"Ada, don't do this..." Ann said lowly through gritted teeth as she held Maeve's furious attempt to take over at bay. Ada chuckled lightly as she tipped over the potted plant on the floor near the door, and crouched next to it, shaking the ceramic pot free from the plant and examining it in her hands thoughtfully. "Ada..." Ann tried again, her jaw clenching painfully, but Ada didn't respond. Ann watched as she positioned herself in front of the large glass windows and threw herself against them heavily, the blinds crumpling behind her back as she let out another fake scream that was so convincing, Ann's hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "Please, Ann! I know you hate me for everything that happened...I just want us to..NO!" Ada yelled suddenly before staring directly at Ann and bringing the plant pot crashing heavily down onto her head. Ann watched the blood drip down the side of Ada's face with an incredulous expression. What the fuck was happening? As Ada im
Ann's face was expressionless as she swallowed nervously. She hated being under scrutiny at the best of times, but to have so many judgemental eyes focused on her, the pressure was immense. "Look at you! The guilt is written all over your face!" Narcissa hissed before turning to the office workers gathered at the doorway. "What are you vultures staring at?! Someone call an ambulance! Why are you all just standing there?!" The office workers seemed to be sparked into action, some running for whatever they could lay their hands on in order to cover Ada's trembling body and restore some of her dignity at such a seemingly devastating time, and others hurriedly pulled their mobile phones out of their pocket and dialed for help. Ann had to hand it to her, Ada was an incredibly good actress, as sickening as this act was to witness. "Just you wait until your father hears about this you ungrateful little brat! I can't believe that you would be so cruel! That baby she's growing ins
The three of them remained in Eva's office until the commotion outside had died down. Eva sat with Ann on the sofa as the guard stood by the door, leaning against the wall nonchalantly with his arms folded in front of him. The atmosphere was gloomy, to say the least, and the tension was palpable. The hushed tones of Narcissa seemed to waft past the doorway, accompanied by muffled sobs and words of reassurance from unfamiliar voices. Ann assumed that this was the paramedics taking her to the hospital in order to run the necessary checks on Ada and her baby. Ann suddenly snorted to herself. It was all so preposterous. They would find nothing. Both Ada and her baby would be completely unharmed, but that wouldn't mean that Ann was vilified. On the contrary, it would be a huge relief that Ada and the baby were doing well, and yet Ann would be crucified in the public eye for being the perpetrator of such a horrific act. She sighed internally at the prospect of the damage cont
"Just because you 'can' say it, doesn't mean that you 'should', your highness," Adam growled. "Are you not even going to ask her what happened?" Leopold laughed darkly as he narrowed his eyes where the two of them stood. "What is there to ask? I've seen the results of her own handiwork with my own eyes! Why would I ask her what happened? Do you think I want to hear my own daughter lie to my face and make excuses for her despicable behavior?!" Ann's heart sank even though she had been expecting this reaction. But she couldn't say nothing. She had to at least try. "Father, please..." She said quietly with a pleading tone to her voice, but it fell on deaf ears. "Isn't that what Ada said to you when she was begging for you to stop your attack?" Her father answered coldly. Ann felt Adam's strong arms wrap around her shoulders as she hardened her expression. She wouldn't let her father see her cry. It solved nothing and just made her look weak. "She said those words, yes. B
Ann froze as the enormity of her father's words hit her. "You're seriously going to disinherit me and remove my livelihood?" Ann whispered in horror. Leopold smiled a cruel smile as he glared directly at Adam. "Let's see how long Alpha Nocturne sticks around now that you're no use to him anymore." he chuckled. "You're making a huge mistake," Adam growled as he glared back at the Alpha King. This had descended into madness far quicker than he had dared to imagine. It was true that he and the King had never truly seen eye to eye, but as a child, he had looked up to the strong and seemingly capable Alpha King, and for a time at least, had held him in high regard. But Ann was right, something had changed drastically in the King. Now, he was nothing more than a middle-aged man, past his best and seemingly teetering on the brink of madness. Leopold laughed at Adam's statement and grinned wickedly. "Am I? I don't think so. She has chosen her bed and now? Well, now she can li
Ann blinked rapidly a few times as she felt Maeve receded from her awareness and she was pushed forward again. In an instant, Adam's arms wrapped around her to steady her as she got her bearings. He smiled down at her as he saw her eyes regain their focus and watched the corners of her mouth curve upwards in a faint smile. "Thanks..." Ann murmured as he chuckled in response and leaned down, kissing her forehead. "You need to handle your wolf better." Leopold's still shaky voice grumbled from across the room. Ann tensed slightly as Adam whipped his head around to stare warningly at him. "No, she doesn't. They are perfectly balanced as they are. Despite what you may think, I hold no interest in wrenching your crown from you, 'my king'. I'm content enough to watch your grip on power slowly slip away. We won't be the cause of the end of your reign, you will have that honor yourself." Adam answered him with a low growl. Ann shivered slightly in Adam's arms, and he rubbed his h
As soon as they returned home, Adam insisted she relax and persuaded her to head straight to the en-suite in the bathroom. He ran her a bath as she chose her clothes to change into afterward, and as soon as she sank into the water, she felt Adam's firm fingers land on her shoulders, and begin massaging the aching muscles across her back. Ann groaned appreciatively as she closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall back onto the edge of the bathtub. "Oh, Goddess... I just thought..." Ann said suddenly, trying to bite back a laugh, "Can you imagine Ada as heir to the throne? Running the kingdom and representing the Alpha's and Luna's in an official capacity with other races? It's a recipe for disaster." Adam chuckled darkly as he kneaded the knots from her back, desperately trying to ignore the raging hard-on that was bulging unashamedly at his crotch. Ann sighed heavily as she tilted her head to the side, baring her mark unconsciously causing Adam's eyes to widen slightly a
Adam's expression was strained as Ann slowly unzipped his trousers and undid the fastening, allowing them to drop to the floor. "Ann..." "Hush, my Alpha, " she purred as she slid his boxers down, "I want to pleasure you a little while you finish what you started." Ann ran her hand gently along the shaft and began stroking it in a rhythmic motion as he growled lightly and leaned forward once more, his cock right above Ann's face as he ravaged her body with renewed vigor. His touch was rougher than before, a little more insistent as he nipped and sucked fiercely at her breasts, as she moaned her approval. His fingers resumed their work on her clitoris, but he wasted no time in slipping three fingers inside of her this time, earning a cry of pleasure from her lips as he thrust his fingers in and out of her with little care for her limits. Ann matched the speed of his thrusts with the speed of her strokes, and his breathing became heavier as her pace increased. She raised h
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