Kiara's POV
The smell of old pines hit my nervous system the moment I stepped out of the car.My feet treaded towards the land I had left behind,the life I thought had forgotten me.
Slowly I lifted my right hand and placed it over the invisible force field dividing both worlds. Through a naked human eye it was a fallout landscape, overtaken by wilderness, left behind after an accidental nuclear leak.
The barrier fizzed out, just enough to let me in, letting out a momentary glimpse of a vibrant world, hidden from human eyes-they call it the supernatural, even though every other creature in nature has no problem seeing or hearing through this barrier. It only acts as a curtain for the human kind.
"Long time, huh, traitor!!!How have you been?" The icy breath over my bare shoulder almost startled me but before I could react, my wrists were in firm shackles and I was being pulled up the hills.
So much for a friendly reunion.I did not know the guy pulling me through the woods and I am pretty sure he did not know me personally too. However, I was a branded traitor and a banished wolf. This treatment was the norm.
When Alpha Theodore sealed my fate, there had been hundreds of eyes judging me, cursing me, pelting me with their thoughts. But in the midst of them, were his pale eyes, hidden behind his ash-brown hair. Were they sad? Were they angry too? Were they hurt? I couldn't tell. And I didn't get a chance to ask after that.
Today I would be meeting those eyes once more. Head on. Caspian was the Alpha-to-be back then. He must have taken over the throne by now. He was an extraordinary fighter and I am sure he would be a great ruler as well.
"Ahhh!"
A sharp jab from the back brought my trail of scattered thoughts, back on track.
" Keep walking straight, you bitch!" The warrior who was taking me forth didn't look pleased at all. I looked around and it didn't look like much had changed though the direction where we were headed didn't look like the Alpha's quarters. I knew perfectly well where Caspian's home was.
How could I forget?!!!
It feels like we spent a lifetime there. A lifetime of play, a lifetime of cuddles, a lifetime of promises and a lifetime of love…
"Do you want me to drag your ass? Keep up! I won't repeat myself anymore!" I wouldn't blame the warrior this time. I had actually stopped and was staring in the opposite direction.
"Umm, are you sure we are going the right way? I am supposed to report at the Alpha's quarters… "
"That's right, bitch! We are going to Alpha David's. Now move! Fucking gutter rats!" He mumbled, shaking his head, dragging me on with force this time.
However at my end, the world had turned upside down.
Alpha David?
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Alpha David? David? Caspian's cousin? Why? How?
It was starting to feel like the sky was tilting and the ground was slipping from under my feet.
Within a few more minutes I was standing in front of a huge mansion that I did not remember ever seeing. It was definitely built after my banishment. The new Alpha's abode.
"Get in, mutt head!"
My knees hit the cold stone with a crack that echoed far too loud in the packed but silent hall.
The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, but I didn't cry out. I refused to give them that. My palms pressed flat against the floor, grounding myself as the scent of unfamiliar wolves flooded my senses.
Laughter rippled through the room.
I lifted my head slowly.
That's when I saw David's dark eyes, oozing with something far beyond negative… hatred? Distaste?
He lounged on the raised pedestal like a king born to excess, one leg casually draped over the arm of his chair, fingers tapping against ivory. His smirk was carved deep, the kind that came from knowing he held all the power and relishing every second of it.
His eyes raked all over me.
"Well," he drawled, voice smooth as poisoned honey, "if it isn't the infamous Kiara Kingsley."
A few chuckles followed. I swallowed hard and finally forced myself to look past him.
The council.
My breath stuttered.
None of them were familiar.
Not a single face.
Where were the elders who had watched me grow? Where was old Bram with his crooked spine and sharper mind? Where was Mira, who used to sneak me honeyed meat when I was a pup? Gone? All of them?
Replaced? The entire council?
These wolves sat straighter, harder. Their auras were aggressive. Some stared at me with curiosity, others with outright hunger. One woman tilted her head, studying me the way one might examine a blade before deciding where to strike.
My stomach churned.
This wasn't the SilverTooth pack I had left behind.
This was something else entirely.
"You look surprised," David continued, rising slightly in his seat. "Did you expect a welcome committee of old friends?"
His grin widened when I didn't answer.
"Let me guess," he went on, descending the steps of the pedestal at an unhurried pace, "you thought Caspian would still be warming the throne waiting for you with open arms?"
Each step he took rang through my skull.
"What did you do with him?" The words tore out of me before I could stop them.
The hall went silent.
David stopped walking.
Then he smirked, thoroughly entertained.
"Oh, I like her," he said to the council without looking away from me at all.
His gaze snapped back to mine. "Caspian made… poor choices."
My heart pounded so hard I thought it might crack my ribs.
"And choices," he continued softly, "have consequences."
He resumed walking.
I tried to rise. My legs trembled, strength lagging behind fury and fear tangled tight in my veins. Shackles or not, instinct screamed at me to move, to fight, to run. To go find Caspian…
But I was still on my knees when he stopped right in front of me.
Up close, David smelled of metal and the woods and too much Cologne.
His shadow swallowed me whole.
"Look at you," he murmured, crouching slightly. "The great disgrace herself.Hiding an Alpha heir all alone.Did not think you were that stupid, Kiara!!!"
I bared my teeth despite myself. "I did not hide anybody."
"No?" His eyebrow arched. "Funny. It looks an awful lot like you ran away with Caspian's spawn.Oh wait! Hold on! Don't tell me Caspain doesn't know about this one?!!"
The council laughed out too loud! Like it was the funniest thing on planet earth!
Heat flared in my chest. "You summoned me," I snapped. "Let's wrap this up ASAP. I don't think you want to waste anymore time on someone like me."
"Oh, but I do." His voice dropped. "That's the beauty of being Alpha."
Before I could react, his hand shot out.
Rough fingers clamped around my cheek, nails digging in just enough to hurt. He yanked my face upward, forcing me to meet his eyes as he hauled me up with brutal force.