“I’m sorry Lucian but I can’t. My life is here now”
He screws his face up in disbelief “This place?”
“What’s wrong with it, I love it, its small and cosy”
“You could live in a mansion”
“Maybe I don’t want to, besides I have built a life for me here”. Yes I was desperate to see Tasha, I missed her the most but I couldn’t go back.
“Ash, you cannot live like a human, no matter how much you want to, you are not one of them”
Flopping down on the sofa next to him I groan “Why are you really here?”
He glances at me “I have told you a million times Ash, you are a Queen, you need to accept that”
“No, I don’t”
I know I was being stubborn and he was right, it was hard pretending to be human, some days I would make my way out of town to the forests and shift, only for a few minutes to feel t
“Are you still an Alpha?”“No”“Then why are we going to Crescent pack”“Because that is where Christian is at the moment”I take in a deep breathe, another man I had not seen in five months and I wondered if he had changed as much as Daryl.“Are you two talking?”“Yes and I think you should know that I am his Beta”That was not what I was expecting to hear and it shows that by living as a human I had missed out on so much.“I will warn you Ashley, he is not the same man”“What do you mean?”“It is easier if you wait until you see him”Daryl helps me to pack but keeps his mouth shut and I feel like he is holding something back“Ready?”He picks up my small suitcase and leads the way down the stairs and to a large car where Lucian is waiting. As I climb in the back he tells me
She has a huge grin on her face as she rubs her swollen belly, Lucian wasn’t wrong, she looked ready to explode.“It wouldn’t be chaos if you were not here”Daryl pulls off his jacket without missing a beat and stands in front of me, using the jacket as a sort of shield as I shift back. He raises an eyebrow at me as I slide my arms into the sleeves but doesn't look down at my nakedness“She’s not wrong is she”.Thankfully the jacket is massive on my small frame and covers everything as he zips it up and as he moves out the way he reveals Tasha who wraps her arms around me awkwardly because her bump is too big.“It’s true then”“It is”“Why didn’t you tell me?, you could have mind linked me”“I was forbidden”“What? By whom?”, But I already had a feeling I knew who.“Christian”He
“Why are you ignoring me?”“I am not, you wanted to talk so talk”We glare at each other for a few minutes, he had clearly been ignoring me since I had arrived.“I know you can feel our connection Christian”“It does not matter, I am with Chloe and I care about her very much”“But you don’t love her”He looks away from me to the pile of paperwork on his desk “This is what you have come to talk about?”“No. Why will you not take control of them?”“Has Daryl not filled you in? I am not a Queen”He was cold and unwelcoming, not like the Christian I had grown to love. He looks up at me when I don’t respond and narrows his eyes“Why are you not speaking?”“It is hard when you have someone screaming in your head”Reaper was giving me a headache and it was taking every cell of
You couldn’t miss him, he was talking to what looked like a group of vampires not far from the packhouse but when he sees my tear stained face he immediately comes to me wrapping his arms around me“What did he do?”As I speak through sobs he tells me to calm down because he couldn’t understand a word I was saying.“Did you see it?”His chest fall slightly and I knew he had.“I did, not that I needed too but Christian wanted to make a point by showing me”“I never fully understood how bad it was, I guess the days just rolled into each other”“That’s not you anymore Ashley, you have moved on, you are stronger than that”“You really think so”“I know so”We don’t move, he keeps his arms wrapped tightly around me and waits patiently for the tears to stop. He really had changed so much.“What were y
I was thinking about going back to see Tasha but I see Lucian head in to the hospital and I wondered how my brother was coping with being a father. Instead I go back to their home where they had been letting me stay. Daryl doesn’t come with me instead he heads into the packhouse and I wonder if he was going to talk to Christian about showing me the book. In the house I decide to have a shower and try to wash my feelings away but as I stand naked in front of the full length mirror I really look at my scars. My body was littered with them, some were thin red lines, others white lumpy scars where I hadn’t healed well or I had been repeatedly hit. The branding on my stomach was disgusting, marked like cattle, a piece of meat and it would be there forever reminding me of my life and everything Maddox and his pack had done to me. A voice I hadn’t heard in a long time appears in my head “You have to stop being hard on yourself, it was not your fault” Daryl. I was half expecting to see him
Between the wolves and the vampires I didn’t really learn anything new but they were all so eager to speak to me that I couldn’t turn them away and when the final person spoke just to tell me that Breydon was waiting for me I nearly snapped.“You are doing well”“Thanks Daryl”“Christian and I have been talking. We think you should have guards at all times”“Daryl do you really think I need guards?”“Now you have accepted your role, yes we do?”“Was this your idea?”He shakes his head at me “No, it was Christians. He still worries about you”He still had feelings for me, he was just expressing them in a different way and in a way that he hoped Chloe wouldn’t notice“Why haven’t you made a move on me?”“Don’t get me wrong, my feelings for you are strong and sometimes it is more of a ch
I was stunned, he walks back to his desk and sits, carrying on with his paperwork like nothing had just happened whilst I try and compose myself as I leave.I had no idea how to process what had just happened, ‘one last kiss’ he had said. Why did he even bother if he didn’t want me anymore and was happy with Chloe.Walking back to Tasha’s in a daze I bump into my brother who is looking very stressed and carrying a load of baby gear.“They are coming home tonight Rudina, all four of them” it was funny watching him panic “The house isn’t ready, I am not ready. You have to help me”“What do you need me to do Lucian?”I wasn’t offering my help but if he was that desperate then I would do my best but from what I can see, he looked just like other new fathers.“I need to go” he hurries off to the hospital, leaving me standing in the mid morning sun.“P
“You are really going to go through with this”“Yep”“You Rudina are even crazier than me and I have done some crazy stuff”“Maybe Daryl, but I am done, once this is all sorted I want to be left alone”“That just will not be possible”“Trust me, it will”Daryl raises an eyebrow suspiciously “What do you mean by that?”“You will see”“As long as you tell me, I will stand by you no matter what”I nod my head, but I wasn’t going to tell him, the only other person that needed to know my plans was Reaper. She was just as frustrated with everything as I was, a battle between us over the men. She was not even slightly coming to terms with Christian moving on, it had been her who had been mind controlling Christian, she wanted him to feel our connection.How she managed to do something without me knowing was b
A few months has passed since all the craziness with Lucian. Things had settled down massively, well, apart from being thrown into motherhood and raising triplets. I was just glad I wasn’t doing it on my own.Daryl was still getting used to having a smaller pack. Although he had already been out trying to recruit other packs that were smaller than ours. Some had accepted whereas others had told him where to go. The pack was still much smaller than the average wolf pack with less than a hundred people now after many had lost their lives in the fight against my brother, but he was certain he would make it great again. After all, he really wanted to pass on an almighty pack to Daryl Junior, the eldest of the triplets.In just a few months the three of them had grown quite quickly, instead of being like three-month-olds, they looked more like eighteen month olds and certainly liked to keep me busy and on my toes, especially since they were already walking and running. I assumed they were
More bullets come as I keep low, the stench of Lucian’s blood filling the air as he hovers above me. With each bullet, I am splattered in his blood, but it continues to do little more than slow him down.“You have not learnt a thing!” he roars at me as his claws wrap around my neck, lifting me from the ground.I should have been afraid, scared for my own life as I faced death when he suddenly stills. My feet dangling in the air at least ten inches from the ground. His deep amber eyes staring into mine, but he was quiet, no sound was coming from Lucian and yet everyone around us was yelling.His claws pierced the skin of my neck, my own blood trickling down over my cool skin as I watched Lucian’s nostrils flare. He was enjoying my scent, like it was something he had been longing for. This was not in my plan.His teeth sink into my shoulder as I let out a scream, and I see people charging towards Lucian. Daryl was shouting out something about protecting the Luna.Lucian’s jaw refuses to
“I will stop this.” I try to reassure the tiny beast in my arms, but I still didn’t know if I could even kill him, if it was even possible.“She will never be yours!” Lucian’s voice howls around us making Natasha’s little beast cling to me harder. Her tiny claws piercing my skin as they dug into me, her body trembling as his voice echoes around us.“Drop the spell.” I whisper to the small beast. Lucian was using her to put the spell around the dungeons, to stop others from getting any closer, but she was still a baby, could she even understand what I was saying? Could my reassurance be enough?Her small furry body continues to tremble against mine until it suddenly stops, momentarily scaring the crap out of me. When I hear soft snuffles coming from her and gently turn her head. She had fallen asleep on me. She had gone from a terrified little beast to one in a deep sleep, she had needed me so much more than I had ever known, and I feel a shift inside of me. The need to protect her, no
“It’s not that simple is it. I may have some magical abilities, but he still has years over me. Years of training, years of knowledge, years of planning what he calls his redemption.”“But there is something he possibly didn’t account for. A mother’s love, a mate’s love. The fact that a whole pack will be right behind you.”It just didn’t seem true. Maybe I had been looking at this all wrong and it wasn’t just my fight anymore.“Then how am I supposed to make myself stronger?”“You already know Ash, look at the things you have been capable of. Personally, I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.”I was completely soaked from the heavy rain as I stared up into his amber eyes, the blue flecks shining brightly through the storm. It wasn’t just me that had changed but it seemed like he had too. His once sulky and moody self had mellowed out.“What ever happens Ash, you have three babies that need you.”I slowly bob my head, he was right, but I had still left them to check on my best
No one stops me, no one even comes after me as I race through the forest towards her house. She had to be here, it was where it had all started.As I break out of the forest, I see it, her small house sitting on the opposite side of the road. A trail of blood leading up the few steps as the door sat open. Anyone could walk in here, anything could have found her.Creeping towards the house, I knew the trail of blood belonged to her. It was dry though and had been sat here for a while, but it didn't remove her scent.“Tasha?” I call out her name as I step in through the front door, hoping for some kind of response but I was met with silence and what was worse is the trail of blood ended in the middle of the room. There was nothing, no body, no pool of dried red, but more importantly there was no sound.The floorboards didn’t creak like I was used to, no weird smell from all the herbal teas she had scattered around.“Can you hear her?” I mutter to Reaper. I didn’t even know why I was ask
The omega keeps her head low, not speaking as she remained in the room. She was our biggest risk right now; she was the only one to know that I had had a third baby and I couldn’t have her revealing that information, not to anyone.“You can’t say anything!” I plead with her, hoping that she would understand.“They need to be checked over.” She mumbles back at me and Daryl shakes his head“Kiera, you cannot tell anyone, you cannot share the news of Ash having a third child. Do you understand?” He was using his Alpha tone, a tone that I was only to familiar with.The omega gulps, her eyes wide as she slowly nods her head.“I need you to say it Kiera!”“I won’t tell anyone, but how are you going to hide her, what if she is a poorly pup?”Daryl looks between me and the omega as I gently rock our little girl.“Kiera, you will become Ashley’s personal maid. You will do nothing else in the house except for helping Ash and tending to the children and monitoring any changes in them!”“But the
“For you!” Lucian punches the stone wall of his cell, splitting the skin on his knuckles which heals instantly.“I don’t understand”“Of course you don’t sister.” He laughs manically as he tries to pull the bars apart. I was glad Daryl had reinforced them.“You weren’t to know I was going to have children.”He looks at me from the corner of his eye. I was so stupid, I had told him of the vision, the one where I was left alone with twins, the one where Daryl was not in the picture. How could I have been so stupid?“You told me that not all visions were correct that some were just created in my own mind!”“Yes, but I saw that vision too, sister. Getting into your head was much easier than you trying to get into mine. Any time your wolf was dormant, it left an opening. A chance for me to see everything!”“Just kill him Ash” Daryl links me"Whicjh is why you wanted Amber to trap me?"He starts clapping."About time you figured that out."“You would never have found me without Daryl!” I ye
The omega hands her to me, she was much smaller than the boys with tufts of dark hair that matched Daryl’s, bright amber eyes peeping out under her eyelids.I still didn’t understand, the doctor had shown me the monitor, pointed out the two boys, how could he have missed a third baby or even a third heartbeat.Silent tears run down my face as I look at the three of them, how could I protect them? How could I protect my daughter from my brother? He was so set on taking her.“You did well.” The omega smiles at me as she drapes something over my legs, but I glance at the door. I had a bad feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.“He’s coming.” I mutter.There is fear on the omegas face as her eyes widen and her body stills.“You’re scared of him?”“Every omega is.” She sits next to me.“You know I’m not talking about Daryl, don’t you?”She nods her head and mutters Lucian’s name back to me.“What did he do to you?”He didn’t have anything to do with the omegas.“You don’t know?” she que
It was strange after experiencing Amber's world!Being able to run through Lucian’s mind with his beast chasing me was something I had never considered happening, nor did I think it was even possible and yet here I am. To be in someone’s mind was almost disgusting, you never know what they might be hiding and it was apparent that Lucian had been hiding alot.I had never bothered to ask the name of his beast, but something tells me it’s up there like mine. Reaper, another name for death and she certainly did have a dark side.“Tell me where she is!” I scream as I continue to run.“Give us your daughter!”“I have already told Lucian, they are boys, no females.”“You lie! I can smell it. You are carrying a girl!”Here I had no bump, if anything my stomach was flatter than flat. Was this how Lucian really saw me?He chases me through the greyness of Lucians mind. There was no colour, like he only saw things a certain way. Anytime I get a chance to grab something to throw, I do. Lucian con