William didn’t expect what Anna said to him, and so it took him some time to process it before he ended up replying.“What did you expect? That I would let you just leave the pack without saying anything? You didn’t even bother to say goodbye, much less tell me what happened to you,” William sounded really bitter. “I had to find out from Ethan of all fucking people what happened. Did you ever think telling me might be the right thing to do?”“I’m sorry,” she murmured quietly.“There’s nothing more to say now, Anna. Just, end this. Come home with me and I’ll protect you,” He extended his hand to her, wanting her to take it. “Trust me, Anna.”“I do. But I can’t,” Anna said. All traces of pain and regret and guilt were gone from her eyes now. She was holding back tears and her hands trembled, just a little bit. She tried to hide it by tightening them into fists, but it only made her feel even weaker.It was Damon who had told her to do this - to tell William that it was over between them
The sound of Anna’s whimpering was the only thing that was heard in the large bedroom. Despite the luxurious looking surroundings, nothing appealed to the redhead that moment. All she wanted to do was go back to that point in time when she spoke to William and choose differently. She wished the past two weeks had not happened, and she hadn’t ever come into contact with the Eriksons.Less than thirty minutes ago, she practically bade goodbye to the man she was in love with.There was no going back now. And that hurt the most.As Anna sobbed in the bedroom, the full pain in her chest deepened. Her entire body felt like it was out of strength, and all the energy she could have ever had was sucked out of her.Her life had become a dark, gloomy path she couldn’t find her way out of, no matter what. And she was trapped in this damn building and apartment with the Devil himself, Damon fucking Erikson.The thought made her want to bash her head into the wall and just end it then and there for
He parked the car in the garage numbly and exited it after taking a deep breath. He was barely holding himself together.William’s return to the pack wasn’t a glorious one, like he had expected. Instead, all he could feel was anguish, so deep that it threatened to drown him.Anna was no longer with him. She had abandoned him and their children. Although he had an idea that there was a lot to the story - Damon’s involvement was certainly suspect to the theory that his mate wasn’t doing this of her own accord - there wasn’t a lot of hope in the Alpha that he would make any headway towards discovering what that was.As soon as he stepped into the mansion, he could hear voices approaching him. He didn’t have the urge to pay attention to them. All he wanted was for them to stay the fuck away from him.“William,” he raised his head at his mother’s voice calling his name. She didn’t look happy, and neither did anyone else.William took in the presence of not only his mother, but Ethan, Alpha
Lily wasn’t one to be so impulsive but she also wouldn’t just look a gift horse in the mouth and let it be. No, she was an opportunist, and what she wanted was to be ploughed into by someone. Anyone would do.But Ethan WAS a perfect choice for her to take out her frustrations.Her eyes gleamed and she looked around to make sure no maids nor the former Luna would happen upon them and then promptly lose their shit. Then she walked up to Ethan, placing her hand on his clothed, toned chest and leaning in.“Your brother is a bastard,” she seethed in a low whisper, as she longed to kiss the lips of her fiance’s brother.Ethan could hear the desperation in her voice and he found it amusing. How easily she had managed to lose her will and cunning in the face of pressure. The invitation from her was reckless to say the least.Aware they were alone but not out of danger of being caught, Ethan pressed his lips to her ear and murmured, “Then you suit him quite well, considering you act like a bit
Silence filled the air and Lily paused to relax from the brief surprise she felt.He was seated in the living room, which had no lights on, so perhaps that was why she didn’t notice his presence when she rushed in.“No words to say?” Alpha Drake’s tone of voice was light, as though he was in a far better mood than she knew her uncle definitely was in.“I… i went out for a walk,” she managed to say.The Alpha of the Eclipse Pack chuckled and she waited for his laughter to fade.“There’s no need to think up an excuse, Lily. I can already tell you’re lying,” he finished the whiskey in his glass with a toss, and swallowed.“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Uncle,” was what she responded with, though she stilled, gazing at him with curious eyes. What exactly did he know now?“Oh?” He tutted like a mother that just caught a child lying. “I hoped you would buckle up and not let yourself be driven by impulses again but it seems like my hopes were for nothing. I was wrong. After all, yo
That night, around a couple minutes past 1am, William tossed and turned in his bed. His mind was still stuck on Anna, and his encounter with his mother earlier that evening.Finally he gave up on the prospects of sleep and grunted.“Fuck,” he whispered into the air, staring up at the ceiling, his back pressed against the soft Egyptian cotton sheets.As though it was a sigh, his phone began to vibrate and William reached for it on his bedside table without looking.The lack of a caller ID made his brows furrow; who could it be that was calling him at this time of the night?“Yes?” He answered the call expectantly.“Is this Alpha William?” A strange male voice was in the other end, a mix of British and French accent which made William more alert. Who was this person.“Who’s asking?” He replied with shortly.“This is Victor Erikson,” came next, and hearing that damned last name of a prominent Hunter family made him sit up at last, growling into the receiver.“What the hell do you want?”
There was a knowing look in her eyes as she leaned back into the chair and began to tap her long fingernails on the linoleum covered table.“I have heard a little from my contacts in the city about the woman you wish to help,” she openly said, referring to Anna more clearly. “Though, I’m afraid that despite your desires to have her be back to normal again, there is no cure. All she can do is learn to control it, just like Damon, and just like me. It’s not a disease,” she explained. “It changes everything in us, down to the smallest genome. She can’t ever be a normal human again. I’m sure she must already know that, or she wouldn’t have agreed to stay with my cousin. She must have thought there was no other choice she had.”Those words spurred anger within William, and a deep sense of regret and frustration.“Then,” his voice was rough as he made to stand up from the chair. “We’re done here. If you can’t give me what I want, Aléa Erikson, what’s the fucking point?”“You can choose to l
“Why did you agree to the destruction of Virax?” Victor finally asked, sitting on the chair where William had occupied previously. Aléa gazed at him, her eyes piercing his as he clasped his hands atop the table. “You know what it took for it to be created.”“Decades of work,” she answered with a nod. “Many lives of our Hunters were sacrificed in the process of testing it. I know that very well, Victor. But I don’t think Virax had ever been a good idea to begin with. It took me until I was 16 to agree to take it for a good reason.”“Why?” He asked. “And do you think the Elders and the rest of the organization will agree to such a thing.”“They will have to. It serves us no purpose to be stubborn about this. It has no use in over 98% of our men, either way. It’s practically useless to us. And there is the side effect I didn’t inform Alpha William about,” she gave him a pointed look and he let out a sigh and looked away.He couldn’t argue with her reasoning.“I imagine if you told him th
Lily couldn’t contain her smirk as she saw Anna’s wide-eyed stare aimed at her. It had taken the work of a couple of her connections for her to figure out William’s whereabouts.It had just been her luck that she had a standing reservation here.The Alpha growled lowly under his breath as she turned to look at him. “What a surprise,” Lily remarked with sarcasm dripping from her voice. Then she turned to Anna, the redhead whom she glared venomously at. She blamed the formerly human woman for ruining her life, and her future with William. “Don’t tell me you two are on a little date.“What are you doing here, Lily?” The emerald eyed Alpha demanded.“What? You didn’t think you’re the only one that can step out on a nice night like this?” She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. “You know, I was just wondering how you two could be here having a good time when you both have caused so much chaos. You, especially, Anna.” She spat out the redhead’s name with such venom that Anna coul
It was an hour later when Anna arrived at her parent’s place.She knocked meekly on the door, and was startled when the door was flung open.“Anna?” Her father was the one who answered it and she could have nearly cried at the relief in his eyes. He pulled her close into a hug and she closed her eyes briefly from the warmth.“Where have you been?” He asked her, curiosity in his voice. “And how are the twins?”“I had to travel for a bit. For work,” she clarified, the lie that she had come up with left her lips so easily. “The kids are okay as well.”She stepped into the house that she had lived in all her childhood.…Anna woke up from the bed of her childhood room early the next morning. Sleep hadn’t come easily but she eventually drifted off. After an hour of tossing and turning, she got up for a jog and had breakfast.“Good morning mum, dad,” she greeted her parents as she returned for breakfast.Her mother eyed her in silence, and Anna could sense questions on her mind. Having lied
“Of course,” William said in an imperious voice. “My brother saw fit to take his anger out on human girls and murdered ten of them in one night. There is even news to prove that, and he has confessed it to me.”Gasps left the lips of all who had no idea, and Camille’s face turned pale as she processed that.“T-this cant be true-““It is the truth,” William turned to say to his mother unabashedly. His eyes pierced hers with a look of certainty on his face. “And it will always be the truth. That is why,” he continued, turning to his brother. “From now henceforth, I cut all our ties to him.”There was a wave of confusion in the air and Alpha Drake seethed silently.“You are banishing him from your pack?” The Alpha of the Eclipse pack asked and William nodded in the affirmative.“Now that you have seen the truth of what caused the Hunters to come into the city, you have no right to hold these charges over my mate’s head. And you will release her at once. Council, your decision?”The Elder
The next morning, as sunlight streamed in through the windows and bathed the room with a warm glow, William stirred first.Anna slept soundly in his arms, both of them half-naked. The memories of the full moon the previous night made him smile. It had been better than he had expected. Luckily his Beta had fulfilled most of the duties William delegated to him, so the Aloha was free to enjoy the night with his family.“Hey,” Anna woke up with a small whisper leaving her lips. She felt his warmth all around her and she felt safe.It had been a long time coming, she thought, and she didn’t want to leave the bed anytime soon.“Sleep well?” He smirked down at her as she pressed her body against his.“Too well,” her voice was akin to a purr as she spoke. “Anyway, I think it’s nearly last breakfast. I’ll have to get ready to go into the city soon.”Ah yes, that.William’s mood soured and she noticed it quickly.“Will,” she sighed and leaned into him. “Please. You know this is necessary.”“I k
Anna was surprised to find Ethan approaching them.“Ethan?” Camille also sounded stunned to see her younger son there, and coming to Anna’s defense.“Mother, enough of this,” Ethan said in a calm tone, not showing any signs of anger.“B-but-“ Camille’s face reddened, out of anger or embarrassment or both… she didn’t know.“Focus on the festival. Stop with this,” he told her. “Focus on the festival.”“Focus on the festival? What about the Eclipse pack, and our relations with them? What about Alpha Drake?”“Everything is being taken care of,” Was all Ethan said before turning to glance at a stupefied Anna.She looked away, not wanting to show emotion to him of all people.She noticed the twins were staring at them from afar with curiosity in their faces.Camille was shocked at her younger son.“Ethan, I had never expected you of all people to defend her after all she has done,” she vehemently said.“And I am not,” Ethan sighed; his mother was hard to dissuade when she fixated on certain
“This is so cool!” Andrew jumped atop the picnic blanket in an excited manner that Anna couldn’t help but smile.There was a buzz of excitement in the air.As Anna played the snacks and fruits out for the twins to eat, there was the sound of a throat clearing that made her and William turn to see who it was.“Alpha,” it was a guard who bowed deeply. “There are some delegates from the Grey Hills Pack and the Moonlight Pack here. They wish to see you.”William refrained from giving into the urge to pinch his nose and only let oit a small sigh, and nodded.“Very well. I will be there in a bit. Have them wait for me in the study,” he ordered the guard and dismissed him with a wave. The guard bowed and left, before William turned to his mate, meeting her gaze.Before he could say anything, she spoke, “It’s alright, Will. I’ll handle things here for the time being.After William left - but not before giving her and the twins kisses each - she sat and enjoyed the snacks while they watched m
Ethan wasn’t surprised about his brother wanting to spend time with his family, and he kept his opinions on that to himself - being the one who never saw the point in all that, he wouldn’t even touch that topic with a fucking ten foot pole.However, he did have a point to make.“It’s easy to forget your duties if you focus too much on your family, brother,” he crossed his arms as William’s glare increased. “Alpha Drake will come for blood soon enough. I don’t think we’re ready for that in any way.”“Let me worry about that, Ethan. And focus on enjoying the rest of the day. The festival is just starting, you wouldn’t want to miss it. And afterward, Ethan, then we will have much to discuss.”William’s words made Ethan’s brows furrowed in confusion. Why did his brother have that tone, as if he had some plan he had kept under his sleeve? It couldn’t be could it? The Alpha had never shown any indication in the past day of strategizing.However he couldn’t outright question the Alpha now.“
Anna didn’t know what to say after William was done talking. She had not expected to hear that sort of thing coming from him. He used to be so stone cold towards her, at least on the surface… and now things had changed. For the better or for worse, she didn't know just yet, but she was pleased and warmed by it.“Will…” she began to say only for him to continue.“Anna, all you have to do is promise me that, and I won't have a problem with anything else. No matter what, don’t forget you're my mate and you are my top priority. You and our children, and our family. It matters more to me than anything.”The honesty wasn’t one thing he expected either to come from himself, especially with her. He had once prided himself on being unruffled by shows of love and affection that most other 5 men his age seemed to fall under the thrall of. William particularly recalled an occasion in which a VIP client spoke fondly of his wife and daughters and asked William if he had any himself to which the Alp
The sight of her two children writhing in pain on their beds made her heart beat faster and she rushed towards them, frantic.“Andrea? Andrew?” She pressed her hand atop their foreheads to check their temperatures and found, to her dismay, they were feverish.The sight of their pale, withdrawn faces even in their sleep was heart wrenching. Anna felt helpless. What could have been wrong with them? They were fine yesterday!As though some supreme power had read her mind, the door opened and William walked in, his lips moving.“Good morning-” his words were cut off as he took in the look on his mate’s face. She looked incredible, her hair down to the blue dress she wore, but it was the display of terror in her eyes that stopped him in his tracks.“What’s going on?” he asked, and she rushed to him, tugging him to their children’s beds.“They were like this when I found them. Will, what could have happened? Maybe they ate something or… or-”The emerald-eyed Alpha grabbed his mate’s hands a