Who is the mystery man???
“Oshmin…” I breathe in disbelief. I don’t know how I know it, but every cell in my body is telling me that the man in front of me is… the God Oshmin, the one who created my kind. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time,” he says wistfully. “Feels strange to hear it again.” He casually walks over to a stone bench and sits down on it while I blink as if my brain has shut down because I actually think it has. I’m crazy. I’ve officially snapped. I’m now hallucinating Gods, though my hallucinations are very creative, I’ll give myself that. “You’re not hallucinating. I’m very real and very here,” he says with a gentle smile. Did he just read my mind? “Forgive me, but you don’t look like a God,” I say suspiciously. He silently chuckles, “Met many have you?” He smirks. I cover my cheeks as they start to burn. He’s right, I’ve never met a God, how would I even know what one is supposed to look like? I notice him watching me with a small smile. “If it helps, we have an alternate form, we
“There is another reason I came.” Immediately I’m on edge. “What other reason?” I quietly ask. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.” He smiles. “I have an offer for you, a one-time opportunity. Make any request you like, and I will make it happen,” he says with a smile. My eyes widen in astonishment. Did he just say what I think he said? “Could you repeat that please?” He chuckles. “It’s the least I can do to atone for your suffering. You can ask anything of me, anything at all, just this one time and I shall grant it.” “I…” I look at him dumbfounded. “What would I even ask for?” I ask, barely above a whisper. “Whatever your heart desires. Could be big or small. For example, if you asked, I could erase every painful memory you’ve ever had,” he points out. I let that sink in for a moment. If I asked him to he could erase all my trauma? With a snap of his fingers, I’d never have to relive that pain or spiral or live in fear ever again. I smile wistfully. “It would be so easy to say yes
I was in a semi-asleep state as I manoeuvred in bed, instinctively pulling Mei closer to me, but my eyes snap open when instead of feeling pleasurable jolts of electricity or her soft locks tickling my nose, instead I get a face full of her pillow. “Mei?” I call out as I slowly sit up, now fully awake and alert. 'What’s going on?' Axel yawns and stretches in my mind. I walk over to the bathroom and peek my head in, but nothing. I start sniffing the air and catch her scent, but it’s faded, which means she’s been gone for a while. Dread crashes over me like an avalanche and I start hyperventilating. She can’t be gone, not again. I can’t lose her again! If someone has taken her I swear to the Gods I will unleash hell. 'She wouldn’t just leave on her own, would she? That’s not like her,' Axel frets while pacing back and forth anxiously. Just as I’m about to storm out and try to track her through our bond, I feel a link opening up between us. 'Chris, Axel, I’m so sorry. I’m okay, I p
I wasn’t sure what to expect when we stepped into that room, but I definitely didn’t expect to see Qiang in such a horrible state, and Nuo at his side looking more distraught than a person should ever be. As soon as we entered her head snapped up to me. “Mei! Please! Please help him! Please don’t let him die!” She cries in Mandarin. Oshmin said my people needed me, that they needed saving. This is the sort of thing he was talking about. Qiang and Nuo risked their lives to protect me, and this was the punishment, I just know it. Of course, I have to help them, I owe them that much. I don’t even think, I just run to their side and kneel beside Qiang. He almost looks how Chris did when he was poisoned with wolfram – a moment I never want to relive. I close my eyes and let that familiar warm light inside me rise up and build in my chest. As I open my eyes I feel them take their reptilian form while I place my hand on Qiang’s chest and push the light towards my hand. As I do, I feel it
We all moved into the private banquet hall and sat around the table where I braced myself to hear the truth about my birthplace. I understand now why Oshmin said I could understand these people. The nagata of Longsang are suffering much like how I was at Albus Mons, only difference is it’s at the hands of someone created to defend them and in a place that they are supposed to call home. Zixin has everyone living in fear of him. If you speak or act out of turn or in a way he doesn’t approve of he either kills you or throws you in the dungeons where he tortures you for his own amusement, usually with the help of his General and his General’s animai. I knew those two were rotten to the core. Once you’ve seen the face of true evil, it’s easy to spot. People like that try to hide their dark nature through smiles and fake acts of kindness, and most people believe it. After all, for years no one outside Albus Mons had any idea what it was like. I may have gotten the worst treatment, but I w
I’m pulled from my unsettling train of thought when I hear an approaching heartbeat and gentle footsteps that soon carry with them the scent of oolong tea. “My Luna used to love sitting there at sunset and watching how the sun would cast so many beautiful colours across the water,” says Alpha Shen. I look up to see him staring out at the water with a faraway look on his face. His eyes still look tired, and his clothes are just as dishevelled as when I first saw him. “I apologise, I shouldn’t have intruded,” he mumbles, about to walk away. “You’re not intruding,” I call out. “You can sit with me, if you like,” I offer. He turns back to me with a look of surprise. “You wouldn’t mind?” I shake my head. “It’s your home after all,” I say, scooting over to make room for him. He tentatively walks over and sits on the bench beside me letting out a sad sigh. “This hasn’t felt like home since…” he trails off as a look of pain comes over his face. He doesn’t have to finish that sentence; I
Looking around the Tian Pack’s indoor training arena I take slow deep breaths to centre myself. Am I really doing this? Am I really about to lead a war to take down the Emperor of the nagata? This isn’t something I ever imagined for my life, but I know it’s something I have to do. If I stood by and allowed him to continue to hurt people – MY people – I’d be just as bad as him. And what if he ended up hurting someone I love again? Zixin has taken too much from me and everyone else and it has to stop. I have to stop it. I refuse to sit by and continue to be that scared girl anymore. I did not spend all these months training, learning how to fight to protect myself and others to not put it to use when it’s called for. Things got a little heated between the Tian Pack warriors and the Invictus Pack warriors. The Invictus Pack are my pack, so naturally, they want to back me in this fight, but for the Tian Pack, it’s personal since Zixin murdered their previous Luna. Ultimately we all decide
“I can’t believe our Alpha is allowing this. I mean, a female Alpha? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. What does she do, teach the pack to crochet?” Qianfan sniggers. “Don’t forget they have a male Luna. Bet he bends over for his animai at home. It’s disgusting. Women aren’t meant to be warriors, sure as shit aren’t meant to run a pack. Their pack is doomed, and we’ll be doomed if we’re forced to fight alongside them. They’ll be nothing but dead weight and get us killed,” Feng spits in indignation. “Then we have to do what we have to do, for the good of the pack,” says Qianfan ominously. They plan to do something to Amelia, to my Alpha! Over my dead body. I quickly release Qiang and move at top speed to where the Beta and Gamma were whispering – they’re not very bright, would have been smarter to use the pack-link. I wrap my tail around their waists and with a fast spin, send them flying across the arena smashing into a wall. “MEI! What the hell are you doing?!” Shouts Jia
Thank you to everyone who has read this book and for all the positive feedback you readers have shown me. It has been beyond heartwarming. I have enjoyed all of your comments with each passing day. Seeing you all connect with the story and characters truly touched me. I truly hope that if you are in the mood you will consider donating gems, and most importantly, leaving a review of this book on the book's main page. It would do me and my book a huge favour and will also allow me to hear your thoughts on the story. Speaking of story... Here is a breakdown of the series so far, what currently exists and what is to come! Currently Available: Book 1 - A Queen Among Alphas (completed and also available on paperback) Bite-Size Luna - A prequel spin-off to A Queen Among Alphas (completed and coming soon to paperback) Book 2 - A Queen Among Snakes (completed and coming soon to paperback) Book 3 - A Queen Among Blood (completed and coming soon to paperback) Book 4 - A Queen Among Darkn
“Mei?” I hear Eric ask. I zone back into the conversation; I really need to learn how to stop doing that. “Sorry, Eric,” I say sheepishly. “It’s okay,” he assures me with a kind smile, “Now that I have your attention again, there’s something I wanted to ask you in today’s session.” “What’s that?” I ask curiously. “In the past couple months you’ve interacted with Irshiusts on numerous occasions, but you haven’t once thought to ask them what became of the Alpha and Luna of Albus Mons.” “That’s not a question,” I point out. “You’re right,” he smiles, “I’m just wondering why.” “Because I don’t want to. It’s not something I ever think about. They were brought to justice and can’t hurt me or anyone else again, I don’t need to know more than that.” “Does that mean you’ve forgiven them?” I feel taken aback by his question. Forgiven them? How can anyone who has done such monstrous things be forgiven? “Why would I do that?” I ask warily. “Forgiveness isn’t about the other person; it’s
I take a deep breath as I eye my target. Everything is resting on what happens next. One wrong move and it’s all over for me but I’m not about to let that happen. I’ve come too far to lose now. I watch as the puck glides quickly in my direction and with a quick flick of my wrist, I hit the mallet at the puck sending it across the table where it shoots right into the gap at the end of the table. I throw my arms up in victory and dance around. “Oh, come on!” Vitali exclaims, “There’s no way you’ve never played air hockey before. You’re a devious snake and I think you’re hustling me,” he accuses, pointing a finger at me. “What does hustling mean?” I ask, stopping my dance to look at him curiously. “It means he’s a sore loser,” Amelia teases from the couch where she and Marcus are cuddling. “I am not a sore loser, I just find it hard to believe that someone who claims to have never played air hockey has beaten every single one of us,” he says, narrowing his eyes at me. “I swear I’ve n
There hasn’t been a dull moment since the coronation. Aulen returned and put up a permanent portal between Longsang and Invictus. Mei requested it be placed in a specific room in the palace so that it would be easy to find and prevent anyone from stumbling upon it by accident. My sweet, little Empress is a genius. Amelia followed her lead and requested the other side of the portal open inside the Temple of Morrtemis, again so no one would accidentally find it. Within days of the coronation, several members of the den packed up their belongings and came to live at Invictus. Their new homes aren’t ready yet so in the meantime, they’re staying in the guest house. Mei and I have been helping them to integrate into the pack. Some pack members – the troublemakers and the old-fashioned people – weren’t as welcoming to our new members, but they’re smart enough to keep their mouths shut. The rest of the pack, however, welcomed the nagata with open arms and have been helping them assimilate, es
After the ceremony, everyone gathered outside and what I saw was like I was seeing colours for the first time. More red lanterns hung from strings reaching from tree to tree and as the sun set they cast a soft red glow over everyone. There were performances, music, and plenty of food to go around. Everyone was together celebrating what just happened and if that wasn’t enough to make me happy, getting to see more of my Chinese heritage in action, was. For fourteen years I never even dared to dream I’d experience a day like this one, and yet now it kind of feels like a dream. A beautiful dream that I never want to wake up from. Logic tells me fate brought me here, it wasn’t an easy journey, and it wasn’t one I wish on anyone else, but boy does getting here feel worth it.I’m sure that sounds crazy. Who could ever feel the horrors I’ve lived through are worth it? But the truth is, those horrors allow me to appreciate all of this so much more. Joy, pleasure, love; I treasure and feel thes
Watching Mei take her oath standing before me looking like a Goddess has me captivated. I hoped and prayed every day and night since we met that she would find her strength and become who she was meant to be. I never knew this was what the future had in store for her, but watching it happen before my eyes, it feels right and as I feel the pride radiating off her, I’m filled with pride for her.I force myself to focus back on Qiang as he begins to address the crowd one more time.“Today is a day of many firsts, for today we not only welcome our new Empress who is the first of her kind, but we welcome our new Emperor, the first mutolupus to govern over our people. To those who may disagree with this, I remind you of our most sacred beliefs. The bond between soulmates is the purest gift of love and strength ever given to us by the Goddess Zarseti. It is through our soulmate we find peace, wholeness, and a pillar for life. The Gods have chosen this man to be not only the pillar for our Em
I can’t believe this is really happening. I’ve spent all day in Nuo’s bedroom as she helped me get ready for the ceremony. I’m used to the women back at Invictus helping me get ready for something, but those times took maybe an hour at the most. This, however, has been a day-long process, one I’m very grateful to have had Nuo’s help with. Looking at the final result, I no longer recognise myself.My creamy skin is glowing and luminescent from the makeup she did, shaping and accentuating the shape of my eyes while giving them a small cat eye and a dusting of gold on the lids to match the gold lipstick on my lips. My hair has been pulled up and styled into I guess what looks like several buns elegantly tied together and golden clips pinned throughout. I don’t have pierced ears so finding earrings was tricky, but she managed to find a beautiful pair of gold chandelier clip-on earrings, but all of that is nothing compared to the stunning gold embroidered hanfu I’m wearing. The inner layer
It’s one week till the coronation and things have been hectic as hell, although Mei seems to be thriving. She’s embracing her new role with gusto and watching it is inspirational. She’s been working closely with Nuo, who is overseeing the entire ceremony. She’s organised the decorations and what we’ll be wearing and teaching Mei and myself the words and customs of the ceremony. It’s a lot more than what I experienced for my Delta ascension and to be honest, I’m getting excited and to top it off it’s a crash course in Mandarin. I’m also anxious as hell, but I think it would be weird if I wasn’t. In between learning the words for the ceremony and the ceremony itself I’ve been juggling the fittings for what I’ll be wearing and doing a lot of finance work not just for Invictus but Longsang as well. The people of Longsang know how to be self-sustaining but so much there has been left in squaller because of their selfish prick of an Emperor. Oh sure, he had no issues with buying jets and ex
We had lunch with Qiang and Nuo and then they took us around showing us more of Longsang. Seeing this place as a guest instead of a prisoner helps me to appreciate it more. Longsang is a truly breathtaking place, even Chris was in awe as we walked around. It did give Chris and me a chance to see what changes need to be made. The school here looks like no one has cared about it in years, which makes me sad. It hurts to think there are children here growing up without an education just like I did. The medical centre has definitely seen better days. Everyone’s homes are in good condition because they take care of them themselves, but anything that involves community or public wellbeing has been horribly neglected. When I think I’ve learned all there is to know about Zixin’s cruelty I learn something new that devastates me. Nuo, however, told me that my mother loved the school and actually was one of the teachers. Hearing this has made me even more determined to fix this place up and turn