Xavier stormed into Ardara Moon Pack territory after burying his cousin's body. He never even gave his enemies the chance to defend themselves, as he mercilessly murdered over half of them. His Uncle and his family had suffered unexpected misery at the hands of this pack.
Due to the stupidity of his forefathers, years of enmity had been resolved. Xavier vowed to eliminate the Ardara Moon Pack to make amends for his pack’s past blunder. He should have removed this evil pack from his way years ago. But it wasn't too late; Alpha Sawyer's Gamma had been viciously slain the moment Xavier entered the packhouse. Luna Martha hurried into the living room to discover Noah acting stupidly and snarling at Xavier.
Alpha Sawyer and his dumb son had continued to lash out due to their hubris, even though they knew they had lost. Xavier wasn’t there to negotiate. It was no use. He had won the fight and taken over their territory, and now he just needed to get rid of the old Alpha. Sawyer refused to accept that his son had raped and murdered Xavier's cousin. His blind faith in his son’s education and upbringing was his downfall. He assumed that was part of Xavier’s strategy to get rid of them. They had not wanted war but had been attacked. He’d continued to defend his deceased son and refused to submit.
Luna Martha encouraged her mate to set aside pride and consider their children's future, but Alpha Sawyer disregarded her entirely. There was a flood of hatred in his heart. He had ignored the safety of his surviving children because he was too busy defending his dead son. She had foreseen that Xavier would be a volatile male. There was a high likelihood that Xavier's men would scour the packhouse. They would find any hidden pack members and kill them. If they did, that meant Martha had failed to protect her daughters. Xavier noticed her panic. She was scared that if he found her daughters, he would murder and rape them as a form of retaliation.
Xavier had no intention of entertaining himself with their family drama or the old Alpha and his son's weak hollow egos. It had only been two minutes since he decided their fate as they had refused to submit; he had chosen to kill them. Fighting the wounded and weak was meaningless. They were merely wasting his valuable time. Xavier was about to signal his men to haul the old Alpha to his feet when his nose picked up an unusually delightful aroma.
There was so much noise and arguing around him, yet he sensed the tiniest sound quieting down. Ignoring the reason for his presence and the existence of his enemies before him, he peered over his shoulder at the wall behind him. A lovely aroma emanated from there. What was it? No, the real question was, who it was? There was only a wall with a door behind him, and he knew that it was concealing more. The heartbeat and fragrance of the individual behind the wall drew his attention, and he chose to ignore it.
"Kill them all!" He ordered his wolves as he rose from his seat. Sensing that the person's heartbeat had intensified as if it was about to burst out of their chest. They had been alarmed by his statement. There was apprehension over losing the most important people in one's life. “For the Alpha and his family…” he paused for a few seconds, "behead them all!". He had been told that the Alpha had only two sons, but the person hiding behind the wall was most likely a family member. So Alpha Sawyer and his family dared to lie and conceal other family members after murdering his cousin. He had no intention of finding out who was hiding behind the wall or what their motivations were. After killing the Alpha’s family, if that person managed to hide in the packhouse, they would eventually die when his pack set fire to it. However, the sweetness of the person's aroma was enough to discern that it was a young female. Every member of the Ardara Moon Pack was his adversary; this knowledge was enough for Xavier to decide their fate. They had to follow his deceased cousin.
"Stop!" a terrified voice exclaimed, one who had never spoken aloud in her life, suddenly invaded his ears. Xavier abruptly stopped as the female who had been lurking behind the wall chose to reveal herself. He could sense agitation from his pack members, who were irritated by the female’s interruption. How dare she raise her voice to their Alpha? How audacious? Xavier’s most loyal pack member intended to attack the young female before receiving a mindlink from Xavier.
'Don't touch the female,' he glared at the male from the corner of his eyes. It was not an order but a deadly warning. They immediately lowered their heads and eyes but still wondered why Xavier stopped them. Shouldn't they disgrace her in front of her family? It was clear that she was the Alpha's daughter and their enemy. Xavier intended to deal with the female himself.
Slowly turning his head, he noticed a pair of chocolate brown eyes staring into his. Dean, Xavier's wolf, joined his human in admiring the gorgeous female figure that resembled an angel. Kiara gasped at seeing his wolf's eyes. Why had his wolf come forward? Did he plan to kill her? He had dark green eyes with hints of black and gold, indicating his supremacy. For the first time, Kiara laid eyes on Alpha Xavier, who struck terror in the hearts of the werewolf world.
Xavier's gaze was fixed on her. Her little face, with its huge lovely chocolatey eyes, complemented her natural soft red lips well. Her eyes were the only thing that she had inherited from her father. She rarely put any makeup on her delicate skin since she did not need it. Her soft, brown hair fell over her face, emphasizing her beauty. Xavier pondered the last time he let a female stand so close to him. Maybe it was two years ago, the day that he had rejected Petra. After that, he refused to let any female get close to him except his female relatives.
"Please stop," she pleaded, pulling him out of his thoughts and admiration of her. Her 5’ 7” frame stood tall in front of him. Her daring eyes were the cutest part of her body. She was staring directly into his green eyes. As he had predicted, Alpha Sawyer had two daughters he had concealed. The older looking one of the two stood behind her sister as though she would protect her if Xavier tried to hurt the chocolaty-eyed female.
"Kiara! What the fuck are you doing here?" Noah, Kiara's brother, yelled from behind her. He meant that she should be hiding in her room and shouldn’t have stuck her nose in the business of men. If she had not intervened, his head would have been severed by now, but he didn’t seem to care about that fact. Xavier's furious gaze fell on Noah. His raspy voice destroying the moment. Kaiden watched the displeased face of his Alpha as he slammed Noah’s face into the floor. How dare he annoy his Alpha?
Xavier turned his eyes back to the female; he had learned her name, Kiara. Even her name piqued his interest.
"Kiara! Why did you leave your room? Go back!" Luna Martha struggled to get free from the two pairs of hands forcefully holding her down. She had been crying because her mate's head was about to be cut from his shoulders. But now, she was absolutely terrified that Xavier's eyes had fallen on her innocent daughter. She had not been able to keep her hidden from him. Kiara apologized to her mom quietly under her breath. It was no longer necessary for her to hide.
"Mom, don't worry about me. I won't let you all die," she promised her mother while maintaining eye contact with Xavier. Xavier furrowed his brows as he noted her confidence. What made her believe that she could stop him? Kiara's heartbeat was racing rapidly in her chest; she could tell that her confidence had provoked him. She also couldn't deny that this scary male was devilishly attractive.
Six-foot-three, Xavier was dressed in high-end clothing from head to toe. His well-groomed hair, prominent nose, and sharp chin gave him the appearance of having just stepped out of a magazine. His scent was rich, but she couldn’t tell what exactly it was. For the first time in her life, she realized that this was the true personality of an Alpha. His aura, rather than his mere presence, enough to both frighten and attract those around him. Her egotistical older brother didn't have even a tenth of Xavier's presence in the room. Her brother only knew how to bark and make quick decisions.
"I …" She started to speak but was interrupted.
"Kiara, go to your room. That's an order!" shouted Alpha Sawyer, who had always used an Alpha tone on her. She was surprised to hear him call her by name. She wondered when the last time he had used her name was. Was he worried about her? The rage and the venom in his gaze proved her thoughts wrong. He had been staring at Martha since Kiara walked into the room. Luna Martha was the one responsible for locking her up. On the other hand, Kiara had disobeyed and appeared there with Adira, putting her sister in danger as well. More than twenty ravenous wolves encircled the young females. No one's eyes could resist the beauty and scent of their young bodies.
Kiara decided to ignore her father's instructions for the first time in her life. If they were going to die, his command was counterproductive, so she’d chosen to disregard him. If they lived, she might have to face the consequences. Her father snarled his final warning. Xavier's enraged gaze was drawn to the old man, who still had yet to grasp the fact that he had lost the battle and his pack. How dare he growl in Xavier’s presence?
"Rip his throat out," Xavier growled. Kaiden buried his long, bloody claws in Sawyer's neck, attempting to rip it apart.
"No, please stop!"Kiara pleaded to Kaiden before her scared gaze returned to Xavier. "Please don't kill them. Don't kill my family and what remains of my pack," her body drew closer to him in panic. Xavier watched her worried expression so closely he could see every little detail of her face. Her lips looked so wet and soft. He couldn't help but lick his own.
"I wonder why?" He asked. Kiara was surprised by his inquiry. His question seemed to be legitimate. Her pack had been the one to wrong him first. He had suffered the loss of a family member. While his vengeance and rage were to be anticipated, she couldn’t accept the thought of another of her family members dying. Even if he wasn't going to let her live, she had to do something.
“Can we talk?” She inquired, realizing that his look was as frigid as before. She could not tell what was going on from his facial expressions. Her mother was in a panic, but before she could say anything, someone else thought he needed to speak his mind.
"How can a girl like you talk to him? Keep your distance!" Noah yelled once more. How could she forget what he had taught her? A woman is intended to do housework, bear children, as many as her male wanted, and take care of those children. Women should keep their mouths shut unless they are spoken to, so talking to a male who was not a member of your family was out of the question. He would not allow her to do that. Noah had no respect for Kiara, and she never expected him to be kind to her. But, as a result of his insult, she appeared weak in front of her enemies. She noticed that the opposing Alpha was drilling a hole in her face with his eyes. Why was he staring at her? But she kept her head held high as she waited for Xavier's response.
"Let's talk," she repeated, “alone.” Everyone in the room was taken aback when she added that. She knew that if they stayed in the room, her father and brother would keep interrupting her, and she would be unable to communicate effectively with Xavier.
“Don’t you dare!” her father snarled in a warning she ignored.
Xavier loved Sawyer’s reaction. First, Sawyer’s son had killed his cousin, and now the old Alpha was scared to let his daughter be alone with him? Shouldn't he experience the same fear that his uncle had felt when he saw his daughter's dead body? After defeating the Ardara Moon Pack, he had accumulated so much power that he could strip Sawyer's daughter naked in front of them. But he was nothing like them.
"I don't talk to children," Xavier responded, dismissing Noah and Sawyer's statements as Kiara had. At the same time, he gestured to Kiaden to firmly wrap a handkerchief around Noah's mouth to prevent the dog from further barking.
"I know I'm younger than you, but I also know what I'm talking about. Please hear me out," Kiara requested. This would be her final resort. She would lose everything if she couldn't get Xavier to change his mind and talk to her. He was being lured in by her despair and drew closer to her. She said she wasn’t a child? But she had no wolf, as far as he could tell.
“How old are you?” He placed his finger under her chin and raised her face up. Dean, his wolf, groaned in need. Xavier had breached his own rules. After two years, he finally touched a female. His sexual urges and hunger had been pushed to the brink as an Alpha male and werewolf, and he barely held himself in check. He never imagined that after he rejected Petra, it would be hard to suppress his sexual urges; his hatred for females had always prevented him from approaching them. Zander had given Xavier a purchased prostitute for a full night, sending her to Xavier’s room. She was sent to pleasure him for the night but he threw her out after only a couple of minutes. Not just her, but all the females that Zander had brought in. All had been unable to sexually entice his brother. Hand jobs had been the only option he’d found for release.
Xavier was irritated with himself. This young female's skin was causing his blood to heat and rush through his body. Dean urged him to touch her as much as possible. After all, he was an animal who was just concerned about his sexual needs and didn't care about the consequences. Kiara had succeeded where other females had failed. Her innocent gaze seduced him. He was afraid he would break her. Between the nervous trembling of her body and her rapid heart rate, Xavier could tell she had never been touched by a male.
"I'll be eighteen in three days," she responded. She was worried about stammering in front of him. She kept her eyes wide, enabling him to read her like an open book. His rough hand on her chin was so strong that she wished she could remain there with him forever. Although he seemed cold, his touch was soft and warm, making her skin feel like it was on fire.
"Lead the way," Xavier said, barely removing his hungry fingers. Kiara's heart filled with hope as he had chosen to listen to her. She nodded, turning to show him the way.
"I refuse to allow you to be alone in a room with a male!" Alpha Sawyer shouted, displaying his fury, giving her a deadly glare. Kiara trembled in fear. He had never physically abused her, but her fear of her father was greater than almost anything else.
"I don't permit you either!" Noah had somehow been able to remove the handkerchief from his mouth.
"We'll all die if I listen to you. Why can't you see how dire this situation is? I'm sorry, but I can't obey you,” she answered, walking away, and Xavier followed.
"What a whore! How could I have forgotten that females communicate with their bodies?" Noah sneered. Kiara clenched her fists at her sides and bit her lip to keep her tears at bay. Noah had called her names almost every day of her life, yet she felt offended he had done it in front of Xavier.
“Aaahhh!” her brother’s agonizing cry made her freeze. When she turned around, Kiara saw that Xavier had stabbed the palm of Noah’s hand with a large knife. Xavier slashed the blade up Noah’s arm. Luna Martha screamed as she made a futile attempt to stop Xavier from doing further harm to her son.
“Please, no!” Kiara rushed to grab Xavier’s hand before he could pierce her brother’s throat. When he felt her touch, his dark green eyes shifted their gaze to her. She was shaking with terror; her entire body felt chilled, and tears pooled in her eyes. She adored her family and would perish without them. Her desire to save them disturbed and irritated him. Kiara noted that he released his hold on her brother despite his clear irritation.
"Think twice before opening your mouth!" Xavier snarled as he stepped on Noah's injured hand. He squealed like a pig, screaming in agony. Kiara quickly took Xavier's hand, leading him up the stairs to a room before the men of her family made another mistake. Adira followed her, taking up a position near the top of the stairs.
"I'll be standing here the entire time. Dad and Noah will assume that I'm with you. They can't come out here to check on us since they're captives. Make the conversation quick," Adira encouraged in low tones, but the man next to them had overheard everything. After glancing at Xavier, Adira murmured to her sister. "Don't lock the door from the inside and yell if anything happens," Adira urged loudly enough to warn Xavier that if he had unsavory plans for her sister, he should reconsider them. After hearing Adira's words, Kiara nodded, not glancing at Xavier's countenance. Had he been offended? He wouldn't hurt her sister like he did Noah, would he?
They had three rooms on the second floor. Lewis' room was the first one she didn’t bother to even look at. Even though the last one was hers, Kiara escorted Xavier to the middle room. She shut the door after they entered the room. As Xavier looked around the medium-sized room, he realized it was Adira's room. Kiara's scent wasn’t in the room. Why had she brought him to her sister's room? Kiara turned to face the Alpha, who had strangely remained silent after committing such intense acts of violence.
"What's wrong?" She inquired, concerned that he had not forgotten what Adira had said. She followed his gaze only to discover that she was still holding his hand! "I'm sorry," she said as she withdrew her hand from his. She had been holding his hand on the way up the stairs, which was really embarrassing. Xavier observed a blush on her cheeks, which she immediately moved to conceal when she remembered why she was with him. But she had no idea where to begin.
"What did you want to talk about?" Xavier started the conversation.
"My mother informed me earlier about the reason for your attack on our pack. I'm sorry to hear about your cousin. I still can't believe that my brother committed such a heinous crime. I sincerely apologize on behalf of my family and my entire pack for his actions," she bowed her head with humility as she apologized to him. Xavier finally received his first apology from the Ardara Moon Pack. He was amazed that it had come from the Alpha family's youngest member. The adults of this family simply had to open their mouths and give him further reason to have them killed in the most agonizing way possible. Kiara, on the other hand, was honest and embarrassed.
"If you believe that with your one apology, I’ll allow your family to live, you’re mistaken." Xavier wondered whether she had the wrong idea just because he consented to have a chat with her. He had ceased believing in females. Perhaps she had been toying with him the whole time, just because she had an innocent face.
"I know," she said with a hint of panic, staring down the tattered old slippers on her feet.
"If you know, then this discussion is pointless. You want me to let go of your family, and I’m not going to do that," Xavier asserted, turning to face the door so that he could exit the room.
"But have you not exacted your vengeance?" Kiara asked. Xavier turned to face the frightened female. "You've already killed Lewis. He was the one who raped and murdered your cousin. He should be the one who bears the consequences of his wrongdoing. You’ve already taken your revenge. So why?" She came to a halt when she felt constricted by her emotions and feared they had rendered her weak. "Don't kill my family. Please…" she finished her sentence while he studied her face as if trying to read her.
He had seen tears in her eyes a few seconds before, which she might have used to control and emotionally manipulate him, but he couldn't see them now. He had always thought that the female's weapon was their tears, which Petra had used to try and gain his sympathy, but this female was attempting to influence Xavier's views with her words. "You’re absolutely correct. Our vengeance was complete with the death of Lewis." Xavier leaned against the wall, both hands tucked in his pockets. His figure had grown even more appealing in this stance, making his legs longer. There was hope in Kiara's heart, according to his statement. He understood what she was saying. Their animosity had stopped with Lewis' death. He would no longer harm her family. "However, things don't work the same way in our world,"
"What exactly do you mean?" she asked. Xavier glanced witheringly at her pale face. He had just smashed her hopes.
"The weevil is crushed together with the wheat. Similarly, the consequences of any person's actions must be borne by his family. For years, your pack has broken werewolf laws. Despite the peace agreement, your brother barged into a female-only hostel and then raped and murdered my cousin. You’ve no clue how that poor female's family members are doing. Her parents only had one child. Even with her blindness, her parents refused to abandon her."
Kiara's hands and feet felt like ice the moment she realized that the female was blind. Her animalistic brother had put her and her family into a quagmire from which they would never be able to escape. Even after destroying the Ardara Moon Pack and murdering all of its members, Xavier's vengeance wouldn’t be complete because the man who had lost his blind daughter had lost his purpose for living. Kiara lost all confidence in begging for the lives of her family members after discovering the whole truth. She drew her gaze up, daring to meet his frigid one. He was adamant about his decision. She was finished. She couldn't persuade him to alter his decision.
"What are you intending to do with my parents?" she ventured to ask, her chest throbbing with despair. She was embarrassed by her own query. She needed to know if they would be granted a burial or not because she was sure to die before her family. Xavier wasn't sure if he should answer her question or not as she seemed to be desperately trying to hold back her tears. "Please tell me," she begged.
"The Alpha and Luna will be beheaded. Since he was our adversary, and a daughter of our family was slain, your parents' bodies will be left for the animals to consume." Xavier told her about his ancestor’s traditions, which he intended to follow. Upon learning that, the ground had slipped beneath Kiara's feet. "Your brother will suffer the same fate as your father since he would’ve been named the next Alpha." Before she had been able to inquire, Xavier added. She was aware that it was about to happen in the back of her mind. If the Ardara Moon Pack had won the fight, they would have done the same.
"What about my sister? What will happen to her?" Kiara hadn't even bothered to think about herself. The Ardara Moon Pack's laws included no mention of beheading females. Only the Luna would be beheaded, but her sister wasn't a Luna. She pondered what penalty she would receive under the Sirius Bright Pack's law, but instead of responding to Kiara, Xavier stared into her eyes. Would she be able to withstand the punishment meted out to her innocent sister? She waited for his answer impatiently, but he simply turned to walk away. What had his silence meant?
"No," Kiara staggered as she realized what the penalty was. Adira, the Alpha's daughter, will be thrown to the males of the Sirius Bright Pack. Those males would exploit her body for as long as they desired before killing her. "I’m prepared to be punished in place of every member of my family." Xavier's hand came to a halt on the doorknob. He returned his frowning gaze to Kiara, who was on her knees before him.
"What are you doing?" He growled. Even though he had only spent five minutes with her, he knew she wasn’t one to submit easily, but she was willing to do anything for the sake of her family.
"Please forgive my family. Kill me instead. You can cut my head off and my whole body into pieces. You can feed my body parts to wild animals or whatever you choose. I’m ready to face the punishment on behalf of my family, but my family and the innocent pack members aren’t responsible for Lewis' sins. Please…” Kiara couldn’t hold in her tears anymore. Xavier sat on his knees in front of her while watching her big teary eyes. She looked even more beautiful while crying.
"It's impossible," he said, glancing at the V-neck of her blouse, which revealed her breasts. Her top was already thin, and he could see that she wasn’t wearing a bra underneath.
"Then take me as a slave," barely able to rip his hungry eyes from her full breasts, his surprised eyes snapped to hers.
“What?”
"You intend to murder us in retaliation for the insult to your family and pack, right? You've already slain Lewis, so you have justice for your cousin. For other reasons, if you take me as your slave, I can make up for your loss. I’ll obey you and do anything you want. I swear I'll not weep if you abuse me. I'll take the beatings and spend my life as a slave until you're pleased, but first, you have to let my family go. Allow them to live," she attempted to strike a bargain as she trembled with terror. She was well aware that what she offered would ruin her future. However, being an orphan would be worse than being a slave.
"The deal sounds appealing. But I don't mistreat females or pups, so there's no way I'm taking you as a slave," Xavier brushed away her tears, but new tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Then what do you want from me? I’ve nothing else to offer you," she realized. She had run out of ideas.
"Are you a virgin?" Xavier's question was straightforward as usual. Kiara was stunned and had a horrified expression on her face. Why had he wanted to know about her virginity? Had he intended to sully her dignity in the same way Lewis had sullied his cousin's? His eyes had changed hue to a deeper shade than earlier. She kept staring at him in horror as he waited for her response.
“Yes,” she couldn't escape from his question. Her response sent a sense of relief through his chest. Dean growled with delight. Xavier and his wolf had already discussed what they needed from this woman.
“There is something I need you for, and if you agree, I will spare your family and what remains of this pack.”
“Really?” Kiara was stunned. He had finally come up with something. Xavier was willing to let her family go. She was hopeful and terrified of him at the same time. She had no clue what he was about to ask her. She needed to agree on something.
"What do you expect from me?" Her voice sounded like a whisper. Xavier ran his fingertips across her delicate lips.
"Be my surrogate," Xavier proposed.