Crouched together under the tree, hoping the long grasses surrounding us would offer some cover Alexander silently slipped the ebony brooch from his cloak letting it silently fall to the ground. He was preparing to shift into his wolf form. I finally caught the scent that had drifted over to us, there was a mossy tint to it, earthy and sallow.
“There is more than one approaching” he muttered under his breath as he slowly shifted his position, so he was crouched instead of sat, ready to pounce into action. The crunch of footsteps through the grass became audible, clearly, they were getting closer, by leaving the path and tracking through the grass they must be tracking us. They must have caught the scent of my arousal which only made my cheeks scorch with embarrassment. Fyre was poised, ready to shift despite Alexanders urge for us to run at any sign of trouble.
Azalea was waiting for me at the edge of the village, she ran towards me as she saw me approach, a kind light shining from her eyes. “Welcome back Luna Helena, can I get you anything?”. I couldn’t help smiling back at her despite the nerves clanging within my chest. “I would love a bath and a change of clothing please, it has been an eventful morning Azalea. Is Alpha Bram on site?” “He left a couple of hours ago ma’am. But he went down the other path.” “The other path?” Azalea smiled and dropped her voice to a whisper as we walked back to the guest house. “There are multiple routes to the Fates, to ensure privacy we never send people on the same one”
Another two days passed before we arrived home, it was late at night, but I knew there would be another supper with Alpha Romanov to endure. Every night whilst Azalea slept soundly, I tried to see if I could connect with Alexander, but he was never close enough. He was keeping to his word and not taking any more chances. I wondered if Azalea knew everything already. Despite all our chat and pleasantries I had not mentioned him, there was nobody in the world I could trust with his name yet. We had made separate camps each night, so I hadn’t truly seen him since the village as Azalea and I had retreated straight after eating each night. As soon as the convoy of myself, Bram, Azalea, Klaus, Braxton and a few other Beta’s disembarked outside the front of the castle where a small collection of people had gathered to welcome us a small woman in regal uniform approached Bram with a note. “Helena,
As the heavy duty jeep trundled away from Five Lakes Jack and Caleb sat in silence together. They both wore relaxed jeans and button-down shirts in differing shades of blue highlighting their mossy brown eyes. Jack wore a black eye-patch, daring anyone to stare at his disfigurement. There had already been several instances where his rage had boiled over against those he felt were judging him. Caleb had almost not brought him along, but his father had insisted that they stick together. Two strong Alpha Brothers would make a much better impression than one. Jack was still a physically impressive specimen, especially since they had spent the past month fully engrossed in physical training. Neither of them could put their fingers on what had caused the change in attitude but suddenly the urge to spar, attack and learn combination moves became an all-consuming focus.
Alpha Romanov paced his royal suite unable to sleep. The commitment ceremony was only two days away and whilst Helena and Bram were putting on a good display, he knew it couldn't last. There had been dinners and meetings amongst the Beta’s and they certainly had everyone convinced now. However his youngest son was too volatile to truly treat her as an equal. He couldn’t put his finger on why Helena was persisting with the fruitless match, she didn’t seem power-hungry like some of the women he had seen dealing with Bram, but she undoubtedly had an agenda. His room was rich and luxuriously furnished with wooden panelling, ornate paintings, and plush furniture yet Alpha Romanov paced like a caged animal. His silvery eyes glinted in the candlelight as he tossed his cloak onto his sofa; his full muscular physique could be glimpsed through his shirt including the rippling lines of scars that he'd
It’s been a strange couple of weeks but finally I get to see Ivan and Kyra. I think two weeks of me being delightful and demure in his company has finally convinced Bram I’m not about to go telling them our arrangement. It had to be on his terms though, in the busy dining hall where my idiot bodyguards could unsubtly lurk if they thought the topic was veering away. I tried not to let it bother me as I trotted down the stairs. I was wearing a long tunic dress and leggings with boots, along with my gorgeous, red-lined cloak. I adored my cloak and as the red swished behind me alongside my bouncing brown curly hair it gave me an endless boost of confidence that nobody could take away. The dinners with his patronising Beta friends, the endless smiling and nodding at everything Bram said or joked about was wearing thin. To be myself was like trying to not scratch at an itch.
As quietly as possible I headed back to Bram’s suite minus Azalea who seemed to peel away separately without me realising. Between myself and Fyre we tried to rationalise what I’d seen. Bella knew the commitment ceremony was only days away, she believed Bram was my mate. Unless he’d told her the truth? Fyre bounced ideas round my head like a pinball. How long have they been seeing each other? How many times? Are they mates? I couldn’t describe the emotion, it wasn’t anywhere close to jealousy, instead a seething resentment raced through me. Why did I have to give up Alexander for appearances sake if he gets to carry on his playboy life? The prophecy clearly wasn't more important to him than some fling! My heart ached for Alexander to sweep me up in those big arms, wrap that huge black cloak around me and take the rest of the world away.
Just as Alpha Romanov finished speaking, half a dozen Beta's surged through the door, including Ivan. He wasn't in Brams squad which included the odious Klaus, but Alpha had added him to the council just before I arrived in Silver City. He was focused and serious, not a trace of the jokey older brother as he met my eyes and nodded politely. "Bram is not here but we shall start anyway. Five Lakes are planning war. The brothers Caleb and Jack are on their way now for the ceremony which takes place in two days. They arrive late tomorrow. They believe we are weak and underprepared, and I have to confess they are probably correct. I need ideas, strategy, information. Now". T
The next few hours were largely a blur as I thanked the servant profusely for her time, got changed and ran to Bram’s suite. Azalea was already at the doorway.“Can you see what is coming?”“I have tried, it is clouded to me, I can only see up to the ceremony and then confusion.” Her eyes seemed glassy with emotion as she stared at me.“So I get to the ball at least” rolling my eyes, “I don’t know what to do”“You can’t change the eventual outcome, you only change the mode of getting there ma’am” and she placed a hand on my arm in consolation. I had to try and see the vision as something to help me rather than scare me. I added