There will be 2 more updates this week while I am busy traveling. We had another successful dance competition and now on to the next again haha.
I clutched the chain around my neck as I gazed out over my pack. How did we get to this point? I was the luna of this pack. It was my job to protect them, yet all I was able to do was spare their lives. I watched as they lined the pack members up to be counted and labeled. I was the only one in chains, a cruel symbol that they had control over their leader. “My luna, you did what you had to do,” Bastian whispered next to me. Bastian was my mate’s beta. He had remained loyally by my side, even after my mate abandoned us. My mate Alfred was the leader of the Stone Heart Pack. Everything was great until just a couple of months ago. Up until Ivy showed up. I closed my eyes, not wanting to drift to those unwanted memories. “I’m not your luna anymore, Bastian. Please, just call me Allissa.” I winced as I felt the silver chain burning at my skin. I could see Bastian tense up, balling his hands into fists. “I wish I could remove it from you.” “I agreed to this for a peaceful turnover. No
I could hear him growling as his eyes glazed over. Two men stood in front of him, one of them shot me a quick side glance. The other was the guy who had yelled at Bastian. From the look of it, they were the beta and gamma, but I had no idea who was who. The Lycan King let out another ferocious roar, but I felt no fear of him. It was almost terrifying how arousing this display was to me, even in my current vulnerable state. And what was even more mortifying, was that he seemed to notice my physical response. I watched as he took small breaths in the air, as if savoring my scent before his dark eyes turned towards me. “Pwease don’t hurt our Wuna she didn’t do anyting!” A small child sobbed from within the pack. I looked up to see the mother trying to console and quiet her child. It warmed my heart, but I didn’t want them to suffer any repercussions from it. I watched as the king turned to look at the child, and for a moment, I swear his face softened. But it was only for a second,
Darren When I first arrived at the Stone Heart Pack, I was furious that the alpha had escaped. They told me his luna had stayed behind to take responsibility for him. What kind of a luna would defend a man like that? I was so angry. But then as I walked down the path and looked at the pack members, I smelled an intoxicating butterscotch scent. It was heaven. I became anxious as I tried to find the source of the scent, and then my eyes landed on the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. She had caramel colored hair that matched her butterscotch scent to perfection. I then noticed the chain around her neck and lost it. I yelled at my Beta Lyle and my Gamma Tim and demanded to know who put the control collar on her. How dare they put that collar on my mate! But they argued with me that it was for safety. We didn’t know anything about her, and her pupils were dilated. She could have a potion in her, making me feel the mate bond. I roared in agitation, knowing they could be right. B
Allissa I could feel the tingles against my skin and slowly opened my eyes. I stared up at the knotty pine ceiling as I tried to remember what had happened. Slowly, it came back to me, and the tiny tingles on my face made me remember about my mate. I turned my head slightly, to the green eyes of the Lycan King, whose thumb was softly caressing my cheek. “You should be feeling better, but let me know if you aren’t and I will call my healers back.” His voice was calm, gentle, and soothing. It wasn’t what I was expecting. “I’m sorry,” I muttered and moved to sit up. His arm caught mine as he slowly guided me to a sitting position. “You don’t have anything to say sorry for.” “For becoming a burden.” I looked down at my hands, because I was practically eye fucking him. I could see just how defined his strong, muscular arms were, and how I could imagine him carrying me in them. Damn, it sucked that I fainted during the best part. Maybe I should fake it so I can relish being in his arms
I didn’t know I could feel this way. I never knew my body was capable of responding like this. It would have been embarrassing even if I wasn’t in such an animalistic frenzy. My hands were roaming all over him, and I couldn’t get enough. His tongue was attacking mine, and it wasn’t enough. I wanted more, and I could tell he did as well. Finally, he lifted away from me, panting, but his eyes looked angry. I listened to his growl and then he snapped his head toward the door.“Get the fuck out of here, Lyle!”“Yeah, I can’t do that.” Lyle chuckled and I watched as Darren lifted himself completely off of me to turn and glare at him.“You alright there, angel?” Lyle asked me. I could feel the heat radiating off my face as I nodded. I sat up, not making eye contact with either of the men. I could hear Darren’s low growl and it seemed they were mentally communicating. I didn’t know what was going on, but I felt like it had something to do with me.As their mental argument continued, I felt th
This is what happens when you allow yourself to be consumed by the mate bond too early. It immediately made him think that I was easy, when it had nothing to do with that. The tingles and the pull were everything I had ever craved. I allowed myself to be swept away because I thought it was alright, since he was my fated mate. Apparently this put the label on me that I was afraid of.“Darren!” I heard Lyle snap. I noticed the way his eyes were looking at me with concern. Was he worrying for my safety? “He didn’t mean that,” he whispered. I glanced at him and noticed the pain in his eyes. That look was for me. I guess my poker face wasn’t on today.“I’m sorry,” Darren said, and went to reach for me. I jerked back and glared at him.“I wouldn’t want you to think I’m easy. After all, I must have a relationship with all the men in the pack, right? That’s why I’m protective of them. It has nothing to do with being their leader.” I clicked my tongue and turned away. I looked back at Bastian,
I gripped the different pieces of yarn and held them up to my nose. I felt my eyes begin to well and, as stupid as this sounds, it felt like losing them all over again. My father, who vanished while leading my old pack, had taken them to investigate strangers who had crossed into our borders and never returned. After that, the pack disintegrated. They fled in fear, leaving mother and I alone. We had to move around often after that. She gave everything to make sure that I never went hungry. It was as if they were ripped from me all over again. I know they were just stuffed animals, but to me they were so much more. They were precious gifts my mother made for me. My parents’ scents sewn inside. They were all that I had left.I felt the lump form in my throat as my nose and eyes burned from the threat of tears.“Allissa, I am so sorry.” I felt Lyle’s presence as he kneeled down next to me. I didn’t know what to do now. I just stared at the sh
As soon as we stepped outside, I felt Darren change. He walked straighter, his powerful aura rising to make everyone aware of his presence. I saw Lyle and Tim barking orders in front of us as big vehicles began to pull up. I was being corralled gently by Darren’s hand, but I stopped abruptly, glancing over at my pack. They were all standing there watching from a distance. They looked apprehensive and a bit lost. It was painful to see them like this. Bastian was standing slightly in front of them, trying to put on a brave face.“What’s wrong?” Darren asked as he followed my gaze.“They’re worried.”“They’ll be taken care of. I have top advisors staying behind and someone to help the new alpha learn his role.” He didn’t seem concerned at all. As if packs lost their leaders all the time and they were fine. I know for a fact this wasn’t true. My pack fell apart without my father, even though my mother was still there. Without strong leadership, the pack can become unsettled. It can cause c
My heart pounded like a war drum as I burst into the infirmary. I saw Ivan standing near a bed as fairy healers frantically went to work.“You fool. You dumb fool. Why did you take the hit for me?!” Ivan’s voice was shaky and angry. I watched as he gripped the edge of the bed.“Step back. We need the room.” A fairy crowded in front of him as he took a small, retreating step away from the bed. Gods, if Ivan was here, then it had to be either Darren or Finn. And by the looks of the healers, it was serious.“Darren? Finn?” I choked out, fear clawing at my throat.Ivan turned, his golden eyes filled with anguish, and stepped aside. The world tilted as I saw Anton’s pale face, his chest barely moving. It was Ivan’s brother. He was the future king, but close enough to be called one.“What happened?” I breathed out, moving closer.“Energy blast,” Ivan growled, his fists clenched at his sides. “The idiot jumped in front of it to protect me.”A fairy with shimmering wings hovered over Anton’s
I turned over in the tangled sheets, my body instinctively searching for Darren’s familiar warmth, but as my hand reached out, I was met with an empty space and a cool spot on the bed. My eyes snapped open. “Darren?” I called softly, scanning the dark interior of the tent. The faint glow of the dull morning light filtered through the fabric walls, casting shadows on the ground below. Darren was gone, and judging by the coolness of the blanket, he had been gone for quite some time.With a sigh, I swung my legs over the edge of the cot and stood, wrapping myself in a thick robe. The soft fur lining tickled my skin as I cinched it tight around my waist.I pushed aside the canvas and stepped out into the crisp morning air. A shiver ran through me as the cool breeze caressed my face. The camp was already stirring to life around me.My eyes scanned the misty field, searching for that familiar, broad-shouldered silhouette. Nothing. Just tents and trees and the soft glow of dawn. My stomach tw
AllissaThe thick canvas of the white tent muffled the sounds from the outside. I stood behind the gathered leaders, my eyes fixed on the map spread across the makeshift war table. Darren was right in front of me, and I watched as his fingers moved over the parchment. The centaur prince to his left growled low in his throat, shaking his head. “That leaves the eastern villages exposed. We can’t risk it.”“And if we pull back to defend them, we lose our advantage in the mountains,” countered the harpy queen, her wings rustling with agitation.I bit my lip, my mind racing as I considered the implications of each strategy. The complexity of inter-species politics had never felt more daunting. One wrong move could shatter fragile alliances, doom innocent lives.My gaze drifted across the tent, taking in the assembled leaders. Battle-worn and weary, they bore the marks of our recent struggles. A bandaged arm here, a haunted look there. When my eyes landed on Asta, standing quiet and watchfu
DarrenI had Allissa taken to the fairy infirmary just to be safe. A petite fairy with iridescent wings, a healer, tested her blood. Her hand glowed with a soft white light as she waved it over Ally’s body. She confirmed there was mistletoe in her blood but that her blood was attacking it. Little by little, it was removing it from her body. The healer also did a special check on our pup.I didn’t know much about fairies before, but they’re amazing. She was able to see our pup. She said the pup was strong, very healthy, and growing rapidly. Our pups tended to do that. Our gestation was anywhere from four to six months, depending on the pup and mother.“You already have a little bump starting to show,” the fairy healer said, motioning over Ally’s stomach. I watched as Ally flashed her beautiful smile up at me. Gods, was it like this for everyone? My heart beat faster just because she smiled at me. I remembered the mistletoe in her system then. “Remarkably advanced for the short time ...
For a moment, my heart stopped, as the feral beast came into view. My mate’s white fur was stained red. His eyes were wild and aggressive as they scanned through the flames. His head snapped in my direction, and I was relieved to see that he was okay. He was wounded, but nothing looked serious. He raced toward me, but then Ivan’s enormous beast let out a roar.It was chaos. I’m not even sure what happened. It was a frenzy of movement and sound that left me disoriented. In the blink of an eye, the two massive creatures, their pure white fur stained with blood, were locked in a vicious battle. Teeth gnashed and claws slashed as they tore at each other, the ground trembling beneath their weight. It was a brutal dance, the violence escalating. The world seemed to slow down as I took in every detail of the epic clash before me, my heart racing as I tried to understand what was happening.Ivan threw the monstrous lycan into a burning building. I watched in horror as Darren’s lycan disappeare
My silver fur bristled as I crouched low, muscles coiled and ready to spring. I bared my fangs as the approaching vampire army but something suddenly flashed over them. A bright blue aura surrounded them, pulsing with otherworldly energy.What the hell?My confusion lasted only a moment before their battle cry rang out:“For the King!”Realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. These weren’t enemies––they were Finn’s allies! The blue glow must be some kind of magical marker to distinguish them from other vampires.Well, I’ll be damned. Looks like the exiled king still had a few tricks up his sleeve.As the blue-wreathed vampires charged past me to engage our foes, I couldn’t help but think of Darren. There was no time for celebration. I needed to get to him. My ears twitched at the sound of the battle in all directions. It was impossible to detect my mate.With a fierce howl, I leapt back into the fray, silver claws extended and ready to tear into any enemy that dared cross my path.
My heart thundered in my chest as I stood in front of the second wave army. I felt my muscles coil with anticipation. My feral nature demanded that I jump into the fight and be by my mate’s side. It was all I could do to force myself to remain calm. I dug my nails into my palms, trying to distract myself.“Easy,” Ivan’s deep voice rumbled beside me. I glanced over at him. He looked calm despite the chaos unfolding in front of us. I might not be afraid of fighting, but I didn’t have any experience with war. Ivan’s composure proved that this was not something new to him.I growled low in my throat, the lycan inside me snarling to be released. “I can’t stand this. I need to be fighting near Darren’s side.” It was a blur of bodies in the village and I couldn’t see him anymore. “You’re taller than I am … can you see him?”Ivan’s gaze returned to the distant battle. “I lost sight of him. The vampires are pressing hard on the eastern flank. But our centaurs are holding the line, giving the fa
“So, it’s already decided? You made this decision without me here?” Darren was frustrated but he managed to control his temper. I looked over at the three men in front of us. “You had no right to make that call without consulting me first,” Darren growled, his fists clenched at his sides. I watched Darren’s shoulders tense, the muscles in his back coiling like a spring about to snap. My heart ached, seeing him struggle against the curse that amplified his temper.I felt his darkness pooling inside of me, and I sent my calming energy back to him. I watched as his green eyes glanced at me gratefully before he returned his focus back to the man in front of us.“We have extensive military training. Trust me, this is the best move. I made a tactical decision based on the intelligence we had.” A man with blond hair and brown eyes looked over at Ivan, his brother. “You agree with this strategy, don’t you?”“Anton, it isn’t that I don’t agree with it, but I do think you should have discussed i
Everything moved so quickly today as we prepared to meet with our alliance. We would be reclaiming the neutral village, and from there we all knew it would lead to war with the vampires.“You be safe.” Lyle prodded my nose and I wrapped my arms around him tightly. It felt weird leaving Lyle behind, but it was either him or me. One of us had to stay behind and I didn’t volunteer myself. However, I doubt Darren would have permitted me to stay now. After their investigation, he was still very cautious. I found out that most of the nobles and Waiting Ladies were truthful. None of them had bad feelings toward me.In fact, we found out that the nobles were over sending their children to be potential mates to the king. They all wanted to strengthen their lines by finding fated mates. This was true for all of the families except for Dara’s. Dara had been beaten by her family and cast out for being sent away from the castle. The noble family was within their rights to cast her out. Darren relu