Chapter 4

Alpha Randall charged into his chamber, rage threatening to suffocate him but he managed to keep it all inside of him, not letting it show.

"Leave," he ordered in a low growl to the ladies who were cleaning his chamber.

They bowed their heads and scurried out of his room.

Randall leaned against the wooden wall, taking in deep breaths to calm the emotions whirling inside of him.

He couldn't understand what was wrong with him, but for some reason he couldn't tell, he felt a burning rage within him, knowing that Reyana had lied to him about seeing Aldric.

The mere thought of Aldric being around Reyana ignited a fire within him. Forbidden images played out in his head, igniting a blaze of jealousy and possessiveness as he imagined all the nasty things Aldric must have done to her body while they were alone.

He hated himself for letting it bother him. Besides, he hated her so much, so, why should he care?

Just as he successfully got rid of those nasty images, he was tormented by another image... Reyana's naked body.

Alpha Randall recalled how it took all of his willpower to resist the urge to take her and make her his at that point. Her body stirred up something he'd never felt in his entire life.

"What are you doing to me, Reyana?" He closed his eyes, running his hand through his sleek, long hair as he gulped down a lump in his throat.

"She isn't doing anything to you, Randall. You are the one hurting yourself. You can't fight this for too long," he heard the judgy voice of Keir say in his head.

It was almost as if Keir had made it his duty to always point out the bitter truth to Randall and it was frustrating.

"Can we ever be on the same page when it comes to Reyana? She means nothing to me, and you know it," He retorted frustratedly at his wolf.

"Never, Randall! We can never be on the same page. She is our mate! Stop fighting what you feel for her. Take her before someone else does," Keir warned angrily before retreating to the back of Randall's mind.

Randall scoffed. He was never going to give in to the mate bond. Never!

***

"No! You don't have to be that cruel to her. I do not approve of that, Randall," Visha's eyes brimmed with tears as she searched Randall's cold eyes, "please, you have to treat her with love and respect. She is your mate," her voice quivering with emotions as she let out a sob.

This was one trait that got Randall so attracted to this woman - her compassion. He looked at her with admiration. He wished she could see through his coldness to know how much he cherished her, because, no matter how hard he tried, his expressions never seemed to convey the depth of his emotions.

Randall let out a brief chuckle - that's all he could ever offer to people, no matter who they were - no one had ever seen him smile since the death of Valerie.

"I hate her with every fiber in me and you know that, Visha." He replied, his voice tinging with bitterness as he stood up from the large wooden bed and walked over to the center of the room where freshly picked flowers lay.

"But what if you have been wrong all along? What if she had nothing to do with Valerie's death? Have you ever thought it through?" She knew how sensitive this topic was to Randall, therefore, she threaded with caution.

Randall felt a surge of anger run through his veins, "Stop it. Don't talk about it anymore." he said with measured control of his emotions, sniffing one of the fresh flowers he had in his hand in a bid to calm himself. He knew she was just being kind and he wouldn't want to take out his anger on her.

"I understand, Alpha Randall. Just think about it. And, I have also decided to accept whatever fate brings my way. I am sorry about the way I reacted yesterday. I was just... Scared..." She spoke in her usual tone of innocence.

Randall turned around and walked towards her, crouching in front of her to meet her small frame as she sat at the edge of the bed.

"Why were you scared?" he took her fragile palms in his.

"I was scared of losing you, Randall. You are all I've got and I don't know what I'd do if I ever lose you," she broke down in fresh tears.

"Visha... You're never going to lose me... Not even to Reyana. You are the one I love and nothing is ever going to change that." He held her chin and tilted her head to meet his gaze.

"Not even the mate bond?" She asked, knowing how difficult that question was, but she needed assurance.

There was a brief silence before he spoke, "Not even the mate bond, Visha. I have utmost control over my feelings and you know that."

"So, what's the plan? I know you can't reject her... It isn't good for our pack."

Randall stood up and sat beside her, "The council wants me to make her my Luna." He broke the news, waiting for her reaction.

Visha felt a squeeze in her heart, "Oh... That's... Great news," She let out a shaky smile, "our pack will finally have a Luna." She struggled to mask her hurt.

She had dreamed of a beautiful life with her Alpha with her being by his side as his Luna. Everything was perfect until fate decided to take a cruel turn.

Now, she felt like she had lost everything she'd ever dreamed of, and she knew it was only a matter of time before Reyana finally stole the heart of Alpha Randall.

"I hate for that to happen. But I don't think I have so much of a choice. But I want you to know that she'll never take your place."

"I... I totally understand, Randall..." her heart quaked the more.

"She'll be the pack's Luna, but you... You'll be my wife."

Visha felt a slight surge of hope come alive in her, as her eyes lit up with questions, "How do you mean?" she cleaned off the tears from her face, waiting to hear his ultimate plan.

"After the coronation, I'll make you my wife... You'll bear my mark and have my pups," he stroked her cheek lovingly.

"Randall..." Her tender voice called out as her face lit up with excitement.

"I love you, Visha." He gently pulled her closer to himself, planting a soft, wet kiss on her plump lips, "I've missed this so much," he whispered, his voice heavy with lust as he deepened the kiss.

He wrapped his strong arm around her slender waist, gently pushing her onto the bed. His kiss was urgent and needy, conveying all the emotions his expressions failed to convey.

"Visha..." His husky voice called out, "What's wrong? Don't you want this?" His warm breath fanned the crook of her neck as he desperately waited for her response.

"I just... I'm sorry..." She attempted to push his huge frame off her almost naked body.

Randall felt his frustration rising. Just when he thought he could finally get a release after the torment Reyana's body had put him through all day.

He stood to his feet abruptly, his muscular chest rising and falling with the rhythm of his angry breaths.

He didn't spare her a glance as he picked up his sleeves from the floor, putting it on as fast as he could.

"Randall..." Visha called out softly, "I'm sorry..." She reached out to touch him but he moved away from her.

"Don't do that, Visha. Don't..."

"But..."

"What's your excuse today? Huh? Tell me! It's been like this for weeks now. You don't let me touch you... Have I done something wrong? Tell me, Visha," his icy tone was low and carried a hint of danger.

"You've done nothing wrong. I just..." She was at a loss for words.

"You see? This has always been the case. You've never given me a reason for your actions. What reason do you want me to hold onto?" He buckled his leather belt, picked up his sword, and securely put it into its sheath. "Enjoy the rest of the night, Visha." He stormed out of her chamber without sparing her another glance.

***

Reyana paced nervously around her small room, her heart drumming in her ears. She contemplated backing out now but at the same time, she didn't want to disappoint Aldric.

"He must be waiting already," she whispered to herself as she peeped through her small wooden window to scan the environment again.

Tara was still sitting outside for reasons best known to her. This wasn't a good time. She was obviously having another argument with her mate, and each time this happened, she sat outside all night. This wasn't good.

Reyana desperately made a silent wish in her heart for Tara to go back into her chamber.

After an eternity of waiting impatiently, she peeped through the window again and Tara was nowhere to be found... Perfect!

***

The Alpha's chamber wasn't so far from Visha's chamber as they were both in the fortress. The fortress was meant for the Alpha and some of his trusted warriors. Visha was brought in as soon as she captured the Alpha's heart.

Alpha Randall walked down the hall of the fortress, his heavy boots echoing loudly in the quiet hall.

He felt suffocated as he had so much going on in his head. All he needed was a quiet walk to help him think properly.

He must have lost track of time, but from the distance he'd covered, he had obviously spent a lot of time taking his solo walk. He was far from the living area of the pack. He found himself somewhere in the woods.

Randall felt better after the walk. His anger had dissipated and he was ready to retire for the night.

Just as he turned around to head out of the woods, a figure covered in a black cloak bumped into him.

As soon as they both gazed into each other's eyes, he immediately recognized who it was.

"Going somewhere?" Randall asked in a calm tone as he hoped there was a good explanation for this.

The silence was defeaning as Aldric searched for the perfect explanation to give to Alpha Randall but he couldn't find one.

Alpha Randall had always been a man who was slow to action, and that's because his actions can be very deadly. So, he waited patiently for Aldric to answer his question.

"Yes, Alpha. I..." this would be another time when he'd have to be selfish yet again, just to save his skin. He was going to damn every consequence.

"Aldric?" Randall was beginning to lose his patience.

"Reyana is trying to run away from the pack. I have been out here looking all around for her," His chest twisted with guilt as he thought about how betrayed Reyana would feel about this. But then, it's for the best. He had to save his own life, because, no matter what, the Alpha would never be able to kill his mate.

"Aldric? What did you just say?" Randall felt his blood boiling with rage, fear, panic... His eyes were bloodshot red as he took a step closer to Aldric.

Aldric took a step back, his heart pumping faster than it should, "you heard me right, Alpha Randall. We must hurry now before she goes too far," he said and made to leave but Randall held him back.

"And how would you know that?" A part of him hoped this wasn't true... For Reyana's sake, he hoped Aldric was lying.

"I saw her earlier today and she told me she couldn't endure the torture you had in store for her, so she decided to run away," Aldric began his convincing tale, "I tried talking her out of it but she said it's better to die running than to die in your hands," he added, shooting a glare at Randall.

Randall felt a whirlwind of emotions but he couldn't tell if it was anger or pain. All he wanted was to find her and stop her from leaving.

"I went to her chambers to see her, to make sure she was fine, then I found out she was gone," he said, "You've scared her away, Randall. And I hope nothing happens to her, else, I'll never forgive you." Aldric said through gritted teeth as he walked past him into the woods.

Randall let out a loud, threatening growl that made the ground tremble as he transformed into his gigantic black wolf, running past Aldric with the speed of light.

Aldric immediately transformed into his big brown wolf, running in the same direction as the Alpha. He couldn't let Randall get to Reyana before him.

He had already told a lie that'd cost Reyana so much pain. The least he can do now is to get to her first and give her a heads up.