"Right. I suppose it's kind of like a scar, but it never disappears as the mark left is an acceptance of the claim and marks each partner as off limits to others." 'Doubt it would have stopped Brad… it didn't stop your father either...' Maeve muttered angrily. Ann chose to ignore Maeve’s comment but she knew that Maeve was right. The mark wasn't infallible, it just signified ownership if you really thought about it. "Dad already explained what would happen if you tried to mark someone that wasn't your mate, so I know that it's not possible to do that alone. But, we were thinking, if we infused the mark on each of you with Dad's binding magic and magic to prevent healing… he thinks that it might work." Ann chewed her lip as she thought Lexi's words over. It wasn't a bad idea in theory. They would be bound to each other and wear each other's marks and it would scar as normal. By all outward appearances, it was entirely possible that this might work. "There's just one catch
The best way that she could do that was by dressing not in the reds and golds of the royal family, but instead wearing the traditional colors of royal blue and silver that were prominent in Alpha Nocturne's Pack. After all, she was Alpha Nocturne's Luna now and as far as everyone else was concerned she was his true mate and he, against all odds, her second chance mate. 'Ha! They know! Look how pissed the whores' expressions are!’?Maeve shouted gleefully. She was right. Her stepmother looked as if she wanted to murder her where she stood, Ada's face was set in the familiar fake mask of smiles but her Jaw was clenched tightly and her stare unbroken as Ann approached. Ann's father just looked confused at her choice of outfit as his eyes swept over her in a cursory glance. Ann beamed widely as she ascended the stairs and greeted them all courteously but with no warmth in her words. "Did you forget the dress code for official functions?" Her father asked with a slight frown of
A strong she-wolf held her own and relied on no one but herself to solve her issues, a strong Luna would keep her mate on track for scheduled appointments and required functions. Ada was failing to do either and the wolves in attendance were vicious with their tongues. All of a sudden, Ann spotted Lexi among the crowd of the press being processed for entrance to the function and she grinned widely. She excused herself and with a reluctant nod from her father she left the dais and made her way over to her. Ada watched the back of Ann hurry over to the doorway and sneered. "This is all her fault! I can't believe she got over Brad so damn quickly. I hope she gets what she deserves!" She hissed as her mother narrowed her eyes dangerously at her. "If you hadn't been so damn impatient and just gone along with our original plan, this wouldn't be an issue. I can't believe you were stupid enough to get pregnant to such a weak wolf." Ann’s stepmother, Narcissa hissed angrily at her dau
She grimaced and shrugged, as she focused intently on the digital screen of the camera she had brought along. "They wanted a journalist from the agency to report, so here I am. If they don't like it, they can eat my ass." She snorted as she frowned in concentration. Ann watched her struggle with the camera for a little while as they made their way to a quieter area of the ballroom. She grabbed a drink for them both from one of the passing waiters and they took their places unobtrusively on a little chaise lounge at the side. "Ah, Jesus… finally! God, I hate these things sometimes." Lexi muttered as she turned her attention fully to Ann. "Okay, sorry about that, these damn cameras can be a nightmare sometimes. Now. Maeve. Brad. Spill." Ann chuckled. She wasn't sure it was a good idea to discuss that with her here. If the wrong person heard even the slightest whisper of what had gone on, she was sure that the resulting PR disaster would not be pretty. "I think, I'll probably
Her face took on a grim look of determination as she realized that there was no fixing it tonight. The pictures of the pregnant wolf and the unwilling Alpha would be plastered across tomorrow's headlines whether she liked it or not. The Alpha King gestured for Ann to come forward as Ada took her seat next to Brad and Lexi whistled lowly under her breath. "What a fucking car crash… good luck!" Ann said nothing and walked slowly towards the dais feeling all attention riveted on her as her father spoke to the assembled guests. "Please, excuse my daughter, Princess Ada. This is a stressful time for her. We had hoped to keep the news a secret for a little while longer but as I'm sure you're aware, Ada and Brad are expecting pups." He beamed proudly as the crowd gasped and questions began to be fired in quick succession at the family on stage. "Wait… but I thought that Alpha Brad was mated to Princess Ann?!" "That's right! They were supposed to have been married this week! What
"Please, everyone, if you would like to move through to the banqueting hall, we'll continue there," Narcissa announced to the remaining people in the ballroom. "We have another announcement to make and the traditional gift-giving between the Alpha King and his daughter." Ann rolled her eyes as Lexi linked her arm through hers and forcibly coerced her through the small entryway and into the banquet hall. The Royal family sat at the head table as the banquet was well underway. Before long, Narcissa stood and called everyone's attention. "I'd like to propose a toast before the gift-giving." She said graciously as she raised her glass and the rest of the room hastened to follow. "Here's to the long and happy marriage of Ada and Brad, and the long and healthy lives of their pups. The marriage signifies the strengthening of our kind and brings us together in an alliance not only of diplomacy but also of blood… please, drink to the happy couple." Narcissa beamed as she gulped the
He knew she was going to launch herself at Ann before she did it. He had never moved so fast in his life. The desperation he felt caused his heart to race uncontrollably as his wolf snapped and howled inside his head, frantic for him to intervene before it was too late. He launched himself towards her and as he wrapped his arms around her, the impact of the collision knocked her off course. They skidded across the banquet hall floor and collided with the wall to the side heavily. Ann's body took the brunt of the impact and whatever had happened to force her to transform in that way began to recede. In a matter of seconds, Ann had returned to normal and as she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the frowning face of Alpha Nocturne. "Are you okay?" He asked, his arms still held securely around her. "Yeah, I-I think so. My head hurts like hell though..." She grimaced. Adam helped her to stand and checked her over as Lexi arrived next to them. "Ann, that was cool and al
"I will not. I am her second chance mate, and she is my Luna." "No!" The Alpha King roared, "I forbid it! I will not consent to the match!" Again the room erupted into protests, only this time, far louder. Who was he to deny the fate given by the Moon Goddess? Did he think himself above their goddess? He didn't have the authority to make that decision! "It's too late for that, father," Ann spoke finally, suddenly tired of this back and forth between the two. " I have accepted the match and we are marked and mated. Ironic that I have found more love and solace in the arms of my second chance mate than I ever did in the arms of my family-" "Ann…" The Alpha King's expression was a mixture of pain, grief, and guilt, all rolled into one. As much as it tore her heart apart, the fact that he was so willing to give her mother's heirlooms away to a child he had sired with his mistress, well, it was the last straw. "I won't neglect my duties as a member of the Royal family, but I w
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