Anika's POV
My mind raced with conflicting thoughts as I drove through the dimly lit forest road.
That woman, Zoya, seemed to be the root cause of all my problems.
Silas's infatuation with her had distracted him from our original plans, and it infuriated me to no end.
Do I need to find a way to get rid of her, to remove her from the equation once and for all?
My fingers tapped impatiently on the steering wheel as I mulled over the possibilities. I couldn't let her stand in the way of our goals, of the power and dominance we deserved.
But I also couldn't deny the nagging feeling that she was somehow different from just a regular distraction, that she had an influence over Silas that I couldn't quite comprehend.
The scent of pine and earth filled my car as I had rolled the windows down.
I had grown up around here, my roots deeply entwined with the wolves I adopted into my pack and their way of life.
But ever since Zoya appeared, things had shifted, and I feared she might jeopardize everything we had worked so hard for.
As I stared out of the windshield, my eyes fixed on the road ahead, the moon's soft glow bathed the world in a silvery light, casting shadows that danced around me like sinister spirits. It was as if the night itself was urging me to take action.
Moreover… Another thing was bugging me. I couldn't understand why Silas…
Well, if Silas already had his mate then why did he leave her to be with me?
What was he up to?
And whatever it was… was that reason worth sacrificing a happy life with his mate?
Honestly… I couldn't understand it.
If I had the opportunity to be with my mate like this…I could never imagine throwing that all away just so I could go after pitiful revenge!
A mate was a gift from the Moon Goddess! Why would he be so driven by the destruction of his brother that he had the strength to leave his own mate?
Frustration gnawed at me, and a bitter taste lingered on my tongue. I had always yearned to find my own mate, to experience the bond that so many of my packmates cherished.
But as the years slipped by, my hope had slowly waned, leaving me with a hollow ache in my chest.
I let out a heavy sigh. How I envied those who had found their soulmates, their destinies intertwined with another, while I remained alone, yearning for a connection that seemed just out of reach.
Memories of witnessing my packmates bonding with their mates, the joy and contentment etched on their faces, flooded my mind.
As my pack had grown in size, some of my packmates had found their other halves, their one true love…I had celebrated with them, putting on a brave front, but inside, my heart ached with the loneliness that I couldn't shake off.
Each time I saw a mated pair, the ache intensified, and I couldn't help but wonder what it felt like to have someone to share my life with, to love and be loved in return.
It was moments like this that I allowed myself to be vulnerable, to confront the yearning that I usually buried deep within me.
My mind wandered back to my childhood dreams of finding a mate and building a future together, a vision that had become increasingly distant with each passing year.
No matter how hard I tried to push those desires away, they always resurfaced, reminding me of what I longed for most.
"Now... even the man I was trying to manipulate turned out to have also found his mate, and the said mate might also derail my plan, whether she intended to or not," I muttered to myself, my voice laced with irritation and uncertainty.
I glanced at the moon through the window, its ethereal glow a constant reminder of the goddess who supposedly held sway over our destinies. "Tell me the truth, Moon Goddess. Are you messing with me like you messed with Silas? Is this your way of having fun?"
My words held a bitter edge, tinged with frustration.
I shook my head, trying to focus my thoughts. Silas seemed willing to throw everything away, even his own chance at having a mate, for some unknown cause.
More than that, Silas seemed to be willing to sacrifice his mating bond for whatever cause he had in mind, something I couldn't understand. Why was he taking his chance at having a mate for granted?
The path I had chosen, the manipulations and schemes I had concocted, were they all in vain? The realization that the odds were stacked against me left me feeling more isolated than ever.
"Maybe Zoya's just a temporary distraction," I mused aloud, trying to make sense of the tangled mess of emotions inside me, even though I knew that the words I spoke were a far cry from the truth.
The moonlight filtered through the branches, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor as I drove on and for a second, it felt like the Goddess herself was laughing at my childishness at not being able to accept the truth.
As I pondered my next move, a dark thought crept into my mind. Could removing Zoya from the equation be the solution?
Would that ensure the success of our plan?
I knew deep down that whatever I was thinking wasn’t the answer. We needed unity, strength, and strategic planning to achieve our goals, not unprovoked acts of cruelty. Especially not against an Alpha’s mate.
Yet, the desire to secure our pack's future clashed with my longing for a life of love and companionship.
As the night grew darker, so did my thoughts. Silas's obsession with revenge had blinded him to reason, and I feared that my own desperation to keep his mind on the same track was now clouding my judgment.
But I considered it again, turned it over in my mind as I drove on, until the thought of taking Zoya's life just to serve my own purpose suddenly didn't seem so bad…