That was impossible. Evan would never stoop to mating with a half-breed nothing, one that even used to be a filthy slave for another pack. Flicka had asked her father to look into Claudia's past.
She knew basically everything there was to know about the weakling bitch, though that wasn't saying much considering she was lower than trash. Illegitimate daughter of an Alpha of a weak pack -- the disgraced Dark Moon pack no less, most of whom had been slaughtered all on the same day weeks ago -- and of a human slave. Honestly, Flicka didn't despite humans so much as she was disgusted by those who dared to try to mingle with superior werewolves.
Where did they get the nerve? Humans weren't Flicka's concern until they tried to squeeze into upper society where they didn't belong, and Claudia was the worst of them all. Seducing Evan? Trying to become his Luna? Where did the stupid fucking slut get that idea? Did she think all a Luna had to do was lie on her back and spread her
Flicka was in control. She could salvage this. Claudia retaining her backbone even when no one was nearby to help her waddle around had been unexpected, but Flicka wasn't immune to miscalculations. Of course she could make a mistake here and there.But really, Claudia acting brave and swaggering around when the whole campus was watching was one thing. After all, those who wanted brownie points with Evan would come to her rescue like she was some fragile damsel in distress, so of course the half-breed had gone all-out when they'd last fought. This time was supposed to have been different. There was no one around in the greenhouse to back the half-breed up, just her and Flicka. How dare the bitch slap her! That dirty, ugly, miserable little...This was unacceptable. The whore had gotten too full of herself. Flicka was going to take care of this once and for all, going straight over Claudia's head to the Alpha. Evan had been taken in by exotic wiles and batting eyelashes,
If there was one good thing to come out of the confrontation with Flicka in the greenhouse, it was what happened the next morning. But I would have no idea until a few hours after I woke up and returned to the greenhouse.I stopped by the Joseph family's new lodgings first, a two-bedroom suite in the Lambeth Apartments, the more upscale residence right next to the first-year dorms. It was soundly within the secure territory around campus, so I could go alone to greet Ken and welcome him at last to the new base.Yesterday had been far too hectic for all of us, with my help being needed in the sick bay because of an influx of wounded werewolves coming in from skirmishes, and Ken because there was considerable difficulty relocating his family's sub-pack into their rooms appropriately. But now I could say hello and catch up after far too long without contact. His temporary room was sparsely furnished with only a student's captain-sized bed, a desk and chair, and a small ta
"Wait for me in our room next time.""How can I? Evan, look!" I beamed at him as I dried off my hands with a brown paper towel, courtesy of the helpful lab assistant who had been tending to me devotedly for the past hour. "These plants, do you see them?"Evan leaned over my shoulder. He carried the acrid scent of fire, and his clothes were rumpled. He must have thrown on whatever he could find in the dresser right after arriving in our room to find me gone, and he had come here straightaway instead of washing up. But he was worried for nothing. This was cause for excitement! As Professor Ornby had said, almost a miracle, though I wasn't so full of myself that I would really call it one."I don't understand. What am I looking for?""Oh! I didn't explain. These were seeds less than an hour ago. Something happened in the greenhouse overnight and Professor Ornby wanted to make sure of the cause for it. So he's running some basic experiments with all of our ba
Evan left me in the room with two Deltas guarding me. No matter how I insisted that he take me with him, he refused. Why! I could settle this in one go. If I got close enough to any of the Glilies and the Josephs, I would be able to get to the bottom of this. The truth was in their heads, and while I hated to use my power deliberately against anyone, if invading their privacy meant being able to keep others safe, I was more than willing."Let me help!" I shouted, but it was no use. The door slammed shut behind Evan, and I was left alone in the room, at least for the time being. He had promised he would come get me and let me help once he determined things were safe, but even this report just now couldn't be trusted, he had said. If someone really had betrayed the pack and evidence had come to the surface at last, there was no telling who else might be involved. Until he personally settled things and restrained everyone involved in the situation, I was to remain locked in the
"Wake up, bitch."The slap to my face didn't hurt as much as Flicka thought it did. She was crowing in triumphant glee in her thoughts, which was ironically what grounded me in reality and allowed me to stay calm the second the slap woke me. Little did she know that I had been slapped by Elly and Maria so much when I was younger that I hardly cared about such trivial attacks anymore.What I was more concerned and confused about was how I was back in human form. They must have forced me back into this shape at some point while I was unconscious. And they had shoved me into a loose hospital-gown like article, thin and drafty--"I said, wake up!"The second slap didn't faze me either, which only made Flicka even more frustrated. She knew I was conscious again. I had opened my eyes and was looking straight at her when she shouted again. What she was upset about was that I wasn't groveling and sniveling, and that threw her off so much she had no idea what to d
EARLIER:Evan no longer had Peelle at his side. He had only the counsel of werewolves whose first concern was excitedly throwing themselves into the drama, not saving Claudia. They didn't understand. This threat delivered over their radio frequency to not attack, that if they did, the enemy would slit Claudia's throat. Evan would listen to their demands, or he would lose his woman.The others didn't understand. They had all shaken their heads and nearly laughed, as if it was some kind of joke. As if they couldn't believe the audacity of someone to try to threaten their fearsome Alpha Evan with the life of some... some no-account half-breed woman, a former slave no less.Someone had even dared to say that aloud. In the next second, he had gone flying across the room and smashed into the wall before sliding to the floor, stunned. In no uncertain terms did Evan make his message clear: Claudia was no mere plaything, nor was she a failed bait.The demand from
This was a trap. It was meant to be the end of him. Evan had walked into too many battles to miss the signs, the scent in the air, the killing intent buried in crafty tricks.He stood before the Wellington Federal Bank alone, in the shadow of the massive building where he had already caught more than two dozen unique scents. There would have been more had Evan's pack not circled the entire area -- though from a distance of about half a kilometer out. Evan had forbidden anyone from coming any closer. He wouldn't risk Claudia. But to forestall a backstabbing, he had ordered all werewolves already outside the base to gather at a safe radius, surrounding the patch of land to hem in the enemy should they try to escape. Or, more importantly, to fight whoever else tried to come in and reinforce the enemy's numbers so as to overwhelm Evan even more.Two dozen enemies and some change. That was a lot. They weren't all werewolves either, probably a lion shifter in the mix and a t
Evan left Claudia's side exactly twice.The first was when he presented himself at the trial to decide the traitors' fates. Matthen Joseph and the Glily family faced the judgment of the pack three days after the end of the Scarlet pack siege, and the judgment came swift and harsh.Matthen Joseph was sentenced to death, although that was probably preferable to the lifelong agony he would have had to suffer otherwise thanks to the gruesome injuries he suffered at Evan's hands in the fight. They had been so severe his werewolf healing had failed to regenerate them properly. When he stared blankly around the Quad where the entire rest of the Scarlet pack had gathered, glaring at him as they would any enemy, he quietly accepted his execution.Evan was not the one who rendered it. He had spilled enough blood, and Claudia had wanted him to leave things up to the natural majority, not take lives at a whim. It was a little thing. He could do that for her. Instead, the Sc
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