It's about midnight now, and I'm huddled in my parent's house. No one ever moved in after they died, and Felix made sure the omegas kept it clean even though I never came here; it hurt too bad. Everything was the same as it was the day they died. I sat on the couch, knowing I only had to wait another half hour until the coast would be clear. Shift change for border patrol was an hour ago, and they usually scour this area first because it's the easiest. It's too open for rogues to hide out waiting to attack, but it's also so small that it only takes them around a half hour to get done over here. I heard them about 15 minutes ago, so I turned all the lights off and acted like I would be going to bed. It wasn't a secret I was here, just a secret that I wouldn't be staying here.
I looked around my childhood house, committing it to memory. I had so many memories here. My heart was heavy as I walked around the house, unable to stop myself. I went into my parent's room, wishing this was all a dream and they were in there getting ready for bed. But it was dark, nothing was out of place, and there wasn't even a crease in the bed to make it seem like someone lived there. I walked over to my mom's nightstand; a book she never got to finish was sitting on it, a bookmark sticking out of it. She had her clock there and a lamp. I opened the dresser drawer where she would keep the oils she put on just before bed, wanting to smell them and remember her. There was an envelope with my name on it, and my heart soared; this must have been my birthday card. I grabbed it, but knowing I would bawl like a baby when I read it, I just went and put it in my duffel bag. I'll save that for when I get to Ivory Moon. If I get there.
I checked my phone to see if there was an update from Seth. I obviously wasn't going to take my phone with me, but I had no other way to contact Seth. I saw I had a text from him on Snapchat. I used that to text him since the messages were deleted immediately, even though I did not intend to leave his phone intact.
Seth: You'll be granted entry at the border. Tell them you're Amara Dawson, Seth Dawson's sister, and you're seeking asylum. They'll ask for a code word: ' Eleven is the oddest cousin.' Don't ask me why, lol. Anyways, the Alpha is aware. I'll come to the border they have you at, and we'll take you to my Alpha.
I sighed in relief; it was all coming together. I called him as soon as I got here and told him what happened. He and I were always close, so naturally, he was furious at Felix. He said he would talk to Alpha Roman; he didn't seem to have any doubts, so my hopes were high. I just had to get there in one piece. I exited the app and went into my settings to factory reset my phone. Once that was done, I threw it into the fire I had going and grabbed my duffel bag, taking out my anti-scent spray and dousing myself in it. My scent would be heavy in and around the house, but it wouldn't lead them to the border.
I opened the door, sniffing the air to make sure no one was around, and when the coast was clear, I took off. I made it to the border easily on foot, sending a silent thank you to my parents for buying a house so close to the border I would one day escape through. I crossed the border and ran on foot until I found some heavily forested area. I stripped naked and shoved my clothes in my bag, letting Tamisra forward and shift. I let her take complete control; she was better with navigation than I was. I could read a map just fine, but she already memorized the route we were taking. She told me it would take 3 days if we kept moving, stopping only to sleep and eat. I didn't pack any food, knowing Tamisra could just hunt. My stomach churned thinking about her snacking on deer brains, but she promised to block me out for that part.
The cool night air blew through our obsidian fur as she ran; thankfully, the douchebag chose mid-spring to cheat on me, so the weather wouldn't be too extreme. Not that it would be much of an obstacle; werewolves could withstand extreme cold. Although we got hot quickly, our werewolf healing kept us from overheating as long as we stayed hydrated.
We had been running without a hitch for a few hours when Tamisra spotted a stream and took a drink break. We could only stay here for a short time because it was in the open. Still, I trusted our senses for a few minutes. Besides, we wouldn't be near the areas heavy in rogues until tomorrow. After a few minutes, we got back up and started running again; considering we'd been awake this whole time, I told Tamisra to find a safe spot to sleep. We wouldn't be able to sleep tomorrow if we wanted to get through the rogue-infested areas in one day. It took a few miles, but she eventually spotted a heavily thorned bush and crawled under it. Our fur was thick enough that it wouldn't scratch us too severely, but yeah, I'm pretty sure there will be a thorn permanently embedded in my boob when I shift back. Deciding it would be safer to sleep in wolf form, Tamisra curled up, and it wasn't long before we both drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
We woke up with the sun high in the sky, meaning we overslept again! Shit! I didn’t realize how exhausted we would both be. Tamisra didn’t seem too concerned, so I guess it didn’t throw us off schedule too much, but I really did not want to spend the night in the rogue areas. ‘You worry too much; if we get started now, we can clear the area by nightfall.’‘Yeah, that’s great and all, but I was hoping we could eat. We’ll need energy if we encounter any rogues, and we haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday morning.’‘Fine, I’ll block you out and catch us a quick snack. Any preferences? Deer, fox, maybe a wild boar?’ she said while snickering at me as I gagged. She blocked me out, and I just went to the deep recesses of my mind and curled up. Now that I had time to let everything sink in, I didn’t feel so broken over this. I worried my mate would still want me if I bore another man’s mark. I would explain everything to him and hope for his understanding. Most people don’t save themsel
I don't know how long we slept, no sun was peeking into our little hiding spot to give me a hint, but I didn't care; there was no way I could continue this journey being severely weakened. I move my shoulder, it's a little stiff, but the discomfort doesn't bother me. I try to look at my other wounds, but it's dark in this thicket. My werewolf sight gives me a general idea that they've all closed, though. When I go to get up, I realize there's a warmth sitting next to me. The fuck? Did Bambi come home last night or some shit? The little ball of warmth moves, and I realize it's a cat. It stretches out and then comes up to me, purring and rubbing itself all over me. How did a cat get in here? I knew we were near a pack and not in the middle of nowhere anymore, but I didn't expect to wake up to a cat next to me. But regardless, I pet the little furball anyways."How did you get here, little one? You know I don't have any food for you." I say while scratching its chin. The mention of foo
We're only about a mile or two away from the Ivory Moon's border when Tamisra tells me to shift back to human form and walk the rest of the way. Her legs were obviously tired, but she kept us going throughout the night. I would guess it's around 5 am because the sun is just starting to rise. It would only take me 20 minutes to get to the border, so I shift back and put on some clothes. I probably smell horrible and don't even want to know what's made its way into my hair. I get Nisha out of the duffel bag, and he stretches his legs before plopping on his side. "Seriously? You've been in that duffel bag for how long and still don't want to walk?" I say as I pick him up and hold him in both arms. He meows at me but then starts purring as I pet him while we walk. I eventually can make out the border, where two wolves and a female in her human form are patrolling. Luck is on my side; I thought I would have to wait around until border patrol crossed this way. As I approach, the wolves ra
His ice-blue eyes are cold and calculating. I feel like he's staring right into the depths of my soul. Refusing to show weakness, I hold his gaze, but Tamisra is going crazy in my head. 'Let me out, let me out! I need to see,' she says while pushing her way forward to share my sight. I'm too shocked to shove her back; she never acts like this. Her dark blue eyes must be swirling into my green because I see his ice blue eyes start to bleed brown, showing his wolf must have also come forward. I'm frozen as I take him in. He's all Alpha male, he has chestnut brown hair pulled into a man bun, and the scruff on his face is the same color. His jawline is so sharp it could slice through glass, and yeah I wouldn’t mind sitting on those perfect plump lips. His muscles are clearly straining against his black shirt and I do my best not to stare too hard at those delicious arms I feel my cheeks turn pink because of my dirty thoughts, and Tamisra sending me…interesting images of him isn't help
I watch as the girl and Seth walk out of my office. I was a little taken aback by her; I didn't expect her to be so…interesting? That's an understatement because I want to follow her to her room and listen to her talk in that angel's voice for hours. No woman has ever caught my attention like that before. I've had my fair share, but it was always hookups. I've never had trouble getting a woman; they're always willing to bed an Alpha. I only kept affairs outside my pack, though. That shit can get too messy, and I have way better things to worry about than catfights between pack members over petty love disputes. I pour myself a glass of bourbon while I think about this girl. If she wasn't Seth's sister, I'd be suspicious about her; a fake mate bond is no easy feat. But I didn't detect a lie, and I've heard her brother talk shit on the fake mate plenty of times before he even knew the mating bond wasn't natural. I growl when I think about her and another man, my wolf Adonis only feeding
My eyes flutter open, and I feel like I'm sleeping on a cloud. I stiffen, waiting for Felix to wrap his arm around my waist before I remember my current situation, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I feel Nisha stir and rub his head against my hand, purring contentedly. I sit up, run my hand through my hair, and look around my new room. I notice a cat tree in the corner with a water fountain and cat bowl next to it, and I squint my eyes. Fucking Seth! I would have to punch him later. Obviously, I would follow up with a hug and a thank you, but he has already done too much for me! I get out of bed, skip my morning self-pity ritual, and head to the shower. I take a nice, long, hot shower knowing there's no way Felix will interrupt my peace. I get out and groan when I realize I don't have anything for my skincare routine. Oh well, I'll order some when I'm deemed worthy enough to start getting paid. I walk out in a towel, trying to find my duffel bag, but I'm interrupted by a knock on my d
The anger I felt when I saw that filthy mark on her neck made me lose control. I snapped at her and felt fucking guilty for it. So then I tried to cover my anger with a pathetic excuse about her mate tracking her through the mark and I saw the guilt cross her face, showing me that I only made it worse. Fuck, I’m not trying to show her how jealous am but I’m clearly making her think I don’t give a fuck. Which is quickly proving to be not true. I don’t know what it is about her but when she’s near, I just want to follow. I’ve had two conversations with her, and here I am worrying about her and being jealous. Fuck I must need to get laid. She’s hot, yeah, but there’s no reason for me to be jealous. ‘You like her, fuckwad. That’s why’ Adonis remarks in my head but I block him out, not wanting to deal with his shit. I pick up a phone to make a call to Blair, one of the spirit witches who resides in my territory. Thankfully, her afternoon is free and she’ll see Amara. She’s a powerful wi
"The Alpha didn't give me any specifics, so what makes you require my services?" The witch asks me. I suck in a breath before telling her my reality. I should be used to it by now, given how many times I've had to discuss this, but I still hang my head in shame after I'm done. I look back up at her, and she grabs my hand. "I'm sorry that happened to you; this was a crime against your Goddess that should have never happened," she says before I feel calmness rush through me from whatever witchy thing she just did. My shoulders relax, and I let out a relieved sigh before she speaks again. "Come here; I need to touch your face to feel what kind of magic has been embedded in you," she says before reaching out and cupping my cheeks with her eyes closed. I feel a small buzz sound in my head; it's an odd sensation, but I don't fight it. After a few moments, her eyes open. I see a hint of nervousness cross her face, but it's gone as soon as I notice it, making me wonder if I only imagined
I watch from the trees as Amara kills the Vampire King, staring at his body like a woman possessed. The feathers of the blue jay I shifted into ruffle in anger as I watch the Demon King, the man responsible for the destruction of my life, approach her and put an arm around her lovingly. I resist the urge to squawk in anger, remembering the loving arms of my own mother. The mother fled the underworld with her twin boys in tow because she was forced to work in the brothels, constantly being denied the position of a castle servant by the King. That was all we incubi and succubi were suitable for sex and slave work, in his eyes. So, my poor mother, unable to bear having her body used to keep me and Axel fed and safe, fled to Earth. Only we were worse for wear there, unable to blend in when we were amongst humans, and no hope of a werewolf pack or Fae court taking us in. So, we build a house in rogue lands, somewhere no sane supernatural being ever ventured to, and no human ever came
Surrounded by Violet, Serena, Cici, and Sophie, I look at myself in the mirror as Aylin finishes my makeup and Gemma does my hair. Aylin must hold more magic than I thought because she managed to cover up these bags under my eyes. I almost look like I did pre-motherhood, minus the breast pump milking me like a cow. Remind me why I insisted on having my Luna ceremony, the equivalent of my wedding, after I had Delaney? Because I wanted to drink at my own ceremony? It seemed so logical at the time. Now, I wanted to go back in time and slap me upside the head, Aylin style. Delaney screams in Sophie's arms in protest at how long it's taking me to pump. In the hospital, the nurses and pediatrician on the postpartum unit said she lost too much weight by the time she was 24 hours old. It was before my milk supply came in, so they put it down to lack of production, but when I filled up a syringe with colostrum, they had a lactation consultant come see me. She had said Delaney's latch wasn't
Three weeks laterI breathe through another contraction. They're coming every five minutes now, but I didn't exactly feel like going to the hospital just to be sent home for another false alarm like I did last week. 'Uh, you going to explain why I feel like I'm being ripped apart from the inside every five minutes for the last two hours?' I hear Roman's voice come through my head as I feel the contraction start to come down'It's still early labor, probably. No sense in going to the hospital yet, if it even is actual labor.' I tell him'Alright, well, I'm coming back in and getting the hospital bag, so we're ready. The books said once they're every five minutes, we should think about heading in,' he reminds me.I don't respond just as I'm hit with another contraction and suddenly feel like I peed myself. Oh, good Goddess, here we go. I put my walls up so he doesn't have to feel anything.'Scratch that, my water just broke,' I say, and not even twenty seconds later, he appears next to
One week later That’s precisely what we did. We had funerals for those that wanted their loved ones buried and ceremonies for those who opted for them to be burned on pyres. Max, being a ranked member, was burned on a pyre with the entire pack present. We put some of his ashes in an urn necklace for Serena and then released him into the river. While I’ve seen Roman tear up, or get choked up, that night, he cried with his head in my lap. He fell asleep after hours, and I didn’t dare move a muscle all night. My heart was already broken for him; Max was Roman’s Sophie, but something about seeing my brooding Alpha mate break down like that killed a piece of me. Serena wasn’t doing any better; one of us was still with her almost all the time. I spent a couple nights with her, but mostly Cici was staying with her since they were always connected at the hip anyways. It was an effort to get her to eat or even go outside, but I wouldn’t give up on her; both she and Max deserved better than t
I hated battle, but I hated the aftermath even more. I made a list of all the fallen I could identify, so I could visit their families later. The ones I couldn't, their family or packmates who saw them fall would have to report to me, and I'd go from there. Aston and Seth took Max's body to the morgue before we were even back. Fuck that hurt. My best friend since we were fucking pups. Gone. Fucking gone. What was the point? The point of all this death and destruction? I stopped in my tracks, shutting my eyes as they became glossy. His death will gut me until the day I die. The day I die? I'm immortal. Fuck. I could live another thousand years, and I wouldn't have seen him for over nine hundred and fifty of them. How is that fair? And Serena. I have yet to find anyone who wasn't of Alpha blood, or royalty in Armaros' case, that lived past the first year of their mate dying. But we would do everything in our power to take care of and be there for her regardless. I wouldn’t let Max’s
I watch in horror as Silas grabs Adonis’ face, Silas’ red eyes glowing into the night, and Adonis…Adonis goes limp. I waste no time before concentrating on Silas’ body and start burning him. He screams, and Adonis goes absolutely feral and proceeds to rip his own body apart. I pull my powers back immediately, and they both stop thrashing. Adonis’ eyes are glowing red now, and terror, like no other, seizes me when Silas grabs him by both ears, twisting his neck, and Adonis does nothing to fight back. I look to my father, who is holding his own against the group of vampires attacking him, but can’t help me or be distracted without risking his own life. Then, I look around for Aylin, Az, Seth, or anyone to jump in and help, but no one is around. “No one is coming to rescue you this time, my sweet Amara,” Silas hisses I only stare at him and then at my mate. Maybe…maybe…I slam my mental talons into Roman’s mind, but he only whimpers and starts to thrash again. “Aht, at. You may be powe
It’s been four days, and Roman’s shadows still haven’t found any evidence of Silas moving toward his home; it looks like he will be coming to us. He’s been rallying all his people into one spot; even people from his kingdom were seen moving out, so everyone is on edge, including me. I suggested moving in once he had them all together, but Roman said it’s better to let him think he has the element of surprise, and it will give us the “home-field advantage.” I wanted to just get it over with; the stakes are so much higher now. Given that we’re unsure if he will lead with those half-Kudde beasts he made, Roman had the security system expanded so my family and I would have time to take off and neutralize that threat. Thayer, Dahlia, and all the troops he planned to send are here. Roman called and updated him on the situation, and he said he’d rather come now if an attack is imminent, so they could get familiar with the land. It was no question whether or not we would be attacked at night
I was finally discharged after my next ultrasound. My powers and Tamisra returned about two hours after my first ultrasound, so I insisted I was ready to go home. But considering it was already eight at night, Roman and the nurses convinced me to stay. I'm at least allowed to eat again, and goddess, I'm fucking ravenous. I feel like I can't eat enough. Roman and the nurse, Jess, tried to get me to slow down, but at my ultrasound, Dr. Crowen said as long as I can handle it, I should eat whenever I want to keep up with baby girl's growth rate. Speaking of, she gained another two ounces overnight. It didn't sound like a big deal to me, but I have no knowledge of anything in the medical field. Dr. Crowen said it was very significant, given that wolf pups are expected to gain two ounces weekly at this stage. Everything points to me going into labor at the end of the month, which I don't want to think about.But this isn't exactly something I can just block out. Thankfully, my dad offered
There's a knock on the door before it opens, and the same person who took me to my MRI, Justin, I think, comes in with a wheelchair. After my MRI, they brought me to a different room with a bigger bed that looked a lot more annoying to move. Honestly, I could have walked. Now that my supernatural healing kicked in, I feel fine. Starving, but fine. The doctors said I have to eat very slowly to get my digestive system working properly again and that if I ate an entire jar of peanut butter like I wanted to, I would just throw it back up immediately and feel like shit. So, my new best friends were crackers with peanut butter and a side of chicken broth. "Hello again, Alpha, Luna. Dr. Crowen is ready for you in the ultrasound room," he says as he locks the wheelchair. I sit up and swing my legs around to get out of bed. Immediately, Roman and Seth jump up, trying to help me. I roll my eyes. "I told you both, I'm fine!" I say, getting up and sitting in the chair Roman's nervousne