Evan's call came barely two seconds after I fled the kitchen. I had been about to call him myself as soon as the Delta had broken the news, so before the ringer even went off, I had already picked up.
"Evan! Are you okay? Is anyone hurt? Oh, my God, I heard about Osborn. Please be careful--"
"Claudia." His voice was gravel-rough, strained. "Go to your room and make sure your windows and door are locked. Don't let anyone in unless it's Peelle. He's coming to pick you up."
"What? Right now? Is he bringing me to you--"
"Claudia. Listen to me. Go upstairs now. Don't stop to talk to anyone. Don't open the door for anyone. Keep me on the phone."
Fear curled in my chest, ice shards digging into my lungs as I hurried up the stairs to the second floor. I wasn't stupid. I knew that tone, and I understood what he wasn't saying. He suspected someone close by might be a threat. And with Osborn dead, there was only one explanation why Evan might believe that.
"The decontamination team reported the sight is... not what you might expect, Alpha.""Talk clearly.""They purposely placed him in the center of some heavy gears... he moved along the conveyor belt and his body stopped the machinery, which was how the workers found him.""Whoever killed him tried to dispose of his body like that?"The Deltas shook his head as they proceeded down the concrete walkway. "No. I only heard the description since I haven't seen it myself yet either, but I suspect the intention was to be found. There are ways of disposing of a body that would have been more efficient and less likely to be discovered. There are bladed machinery pieces here, after all. But the attacker placed him deliberately where any interruption of the usual manufacturing process would set off the alarm and draw as much attention as possible."Evan glowered. "A taunt. They're taunting me.""... I believe so. But there was something else the decont
I didn't trust Evan to leave my sight for even a minute. I stayed with him in the Dark Moon pack house for three days, never leaving the room where we stayed together except to get food. The only moments he escaped my direct observation was when he went to wash up, but even then I checked on him every few minutes, too anxious to relax while he was gone.He was angry. He was so angry it prickled to be near him, like pressing myself to a wall of thorns. He didn't mean to intimidate me, but when I caught him staring at the wall from the armchair or when I woke up in the middle of the night to find him sitting up and glaring at the window, the thick miasma of his rage threatened to drown me.It had always been hard to read his thoughts clearly when he was like this. That wall of pure hostility, hatred, revenge, and rage formed a shell around his mind, keeping me out. Or maybe it was more that they flooded his mind so much from bottom to top that it all spilled out, pushing
The funeral was two days later. Between the high tensions running rampant and the increasing security going up all over Medea City, the sooner we had Osborn's funeral, the better.Peelle had expected Evan to be freshly reminded of his rage and go wild again, but I chose my opportunity with care. Still pleasantly sleepy from the effects of the banshee weed tea but refreshed from a good night's rest, the next morning was the best time for me to deliver the news to Evan that we were going ahead with the final arrangements.Osborn deserved better than to be sitting on a medical examiner's table to be checked again and again at Evan's behest. There was no more to find in him, no more clues, no more trails to track down and follow. He had done all the work he could in life as well as in death, and now it was time to put him to rest.His mate was a beautiful young woman. Dark blond hair put up in a coif, brown eyes with heavy eyelids that made her look adorably sleepy,
"Alpha. We have a report from Medea City.""Medea?" The man framed in the moonlight considered the word, then chuckled. The rays beaming in through the crystalline glass wall were so beautiful. What an excellent idea to remodel his office. It put him in a good enough mood to talk business even in the middle of the night.He turned and gestured at the man to join him in the seat opposite his, on the other side of the desk. The Delta hesitated, but the older man motioned again with an impatient wave and nod."Hurry up, hurry up. I'll even pour you a celebratory glass. I just opened a bottle of Scotch.""Uh... Thank you, Alpha."The gentle clink of glass filled the quiet of the office for a moment, then the wooden rubbing of chair legs against the hardwood floor. The Alpha settled into his leather office chair and sighed, wonderfully comfortable."Now, now. I see you're worried about something, Leonard. Don't tell me our plans have gone awry?"
Evan's mood swings were unpredictable. I didn't know whether he would wake up angry or blissful, whether he would slide out of bed to take an angry phone call or stay wrapped around me after a perfect cup of banshee weed tea.But there was one good change after Osborn's funeral a week and a half ago. Evan had slowly become accustomed to leaving me at the Scarlet manor alone for a couple of hours at a time. He never dared leave the city itself so he could come racing back to me in case anything happened, but the dark rage and fear that he would lose me had softened its edge.I was grateful for it. I hated having him leave me even for those one or two hours at a time, but having a moment to breathe in the day and talk to Rafael on the phone was a relief. I had no one else I could vent to. Peelle was so busy that he was gray-faced more often than not when he visited, and Leon, being a reserve Scarlet pack soldier, had been stationed in a city next to Medea.Just an
"Claudia?""Raf! I meant to call you, but the staff converted an entire room to an indoor garden for me last night so I went to check and fell asleep after--""Claudia!"I stilled. I had just hopped out of the shower after oversleeping and running around in a hurry. I was feeling good, if I said so myself. But Raf's voice... I pulled the towel off my head and sat at my desk, frowning. "What's going on, Raf? Is something wrong?""Um... Actually, I was just wanting to know... Are you okay?"What? Was she worried about Evan and me again? I had told her she didn't have to be. Ever since he had begun coming home in a stellar mood, things had changed a hundred and eighty degrees. In fact, this was the best week I'd ever had, to be honest. Every since that night and for seven straight days, Evan had lavished outrageous attention on me, never letting me rest but for a few hours before wanting to make love again...My face flushed like someone had li
Evan knew something was wrong the moment he walked in. The subtle shift of light in his sharp eyes betrayed his wariness, and when he closed the door behind himself, it was far quieter than usual. It was as if he were tiptoeing, gently grazing the surface of the pond, waiting for the shadow underneath to rise and reveal itself. Was I that shadow? Was I really something for him to be wary of? I was Claudia, half-breed werewolf, small and no threat at all. Most of my life, I'd been a slave. No one had ever been wary of me, ever. But there Evan was, staring at me instead of wrapping me up in a hug as he usually did whenever he returned home, whether it had been five minutes or two hours. I stared back. "Is it true?" "Is what true?" "It's not on the websites for the local news channels, but I've been learning to use social media a little lately." I searched his face, pausing so he could interject. He didn't. "I still get confused
For three days, Evan remained at the Scarlet manor. I'd asked him to. I was bad at using social media, but even I could read the blaring tweets and catch glimpses of viral videos featuring everyone's reaction to the news that had broken the night before I found out what had happened.It spread through the city like wildfire, and it must have swept the whole region too. I stayed away from the news. I couldn't take it, hearing the horrified recounting and twisting of the facts, the joint fear and disapproval of Alpha Evan of the Scarlet pack.What made it worse was that they were always afraid. False names, filters, hiding their faces and only allowing their voices to be heard in their videos, anything to preserve their anonymity. It was because they were terrified of retaliation. They weren't simply jumping on the bandwagon to criticize him; they wanted to share their thoughts of the tyrannical Alpha who had swept whole packs and territories off the map.And this
ClaudiaLife is hard. It is full of things that none of us deserve.It can be full of wonderful and beautiful things, but it is also full of a lot of things that are unfair.There is nothing fair about what happened to my daughter.She didn’t want to be kidnapped and brainwashed, she didn’t want to become impregnated by a sociopath, and she didn’t want to have a stillbirth.After going into labor and the doctor wasn’t able to get it’s heart rate they took Alita to the pack hospital to have an emergency c-section to try and get the baby out in time.It was a girl, she looked so much like Alita, and she wasn’t breathing when she came out.The wails that Alita cried out haunt all of us.Thankfully, she has Mateo on her side. He helped her through her grief. He helped her to be able to see the good things in life even through all the darkness that clouded her mind.One of the things that had been stressing her out was the thought that they would have to leave soon so he could be Beta agai
AlitaMy eyes snap open and I take in a sharp breath.Everything suddenly flooded into my mind. Being taken from the party for Osborn, Peelle, and Eda, the brain washing ritual, all the time I started figuring things out and Aamon would drug me again.Everything. Every single little detail of my life came back.I grind my teeth together in anger. I’m ready. It’s time for Aamon to die.I slip out of Mateo’s grip and thankfully he’s in such a deep sleep that he doesn’t notice me leave. The house is quiet, no one is awake, but still, I am careful as I sneak out to the cell. I walk into Aamon’s room, and he looks surprised to see me but then he notices my prominent baby bump and says, “Oh my goddess, our baby looks like it’s cooking great! How are you feeling love?”I hiss, “I am not your love!” I huff as I try to regain my composure. I don’t want him to think of me as a small hot-headed child. No, I will be cold and calculated with my actions.I look at him and say in a cold voice, “I g
AlitaI can’t stop staring at Mateo and I notice he hasn’t released his breath since he asked if I believe him. I slowly nod my head; I do believe him. The tingles, the sparks, his scent, and the overwhelming desire to be with him made it obvious. He is my mate.I force myself to stand up. Mateo holds his arm out, helping to steady me. I look down at Aamon who is watching me curiously. I’m overwhelmed by the emotions and tears threaten to fall down my face and in a choppy voice I ask, “What the hell is going on? You clearly aren’t my mate.”His lips are pressed into a line, and he shakes his head and then suddenly a laugh slips from his lips. His eyes flicker back to me, and he says, “You were so innocent and naïve and so easy to brainwash, dear.”Shock rushes through me and I don’t know how to respond. He shakes his head as he continues to chuckle and at this moment I realize that everyone has been telling the truth.This man… I’ve lived with him for a year… I thought that I loved h
ClaudiaEverything comes rushing back to me as I stare at this son of a bitch. He has ruined my life and my family. He has harmed my children in so many ways and I want nothing more than for him to die.But then… he laughs at me and shakes his head. He snaps, “You don’t intimidate me, mutt!”Evan takes a step from behind me, and I can’t help but smirk, everyone is intimidated by my giant hulk of a man. But Aamon shakes his head, “What are you going to do? Hit me? You have questions for me, and I guarantee I won’t answer them just because you are trying to intimidate me.”Mateo asks, “Then what will make you answer?”He lifts his head up and gives a smirk, “They already know what I want.”Osborn steps forward, “You’re not getting the child.”He laughs, “Then I won’t fix her memory.”Osborn lets out a growl that feels like it shakes the whole room and Aamon looks at him and shakes his head, “I will fix her memory if I am guaranteed to leave with my child and no one attacks us.”Osborn r
EdaOsborn paces around the living room and holds Faith. His constant movement helps soothe her while I feed Hope.We can’t believe that they were able to find Alita so fast. We know that Alita is different than she was before, but it doesn’t matter. She will finally be home.When the door opens Evan, Claudia, and Peelle come in and behind them is a pregnant Alita and a man we don’t know. My heart breaks for her knowing that the child inside her belongs to my disgusting biological father.Her eyes zero in on Osborn and then she looks at Peelle and she murmurs, “Huh.”Peelle says, “That’s our brother, Osborn, he’s the current Alpha of the Scarlet Pack.”Osborn walks over to her and repositions Faith in his arms and says, “Alita, I can’t believe your home.”She looks him up and down and Peelle takes Faith from his arms and walks over to me to give me a kiss. I notice the confused look on Alita’s face and she asks, “So, you’re both with her?”We all nod our heads and she asks, “And who a
PeelleI feel bad for Mateo whenever Alita wakes up. They knocked her out and we went on our way back onto our private plane to head home. She’ll wake up at some point during this flight and when she does, I guarantee it’s not going to be pretty.Mom sits near her and plays with her hair and will randomly make remarks about how happy she is that we finally found her.I ask Mateo, “Do you know how far along she is?”He shakes his head, “She didn’t talk to me much. We were more like acquaintances. If I had to guess I would say four months… maybe five.”Mom says, “Her baby is going to be so close to the girl’s age.”I nod in acknowledgement and Mateo says, “You have kids?”“Twins, my brother and I have the same mate and we had our girls, Hope and Faith, five months ago.”“That’s amazing. I wonder if Alita is pregnant with one or two.”“How do you feel about her pregnancy?” I ask as I try to feel him out. He knows she’s pregnant, will he be there for her even though she is carrying some o
MateoI lie Alita’s body down on the bed in the guest room we gave her. I breathe out as I watch her chest move up and down with her steady breathing. I need to make sure that whatever Sofia gave her was safe, I want no harm coming to her or the baby. Even though I understand that she’s struggling, I’m having a hard time with Alita.Her whole life has been turned upside down, but she won’t even consider what we’re trying to tell her.I get it, I do, I’m sure we sound like a bunch of crazy people to her. But there must be some way to get her to remember her old life. But… is that what’s best for her? Knowing that she’s been playing house with the man who kidnapped her?I groan as I leave her room. I need to go downstairs and talk with her family and explain everything that happened on our end and maybe they could explain some things that don’t make sense to us.As I come into the living room her parents, Evan and Claudia, and her brother, Peelle all look at me. I breathe out and say, “
MateoI had dinner with Alita, and it was wonderful. It doesn’t matter if she has accepted me or not, just being in her presence is more than enough.I need to talk to Lorenzo and Sofia and see what we should do with her though.Should I tell her about the missing person notice? Or should we wait until her family gets here?I leave her so that she can rest, and my wolf is antsy inside my mind. He wants to come out and mark her, he’s ready to know that she is 100% ours now and forever.When I walk into the room both Lorenzo and Sofia look at me. Sofia asks, “How is she doing?”“She’s… antsy. She’s ready to get home to her ‘mate’.” I scoff, it’s hard to even think of another man being her mate. Having a relationship with her the way only I should be able to have.Sofia looks at me sympathetically and says, “I think she’s been brainwashed, Mateo. I think she truly believes that man is her mate. If she is this missing girl… it’s the only thing that makes sense. Otherwise, why wouldn’t she
PeelleFinally, we’re going to find Alita. I know things have changed, I know she’s different now, but my heart leaps for joy knowing that soon she will be home and safe.I’m glad I packed last night and enjoyed my time with Eda. While my mom and I were busy packing, my dad and brother were searching for packs near Venice.Dad found the Verona Pack and has some connections with them because of business. He sent in the request to stay there and although we haven’t heard back from them yet, but we decided to head out anyway. Worse comes to worst then we’ll stay in a hotel, it’s not like we can’t afford it.We say our goodbyes to Osborn, Eda, and the girls and we get on the plane to go find Alita. I hope that the bond we have built over these years will help guide me in finding her.MateoI think that Sofia was right and that Aurora, if that’s her real name, is actually a missing person. It makes a lot of sense and so I have been looking through the missing person reports that we have re