***Bryan’s POV***
I was driving in the Mercedes, Denise in the passenger seat. We were headed into the city just outside the pack territory. I decided a month ago that I was going to reward the captains for their hard work. Take them out and have them enjoy an evening. I didn’t trust having all captains out of commission for a night so I took 6 of them last weekend and four of them today. These four were the new recruits Hector had chosen. They were good but young. They had wanted to go to clubbing. Since meeting Denise I thought my club days were over but she insisted coming with me today. Hector also joined after some coaxing. He hadn’t taken a break in a long time.
We pulled up to the club and there was a much longer line than I was expecting. Usually this place was never this busy. The boys who drove the Jeep pulled up behind us and jumped out. We gave the valet our keys and headed to the door.
“Beta Bryan, chose a hell
I felt her chuckle under me and hugged me with one arm. Denise and Hector didn’t say anything as I held her close. I considered her my best friend, they knew that. After a while, Denise would coax stories out of me, of the two of us. Hector and I spent most of our time with her while she was at the pack and boy did we have stories.Logan being Alpha always limited our relationship, he would always be above me. But with Auri, she never let Luna get to her like that. She always valued friendship over anything and so I considered her my best friend.“Not gonna lie, I didn’t expect that.” She patted my arm and I let her go. “I figured I was either going to be yelled at or demanded to leave.”“I mean, we are wondering what you’re doing here.” Hector stepped up.Auri smiled and held out her arm and waved him in. Suddenly, the facade of Hector crumbled. He rush
“Seriously though, Auri. Why are your eyes like that?” Hector sat down where Denise had been sitting.Auri turned and put her hands on her hips. “What makes you think I wasn’t being serious? What reason would I lie to you guys at this point?”Hector and I looked at each other, shocked. “Because…we would be…”“Be what? Disappointed? Shocked? Sad? Please boys, I’m not a child. I don’t need your approval to live my life how I deem is necessary.” Auri turned back and started rummaging through the cabinets, smelling different boxes.I saw Denise throw a look over my shoulder, basically telling me not pursue it.“What’s it called?” Hector didn’t catch Denise’s look.“Nova.”All three of us stopped. Even Denise stopped pouring the water. She was still pulling out different ingredients, as though it was nothing. As though
***Auri’s POV***It was weird being back. I followed Hector down the halls and he opened the door next to him. I peered in and it reflected every other guest room in the house. Hector put my bag down on the bed and I followed in. He flicked the switch in the bathroom.“If you need anything, I’m next door.”I balled up my fist. “Can you…warn Bryan and Denise…”“Warn?”I was quiet for a moment. Over the years, the drug didn’t lost its length of time for potency like I thought it would. I figured my body would build up a tolerance for it. But the only thing that happened was the dreams. They came back after the first year, but when I woke up, I wouldn’t remember them.“Sometimes, I scream when I sleep…” I said quietly. “I don’t remember the dreams when I wake up but they still happen from time to time. It’s why I don&rsqu
***Logan’s POV***The car was quiet. Leandra had thrown a fit that we were coming back so soon. Honestly, this wasn’t a real vacation. I had tried to enjoy myself, tried to not worry about the next few months but I couldn’t help it. The house had become insufferable. Bryan and Hector were always at my throat. It was time that I stepped back up and into my role. I had decided that something needed to change, otherwise even with Micah’s help I would lose my pack. Glancing in the rear view mirror, Zachary was in his car seat, asleep after staying awake the entire plane ride.“Isn’t that the Jeep?” Leandra’s voice took me out of my head and I looked. The Jeep was pulled to the side of the road, doors still open. Pulling over as well, I parked and got out. Leandra also opened the door and looked around.Leaning in, I didn’t see anything wrong on the inside. I looked around the area and then I saw som
I turned down the street to The Blood Oath. I stopped out front of the building. The sign was gone and it now was just an abandoned building. After going through a few options, this was the last place I thought to look for Auri. I knew it was abandoned but it seemed like a place that she would go.At first, I wasn’t going to look for her. I tried to ignore the smell, ignore the food she had made. I stepped back into my role as Alpha. Hector was working with me to get me back where I needed to be physically. But Bryan still doubted me. Still showed his mistrust in his eyes. Hector was a little more physical with his anger. He wouldn’t hold back during training, reveling in every knockout. I had been just taking it though. I knew these two were right to treat me like. After everything.I had a fight with Leandra again over Zachary. My going back to work effected her the most and she was upset about it. Threaten
My eyes widened and I shook my head. No way. When they removed the gene, they said it would go to the next werewolf born. I knew Auri was chosen to be my Luna Queen, which was what made this Alpha King different, but she wasnât with the pack anymore. âI thought it was the Nova! I thought it multiplied my power and allowed me to shift werewolves now. I watched them unable to defy me.That wasnât it. It wasnât the Nova. Iâm the fucking Alpha King.â The look on her face was a mix of horror and amusement. It twisted her face and her eyes closed. âWhat do you mean you? Only hisâŠyouâre his mate. Youâre that packs Luna, arenât you Astra?â Before she could answer, Auri started to cough again. I ran and jumped onto the stage and she fell over. Her cough causing her to gag and I watched as blood poured out of her mouth. I was horrified. She pushed off me though. The electricity I felt was cut off. âAstra, take the damn drugs before you just die alone on
***Auri POV*** âHector please! I need you to focus!â I begged him. He was standing in front of me, sweat pouring from his upper body. Bryan was laying down on the ground, breathing heavy. Logan was on one knee, still trying to recover from a kick to the stomach. Hector recovered enough tot throw a punch at me. His movements were slow but they were still precise, even with how tired he was. I stepped forward and deflected both his fists before sweeping my foot under his and he fell back. âShit.â Hector groaned as he just accepted his fate on the ground. I chuckled. âYou guys are terrible. We havenât even been going for two hours.â âI think Iâm going to die.â Bryan whined. Shaking my head, I had taken on these three cause I knew they were better than this. Logan was so out of shape that Pipsqueak would be able to lay him out. I started him on a diet and cardio while
I sat on the floor of the bathroom, taking controlled breaths. The day had started much like every Sunday did. Walking up screaming, having a couple cups of coffee and a couple hours later, the emotions rushed me like a tidal wave. I was sorrowful that there was no piano to play in this house. I did sing softly until the coughing started. This time it had gotten bad enough I had to go to the bathroom. It felt like I was getting rid of important parts of my body but I needed to wait more time though. I had managed to go the whole week without waking up with nightmares. Pipsqueak had called. More than once but I didnât want to get off the cool bathroom floor. I leaned my head back against the tub and sighed. I had a couple more coughs but I just spit out the blood. The front door suddenly slammed open and I lifted my head up, trying to listen. âAuri!â I groaned and leaned my head back. Logan stomped up the stairs and stood in the doorway of the bathroom.
Hey everyone. I can't believe we are here. We made it. This is truly the end. This journey has been an epic one and I am both happy and sad all of you could ride this crazy ride with me. It took a long time to get here. Much longer than I wanted, felt needed to, but here we are and it's done. The King's Alpha has finished. I'm sure everyone has the STRONGEST of opinions on my choices of where to go but in the end, I think, I always knew where it was going to end up. And it was here. It just was a struggle to find the right roat to get there. I want to say thank you. To all the mad ones. To all the sad ones. To all the happy ones. To the ones who have stuck by me and given me notes of encourangement through this. To the ones who have left comments telling me that they won't ever read anything of mine again because I haven't finished this story. I thank each and every one of you. Because it means that at some point, my story made you feel something. Made you fall in love or hate
I sat on the balcony overlooking the plains and forest behind it. Iâd taken a liking to getting up early, smelling the morning dew as the world slowly woke up. A shot of cappuccino and a bowl of yogurt with fruit and just a drizzle of honey was on the table in front of me. My tablet also was sitting but there wasnât much in the way of news to capture my attention away from the view.Rowan had called me yesterday from Egypt. He moved there after he found his mate. At first, I thought they might want to both step up as Beta, much like AJ and Jax did back in the day but they started to follow their own paths. Rowan was far more subdued. Taking after the bookworm side of Vale and maybe my introverted side. Reagan didnât. Reagan was a fists first fight the world kind of girl. She stayed with Golden Moon, though she dragged her poor mate with her wherever she went.She was the Alpha King Nathanâs, Beta and had been for many years now. I had four grandkids and I got to see them as often as I
âMom!â Syf and Freya both threw their hands around me and I held them close.TĂœr stood but didnât say anything. Logan stayed seated next to him, his eyes unfocused as he looked ahead. I wiped the cheeks of my two girls and smiled.âCome on, Vale would be mad that we cried this much over him.âFreya chuckled. âHe would say we are being over dramatic about it. Or that we were thinking of other stuff so we would tear up and make him feel better.âI nodded. âWe all know it was you two who made him cry most of them time.ââIâŠweâŠâ Syf looked at her twin before the two of them chuckled. âYouâre right.ââI know, Iâm right. Iâm your mother.âFreya snorted. âNot looking like that you arenât. I canât believe youâre de-aging. Thatâs crazy, Mom. If I didnât see the effects in you and Hector I would say you were lying.âI tried to smile but it just couldnât get there. Admitting how much pain I went through wasnât something I was going to dump here and now. They didnât need to know. It was the same
We stood gathered on the Italian countryside. It was cloudy but there would be no rain. For the first time in a long time, everyone stood together. Werewolves, witches, vampires, and fey stood side by side to pay their respects to the Alpha King. Vale was encased in stone now. A sarcophagus that stood on the hill of the memorial spot we had chosen. It was carved with running wolves following the one wolf, their king. People came forward and spoke. Spoke of how Vale touched their lives in some way or another. Not just for him though. For Jax, for the wolves we lost in the battles and the ones who went back to their own packs. For Wendy and in my heart all the ones who had lost their lives to Oranâs sick and twisted desires.Hector was sitting on my right, his hand on my knee. Both my hands though were clasped in Zekeâs. Reagan and Rowan were sitting behind us with our kids. Luckily, all four of them made a complete recovery. Only certain things came up, sometimes being alone in a dark
Hector and I stayed by Valeâs side for a while. He held me together as I threatened to fall to pieces. After a long time, I finally spoke. âOran is dead. Vale incapacitated him and I dusted him. Heâs ash in the wind.ââHeâs gone. For good.ââBut at what cost, Hector? Was the cost worth it? Jax is dead. Wendy is dead. ValeâŠmy sonâŠmy kingâŠâAbsently, I leaned down and moved a hair out of Valeâs peaceful face. My jaw clenched as I held back another wave of sobs, trying to keep myself together. My body started to shake and Hector turned me away from my son. I looked at him, his eyes as dark and stormy as the clouds above, raining tears down his cheeks. It broke me. Broke my control and I cried out.He put both hands on my face and held me, my hands covering his. It was my fucking fault. It was my fault. My Vale was dead. Our Vale, was gone. Joining the list of ones I loved who left me alone. Absently, my mind thought to the pain of living painfully long and outliving your family. I had co
*** Auriâs POV ***I had killed nine of the monsters that Oran kept in the arena beneath the castle. Nine of them, each one as mutilated and grotesque as the next. They were powerful though and it had taken me too long to kill them all. Too long put them all out of their misery as their minds begged me over and over again to do. Uriel had reached out to me and told me that he had the pups and had left the castle. All that was left was the battle Vale and Zeke were currently fighting.Running as fast as I could, I slid down the hall. I knew the High Council intended that Vale was going to rule inside the castle with them, but I didnât know they had already built the throne room for him. When Vale first mind linked me about the room and that Oran was waiting for them, I wasnât necessarily surprised. He was, if anything, a dramatic asshole.I stopped in front of two huge doors that were on the north side of the castle. Using my power, I touched the wood and it turned into a pile of wood
I wiped the blood out of my eyes, trying to focus on the where Oran was in the room. Vale was standing near the center of the room. He didnât look nearly as bad as I did but that wasnât saying much. Oran was playing with us but we still couldnât compare to his strength. Holding up his broken sword, Vale parried Oranâs knife but was thrown back with the power behind the hit. Staggering up, I ran, only shifting my claws since I couldnât shift my whole body anymore. I caught Oranâs arm as he was making a stab for Vale. My claws dragged across his skin and he dropped the knife.âWell, arenât you the useful little mate.âI put up my arms to cover my face, sensing an attack either by his fists or foot. Vale though, grabbed the knife and me, pulling us back away and out of reach of the strike. We both were breathing heavily and on our knees. âValeâŠwe needâŠâHe nodded. âI know. I know, Z. Just hold out a little longer.âVale lifted up off the floor before brandishing the knife as his own wea
The castle looked empty. At least walking into it from the now ridiculously large exploded hole. Auri, King Uriel, Vale and I stepped over the rubble and the dead bodied of the witches to enter it. Everything was eerily quiet, as though no one had been in here at all. Had all the forces emptied out the different exits just now? Or were they lurking somewhere deeper?âThe castle has an underground area as well, correct? If I saw the building plans correctly.â King Uriel looked at the three of us.Vale was the one who answered. âCorrect. It has a full underground stadium area and most likely where they are keeping the pups. Or in one of the catacomb areas. Itâs a huge labyrinth down there.âHe hummed. âWe should split up.âAuri frowned. âI donât know. We donât know whatâs ahead. What we are up against.ââI think he is right, Mom. I think we need to do this. Uriel, if you would take the upper floors. I have a feeling there will be more witches and some other vampires who are able to deal
As expected, the wolves came first. Their snarling and pounding of their paws drowned out every other sound in the forest. Our side had quieted as we waited for their attack. Auri stepped up though, out of the line. Her fur rippled like water as an immense flow of power left her, filling the forest. She barked out a single command and all the wolves we could see coming towards us shifted to their human forms. The sound of their bones assembling back into their body on a massive scale reverberated through the forest.Hector raced forward ahead of her, chomping the closest wolfâs, now confused humanâs, head off. It was all that was needed. Our forces surged forward and around us. Vale started to go with them but my paws were planted firmly in the ground. Stopping and turning, Vale looked at me with his gold eyes.âCan you do this, Z? Itâs okay ifâŠâMy eyes widened as a wolf came from behind, leaping right at Vale as his back was turned to me. I stepped forward, one step, then another. S