EDEN POV
I knew this dream too intimately. I knew how it played out from the beginning till the very end. And I knew that every time it haunted me, I very much wished it was but a bad dream. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. It was a recollection, a memory playing on the loop in my subconscious. A memory of that becursed night. Lifeless bodies around me, others in wolf form and others in human. Cries filled the night air while cinder and ash rained from the sky of blazing fire around us. The helplessness from watching my pack being massacred by a group of rogue wolves, wolves so powerful that no weapon penetrated their skin… Wolves with eyes blazing red like burning flares of hell fire. Warriors falling, one by one. Throats being ripped and torn in front of my very own eyes. My mother's lifeless body with her throat ripped out, my father wounded and howling over the body of her mate...the pain he never recovered from. And Kai... My favorite young cub with a crescent moon on his forehead, watching his head being cut off by a wolf the size of Ethan. And then, a scream. My own scream. I sprung out of the seat, panting and heaving as I tried to dispel the images playing behind my eyes. I glanced around, eyes wide with horror, praying and wishing that I was away from the horrors of my mind. That it was all over. A warm hand clutched me by my arm, and I stared into the pale blue eyes of none but my brother. Relief washed over me when a small smile formed on his lips, and I crushed my body against his. “You are okay. It’s over now!” He wrapped his arms around me protectively before kissing the top of my head. “It's okay, Puddin’” He shushed, and slowly, the shock wore off from being in the comfort of his embrace, and the nightmares shied away to the darkest pits of my mind where they resided. Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings. For one, the whirr of the engines had shushed. And the jet was as stable as the land. “We’ve arrived?” I asked, still cradled against Ethan. “We have.” He slowly unwrapped his arms from around me and pushed me backward, then stared down at me. “It’s going to be alright, Puddin’. We all are going to be alright.” As long as I surrendered to Riftan in exchange for protection and pack treaties. If marrying Riftan was what was needed to protect my pack and to prevent history from repeating itself, then yes...I would gladly walk down that aisle and be the rightful Luna of the Blood Moon pack! Softly, I nodded and gave him a small smile, failing to form any word. He smiled back and kissed my forehead, then took my hand in his and started to walk to the open door of the jet. It was then I realized it had just been the two of us. My thoughts splashed on the ground when I took a step out of the jet and looked at what lay before my eyes! Just a few feet from the jet craft stood not one, not two… but countless men clad in black and white. Their rigid forms reminded me of lifeless statues, and the steady rise and fall of their chests was the one thing that signaled life to them. Everyone seemed to look like something drawn from the nightmare, and my breath shuddered when they all bathed me with their attention. “Is that…” My voice was barely a whisper, but knowing the werewolf senses, everybody must have heard me. “The pack warriors sent by Alpha Riftan in exchange for his bride.” A smooth voice called out from the midst, and my eyes came to being with a man as tall as a giant, with broad shoulders and red hair. His smile was warm enough to light up the world, but something was slightly off about him. As good-looking as he was, I knew better than to fall for any word that left his mouth. “Miss Noles, Alpha Ethan, I, Chase Jacob, and Gamma of Blood Moon Pack welcome you.” He stretched his arms to the side as though he was exerting dominance, silently letting us know that we were on his turf and he was calling all the shots. “Gamma?” My brows knitted. My eyes scanned the area as I took the remaining stairs and placed myself before the handsome devil who could simply snap my neck within a second. “And what of your alpha?” My voice was surprisingly stable, “The Alpha had other… pressing matters. He couldn’t be here.” He responded, and something stabbed through my heart at the news. He was too busy to even accept his own Luna? Classic. “How many warriors are here?” Ethan intoned, changing the subject. Another stabbing pain had me wincing with the realization that this was it. I was given away in exchange for these beastly warriors standing before me. “150. All trained and inspected by the alpha himself.” Chase responded with an unhidden smug, and I found myself wanting to be out of this place no sooner than later. “And what will we be using to Ashford?” I inquired, earning the attention of blue orbs. “We have cars ready to take you to the Pack House.” He stretched his left arm to the side, and my eyes followed his arm to find three Cadillacs, midnight black and beastly like a whole living entity... Serena’s words bubbled in my head… Riftan was sure wealthy. “I like what you have here but I prefer traveling in something smaller. And faster.” I intoned, causing the man before me to smirk. “Nice. And what would you like specifically?” Chase asked with a corked brow, and I ran a finger under my chin as though I was giving it a thought. But I already knew what I wanted. I have only seen it in the movies and never had the luxury to actually ride in one. “A Lamborghini shall do. Make it white.” “EDEN…” my brother’s voice came out disapproving, but the glint in his blue eyes told me something else. “A white Lamborghini coming right up.” He snapped his fingers and a commotion was caused behind his back. I turned to face my brother. “Once we landed in Heathrow, everything changed. This ruined prized calf no longer belongs to Crescent Island Pack. I belong to Blood Moon Pack now.”RIFTAN POV For the past hour, I have been trapped between the land of the living and the realms of the dreams, my mind slipping to both sides at once. I was vaguely aware of the plump, smooth, and naked body pressed against my own, while soaring within plates of nightmares and solidified hell. I was thankful for clarity, when my mind mind fully slipped to reality, saving me from the hell of my mind. The sound of my phone vibrating from my nightstand was what woke me up entirely. I peeled my eyes off before rubbing a hand over my sleepy eyes, then stared to my side at a redhead who was rubbing her small body against mine. I stretched to the side for the phone but was stopped by Blair as she yanked my arm back and started raining kisses on it. “Why don’t you ignore it?” She purred before inching closer until her face was a breath from mine. I ignored her instead, pushing her face from mine, and then picked up the small device from the nightstand and stared at the caller. G
EDEN POV Everything was happening too fast… or maybe too slow, I had no idea. All I knew was that something was happening and everything else was making my blood run faster, my heart pump quicker, and my lungs work over time. It was overriding my system with what felt like a ball of fire and my mind was failing to have a firm seize on the whole situation. It was as though I was left grasping on the thinnest shards of a sanity and I was damn sure I was this close to losing it. Was I supposed to feel this way? Like I didn’t belong? Yes, I get it, this place was so foreign. My whole life, I have known the small island, and if I were to really think about it, I still didn’t belong there either. But now, everything felt different. With all these thoughts running amok in my mind, I rolled up the window and turned the ignition, before kicking off the side of the road and driving the remaining kilometers to the pack house. It had been a few minutes since I stopped for a quick pep-t
RIFTAN POV This had to be a joke. It had to be one cruel joke. There was no way Eden Noles was my mate. I fucking didn’t do mates. This whole damn world knew I had no strength in me to abide by all the rules of the mate bond and whatever crap it came carrying on its back because… I fucking didn’t ask for this. Eden Noles was supposed to be a docile Luna who would sit on the throne with me and shield me from all the drama. Not a fucking… “Alpha…” The door to my office suddenly burst open, revealing Kylek who seemed even more rattled by my reaction. “Is Miss Noles…” He let the words trail to the background, but everything he wanted to say to me was written bolder than HOLLYWOOD on Mount Lee. “Kylek… She can’t be here. She has to go back. You know I can’t…” “Can't what, Alpha Hawk?” Ethan Noles stepped into the room, followed by none but one who was surely going to send me to an early grave. That silver hair, the one scent that seemed to fill the whole house… I wanted to
RIFTAN POV The woods whooshed passed me with motion blur, the air stayed glued to the tips of my fur as I zoomed through tree drunks and further into the woods. Y lungs felt lighter, and the bloody rosey scent was less concentrated. Paws hit the dirt violently as I ran further and further from the source of my torment, and deeper into the bliss of solitude. I arrived at the meadow and stopped, then turned to look back at the brightly lit castle protruding from behind the dense forest. My breathing came out in pants and my heart thumped harder and stronger. “You made it, Alpha.” A smooth voice called out from the darkness, peeling my gaze from the trees and into the shadows. I stood on my hunches and shifted back to my human form, then huffed harder. I was damn glad I decided to take that run. Heavens knew I was going to lose it if I hadn’t. All because of that smart-mouthed pretty-faced bambolina who was currently soaking in my tub, and in my castle. A lean lady emerged fro
EDEN POV For the rest of the evening, I replayed Serena's words on a broken loop, hating how my chest tightened from the smallest idea. Riftan may not want me, but that didn't change the fact that he was my mate. And that only made my heartbeat flutter at the thought of having him around. After a few more minutes, I left the guest room clinging onto Chase's arm, my heartbeat thrumming in my ears. "You need to relax." being the charming grace he was, he placed a hand on top of mine, halting the two of us. "Your heart is beating like really loud." his brows lifted with the words, and I was taken aback by how handsome he actually was. Red hair, bushy brows, and lush lips. Add a diamond nose ring to the mix. He'd have any girl spread her legs wide open. Any girl but me. “I'm a little nervous..." I confessed, and he responded with an understanding nod. I waited for something more but was responded with his body going rigid against mine. His eyes turned storm grey, making it seem like
EDEN POV “A minute.” his deep drawl sent a chill running down my spine. A part of me wanted me to curl up in a ball and die. But a bigger potion of my brain wanted nothing more than to morph my very being with his and just bury myself deep within the realms of his blackened soul. So I nodded before placing my hand in his and then regretted it a second later. A shock of electricity lasered from the contact, zapping through my skin and sending a sheer volt to my brain. I flinched at the impact before masking off my expression, then rose from my seat and mumbled a small ‘excuse me’. We walked hurriedly out of the dining room and into the vast corridor, then wound through bazillion more corridors and hallways before stopping and coming into the familiar room. His office. He banged the door behind us, making the sound to rattle and shake the very grand foundation of the fortress we were in. Another flinch ripped from me from his sudden outburst. Devastation and defeat bubbled insid
Chapter 8 RIFTAN POV “Take care of my sister, Riftan. I am not asking you as an alpha, but as a brother whose hand was forced." Ethan drawled with the resemblance of a pleading look in his eyes. It took more than respect for an alpha to shed his pride in front of another alpha and beg. But Ethan did, and my respect for him fleshed out with tiny petals in that instant. My throat bobbed with a hard swallow before I responded with a curt nod. I may not be the man who was going to give her heart and emotions, or the one to hold her hand and run down into the sunset with her, but flowers and chocolates were going to run down her chimney every day of her life. And I was going to make it my mission to protect her with everything inside of me. As though he could read my mind, Ethan thinned his eyes at me, a warning flashing across his hard features. It was as though he was reluctant to leave his darling sister with me, and I didn’t blame him. I had my reputation cut out for me and I would
Chapter 09 EDEN POV 'Digging will only bring you remorse.' The voice in my head called out, and I knew that heeding its words was the best thing to do. But my curiosity was soaring up in the clouds while my judgment simmered on low. The white screen of the iPad stared back at me as I stood back on the precipice of indecision and my mind reeled with everything I heard from Riftan. I felt like a hamster on a wheel, chasing the unknown and nothing at the same time. The information had been brief. Heck, the only thing I knew was the name of the savages that attacked my pack, and something held me back from digging deeper into them. The Remdragons. A pack of rogues that was responsible for the doom of my pack and my parents’ murder. A small part of my brain was screaming at me, telling me to let go, that opening this box of pandora was going to be nothing but a dip dive into great misery. And my wolf agreed. I could feel her stomping her paw on my soul, trying to tear me from the d