In Lexi's opinion, waiting was always the hardest part of anything and she was well aware that patience was not her strong point. While everyone else sat waiting, chatting amongst themselves or poring over various maps and blueprints, she paced backward and forward restlessly. It seemed like forever since the teams had left them for their various assignments, but a quick glance at her watch told her that it had only been around an hour and a half. Greyson and Lord Brarthroroz were going over the briefings for the men who would be involved in the initial assault and although Greyson kept sending her furtive glances whenever he got the chance, she was still pissed with him. She checked her watch again and sighed in frustration, half wishing that she was at least able to do something to take her mind off things instead of feeling like she was a spare piece in a colossally fucked up game of chess. Her head snapped across to where her father had suddenly stood up, moving away sl
They approached the outer ring of the crumbled defenses of the overgrown ruin, moving as stealthily as they possibly could. Lord Brarthroroz had been good enough to extend a barrier around the group that would keep the noise of their movement muffled and the team hidden from sight, but it was only really effective if there was no one close by to see the movements of the undergrowth around them. So far, they hadn't come across any scouting parties as they moved and it had mostly been plain sailing. Lord Brarthroroz led the group with Lexi, Allen and Greyson behind him, and the rest of the ranked wolves and fighters spread across in groups of five as they walked. As they drew closer and began to set up a field base and perimeter under the cover of the surrounding forest, Lord Brarthroroz moved a little further forward to rendezvous with the Mimic's that had been waiting patiently for their arrival. The other ruin they had been waiting to hear back on had turned out to be unoc
With the groups positioned in place behind a crumbling wall and covered by Lord Brarthroroz's cloaking, they waited for the entrance of the ruin to clear of the few coven members that had appeared outside and stood chatting mindlessly. Once they disappeared inside again, Lord Brarthroroz glanced back at the people waiting behind him with a smirk, lifted his hand and motioned for them to advance. Lexi's heart was beating wildly in her chest with excitement without a trace of fear as they crept over the remaining distance between them and the entrance, making their way quietly down the remains of the crumbling staircase and onto the dirt trodden walkway that cut below the ground floor of the ruins and into the gaping maw of the entrance to the cave system. They managed to reach the first branches of the main passageway and the assigned groups split off from the main party and advanced down the tunnels. The muted sounds of the first violent confrontations echoed within the tunnels
Before anyone could stop her Lexi snarled viciously as she broke away from the group and raced towards the doorway where a terrified Ada stood frozen to the spot, her arms wrapped protectively around her swollen stomach. She could hear the distant shouts of Allen and Greyson, and the deep growl of displeasure from her father but right now, she didn't give a fuck. This arrogant little bitch was half the cause of all of the problems that her best friend had faced, and the cause of her misery growing up...there was no way that she was going to let her just scurry off back to whatever rat hole she had crawled out of. Her eyes flared even brighter as she reached for Ada's ragged cloak fastened tightly at her neck and wrenched her violently forward, her face centimeters from Lexi's. Ada whimpered helplessly at the sight of her malevolent grin and wrapped her arms around her belly tighter. "Please…" Ada whispered, swallowing nervously as Lexi tipped her head back and laughed. "Pl
The three groups moved forward as one, each team approaching their doorways silently and waiting for the signal to advance. Ada moved to the side of the enormous doors as Lord Brarthroroz, Lexi, Greyson and Allen took their positions up in front of the main door and exchanged a brief look with each other before Greyson raised his arm and gestured for the groups to push forward. As one, they opened the three doors as quietly as they could and began their advance forwards, sliding carefully through the cracks of their respective doors and into the hallways and rooms beyond. Lexi followed behind her father, shooting a disdainful glance to Ada as she passed, still unsure about her motivation and reasons for helping them so easily. To her, it reeked of a hidden ulterior motive, but it was too late to do anything about it now. The breath caught in Lexi's chest as she emerged into an enormous cavern beyond and from what she could see, she assumed it must be a natural cave with the
Trigger Warning: Traumatic birth - some may find it unsettling. "Don't listen to him," Lord Brarthroroz hissed as Allen and Greyson pressed closer into her sides, "He's only trying to get inside your head." "I'm really not," Eromaug shrugged nonchalantly as he stood boldly in front of them, the shadows curling around the edges of his body in an otherworldly caress, "Everything I am doing is merely to reclaim what was taken. Perhaps you should ask your father…" "I'm not fucking interested in your bastard sob story," Lexi seethed as she stepped to her father's side, breaking away from Greyson and Allen's almost suffocating presence, "How is your petty little squabble the fault of MY world?" Lord Brarthroroz suppressed a smirk at the frown of confusion on his brother's face. He clearly hadn't been expecting Lexi's brash and uncaring reception when he revealed himself. "You're supposed to be a daemon lord? You?!" She snorted disdainfully before spitting in front of him, "Yet yo
She stood and with one last look at the lifeless body below her, turned her attention to the chaos at the other side of the room. Narcissa had no problems keeping the attacks of the wolves at bay and Lexi could feel the emotions of the past few minutes bubbling wildly inside of her as she stormed towards her, her eyes blazing furiously. Her father was still making little headway against Eromaug, but she wasn't concerned about his survival, he was more than capable of taking care of himself against his bastard of a brother. Narcissa on the other hand…she had a lot to fucking answer for. Lexi strode through the fighters battling the twisted Daemons that had emerged from the shadows, throwing her magick lazily towards the monstrosities as she passed, a sneer curling at her lips as the shifters watched her in terrified awe. It wasn't long until Narcissa noticed her approach and her face split into a sneer that matched Lexi's as she swept her arm in front of her, knocking the ma
It hadn't taken their force long to clear the halls and clean up the bodies that were left behind. The losses had been minimal on their part and considering the forces that they had thought they would be up against, their plans had meant that they had been far better equipped than the coven itself. The Coven had left very few prisoners alive, and the ones that were still breathing were in pretty bad shape. Lexi and the other healers and medics had done what they could but there was no growing back limbs…no matter how proficient of a shifter you were. Lord Brarthroroz had stationed huge numbers of his daemons within the winding passageways and caverns that the coven had previously inhabited and returned to the surface with his portalmancer Steve at his side. He strode angrily across the makeshift camp to the command tent and paused at the entrance, glancing across at the medical tent where Lexi had been working. Currently, she was cleaning her hands off as her mates watched
As their convoy of cars and moving vans rolled up the driveway, Ann's stomach twisted uncomfortably as her anxiety set in. Regardless of what her babies were doing to her insides, the effects that her heightened emotions were having on her far eclipsed any discomfort that her pups were causing. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm the anxiety that knotted her insides and made her heart ache painfully. As far as she knew, her father was still living within the palace and she still wasn't sure that she could forgive him for everything that she had been put through because of his choices. In the worst-case scenario, she could always extend the palace to encompass two main living areas so that she wouldn't have to deal with tolerating his presence. She didn't even want to think about how she would explain to her children that they couldn't ever meet the incredible woman that her mother was because her father had an affair, broke the mating bond, and allowed his mistress and
"Right, I think that's the last of them," Adam grinned as he jogged through the huge doors of the Enclave's entrance hall to where Ann was pacing restlessly and Bartholomew was watching with mild amusement. "Finally," Ann sighed as she rubbed her belly with a grimace, "At this point, all I want to do is get my home back to what it used to be." Adam leaned forward and planted a kiss on Ann's forehead. "Are they making things difficult for you?" He asked gently, rubbing her back. Ann reached for his hand with a scowl and placed it palm down on top of her belly and grimaced as another flurry of movement rippled under her skin and Adam blinked in surprise. "Are they fighting in there?!" He asked in shock. "With two stubborn Alpha's for parents, I wouldn't put it past them." Bartholomew chuckled as he made his way over to them, smiling kindly. Ann lifted her gaze and her face softened as she looked at the kindly face of the old man that had been there for them through so muc
When Coral had returned with the Omega that worked as a nanny to the nobles, the baby boy was handed over to her and she waddled off happily, cooing at the baby in her arms as it gurgled happily back up at her. Coral began to work through updating the schedule for Ann as she dictated, adding additional notes that she shared with Allen's device. He would see to their schedule tomorrow as he had several days worth of reports to hear from Adam as to what had happened within the businesses and the Dark Moon Pack while he was away. Lexi made her way back to her room with both Allen and Greyson following behind her. She paused outside her door and turned to them both with a smile. "Sorry to disappoint boys, but I don't feel like getting frisky right now. Quite honestly, I just want to soak all of this crap off me." They nodded at her as she looked at them thoughtfully. "We really should sit down and have a discussion about how this is going to work between us all, you know." she
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that." Ann said a little breathlessly as she looked between Lexi, Allen and Greyson. Adam shared the same concerned expression as she did at the revelations that Eromaug would clearly stop at nothing to get his hands on Lexi. "You're absolutely sure that your father is willing to ally himself with us?" Ann asked as the baby in her arms began to stir and protest at the noise and unfamiliar surroundings it had found itself in. Lexi snorted loudly. "Of course he is. How could he not when his daughter is your right hand woman?" She winked. "We should put it to the council first." Adam said somberly as Lexi groaned loudly. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled at the opportunity," She muttered sarcastically as Ann laughed. "I think we should get hold of Bartholomew so that he can help us find a way to ‘tell' the council of our alliance, rather than ask for their permission." Ann mused thoughtfully, "He's pretty knowledgeable about who supports us,
Ann and Adam stood on the front steps of the Enclave, eagerly waiting for the return of both of their Beta's. Adam chuckled as Ann fidgeted with her hands and struggled to stand still, her gaze fixed on the curve of the driveway. "They'll be here soon, don't worry." He soothed, wrapping his arm around her as she nibbled on her bottom lip. "What if something happened though?" She worried as she rubbed her little bump in an act of self soothing. Adam's eyes glazed over slightly as he linked with Allen and then grinned down at his anxious wife. "Allen said stop worrying, it's not good for the baby. They'll be here in seconds." "But…" As promised, the front end of the transport pulled around the corner of the driveway and Ann let out a sigh of relief. "See, my Queen? Nothing to worry about." Adam chuckled as he watched them pull to a stop in front of them. As soon as the door opened and Lexi's head emerged, Ann broke away from Adam and bolted down the steps towards her.
Lexi knew that she was still conscious, but the pressure that engulfed her head, and the rigidity of her body teamed with the almost distant voices of protest from Allen and Greyson let her know that she had no control over what was happening right now. The initial black curtain that had descended was suddenly filled with hundreds upon hundreds of memories from her childhood, all played out in glorious technicolor and accompanied by sounds and smells that made her heart ache with familiarity and her breath catch in her chest. There was no way that she could catch each and every memory at once, but she could see it clearly. The bond that both she and Eromaug had shared at an early stage was filled with love and an intensity that she had known only with Allen and Greyson. By the time the images had begun to fade in her mind's eye and her vision returned, she was overwhelmed with emotions. As she sat there trembling, clasping her hands together tightly so that she wouldn't cry wit
Lord Brarthroroz guided Lexi over to one of the chairs around the table and gestured towards the flap of the tent. "Make sure no one enters for the time being, Steve." He said with an air of resignation to his voice as he took a seat next to his daughter. Steve nodded expressionlessly as he moved to the open flap, released the material to close it and ducked through to stand outside. "You two should sit as well," Lord Brathroroz advised as he gestured to the seats across from Lexi, "This isn't easy for me to talk about." He continued with a grunt. Greyson and Allen moved to comply and took their seats next to each other, both of them focused on Lexi. Lord Brarthroroz sighed as he turned back to his daughter and cupped her face fondly. "Before I start, I want you to understand that before your mother and I had you, neither of us realized just how deeply we could love and the desire to protect you from harm eclipsed everything else in our lives completely." He said gently a
It hadn't taken their force long to clear the halls and clean up the bodies that were left behind. The losses had been minimal on their part and considering the forces that they had thought they would be up against, their plans had meant that they had been far better equipped than the coven itself. The Coven had left very few prisoners alive, and the ones that were still breathing were in pretty bad shape. Lexi and the other healers and medics had done what they could but there was no growing back limbs…no matter how proficient of a shifter you were. Lord Brarthroroz had stationed huge numbers of his daemons within the winding passageways and caverns that the coven had previously inhabited and returned to the surface with his portalmancer Steve at his side. He strode angrily across the makeshift camp to the command tent and paused at the entrance, glancing across at the medical tent where Lexi had been working. Currently, she was cleaning her hands off as her mates watched
She stood and with one last look at the lifeless body below her, turned her attention to the chaos at the other side of the room. Narcissa had no problems keeping the attacks of the wolves at bay and Lexi could feel the emotions of the past few minutes bubbling wildly inside of her as she stormed towards her, her eyes blazing furiously. Her father was still making little headway against Eromaug, but she wasn't concerned about his survival, he was more than capable of taking care of himself against his bastard of a brother. Narcissa on the other hand…she had a lot to fucking answer for. Lexi strode through the fighters battling the twisted Daemons that had emerged from the shadows, throwing her magick lazily towards the monstrosities as she passed, a sneer curling at her lips as the shifters watched her in terrified awe. It wasn't long until Narcissa noticed her approach and her face split into a sneer that matched Lexi's as she swept her arm in front of her, knocking the ma