I was still on a high from learning Aria was my mate. We snuck off at every given opportunity to spend time alone. Kissing her was the most amazing feeling in the world… everything I think I had envisioned it to be on the very few occasions I had allowed my mind to wander down that path. Aria was everything I had wanted in a girlfriend, but I was scared to allow myself to think of us together for fear of being hurt. Thinking she would never look at someone like me...So to discover she was my fated mate was mind-blowing. I could not believe the moon goddess had chosen to bless me with her for a mate. Nothing seemed to go right when it came to meeting mates for the majority of our families, so I had expected nothing less for myself. But, here I was with the most perfect choice for my mate. Happier than I think I had ever been before. Feeling like I was almost floating as I went about my day-to-day business. Cherishing every moment I was with her. And thinking of her every moment, I was
With his words still echoing in my mind, I turned to watch my Dad walking away, and even his posture seemed to show his pain. I hated that I was hurting him by struggling to talk to him. I knew he was desperate for me to open up to him. And, in truth, I was desperate to be able to finally open up to him... to my family. Stop hiding who I am. They are my family. I should not have to hide from them...“I found my mate, Papi.” I whispered.In an instant, he had swiveled on his heels to turn and look at me, his brows raised and a look of surprise upon his face. I think it was safe to say I had taken him by surprise. In truth, Aria had shocked me when she had told me, so I knew how that felt. “How? You haven’t come of age yet, Isabella. You would have no way of knowing yet.”I smiled. Trust him to think of it like that. I guess I didn’t have my wolf to confirm what Aria was telling me. But my heart and my gut were telling me she was right. I knew she would never lie to me. And, when we kis
We had returned to River Ash Pack as soon as we could once I had been so easily dismissed by the woman chosen for me by the moon goddess. I could not bear to be in the same pack as her, knowing she would soon be marrying another man. Another Alpha. It sickened me. I was struggling to grasp the concept of her not wanting me. Not in an arrogant way. Just in the fact that she was willing to so easily go against fate.I had hoped beyond all hope that in talking to her, I could convince her to consider leaving Lunar River there and then, and returning with me. Refusing the marriage that had been arranged for her, demanding the mate she was fated instead. But Bella seemed so unwilling to even put up a fight for me... for her fate... and that hurt. I was in pain, so that surely meant she had to be too? She was willing to cause herself pain for her own pack? It made no sense to me...“Are you going to stop tapping your feet on the floor?” Landon asked, sounding more than a little frustrated.
I could sense the fury radiating from Kai, and in all seriousness, I don’t think I could blame him. He was having his fated mate ripped away from him. And the option to fight, while there, brought risk to both his fated mate, and his own pack...Not to mention, I didn’t think it was what his family needed right now. They had so much to cope with, having just lost Aunt Lilah's father, and his looming funeral. Kai did not need to be going into the house full of fire and fury, ready to burst; because his parents would surely sense something was wrong. And as we pulled back into River Ash, the only thing I could think of was suggesting a run.“I know it will be hell, Kai. But, she is doing what she feels is right for her family. They made the arrangement for the sake of the pack. I have a feeling she will be in touch.” I told him.“I offered to try to buy them out of the arrangement.” He muttered under his breath, taking me by surprise. That would have been a lot of money, I would imagin
I had needed to get away the moment we stepped from the car. Landon's suggestion of a run had made sense. I did not want to be explaining the mess I found myself in to my family right now. Not in this state, anyway. I was ready to kill for Bella, and that was not the state of mind I should be in to discuss this with them. They had so much to cope with right now; the last thing they needed was to worry about my out of control temper or the possibility of me having lost my mate to another Alpha... I would calm myself, somehow, and find a moment where I could discuss things with my Dad and hope he had more ideas for a solution than me...Right now my mind was on the run that lay ahead, and Nyko, being Nyko, had seen Landon’s suggestion of a race as a challenge and wasted no time in pushing forward and urging me to shift to allow us to get the lead. My wolf did not like to lose. I knew Landon would see it as a direct challenge now too. He was an Alpha wolf, just like I was, whether he tr
I moved. Walking aimlessly. My mind was a whirlpool of emotion and mess right now, but all I know is that I need to get away. I cannot stand and watch Finn touch Cleo that way. It causes pain I can’t describe, and they aren’t even doing anything major… imagine if he took things further… that look in his eyes tells me he wants to…‘Fucking stop!’ Dex growled angrily at me. My wolf did not like that thought. He did not like the thought of my mate with another man. He did not agree with me on the reasoning for letting her go. He never had, I don’t think. He saw her as ours, and that was it. That was how the matebond worked. But I knew I had to protect her. Dex said we would protect her. That was our job as her mate. He failed to see she would need protecting from us…“Landon!” A voice from behind me told me that Kai had shifted. Wonderful, just what I needed.I kept moving. I had no intention of stopping. I did not want his company right now. I had shown weakness in my reaction to seein
I had felt so low. So fed up, and seeing my Grandma struggle was making me feel like I was falling apart. She was fine when she was with her friends, almost like she was putting on a brave face. But the moment she was back at her house, she seemed to withdraw. She sat in her chair, her mind wandering, and her eyes off in another world. I liked to think she was thinking of my Grandad.But seeing a woman who had been so strong now so weak and vulnerable was almost soul-destroying. And then I was there battling the desire to message Landon…Terra missed him. Of course, I knew my wolf would be missing her fated mate. It would be natural. We had yet to officially reject one another, so we still shared the bond. The pull to one another was still strong… and, I would not lie, I missed him too, and was wondering how he was getting on at his family’s pack. I was surprised when I had heard he was staying a little longer than expected, and could not help but wonder if that was in a bid to avoid
I could not help myself with the sly dig at Cleo, or more so at Finn, when I saw his smirk. He was enjoying it. It was almost like he was attempting to rub it in my face. I knew he would take my fated mate if given a chance. The look within his eyes when he looked upon her said a thousand words without uttering a thing... Though was Cleo even considered my fated mate anymore when she knew I planned to reject her? Maybe she already planned to move on?Finn snarled, the anger more than evident on his handsome features and I expected him to come for me. Though he would be a fool to, I knew that much, and he had to too. I was an Alpha, he was simply a Gamma. And the anger simmering through me right now would be enough to kill him, of that I was certain.But he had stronger self-control than me as he held himself back. His eyes simply darkened, angrily glowering at me. His jaw was tight with irritation... I knew he loved and cared for Cleo, and could I blame him for that? Could I be angry
With Camilla’s hand within mine we sat alongside my family and friends as the formalities for the ceremonies came to a close. Kai was now officially Alpha of Midnight Forest Pack. Leo our Beta, Finn our Gamma and Bella our Luna. Our leadership had changed but the pack would hold all the same wonderful values it always had, for Kai was the same sort of good man his father was. Our pack’s future was going to be strong with these guys in charge, and as I had looked across the faces of our family, I had seen so many proud faces.I felt proud of them all too. They deserved this. It had been a great ceremony, and the amount of planning that had gone into it all was evident. Now, the celebrations were to begin, and I could not wait to enjoy them too. Enjoy them with a certain someone by my side… a certain someone I had not expected to be there with me…The last few days had been a little chaotic to say the least, but settling down i
Seeing us all here together was kind of great. We rarely were all together anymore. Not like it used to be. Even Sergio and his new mate had made it here to join us for the big day. It was crazy. The people I called family. Extended family, admittedly, and a family that was extending further now many had met their fated mates, but they were all here for me today. For the pack. It meant the world.Bella rested her head upon my shoulder. “Are you okay, baby?” She whispered, her beutiful eyes looking up at me with curiosity. “You look deep in thought.”“Just thinking how lucky I am.” I told her with a smile.“Too right you are lucky. All these people here for us.” Dad said, from next to me, clearly having listened into the conversation. "It is going to be a good day, son." I smiled at him too.“I know, I was just thinking the same thing. How the group is growing too, we will need a bigge
Landon and I had driven over to my home pack, pulling into the spaces outside the packhouse alongside my brother’s car. “You know we could have all just driven together?” I suggested.“Didn’t want restricting to coming back when Kal or Dax were heading home.” Landon told me with a smile.“You know we are staying here tonight anyway?” I told him and he nodded.“Yes boss.” He teased. He loved implying I was in charge, and in truth, I kind of liked it when he did. Since our Alpha ceremony life had been a little hectic, with so many meetings to take place, and things to adjust to, but I think, finally they may be beginning to settle down.Life as Luna was likely nowhere near as demanding as that of the Alpha, but it was sure taking some adjusting to. Landon was doing everything he could to make sure he made it as easy as he possibly could. Even sweeter, was he had begun arranging fo
I walked into the lounge, and instantly my eyes found my mate, deep in thought as she gazed out of the window. I looked across at Bella, she was dressed in a beautiful simple black satin shift dress. Her long dark hair twisted back into a beautiful braid that swept around onto her shoulder, with a simple white flower within her hair. Her make-up was smoky, but basic so as not to take away from her natural beauty, and she looked truly stunning. I chewed my lower lip as I looked at her standing at the large window looking out over our pack.“You look amazing, sweet.” I told her, and she looked up at me with a tentative smile.“I feel sick.” She whispered.“Nervous?” I questioned, making my way toward her, knowing any moment our peace would be shattered by the arrival of my parents, potentially my grandparents too before we had to go and meet the remaining familiy and friends who we had planned to meet in the packhouse before mak
Our house was sheer chaos, so I could only imagine what the rest of pack must be. Today was the day that the last week had been leading up to. Mum had been involved in the organization of the Alpha Ceremony, with it being for her brother’s eldest son. These sort of events were very much a family effort. And family was hugely important within our pack. Grandma had been involved too, and I swear them, along with Aunt Lilah were like crazy women when trying to plan. It was, without a doubt better to avoid them, I could understand why Kai had said he was dodging them at every opportunity. I think if I were him I would have allowed them free reign to arrange it all, and then simply turn up on the day, that way you would save yourself so many headaches and so much stress...“Luca!” Mum shrieked from the bottom of the staircase. I rolled my eyes. “You best not still be in the bathroom.”“No, that would be Rocky, Mami.” I said with a s
I sat on the bed for a moment, staring at the closed door of the ensuite where Camilla had just run to. My heart racing, from the closeness we had been sharing only moments ago, and aching from the fact it felt like she was rejecting me in that need to flee. My wolf, Elda whimpered heavily within my mind. He had not been dealing well with this back and forth with Camilla of late.I had allowed myself to get closer than I perhaps should. There was something about her that had caught my attention the moment I greeted her at our pack gates. Something I don’t even know that I can describe. She was sweet. Vulnerable. But she chatted to me like she was simply happy to be here. Happy for the now. And that appealed to me. She treated me so kindly. Warmly. And that pulled me in. She was different to the other she-wolves I had met.The amount of times she had wandered up to the guard room with a fresh coffee for me, had warmed my heart. Or the sweet smile
I stretched upon my bed, trying hard to wake myself up, and was shocked to hear my wolf purring within my mind. That was not like her in the slightest. Only as I stretched my arm across the bed did I notice the space next to me felt oddly warm… that was not the way my bed normally felt...I sat up quickly, only to see I was still wearing the clothes in which I had been dressed in last night, other than the fact the shirt had been discarded, leaving the tank top as my only coverage on top. I heard movement in the ensuite, making my whole body freeze once more, and I realized with shock that I was not alone. Jorge had to still be here.The events of last night flooded back to me. He came in as I had suggested, and we sat talking for hours. About anything and everything. His family… his past… my family… my past… I don’t think there was a thing that man did not know about me now. And likely, there was little I did
Bella and Camilla walked into the suite, but the moment Camilla stepped into the lounge where Kai and I were sitting, I could tell from the expression upon her face she was not feeling comfortable. She did not know I was going to be here. Her eyes were darting to her friend, as they glazed over telling me she was attempting to mindlink, but it was as if Bella was choosing not to respond, which admittedly irritated me.Kai had spent most of the time since I had returned from home having had my shower giving me just cause and reason as to why pursuing something with Camilla would be a good idea. Why it would be good for us both. He was adamant she was interested in me, yet this here, looked like she was terrified to be here with me. That did not scream interested to me.‘Have you set that poor girl up?’ I demanded of Kai, and he glanced at his mate, before looking at me with a shrug. He seemed as clueless as me of the developing situation in
Bella and I had finished our shift at the art store, and were driving back into pack. The sun had not stopped shining today. It certainly made the day an enjoyable one. The store had been relatively busy, with enough customers to keep us occupied, and the two of us had created a few new items on the potters wheel. This was so far from the workdays I had endured in my previous role, and most certainly a workday I could become accustomed to. I was loving my life like this...But, I had to admit, today I was a little tired. My mind had been more than a little over-run with thoughts, not only the last few days, but today too. It made for a very tired brain, and a very tired Camilla. It meant I felt like I was ready to crash. So, after the days work, as enjoyable as it may have been, I was most certainly ready to return to my room and put my feet up for the evening. Maybe even a soak in the bath was called for, and a few chapters of my new book I had picked up at the new bookstore