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
"Yes! That's the one! That's exactly what I want!" Ann exclaimed almost giddy with excitement as she reached forward and ran her hand over the beautiful material.The white fabric seemed to shimmer in the light and the effect was almost spellbinding."Fantastic, would you like to try it on now? It's a match for your measurements, but it may need a little alteration…" the sales assistant began before Ann interrupted her excitedly."No, it's fine. I'll take it home and have the seamstress take a look if there are any alterations needed. She's coming tonight to make some alterations on some evening wear that I bought for the honeymoon, so it won't be an issue." Ann grinned.With a nod of her head, the assistant packaged everything up and handed her the dress to take home.She couldn't wait to get home and try it on.Ann admired herself happily in the full-length mirror as the seamstress said her goodbyes and left the room with an armful of gowns.She smiled wistfully as she smoothe
She sniffled miserably as she looked around her. Somehow she had ended up in the popular club district of the city, well known for its nightlife.The pulsating beats that emanated from inside some of the buildings did nothing but remind her of the strong, rhythmic heartbeat that she would hear when she laid her head on Brad's chest, and the grief would hit her all over again.'Perhaps you can find a quieter bar,' Maeve growled.Ann jumped at the sudden gruff voice in her head and it took her a moment before she had recovered enough to reply.'But... Maeve... I don't drink... I never have.' Ann protested.'No? Well, fated mates don't ever sleep with their mate's sister either... yet here we are. Now seems like a perfect time to start drinking.' She snapped back brutally.Ann bit her lip, unsure how to reply and she felt the sensation of Maeve sighing heavily.'Even if you don't want to drink, I want something to numb us both. Fratricide is frowned upon and if I see that bitch aga
"Can you be sure that they would be truthful about that matter? The curse took away your ability to find your true mate. Who's to say the blasted witches won't send imposters to attempt to take over the pack, hmm? This isn't something trivial to be laughed at!" The man identified as Allen answered in frustration.Ann's eyes were wide. Just what had she stumbled into?!She didn't recognize the voice but his predicament seemed to be difficult. As she leaned forward onto the door to try to hear better, the door flew open and she stumbled out, hitting the wall opposite her with a loud grunt.Maeve snickered in her head."Forget to close the door properly?""You're not helping…" Ann replied as she clutched the spot on her head that had made an impact on the wall and winced painfully.As she looked up, her eyes made contact with the two momentarily stunned males who had been poised to attack and right at this moment, were a little unsure of how to proceed now."What…? Who are you?! Ex
"You will also be required not to disclose information regarding this contract or the Alpha's curse to anyone. The consequences will be both swift and brutal if you do. Is that clear?"That's fine by me. I do have a request though of my own."Alpha Nocturne narrowed his eyes slightly at her. What was it that she would demand from him exactly? He steeled himself for extortionate demands and retained his impassive demeanor as he waited patiently."You can ask…" Allen stated in a non-committal tone, as he waved for her to continue.Ann took a deep breath and smiled lightly."It's nothing major, don't worry. First of all, before I return to the pack with you, I want to have the opportunity to say goodbye to my family. Second, I want to be able to continue my work at the company of my former pack if possible. Third... I still want to be able to see my friends."'Should have asked him for our bastard mate's balls on a platter.' Maeve snorted.'What is your obsession with his genitals,
She snorted quietly and leaned in to whisper in Ann's ear."No wonder Brad couldn't wait to be inside me, just look at the state of you." She sneered.Ann clenched her fingers into fists as she fought desperately to stop Maeve from launching at Ada and escalating this further.'Don't just stand there and take this, the little bitch needs to know her place. Let me teach her a lesson she won't forget.' Maeve snarled angrily.'Maeve, we can't, she doesn't have a wolf yet. You know the laws, it wouldn't be a fair fight, and the punishment..''Screw the punishment, Ann, let me just bite her a little bit, maybe remove one of her limbs. At least then she'll have fewer appendages to wrap around other people's mates.' She snapped viciously as she tried to surge forwards.Ann closed her eyes tightly, clenched her jaw, and fought back against her wolf as Ada sniggered."Awww, what's wrong? Is your little wolf angry?"It didn't take long for Ann to regain control, her wolf slinking off to
The shocked silence lasted only a matter of seconds before her father exploded angrily, shouting incoherently as Ada and Narcissa did their best to calm him down.Ann watched their struggle emotionlessly. It was about time they all heard a few home truths."Ann, that's enough you've gone too far! Look at the state of your father! After everything I've done…" Narcissa snapped as she grappled with her husband, trying desperately to soothe his wolf."Everything that you've done?!" Ann laughed incredulously."Tell me which part I should be thankful for Narcissa? The part where you seduced my father into breaking his sacred mate bond? Maybe the part where my mother finally lost her fight and gave up on life? Or perhaps I should be grateful for the times that you've pushed me out of this poor excuse for a family and excluded me in favor of your own blood?" She spat disdainfully.Ada did her best to appease her mother before she whirled furiously and stalked toward Ann stopping just mill
Ann woke with a start to the incessant vibrating of her phone on the bedside table. With her heart beating wildly at being forcibly woken unexpectedly, she fumbled around trying to find the damn thing with her bleary vision. When her fingers finally closed around the familiar surface of her phone, she hurriedly checked the caller display and saw the name of her cheating ex flash up on the screen. She narrowed her eyes and pressed the reject button before throwing herself back on the bed. 32 missed calls and a stream of messages across SMS and social media flashed up on her notifications from him. Ann snorted derisively. Her head turned to the side on her pillow and she scanned her room. A wry smile formed on her face as her eyes landed on the discarded wedding dress crumpled in the corner of her room. She was supposed to be getting married today… the day she had dreamed of and planned for all these years destroyed in merely a few moments. The phone vibrated noisily in her
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