The Gift chronicles novel Chapter 1

Book 1 Chapter 28

I woke up in the Alpha's bed, alone. A fleeting thought of escaping passed through my mind.

"Before you think about escaping, pup, just know I'm in the closet changing," His voice yelled out from the closet.

My eyes widened. Sometimes it was like he could read my mind. I wasn't sure if it was because the mate bond was so strong he could intuitively guess my thoughts, or because he really was the perfect soulmate for me.

How did you even know I was awake? I asked through the mindlink, irate that he could anticipate my motives so effortlessly.

"The change in your breathing, not to mention your heart rate accelerates as soon as you wake up." He answered coolly, stepping out of the closet in nothing but jeans. So much for getting dressed.

I frowned at his answer. How can you hear that?

Alpha Cain smirked, the embodiment of smugness, coming to sit next to me on his bed. "Being Alpha has its advantages, mate."

Will I get those powers when I'm Luna? I asked him, slightly hopeful that at least one good thing would come out of our mating.

Grinning, he reached out and stroked the side of my face with his thumb. "As happy as I am to hear that you've finally accepted your destiny to be the Blood Luna, I'm afraid not, little mate. Only the Alphas get enhanced senses and strength."

I scowled. The Moon Goddess is sexist.

The Alpha did not take kindly to my harsh words. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "The Moon Goddess knows that the Alpha Female doesn't need enhanced powers when their mate can protect them."

I narrowed my eyes, but didn't feel like starting an argument. His explanations still seemed rooted in sexism to me. I wasn't even sure how much stronger Alpha Cain was than me, nor was I even sure if he was more dominating. I felt untamed by him, which unsettled my wolf. For some reason, she felt as though she could only respect him if he was stronger and more dominating than her. I didn't exactly disagree with her sentiments. I knew that I had been pushing Cain so far because he let me, and I didn't respect him for it. A strong female requires an even stronger male to make her submit. The bond was becoming so much stronger between my wolf and I, it was beginning to tell where her thoughts ended and mine began.

"Get dressed," he commanded, releasing my jaw. I hated how he always did that to get me to look at him. "You're going to be be seeing the whole pack today."

My eyes widened. You can't do the Blood Ceremony to complete the mating bond, it's not a Blood Moon.

Alpha Cain rolled his eyes, looking incredibly juvenile for once. "Relax, little mate. It is Blood Lake tradition for all punishments to be doled out in front of the entire pack."

That seems harsh, I commented.

"Oh? You've thrown knives at people for merely looking in your direction," Alpha Cain countered, his eyes hardening. "All Blood Alphas are strict. It is the only way to maintain order. The punishment is always the same, except in cases of severe crimes against the pack."

I realized that Alpha Cain may appear strict to other pack members, he had just been going easy on me. For what reason, I wasn't sure. It's not like I couldn't handle whatever he was willing to dole out.

"I whip them 20 times," He casually stated. "They can either take the 20 lashes, or I will stop when they pass out. Nobody makes it past 10."

I scoffed. 20 lashes is nothing.

Alpha Cain got a dangerous glint in his eyes. "They aren't ordinary lashes, little mate. But do not fret, you will see what I mean soon. We'll see if you're so tough when watching the punishment be inflicted."

Rolling my eyes, I got out of bed and went into his closet to get changed. I had been inflicted with so many different means of torture, he was out of his mind if he thought I would be even slightly uncomfortable watching someone be whipped. His pack was a joke, and so was he.