“This way,” he says in a cold tone, then pulls me closer to him and walks me out of the living room.
I can sense my father’s eyes on my back as I am led in front of him - for the first time in my life, he has to stare at my back while I walk ahead. The feeling alone makes me smile and feel like I am a bit more powerful than him while he is here - in what would be my home from today forward.
“I had a few Vietnamese dishes prepared with the help of the lovely Hang,” Alpha Fenriz says when we walk into the dining room, and my heart stops. I look up at him with horror and see the same look on my mother’s face when my eyes fall on her. The confidence I had earlier melts away, knowing what my new husband has just done by saying that name.
“Her name is Saeko,” my father growls and wraps an arm around my mother. I can feel the fury emanating from him and immediately cringe away, but then Alpha Fenriz chuckles and shakes his head.
“In this house, I will use their given names, Kaen, not the names you’ve given them. Besides, I prefer her real name since it has such a strong meaning with what I am, wouldn't you say?” Alpha Fenriz says, then sits down. “I am sure you will respect the rules in my home, as I will respect the rules in yours.”
Whether Alpha Fenriz knows this or not, he has just hit the nail on the head. A wizened fox would never disrespect someone in their own home, lest he gets disrespected in his.
My father’s anger simmers down, but I can tell that this is far from over. Alpha Fenriz has deeply insulted him, and an insult to a fox could result in a long-standing feud between them. There will be no love lost since I mean nothing to my father, and I have a feeling that this is just the beginning. I suppose that he did not know what he would be in for when he signed my life away, but I know that disrespect was not one of the things he counted on.
I found out by accident that when he agreed to marry my mother, it was simply because of an arrangement. Her father, a wealthy magnate, needed to build alliances in Japan, so he sold his only daughter off. He hated my mother the moment he set his eyes on her, since he had another woman in mind, and decided to change everything about her, including her name.
Naturally, when her father visits, he refers to her by her given name, Hang, but every other day she is Saeko - timid, obedient Saeko.
The dinner concluded quickly, with no one speaking and the atmosphere tense. My mother’s eyes were downcast the entire time, and I feared what would happen to her once they were alone. We weren’t close, not at all, but she is still my mother and the one who gave birth to me.
We’re all in the entryway, saying our goodbyes when I look at my mother once more, and a feeling of sadness grips my heart.
/“Don’t pity the weak, Umiko; they choose their own fate,”/ Ahmya says lazily, cutting through the thoughts about my mother.
I shake my head. /“She’s my mother-”/
/“And she allowed herself to be placed under Tsukishima’s thumb when she could have been so much more!”/ the fox spirit exclaims, stunning me. She bares her teeth and lets out a feral growl, one I haven’t heard before. In fact, she has never growled at me before…
/“Ahmya, what is this about?”/ I frown, but she simply disappears again and refuses to heed my call. /“Ahmya!”/
“Umiko,” I blink and realize that a hand has been placed over mine, my mother’s.
“Okaasan,” I answer in my mother tongue and lightly bow my head. She rubs my hand gently and lets out a sigh; when I look into her eyes again, I notice the unshed tears. Before I can ask what’s wrong, she pulls me into an embrace, and I can feel her tears falling on my shoulder.
“I didn’t want this for you; I didn’t want this for any of you,” she whispers in her native tongue, then breaks off the embrace and gives me a stern look. “Do not trust anyone but Yui, do you understand? Not even Ahmya, especially not Ahmya!”
The deranged look in my mother’s eyes has me taking a step back from her with a frown deeply marring my forehead. How did she know the name of my fox spirit? No one other than the host is allowed to know the name!
She grips my wrists, waiting for a response from me, and I whisper “Understood,” before I see her stiffen, and she eventually lets go of me, wipes her tears, and walks away from me for the last time.
What was that about? I thought she would come over to wish me well, but now she’s left me with more questions than answers. Ahmya was still gone from my thoughts, so I doubt she heard my mother’s warning. Do I ask her about it or find out for myself? I mean, it’s not like I ever trusted either of them to begin with.
I didn’t even have to turn around to know that my father was standing behind me; now I understand why my mother’s body stiffened up before she walked away from me. Taking a deep breath, I turn to face him, and my entire body cringes at the look in his eyes.
“Father-”
“Speak when you’re spoken to, Umiko, or has your new name made you lose your respect?” he says in a low voice laced with anger, and his eyes blaze with the color of his fox. He’s still seething over his interaction with Alpha Fenriz earlier, and now that fury seems to be directed at me.
“I apologize,” I say and take a step back from him, but he snatches my wrist just like my mother did a few minutes ago.
“Your husband has disrespected me; what will you do about it?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.
I flounder in his grip and look to someone for help, but as usual, my mother’s eyes are facing the floor. I am not sure why this upsets me more, it's not like she has ever protected me from his wrath, and as I am about to apologize yet again, Ahmya’s earlier words echo in my head.
“Don’t pity the weak, Umiko; they choose their own fate.”
I feel something inside of me break and pull my wrist out of his grip. “This is his home, and right now, you are disrespecting him by insulting his wife,” I say, and the surprise in his eyes gives me all the confidence I need to say the following. “You will not talk to me like that while you’re in my home, father.”
His earlier rage simmers to the surface and is amplified as he raises his hand to strike me. “How dare you-!”
I cringe away, brace myself for the hit and close my eyes, shock taking over as I realize that this will be the first time my father has ever harmed me physically. All the confidence from his look of surprise ebbs away and in its place, once again, stood fear. Overwhelming fear.
“Were you just about to strike my wife?”
My eyes wretch open when I hear Alpha Fenriz’s voice, only for my heart to drop when I see him holding my father’s fist - the one that would have met my cheek.
“She is my daughter. I am allowed to discipline her,” my father says, pulling his hand away and glaring at Alpha Fenriz.
Alpha Fenriz chuckles and shakes his head. “She might be your daughter, but she is my wife - one that you have given to me so that we may have a powerful alliance. Do you want to sever this accord before it even takes off, Kaen?” He says, grinning because he knows that he has won this argument.
My father huffs and then straightens his suit. “Noted.”
“Apologise to my wife, then leave before I change my mind about being civil,” he says, crossing his arms.
Shock inches into my father’s face as soon as he realizes what Alpha Fenriz has just asked of him. I glance up at my husband, but his eyes are trained on my father and what he will do next.
My father shakes his head. “You can’t possibly be serious!”
“Dead serious,” Alpha Fenriz grins.
I have never received an apology from him, not once in my entire life, and now my new husband is forcing him to apologize to me. He huffs out a ‘gomen’ before storming off and dragging my mother with him.
“Make sure he gets the Vega treatment,” Alpha Fenriz says, and I hear more people leaving the entryway.
Gomen. All my life, all the abuse and feeling of worthlessness, and all I get is a murmured gomen - A brush off. Why am I even sad? This is to be expected!
I feel a finger under my chin, and a spark shoots through my entire body before my chin gets lifted, and I peer up at Alpha Fenriz. His crimson gaze bores into mine as if he’s searching for something, and my silly heart does cartwheels again.
“Listen to me, Umiko,” he starts, his voice low and incredibly sexy. “Yes, I will be calling you Umiko as I think Marina is too much of a common name for you - it means nothing, and you are not nothing.”
I can feel a cold sweat beading my back with how he's looking at me, and my core trembles at the sound of his voice dripping domination. Ahmya stirs and opens her eyes, a dreamy expression evident in her emerald eyes as Alpha Fenriz continues.
“You are a Vega woman now and my Luna bride; I will not permit you to ever look down at your feet again. Do you understand me?” he says, his voice stern and commanding. I nod, but he shakes his head. “Use your words, wife; I do not want you timid.”
Gods, I feel like I am about to explode from his words alone, but I swallow deeply and pull out my last little bit of courage from deep down.
“I understand,” I say softly in English and watch as his eyes literally split in two. If anything could break the spell he had on me, that was it, and I took a fearful step backward. “I understand, Alpha Fenriz.”
It's easy to forget that this man is deadly powerful when that pull takes over; I need to be on my guard.
“Just Fenriz,” he says, not meeting my gaze again and shaking his head. “Come, I’ll show you to our room.”
Her voice lured me in like a Siren; five little words, and I nearly lost whatever remained of my self-control. Baron kept his promise and behaved throughout the evening, even when I caught her sweet, innocent scent or felt her skin on mine. But the second she spoke, the second I heard her voice, something in me snapped./“You said you would control yourself!”/ I chastise Baron while walking her towards what would be our shared bedroom. She has remained quiet this entire time, with her handmaiden following her, but even in the silence, her presence is overwhelming./“Can you blame me, Fenriz?! You felt it too, and you know what she does to us!”/ He says, and I pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance. /“I will keep my promise and not harm her, but you know as well as I do that we cannot reign this in while she remains unclaimed.”/I sigh, knowing that what he says is true. However, I have no intention of claiming Umiko tonight, not with the risk hanging over my head./“Give me time to
I felt his eyes on me the entire time I was in my closet last night, but I didn’t dare breathe a word. Legally I am his, and he can do whatever he wants to me, even watch me as I undress. I don’t know what I expected when I walked out to bid him goodnight, but it wasn’t his indifference. Now, as I awake the following morning, I realize that he is nowhere to be seen. Sitting up in bed, I rub the sleep from my eyes and stretch out before walking to the bathroom. After such a stressful day, I actually slept well for a change and had a good night’s rest. I look at myself in the mirror as I brush my teeth, and a smile spreads across my face - a genuine smile for a change. I will not have to worry about my father and his insults; I am actually free of him! Doing a happy little dance, I finish in the bathroom and walk over to my closet to get ready for the day. Ahmya has been quiet and content all morning, and I can spot her lazing about somewhere in my subconscious. It seems she also lo
Very smooth, Fenriz. “Remember who you belong to.” Seriously?! What the fuck made me say something so absolutely immature?“Fuck,” I grumble, grabbing my gloves and jacket from my desk and heading out. I must admit that Umiko asking to see me came as a surprise; I thought she was still terrified of me. Whenever she made eye contact with me, she would blush and look down or avoid my gaze altogether. But today, she asked to see me; I’m sure Andreas will have something to say about that.I walk towards the front door and am immediately hit with her scent, but I brush it off as best I can and head to the garage. These meetings I’m about to attend are some of the most important, so I can’t afford to be distracted today.“You sure you want to go with that?” Andreas says when he sees me next to my Yamaha VMAX, and I shrug.“The city is mine; if I want to show up to a fucking business meeting dressed in leather and stinking of fumes, then I will,” I say, slipping on my leather jacket and ge
What an odd household. The servants here are pleasant, the guards acknowledge me, and I am allowed everywhere, even in the same area as Fenriz’s office. To say that I am not used to this is putting it lightly - I am not a prisoner in my own home.“Is something wrong?” Yui asks me as we walk through the back garden. Marcus, the guard, is walking two paces behind us while his team is spread out in front. I shake my head. “Not really, no. Things are just so different here, wouldn’t you say?”She nods. “People actually look at me when they speak to me,” she murmurs, then gestures towards Marcus. “Even the guards treat me like they’re a lower stature than I am.” “It’s a different world over here, entirely different,” I say, then link my arm with hers and give her a playful smile. “Perhaps we can learn not to be so wary of them?”“I know what you’re doing, and I will not answer you until this suspicious feeling goes away,” she says, rolling her eyes even as she tries to hide her smile. “B
I have spent the last three hours introducing my pack members to Umiko. Most of them welcomed her, while the rest of them looked at her with pity. I know they have no hope for her to live longer than a year; none of my other wives reached their one-year anniversaries with me.After last night’s discovery, I barely slept; even Baron was up all night pacing. What we saw didn’t only surprise the both of us, but it made us realize that we might be in for more than we expected. I find out if this thing inside of her is good or evil, not only that, but what exactly it is. “Everyone is so kind,” she suddenly says, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I turn to look at her. It’s just after 4 pm, and we’re currently walking on our way back to the mansion after meeting the last of the pack. I’ve introduced her to every pack member but one - my father.She’s wearing a light blue autumn dress that clings to her lithe body and has her hair pinned up in a ponytail today. Her eyes are shining with e
I don’t know where the courage came from to face Fenriz after what happened. But now, as I walk away from him, feeling his eyes on my back, my legs are just about to give in./“Head up high, Umiko. He may sense your fear but never let him see it.”/ Ahmya urges me on, and it is by that alone that I make it to the garden patio. Holding on to the handrail, I try to regain my breathing and control the constant beating of my heart. Why did I have to be so honest with him? I don’t know him, and I don’t see the type of person he is, so to assume that he acted out of kindness was just foolish!/“You couldn’t have known that he would react that way,”/ Ahmya assures me, and I place a shaky hand on my chest. /“No, but I should not have assumed anything about him. He is a Lycan Alpha and has certainly killed many people, so I cannot assume he can be kind, or a good person./ I say and sigh. Ahmya looks at me oddly, then turns away. I let my guard down again, simply because I had assumed Fenriz
Andreas looks at me incredulously and shakes his head. “You threatened your fucking wife?” I nod and lift the whiskey tumbler to my lips, seething at my best friend’s tone. “Do you want another play-by-play, asshole?”“You threatened your wife, your fucking Luna, who also happens to be your Fated Mate. The one person you’re supposed to fucking protect and who has already been through shit at the hands of her own father. We’re talking about the same woman here, right?” He says, shaking his head.I breathe out a sigh and look at him over the desk in one of my offices back in the city. There was some witch in one of my casinos trying her shit, and I had to kill her and her entire coven for already swindling three of my hotels out of a cold 5 million.“I didn’t tell you all this so you can chew me the fuck out, Andreas-”“You told me this because you trust me, and I am not only your Beta but your best fucking friend. You told me this because you WANT me to chew you the fuck out and tell
It feels like I have died and gone to pleasure-induced heaven. The way Fenriz controlled my body and made it bend to his will, his gentle touch on my skin and his tongue caressing me. I never thought anyone could make me feel this way and still want more.But as I lay in an ecstasy-laden oblivion, a coldness seemed to envelop the room, and when I opened my eyes to look at Fenriz, something seemed different. Where before he looked at me as some delicious fruit to devour, now I felt like prey under his Lycan gaze.“Fenriz, why are you looking at me like that?” I murmur and sit up, pulling my legs towards my chest. A sliver of fear shoots up my spine when I catch the bloodlust on his scent, and I jump up from the bed as he reaches for me.“What is going on?” I say while attempting to cover my naked body with the tattered night dress. Fenriz stalks towards me, a low growl thrumming in his chest, and I notice that his claws have extended. I can feel my heart slamming against my chest, the
I look at Arkyn laying in the middle of the water and starting to stir; today, he turns five years old and will awaken once more. He looks just like Fenriz, but my Asian features are prominent as well, especially the shape of his eyes. I've allowed his hair to grow out too, just like his father's. The last few years have been hell but worth it in the end. This morning Hikari climbed the snowy mountain, and when she put her hands on Arkyn, a bright smile spread over her face. “They’ve stopped,” is all she said before telling me that she’ll be on her way to collect Fenriz and bring him to us. Then she looked down at my swollen belly. “She will be ready to emerge as well.” The last time Fenriz visited me, he knotted me without thinking. Not that I’m unhappy that it happened, but we’ve already had to face this with Arkyn… now I might have to stay up here for another five years. Hikari rushed my pregnancy along so that we can see if this will be the case again. To be honest, I don’t wa
Andreas Acting Alpha is nothing like actually being Alpha, but it still means that I have to put in the same amount of work as Fenriz. I was trained by my uncle to be a Beta to the Vega Alpha, and it helped a lot that Fenriz was actually my best friend already; he trusted me, and I would lay down my life for him. For the last few days I’ve had to be acting Alpha so I didn’t even have time to spend with Freyja; just when we were getting closer too. She speaks to me more and tells me about her hopes and dreams for the future; I get giddy when she does because I’m always in the plans with her. I never would have thought that the Goddess would bless me with a second chance mate, but here I am and every day I get to see her face is a blessing in itself. She doesn’t even see the ugly scar, the same as Kalea; in fact, she says it makes me even more beautiful in her eyes. I scoff at this memory, but a stupid smile still manages to find its way onto my lips. /“Send a car,”/ Fenriz’s voice
The only thing I got from Hikari’s words was that my son has been in constant pain since the day he was born; a pain we weren’t even aware of. Someone back home will die for their incompetence. “Is there anything we can do to take away his pain?” I ask, holding my arms out to Hanabi so she can hand over my child. “There must be something we can do to make this transition easier.” Hikari looks at Arkyn in my arms before settling her eyes on Umiko. She remains quiet for a while, a long fucking while if you ask me, but when a wistful look crosses her face, I knew that whatever she’s about to say can’t be good. “There is; we normally reserve it for clan members who can’t control their spirits and require a tranquil place to set things right,” she starts. “It is a lake inside a cavern in Mount Yōtei, they lay in the waters, and it takes the anguish and discomfort away until they’re ready.” “Okay, well, can we go right now? Is it possible?” Umiko steps closer to me and asks, her worrie
The last few days spent with my sister ended up being some of the most memorable ones! We went shopping, we stayed up late to chat, Fenriz had amiable chats with the Takahashi brothers, and I learned more about my sister than I ever have before. The only thing that still worries me to death is the fact that Arkyn is still the same; the whimpering, the sleepless nights, and shedding tears without actually crying out loud. Homura thinks that I missed that look on her face when she touched Arkyn, but I didn’t. She felt something when she touched my son, but now she’s refusing to admit it. She’s a sorceress, albeit not stronger than our eldest sister, so she must have seen or felt something. Now it’s our last day at her estate, and she’s still refusing to speak with me about it. I don’t know how else to get the information out of her; begging doesn’t seem to help, nor is nagging. “I saw nothing, Umi; stop this now!” she says for the umpteenth time, huffing out an annoyed sigh. “Don’t
I wanted to say no to taking a week off, but the defeated look on her face took the words right out of my mouth. Not to mention Andreas and his bitching about me needing this and how it would be good not only for me but for Umiko and Arkyn as well.Her actions by sucking me off while I was busy with important business partners nearly made me put a stop to it, but then I saw her naked on my desk and lost all reason.So here I am, getting ready to leave the private jet at Osaka International with a wife who’s nearly jumping up and down at the thought of seeing her sisters again. Arkyn didn’t rest well on the flight over at all, so how is she so excited and pretending like we barely slept for five hours on the trip over?It must be a mother thing.“There they are! There they are!” Umiko cries out when we see two parked Bentleys on the tarmac and just as she steps out of the plane, so do two women who, oddly enough, looked like younger versions of their mother. The only thing different is
I thought Fenriz was cruel before, but now I know he is. Rushing out of his office and feeling mortified to my core, I run to our bedroom and lock myself in the bathroom. Of course, Fenriz wouldn’t take his anger out on me with violence, he’ll find something else to torment me with. And he knew exactly how to do it. Oh, I am so angry right now! Not sure if it’s at Fenriz or myself, but I feel incredibly frustrated to the point that I want to scream! /“It’s called being sexually frustrated,/” Ahmya chuckles in my subconscious, and I seriously want to punch her right now. /“Hey, don’t give me that look! The best you can do is to get him back for doing it.”/ Her words are like iced water on my burning anger, and I frown. /“Get him back? Just so he can do it again? I don’t think so!”/ She shakes her head. /“No, I don’t mean stopping his release, but prolonging it,”/ she says. /“Ahmya, I’m not some sexual vixen who knows how to seduce a man. Where would I even start?”/ I sigh before
I knew something was off as soon as I smelled a different scent, but I didn’t expect to see Umiko wrapped up in the arms of another man.“Someone better explain to me what the fuck is going on before I start breaking necks,” I groan as I get to my feet, still completely out of it and feeling woozy. Umiko runs over to me and places my arm over her shoulder. “I’m not… going to ask again.”The anxiety is thick in her scent when she peers up at me, but then she looks over to the man standing next to what I can only assume is Kaen’s dead body. She sighs, then smiles at the man. It’s only when I look up at him that I notice that he looks suspiciously like Kaen himself.“His name is Asahi-”“I don’t give a fuck what his name is, Umiko. I want to know why he’s here and what the fuck happened while I was out.” I grumble, then look back at the man…then he bows.“Apologies if I have offended you, Alpha Fenriz. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Kaen Asahi, and Umiko is my youngest sister,”
Fenriz“Are you sure?”“Affirmative, Alpha; Kaen has just landed and is departing his private jet with his entourage in tow.”Umiko, Andreas, and I look at one another with the thrum of something unspoken passing between the three of us. We’ve planned for this since Ahmya told us of his plans, and now we have to act on it - Kaen dies today, and that’s the end of it.After our defenses were breached without me even being aware of anything, I decided that it would be best to have witches back in theUsuallyormally the pack leaders back in Norway would get the best witches to match the pack, but since my father had all the witches killed last time and Erik Helseth is conspiring against us, I couldn’t risk it.I’ve had to ask Kai for help, so two days ago, he sent his own witch to fortify my barriers. It’s been working better than I hoped; I can sense whenever a non-Vega pack member enters my territory.All but Kaen - the bastard must have cloaked himself.“Funny that he should come on the
A knock on the bedroom door gets my attention while I’m burping Arkyn, and when I look up, it’s straight into Freyja’s green eyes. She hasn’t left her bedroom for over two weeks and refused to see anyone, even Andreas, so the fact that she’s here leaves me surprised.“Freyja, love,” I murmur and beckon her over to sit next to me on the bed after I’ve put Arkyn back in his crib. She sighs, then walks over and sits in the space I’ve gestured, but when she eventually looks into my eyes, I see a broken woman.One I can relate to.“I was born today twenty-six years ago,” she whispers, then looks down again, and tears fall into her open palms. “Frigga and I always said that one day when we escape out of the hole, we would shift and run for every birthday that follows to signify our freedom, but now… now I’m alone and without the person I loved more than myself.”Her shoulders don’t even shake as she silently cries, but I can tell from her racing heart and melancholic scent that no matter ho