Can't Let Go

By Anamika GK

Imprinting in werewolf world meant two pre-destined werewolf souls recognizing and accepting the bond of mating between them for life. It was equivalent to finding the missing piece of one's soul in another body. And thus Aria, a shy and pretty she-wolf of Sky Moon pack too had a thousand dreams of bumping into her fate-chosen mate as soon as she was of imprinting age.
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That was four years ago when she had turned sixteen which was official age when werewolves start imprinting on their mates. Now she was going to turn twenty in a few months and was still mate-less. Meanwhile Alpha of their pack, Shikhar, had imprinted on her younger sister. That too on the very day of her presentation birthday party at the age of sixteen, making her family immensely proud as mating into power realms was considered very prestigious. Power, which was the most coveted possession in their mystical world. Aria could only dream of such luck. But a content soul, she was actually genuinely ready to happily settle for just a warm and compassionate mate. Still with each passing day her hope of finding her fate chosen mate was dwindling and she could do nothing but cringe at her disappointing destiny. Not creating that missing other half of your soul was the cruelest fates can be with someone. But she had to make peace with her fates. Maybe she was destined for an arranged match, she had started thinking.
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However, suddenly fates turned and she got imprinted-on by her fate chosen mate soon after. And HE was not just any werewolf. Proud, ruthless, possessive and unapologetic, Danish was a handsome werewolf of regal bloodline and the Alpha of the most powerful warrior pack in the world, Midnight Warriors. The only problem, he kind of had attacked Aria's pack, his fighters killed a few of her pack members in the process, he himself half-killed her brother-in-law Alpha Shikhar before taking over their territory by force and publicly assaulted her father as well. Not exactly the kind of man Aria had dreamt of for herself. Her family disliked him too. Heck, even her pack looked at her differently now. So much for wanting a fate-mate! Torn between her inner-wolf's inexplicably strong mating pull and her loyalty towards her family and pack-members, she decided to reject him.
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But to stubborn Danish, Aria was rightfully his now. His mate. Letting go of her did not feature anywhere in his plans. The sooner she understands that, the better!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Indic Publication
• Release date: Nov 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781625980724

Book preview

Chapter 1

Crunching sound of fresh snow under her four soft paws was all that Aria could hear as she slowed from her run to a leisurely jog. She craned her neck around and realized that she had come quite far from the pack establishment. Deciding to stop, she inhaled the crisp chilled air around her and let out a blissfully content sigh. Heightened sense of smell and sound that were a part and parcel of being a werewolf, were at rest on this solitary jungle cliff. She loved snow. And currently, her home in the northern part of Indian subcontinent was experiencing a massive snowfall. Blessed with above average body temperature, and a thick coat of absolutely pure-white fur on her wolf avatar, Aria had decided to shift shapes and go for a run in the woods for a while and loose herself in the vast wilderness. Become one with it; visibly and figuratively. Be by herself for some time. The atmosphere back at the pack headquarters was so tensed that she needed an escape.

Sky Moon, her werewolf pack, had headquarters around fifty kilometers north of Shimla, India. They had a few sub-packs scattered across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma and Bangladesh that reported to their Alpha, but still they were a small pack. Including all the sub-packs, they were around two hundred werewolves in total and they were all under the command of Alpha Shikhar, who happened to be her younger sister, Dahlia's mate.

They lived in what the humans’ thought was a gated community for the rich. It helped them maintain a reasonably acceptable distance from the ever increasing human population as well as kept their secret safe among themselves. They could shift when they felt like without the fear of being seen by an unwitting human, who will have to be killed in case that happens. Not getting revealed in front of human race was the very first lesson every werewolf learns from his or her family. The fact that humans suspected their existence, even if it was as a folk-lore, was enough for them to put their guards on high alert.

Contrary to the movies and fiction induced myths and beliefs among humans, werewolf-human relationships were severely frowned upon in their community. A werewolf finding his or her mate in a human was Fates way of discarding them out of their mystical world. A werewolf and a human coupling can never bear a child because the werewolf DNA would just not allow it. The human mate can never know of their mate’s werewolf lineage. So basically, if you accept your human mate, you not only have to let go of the prospects of having an off-spring, you also have to move out of your pack and family, never to return. This was the reason many proud werewolves have rejected their human mates in the past. They had decided to let go the other half of their souls so that they can uphold their bloodline and continue to be a part of this mystical world. But there, have been examples of the opposite kind as well, the ones who have embraced love rather than loyalty to their pack and origins.

Aria sat down on a huge limestone boulder which over looked the snow covered valley. Soft puffy white snowflakes were still sprinkling from the skies making everything look and feel surreal. She crossed her front two paws and rested her face on it. Would she have accepted, had Fates chosen a human as her mate, Aria mused.

'Stop torturing yourself,' her wolf chided her gently from inside.

'Hmmm,' Aria sighed. Sometimes having your wolf-self talk to you was actually therapeutic. It was like you having your own second opinion about your issues. Sometimes it matched with yours, sometimes it clashed. But it also helped the werewolves weigh in all their options and look at events with a wider perspective.

Had Fates chosen a mate for her, she would have been mated by now. In five months, she will complete twenty years of age, and shall become eligible for an arranged match. It was rare to find your Fate-chosen mate after twenty. It was not completely unheard of, yet extremely rare. Werewolves were in their physical prime from the age of sixteen to the age of forty. It was deemed important that they find their mates and bear off-springs during this time. That was the reason Alpha's passed on their title to their male-heirs as soon as they turned eighteen. After forty, shifting into your wolf form from your human form and back becomes difficult as years’ progress. Realignment of bones in the body each time one shifts, gradually becomes painful. And by the age of hundred, most of the werewolves completely stop shifting. And once you stop shifting, the aging process starts. Still, most of the werewolves live up to 150-200 years of age. Alphas and other stronger bloodlines live past even that. No, as opposed to what folklores say, werewolves were not immortal beings. They just had an elongated and healthier life. And they liked it that way.

Aria belonged to the healer bloodline of werewolves. In layman terms, her father was the pack-doctor. Her father had the knowledge and power to heal werewolves. Not that werewolves got sick easily, for they had a remarkably fast recovery traits and endurance levels. Her father's true skills usually came into use during grave situations. Like during accidents where it is a matter of life and death. Other than that, he mostly treated kid-werewolves who had not yet started shifting and did not possess strong werewolf immunity, or during the occurrence of some rare diseases which ailed werewolves in particular.

Alphas and Healers were the only two positions which were decided by blood and lineage. Only a son of Alpha could become an Alpha and only a son of a healer could become a healer. The highly specialized traits and their unique powers were passed on in the blood. Their distinctive powers could not be acquired by just learning. The way an Alpha could make his whole pack cower down just by the tone of his voice was not a joke. Their sacrosanct world thrived on absolute Alpha authority and power.

The nurturers of this mystical world were the female she-wolves. Fates might not have imparted them the ability to become Alphas or healers after their fathers, but being the creators of new life, they were cherished, respected and above all, protected. By everyone. Specially their mates.

'Here we go again,' Aria's wolf eye-rolled inside her head.

'What?' she huffed. Yes, she liked thinking about mates even if she didn't have one. What's wrong in that? Can't a girl even think?

Since childhood she had nurtured the dream of finding her fate-chosen mate someday. In fact, when she first shifted at the age of eleven, her mother had gasped looking at the pure-white color of her fur. She had told Aria that pure-white furred she-wolf is the rarest avatar and that it could only mean one thing, that Aria is destined for great things. But that was probably an indulgent mother’s wishful thinking, she reasoned. To her mother, Aria, Dahlia, her younger sister and Parth, her thirteen-year-old brother were the most beautiful and special werewolf cubs in the whole pack. She tends to get extremely carried away at times in her love for her kids, easily claiming that they were the most talented and well behaved in the pack. And looking by how things were, it was probably the case here as well, Aria mused. Her speculations of Aria being bestowed with special powers fell flat on their face with time when nothing of that sort happened. Then her family, including her father this time, hoped that she might be the first female to inherit healing traits in the history of werewolves. But no luck there either. Damn, she could not even find a mate for herself.

Looks like bogus superstitions from human race have started plaguing their world as well.

#

'Here you are,' a male voice floated into her mind.

Werewolves were linked to their pack-members through mind link when in animal form to help them communicate with their pack members. Again, contrary to what humans think, all their thoughts were not available for everyone to hear. Just the ones that they wanted to share, and only to the person they wanted to share it with. How absurd and absolutely mortifying it would be if everyone in your pack and family could hear each single thing that crosses your mind. Mind-link control came naturally to were-cubs.

'I knew that I would find you here,' she could feel his smile in her mind.

She raised her head up from her paws, and turned her neck to look back. Sure enough, a chocolate brown, six feet werewolf was approaching her. It was Rajit's wolf. Rajit was the beta of their pack, meaning second in-command. Betas and Deltas (third in command) were chosen by every Alpha for himself. And Alpha Shikhar could not have chosen better. Handsome and intelligent, Rajit was a warrior above par.

Peace had prevailed in their area for a few hundred years now and the keen fighting skills slipped away somewhere down on the skill-set graph. The grasp on the art and technique of war-craft gradually loosened along the way with no real threat looming on their small progressive pack. Thus, the current generation had no actual practice for war-zone. And how everybody must be repenting that right now! Thank Fates, Sky Moon has Rajit.

Rajit, was her intended-mate as soon as she completes twenty. If a werewolf does not find their mate, the Alpha of the pack choses one for them. Aria had met everyone from their pack and no one was her fate-chosen mate, prompting her parents to finally approach the Alpha. 

And Shikhar chose the best for her. 

Aria would have felt unwilling in this arranged setup with twenty-three-year old Rajit, who like her was still mate-less, had his affection towards her not been a common knowledge. In fact, Shikhar assured her that Rajit had himself approached, with a proposal for her. And on his part, Rajit had been quite forthcoming and had honestly told her that her being mate-less is the second best thing that could have happened to him, after of course, had she been his fate-chosen mate. That he cannot be thankful enough to the Fates for this chance to have a life with the girl he always loved. Rajit was truly an honest, loving and understanding man. Aria also noticed that the two of them never ran out of topics to talk. In the last two months since the approval of their proposal, he had gradually grown on her. And she was sure that if this continues, the day is not far when she will stop bogging herself down for not getting a fate-chosen mate, and will stay happily with this gem of a man.

'You shouldn’t venture out alone so far. Especially in times like these,' she heard him say.

‘Sorry,' she replied through mind-link, standing up and turning back to move towards him.

‘It's fine. But let’s go back. I left a council meeting to track you,' he turned back and started walking.

'You did not have to do that,' she said, although she felt happy at his concern.

'Of course I had to. Your safety is my top priority. And in times like these I'll not compromise on it at any cost,' he replied lovingly.

'So is it true?' she fell in step with him.

'Yes'.

'Are packs even allowed to attack packs in this age?' she questioned.

Sky Moon pack was recently issued a challenge to fight by the Alpha of Midnight Warriors of Turkey. They say his name is Danish. Yesterday, he’d expressed his intention to take over their territory by force via a missive. It implied killing of the existing Alpha, if he refuses to pledge his fealty to him and become his sub-pack.

‘Packs attack each other every day out in the world, Aria. For land, for pride, for revenge, for increasing pack population. To assert our supremacy is in our blood.’’

‘What happened to good old live and let live?’

Fates only know why he even wanted their territory. As it is in this part of the world, human population was increasing at a rapid speed. Forests were being cut down every day. Natural resources were depleting. And they were in all two-hundred werewolves here who kept to themselves. What would he even achieve by over-powering them?

'Live and let live is for weak human race, Aria,' Rajit chuckled.

'We can learn good things from them,' she argued.

'For them too it is dog-eats-dog-world out there. And here, we are original dogs,' he countered.

‘Wolves. We are wolves,' she reminded with pride.

‘Yeah. Same thing.’

'So… what are our chances?' she questioned after a while.

'Of what? Getting killed? Or getting defeated?' he asked dead-panned.

She tensed up. 'Not funny Rajit. Of winning?'

'Not too bright. While we are good fighters, Midnight Warriors is full of deadly skilled warriors. Their Alpha being the top notch,' he replied as a matter of fact.

'But we have you. You are a skilled warrior. You can teach our people.'

'We don't have enough time for that, Aria.’

'What does he even want from us?' she asked bitterly.

'That is what stumps us all. But while Sky Moon has been left alone for centuries, our neighbors have been very busy in were-politics. My best guess is that we are just a small pawn in his bigger scheme of things,' he replied contemplatively.

'Can we not stop him? Ask Austria to intervene and moderate the situation?' she offered advice.

Austria for werewolves was what Vatican, Mecca and Ganges were for humans. The holy place from where the first werewolves had originated. True Blood, the pack controlling that territory was considered royalty in their world. They held supreme power over all other packs, the world over and they used it to moderate issues among the packs from time to time. Much like the Supreme Court in the human world. While you can join-unjoin packs for simple reasons like relocating in a different part of the world or difference of opinion with your current pack, True Blood was above that. You cannot join them at will. Either you were born into it or you fate-mated into it. For all other intents and purposes, it was unachievable. Period.

'Now who is being funny here,' Rajit retorted.

'Why? What is funny in this?' Aria asked.

'Not updated on werewolf world news, are we?'

'Meaning?'

'What do you know about Austrian True Blood, Aria?'

'Last I knew, their Alpha only had a daughter. So since she cannot take over as Alpha, True Blood is run by a group of counsellors right now,' she replied.

'And did you know that the said daughter had found her mate and had a son who is the heir-apparent to True Blood,' he added.

'Okay. So why cannot we ask him to intervene? Is he allies with that Danish guy? Is he even allowed to play favorites? This is preposterous,' she got charged up.

'He is the Danish guy.'

'Huuu?’

'Alpha Danish is the heir-apparent to True Blood. His father was from Turkish pack Midnight Warriors and his mother was from the royal family of Austria. How do you suggest we present our case against him... to him?' Rajit explained.

'WHAT? So he has two most powerful packs at his disposal. Best of land and resources under him. I am sure money must not be lacking either. And he is still threatening a small pack like us when he is sure that we cannot possibly get any outside help or Austria's intervention?' her eyes narrowed in indignation.

‘Correct,' Rajit's wolf shrugged, shedding a few snow-flakes from his fur.

'This is blatant misuse of power,' she was repulsed.

'Everything is fair in love and war, Aria. But if it helps, he has not yet accepted his position in True Blood pack. If we approach them, the decision will be in the hands of the Council there. But I doubt they will go against their future King,' he replied sagely.

'Of course,' she huffed and kept walking alongside him.

It fascinated Rajit to see the usually shy and quiet Aria getting so riled up today. He was glad that he came to fetch her back and could see this feisty side of hers which he had no clue was hidden inside of her. He smiled that he could get a glimpse of this fierce side of the woman he loved. Just yesterday he had realized that life could be too short for a werewolf too.

#

As they neared the establishment, the silence between them grew heavier. Though both of them were thinking about the same issues, the enormity and helplessness of the situation had just started dawning on Aria amid all the new information she had just received.

'Will he .... kill Alpha Shikhar?' Aria's heart was feeling like lead now.

'He is stronger of the two, Aria. And a fight between Alphas is decided by the death of at least one of them. I would be lying if I say otherwise,' Rajit replied.

'Can... can we not just accept being his sub-pack? I mean what difference does it make? It will save all the bloodshed,' she looked at him hopefully.

'We might not be as strong as Midnight Warriors Aria, but we still are werewolves. We have pride too. We are not going down without a fight. We are not handing out our land and lives to him just like that,' he said in a tone which left no space for argument.

Right! Pride. Fight. Independence. But where does all these heavy words leave her baby sister? And now with Rajit as her intended mate, even her? Her family will suffer like none other.

'Don't worry yourself too much. We are strategizing our best. It's only been a day since we have received the challenge and there are still six days more to go. We will come up with something.'

'But... but Dahlia? What will happen to her if that monster kills Shikhar? She is pregnant. Her situation is so delicate. She absolutely cannot afford to lose her mate at this point, Rajit,' her eyes welled up for her beloved little sister.

'If it is any assurance, he will have to kill me before he lays his paw on my Alpha,' Rajit reassured.

'NO. Rajit. Please don't say that. What will I do if something happens to you?' Aria cried.

Rajit smiled at her worry for him. 'Hopefully it won't come to it, but it is a battlefield at the end of the day. Steel yourself for the worst Aria.’

'Does that barbarian cruel Danish has no mate? Does he not realize he is playing with so many innocent lives here in his lust for power?' she spat venomously.

'As a matter of fact, he is twenty-six and still mate-less,' he supplied.

'Of course. Fates must have refused to make the other-half of such a dark black cruel blood-thirsty soul,' her voice dripped of disdain. 'And who in their right mind would agree to be a mate to somebody who is hell bent on killing other's mates? Does he even realize the amount to pain one goes through when they lose their mate?'

'Practically speaking, an Alpha always get their fate-chosen mate. Fates never fail to choose the mates for Alpha males. In fact, they choose the best of the lot for them; Most loyal, beautiful, compassionate and intelligent. Maybe that is why he is waiting and hasn't selected one for himself.'

'Can you stop being all logical and practical for once?' she gritted her teeth.

'I was just stating the truth,' he gave her a sheepish smile.

'Whatever. I PITY the poor girl whom Fates must have chosen to be this devil incarnates mate. I hope she rejects him,' she spat, cursing that brutal Alpha Danish to hell from the bottom of her heart.

And the Fates silently sighed at her from above. She just had no idea!

Chapter 2

As the sun dipped in the west, Aria morosely slipped on the shirt of her pale blue scrubs. No miracle happened in last seven days and here they all are, getting ready for the battle with Midnight Warriors. The pack of those demons had arrived a day before, and had put up their tents at the edge of the clearing in the forest up north of their establishment, which had been finalized as the battle ground. It would be quick, she was told. Werewolf battles don’t linger on for days. They are decided fast, sometimes in a matter of an hour. Only the ones fighting will be tackled. Others, mainly women, children and elderly from the losing pack, will come to no harm. It is an unsaid understanding. Werewolves don’t plunder the loot of the war like humans. Midnight Warriors, however don’t have to worry about even that, having come only with their warring soldiers and healers. And they were all beefed up males in their prime ready to eat up the opposition alive.

Though females are kept out of such fights, Aria had opted to assist her father in the provisional medical infirmary he has set up in a tent near the battle ground to attend to the wounded soldiers of their pack on the spot. Or at least treat them enough so they can survive till they could be transported to the main hospital building where they can get proper medical attention.

Aria’s father had reluctantly chosen her for two reasons. One, she will not be on the actual battle ground, and two, she was the only available option who had some experience assisting him. With such grave situation presenting itself for the first time,