, hoping I believed him.

After he spoke, I visibly calmed down, but I still looked a bit tense, so Jenny spoke next.

"As your friends, I swear and promise that I'd get to the root of this and fetch out the culprits. I already tried getting some information myself but the people involved seem to be sure about what they did. They left no trace at all. No footprints, no fingerprints..., Not even a trace of their smell. But I promise. I promise to get to the root of this."

" Damn! " I spoke out, first bombing a sofa. "Let's go to my study and wrap this up. From now henceforth we can't be careless as to what we say in the confines of the four walls of this pack. If my guess is as good as yours, there's a spy amongst us. A rogue. From now onwards, all important matters will be discussed in the study. It has been fortified by the high priest... No matter the intensity of the abilities or force it can't be broken into, except with the aid of a supreme witch, a high priest, or a hybrid." I finished my statement, still pacing around my room. To this moment, I still can't believe what has happened to me.

"And I didn't know about this because?" Jenny questioned, eyes wide like an amazed puppy.

"You were sporting how to get banged," Lucas replied with a peal of annoying belly laughter that sounded similar to a snort or a hiccup.

"I think the right thing is, I was brooding over a fag" Jenny replied, bringing my mind back to Rayne. "What do we do with her?" Jenny asked still, as though she read my mind. Because of the sudden news I received, I kicked her aside to attend to pressing issues.

"I have a perfect idea," I said and scrunched up my nose.

"Tell us?"

"You'd see"


Ruby's POV

The place was silent, my mouth was dry, and my lips chapped. My head also hurt and it felt heavy too. The place seemed creepy as I struggled to open my eyes.

I sat up once I was wide awake and conscious and looked around the darkroom, trying to get accustomed to the darkness. When I tried to move, a sharp pain shot through my wrist. I winced and felt the rope that was used to tie my hands... it burnt my palms and I pulled back immediately after realizing the rope had silver in it.

I tried to loosen the rope used to tie me up even though it burnt me continuously but the pain only increased and got too much to bear and the rope was too thick and tight to be loosened...

I began to get frustrated with every failed attempt. I cried and coined my feet on the dirt as fury began to pile inside me.

I hate being trussed or imprisoned, the silver in the rope hurt like hell and all I wanted was to get it off me... suddenly the door to the prison flew open and someone that obviously

CHAPTER SIX