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Oh, it was an accomplishment, alright! A huge one!

"Good job, Ismena." She praised herself as she closed her eyes again.

Wolfaraine did not even bother to ask how Adanel knew all those. The male is the head Sentinel of the werewolf clan.

If anything happens to him today, he's much as capable as Cronus to take over leadership of the werewolf clan as the strongest werewolf.

But then again, the leadership will go to Cronus because he is older. Even if Adanel is stronger.

"What are you doing out here?" Wolfaraine asked instead.

"I needed the fresh air." He shrugged, "It's hard being in there."

"It's bad for Rodarh and Onaries." Adanel groaned, breaking the silence, "Rodarh is the head Sentinel and he's been leading the clan for months since Onaries went to the human world to attend to some business. He would be feeling like he'd failed his people...especially since this happened on his watch."

Wolfaraine felt that. It was a burden he understood more than anyone. "Alpha Onaries rushed back to Naturiah today as soon as he heard the news. I cannot begin to imagine how he must be feeling."

"It's a hard time for the Elephants. But they are strong. They will get past it." Adanel replied in a cool tone.

Silence descended upon them. Tension filled the air.

"Did you ever get past it? Did you ever get passed what happened?" Wolfaraine spared him a glance then.

The male stiffened slightly. Any other person would have missed that reaction, but Wolfaraine wasn't just anybody.

The silence that followed that question was deafening.

"No." The calm reply came at last, "No, I never got past it. But, I'm trying so hard." He shook his head, "It's not easy."

"It is not." Old pains surfaced again. He felt the werewolf sentinel's pains too.

Adanel is the one man in Naturiah that can understand his pains on a personal level.

They were in hell together eighteen years ago. They both lost something precious to them. And he was to blame for all of them.

He lost Nalaila and Pouty in that hellhole. He lost his people too. Adanel lost his mate.

Wolfaraine turned towards him, "I am sorry for what happened."

The male took a deep breath. His lips curved in a small smile that was supposed to mask his pain. "It was not your fault. Humans are to blame for it. We did not drug ourselves. We did not pair ourselves."

"The humans know that you were the strongest and you were our leader, so they paired you with every female available. Every single female in that hellhole...including my mate." He swallowed tightly.

"I am sorry." He repeatedly softly.

He'd carried this guilt among others for the past eighteen years. Adanel has always been less of a talker, calm, and reserved since he was a young lad. But, that day in the lab, he'd almost gone crazy.

Those screams of anguish as another male raped his mate. Those roars of misery, those shouts carved with raw pain.

They'd stayed with Wolfaraine for the past eighteen years.

"Aimee and I were unfortunate." He said mirthlessly, drawing Wolfaraine's attention back to the present. "We just found each other two weeks ago, only be to abduct. It only happened because I was foolish. Aimee's death was my fault, Alpha King. No one else's."

He shrugged, "Aimee did not die from being paired with you. She died five days later from those drugs that were injected into her. She was among the werewolves that couldn't survive those barbaric injections." Sad eyes surveyed his hands as if he was expecting to see blood. "I never blamed you for her death. It was all my fault."

"It was not your fault. As you said, she was captured, unfortunately. Do not blame yourself for what happened. I know your mate will never blame you for it."

"I would have loved to find out about that but she is dead, right? We will never know." Adanel shook his head, "It's a cross I have to bear. Alone. Always alone. For the rest of my life."