Chapter: Prologue (THE END)“I think these may have been the greatest idea you’ve ever had,” I moaned, savoring the taste of another blueberry. My basket was nearing full, despite the fact that I’d eaten probably a hundred while picking them. Elliot had suggested we plant a garden full of fruit trees and bushes so that "we could relive meeting every day." Those were his words, not mine. The moment he'd said them, I swore someone had switched out the man I knew with some strange creature. “Aren’t all of my ideas superb?” Elliot quipped, watching me with a smile on his face. Standing on my tip-toes, I pushed a blueberry into his mouth, causing his eyes to widen, “See?!” “I’m just shocked you’d stick those dirty fingers into my mouth,” Elliot shook his head in mock irritation, “But the blueberry is delicious.” “Such a pain in the ass.” Elliot winked, “You knew what you were signing up for.” Sitting the basket on the wood, I pushed myself up onto the deck before flopping onto Elliot’s lap dramatica
Last Updated: 2024-01-30
Chapter: Didn't make it to hellA soft knock on the door startled me, “May I come in?” Stella whispered, holding out a tray of coffees. “Of course.” She held the tray up, “I brought enough for everyone. Chaos knows he’s welcome to hang out. In the open,” Stella raised a brow, pulling a coffee out and handing it to me. “He says he prefers to be closer to me. Apparently next to me isn’t close enough,” a soft laugh escaped my lips, “Inside of me is the way to go.” 'Don't act like you don't love when I'm inside of you,' Chaos quipped. I could imagine him wagging his brows at the double meaning. He's not wrong. In either respect. Though I couldn't fathom the thought of being intimate right now. Maybe ever if I can't figure out how to fix this gaping hole that I call my heart. She rolled her eyes, “So dramatic, that man.” I nodded in agreement as Chaos separated from me, narrowing his eyes at Stella, “You do realize that I can hear everything. Is it a crime to want to be inside of an amazing woman?” he w
Last Updated: 2024-01-29
Chapter: Need himDo you ever feel like your life is a series of moments threaded together, but one piece pulls away, unraveling everything as you know it? My father’s death created somewhat of a domino effect for me. I was like a rosebud. I had the potential to be something amazing, but without the proper nutrients, I would die before I bloomed. My mother had tried to starve me of everything I essentially needed to flourish. But in the end, she gave me the one thing that would change everything. I’ve been staring mindlessly out this window for what feels like a lifetime, but it couldn’t be more than a week. I've lost track of days, hours, minutes, seconds. None of that matters anyways.It’s stormed every day since he’s been gone. When I was a pup, the storms terrified me. I’d cry until Dallas relented, allowing me to stay in his room with him. Then, when he was gone, I’d welcomed them. Needed the sound of the thunder to fall asleep, like a baby needs a pacifier. Now, it simply feels as if it’s
Last Updated: 2024-01-28
Chapter: Good enough“El..... It.... hurts,” I choked out, as pain spread through my body like wildfire. My body tensed up, feeling as if I’d been tased, “Di.... did I....do it wrong?” Elliot offered me a small smile. Even through the pain, I noticed his eyes were red and glassy, “It’ll be over soon, baby. You did perfect. Just, squeeze my hand.” Screwing my eyes shut, I focused on baby blues in the darkness, feeling the warmth of his hand while I waited for the pain to pass. Then, everything was numb. My body felt as if I were floating on a cloud. Warmth enveloped me as I opened my eyes. I felt different. Like parts of me were missing while simultaneously being filled with something new. Something better. “Fuck, kitten. I’m so proud of you,” Chaos praised in my head, “So fucking proud.” A choked sob escaped my throat, my eyes finding Elliot staring at me with his head tilted to the side. The glassiness was still present in his eyes. Relief flooded his features when I nodded at him, silently
Last Updated: 2024-01-26
Chapter: A hero(Chaos POV)I’m so close to destroying everything. This mortal Earth is nothing without her. It would cease to exist without her presence. Her eyes haunt me every time I close mine. I’d wrap myself in every variation of emerald, green just to feel closer to her. I underestimated that walking fucking garbage can. Cassius was a waste of space and a disgrace to our kind. He’s been on some sick power trip for hundreds of years, mingling with the lowest of our kind. After we figured out what he was doing, my father sent me to murder those who aided him in becoming who he is. It is forbidden to go against the laws in hell. Despite being demons, we are to follow the law of Hades and never stray. We abide by a strict code, where Hades has the final rule. It prevents literal chaos from ensuing. Without order and discipline, Hell would be a madhouse. But we each hold ourselves to a certain standard and it typically worked until him. He consumed unwilling souls, learning ways around the law to bene
Last Updated: 2024-01-25
Chapter: The moment everything changed(Elliot POV)TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of suicide Have you ever thought that you’d experienced the worst kind of pain, but really, it was nothing compared to the next thing? Or something that even follows that? In one moment, you think to yourself, ‘It can’t get worse than this,” but then, it always does? That’s what this feels like. Lilliana asked me what I thought would happen if she sold her soul to Chaos.... Would I feel our souls tearing apart? Would I feel the pain of rejection.... or would it be so much worse? Is she choosing him over me? “Elliot, you’ve been silent for what feels like a lifetime,” her soft voice broke me from my thoughts. “I....I’m not sure.” “Stella explained to us that Cassius wants to combine our magic. Light and dark. If I am the light magic, and Chaos is the dark magic; Do you think it’ll have the same effect? Will Chaos then become the stronger of the two of them?” Lilliana paused for a beat, “It has to be the same. Maybe better, because I’d be willing to g
Last Updated: 2024-01-24
Chapter: Guilt“I’ve increased security and will be checking in hourly. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” James held my annoyed stare, knowing that nothing was getting in or out of these walls without him knowing.He held up his hands in mock surrender, “Fine. FINE. I get it,” he stepped towards me, his large frame crowding my space. My butt hit the counter and my crutches fell to the ground. James lifted me with ease and placing me atop the cool, granite countertop. A shiver rolled through my body as the chill seeped into my skin, “I’m allowed to worry about you, you know?”“Worry all you want, but don’t stop letting me live. Please. I’ll be fine and I trust that all of the additional security measures you’ve put in place will keep me extra safe,” I pecked his lips, attempting to pull away quickly, but he grabbed my face, crashing our lips together in a searing kiss.James held me there until we were both breathless, and my chest ached from the lack of oxygen.“The office can wait,” he growled
Last Updated: 2024-11-14
Chapter: The Perfect MateJames assisted me into a house, where the smell of bleach assaulted me the moment I walked through the threshold. A crew of cleaners froze as we walked inside, but a single look from James had them scurrying back to their jobs.The glass had been removed and the blood no longer stained the white porcelain. A new pane of glass shimmered beneath the midday sun, and I found myself frozen as I stared at the picture-perfect home.“It feels weird to see looking how it was before,” I whispered, still feeling the fear of that night swim through my veins. The large floor to ceiling window overlooked the forest in the backyard, and I silently wondered if that fear would multiply once the sun went down and the shadows of the night came out to play.James pressed his lips to my temple, “I replaced the glass from before with something graded to be bullet proof. Nothing will get through those windows again.”A shiver rolled down my spine. Either James replaced the window with bulletproof glass to m
Last Updated: 2024-11-13
Chapter: Something is off I was finally cleared to go home from the hospital, but I’m not quite sure how to feel about it. On one hand, I missed my bed and the comfort of my own home. On the other, I didn’t know how to feel about being there after the attack.Not to mention my mind has been running in circles since Marina showed up here yesterday.James came shortly after she left, but something seemed off, and I wanted to dissect everything that Marina had said before confronting James about it. But even more confusing was the fact that she’d specifically said a wolf bite, when she shouldn’t have known that small fact.She couldn’t have known that unless she orchestrated it or James had told her about it, but I was leaning towards her orchestrating the attack.“How’s Ahmed?” I glanced up at James as he wheeled me out to the awaiting car.“He’s awake and recovering. I’ve placed him on paid leave and instructed his wife to come to me if they need anything at all,” James’ voice held an edge to it, but I didn’t c
Last Updated: 2024-11-11
Chapter: Cops(James POV)The inside of the house looked like a massacre. Tiny shards of glass decorated the floor like snow. Some of the larger bits were painted with a deep, blackish crimson from the dried blood, and the smell was nauseating.‘These were definitely rogues,’ Onyx spat through gritted teeth, his anger blending with mine the more we assessed the scene.Through it all, I could smell Rosalind’s blood, and the thought of them hurting her while I was off chasing some ignorant lead on Marina made my blood boil with anger. But the anger was directed at myself.I should have been here. I should have been the one to protect her, and Ahmed did his best, but one man against multiple wolves just didn’t succeed.Rainwater had flooded most of the evidence, causing it to spread before drying. The cops wouldn’t be able to pull anything from this mess. Not anything concrete anyways.I’d learned the hard way how easily evidence can be destroyed. If you’re not on the scene within a tiny window of time, your succ
Last Updated: 2024-11-09
Chapter: Our. Home“Rosalind,” Chris shouted, shouldering through a group of nurses who were conveniently gossiping about James. They still couldn’t believe he was married to a woman like me. Sure, I was a doctor, but that wasn’t anything special when the most eligible, billionaire bachelor in Georgia was in the running. He was like a God around here. And me? Well, I was simply an average looking woman who also happened to be a doctor. My status as a Red didn’t mean a damn thing, because I wasn’t a hot man who also happened to have enough money to buy the entire United States and not blink an eye. “What the fuck?” Chris muttered; eyes wide as he stared at my elevated leg. Blood had seeped through the bandages because they couldn’t seal the wound and for someone who doesn’t see this kind of thing on a regular basis, it was pretty disgusting. “Close the curtain,” I whispered, and he did quickly, rushing back to my side.“Was that,” he pointed at my injury, “From one of them.”“We are one of them,” I n
Last Updated: 2024-11-06
Chapter: Cross me(James POV)Pure, unfiltered rage didn’t even begin to describe the poisonous feeling flooding through my veins. The anger feels like a living, breathing thing.Like a Goddamned snake slithering its way beneath my skin, releasing toxic poison in the form of fury that bleeds into every square inch of my body.I want the heads of every single person who stepped foot on my property last night. I don’t give a shit who they were or what they were doing there. If they accidentally stumbled upon the forest at the back of the property…. I’m going to find them and make them pay.Since my driver is now fighting for his life in the hospital with Rosalind, I’m forced to call and wait for a driving service to offer me a temp replacement for Ahmed.A few painstaking minutes pass while I pace a hole in the cement out front of the hospital, sweating from the sweltering, humid Georgia heat before the damn driver finally shows up.‘He is clearly incompetent,’ Onyx spats in my head, ‘Ahmed would never keep us waiti
Last Updated: 2024-11-04
Chapter: Chose my heart(THE END)The night was finally here and the room was full. People from all walks of life sat at small round tables together. “You look beautiful,” Wyatt whispered in my ear. I decided to wear an all-black sun dress and just enough eye makeup to accentuate my eyes. We opted to keep things fairly casual for the evening. That way, there was no pressure on our new members. Many came here with next to nothing, and didn't want a free handout. Wyatt’s father was sitting at a table chatting with a beautiful vampire. He had a broad smile and she was laughing at whatever it was he was saying. He held Dex in his arms and kept glancing down at him while speaking with the woman.“I think that your father might be smitten.”Wyatt followed my gaze, “Oh yeah, he’s in trouble. Or maybe she’s in trouble.”Kiera joined us, “There are far more people here than I thought,” she whispered, nervously wringing her hands. “You have nothing to worry about. You’re a natural.”She took one final deep breath before taki
Last Updated: 2024-07-15
Chapter: Preparing“Do we have all of the food prepared for the evening?” Two of the kitchen staff stood before me with clipboards. We were going over everything needed for our welcoming party. We had an overwhelming response once we began sending out invitations for the Safe Haven. At first, it was like a shockwave to the supernatural community. Unheard of in a way. A lot of packs returned our letter, accusing us of trying to steal their members. Some packs asked to come in and see what it was exactly that we were working so diligently on. We had five Alpha’s meeting Kai in total confusion on why we would welcome those of different supernatural races into our pack. ‘Werewolves are supposed to run packs for werewolves!’ they’d say. But in the end, they weren’t why we were making the program anyways and we held no room for their outdated ways. Once we had a few wolves show up, it was like the domino effect. It quickly became apparent that we were not prepared for the task ahead of us. “I believe so
Last Updated: 2024-07-15
Chapter: Excitement(Wyatt POV)I’ve been trembling with excitement since we arrived. Felicity was sitting on a small bed with a towel on her lap, fidgeting her fingers since the nurse brought us in here. They’d taken a small vile of her blood and we were patiently waiting for the ultrasound tech to come and start looking at our pup. “I hope they hurry up. I’m going to burst here in a moment.”Felicity giggled, leaning down and capturing my lips in a sloppy kiss. A soft knock at the door had her pulling away and in came a young nurse. “Are you two ready to see your fledgling?” she asked with a warm smile. I’ve been calling my pup a kin, or pup, but the correct term is fledgling. The more you know...Felicity leaned back on the table as the nurse squirted jelly on her exposed belly. I grasped Felicity’s hand, squeezing it tightly. My eyes never left the little screen as she placed the wand into the sticky substance. A wiggly bean appeared on the screen causing my eyes to instantly well with tears. That little t
Last Updated: 2024-07-15
Chapter: Full circleI decided to walk back home slowly, thinking about everything that had happened. I don’t want to believe that Parker is still in love with me. The thought makes me feel dirtied, like I'm betraying Kiera. She deserves his whole heart just as I've given mine to Wyatt.‘Can I come to you?’ Wyatt’s voice floated in my head.‘Sure, I’m walking home from the lake.’Less than thirty seconds later, Wyatt appeared in front of me. I could feel his guilt as he stood there wringing his hands.Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arms tightly around his body and angled my face to look up at him. “Are you okay?”His arms snaked around my back, pulling me flush to him. One hand rested on the back of my head and the other squeezed my midsection. His chin rested against my hair, “I feel awful for how I acted earlier. Kiera didn’t deserve that."“I’m sure she will forgive you.”His head fell onto my shoulder, “Did you talk with Parker?”“I did.”He pulled away from me, “That’s all I get?”I s
Last Updated: 2024-07-12
Chapter: Ash(Parker POV)She nodded and he leaned forward, crashing our lips into hers. His hands went into her hair, gripping it tightly. He pulled her closer to us, snaking a hand behind her back. The sparks from their contact were electrifying. ‘You taste like heaven,’ he growled, ‘Better than heaven.’ I typically wouldn’t have given Ash full control but I felt like they needed this moment. She climbed onto his lap and from where I was in his mind, it was like watching a show. Almost like seeing my mate with myself but from the outside, which was an interesting twist. He gripped her sides, positioning her directly on his lap. She leaned forward, capturing his lips in a dominant kiss. He plunged our tongue deep in her mouth and she let out a muffled moan. ‘Will you let me explore you, Kiera? I want to show you just how much you mean to me.’ “Please,” she moaned out. He stood, her legs wrapped around our middle and he carried her to the room. ‘Don’t be too rough,’ I warned. ‘Go away,’
Last Updated: 2024-05-20
Chapter: Cut the strings that hold me back(Parker POV)As we ran through the thick foliage, Felicity’s voice was on repeat in my mind. I needed to forgive myself. Let go of the need for control. How does one do that when it is the only thing that they know? ‘The Goddess made Kiera for us. She doesn’t make mistakes,’ Ash muttered. That was only one piece to my puzzle. How do I forgive myself for not being there when my parents needed me? When Felicity needed me? When..... I needed me? Ash followed Kiera’s scent back to our house and I silently thanked the goddess that she still came home after I had embarrassed her today. He shifted, giving me control. I quickly threw on a pair of shorts and rushed inside. Kiera was sitting on the couch with a packed suitcase. The sight broke my heart. “Are.... are you leaving?” Her gaze met mine and I saw her puffy, bloodshot eyes. She probably hasn’t quit crying since I left the pack house. The thought that I caused that was a suckerpunch to the gut.“I think that would be what’s bes
Last Updated: 2024-05-20