Hugo's POV

I was abruptly awaken with a sharp unpleasant chant that kept echoing in my head. I was convinced that I had slept for too long considering my eyes were soaking up every ray of light that peeked through the windows.

"Get that foul stench away from us, ugh" Wolfie growled.

As soon as I opened my eyes to find Izzy lying next to me, a surge of shock jolted me wide awake. I get up from the bed so fast as if there was a catastrophe and that sleeping had become perilous. My mind and heart both were racing, and their combined effects were comparable to jump-leads in a panic attack.

"Uh Izzy, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"You had a nightmare last night Hugo, remember? You were wailing. I had to calm you down like a baby. So I decided to spend the night here, just to make sure you didn't have more" Izzy rubbed her eyes as she got out of bed.

I tried to recall last night but Wolfie voice interrupted my thoughts. I managed to keep my composure so as not to startle Izzy despite the apparent fury in Wolfie's voice.

"Kick her out of the room" Wolfie demanded.

"Oh wow, we slept long, let's get ready for lunch. Father did say he wanted to discuss some business with you today" She said.

"Yeah, sure" I turned away while she wore her robe. She gave me a quick glance before walking over to run her fingers through my unruly curls.

"Don't worry I didn't touch you when you were asleep. But I would be lying if I said I didn't want to" Before leaving the room, she gave me a wink. Meanwhile I wondered what had happened the night before as I turned to gaze at the bed.

"I hibernate for four days and you betray our mate?!" Wolfie screamed in my head. I muttered in response once I was certain Izzy wasn't close enough to hear me.

"I didn't betray anyone. We're under the protection of the Shadow Pack"

"We need to go to our mate" Wolfie growled.

"We don't have a mate."

"I'm not going through the Izzy phase again. Our scents don't intertwine. And she's hella annoying" Wolfie protested.

"You don't know her like I do." I mumbled in an effort to defend her. Although I was the one that pushed Wolfie to tolerate Izzy, I realized that right now Wolfie was pushing me towards Alpha Talia.

"Yeah and I hope I'll never have to" Wolfie growled again.

I changed into some new clothes before leaving the cabin. I could smell the delicious food aroma as I strolled towards the fort, which was a short distance away. The entire Shadow Pack was there, seated at a big table with a nice spread of various foods.

Alpha Theodore was occupying the chair at the head of the table when I cast a quick glance his way. He grinned and motioned for me to sit next to him. Despite spending more than two years around the pack, nobody had ever shown any interest in getting to know me, much less said hello, but this time was different. As I walked over to the bench, I was greeted by each and every wolf there.

Izzy occupied the seat in front of me. As the lunch began, I felt her feet found its way to my legs under the table. I looked at her bewildered, but she grinned and carried on.

"Hah, she thinks she's getting you all worked up" Wolfie laughed in my head.

She scowled at my decision to gently move my leg away from her. At the table, we all ate quietly. I took a glance around, remembering how, the last time I ate at a table like this, I was the lone survivor. Somehow, I've always had survivor's guilt ingrained in me. Regardless of whether it was at the Shaws' residence or escaping Alpha Talia.

I still had a voracious appetite despite having so many thoughts racing through my head. After the meal, Alpha Theodore addressed the pack, breaking the silence.

"As you all know, Hugo here has done something no other Beta was capable of doing" He cleared this throat and began speaking "He escaped the very beast that had dominated every city killing betas every full moon. The very fact that he's sitting here with us, as a part of The Shadow Pack brings me so much pride and honour"

Alpha Theodore gave me a pat on the back as I turned to look at Izzy, who winked at me.

"You're too kind, Theodore. I'm just grateful that the Shadow Pack protected me from Alpha Xander" I replied humbly.

"That's another thing I wanted to discuss today. This morning, Kaos Pack was discovered horrifically mutilated. The fact that their Alpha Xander's head was on a spike indicated that someone was trying to make a statement. Also, we are concerned that other alphas are tracking your scent and have set up this trap to get whoever is protecting you to turn you over to them."

His words made my heart race. I knew I was being hunted, but the demise of the Kaos Pack made the situation seem even more dire and threatening.

"Someone killed the entire Kaos Pack?" I questioned in disbelief.

"We couldn't track any scent but we know that our pack can only hide out here so long. We'll need to relocate soon but before that I would like to say something to Hugo" Alpha Theodore proceeded to stand up. He turned to me and placed his hand gently on my shoulder.

"We both know that in the past two years, I have not been too fond of you. What can I say, fathers are always protective of their daughters. But your loyalty to her, your courage and heroism has made me realize that there's no one out there whose better and more worthy of her."

"Aww dad" I watched Izzy giggle, tucking her hair back. She fiddled playfully with her necklace whilst slowly gazing into me.

"It really brings me so much joy to give my blessing to you both. A mating ceremony would allow Hugo to truly become a part of this pack and it would also help us keep him safe before we move onto the next phase" Alpha Theodore squeezed my shoulders and awaited for a response from me. But I couldn't move from my seat much less, open my mouth to respond.

"No" Wolfie chanted.

"I wish we had more time to prepare but in such a short notice, I'm sure Mathilda and James can handle a nice decoration for the ceremony tomorrow." I attempted to stay calm without zoning out as his words sounded distorted.

"Oh yes, of course Alpha Theodore, it would be our pleasure to make this day magical for Izzy and Hugo" Two of the wolves spoke at the far end of the table. Someone shouted 'congratulations' and it was followed by a round of applause from the rest of the pack.

"Oh HELL no" Wolfie protested.

"Izzy, may I have a word with you?" I asked, standing up from my seat jumbled and bewildered.

"Sure" Izzy rose up from her chair and gave Alpha Theodore a peck on the cheek. I understood how important his approval was to her. And I did wait two whole years for this exact moment. But I felt hollow and frustrated as opposed to joy or contentment. Things were happening so quickly.

We moved past the fort and towards the creek, where I was convinced that no one could eavesdrop our conversation. I turned to her joyful expression in the hopes of receiving some explanation from her.

"Mating Ceremony?!" As I crossed my arms, I asked her.

"Yes, it was meant to be a surprise. Are you happy? You look worried" Izzy replied.

"Uh yeah, we haven't even talked about it before, Izzy. What happened to starting over?" I muttered.

"Yeah we're starting over from the point where you asked me if I was going to take you with me. Hugo, I know I didn't reciprocate your feelings before and it had everything to do with how my father perceived you. But he has given us his blessing. I'm ready to be your mate. Isn't this what you wanted for two years?" She hesitated as I was about to respond.

"Yeah but . ."

"Don't overthink things like you always do, Hugo. Just enjoy this moment. You have a pack of your own now. You have me. And maybe down the line, a few pups of our own." She took my hand in hers and placed it on her chest. I could feel her heartbeat. She leaned in closer and whispered "I can see a future with you, Hugo. I love you"

"Oh FUCK no" Wolfie howled.

"I . . ." I began to say, but there weren't enough words in the world to describe how I was feeling inside.

"Come on, let's go back inside. We have a mating ceremony in less than 20 hours from now. There's so much to do. And father would like to have a word with you in private" She took hold of my hand and led me away. The wind and the sound of the stream abated my anxious thoughts.

"Sure"

As I observed my hand in hers, I thought how happy I would have been if this had happened to me two months earlier. I would've kept pinching myself assuming it was all a dream. Perhaps I really should pinch myself to check whether this was a dream. Izzy released my hand, sprinted toward Mathilda, and the two chuckled as they made their way to the cabin on the right.

I entered the cabin and found Alpha Theodore seated at the table. On the table, I could see a sizable map of Falcon Valley spread out. I looked at him in confusion as he gestured for me to sit down next to him.

"Son, I know a lot has happened since the last full moon. And I know it isn't easy to talk about the beast capturing you and how the Kaos Pack left you for dead. You of all betas must know the dangers of having this beast dominate city after city. Now that you're a part of the Shadow Pack, it would only be fitting that we gather all the information and slay this beast ourselves. Think about the status in hierarchy our pack would be if we managed to do that."

He spoke in a serious tone.

"Alpha Theodore, I don't understand what kind of information I could possible give you" I answered, but my voice was trembling.

"Son, when you escaped, which part of the forest were you in? North, South, East, West? Show me here on the map" He proceeded to ask.

"I don't . . remember" I cleared my throat while running my fingers over my hair. I had a quick glimpse of the tabletop map. My eyes flickered to the North, but before he could notice, I swiftly shifted them back to the South.

"Son, I understand your memory might be foggy given what you had to endure as a hostage" Alpha Theodore said.

"Oh our mind is not foggy about what we endured, am I right?" Wolfie chuckled but ignored his remarks.

I was aware of the location and could even pinpoint the precise spot where I left the mansion's boundary. Although I knew it was in the North, I did not wish to harm Alpha Talia. Moreover, I had no intention of leading a pack of wolves into her mansion.

"It was the South, I remember. I passed by an oak tree and ran right into one of the Kaos Pack wolves" I answered firmly while making sure my voice wasn't quivering.

"You mean, North" Alpha Theodore corrected.

"I mean, South" I replied, gulping.

"The big oak tree is at the North. I'm sure you have it confused. It's okay, I think I know exactly where you're talking about" He circled the exact location on the map.

"Why are you literally the worst liar in the world? You'll get our mate in trouble!" Wolfie yelled.

"This is great news. After your ceremony tomorrow, we'll gather the wolves and go hunt the beast. I gotta say Hugo, Izzy couldn't have chosen a better mate" Alpha Theodore smiled while I concealed what appeared to be a slow-moving panic attack

"She's not our mate for fuck sake, you old fuck!" Wolfie screamed.

I carefully closed the door behind me as I entered my room after returning to my cabin. I couldn't stop thinking about her. If my head was really concussed and I imagined her in the tub, I still wouldn't have felt the sensations as if she was really here. And the lights flickering, that was her, it must have been. I knew it in my gut that it was her. Since she had access to Frieda who is a witch, she must be doing some kind of witch spell. I looked around the room for a sign.

"Are you here? If . . if you are, show yourself!" I whispered.

Nothing.

"You're really letting this happen, then?" I whispered again, getting irritated.

Nothing.

"You don't care about me, do you?" I asked, trying to hold back tears.

Nothing.

"Guess I was just a fuckmate to you" I murmured.

Nothing.