A little peace before our storm. I think you deserve the small break. On another note. Rejected by the Alpha will go live within two days. Also, I have news to tell you. I am traveling this weekend for around a month, don't worry, my updates would still be daily. You won't miss me too much, haha. But I might not be able to give you the surprise three updates per day. My schedule of publishing will be different (though daily). We will see how it goes when I reach there, and find out how my wifi access would be, lol. It is a needed vacation (more or less, lol, I still have work and classes, but you know, new destination). Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and don't forget to vote, comment, and leave a review.
Dean: “What have you been up to over the past three years?” I asked, shaking my head in question. Kai looked down at his coffee and frowned at its smell. The coffee sucked, but it did the job of keeping us awake. “Been here, done that, made a few friends and many, many enemies.” He said, and I chuckled. “Your dad wanted me to get inside Lorenzo’s place. I failed to do that when your mate chose to leave the pack. Well, in other words, when Mariana almost killed her earlier today.” “I heard you were chosen as their Alpha.” I said, and he nodded. “Sadly, but it was a way of getting in without giving chances to those who wanted to ask questions. The idea of that happening was alarming enough, and the last thing that I needed was Mariana finding out about anything.” He explained and I shook my head in question. “The woman had men following me around on the clock since she found out that I was alive. And I have to tell you, it was not the best thing that one can go through when you’re u
Arianna: I held onto my daughter as I hid inside the closet, taking a deep and slow breath in fear that she might make a sound. My heart raced, but I was more or less thankful for the loudness around us as it prevented anyone from hearing it. My father’s scent filled my nostrils despite everything, and the fear that I felt was one like no other. The room was still being checked, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before anyone found us. And the last thing that I needed was for anyone to hold my daughter hostage for me to submit. I slowly laid my little princess on the blanket that was inside the closet. It wasn’t an ideal place to hide her, but I would rather she lay here than be caught in the danger of gunfire, and being less than a day old, I would believe that I had every right to think that way. My body was sore and I was still dead exhausted after everything, the stitches hurt, but even my wolf knew to help me at this point. It was either we died or we fought, and
Dean: “Mama…” “Boss, we need to stop the bleeding.” The nurse said, stopping Irina whose eyes widened in surprise at the sight of mom. Her baby was in her arms as she lay in front of me, and her heart raced against her chest as she tried to find out what was happening. “Then get to it,” I said, glaring at the woman. “Dean, what the fuck is going on?” Irina asked, snapping at me. I closed my eyes and pulled my second gun out of my holster. The fact that I watched my mom get shot and yet, I couldn’t move or react as I found myself being tied down. It was either I reacted and risked my family being killed or I stopped and watched as they tried to bargain with me. “The fucking hospital was attacked, that is what’s going on.” I said, just as Arianna walked toward the room alongside Kai. She held onto Alina as she walked and Kai held his gun. “Arianna…” “They’re either dead or gone, though I can feel Luca’s presence, but we couldn’t find him.” Arianna said, her eyes void of color.
Arianna: I lay on the hospital bed as the nurses tended to my wounds. My legs hurt and I put my hand on my stomach as I tried to calm myself down from the adrenaline rush that I was in. The fact that my father was here, regardless of where he was, was not something that I liked. And it pained me even more that Sofia was in the state that she was in because of my family. I didn’t know how Dean must have felt, but I knew that he was in pain with everything going on. I couldn’t even tell him that the woman was sick, and yet, she was shot and was going to need surgery. The bedroom door was knocked and I looked up to find Dean opening it as he walked inside holding Alina in his arms. He looked at me and smiled as he walked toward me, holding her in his arms. He walked toward me and put her in my arms and I held her to my chest. She whimpered and I leaned in to kiss her forehead. “How is your mom?” “I can assume that you already knew about her liver.” He stated, and my eyes widened.
Dean: I woke up to Arianna running her fingers through my hair. Alina was asleep in her bassinet, and I frowned in confusion before shaking my head as I processed where we were and what happened. “Mama…” “She got out of surgery a few hours ago. Both her and Kai are okay and are asleep,” Arianna said, stopping me. “Just relax.” “I don’t even know how I dozed off.” I said, and she smiled. I massaged my temple. “You were exhausted, and I honestly didn’t have it in me to wake you up.” She said, and I nodded in understanding. I looked at Alina who whimpered in her sleep. I looked at Arianna whose eyes met mine and she smiled before I got up. I kissed her forehead and ran my fingers through her hair before sitting on the edge of the bed. I gently massaged her hand and she gently pulled me toward her. I chuckled and laid my head on her chest. She ran her fingers over my hair, gently massaging my head. “Do you want to get more sleep? You need to rest.” “I am going to get a cup of co
Arianna: I frowned in confusion as the smell of blood filled my nostrils. My heart raced against my chest and though I wanted to get up, I couldn’t. I knew that getting up was going to hurt me more than I could afford. The sound of distinct footsteps could be heard, and I frowned when I heard the panicked voices outside the room. I looked at the door, then at my daughter as I got ready to attack if needed. I pulled out the IV from my hand, despite the doctor and nurse’s warnings. I wasn’t going to be allowing any restraints if I needed to move, and that was for fact going to be an issue for me and my child. My heart raced before my bedroom door was knocked. I frowned, however, instantly relaxed when I caught Yaroslav’s scent. He walked inside the room and I smiled at the man whose eyes met mine. “How are you feeling?” “There is blood on the floor behind you and I am pretty sure that it isn’t blood from yesterday’s attack.” I said, and he smiled. “Sharp eye, but then again,
Dean: “They just ambushed the house and killed him,” Sabine said, showing me her phone. “They said that they were your men, and they handed me this as proof.” She pulled a necklace out of her pocket and handed it to me. It was our pack’s signature, and I couldn’t help but frown at the sight of it. Her eyes were fixed on the ground as she avoided mine, and extending my hand, I took the necklace. “I wouldn’t have believed it if not for the necklace, I’m sorry,” she whispered, handing it to me. I turned the necklace around and frowned. “This one isn’t even one of ours. It is a replica of it,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. Whoever did this, and I knew that I already had someone in mind, managed to play my own game against me. And that was something that I knew that I couldn’t easily let go of. “I didn’t know,” she said, and I nodded in understanding. I took her hand in mine, gently squeezing it before returning her gun to her. I had to take it from her to get her inside
Arianna: I watched as the room door opened and I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips when I saw Dean walking inside. His eyes met mine and he sat on the edge of the bed beside me before taking my hand and kissing my knuckle. And though he didn’t say a word, I could tell that he was in pain or that something was bothering him, though whatever it was, I didn’t know. The man just seemed distant, and that was something that I could see. “You are upset,” I stated, and he raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled and squeezed his hand in assurance. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” “Let’s just say that it was a longer morning after I woke up.” He said, and I raised an eyebrow. His eyes avoided mine and it took me a second to realize that he just wanted me to drop the subject. I wasn’t going to push him when he didn’t want to tell me what he was on about, but I knew that with time, whatever it was, I was going to find out about it. “I see,” I said, and he looked down at my ha
“You called for me,” the Alpha asked, entering the hotel. Arianna looked at him and he smiled before opening his arms for her. She looked at her mate for a second before taking a step toward the Alpha. He hugged her tightly before pulling away to shake the Alpha’s hand. “You need not worry about me trying to steal your mate, Alpha Dean.” He said, looking down at the woman as she walked back to her mate. “She wouldn’t spare me a second glance anyway.” Arianna laughed and ran her finger over her mate’s chest as he wrapped his arm around her. “How are you, Alpha Alessandro?” “I am well, Alpha. However, I am more or less curious as to why you would call me for a meeting in Vegas when we could have met in either my house or yours.” He said, raising an eyebrow at the Alpha. “Lucius is back.” Arianna said, and the man’s face dropped. “You’ve heard the rumors.” He said, and she nodded. “Do you believe them?” “I have no reason not to.” She said, taking a step closer as she showed him her
“The body isn’t here.” Arianna said, looking at Alpha Dean who frowned in confusion. The man had followed her to ensure that she was okay, but the last thing that he expected to hear was that the body of his enemy or more specifically, her mother, wasn’t there. “Arianna…” “We are being played, but by who, why, I don’t know.” She said, her voice cold. The Alpha knew that his mate was speaking out of anger and torment. The pain that she was feeling was one that she did not understand, and judging by Lyov’s expression, he felt the same way. “Mariana?” Alpha Kai asked, shaking his head in question. “She never arrived with the Alpha and yet her scent…” “As I said, we are being played.” Arianna said, taking a step back to hide her tears. The Alpha, her mate, grabbed her hand, stopping her before pulling her to his chest. “I know that it hurts…” “You don’t.” She said, her voice coming out colder than she intended for it to. His eyes dropped to the ground but she took a deep breath. “Don
Dean: I watched as Arianna sat on the couch, facing her mother whose eyes met mine for a second. I had to fight back, glaring at the woman as I reminded myself of the fact that she might have been, most likely, forced into staying away from her daughter. I could see it in her eyes when Arianna looked at her, and I could tell that things ended up taking a turn that she did not want for them. However, there was nothing that we could do about it right now. We were going to have to deal with what we had the way that we had them, and one way or the other, we were going to have to be able to cross the mountains together the way that we climbed them. “You have ten minutes to explain to me the basics of what I need to know.” Arianna said, and I shook my head at my mate, knowing that she was having the impatience of a toddler. “Because believe me right now, if I am sitting in front of you, it is because of my mate. However, if it were up to me, I would have been in my bedroom alongside my d
Arianna: I laid on our bed as Dean entered the room. “I really don’t want you telling me to hear her out first, Dean.” I said, not bothering to raise my head from the pillow. The two of us still had blood on our hands and clothes, and I knew that we were going to need to change the sheets before bed. But at this point, I didn’t care. I just wanted to lay in bed for a while. “I didn’t come to tell you anything, malyshka.” He said, wrapping his arm around me as he got on bed behind me. He pulled me toward his chest and a sob escaped my lips before I could stop it. The thing was, at this point, regardless of everything, I was grieving. I was grieving for the man that I called father for years. The man has abused me more than anyone could have, mentally, I mean, and yet, I knew no one but him. I lost my mother to find out that she was alive, seeming to be by our side for so long and yet, not once did she bother to make an appearance. The man that took her away from me was the one fam
Gabriella: I watched as Arianna looked at me, trying to process whether or not I was really there. It was a habit that she had when she was younger; therefore, I wasn’t really surprised when I saw that she was frightened and worried. “Do you want to drink anything, Gabriella?” Lyov asked, and I shook my head. The fact that I saw the man with his wife and son was something that I was thankful for. I knew that he missed a lot as he looked for me. “I am fine, Lyov.” I said, and Arianna shook her head. “You couldn’t have been alive through all this time and yet I’ve never noticed you. The two of us know the number of times that we moved around. Hell, Lorenzo was sure to never have us staying in one place for more than…” “Do you really believe that I am a lookalike that looks exactly like your mother, knows you by heart…” “You know nothing about who I am, what I am, or about me.” Arianna said, and I smiled. “I know that you have a heart of gold, and I know very well that you chose y
Dean: I growled as I ordered my pack members to attack the man who dared call himself Alpha on my grounds. The man didn’t know what he was getting himself into, but I was more than a little sure that he was getting ready for more trouble than he could afford. “I take it that you are taking the habit of hiding behind your mate.” Lorenzo said, and I chuckled. The man was taunting both Arianna and I, but what he didn’t understand was that I was not going to allow him to get between my mate and I. However, judging by how Lyov was looking at the woman, I doubted that she was ONLY a lookalike, and considering the fact that even Arianna, despite not wanting to admit it, didn’t shoot the woman, then something was most likely up. “And I believe that you really don’t know who you are messing with; but then again, I doubt that you ever knew that.” I said, and he growled. The man believed that he could taunt my mate in front of me, but I was going to be sure that I taught him a lesson that he
Arianna: I froze, staring at my mother for a second too long before shaking my head. She wasn’t alive, this was just a game that Lorenzo was playing. He wouldn’t have been able to cheat on the mating bond with Mariana throughout this whole time when she was still alive. I knew that he wouldn’t. “Arianna…” “You are playing a very bad game, Lorenzo.” I said, stopping Lyov from saying a word. The idea and fact that I knew that he would easily try telling me against this was something that I couldn’t deny. But I knew for fact that he was just as delusional. The woman died, I saw the building burning with her inside it. “Am I, child?” He asked, knowing that he was testing me. “Do you really believe that I am playing a game?” “She died.” I stated, my voice becoming colder than it ever was. He chuckled and pushed her in front of us. Lyov growled, and both Yaroslav and Viktor tensed. Yelena, who stood a few steps away from her mate, froze, looking down at the woman before whispering. ‘
Dean: “I want the pack ready, and for the humans to go inside. Protect the kids and I want no one who isn’t ready to fight to go out.” I said, speaking to the pack’s headmistress. She and the other maids were trained for such fights, and I knew that they would be having both Alina and Ray with them. “Until I call you, you stay in the underground tunnels. And if things backfire, you know what to do.” “Yes, Alpha.” She said, and I nodded. My one concern right now was my sister, but I wasn’t dumb, she was in the basement, away from all of this, and hidden. Needless to say, IF things did backfire, then I doubted that she would be affected. If anything, she might end up getting a reward for what she did. “Go,” I said, looking at my daughter for a second. My heart ached at the fact that they were to run with her being this young, but right now, I knew that we were not going to have another option. I ran my finger over Ray’s hair, the guilt that I felt for him was one that I couldn’t des
Arianna: I frowned as I took a deep breath, processing that I was in a room that I didn’t recognize. My heart raced, and I tried sitting up only to find myself cuffed to the bed that I was laying on. The memories of Lorenzo filled my head, and noticing that I couldn’t see Kai, I couldn’t help but feel like my heart was going to burst at how fast it was beating. “Kai?” I called, looking around frantically. “Hey, easy,” Dean’s voice echoed through the room and I growled, not wanting this to be another mind game from Lorenzo. The man has put me through enough torment to get me to process that he wanted me to kill my mate, and that wasn’t something that I wanted. “For the last fucking time, Lorenzo, I am not going to kill him.” I said, and Dean frowned in confusion before he took a deep breath. “Lorenzo is not here, malyshka.” “As if I would be falling for that lie again,” I said, and the man frowned. “What has he put you through, baby girl?” He asked, looking me in the eye, and I