My eyes fluttered open and I immediately winced. I closed my eyes back for a few seconds before I opened them again. A steady stream of light poured into the room from the slightly open door. My headache had considerably reduced and I felt a lot better now than I did earlier, but I could still feel a light pounding in my head. My thigh on the other hand… I couldn’t feel anything anymore. I looked downwards and saw that it had been cleaned and wrapped with a new clean cloth. I frowned. Was I at the hospital? My wound looked like it had been professionally cleaned and taken care of. My hand found my forehead and I slowly massaged it to ward off the headache. I wasn’t at the hospital. The pack hospitals had comfortable beds and everything was white and sterile and smelled like bleach. And if the cold hard floor beneath me and the trees that I could see from where I lay were anything to go by, then I was definitely not at the hospital.My frown deepened. Where was I? Flashes of this mor
I took my time to finish my porridge, and then I picked a pair of black sweatpants from Lucian’s clothes rack and put it on. It basically swallowed me up, but it was the only thing that had a drawstring on it, and I needed something that would at least fit me around the waist. I was nervous about meeting the rest of Lucian’s people. What if they didn’t like me? What if they thought I was some sort of snobby princess and immediately cast me aside? What if they wanted nothing to do with me?I felt a light flutter in my stomach and looked down at my bulging tummy. The twins were kicking. It was almost like they could sense my worry and this was their own little way of trying to soothe me. I rubbed my tummy affectionately. I loved them so much and I would do anything for them. Gathering a little bit of strength from them, I walked toward the door of the tent.My wolf purred. The bond pulsated and I winced in pain. “I know. I know you hate it here, but you have to accept that Sebastian a
Lucian stood up and followed after his mother. He smiled reassuringly at me, but I knew that something was wrong. His mother didn’t like me, and she was having no trouble hiding that fact. Maybe I should leave. The last thing I wanted to do was to come here and disrupt their obviously peaceful lives. But where would I even go? I still had no way of finding the potion. I couldn’t exactly go back to the pack. It had been two days, and Sebastian was probably having the time of his life with Lilith now that I was gone. The babies kicked at that moment, and the bulge appeared on my stomach through my shirt, causing Lucy and Oak to gasp. Lucy looked at her sister with her eyes shining. “I told you there was a baby in dere!”Oak grinned at me. “Is that a baby?”I looked at the girls, instantly forgetting about Lucian and his mother. There was something about little kids being excited that just rubbed off on you too, no matter what you were going through. It was inevitable. Now I had no id
SEBASTIAN“Calm down Sebastian!” Emory yelled once more as I flung another vase at the wall. Emory was my Beta and second in command. He was also one of my closest and most trusted friends, and for the past ten minutes, he had been trying to get me to sit down and relax, as he put it. “Calm down? You want me to calm down? How can you ask me to fucking do that when my wife is missing and no one in this fucking place can tell me where she is!?” An extension cord followed my outburst, and one of the guards jumped out of the way barely in time before it could hit him.“Bursting into an outrage isn’t going to help us find here quickly, you know that right? And as much as you hate to hear this, we still have to explore the possibility that Alora simply went somewhere on her own. She’s an adult after all.”I shook my head. “No, Alora wouldn’t do that. She would never leave without telling me, or at least telling someone.”“Are you sure about that?” Emory asked.I pulled his collar in a fis
LILITHIt was funny how much damage a few fake tear drops could do to a man. It brought out their protective side… made them feel like some knight in shining armor. And once I had them in that position, I could make them do whatever I wanted. I inhaled Sebastian’s manly scent as he held me. This was all I ever wanted. But that Alora bitch just had to keep ruining everything. Sebastian’s wolf was having no trouble making his disagreement known. But I’d since learned how to block out the beast’s complaints. I had the man wrapped around my little finger, and soon enough, his wolf would be dancing to my tunes too. I thought Alora was finally gone. I would finally have the man that I wanted. I would become Luna and rule over the kingdom. This time, I’d won. Or so I thought… imagine my utter shock when I overheard that lousy maid of hers telling Sebastian that Alora’s babies hadn’t actually died. Now he was definitely going to go out of his way to try and find her. And what would happen w
ALORAI went back into the tent with Lucian. He was oddly calm, and I wished that I could say the same for myself. But instead, my heart was beating extra fast. He led me to the bench by the table and we both sat down.“Alora…” he hesitated. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”I nodded meekly. “Yeah, but I did.”“Right…”“What was your mother talking about, Lucian? What is she so scared of?”“Alora—”I raised a finger to stop him. “She sounded particularly scared of me being here. I need answers, Lucian. I think I deserve that much.”“Yes, you’re right. You do. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea to talk about it. It’s a lot to take in.”“You don’t think I can handle it?” I asked. I was feeling a little offended.“That isn’t… look Alora, Life is different out here. And some things, they’re better left unsaid.”“I know that I’m used to a life that’s a complete contrast to this one. But that doesn’t mean that I’m insensitive or inhumane. I want to know, Lucian. Please. Help me under
SEBASTIAN I woke up with the worst headache known to mankind. I let out a groan as I lazily raised myself to a sitting position. I cradled my head and shut my eyes tight. I was having trouble gathering my thoughts. I looked around the room. My backpack was still on the bed, half open with clothes lying around it. “What the hell…” I stayed staring at the bag like it was going to answer all the questions running around in my head. I was going to look for Alora. I was packing my bag. How did I end up falling asleep? And why was my body so sore? I looked at my phone in panic. The date read 21st. “What the fuck?” With my hands on my head, I paced back and forth in the bedroom. It was the 19th when I’d started packing. That meant… that meant that I’d slept for two days. How was that even possible? Was I that tired? I knew I hadn’t been sleeping recently, but was it so bad that I completely passed out for two days? Alora was still out there somewhere, and here I was sleepi
I moved like a zombie with no direction. I was starting to question myself and my authority. A small part of me had really hoped that Alora would be hiding at her parent’s place. I’d hoped that I would be able to talk her into coming home with me. I’d hoped that it would be easier. I had no idea where we were going, we just kept moving further and further into the forest until night fell. We switched occasionally, using our wolf senses to cover more ground. By the time it got far, we were halfway into the forest and there was still no sign of Alora. “We’ll make camp here and continue our search in the morning,” I addressed the soldiers. I couldn’t even put some effort into my voice if I tried. They immediately got to work making fires. I drank from my water bottle, and sat on the bare cold hard floor, feeling defeated.“You good?” Emory asked, sitting next to me.I nodded.“We’ll find her, you know?”“Will we?” I asked. I was feeling more and more dreadful as the seconds passed. I w
Sebastian straightened up, trying to maintain his composure. "I’m here to take you home, Alora. It’s been long enough. The babies… they need to be in a stable environment. You haven’t even been to your checkups in a while."“Oh, so now you care about that?” I crossed my arms, glaring at Sebastian. "I’m not going anywhere with you. I’ve told you already. I’m staying here."My father looked between the two of us, his eyes narrowing. "What is this nonsense, Alora? Why are you refusing to go home?""I’m staying here because I want to, Dad. I need space. And if you also don’t want me here, then all you have to do is say the word. Sebastian has been nothing but trouble since he’s come into our lives. And why are you taking his side all of a sudden? Aren’t you supposed to be mad at him?"My father sighed. “I’m only thinking of what’s best for you, Alora. And that means putting our differences aside if that’s what it’ll take.”Sebastian's face tightened. "I came here to check on my wife and
"Get me the seedlings for the daisies, I tilled the soil for them yesterday.""Alright ma'am.""And don't take too long Anna, I'd like to be done with this so I can go up and wash myself. I smell like a farmer." I said and Anna chuckled slowly as I walked into the house to go get me the seedlings I needed for my garden.Not long, I heard some rustling behind me and I smiled, she really didn't waste much time."That was fast." I laughed lightly as I turned to tease her but as I saw who it was my smile dropped.The man from hell, Sebastian."Hi." he greeted as he strutted towards me, hands in his pockets."Hi." All the excitement I was sharing with Anna was suddenly gone and had vanished into thin air, my tone was clipped and my reply as curt as possible."You look busy." he said as he approached me."I am busy." I replied him and tried to stand up from the floor, an action my small baby bump was preventing me from doing easily.Sebastian set out his hand for me to take as an anchor in
I sat with Anna in my room later that day. I brought out the potion and showed it to her.She gasped and collected it from my hands. “You found it.”“I did…” I smiled softly. “You don’t look happy about it though. Why is that?”I smiled at how observant Anna was. “I know that it’s what I wanted. But now that I have it, I’m not so sure anymore.”Anna nodded in understanding. “You love him.”“I do…” I said, my voice breaking. I sniffled and wiped a stray tear to stop it from falling. “And anyway, I couldn’t use it even if I wanted to. It would affect the babies. I have to make a choice.”“You’re not going to…”“Of course not.” I replied, knowing exactly what she was hinting at. “I’ll keep it safe. At least until the babies are here. And then I’ll figure out what to do then.”Anna nodded. “Okay.”I stood up from the bed and hid the potion in one of my bottom drawers. It would be safe there. Anna left and I was left alone again with my thoughts. I had never been so unsure all my life. I
The journey back home was anything if not awkward. Sebastian and Lucian ignored each other, except for the occasional stink eye they were giving each other. I ignored the both of them and walked beside Emory. We took breaks when I got tired. Morning came and we were still walking. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, we were approaching Crescent pack. I pulled Sebastian to the side. “I think I’ll stay with my parents for now. You and your men can go on. Lucian will walk me the rest of the way.”“I can do that.”“I don’t want you to.”“Alora, you barely know this man!”“I think I can say the same thing about you, Sebastian. Look, I’m not asking for your permission. I need space. I need time to figure out what to do next. You don’t expect things to magically be okay between us because you showed up like a knight in shining armor to save me, do you?” I made air quotes when I said save me.Sebastian wiped a hand down his face. “Why are you doing this, Alora? Just why?”I scoffed.
Sebastian was here. His voice was unmistakable. I knew I’d heard it. I rushed outside. I screamed at the sight in front of me. Sebastian was outside with at least twenty men. The camp members were all on their knees, their things scattered and all over the place. One of the men grabbed Celia and made her kneel down too.“Let her go! What do you think you’re doing?” I shouted helplessly.Sebastian ran to my side and hugged me. I wiggled free from him. “Alora. Are you okay? Are you hurt? What did they do to you? I’ve been looking all over for you. You’re safe now okay? I’ve got you. You have nothing to worry about.”He was rambling and I could barely understand a word of what he was saying. I was focused on the camp. The twins were crying. Lucian was on the floor and one of the soldiers had his feet firmly planted on his back. “Let them go, Sebastian. What do you think you’re doing?”“They took you. I’ve come to save you.”“What the hell are you saying? Nobody took me. Tell your men t
Lucian’s mother stared at me long and hard. It was like she wanted to ask questions, but in the end, she decided against it. She looked at my thigh. "How's your thigh by the way? I made sure I used the best herbs in treating you.""Oh, it was you?" I was a little surprised.She laughed. "Yeah, I'm a herbal healer.""Oh my, thank you so much. I hardly feel any pain there anymore. I think it’s all healed.""It'll be better in a few days, might leave a scar but I have just the remedy for that too.""Oh, I'd like that thank you.” There was silence after that. I didn’t want her to get up and leave. The simple fact that she had nursed me back to health was proof that she didn’t hate me. I wanted to keep talking to her. “How did you get to learn such a skill?""I've spent way too much time here, in this jungle. I was alone for a while. I had to figure out how to heal myself and things like that. And I guess it just became a part of me. If you don't mind me asking…""Yeah?”"You're pregnant.
ALORAI stayed. A couple more days passed, and just as Lucian said, they warmed up to me. It seemed had taken me as theirs. "Alora, you mind sitting by the fire with us?" Grace came over and asked. We had gotten closer over the last two days."Yeah sure""You like wild berries? I picked a lot of them for you, it's my favorite.""If it's your favorite, then I'm sure I'm going to love them too.”"Okay, come quick. I don't want someone taking over my favorite seat"She held one of my hand and the other instinctively went around my stomach protectively as she pulled me out of the tent hurriedly, towards the camp fire."Because I like you, I'll let you take my seat for today, it's the one with the best view around""Are you sure about that?" I asked."Yes, I need to get some dried banana leaves and stay on the floor, it's warmer there too""You've got dried banana leaves around here?""Yeah why?""You know how to make bracelets from them?""There's a thing like that?""Of course, we used
I moved like a zombie with no direction. I was starting to question myself and my authority. A small part of me had really hoped that Alora would be hiding at her parent’s place. I’d hoped that I would be able to talk her into coming home with me. I’d hoped that it would be easier. I had no idea where we were going, we just kept moving further and further into the forest until night fell. We switched occasionally, using our wolf senses to cover more ground. By the time it got far, we were halfway into the forest and there was still no sign of Alora. “We’ll make camp here and continue our search in the morning,” I addressed the soldiers. I couldn’t even put some effort into my voice if I tried. They immediately got to work making fires. I drank from my water bottle, and sat on the bare cold hard floor, feeling defeated.“You good?” Emory asked, sitting next to me.I nodded.“We’ll find her, you know?”“Will we?” I asked. I was feeling more and more dreadful as the seconds passed. I w
SEBASTIAN I woke up with the worst headache known to mankind. I let out a groan as I lazily raised myself to a sitting position. I cradled my head and shut my eyes tight. I was having trouble gathering my thoughts. I looked around the room. My backpack was still on the bed, half open with clothes lying around it. “What the hell…” I stayed staring at the bag like it was going to answer all the questions running around in my head. I was going to look for Alora. I was packing my bag. How did I end up falling asleep? And why was my body so sore? I looked at my phone in panic. The date read 21st. “What the fuck?” With my hands on my head, I paced back and forth in the bedroom. It was the 19th when I’d started packing. That meant… that meant that I’d slept for two days. How was that even possible? Was I that tired? I knew I hadn’t been sleeping recently, but was it so bad that I completely passed out for two days? Alora was still out there somewhere, and here I was sleepi