this chapter was added on 19th July 2020. I'm currently editing some parts of the book as I write this. My writing style has changed a lot over the past five years and you have it understand how weird it is for a writer to go through the unedited version of her very first novel ever.

So please be patient.

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The dinner after the ceremony was awful. Not the food, rather it was the attitude. It was nothing like I imagined.

I had imagined people to smile at me, say polite things to me and make me feel like I was a part of the pack. But apart from Elena, Bella, Ash and the twins no one had talked to me.

Perhaps it was me, I was an introvert. But I knew it was more than just that. It was because of my hesitance during the ceremony. Though Ashton stayed at my side giving me encouraging smiles, many of the pack members wore an expression of doubt as they looked at me. A few were muttering about my weird behavior during the ceremony while others just focused on me, scrutinizing me silently. I felt like I was being X-rayed by different people from different angles.

A stupid split second hesitation had already down the seeds of doubt in their minds.

Great going, Ki! Not even two hours and you've once again shown the world how stupid you can be.

My nerves were killing me right now. I could hear whispers and comments around me and I could do nothing to stop it.

How could they judge me on what happened there? It wasn't like I planned to do that. What else was I supposed to do when I didn't feel it right?

They had no idea, what I actually felt at that time. They hadn't been through what I had been, and they should know, breaking off all my connections to my old pack wasn't so easy.

True, I hated my old pack now, but not everybody there. Dark Wolf pack had many memories attached to it. My childhood, my sister and my moments with Dad.

There was my Mom, Nellie, Stella and even Luna Diana. They loved me even when I had been demoted to an Omega. They had been with me when life was hell, and it was ten times more difficult to break off my connections with them when I remembered all their kindness.

Then on the other hand, there were Lucifers like Alpha Jason who hated me to the core. And Nicole, the Mate-Snatcher, whose aim in life was to make me as miserable as possible.

And lastly there was Aden. My stupid mate who just wouldn't get out of my head. As much as I hated him, he still haunted my mind like some evil spirit.

I pushed my plate away and stood up. I was feeling sick inside and the stares aimed at me by the pack members weren't helping either.

"Are you okay?" Ashton asked me concerned.

Definitely not.

I smiled in a weak attempt to reassure him. "Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. I just feel a bit drowsy, right now. There isn't anything left to do, is there?"

Ashton eyed me, obviously not believing me. "No, there isn't. You can surely leave if you are feeling drowsy. People seem to have finished dinner, anyway. I don't think they'll stay back for long."

I nodded and turned to leave when he caught my arm.

"You are not fine, are you? You are hiding something from me. Your eyes don't say the same."

I smiled inwardly at his concern. This was the Ashton I fell in love with. The Ashton I knew, observed the unsaid things hidden in the heart.

But right now, I couldn't tell him. I needed time to myself. There were a few questions, that I had to find answers to on my own. And for that I needed solitude.

"Nope, I'm fine," I told him again, "I really am. Perhaps a little tired, but it's nothing a good night sleep can't cure."

He frowned at me trying to read my face but I put on a bright smile to cover up the frustration inside me. "Alright," he said returning my smile, "But don't forget I'll be there for you even when you're not okay."

I leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I know. And I'll be there for you too."

I tossed and turned about in my bed thinking about everything that had happened during the past few months.

Had I taken the right decision? Or would I regret this in the end?

I was happy with Ashton now. But what would happen when Ashton found his second mate? Granted, second chances were really rare, but that doesn't mean they don't exist, right? He would surely leave me then, won't he? All men aren't like my stone-hearted mate Aden to reject their other half and give them pain.

I loved Ashton. And for once in my life, I knew how it felt to be loved back. He understands me like no one else does. He is kind and wonderful in every possible way. Most importantly, he makes me happy. Right now, I had everything I wanted for the past three years. But the question was for how long?

I sighed as I hugged my pillow closer.

Leave the past behind you. Make every moment of the present count, as you work towards a better future.

Yes, I would do that. Live my life to the full, without thinking about my past anymore. I have had enough shit to deal with for a a life time. This was my life now, and there's no looking back.

And with that, I closed my eyes allowing myself the comfort of sleep.

My lifeat the Blood Hound Pack quickly fell into place.

For two solid weeks, Ashton trained me in the art of duelling. The art of teleporting. Together, we ran ten miles around the border before the sun rose. Elena took me under her tutelage, as taught me the history of the ancient wolves, the Maikohs.

Every afternoon, I slogged in my room, writing notes and poring through books.

Every night, I went to bed long after everyone else.

As the third week rolled in, she began me around the pack hospital, while describing various poisons and potions that were used around the world.

"Hemlock—the poison that was used to kill Socrates. These are rarely found here in the wild. It is native to Europe and North Africa."

This was our fourth trip to the hospital this week. I was acutely aware of the attention we were drawing from our pack members as we strode down the corridors.

I scribbled words into my notepad as I followed her into the supply room. I made a mental note to look this up in the library later.

She shut the door and turned to face me.

"Next, we have Datura." She held up a wilted white flower and twirled it between her fingers. I didn't dare question how she managed to obtain them. "It goes by many names such as Hell's bell, Thorn apple and Devil's snare. All parts of this plants are poisonous."

"In ancient times, humans would make tea from it and force feed it to their enemies. Thankfully for us, our immune system is superior to theirs so it so it's effects would wear off within a few minutes without causing much harm."

"Sometimes, poisons counteract poisons." She continued as her hand trailed along a long array of vials on the top shelf. They stopped for a moment on a couple of oddly shaped armlet. "You recognise this?"

I nodded. "Silver."

Even brief contact with it is supposed to burn the skin. Prolonged contact will cause it to peel right off your bones.

"And yet," She put the silver armlet back in its place, "Sometimes, it is the only thing that'll protect you in against some of the world's most lethal poisons."

I frowned. "How can that be?"

Elena merely smiled. "You'll find out, all in good time."

Finally, we stopped around midday. My head was spinning by the time we finished from and I was barely of my surroundings while she lead me towards the clearing behind the packhouse.

"Ashton will take over from here." She informed me. "Your next class starts in fifteen minutes."

Before I could so much as thank her, she's gone.

While Elena's sessions covered the academic basics, Ashton focused more on physical training.

"Power training." He explained on the first day, first class. Pain was already blooming in my side—courtesy to the three hundred step ups we'd just finished. "We start with basic punches."

"This," He thrusted his hands up, keeping them below eye-level. "Is home base. This is your first line of defence." He curled his right hand into a fist first, and then his left hand. "Your second."

I got into position. With my dominant foot forward, feet firmly planted into the ground, I struck.

It ended up shaky and all sorts of wrong.

But he didn't laugh.

"One. Two. Three. Four." He continued, until my jabs became stronger. More confident.

"One. Two. Three. Four." Abruptly, he caught my fist mid-air. "Now five, we do the uppercut—straight up your middle."

My breath came out in short gasps. Sweat trickled down my brows, stinging my eyes.

I blinked it away.

Then, struck again.

He nodded appreciably. "Now, step away. Change your angle. One. Two. Three. Again."

And again.

And again.

That was just the beginning.

The second week, he taught me how to spar with a wooden sword. I had been so clumsy, it took him only moments to catch me off guard and knock me off my feet.

I gritted my teeth and stood again.

"Concentrate." Our clashes sounded ominous as we circled each other in the clearing. With a single smooth swipe, he knocked the weapon out of my grasp, kicked it high up in the air and flung it back at me. "You must be soundless. I can hear you inhale sharply just before you strike. In a professional duel, telltale signs like that will get your ass kicked within two seconds."

I scrambled to catch it, but I misinterpret the angle and miss by several inches. The pommel hits my left shoulder, drawing a dull pain in my bones.

I suppressed a wince and picked up the sword again.

"Again." I stated. Adrenaline surged through my veins even as my body ached like hell. "This time, I'll get it right."