Chapter 16 Sixteen

Calista’s POV

I knew I agreed to rest my body for a while, but I couldn't. I just took a cold shower and returned to my office to go through some files.

I really appreciated it when I didn't come across him. Zane.

I let out a sigh as my gaze settled on my father's picture sitting on the side of the desk. This used to be his office.

I could still feel him. His presence, but just empty. Nothing like before.

Johnson had already reached out. He said the warriors had recovered, but he needed to observe them more to make sure they were completely okay.

My blood was dangerous and I understood when he said he needed to observe them.

The blood of a silver wolf was something the world would kill to have. Alphas would wage wars to possess and control.

Father knew, so he made me hide my abilities for as long as I could remember. Even when my blood could have saved him, he refused to let me save him.

He said they were watching, and if he recovered they would know and I would be in danger.

My eyes pricked with hot tears.

He let himself die because he wanted to protect me. Keep me safe.

"Alpha Calista," a knock came on the office door and I knew it was my grandma who had sent an omega to call me.

I was done hiding, not when the pack needed me.

My gaze fell on Zane as I stepped into the dining hall.

He sat in his seat like the space belonged to him.

The air was thick and filled with his scent. After rain. His aura lurked around like he had been here for days.

He was too comfortable for a rejected mate.

He met my eyes as I took my seat at the head of the table. My grandma had a peaceful smile, just like always.

"Darius?" I asked my grandma with a frown. My gaze fixed on his usual seat.

His absence didn't sit well with me and Grandma saw it on my face. That immediately reminded me, I hadn't seen him since morning.

Since the attack.

I immediately mind-linked Ray and asked him to find out the whereabouts of my so-called uncle.

There was a bigger chance that he had something to do with the sudden attack on the pack.

And I could only prove it by knowing where he had been and who he had been talking to since he arrived in this pack. And if possible, I must know where he had been hiding for the past two decades.

'Calista, we have a problem at the northern border,' Kalean, my gamma, mind-linked me and I got up from my seat.

"Calista?" My grandma stood up after me with worry.

"We have a problem." I told her, my eyes shifting to Zane who was looking at me like I couldn't see him.

Goddess, doesn't he have anything important to do in his pack?

I rolled my eyes and started toward the door.

I didn't realize I was being followed until I got to the edge of the forest and started taking off my dress to shift into my silver wolf.

The minute I shifted, his low, possessive growl echoed in the dark, quiet night and Isla turned back to look at him.

He really was good at hiding his scent.

He stood, not far from me, with his gaze fixed on me like I was the only thing he could see.

His possessive gaze captured Isla, drawing her in. Breaking her will to look away from him.

Well, I think it was time we rejected each other properly.

His smell. It was intoxicating.

Isla growled possessively, but another mind-link came in from Kalean. 'There are more of them and we need backup.' Isla immediately turned her head away, dashing into the woods without looking back.

She was swayed by him thanks to the mate bond and yes, his good looks, but she knew her duty came first.

She knew better than to let her feelings get the better of her.

We ran through the woods, the cold air caressing my silver fur. My four paws hitting the cold floor as I ran with full speed toward the northern border.

Isla let out a loud, possessive growl as we stumbled on the warriors fighting with a large number of wolves. They weren't rogues, just like Zane had said.

And as for which pack they were from, we were yet to discover that. Or maybe once we got Darius, we would know that.

A brown, dirty wolf lunged at me and I didn't hesitate to tear his throat open with one swift movement.

My father had trained me for this. A day like this.

He called me his heir when I was ten years old.

He called me his pride when I was twelve years old.

He called me the future alpha of the Crystal Pack when I was eighteen years old.

As if I was the main target, four more wolves lunged directly at me at once.

Isla looked at each of them in the eye and it wasn't surprising, the murderous look they had in their gaze.

They all had it.

I shoved my paw, hitting one in the face. He stumbled back with blood dripping down from his eyebrow, or maybe from his eyes.

The other three came at me at once as if they had a chance.

I lunged on one, sinking my fangs in his neck while I hit the other one coming at me with my paw and he stumbled back.

Blood soaking my mouth, I looked up and instead of two, I was surrounded by six giant wolves.

Ray appeared beside me in his white wolf.

So far no one was down, but there were many of them.

'I am protecting you,' Ray said sternly.

'I don't need protection,' I shot back. The wolves continued to circle us.

'You can't tell me otherwise.' He wasn't backing down.

Six wolves were a lot to take, but I wouldn't let them kill me like they did with my father.

'Who knows what they have under their sleeves,' Ray growled in the mind-link.

Isla turned to look at Ray's wolf in appreciation before lunging forward, grabbing one of the wolves by the head and shoving him off his feet.

She then hovered over him and sank her teeth into his ear before moving to the next.

Ray was fighting right behind me, blocking any unseen attack.

This felt like a conspiracy. I knew it, and so did everyone else.

I was suddenly surrounded by more than ten wolves.

Ray let out a growl as he got bitten by one of the wolves and I turned my head to him.

His bleeding arm caught my attention and my eyes softened.

The past replayed in my head.

They were able to get to my father after they had killed his beta.

'Protect the alpha!' Ray growled in the mind-link and all the warriors fell to my side.

Kalean's gray wolf stood beside me. What the fuck did they want from us?

Actually, there were more than we had thought.

Their number kept increasing as we slayed them.

My warriors were getting tired. Some were badly injured, just like Ray.

I growled when I felt a sharp pain in my back. One of the wolves had lunged toward me and was stuck on my back as I tried to shove her off.

She was too small for a wolf, but I guess that was the only bad thing about her because she wasn't getting off me without a furious fight.

I managed to hit the wolves charging at me before I got cornered.

Just then a loud growl echoed in the forest. The ground shook, forcing the clingy wolf off my bleeding back.

In between the trees stood a giant black wolf.

A beast with gray eyes.

His scent hit me and I frowned.

Zane Bluemede.

What was he doing here?