Ashina couldn't help but notice that for the past week there had been an excited 'buzz' around the pack, she didn't know why but there was no mistaking that something was happening and soon but she could never get close enough to anyone to hear what it was as, as soon as Isabella would walk into a room, usually everyone walked out.
As Ashina walked into George's room to clean it, she made eye contact with him and sat at his desk on the other side of the room, quickly lowering her eyes and holding her breath without even realizing it, she got on with her job.
Ashina prayed that he would let her get on with it, but 9 times out of 10 this was wishful thinking, this was confirmed to be one of these times when she heard his chair legs scrape across the floor as he stood up. Still avoiding eye contact, Ashina continued as she had been doing but she soon felt her scalp on fire and a fistful of her hair was pulled causing her to lift.
Ashina is thrown onto the freshly made bed while George crawls up her body until she is straddling her waist, he finds joy in watching her recoil in pure fear.
"Listen here you little bitch," he starts grabbing her cheeks tight in one hand so she has no choice but to look at his face "We have a visitor today and I don't want your presence wandering around." a hand is thrown around Ashina's neck instantly cutting off most of the oxygen supply making her thrash around.
Ashina knows not to panic because she will waste her limited oxygen but remembering that he said he doesn't want her around makes her fear that he is going to kill her and survival mode kicks in.
Seconds before Ashina is due to pass out, George releases his grip with a bark of a laugh while Ashina gasps sucking in the oxygen she needs. A single tear slides down her face which she angrily rubs away, she knows more than anything to never cry in front of him, and luckily, he seems happy with his warning because he climbs off of the bed and leaves the room.
Going into the on suite, Ashina can already see the purple marks forming around her neck but nobody would question them, they all thought she believed it and yet she self-consciously pulled her mid-length hair closer to her neck to try and cover it until her fast werewolf healing could heal it.
Getting on with her day as best as she could, Ashina had started tending to the horses, she was told he had to muck them out and feed them. There is a commotion outside but Ashina barely pays attention to it until it comes to feeding the horses when she realizes that the carrots she had set out on the kitchen counter to bring for the horses were still there, she had completely forgotten to pick them up.
Ashina glanced out of the door of the barn to see what must have been every pack member stood on the grass verge at the back of the pack house. They were all facing away from her and yet fear still pounded through her heart as she thought about running back into the kitchen, getting the carrots then running back again.
After eventually managing to build the confidence to do it, Ashina runs quicker than she ever had to get the carrots before doing the same back again... she can't help but slide down onto the floor when she gets back, it appears nobody saw her.
Across the field stands, every other member of the pack was standing around staring at the most important man in the werewolf community - The Alpha King whose name was Farkas, he was, of course, the previous King and Queen's son who was aged 28, most werewolves find their mates before the age of 25 but once Farkas hit this age they were unsure if he ever would and due to his father now unable to effectively run the werewolves, he passed the position over to his only son.
It had now been three years since Farkas had been made Alpha King and he had quite the reputation, he had this because right from the start of his reign there had been many who didn't respect him as King, they didn't believe that he deserved to be King without a mate. It was tradition for the new King to visit every single pack of werewolves and at first for Farkas, it was simply a part of his new role but now he found it an opportunity to find his mate who he longed to find.
The moonlight pack that he was now visiting was the last on his list and he had almost given up on the thought of finding his mate, his stomach turned at the thought of his mate being rogue but he ordered every pack member to be there when he arrived and nobody in this pack of people in front of him was his mate, he shook his head at his beta and best friend Ricky sadly to tell him that she wasn't here. Without a mate, how was he going to create a rightful heir to the throne?
Farkas tried to answer questions and smile politely at those in the pack but his patience was growing thin with the blonde girl hanging on his arm, she had purposely worn a low-cut top to show her a rather large cleavage and had about 6 inches of makeup on her face, it was never something Farkas found attractive, he thought as he peeled himself from her grasp.
As he steps away from the girls, it's like he steps into an alternate universe where the most amazing smell fills his nose making his jaw drop and his eyes widen, he couldn't get enough of it, it was almost intoxicating and he needed more of it, now!
Looking over at Ricky, Farkas widens his eyes further which Ricky mirrors in shock but he knows exactly what is going on. Farkas walks over to the Alpha who looks nervous as he shifts from foot to foot.
"You have horses? One of my favorite animals, do you mind if we have a look?" Farkas says posing it rather as an order than a request and despite Remus knowing that Ashina could be in there, he nods in agreement, he couldn't refuse the King of all werewolves his request, he was known to kill people for less than that.
Farkas eagerly walked ahead of the pack of people following him towards the scent that he already loved so much.
Could this be his mate after all?