Damon's POVTorrance and Nalia returned with wonderful news. They're able to track down the traces of the transport the witches used to take Leena. I have to come up with a plan of action that doesn't involve charging in full force. We still don't know what will be waiting for us, so I have to be careful with what I do. I sent Torrance in his raven form to scout the area so I knew what we would be working with. It's been a few hours since I last seen him and I'm growing more concerned as each minute passes. Finally, I hear the familiar tapping sound of his beak. Torrance flies in quickly and transforms hastily to where he's still got black feathers in different places. I've never seen him this whacked out. "Torrance, what's going on? Did you find her?"He's quivering all over, but manages to nod his head. "M-m-majesty! Its Lancaster. He's alive and he has Leena."My heart drops to my stomach and I can hear a distant ringing in my ears. That's not possible. I ripped his heart out.
Leena's POVThe sun rises, casting its light through the same window at the top of the room. I can finally make out the room that I've been thrown into. It's a dank looking basement with water running down the walls. That explains the awful mildew smell I've been breathing in for several hours now. I try to readjust myself but with my hands and ankles bound, I just flop myself over instead. My face is now in a stagnant puddle. My stomach turns as I move my head to the side to prevent myself from drowning in its nastiness. My muscles are starting to hurt from being tense and bound up and my head is throbbing. At this point, I just want Lancaster to end it all. I'm tired of the long, drawn out torture. I feel Sheera within me whimpering, as if reminding me what would happen to Damon if I were to actually die. Damn it! There's a sudden shuffling noise in the darkest corner of the room. When I move my eyes to look, I see a hunched figure coming towards me. As it gets closer, I reali
Damon's POVI can feel each stab of pain in the areas that Lancaster has dealt her. Then suddenly, my heart starts to seize in my chest painfully. "Torrance, we have to hurry. She's dying and if she does, then I will too, I can feel it!"Torrance picks up the pace of his flight, and I follow, pushing through the pain. A few moments later, we come upon a building and he motions towards the basement of it to let me know that's where she is. I don't have time to go through the nice way, if I'm going to save her, I have to crash through that barred window. "Torrance! Prepare for mayhem, I may raise the alarm with what I'm about to do."Not waiting for his answer, I brace myself for impact and use the full weight of my body to slam through the concrete that makes up the lower foundation of the abandoned building. Dust and debris fly around me and I can't see a thing. I'm still in my wolf form, but I'm positive my glimmer has faded. Once the dust settles to the ground, I lock eyes with a
Leena's POVI hear many different noises when I finally come to. The one that stands out the most is the whooshing of air in a rhythm to the left of me. I try to move my head over slightly to look at it and realize that I'm unable to due many different cords and tubes. I try to swallow and breathe and realize I cannot do so. Panic floods over me quicker than I can settle it back down. I start flailing for the object that's obstructing my airway and can't get a decent hold on it. Several people rush over to me to help settle me, and it sends me into a bigger frenzy. "Calm down, Luna. Don't fight the intubation, you'll cause severe damage. We'll remove it for you, okay?" My eyes are wide as I feel like I can't breathe and I shake my head in a crazed motion. They gently place their hands on my arms and the tube that's pushing air into my lungs. As they pull it out from my throat, I feel an increasing gagging sensation. "We need you to cough, Luna. It will help get this out a lot smoo
Damon's POVI tuck Leena into bed and grab the medicines that Mistress Lana, the head healer provided. They're a mixture of pain managements and sedatives. I guess the sedatives are to help with the bomb that she just dropped on us. Soon after taking her meds, she's fast asleep, slightly snoring with her mouth agape. I lay next to her, but can't bring myself to touch her. Possibly no children? That's the furthest thing from my mind and I'm sure hers right now, but from the tears that keep falling from her face, I know it hurt her to hear the news. As I lay here studying her soft features, I can't help but envision her with a large bump underneath royal garb. She's glowing and radiant and so happy. Within a next second, in a cloud of smoke, it's gone and she's on the ground crying. I shake my head as if I'm physically shaking the thoughts away. Lancaster, the bastard! He knew what he was doing. After learning that he planned to take out the entire Lycan kingdom, I have no doubt th
Leena's POVI notice his breathing even out into a rhythmic pattern, letting me know that he's fallen asleep. I should stop reading, but I find the journal so interesting. Garlic causes a slight burning sensation to the touch, but the hyacinths created such heavy burns that the Hybrid had to seek medical attention. I wonder if that's something that could be useful to the king. He has been working so hard over these last several weeks. I know that me being taken and put to the brink of death didn't make that any easier on him. I can't help but feel like I've just been a major burden on this man since the day we met. I look down at his face and see how calm and peaceful his features seem. His brows aren't furrowed and it makes his forehead and eyes look less wrinkled. There are some wrinkles in the corner of his eyes. His temples have a few gray strands that I have never noticed before, and so does his stubble. The stress must be taking its toll on him or he's older than I originall
Leena's POVI'm awakened by something tickling my face, and I let out a high-pitched giggle before opening my eyes. "Damon! Stop!" My heart thuds in my chest as I realize it isn't Damon's at all. I notice that it's actually large black feathers hovering over my face that woke me up. I follow the feathers up to the face to see a set of familiar black eyes. "Torrance?" The bird just stares at me, studying my expressions, sending my growing discomfort. Still, nothing is said. The only sound is the rustling of his feathers as he spreads his wings and flies suddenly out the window. I hear footsteps form the opposite direction and turn to see a completely naked Lycan king standing in front of me. My eyes widen once they lay sight upon his very alert lower half. I see a spark of arrogance light up his face, but he masks it with curiosity. "Uhm, I thought I heard you talking to someone, so I came to see what was up, but I see that you're alone now and that I probably should have covered my
Damon's POVThat's the second time that I've felt off about Torrance. Last time, I shrugged it off as overthinking things. This time, it's not that easy. My mind is occupied as I enter my study and I don't even realize that the one person I needed to see was standing right there by the window. I take a seat in my desk chair and start to gather paperwork when I hear a throat clearing behind me. I'm jump in my seat, startled and turn around. "Fucking hell Torrance! You can't just sneak up on me like that!"He furrows his dark brows and his mouth is set in a grim, thin line. "I'm sorry Majesty, I've been here the entire time, I thought maybe you saw me when you came in." "Well, whatever, what is it?" I say unintentionally snappy. "Are you alright, King Damon? You seem rather out of sorts today.""Actually, about that Torrance. Leena had the weirdest experience this morning. She swore she woke up to you staring down at her while in your raven form, but she was kind enough to play it o
Leena's POV I leave Nalia to do what she needs to do to prepare for the upcoming battle. I can't actually believe it. She's pregnant too! And married to Torrance? This week just keeps getting stranger, it's giving me whiplash. She asked me to keep her marriage and pregnancy a secret for now, so I will do just that. Nalia has given me a friendship I never knew I needed. However, she did tell me of her plan to put a magical barrier around my womb to help protect my pups from any damage to my body that may occur in the battle. I was at least given the go ahead to let Damon know since it pertained to me and not just her. So that is just where I'm headed. I made sure to wear my sexiest lingerie underneath my silk robe just for him. I'm hoping for a seductive tryst in his study again before I let him know.I knock lightly on the door, just to make sure it's okay to come in when the door opens. I walk in to see the generals of the royal army sitting around the desk and Damon is sitting b
Nalia's POVI'm starting to think that King Damon doesn't understand the limits to my influence on witches as a seer. I get that I have trained under a powerful group of witches to obtain the magic that I have, but there are still many that think of me as a lowly maggot. However, if what Leena says is true, I have to try my best to convince them. Who would have ever thought that those banished witches from a thousand years ago were the ones responsible for this carnage we're seeing today. Finally, I have arrived back at the first village of those who don't want to meddle in werewolf affairs. Unease hits me immediately, and so does the smell of smoke and blood. There's a deeply dark feeling that's overwhelming my senses and I can't pinpoint it's exact location until I start looking all around me. That's when I notice the bodies lying in heaps amongst the heavy smoke. So many eyes are open and glassy from what seems to be a sudden death. Tears fall from my eyes heavily as I'm holdin
Damon's POV I can hear the screaming all the way down to my study. Apparently, so does Nalia, Torrance, and the rest of the royal army. I bound out of there so fast that I nearly knock everything and everyone over while doing so. I can feel my blood boiling as Dixon and I find out that the agonizing scream belongs to our mate. I push myself to go quicker but the pain she's feeling is now transferring to us. So this is what a mate bond on both sides feels like. What will happen once I finally mark her, completing the mate bond? Will the pain be even more agonizing for the other when one of us gets hurt? I shake those thoughts from my head. I can't let myself be distracted while I'm trying to get to her. When I finally get to the royal chambers, I see that Nalia and Torrance have beaten me. They must have transported after I left. Nalia is standing next to Leena who is writhing in pain, fresh marks around her wrists and blood pouring out. She has her hands hovering over Leena's bod
Leena's POVI'm too stunned to say anything. All I can do is cry. What if I'm not good enough for them? And three pups?My head is spinning and so are my thoughts. I feel strong arms pull me into a hard, muscle-defined body and my mind instantly clears. I can feel Sheera purring inside and she's murmuring something. It's quiet at first, then gradually she's screaming one word over and over again. MATE. MATE. MATE. MATEMATEMATEMATE!Suddenly this overwhelming scent of cedar and allspice floods my senses. Any electricity I felt slightly when touching Damon is now intensified. Moisture pools in between my thighs and my breath becomes thready with need. I feel Damon tensing up around me once he realizes what's going on. We must look as startled as we feel because someone clearing their throat pulls us back to reality. Nalia and Mistress Lana are just standing there staring at us, worry etched on their faces. "I found my mate." It comes out as a whisper, but the thick and heavy silen
Damon's POVI continue reading this book on the history of witches while Leena sleeps. I'm trying to distract myself from this nagging feeling about her fear over becoming a mother. Why am I so mad about it? I never thought once about having a mate, let alone a family. I can feel Dixon rolling his eyes at me. Damon, you moron. You may not have thought about any of this, but I found our mate. As for the family, you're bred to carry on the royal lineage. We are a direct descendant of Tyrian Lycanus, the first Lycan king. It's in your blood to breed the Lycan line. You may not be immediately wanting it, but subconsciously you do and that's why what she said upset you. Damn it, Dixon. I don't have time for your shit right now. I have to figure out how to stop these witches. I get it Damon, I do. I need you to listen to me though, because I'm about to tell you something completely out of my character. I laughed quietly. Yeah, Dixon may be my beast, but he's not much like me. He's abra
Leena's POVDamon has officially lost his mind! Maybe we had too much sex this morning and he's in this heightened sense of euphoria and that's why he's got this through his head? I mean, a mating ceremony, I'm not that shocked by it. We've discussed him marking me when I'm ready for it. But pregnancy? I'm not completely sheltered. Lancaster made me stay with the females in heat and help them when they went through their births. I wonder if Damon thinks that I don't know anything. It's his turn to snap me out of my own thoughts. When my eyes focus back to reality, I notice the look of concern on his face. "I'm sorry, just, I, huh... what?" He brings me into a loving embrace and rubs my back to help calm me down. I can hear his beast trying to communicate with my wolf. "It can't be possible right?" I can feel his energy shift from comforting to sad, now to annoyance. "I mean we don't know how far into the future these dreams are Leena. So it doesn't seem to be that far fetched
Damon's POVMy study is a complete disaster from Leena's and my sexual rendezvous, so I let a maid know discreetly on our way to our bed. When we get back to our chambers, I lay Leena down onto the bed and cover her up. She fell asleep on the way over, her mind and body exhausted from the several times we went at it in the study. I'll have to work slower on building up her stamina. Once we complete the mate bond, we'll be at it for an entire night, if not for days. She hasn't had her first heat since she technically hasn't shifted, so she hasn't experienced the type of starvation of elation that most she-wolves go through during that time. Now that I think about it, it's possible that she knows nothing of it. Between not having her mother around to teach her about these things, Lancaster kept her hidden away in that basement most of the time, so she may not have experienced it with other she-wolves in her pack. I guess it's up to me to start finding out what all she knows and does
Leena's POVI wasn't expecting to give in so soon. I really did go to Damon to apologize for my earlier behavior. It really wasn't fair for me to explode like that on him last night. Since my partial shiftings, Sheera has been more present to me. I'm more aware of her thoughts and emotions. She's been on me all morning about making up to him and his beast. The damn traitor. She bails out then makes me feel guilty about my actions? Whatever. I couldn't help but give myself to him though. What he said he would do... it just set a fire within me that could only be quelled with only he could give me. Now we're here together after satiating each other's physical and emotional needs resting. His breathing is deep and even, letting me know he's dozed off. I try to fall asleep myself, but Sheera's anxiety is keeping me awake. So I just lay here and relax with him, bonding in quiet intimacy. An hour passes by and I can feel him moving beneath me. His small movements turn into violent thra
Damon's POVI was in a restless, fitful sleep all night long. Dixon spent the entire time letting me have it about angering our mate. To be fair, it didn't take much. The woman is like a ticking time bomb. She did have a point though. I've been smothering her and forcing her to be strong. I never stopped to think if she was ready or even willing, I just threw her into it all. Despite being the ruler over the entire race, I really am a stupid mutt. The sun finally peeks in through the window and I give up on sleeping. I turn over and see my mate sprawled out across her side of the bed with the blanket thrown haphazardly over her naked body. I can see one of her luscious breasts peering out of the top and her legs are draped over top each other, uncovered. Under any other circumstances, I would totally give her quite the awakening, but this morning would have to be different. Instead, I carefully climb out of bed and get myself ready for the day and give her the space she so despera