Smoke and Mirrors (Smoke and Mirrors Series Book 1)

by S. N. Nair

  “How did you take the training? Who trained you? How long did it take for you to rise up to your position?”

  I, being the gracious person I am, answered many of his questions till I managed to make out small houses in the distance.

  They were, however, blocked by a line of guards who were acting as a barrier between us and their pack. Two men with even larger builds than Brendon’s stood in front of them with arms crossed and for some reason, my heart began to beat faster and I could hear Chloe’s doing the same.

  We reached the line of guards in no time, they stood unmoving with faces blank of any emotion or expression. The two men advanced towards us, my body instinctively lowering into a crouch before Brendon gripped my arm, I straightened back up, a lowered stance would signal my hostility and would probably make this exchange more unpleasant than it already was.

  I had just relaxed my stance when one of the two men locked eyes with Chloe causing her to whimper, my hand tightened around hers causing the male in question to growl before running towards us at full speed. I put myself in front of Chloe before growling at the male rushing towards us, he had already shifted into a large chocolate-brown wolf and was barrelling towards us. I cracked my neck from side to side before lowering my stance even more.

  “Sapphire, no!”

  I ignored Chloe before shifting to meet the male head on. We snapped at each other as he tried to get to Chloe, I growled as his claws swiped at my front legs causing blood to mat my black fur. I head-butted him before clamping my jaws around his throat to throw him to the ground, I held him there before Chloe’s sobs caused me to slightly loosen my grip on the wolf who I saw was staring right at Chloe, still trying his best to get to her.

  Already? What were the chances of that?

  I released my grip on the wolf who rushed straight towards Chloe, she limped towards him before throwing her arms around his large head, the wolf licked her tears before running to the forest. Moments later a man with tanned skin and hair that did not seem to know if it wanted to be brown or blonde emerged from the forest. Chloe ran towards him at full speed, pushing through her pain, their lips crashing together as he lifted her and spun her around. They were quick, I’d give them that.

  Someone cleared their throat causing the happy couple to break apart before they died from the lack of oxygen. Chloe looked at his face before looking back down at her feet, pink dusting her cheeks. The male in question smiled at her reaction before using his hand to tilt her head up to stare into her eyes, slowly leaning down for a kiss.

  This time it was I who made a sound, I snorted causing the couple to snap out of their pink little bubble, Chloe smiled sheepishly at me as I shook my large head. She was most probably safe, being the mate of a high-ranking wolf, but I was still the outsider here so my safety was not as quite secured as hers. She had all the time in the world to stay and look at her mate but I had to get out of here quickly and move on.

  “They seem happy.”

  I turn my eyes from the loving couple and my heart skipped a beat as they landed on the owner of the voice. He was no doubt the Alpha, authority, and charisma were just radiating off him in waves but that was not what made my heart skip a beat, my heart did so because when our eyes met it was as if it was just the two of us standing here. It was the same feeling I felt when I first looked into Damien’s eyes, but yet it felt so different… it felt right.

  Chapter Thirty-Two: New Beginnings

  Sapphire Nightborne

  I did not run into his arms like Chloe did; Firstly, because I was in wolf form. Secondly, I refused to let myself be blinded by the rose-tinted haze of the ‘mate bond’. The only thought that formed in my mind was: Again? Another Alpha? Was my luck really that bad?

  Now that I thought about it, it was probably the Moon Goddess and her trigger-happy sister who were at fault for my current predicament. He looked exactly like the man from my dreams, I was still trapped in their fairytale. I had just spent so much effort to break the bond between myself and an Alpha, and now I was tied to another. The ridiculous thing was that the chances of me having an Alpha as a mate were already as rare as they come. Yet, here we are.

  I had been wary of Alphas my entire life, even though it was my duty to protect them as well as their families. They were always held up as the pillars of the pack, looked up to by their members, but working so closely to them revealed exactly how twisted some of them were. One of my worst nightmares was becoming their mate, an Alpha Female.

  Alpha Female was a title that many of the women in packs coveted, they saw how this title would benefit them, how it would give them power, but the only thing I saw was how it took away your power. Moreover, there were few Alphas that treated their mates as equals.

  Cordelia was a perfect example for that. True, she had always had a meek nature, but once she set her mind to something, you might as well wrestle with angels because she would not change her mind. I admired her tenacity, but that all changed after she became Ryder’s mate and Alpha Female.

  *”Lia, I am off duty today! Let’s go and explore those woods again. I mean I know it inside and out by now, but it has been so long since you had a run.”*

  *Cordelia’s eyes lit up at my suggestion before she looked down at her feet. Maybe she was feeling the stress of her new responsibilities. This would be the perfect time for her to exert all that pent up emotion.*

  *”Ryder said it would not look good for the Alpha Female to ran amuck amongst the pack.”*

  *I made a move to step into the stronghold to give Ryder a piece of my mind. The Alpha Family was supposed to spend time with their people, it was how trust and loyalty was formed. A pack was more likely to trust a leader who spent time amongst them instead of disconnecting themselves. Cordelia held her hands out, preventing me from entering.*

  *”Please don’t, Sapphire. Don’t defy him again, it doesn’t look good on both us... for my sake, please.”

  *I set my lips in a line before wordlessly turning, leaving Cordelia standing in the doorway.”

  It was as if someone had sucked the life out of her, she no longer went out to go for a run with me, she rarely ever ventured out of the main house unless it was a major pack event or an important trip to another pack. It was as if she did not have her own will anymore, she only agreed with whatever Ryder said even to the point of going against me when she knew my strategies were the better ones just because Ryder said it was not.

  I was too absorbed in my shock that I did not see his hand slowly reached down towards me, softly placing his hand on the side of my face, they were only there for a second before he quickly withdrew it when he saw me jerk back, narrowly avoiding my jaws when I tried to snap at his hand. I refused to be pet like a domesticated puppy especially by someone I just met.

  Chloe threw me a reproachful look for the way I behaved towards the Alpha, but I just rolled my eyes, well the best I could as a wolf. The Alpha just raised his eyebrow before turning to Brendon. Brendon just gave a boyish smile before reaching down to ruffling the fur on the top of my head, I was too in shock at his bold action to react.

  “She is still a bit jumpy from just now, she was expecting us to Attack her. We should allow her to shift back before we talk to her.”

  The Alpha nodded at his third-in-commands words before gesturing towards one of his men who held out a small pile of clothes. He tried his best to stay as far away from me as possible, arms stretched out as far as they could.

  “I borrowed my sister’s clothes.”

  I took the clothes in my mouth before running towards the forest. Normally I would not have cared and would have just shifted and changed right there and then, but now I needed some time to process this interesting turn of events on my own. The chirping of birds brought some type of comfort as I shifted, I pulled the shirt over my head and was glad that it fit reasonably well, just a little snug but still comfortable and easy to move in. I continues to get dress, putting on a pair of pants but my movements seemed to be
on auto-pilot as various thoughts raced through my mind.

  I had found my mate who most probably was ‘The One’ who the Moon Goddess and her sister intended for me but that did not make feel very secure, after all, they had already screwed up once, big time, what was stopping them from messing up again. For all, I know he could be worse than Damien. Furthermore he was an Alpha, I had seen many Alphas and although some were genuinely nice and cared for their people, others were just low-down dirt, they abused their power to get who and what they wanted. They made me hate the tradition of the Alpha title was passed down from father to son and not by merit which in my opinion would have been much better.

  I knew this pack well, the Shadow Mountain Pack had been and still is the most powerful pack to live. They were a nearly unstoppable military force and an alliance with them was what most Alphas strived to acquire for their packs. Ryder tried for years, but never seemed to get what he wanted from them. However, unlike most Alphas who decided to travel to other packs and showcase their might, the Alpha of this pack did not. In fact there had never been a recorded event of him ever stepping out of his pack’s borders to visit other packs, that was what his family did. He made other Alphas come to him.

  I heard movement behind me, usually, this would put me on edge but I had already become too accustomed to this scent.

  “What do you want Chloe?”

  She stilled behind me, in shock that I could tell it was her.

  “You should give him a chance you know, this could be your last chance for happiness.”

  I turned to her, she stared at me with so much concern that I just deflated, I let my guard drop.

  “Chloe, you might be happy to stay here with your mate, but I still have so much to do before I settle down, I still have to avenge my family. I can’t stay here while Damien wreaks havoc on so many others. The goddesses started a story, I need to finish it.”

  I could not let Damien go off scot-free, not with what he has done. Letting him continue in his ways was like spitting on my family’s grave, my father probably would roll in his if I decided to stay here and not do anything.

  “But that is not the whole reason for why you don’t want to stay, now is it? You are afraid that he is going to turn out the same way as my brother, you are scared to fall in love again and that is fully understandable given what happened to you. But if you don’t open your heart to him, you are going to lose something special. Are you really going to give that up?”

  I brought my hand to my temples as I processed her words. Was I really going to give this all up for vengeance? Besides, I knew I needed the help to get my revenge on Damien, I might be strong but I could not possibly orchestrate a plan to take down an entire pack by myself. Something in me was telling me to give this man a chance. I looked down to see her outstretched hand and for the first time in my life, I took it.

  We exited the forest to see them waiting for us, Chloe rushed into her mate’s arms while mine jogged right up to me. I instinctively tensed and turned my head away, bracing myself for physical contact but nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see that he had stopped right in front, head tilted as he examined me, eyes stopping at the faint lines of the scars on my torso before I pulled down the shirt to cover them. His eyes held no judgement against my scarred body, instead they were soft as they took me in.

  “I am not going to hurt you, so please relax.”

  I slowly brought my eyes up to meet his. They were beautiful, soft grey with flecks of gold in them, framed with a set of thick lashes. They were like the King’s eyes when he looked at Rose, fierce but fond at the same time.

  My breathing quickened as he brought his hand up to my face, but he stopped his hand just inches from my face, looking deep into my eyes as if asking for permission to touch me. I slowly nodded and he placed his warm hand on my cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the tear that had escaped my eye. He brought his hand down straight after, placing it out towards me.

  “Alexander Lykos. Alpha of the Shadow Mountain Pack. But please, call me Xander.”

  Xander? I guess the Moon Goddess really had a part to play in this. I took a deep breath before placing my hand in his and giving it a firm shake.

  “Sapphire Nightborne. Head Warrior Commander of the Blackwater Pack.”

  No condescending remark came from his mouth, no surprise gasps but just a small smile that made me, of all people, blush. He looked into my eyes, using his to gesture towards our hands, I gave a small nod as he entwined his fingers with mine. No loud declarations of love or jumps at physical contact but just a comfortable silence, a comfortable moment of understanding.

  Maybe Chloe was right. Maybe this could be my happily ever after.

  Extra Chapter: Predator or Prey

  Rose Elken

  A smile graced my face as it felt the warmth of the Sun. My ears tingled as the sound of birds and various woodland creatures filled the lush forest around me. I closed my eyes as I ran my fingers across the soft green herbs covering the forest floor, trying my best to ignore the loud complains raging behind me.

  “Rose, the entire village is in the town square celebrating and being well…happy while we are here trudging through mud in long dresses digging up plants!”

  “I told you, Jessamine, I see no joy in the celebrating the deaths of thousands of people. What is there to celebrate about war? Whether you win or lose, there will always be death. Besides, these plants help put food on the table.”

  “Well… I am sorry that I’d rather celebrate the deaths of the people who tried to kill us than mourn the deaths of my friends.”

  I sighed as I continued to pick at the herbs to put them in my basket while the storm behind me continued to rage on. My sister never agreed that all life held the same value, and no one had the right to take another’s.

  “The King himself is there celebrating with the people! Do you know how long it will be till we see him out in public again? Never! He never leaves the palace unless there is a war!”

  Of course we wouldn’t. He cared for nothing, but bloodshed. Only showing his face to his people to parade around the deaths he caused... it earned him the name, The Beast, from the villagers. Those men had families too, they were soldiers under the order of a king like himself, yet he took them away to show them off in chains, leaving their families in ruin.

  “Oh, the tragedy.”

  My sister did not seem to catch my sarcastic tone. She had thought I had finally agreed with her perception of war.

  “Exactly! So, I can’t believe that you are still sitting here in the dirt instead of getting your derriere to the town squ…”

  I sighed as I turned around ready to give her a piece of my mind. I came out here to find some peace and quite, away from the roaring festival in the town square. My mouth opened, but nothing came out as I saw her face. It was as white as a sheet, her hand trembling as she raised it to point behind me. My heart froze as I slowly turned around, a lump forming in my throat as I saw the cause of her fright.

  There right in front of me stood a hulking mass of dark fur, its gold eyes staring straight at me. Its maw hung open as drool dripped to the ground. I couldn’t move my body as it lifted its front leg to take a step towards. I would have been entranced with its beauty, if it didn’t look like it was about to pounce on me.

  My mind is racing as I pray to whoever up above that I don’t end up as a meal for this creature. Its body moves forward with the step and I braced myself for the pain when nothing happened. My eyes widened in surprise as I see it fall to its side, an arrow sticking out from its back. The poor thing, it was trying to run away. I remained rooted to the spot as Jessamine grabbed at my arm trying to pull me away.

  “Thank god it is dying! Rose, let’s get out of here before Death loses its grip on it.”

  I don’t know what possessed me to pull my arm from her grip and walk towards the injured animal on the ground. Those golden eyes showed no anger or aggression, they were just… sad. My hand trembled a
s I reached out towards its large head, cautious in case my fingers started to remind him of sausages.

  “What on earth are you doing, Rose? Do you have a death wish?”

  “It’s hurt, Jessamine. We can’t just leave it here to die.”

  My sister let out an exasperated scream before pacing up and down behind me.

  “Oh god, she has finally lost it.”

  There was no growl or snarl, it just kept still as I ran my fingers through its dark fur. Gold eyes watching me carefully, it was more afraid of me as it was vulnerable now.

  “You are not so bad, are you?”

  “She is talking to the wolf… she is trying to hold a conversation with the beast.”

  My eyes looked at the arrow that was lodged deeply into its flesh, with the shaft almost all the way in. It was going to be a nightmare to remove, and the infection it would cause would be extremely hard to treat. My eyes narrowed as I noticed the colour of the feathers at the end of the shaft… I knew exactly who this arrow belonged to.