Sweet Treachery

PROLOGUE

It is a cold, dark night. The darkness is so thick, that it can be cut with a knife. It is however not difficult for her to see, as her vision is excellent. The harsh, chilly air of the forest slaps against her, but she keeps walking. She is deaf to the chatter of the nocturnal animals, as she refuses to take her eyes off the figures walking briskly ahead of her.

"Mother!" she cries, but there is no response.

"Papa!" she cries again, but there is still no response.

Magically, the moon appears in the sky, bathing her with its light. The figures turn, and she sees their faces.

Her parents. She was right.

As she moves closer to them, they fade slowly into the forest, and she clutches her chest, letting out an ear-piercing scream.

Kayola jerks out of her sleep, drenched in her own sweat, her forehead beaded with perspiration. She lifts her hand to her face and realizes she has been crying.

Not again!

It is the same nightmare, and it always ends at the same scene. She is never able to touch her parents. If she can't touch them in real life because they are dead, why can't she touch them in her dreams? She fingers her chain, an emblem given to her by her father on her 21st birthday, and she begins to reminisce once again, about her life, and how gratifying it was, before it all changed, all at once.

The forest is never dry

It is ever filled with howls

And it all goes awry,

when the Rogues prowl.

- PenaciousShewa.

The Taga Wereforest is a large forest, home to two categories of werewolves: The Conscientious Pack and the Rogues. The forest is located in the deepest parts of eastern Crete. It is still today, unexplored by humans, and the werewolves have made it their home. Legend has it, that any human who tries to explore the forest ends up dead. This, has, therefore, kept humans, especially hunters, from the Taga Wereforest.

Right in this forest, there is a demarcation between the Rogues and the Conscientious pack, and there is usually peace unless the Rogues decide to invade the territory of the other pack. Thus, these two have for centuries, been at war. There is a commendable development in both territories, as these rival wolf packs have individually developed their economy and infrastructure, ensuring that there is no iota of interdependency. There are mansions, hospitals, and schools in both territories. And, you guessed right; they do not trade with each other.

The Rogues are enemies of the Conscientious Pack, as the former are violent, and they thrive on causing chaos. Power tussle is real between both packs, and the Rogues will not hesitate to destroy the territory of the Conscientious Pack. Thus, the Alpha of the Conscientious Pack cannot afford to be weak. Complacency equals death.

Milos is a tall, handsome, young man, a full-blooded werewolf. His father, Stocles, is the head of the Conscientious wolf pack, and of course, he is a man of war. He has known war all his life, and he only married Milos' mother so he could procreate and keep the bloodline running. Stocles begins to take Milos hunting right from the time the latter is five and has since taught him all he needs to know about war. The Rogues have been successfully controlled by Stocles, and he wants to keep it this way. Thus, he equips his son with adequate knowledge to lead and protect the pack, and Milos, a valiant young man, learns obediently under his father's rigorous tutelage.

It happens that the Rogues invade the Conscientious Pack, and kill a number of werewolves, including two pregnant wolves. Angered by the audacity of the Rogues, and their wickedness, Stocles handpicks his finest pack warriors, including his son, and they strategize. Six full months later, they retaliate, and they successfully murder Alexander, the leader of the Rogues in cold blood. However, as they endeavor to escape, Milos is shot in the back with an arrow. The other warriors quickly lift him from the ground, and they are able to go back into their territory. There, he heals slowly, but surely. It is at this point that the whole pack holds a meeting. There and then, they mandate Milos to find his Luna before his 25th birthday, which is in five months. They also order that he does not venture out of the territory until he has found his Luna, marked her and caused her to be with child.

Milos is unhappy about the recent development, and he is disconcerted. After he recovers completely from his injury, he goes back to the training field, but things are not the same. He is distant in his training, and he is not as active as he usually is. His aging father is worried and calls him into his room. There, he asks Milos what the problem is. Milos tells his father that he is bothered about the fact that there is a strong possibility that he does not find his mate, his Luna. Stocles assures Milo that he will find her. Milos rests assured, and soon, he is back to his former self.

It is a bright night. The moon shines brightly in the sky, and the night echoes with promise. He is racing towards her, her scent filling his nostrils. His paws vigorously pound the soft, cold soil of the forest, leaving his prints behind him as he runs. Her scent keeps getting stronger, and all he wants to do is behold the one who smells so good. He hears his wolf growl deep within him, and he tries to control it, all to no avail. His wolf eventually wins and turns him in the opposite direction, and the scent is distinctive. He immediately stops dead in his tracks.

And he sees her. Well, her back view.

Tall, dark-skinned, and curvy in the right places. Exquisite, magnificent. He slowly moves towards her, dying to see her face, but instead, like a mist, she gradually vanishes.

Milos wakes from his sleep, his heart pounding against his ribcage. He is discombobulated. What could this dream mean? Who could she be?

There is a knock on his door. It is his personal steward, Eutychus, here for his wake-up call.

"Come in," Milos says.

Good morning, Master Milos, it is almost time for your routine training" he says, and bows out of the room.

Milos gets out of bed, stretches, and walks into the bathroom. While in the shower, he reflects on his dream. Will he ever find his mate? Why is he being denied the opportunity of seeing her face?

He steps out of the shower and promptly wears his training clothes. He picks up his sheath, which clothes a Vanatian sword, the one his father gave him on his 18th birthday. It is passed from generation to generation, and it is a lethal weapon of war, recognized and feared by all, even by the Rogues who claim to fear no one. The thought of his mate plagues him again. Will he ever be able to pass it to his son? Will he ever procreate?

He again jolts out of his wondering and exits his room. He trains with his father for his routine six hours, and he goes back to the mansion. There, he is presented with his itinerary for the day. He is to take a tour around the pack, with his father, and then he has the night to himself.

It is late at night, at exactly ten p.m. Milos rouses from his sleep, and the moonlight pours into his room. The night is brighter than usual, and he immediately realizes why; it is a full moon. He feels his wolf growl deep within him. Slowly, at first, then it becomes more intense. Milos hears the night call unto him with a kind of urgency that he has never experienced. He jumps out of his bed, out of the room, out of the building, and into the night. He transforms and races into the thick forest. As he does, he gets a déjà vu feeling, and he accelerates. He can hear voices, indistinct at first, then crystal clear as he comes closer. He halts, as he recognizes the howl-like voices. Unmistakable voices, those he has trained all his life to apprehend.

Rogues.

He circumspectly moves towards them, camouflaging with a tree, and he gets a pretty good view of what they are doing. They surround a young, slender lady, human from all indications, and they begin to harass her, passing her around, and they make threats about raping her in turns and then finishing her off. Milos knows from considerable experience, that these are not empty threats. These are Rogues, and they are always out for blood. Ruthless and evil are they, and pain excites them. One of them tears her white dress apart, and she screams in horror. Her screech pierces Milos' heart, and he immediately loses his last shred of control. He charges at them, and in milliseconds, tears them to shreds.

All three of them.

As I walk home

With you tonight

Just like my heart

The moon was bright

The stars like ours

Were twinkling eyes

A match made in heaven

Oh sweet surprise

- Tia Maria.

Milos, breathing heavily, turns and looks at the creature before him. She is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Visibly tall, about 5ft 7 inches, long, shapely legs, skin as brown as chocolate. Her tattered dress does very little to hide her shapely curves. His gaze travels to her face, and rests on the biggest and brownest eyes he has ever encountered. He registers the look of horror on her face, and her paralysis, caused by fear. He immediately remembers that he is still in his wolf form. He transforms quickly and advances towards her. She whimpers, and crawls backward, with tears in her bloodshot eyes. He takes a closer look at her face, and realization dawns on him. This is the lady in his dream. Although he did not see her face then, he just knows that it is the same woman.

"Please don't hurt me" she whispers shakily, and this melts Milos' heart. He would never hurt such an innocent and delicate soul.

"I will never hurt you," he says.

She still does not relax, despite his reassurance, and she tries to run. He catches up to her and holds her firmly.

He asks for her name.

"My name is Wanda. Please, let me go, I am sorry I came here, they told me it would be fun."

"Who, Wanda?" Milos asks.

"My friends, Kane and Atticus." She responds and bursts into tears.

Milo feels his heart wrench, and he tries to pacify her. He is curious about her friends, and what brought them into this notoriously dangerous forest.

"Where are they now? What exactly happened?" he asks.

Amidst tears, she explains the events that brought her to this point.

It happened that her two male friends, Kane and Atticus, read about the Taga Wereforest, and how hiking in this forest was a special experience, and since she loved to hike, she went on the trip with them. They had packed food supplies, a first aid kit, and Atticus had a fully-loaded gun. They arrived at the forest, and they hike at the mouth of the forest, not venturing into the inner parts, as they had earlier agreed. However, the guys got bored and decided to go deeper into the forest, and she disagreed. However, they prevailed, and she had to go with them, as she alone could not stay in the truck they had come with, it was not safe.

She trod slowly and cautiously behind them, saying the rosary as she hiked. All was going well, and they had hiked for almost two hours, when Kane missed a step and fell on a large pile of sharp stones, suffering a deep wound on his leg. He was bleeding profusely, and Wanda quickly dressed his wound. They decided to leave the forest as they could no longer continue the hike.

Little did they know that the wolves had caught a whiff of human blood. And they were coming.

They heard a low, deep growl behind them, and they started to run. However, it was too late, as in a matter of seconds, Kane, the weakest among them, was killed by one of the three wolves. Atticus cocked his gun and shot at all three wolves. His shots were quick and successive. Wanda hid behind him for protection, and he told her to keep going. She had been reluctant to go, but she later succumbed. Atticus kept shooting at the wolves, and this angered them. However, they were not injured, and the bullets fell off their bodies. They circled him and soon, he was ripped apart.

Wanda kept running, as fast as her already weak legs could carry her, adrenaline at its peak.

The gunshots stopped.

Wanda's instinct told her that Atticus was dead, but she kept racing. She stopped dead in her tracks when the three wolves appeared right in front of her. She screamed her lungs out, and closed her eyes, awaiting her death. However, the wolves had different plans. They changed into humans, and they dragged her through the forest. It was about 8 pm at this time. Wanda flailed, kicked, bit, screamed, begged, but they did not listen or budge. They told her they were going to fuck the hell out of her, and then slay her like they did her two friends.

They stopped at the base of a tree, after what seemed like an eternity. There, they began to touch her boobs and her ass. One of them even put his dick in her mouth and asked her to give him a blowjob, while the others watched, their penises, rock-hard. They hit her several times and passed her around. One of them tore her dress, and she screamed.

"That was when you saved me", she says, looking cautiously at Milos. She still doesn't trust him. He can see that.

"Come with me," Milos says, and he extends his hand to her.

"I am not going with you. I just want to go home"

"Wanda, I am sorry, but you can't go home, not anymore. The other Rogues will find and kill you, as a way of revenging their brothers' deaths, and next time, you won't be so lucky" Milo explains.

"Who are the Rogues?" Wanda asks, confusion knotting her brows.

Milo succinctly elucidates the nature, and identity of the Rogues and that of the Conscientious Pack, and Wanda is dumbfounded.

"You see why you have to come with me to my territory?" Milos asks.

"Yes, I do. Only you can keep me safe".

Milos smiles, and nods. He extends his hand to her, and she takes it. He then carries her over his shoulder and walks towards the Conscientious Pack's territory.

***************************************************************************

They arrive at the territory of the Pack, and Wanda is stupefied. It looks just like her city, Heraklion. Some of the buildings here are even much better than those she has seen.Although it is almost midnight, there are lights everywhere, so beautiful. Milos calls a maid, who takes her straight to her room. There, she is bathed, and given a massage. The masseuse is really good, as Wanda feels rejuvenated and refreshed, after the sequence of unpalatable events of the day. Food is brought to her, but she refuses to eat. She is devastated, and she mourns the death of her friends.

Milos knocks on her door the next morning, and she asks him to come in.

"Good morning, Wanda. I hope you slept well"

"Not really, M-ilos. I really miss my friends. They did not deserve to die that way, no one does." She says and begins to cry.

Milos moves towards her and hugs her "I am so sorry about your friends. I know they meant a lot to you, and I know that you loved them. I wish I had been there to help."

"It is okay, Milos, there's nothing we can do now." She sniffs.

There is a knock on the bedroom door. It is Petra, Wanda's newly assigned steward. She informs them that breakfast is ready. Milos leaves the room, and Wanda gets out of bed in order to freshen up for breakfast. She examines her face in the large mirror in her bathroom. Her life has changed in just one day. She remembers her school, her other friends, and her little feline companion, Alexis. Tears cascade down her face, and she does nothing to stop them.

Wanda is an orphan. Her parents died in an auto-crash about four years ago, and since then, she has had to live with Atticus. They were practically siblings, and his parents were really nice to her. They must have started to search for them. They will soon file missing persons' reports for them.

Fresh tears trickle down her face, and she wipes her face with the back of her hand.

I will survive. I will do all I can to enjoy my new life. I refuse to feel sorry for myself.

She brushes her teeth and showers. After, she applies a sweet-smelling cream to her hair and dons a jean jumpsuit. She plaits her long, black hair into Bantu knots, applies some lip gloss, and walks downstairs.

She asks Petra for directions to the dining room, and the latter leads her there. Wanda does a double-take when she sees how magnificent the room is. The table is made of seemingly expensive wood, and it is painted in white, likewise all the chairs. There are chandeliers hanging from the roof, and the whole table is filled with food.

Do wolves eat this much? I hope they don't read my thoughts. I'd be damned.

Wanda chuckles to herself and takes a seat at the table, beside Milos. Seated at the head of the table is an old, yet a confident man. Next to him, and opposite Milos, is another man, though a little younger than the old man at the head of the table. Directly opposite Wanda, is a woman, with soft, blue eyes. Wanda later comes to realize that they are: Alpha, Beta, and the Beta's mate respectively.

I look at you

and I want to kiss you

More than anything

I just want a kiss

A kiss to tell me that you trust your lips

against mine.

A kiss to prove to me

that I can still see the world

with my eyes closed.

A kiss to remind me

that actions truly do

speak louder than words.

I look at you-

and I just want to kiss you

- Affectionate Poems.

Milos waits patiently at the base of the S-shaped stairwell. He has promised to show Wanda around the territory today, as she has been in her room for the past four days, coming out only when it is time for food. At a point, she asked that her meals be brought to her room, but Alpha Stocles insisted that she ate with the royals at the table.

He hears a sound and looks up. He does a double-take when he sees her. She is wearing a long, flowery dress, which hugs her body in an inviting manner. Her large hips move majestically as she walks down the flight of stairs. Milos draws in a shaky breath and tries to look away, but he is drawn to her like a bee to nectar.

He swallows. "Good morning, Wanda"

"Top of the morning to you, too, Milos" she replies, cheerfully.

She smiles at him, and Milos feels his wolf leap. He stares at her small, kissable lips, which reveal the whitest set of teeth he has ever set his eyes on.

"Ready for your excursion?"

"I was born ready" Wanda replies, rubbing her palms together in anticipation.

Together, they leave the mansion, and they spend quality time sightseeing. Milos shows her the Art Gallery of the Alpha family, which contains the names and drawings of the Alphas who have led the pack for centuries. The Lunas are also painted, their paintings placed side by side their respective Alphas. Wanda is enthralled by all that she sees.

"Why is your picture not here?" She asks, furrowing her eyebrows. It is the cutest thing Milos has ever seen, and he wants to kiss away that frown. He actually wants to do a whole lot of other things to her. He wants to kiss those lips until they swell with pleasure. He wants to........................

"Milos?"

He catches himself, clears his throat, and says "When I become the next Alpha, my picture will appear here." With you right beside me. Soon.

Next, he takes her to the hospital, where sick wolves are being cared for. Wanda is moved and speaks lovingly to the recuperating wolves. They, in turn, howl in admiration of her beauty, gracefulness, and kindness.

Lastly, they go to the mud pool, where the werewolves play and throw dirt at each other-all for fun. Wanda is excited and wants to play in the mud. Milos finds this to be very weird, but she persuades him, and they play for a very long time. Exhausted, they head back to the mansion, and they get a lot of stares on their way back.

Milos cleans up in record time and goes to see Wanda. Nowadays, he has become accustomed to being with her. He always wants to see her face, and hear her throaty laughter. He knocks on her door.

"Come in, Petra," she says, in a low tone. "Did you get the lavender shampoo?"

"No, but I got the aloe vera shampoo," Milos says, shaking with laughter.

Wanda turns and laughs heartily when she sees him.

I could listen to that sound all day.

"Well, I want to wash my hair, I think all the mud in the pool got stuck in my hair, and it is taking Petra ages to find the lavender shampoo I asked for. She raises her slender arms in mock annoyance. Milos stares at her in pure admiration, saying nothing. Wanda eyes him playfully. She is about to speak when Petra opens the door and rushes in, shampoo in hand.

Petra gasps when she sees Milos on the bed. "Oh my! I am so sorry Master Milos. Milos simply nods and dismisses her with a wave of his hand.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Master Milos, Wanda says, cheekily. She bows, mocking him playfully.

Milo instantly grabs her and lifts her up as effortlessly as he would a bag of wool. He dumps her on the large bed and tickles her. She screams, wriggles, kicks thrashes about, but he keeps at it. She later resorts to pleading, and after some time, he frees her.

Out of breath, he collapses beside her, and they both laugh, their breaths heavy. He lifts his body, and rests on his elbow, facing her. He whispers, and she can feel his breath on her face.

"Now, you know what you get for teasing me".

Wanda looks into his blue eyes, and she feels drawn by something she cannot fathom. She moves her eyes from his, and her scrutiny ends at his lips. He inches towards her, and she swallows. When their lips touch, the feeling is inexplicable. His lips move against hers, softly at first, then he deepens the kiss. He nibbles on her lower lip, and Wanda gasps in surprise at how wonderful this gesture feels. He immediately plunges into her open mouth, and their tongues dance. His tongue sweeps across her mouth, and she moans in pleasure.

Milos pulls back slowly and looks at Wanda. Her eyes are still closed, and he reads her face like a holy grail; he can see that she is still savoring the kiss. She slowly opens her eyes, and she looks at him, her eyes narrowed with pleasure.

"I need to tell you something, Wanda" Milos finally finds his voice.

"What? Right now?"

"Yes," he answers.

"Okay, I'm all ears."

Milos proceeds to tell her about how the moon goddess chooses mates for each wolf, especially the Alpha, and how he had seen her in his dream once, even before he met her. He also explains how he must find his mate before his 25th birthday, which is in two months, and how he must impregnate her before he can resume his Alpha duties.

"What are you insinuating?" Wanda asks.

"If there is one thing I know, it is that I am sure you are my mate. I can feel it in my spirit. The circumstances behind our meeting are not ordinary, I am certain that they were orchestrated by the moon goddess. Please, Wanda, do not reject me. I'll die if you do. Because I am madly and unrepentantly in love with you, Wanda."

There is a long, painful silence, and Milos braces himself for her rejection.

"This is a lot to take in, Milos. I am trying to process my thoughts and my feelings for you. I do not know about love, but I care deeply about you, and I love how you make me feel. I also do not know what the future has in store for us, but I would like to experience it together with you. So, let's sleep on this, tomorrow is another day" she says, with a note of finality.

Milos smiles and kisses her muddy forehead.

"Now, back to my hair, whatever are you going to do with it?" She asks, widening her huge brown eyes.

"I'll wash it for you," he assures her. "I used to wash my mother's hair before she died."

"I am so sorry, darling," she says.

"It is alright, it is all in the past now." Milos' mother, Luna Midea, had died of canine distemper, and infectious canine hepatitis. The healer wolves had tried all they could, but she lost the battle.

Milo washes her hair slowly and runs his fingers through her surplus curls. As he does, jolts of electricity course through Wanda's veins. Her nipples harden, and she feels an oddly familiar ache between her legs. When did she first feel it?

Oh, when he kissed me. Dayuum, I am horny as hell.

After washing her hair, he wipes it gently with her towel. Wanda loves how he takes care of her, and she smiles. Next, he applies hair cream and moisturizer to her hair, and then leaves it to dry.

They settle in her bed and slide under the covers. There, she tells him about her life as a human- before he rescued her, and he, in turn, tells his experiences as a werewolf. He mesmerizes her with his war stories, and he also cracks a few jokes.

Hours later, they both drift to sleep. Hand in hand, with her wet head on his chest.