**XANDER**

"No way." I spluttered as her words got to my ear. There is really no fucking way that is happening.


"She is your only choice, the only hope you have. She can get rid of this poison and—" The precious old lady who had done her best to save me stated as she tried to coax me but neither of them understood the gravity of the situation as I abruptly cut her off.

"No! She is a volana no less and sworn enemy of mine." I gritted my teeth as my memories flew back to that night when she attacked my father and almost ended his life.

"We are very much aware of your hatred for Priestess Hera, that's all the more reason why I was been skeptical in bringing her up. But you already agreed and promised that you would do anything to save your pack, can't you do this much for them?" They didn't understand. None of them did and they never will.


"I would hear none of Hera henceforth." I ordered as I banged my hands on the bed side table.

"But Alpha—"


"You can't question the decision of an Alpha. In questioning it, you defy his authority so don't. It's up to him to decide if he wants to meet his mate dead or alive that's if he will ever get to see her. He's vulnerable now so even a slingshot from a pup would kill him. Now I'm not sure between him and his mate who would get to meet whose dead body." The old man was conversing with his wife and with every statement he started and finished, it felt like he was pulling the strings to Xander's heart.

"As for now, keep on sustaining him with the herbs and any treatment that you would find. You can also—"

"I'll set out at dawn in search of Hera." I don't know what prompted me to say that, if it was the fact that I heard that there was every possibility I would return to meet Leila dead, now that was where I drew the fucking line.

I no longer cared if I was putting myself in harm's way for willingly going to see the woman that was notoriously known as the Alpha Slayer.

Though it was made clear that their hate towards Alphas was nothing personal but something that was just implanted in their blood stream.

Alphas were called to be leaders but Volana's had special abilities that surpassed that of an Alpha.

They believed that if they had powers that surpassed that of the Alpha's, why then was the mantle of leadership given

to the Alpha's and not them. Ever since then, they had the hate —that was actually bigger than the hate of Witches to Werewolf— towards Alpha leaders.

"A quick change of mind. Alright then, I'd travel with you; alongside my two sons also." I heaved a deep breath as I stared at their faces, their immobile faces. These were people that were willing to die for me, even without knowing me personally for years. Quite impressive.

~~~~

"Years ago when I was a boy, I used to travel these woods with my father and those were the moments I relish the most in the world. The moments when I could freely stop by and climb the trees, fill myself with the goodness of the fruits that nature willingly provided." He closed his eyes for a moment and the ecstatic smile that was etched on the corner of his lips was one that people would pay to commemorate.

"It's funny, you always tell us tales of how your father took you on different journeys. It appears that my grandfather who the dear goddess didn't give me the honor of seeing by the way, was way fun." They all chuckled and I couldn't help but join them in chuckling slightly, gazing at the three of them as I quickly reflected on the days when my father was still alive and the burden of been an Alpha hadn't rested on my shoulders yet.

When I was still a little boy.

The most beautiful of days.

"I'd rather blame the world for the fact that we can't go on such enthralling adventures. How would you venture into the woods? When even the night wisps, the bugs and every flying insect is doing their absolute best in letting you know that their is danger lurking just around the corner, that darkness is coming ?" I paused in my strides as I stared at them trying to unravel the meaning of their words.

This was about Antonio again!

I never really understood the gravity of harm he could cause because I was simply looking out for my mate Leila and I bet that if she wasn't the one needed in all of his escapades then I wouldn't have heard about it.

Call me selfish or self centered but I knew better than lying that I would have probably been ruling my pack to live in love and harmony whilst ruling alongside my Mate.

We had set off quite early in the morning when the fog was still gazing our view but as morning approached, the reality that I was willingly dragging myself to a volana kept streaking like someone rolling down a shame spiral but I was an alpha and Alpha's were known to be the fearless ones.

"We're almost there. Even the woods let's you know when you've entered a territory that isn't yours." The old man mumbled but loud enough for everyone of us traveling with him to hear.

My wolf stood at the back of my head in high alert as we ventured deeper into the woods where the atmosphere was stale and though it was already morning, it was as dark as a hazy night after a tempesptuous rainfall.

The only reason we were able to see was the fact that we were wolves and that was one of our very many supernatural abilities.

"Alpha Xander." Her voice bellowed as she sounded like a ghost that just fell out of a horror movie.