Epiales shot up in his bed, his body completely rigid. His mate was screaming, he could hear it so clearly, she sounded like she was being ripped apart by a rabid animal.
He jumped out of his bed, clambering over the duvet that had fallen off onto the floor and rushed into Amora's room.
Expecting her to be physically injured, an attacker in her room, he was shocked to see her still lying on her bed, her eyes squeezed shut tightly, the skin around them creased and sweat coating her forehead, making her hair stick to it.
He knew what it was, it was a nightmare, something he was all too familiar with. He was once said to be the number one cause of nightmares as he was feared so much. He really hoped he wasn't the reason behind this one.
"Amora! Amora! Wake up!" He shook her shoulders roughly, desperate to see her glimmering, glacial blue orbs that he'd recently taken notice of.
She gasped and her eyes flew open, making Epiales sigh in relief and take his hands off her painfully hot skin.
"What- what are you doing in here?" She croaked, her throat raw from all the screaming. She squeezed her hands together in an attempt for comfort.
He immediately put his emotionless facade back on and his frowned lips returned to a straight line, his forehead was no longer creased and he regained his breath quickly.
"You were screaming so loud that the entire pack could've woken up."
Amora looked down at her lap ashamed and covers her face with her hands, wanting to scream.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled through her hands.
Epiales ignored her, "what was your nightmare about?"
She removed her hands from her face, debating on whether or not she should tell him, maybe he would open up too. "My Alpha, he-he punishes his pack members, physically, I was his usual victim because his dad cared for me so much he hated me for it."
Epiales couldn't prevent the short growl that escaped him, he hated Lincoln even more but he was thankful that for once someone's nightmares were not about him. He didn't know if he could take it if his own mate was scared of him, even if he didn't truly care about her.
He nodded, "try and go back to sleep, it's," he paused to look at the large grandfather clock that rested against her closet, "half-past five."
"Won't you stay?" she whispered, preparing for the rejection.
He shook his head, "I- I can't, I told you, no relationship will happen between us."
She bit her lip, once again holding back her tears in front of him, she didn't know how else to get him to like her.
"You can go now, thank you for waking me," she muttered, lying back down and facing the wall, tucking her shaking hands under her cheek.
He didn't reply as he shut the door behind him roughly, climbing back into his, now cold, bed. He closed his eyes, waiting for the tiredness to return to him but it never did, he stayed awake for hours, as did Amora, none of them being able to succumb to the darkness for the rest of the night.
Before he knew it, the large clock rung, signalling that it was six-thirty a.m and he stood up to get ready, pulling on another colourless suit and his all too expensive shoes. He went downstairs to make Amora breakfast, not wanting her to become ill.
He carried the hot plate back upstairs at seven a.m, expecting Amora to be fast asleep but he was shocked to see her lying awake, staring at the ceiling of her room.
"I made you breakfast," he muttered, shifting his weight awkwardly
She nodded in thanks and took the plate from his hands, "you didn't have to."
"I wanted to, you can't make yourself ill it will-"
"It will damage your pack and you won't become all mighty and powerful, I know."
He pressed his lips in a thin line, he didn't know how to respond because she was right, he was merely using her for his own gain.
"I am going to go now, you don't have to go to the pack breakfast if you don't wish to," he stated, marching out of the bedroom.
Amora let a single tear fall before she closed her eyes, pushing back all her tears and eating her breakfast.
"Alpha, there is a rogue at the border claiming she knows the Luna and would like to speak with her," Henry informed Epiales, standing in his office, the word 'rogue' falling from his mouth like venom.
He wasn't meant to be working today but he never did anything else, he just worked, ate and slept.
"A rogue? There is no need for discussion about this, you know how I feel about rogues, either send them away or kill them."
"Y-yes I would have Alpha but they are very persistent that they are close with the Luna."
Epiales growled, she was already causing trouble and she'd been here 2 days.
"Fine, collect Amora and we shall go and see what this rogue wants."
Henry nods and walks towards Amora's room, "Luna, you are needed."
"What is it? It's Sunday," she called back softly yet agitatedly.
"Um there is a rogue stating that she knows you, the Alpha wishes to go down with you."
"Alright, let me grab some shoes and a coat," Amora replies and Henry heard shuffling before the door opened and a solemn-looking Amora stepped out.
"What does this rogue look like?" She queried as they approached Epiales' office.
"Well her wolf was a reddish-brown and was quite small and when she shifted she had pale skin and very bright red hair," Henry muttered in distaste, he despised rogues more than anything.
Amora gasped, "where is she? I must go see her!"
"She is at the Northern side of the border, but Luna you must wait for the Alph-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before she took off, hiking her dress up so she could sprint without much difficulty.
"Luna! Please hold on!"
"What is going on?" An angry Epiales demanded, opening up his office door.
"The Luna, she ran off to see the rogue," Henry gulped, stepping backwards.
"She ran off to see the rogue alone?" Epiales hissed, his eyes growing wide, he did not spend all those years hunting his mate just to have her die before he even became a single bit more powerful.
"Why are you just standing there!? Go after her!" He shouted, making Henry flinch and run in the same direction Amora went.
Epiales sprinted after him, keeping his pace slightly slower so he could follow Henry.
They approached Amora hugging a skinny figure tightly, running her hands through the rogue's auburn hair kindly.
"Amora, step away from the rogue!" Epiales growled, his claws extending out from his nails.
"No, no! She isn't a threat! This is my friend, I haven't seen her in years!" Amora exclaimed, throwing her hands out to protect the scared girl behind her.
"She is a rogue!" Henry gritted out, his hands aching to run over and snap the girl's neck in half.
"She didn't have a choice! Our Alpha was so violent that she was almost beaten to death, if she stayed she would have been killed!" Amora pleaded for her friend's life.
"Please, I mean no harm, I tried to go back just to visit Amora, but it was too dangerous, the guards are ordered to kill on sight, no questioning at all," the young girl begged.
"Amber, it's okay," Amora consoled her as she started shaking and crying.
"It's not, I'm sorry Amora, I heard the news that you were here now and I had to come to see you, to thank you for saving my life," Amber sobbed, gripping Amora's shoulders tightly to keep herself from falling.
"I would do it for you over and over again," Amora whispered, but Epiales heard and it infuriated him, she could not die, she could not even think of it.
"Luna, step out of the way," Henry orders.
"NO! She is not a threat! She is my friend!" Amora shouts, but Henry doesn't stand down as he should have.
"She will die," he grits out, cracking his knuckles.
Amber sobs and Amora clutches on to her tighter and quietly whispers, "you should not have come here, run when I say, and don't come back, I love you."
"I love you too," Amber whispers, barely intelligible.
"Henry! Stand down that is my mate you are readying to attack!" Epiales roars as Henry shifts into his blonde wolf.
He doesn't listen and he bears his sharp canines, getting ready to pounce on Amora, just so he can get to Amber.
"Run Amber!" Amora screams as Henry comes flying towards them. Amber immediately shifts, ripping apart the coat she was given and bolts into the forest, disappearing in a second within the dense trees.
Amora is flung to the ground, a livid wolf on top of her, his teeth coming dangerously close to her face. All of a sudden he is ripped off of her and flung into a tree, the branch piercing through his skin.
"Oh my god!" She wails, seeing the sheer force of Epiales' throw impale him with the branch once more.
Epiales, now in wolf form, rips into his neck, pulling out a large chunk of bloody skin, leaving Henry struggling to breathe on the cold ground.
"Oh my god! Oh my god..." Amora whimpers, clutching her head in her hands, praying for the sight to leave her.
"Are you okay?" Epiales shouts, rushing over to her.
"You-you just killed your Beta!" She wails, regretfully taking another glance at his now dead figure.
"No Beta of mine would attack their Luna," he growls, a vivid rage growing in his chest.
"But-but he was just- he was just," Amora splutters, panic falling upon her, making her heave for breath.
"We need to go inside, you aren't breathing!" Epiales rushed, slipping his arms under her legs and back and running inside.
He places her down on her bed, and grips her chin tightly, forcing her to look into his eyes, "copy me."
He inhales deeply and exhales slowly repeatedly until Amora calms down enough to breathe again.
"Do not question my decisions. He was a lousy Beta and deserved to be killed, he would have murdered you to get to that rogue without a second thought."
"I am meant to be the only person who can question your decisions!" She vociferated.
"Do not raise your voice at me! Do not forget your place here, you are the Luna and that is it," he retaliated, his emotionless facade turning back on.
"Get out."
"Excuse me?"
"Get out!" Amora shrieked, her heart splitting in two.
He growled lowly and slammed the door as he exited her room. How dare she demand him about. He was in control, he was the top leader of this pack.
Amora wept, all she did was weep for the entire morning and right through lunch. Today Epiales did not bring her lunch, it was a short-lived tradition but she missed it dearly, but she wouldn't have eaten it anyway, not with the horrible feeling of dread resting in her stomach. She didn't want to believe it, she forced herself not to think of it but she knew she despite having her mate right in front of her, she was mateless.