Emilia's POV Alexis has shown me all over the pack house. She even made sure I knew about the little hide outs the Omegas like to use in their down time. The ranked wolves she generally doesn’t go to those areas, which makes them a safe spot for everyone else to hang out, but because of the locations usually the Omegas are the only ones that actually use them. We are making our way to the Alpha's office to do some cleaning and dusting before we move back to the kitchen for dinner prep. I can't shake the feeling I am being watched. I am constantly watching my surroundings to see if there is someone following us that I don't know about. Alexis thinks I am being paranoid when I told her about it. I don't think it's just paranoia though. I've had to spend the last eleven years doing nothing but relying on my instincts, so trust me when I say they are rarely wrong. My stomach rumbles loudly and Alexis glances at me with a small smile. "If you need a break, I am sure Sally isn't going
Alpha Kade’s POVAnger courses through me as I think about the Omega touching her. “Kade, relax. She didn’t know any better. How was she supposed to know that it wasn’t a regular vase?” Garrett says his voice is soft and quiet as he tries to calm the raging beast inside me. I can feel Ghost’s anger too. One thing we agree on is no one is allowed to touch Leila’s ashes. People have tried to convince me to lay her to rest, but I can’t seem to do it. I need her close to me, so after she was cremated. I kept her ashes in my office. On days where I feel like I can’t handle anything else, I allow myself to hold Leila and think about her. I remember the good times and the bad. Most importantly, I think about the last day I saw her alive and healthy. ************************** *Two years ago** “Marcus, are you sure you got everything handled if I dip early?” I ask my Beta. Marcus laughs and raises his eyebrow at me. “I’m not incompetent, man. I would only worry if you left Garrett by h
Emilia’s POV The rest of the day passed by quickly. Alpha Kade still didn’t want me leaving my room, so he ordered Beta Marcus to bring me my dinner. And then one of the Omegas came and took the plate back to the kitchen for me. Beta Marcus told me he will convince the Alpha to let me out of the room since I didn’t know the value of the urn I had picked up. He can’t punish me for something I didn’t know. But I guess it is still a sore topic for him and I understand that. I think he overreacted about me touching the urn. If I had known, I would have never touched it. I would have cleaned somewhere else. I wish I knew what really happened to her and how long she was in Kade’s life. Beta Marcus refused to give me any more information about the Alpha’s first mate. I feel like there is a lot more to her death than what they are willing to talk about. I wonder if I can get Alexis to tell me what’s going on with her and how she died. I roll off the bed and head to the shower, dea
Emilia’s POVWe start our walk down the hallway in silence, both of us consumed by our thoughts. My thoughts travel to the Alpha and every interaction I have had with him thus far. Beta Marcus told me that he had a first mate but didn’t tell me anything else about her. Maybe I can convince him to tell me about her. And if he isn’t willing to tell me, then maybe Alexis can tell me about her. “Beta Marcus?” I ask softly. “I have a question.” I continue in the same breath.He turns his head to me slightly, acknowledging me with a raise of one of his eyebrows.“Why does the Alpha hate me so much? What did I do to upset him?”Beta Marcus lets out a soft, barely audible sigh before answering my question. “Emilia, you haven’t done anything to the stubborn Alpha. Kade—Alpha Kade—he has a lot he has to work through, and he hasn’t given himself the time to work through it.” He hesitates for a split second before continuing. “If you want to know anything about the Alpha and his first mate, you
Gamma Garrett’s POVI have no fucking idea what I walked in on. I heard the screaming and the yelling. I thought something was really wrong. My gut was screaming at me to hurry; the screaming couldn’t be leading to anything good.This is normally a pretty quiet pack. I generally don’t have to worry about violent fights and altercations. Something about this fight though…As Gamma, I generally have to deal with the punishments for altercations, something that is rare here. Usually, everyone gets along. Sometimes we have petty disagreements between the teenagers and young adults, but after that, I generally don’t worry about the grown adults.Imagine my shock when I turned down the hallway and witnessed Kade and Emilia in the hall, neither of them looking too happy. My first instinct was to call Marcus because he can usually get the hard-headed Alpha to calm down quickly, but then I remember my conversation with Marcus and how he made it sound that he couldn’t be down here. And everythi
Emilia's POV Pain ravishes my body. It's not physical pain; it's the pain of knowing my mate bond is broken. And it shouldn't affect. Nothing about this man should affect me. Yet, I know I would be lying if I said it didn't. Fuck the pain on my neck. Yeah, I am sure the asshole left a huge fucking bruise on my neck, but I don't care about that. Physical pain is what I am used to. I spent months dealing with this type of pain, so it isn't a big deal. The pain I am not used to is the emotional and mental. In the beginning, after going to Black Claw, every little thing hurt me. My emotional state was incredibly fragile, but as time went on, I learned how to control it. And I did control it. Then, when I was betrayed by Ozias, I refused to let anyone close to me. I didn't want to get close to anyone because I never knew the facade they were hiding behind. Yet, here I am. I feel close to Beta Marcus and I feel a connection to that damn hard-headed Alpha. And yeah, I know the connectio
Emilia’s POV I stayed with Alexis and a few of the other Omegas until almost midnight before I told her I needed to get some sleep since I had a training session with Beta Marcus in the morning. I nearly regretted telling her about the training session when she got incredibly excited about it. Apparently, it is quite unheard for the Beta or Gamma to offer private lessons, especially to an Omega. According to Alexis, Omegas are allowed to attend training with the rest of the pack if they choose, but they don’t get any specialized training. As I tried to explain to her, I don’t think I’m getting special treatment. Beta Marcus and even the Gamma are being forced to spend all this time with me because their Alpha is a prick who doesn’t think I can be left alone. On the bright side, she had some spare athletic wear I could borrow. As I stand here looking in the mirror, I groan at the way the outfit looks on me. Alexis is curvy and she weighs at least a good thirty to forty pounds more
Emilia’s POVGamma Garrett is quiet as he thinks about my reasoning. Don’t get me wrong, I wonder the same thing. It wouldn’t have been too hard for me to accept his rejection, and free both of us from this bond. I told him I didn’t want a bond with him. I have had these moments since coming to this pack and finding the Alpha is my mate where I don’t want him. I see the way he acts towards me. He’s rude, careless, and quite frankly, just an asshole. But, have I really scratched the surface with the Alpha? I haven’t been around him besides a few small interactions. Are those interactions really enough to make it to where I hate him to the point I want a rejection? I don’t think so…Then, there is the other part of me. At the end of the day, this decision doesn’t just affect me. It affects Athena too. Although, I haven’t talked to her since he rejected us since she hasn’t fully resurfaced, I felt her pain and anguish when he rejected us in the first place. She felt many of the things I
Kade’s POVI watch as she leaves my office. She didn’t look back at me and didn’t say a word. I know my words hurt her and she’s grieving the family she lost. She had these hopes her brother and sister would still be alive.Never in a million years did she expect for her sister to be dead, leaving behind two babies in the process. A weird pang hits my chest as I think about the pain, I knowingly caused her. I see the anger brewing in Marcus’ eyes as he stews about what I did to her. I can hear Ghost pacing anxiously in the back of my mind. His concern and thoughts going straight to the tiny little Omega. A small sigh escapes me as I let my mind wonder back to last night. My anger at seeing her with Armani. My anger was irrational—fuck, I know that. And as much as I want to blame it all on Ghost, I know that isn’t fully truly either. Ghost was pissed that she would dance with someone else knowing who her mate is, but I know I was angry too and even a tad bit jealous. I bet she never
Emilia’s POV“Emilia?” Julio whispers, a slight crack to his voice. I just nod my head, not quite trusting my voice right now. Julio reaches for me, grabbing my hand, and yanking me into his hard chest. His arms automatically wrap around me, holding me tightly, and burying his face in my hair. “I never thought I would see you again. Ramira and I looked for you forever, neither of us were willing to give up hope. As the years went on, we were told the chances of your survival were slim to none, but we were ready to let go quite yet. I prayed with every fiber of my being to Selene that you would return one day, and fuck I am so glad Alpha Kade found you.” He pulls away from, holding me at arm’s length. “You look so much like mom, with just a sprinkling of dad in you.” Tears well in my eyes and I nearly break as I stare in his eyes. “So as much as I love standing here watching you two, I think I’m gonna go inside to see my babies,” Armani states, stepping around me, breaking my eye con
Emilia’s POVMy heart pounds in my chest at his offer. I have thought about this day for years. For eleven years I have wanted nothing more than to reunite with my family, and now that the offer is staring me in the face, I am terrified. What if he wants nothing to do with me? I mean I have nothing to offer my family, at least what remains of it, unless they want someone filled with enough trauma and pain to last a damn lifetime. Armani is staring at me, waiting for me to give him an answer. Instead of doing what I desperately want and running to hide in my room, away from my fears, I nod. “I think I will like that a lot,” I tell him quietly.“Do you think he will want to see me? He won’t mind if you bring a practical stranger with you? It’s been eleven years; I’m not the same person I used to be. And I know he isn’t the same as he used to be.” A deep chuckle escapes him. “Emilia, I think you are overthinking this. You brother nor your sister never stopped thinking about you. For ye
Dear readers, I am so sorry for my long absence. I had been having a crap ton of health issues that made it nearly impossible for me to update. While I'm still having a plethora of problems, I'm finally back and ready to continue Kade and Emilia's story. I plan to update at least every other day as I slowly get back into the habit of writing again. (And reviewing all of my notes to remember everything there is to know about Emilia, Kade, and the rest of the family!) If you stuck around waiting for an update, thank you!
Emilia’s POVI reach out and grab Armani’s hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Were you close to her?” I ask softly, trying to remain comforting. I think about the pain in his voice as he talks about Ramira. You don’t have that kinda pain if you were somewhat close to each other—more than just casual acquaintances. He shrugs, not quite meeting my eyes as he responds. “You can say that.” A small smile lights up his face as he continues talking. “Ramira and I…we were more than just friends. She was my lover before she died. She was one of the kindest and sweetest souls I had ever met, and we dated in high school. Right before graduation, we decided we would give it six months and if neither of us had found our mates, then we would take the plunge and let whatever happens, happens.” His voice trails off and his eyes turn glassy as he stares off into space, his mind taking him to another world. “When she learned she was pregnant, we were both ecstatic—it seemed like nothing could ever go
Emilia’s POV I stand in the office listening to Alpha Kade tell me about the fate of my family and I’m numb. I can’t feel anything. I don’t want to feel anything. Feeling…well that will be worst than just blocking everything out. And that’s what I want to do. I want to block it out and forget that I pushed the Alpha to tell me. I want to forget he told me about my brother and sister’s fate. My sister had a baby…not just one, but two. Two beings who were part of her. Who is the baby daddy? Why doesn’t he want his kids? Why are they in my brother’s care? Does this mean Ramira had found her mate early on? My head spins as all the questions race through me. Questions I don't have the answer to. I can't do this. I can't do it right now. Without saying a word, I spin on my heels and walk out of the room, not bothering to talk to either man in the room. If they tried to stop me, I wouldn't know. My mind keeps wandering to the last time I saw my brother and sister. They day my pare
Alpha Kade’s POV For the first time since meeting her, anger courses through me. Not at the lack of respect, because there is no respect, but at everything this girl has been through. She is barely a legal adult. And she has seen some of the true horrors of the world we live in. I want to take revenge on those that hurt her, harm her. No matter how i feel about her or the lack of the bond flowing through is now, no one in their right mind deserves to be raped or even starved. I can feel Marcus’s disappointment behind me. He hates how i continuously push her when none of us truly know what she’s been through. And I get it now. I really do… I shouldn’t have pushed her. I reach my hand out with the intention of touching her arm, wanting to offer some type of comfort. The tears are killing me. I hate crying. Even more so when it’s a woman and I know I caused the pain. I may not have been the one to rape or beat her, but I caused her to relive the pain by pushing her to the point of
Emilia's POV Marcus raises his voice again. I'm not even in the same room as him and Alpha Kade, but I can feel his anger from here. All of this over me... I don't want to come between friends, not in the slightest. I just want to be treated fairly and equally by everyone, including the hard headed Alpha. Yet, I know he will never treat me as a person. Simply because I am his second chance mate. He views me as the enemy. "—lying to yourself, Kade. You admitted it yourself. She intrigued you. There was something about her that kept your attention. You were curious about the girl. And now you suddenly learn about her past and want nothing to do with her? You know who her parents are! At the very least, you can fucking tell her everything instead of keeping her in the dark! Especially everything that happened to her brother and sister! At the very least, you can tell her where her parents are buried!" Marcus yells at him. My brother and sister are alive? Alpha Kade knows who they
Alpha Kade's POV I wake up with an intense migraine. I slowly sit up from my position on the ground and look around me. I must have fallen asleep at the cemetery talking to Leila. I look around me and my eyes catch on the guy leaning against the truck on the path through the cemetery. "Nice of you to finally join the land of the living," Garrett growls at me. "I was waiting to see if I needed to give you a nice shower with some ice cold water to wake your sorry ass." I scrub my hands down my face, silently begging for this headache to freaking go away. "What the hell are you doing here?" I ask him. "Looking for you," he responds. "You didn't come back to the pack house. When you didn't come to training this morning, Marcus and I were concerned about your sorry ass. I volunteered to come and look for you." "Oh, so Marcus is considering talking to me again?" Garrett rolls his eyes before he responds. "He's contemplating it. And you know regardless of how stupid and downri