_________________________..."How is he holding up?" Ezekiel leaned closer to his mate, taking in her chocolate scent that he had fallen in love with as he did. "The dude is so frigging nervous that I am worried he would shit his pants." Noelle snickered, making Hunter turn back to scowl at her. Why the hell was his friend such an arse?"Don't be so mean." Ezekiel chuckled as he sat up straight, facing the crowd. "I am merely being honest, Alpha." Elder Emmanuel turned around with an awkward look on his face when he got a whiff of the Alpha's arousal. He was turned on merely by his mate calling him 'Alpha'. Noelle found this hilarious and made a mental note to forever tease him about this. She bit her lips and looked at her hands to stop herself from laughing out loud like an unsophisticated hyena. Her mate had dug his own grave with this. Elder Emmanuel cleared his throat and spoke, "Today we gather here to officiate two wolves, one, our own and the other, a rogue who will be
____________________________..."Your mate and nephew are mean." Hunter announced as he walked into the office room. "But I managed to get some peanut butter sandwiches." His eyes twinkled as he held up the plate that he had grabbed from the coffee table.Ezekiel raised a brow at him while Hunter knitted his brow in confusion. "What happened to your eyes?"Ezekiel was sporting a pair of thick rimmed glasses, which made him look ten years older."They are zero powered." The Alpha sighed as he took them off and placed them on top of the document he was reading. He pinched the skin between his eyes. "Noelle decided that if we were going to work like old clerics then we should look like them as well."Hunter snorted as he sat down on the chair. Being promoted to Beta, he was in charge of training now, and the Alpha and Luna had to split the work of the Gamma until the council decided on the candidates."So what did my mate and nephew do?""Didn't let me go with them to get ice cream."
________________________..."What's happening, Noelle?" He asked. "And don't say nothing.""A lot." She sighed. "In here." She tapped on her temple.Ezekiel took her hand in his and placed a tender kiss on her knuckle before looking back up at her eyes. "Why won't you tell me anything? Don't you trust me?""I do." She didn't skip a beat before she said it. "But... What I need right now is to figure out what's going on.""Together." Ezekiel said.Noelle narrowed her eyes at him and he was relieved to see that though she tried to look annoyed at him, her eyes had lit up a bit when she heard what he said."Now tell me what you saw in that dream.""Nope." She got up from her seat immediately.Ezekiel growled and was on his feet in a moment too."Noelle!""Ezekiel!""NOELLE!""EZEKIEL.""Ellie!""Zeke!""Umm... I am sorry-" The mates looked over at the she-wolf they had not felt the presence of, in between their banter. "-is this a bad time?""Nope." Noelle's voice turned chirpy immedia
___________________________...Noelle knew that staring at the moon while digging into her cup noodles wasn't going to be of much help, but she needed to think and find some sort of solution. And also, she needed some alone time.Ezekiel was a good wolf – there was no question in that. Despite their initial friction, and his possessiveness and overprotectiveness, the two of them were living harmoniously. Of course, they fought from time to time, but wasn't that normal for any couple? Especially those in power. Both of their opinions were almost always contradicting but they had no choice but to ask for each other's take on a particular matter because it was just how the Moon Goddess had built Alphas and Lunas. The Moon Goddess was sure when she gave titles – she had made mates to be puzzles of a picture that could only be complete when both of them were present and it was the same for a pack. The Alpha or the Luna was incomplete without their significant."What are you doing here?"
_____________________..."Why did you have to tag along?" Noelle asked as she took a huge bite off of her Hershey's bar. "I thought you hated paperwork. And all Alpha boy here and I plan to do today is go through my mom's 'research papers'." She said as she tapped on the brick wall, straining for the hollow one behind which they always hid their spare key. The wolf and her Dadda had a habit of losing the keys and used to always get locked out of their home."Got it." She removed the fake brick and took out the rusted key, waving it in the air."Wait till the outsides have been thoroughly searched." Ezekiel instructed."Well, I wanted to see where my dear friend grew up in." Hunter hummed as he used his wolf vision and olfaction to try to pick up anything that could be dangerous while Ezekiel was taking a look around the premises to make sure that there was no imminent danger. "Also, I don't think leaving you two alone in a closed space is the smartest thing to do."Noelle narrowed
___________________________..."What the fuck is this?" One would have thought that Ezekiel would have gotten used to his mate's big blue eyes by now, but nope, it had grew bigger to the next level now, as she looked over at the stairs that led down to complete darkness – stairs from the middle of the living room, under a fake floorboard.Hadn't she lived there long enough to know of this?"Who built this?" She thought out loud."It looks like it was built with the house." Hunter noted.Ezekiel watched his mate for any reaction. He was as confused but he knew that his mate was not really in the position for any more surprises."We can come back another day." He said.Noelle took a deep breath before turning to her mate. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to make certain that she blew his eardrum with her high-pitched shrieks. Because he was being just so annoying – he was treating her like a baby, like she was the most precious thing to him and nothing else mattered to him than
____________________________..."How the hell do they manage to squeeze in sex in between all of this?" Hunter wondered out loud as he watched the Alpha and Luna of his pack pour over the old papers and books in the living room floor, wearing the glasses Noelle had brought as a joke - as if they really had vision troubles. The mates had taken a break five hours ago, and had come back two hours later, with their scents all over each other. It was obvious that they did some intense mating, and yet the mark was still to be made. What were they even waiting for?They were already officially whipped for each other, though they had not vocally admitted to it... yet."Newly-mated wolves are hustlers when it comes to sex." Simon laughed, throwing his arm around his mate. The tracker was back in the pack with all of the threat of war. He wanted to be with his mate even if it meant he was to die fighting beside him. "They tend to get it done no matter whatever is going on with their lives."
___________________________ . . . "OH MY FUCKING GODDDESSS!!!" Noelle screamed as Ezekiel poured the bucket of ice into the tub. As soon as she started showing signs of her heat, he had gotten her out of the pack house and into the Wright family home. It was Noelle's first time here, but she really wasn't in the state to actually take in the place. "Can't we just fucking fuck?" She gasped. "Why are you torturing your own mate, you sadistic dumbass!!" She squirmed in the water but lowered herself into it as she finally felt relief from the feeling of her skin being on fire. "Because I don't think I can control myself!" He yelled, walking around restless and trying his best to control his wolf. Noelle was confused and pissed. "I am sorry? When the hell have you ever controlled before that you are so concerned about it now?" She asked. She was feeling much much much better. Yes, her core was still on fire and she really wanted to attack her mate, but one of the pros of being a hy
_______________________..."What are we all doing here?" Mira screeched. "Me being here is understandable because my powers are deprived until the next full moon. What about you two? Why are you both not at the battlefield?"Melinda looked up from her cauldron, a steaming potion bubbling before her. "Our coven needs protection," she replied calmly, stirring the murky liquid with a wooden spoon. "The prophecy clearly states that Axel will not attack us directly. He's after the werewolf pack.""So?" Mira was surprised that Melinda would say that after everything they had been through."Being on their side in the backstage was one thing, Mira. But to fight alongside them against someone who is half us? We will have to face the wrath of the wizarding world and I am not ready for that." Melinda tried to make her understand.Mira shook her head and turned to Maria. "You agree with this crap?"Maria, who had been quietly brewing her own concoction in the corner, paused and took a deep bre
_______________________..."Luna?" Alec called her name at the same time as Ezekiel turned to her."What are you doing here?" Ezekiel asked, his arms open wide for her.Unlike the normal times when she would most probably swat him away, this time Noelle ran straight into his arms."What's wrong?" He asked."Just making sure I get to see you one last time in case you die and leave the pack to me!" Noelle shrugged and pecked him on his lips making him laugh."It is very reassuring knowing that if something happens to me, then the pack will be under the mercy of the chaos queen!" He rolled his eyes.Noelle gaped at him and poked him on his chest. "You did not just say that!""It seems like I just did!""Getting sassier by the day, aren't you?" Noelle scoffed."I live with a sass queen." He shrugged. "And is in love with her too.""Chaos queen. Sass queen. Anything else?" Noelle raised her eyebrow at his many nicknames for her."My queen." He laughed, kissing her."Ugh, cringe!" Noelle
____________________..."Where is Mira?" Amaris asked as he sat down for dinner."Missing your girlfriend?" Noelle grumbled as she scooped mashed potato into her plate. Her eyes narrowed, watching him.Amaris ignored the jab. "She is not my girlfriend, kiddo. And Maria said she'd be here."Maria placed a bowl of steaming gravy on the table. "I don't know, she left a message saying she was going to see what Axel is up to. Didn't give details. Haven't tried to contact yet."The room grew quiet, filled with the clinking of silverware and the occasional murmur of the TV in the background. Amaris' mind raced with worry. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing."Shouldn't you try to reach out to Mira?" He finally asked Maria after a long while. The wolf looked at the witch expectantly.The witch shrugged. "Mira has said not to try to reach out to her. She will do it when she knows she is in the clear."Amaris' concern grew deeper. "But it's been hours. Something might be wrong.""There
____________________..."Say what?" Ezekiel gaped at Mira when she informed him and Noelle of what Amaris had done."Do I need to pretend to be surprised by what I just heard?" Noelle was playing Candy Crush on her phone. "Because I seriously don't feel anything right now. That man is capable of much more.""Noelle..." Mira walked over to her. "I get that you do not particularly like your father but the fact cannot be overlooked that whatever he did, he did it for you. He was Ezekiel's age. He was young and didn't know any better."Mira didn't know why she was defending him when she herself felt betrayed by him."Alright. Now you have thirty seconds to defend his decision to hide the truth from us." Noelle tossed the phone to the couch and sat up straight. "Go on.""Noelle, just think over what she just said. Let it marinate." Ezekiel understood what Mira was trying to say and he agreed with Amaris to a certain aspect. After all, the man was a father and the person he was protectin
_____________________...Rage.Rage like no other.That's what Axel felt when he finally admitted to himself that he had been played.The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks, knocking the wind out of his chest. His mind reeled with the implications. If Noelle wasn't his daughter, then he had been living a lie for years. The girl he had sworn to protect, to train, to one day take his place as the Red Master– she was a lie.He was ready to bypass the prophecy, his destiny, for the sake of that child. But it was all for nothing.Mira's words echoed in his head, "You need to be ready to finish off the were-kind, as is your legacy."Axel clenched his fists, the nails digging into his palms. "I would have never been ready to kill my own flesh and blood." He murmured to himself, the rage burning in his eyes. "But she is not my daughter. She is a lie. The blood of Amaris. And I will make sure that he will have to watch his spawn die in front of his eyes."Mira watched Axel from the cor
___________________...Axel knew.Mira had arrived and said as much but she refused to speak about anything else. And the way she looked at Amaris told Noelle that something was definitely up."What could have he done now?" Noelle thought out loud.She became aware of the nervous wolf behind her."Zeke?" She turned to face him, only to have her lips captured by his.Noelle gasped in surprise before melting into the kiss, her eyes fluttering shut.Her wolf was thrilled, finally getting the attention she had been craving. Noelle wanted to roll her eyes at her stupid wolf but the truth was that she wanted this just as much.Ezekiel's hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer as the kiss grew more intense. It was as if the last of his resolve had crumbled away, leaving only the primal instinct to claim his mate."We are in the middle of a war." Noelle breathed out as they pulled apart."I know. Makes me want you even more because I have no idea how much time we have together a
____________________...Mira nodded solemnly. "Very well, Axel. But if I am right, you need to be prepared for the truth."Axel's heart hammered in his chest as Mira began the incantation. The air grew thick with magic, the candles on the walls flickering in a rhythm that matched his racing pulse. He had always known that his daughter was special, but to think that she might not be his flesh and blood...Mira chanted the ancient words with precision, her hands dancing in the air as she drew upon the arcane power that dwelt within her. The room grew colder, and a sudden gust of wind swirled around them, raising goosebumps on Axel's arms. He watched, his eyes never leaving Mira's as the magic grew stronger.The candles' flames grew taller, then shorter, as if they were breathing in sync with the incantation. And then, with a final, dramatic flourish, Mira slammed her hand down on the desk before her."The truth shall be revealed!" Her voice echoed through the room. "THE TRUTH SHALL
____________________________...Mira walked into the throne room, rolling her eyes for the nth time in the last twenty years as she took in the sheer drama and monstrosity of the room."Axel, we need to talk!" Her voice was clear and firm, and she meant business. Axel looked up from his phone and gave her his entire attention immediately.He knew that Mira was not one to simply fool around. That was why she was around with him for so long. And she had made things possible for him which he would not have been able to achieve on his own even with the myriad of powers he possessed.Axel was too proud to admit Mira's importance in his life out loud but he was man enough to admit it to himself."What's going on?" He asked."I found out about something while visiting my sisters that change everything about everything.""You still visit your sisters?"Oops.Mira blinked and cleared her throat. "Of course I do. I am a coven witch till the last of my breath. Nothing is going to change that.
___________________________...Anyone in Blood Moon pack could have sworn that they had never ever seen the moon so bright and big and beautiful. They guessed their Goddess must be extremely jovial tonight, but they had to wonder what the possible reason might be. Then again, anything that made the Moon Goddess happy would bring nothing but good to her children.But this time, the Moon Goddess was just overcome with happiness because two of her stubborn children, whom she had left to themselves to find love, had finally admitted their feelings.It was a relief to the goddess, that she did not always need to use her powers to keep the wolves together. Mates were matches made in heaven, and once their love was established, maybe the mate bond was not necessary to constantly pull them towards one another.Moonlight travelled through the night with graceful ease, lighting up the otherwise dark room."Zeke..." Noelle sighed as Ezekiel peppered kisses on her jaw."Another round?"Noelle