Sophia’s POV When Hattie woke me up to give me a hot chocolate then leave without saying a word, I was still half asleep and not sure what was going on or where I was. The last thing I remembered was being in pain with his beast stuck inside me, more pain when he pulled it out, then pleasure that completely took me over. I couldn’t breathe, my legs shook and stiffened and moved independently of my mind then I saw white.Now I’m back in the visitor suite with Beta Luca, Torrin, and Mrs Crook hovering around outside the door which has been left ajar. Nobody has said anything to me, but the worried looks on their faces and constant whispers and glances in my direction can’t be good. Mrs Crook never shows her concerns, she is the one who maintains calm and has always made me feel safe, even when I knew I wasn’t, not really.When I asked where Zaine was, Torrin said he had gone for a run but is on his way back. Did I disappoint him? I’m sure those other women could handle their Alpha, the
Torrin’s POV“Welcome back Abe.” My welcome is met with a grunt and nod of his head. He looks tired and battered from his five day run through the mountains. We won’t be getting anything more than out of him until he has had a rest and got some warm food in his gut.I have missed the sullen fuck since Zaine sent him out again, and hadn’t expected his return until spring at the earliest. When he announced his arrival as he came back onto pack land, the lead weight in my gut lightened ever so slightly. Whatever we are facing from the Blue Bastard to the south, as Luca has taken to calling him, and Blue Moon to the north, it will be easier to hold our own and maybe even come out on top with Abernathy on our side.He and I are the pack’s oddballs. We are both not born of this pack and found ourselves thrown together by a rolling ball of circumstances neither one of us could avoid. We both prefer solitude and to work alone, but surprisingly to both of us, we work well as a team.Don’t get
Abernathy’s POV This shit storm sure crept up on me. How have eighteen years flown by so quickly? Torrin has no idea how much I know, or what plans and redundancies have been playing out around him unseen. Alpha Theo and King Sebastian left nothing to chance when it came to the princess and her future. I’m not sure how much he has learned about my past or how I came to be Beta of Scarlet Moon all those years ago, but now that one secret is out, I doubt it will be long before all my shit is laid bare. I wanted to tell him back then, after seeing him suffer so much loss I wanted to tell him he was not alone and that I knew the pain he lived with day in, day out. Theo swore me to secrecy the day he told me who our new pack members were, and insisted I teach Torrin everything I know. I couldn’t tell him who I was, where I came from or that I knew anything about him and his past. It was hard at first, but as I got to know Torrin I could see a bit of myself in there and knew how to reach
Zaine’s POV “I know it’s a shock. Tell me what you’re thinking sweetheart. How can I help you deal with this?” her silence is scaring the shit out of me. I thought she would scream, or cry, or laugh. Any reaction would be better than this. Even the continousl hum of our bond seems to have frozen, which sends a chill down my spine.“Come on. Let’s get you dried off.” I talk to her as soothingly as I can manage, even though I don’t expect a response. When I look into her eyes, the lights are on but nobody’s home. Her hand is cold in mine as I wrap her in a towel and lead her into the bedroom. Is this what actual, physical shock looks like?“This doesn’t change anything Sophia. You are still mine and I am yours.” I reassure myself as much as her. “If you don’t want to act on this, then we won’t… but your wolf might feel differently when she is unbound, and I want you to be prepared for that. Sweetheart, please say something.” My nerves are shot to pieces. It feels like I’m losing her. H
Mrs Crook’s POVI was there when Sophia came into the world. She was calm and peaceful, a gift from the goddess herself. Genevieve laughed and told me I was overwhelmed with emotion when I told her the princess arrived swaddled in celestial light, but I know what I saw with my own eyes. The Goddess has plans for this little one, that much has been obvious from the very beginning.I have never been blessed with pups of my own, not for lack of trying. Jon and I prayed, pleaded and bargained with the goddess for many years, but our prayers went unanswered and eventually we accepted that it wasn’t in the goddess’ plan for us.Learning midwifery and herbal medicine from the small group of women in the town who practised the old ways, I made myself useful as a midwife of sorts. Those women opened my eyes to the gifts of nature all around us and I began to see life in a whole new light.Delivering pups gave me peace and a reason to wake up every morning. Supporting the mothers through one of
Zaine’s POVI hope it looks like my wolf is hanging back to give Sophia’s wolf the lead on our run. In truth, my beast can just about keep pace with hers. I don’t mind the view from back here though, there is something hypnotic and captivating about the way the sun highlights her glossy coat. When she moves, a vivid purple colour shimmers on the surface of her fur like oil on tar, it’s like nothing I have ever seen before.When she took off running, she knew not to head south, and headed around the pack house towards the lake in the north-east corner of our territory. At first she was a little unsteady but she soon found her feet and the trail we often use for pack runs. Torrin and the other guards are a few meters away, spread around Sophia and I in a semicircle, all of them running like hellfire is nipping at their heels. If my own muscles weren’t burning, I might find it funny. I didn’t realise how out of shape I have gotten.The last couple of years I have spent much of my time vi
Sophia’s POV Our wolves run side by side in the shallow water, splashing and playfighting until the sun begins its descent behind the tips of the trees. When I see Torrin heading over from the tree line I know it’s time to head back to the pack house, and my heart sinks a little. I have loved every second of the feeling of the freedom out here, as my wolf sniffs at the ground, picking up scents, and hides from Zaine’s beast in the tall grass. I know she will want to be out here as often as she can, and I have absolutely no intention of stopping her.“I don’t want to go back yet. It’s so peaceful here.” I think to Zaine over our mind link. I haven’t been out here in over ten years, and not much has changed in that time. The trees are taller than they were and the huge flat boulder that sits half submerged in the water has been worn smaller over the years, but it is still the haven I remember.Zaine’s wolf looks past mine, in the direction of Torrin, and comes to nuzzle his head again
Zaine’s POV She is with me, she wants this, she is practically clawing at my arms to pull me closer, and for some fucked up reason I can’t move. I have been waiting for, and fantasising, about this day from the moment I caught her scent when I was on my way to tear George a new one for sewing his wild oats all over Alpha Harolds Fields, or more specifically his niece. Now that everything I want is literally at my fingertips, I have a sudden case of… not performance anxiety, but something akin to it. The balance of power has shifted, and when I thought I was on top, no pun intended, I knew without a doubt that I could be everything she needed. Now, I know I will do everything I can to protect her from the king who wants her dead, but when I mark her, it will set into motion a chain of events I’m not convinced I can protect her from. I could tell her everything, but I want her to have a chance at a life free of fear and suffering, or as free from it as I can manage. That does not inc