Grey’s POVMy mind had been full of a lot of things lately. With the war growing closer, and more of the outlying cities and villages being attacked, my warriors were stretched thin. James was persistent that we needed more troops, but my gut told me adding more men wasn't the solution for the problem.The enemy knew us too well. Romero's pack owned the islands between the East continent, which James ruled, and the West continent, where our enemy was located. It wascrucial that we had his support, both for additional troops and for the permission to use his islands as a base of operations.However, I was going to lose my godd*mn mind if I had to hear another word from Romero or his daughter.I couldn't believe that, with everything going on, I was basically being blackmailed into marrying a woman I couldn't stand.I knew that cunning old fox wanted to plant his influence in our kingdom, but something seemed off. I couldn't trust him fully, and if I ever found out he had any inten
Avalyn POV Madalynn chuckled at my comment, nodding her head. "Yes, it's a busy day for me." I thought the reminder of the engagement party tonight would break me even more, but oddly, it didn't affect me as much as I thought it would.Perhaps, I was finally getting used to the heartbreak. "Miss Avalyn ," Romero's Beta greeted me. "It's a pleasure to be at your service." I had mixed feelings towards him. The first time we met, he burst into my room with Madalynn.However, he was also the one who apologized on behalf of Romero and Madalynn. "May I at least know your name?" I asked, turning towards him. "Damian," he replied quickly, his dark gaze sweeping over my figure.I nodded my head as a greeting. "Please call my Avalyn..” The crack of thunder sounded in the distance. There was no doubt that a storm was approaching. I had heard there might even be flooding in the valley of the capital city. I used to love sitting next to an open window and watching the rain fall down f
Avalyn POV For the next couple hours, I sat in a chair and watched the rain coming down outside, thinking about all of the time I had spent with Alpha Grey. With every flash of lightning in the distance, memories of him flashed before my eyes. I thought of the gentleness he'd shown me when we made love. My hand automatically went to my abdomen where the child was growing.I couldn't believe that someone would show me tenderness, make a baby with me, watch me give birth to their child… and then kill me. But that was Alpha Grey's plan, and that meant I hadto go. Even if that meant I needed to trust the likes ofMadalynn, who had told me herself she didn't want her child to be second in line to the throne. My baby's life was hanging in the balance. But I had to take the gamble and try. A knock on the door pulled me away from thewindow. Tonight hadn't been quiet for me at all..” Rebecca entered, walked toward me, and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I wish tonight wasn't happen
Grey’s POV "This salmon is absolutely delicious," Madalynnsaid. She sat next to me, her body pushing against mine as she laughed at what another noblewoman was saying as if it was the most amusing thing in the world. Outside, thunder rumbled, and a flash of lightning cast eerie shadows on the walls of the dining hall, causing the candlelight by which we dined to take on a haunting glow. It wasn't just the weather that was making me feel unsettled. Something wasn't right, and I simply couldn't place what it was. Madalynn cleared her throat. "Are you all right?" she asked, her breath warm on my face, making me frown."You've hardly eaten a bite, and we're on the third course." "I'm fine." I couldn't help but think about Avalyn . I still didn't understand why she hadn't told me about the ultrasound. She had better explain herself to me later tonight. For some reason, I felt a longing, deep down, to go to her, to make sure that she was well, that nothing was the matter with her o
Avalyn's POV The rain picked back up as Damian and I ran around the exterior of the capital. It was pouring so hard, I could hardly see where we were going, but I kept my eyes on him and forced my feet to keep moving forward. Faltering at this point wasn't an option. I had to keep moving for my baby's sake and for my own. According to the plan, we would need to get out of Mirage first."This way," Damian said, and I realized he was ushering me through a small door in the ground that reminded me of the cellar we had back home. I wouldn't have even known it was there if he hadn't tugged it open. The door led down a flight of stairs to a narrow tunnel. Damian pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and illuminated the stone surface. At least it wasn't raining down here."Where are we going?" I asked him as we ran along. "The tunnel ends right before the wall," he said. "We'll have to climb over it." "And then what?" I asked, my heart pounding in my ears. "Then…. we'll have to r
Avalyn POV Almost exactly thirty minutes after our short break, I saw the cabin appear up ahead. As we were approaching our first destination, I opened my bag to inspect Damian's clothing.Sure enough, I found a six inch switchblade in his pocket. I took it out and tucked it in the bottom of my bag. I didn't want to have to use it, either, but I sure wasn't giving it to him. We reached the cabin, and I leapt off of Damian's back. It wasn't raining hard here, but we were both drenched from earlier and were exhausted. "Thank goodness we're here," I said. "Are we going in?" I got Damian's clothes out of my bag and dropped them near him. I wasn't sure if he had shifted yet. When I heard his voice, I knew he was getting dressed. "Yes. Let's get changed here," he said."We have a car nearby, and this was just a place to hide the vehicle, a place for us to aim to.” "I see." I walked into the cabin and found a dry towel. I heard his footsteps following. "Let me know when you're dre
Avalyn POV “Miss, did you get your room number yet?” A young crew member pulled me out of my shock.I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart, then put on a smile and turned to him. “Ah, yes, it‘s on the ticket.” No– that couldn‘t have been Alpha Grey. There was no way he was here. Besides, it would be hard for anyone to recognize me with my disguise on, especially from so far away.As the boat drifted further and further from the shore, I no longer was able to pick him out in the crowd.The worry that had surged within me threatened to expose my fear, but I couldn‘t allow it to. I had to get a grip of myself. I turned my attention to the young man in front of me. He was holding a clipboard as he walked around the deck helping the passengers.He gave me a friendly smile. “Follow me, and I will show you to your room. I just need your ticket.” I handed my ticket to him, my eyes scanning my surroundings.Everyone else was busy settling down on the ship, and no one paid attention
Avalyn POV A small jolt woke me from my sleep.When I sat up, I quickly realized the boat was swaying from side to side, leaving the most uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I had known that I would most likely get seasickness, but I had hoped I would be one of the fortunate ones who didn‘t. “Uhh…” | groaned, walking towards the bathroom.Splashing some water on my face, I tried to sweep away the grime of my previous adventures, hoping it would draw the sickness away from me. But even though it disappeared for a moment, as soon as I stepped back out into the room, it was back in full force. I tried with all my might to remember things I had read in one of my many books to help get through this, but no matter what I did, it wouldn‘t ease up.Deciding on getting some fresh air, I tied my hair up into a ponytail and put on casual clothing, including a chunky knit sweater. Before I headed to the deck, I also put on my dark sunglasses to try to hide my appearance more. I knew that I
Lilly POV “It‘s all right, honey,” my mother said, smoothing my hair. “We‘ll be alright. Just stay quiet for a bit longer, and then the wolves upstairs will go, and we‘ll be safe.” I looked up at my mother and nodded, but wasn‘t sure I believed her. We had run down here, my older brother, my mother, and I, about an hour ago, when we‘d first gotten word from the village guard that there were unknown wolves spotted in the woods near our homes. Some of the other villages nearby had been attacked recently, so we‘d been on high alert. None of us had slept for the last few nights. We‘d heard that there were more warriors on the way to protect us, but so far, we hadn‘t seen any.Upstairs, the floor creaked, and some glass broke. I held my breath, terrified. I thought about all of my friends from school. Would I even be there tomorrow? We were supposed to have our seventh–grade assessments. It should‘ve been the last thing on my mind. “We should shift, Mom. Me and you need to be in our
Avalyn POVThe following days after the dinner, Soren was in the house more often than before. However, he still seemed to be working in the study or on phone calls most of the time.Meanwhile, I had been busy reading the books Lola dropped off.Or, in other words… I had been busy keeping myself busy.“The Isles of Denali consist of over a hundred small islands, many of which have their own unique culture…”“…Although the islands do not have as abundant natural resources as the East continent, their comfortable climate, variety of sea products, and unique cultures still make them one of the best choices for those who are seeking a peaceful and relaxing lifestyle. They hold special appeal for those who are from the far deserts of the West continent…”I was flipping through the travel magazine on my warm cozy bed under the morning sun when I heard a knock on the door again.“Come in.” I called out softly, expecting to see Lola. She normally dropped off breakfast for me around this hour.
Avalyn POV Three days had passed since I had arrived at Avondale..The island had lovely weather. However, I spent most of the time in my room. As Soren insisted, I needed to take it very slow for my recovery just to be safe, for the baby‘s sake. That was the doctor‘s order, as well. The lovely scent from the fresh flowers, the morning sun pouring in through the window to land softly on my blanket– everything was perfect, but it just felt irrelevant to me. I‘d gotten away from Alpha Grey, and I had gotten the freedom that I wanted. So why wasn‘t I happy? I tried not to think about him, because every time I did, it felt like there was a huge weight on my chest and I could barely breathe. I had gotten this far, and I knew I should carry on with my new life– but my heart was telling me that it just needed a little more time.It was painful to be alone right now. I needed to find something to keep myself occupied so that I wouldn‘t think about Alpha Grey. I sat up when I heard a kno
Logan POVI rejoined Alpha Grey outside the meeting room after hearing out from the witness. Neither of us spoke until we got to Alpha Grey's suite.As he closed the door behind us, his look turned even more solemn.“Alpha,” I began, “if it really is him working with the rogues, I‘m worried that our pack…”Grey walked over to the map. “Send Natalie back to Draco and tell Rex to reorganize our defenses back home. Move the residents from the outskirts back to the city center, and increase the patrol back home.”“Are we not going back?”“No. Rogue attacks are problems, but any alphas could deal with them, and they have been dealing with it. But the war against Kal is a military operation. If we lose it, we will lose more than just a few villages. My priority has to be on the west coast.”“I understand,” I said with a sigh. “I‘m still worried about Draco. The rogues are taking advantage of the war. What if…”“His target is me, and only me… I‘ll need to talk to James to move our men to th
Avalyn POV I relaxed a little–but not completely.“Who are you?” I asked him. He was tall, with a muscular build. He had that same strong, chiseled jawline and dark hair, though his wasn‘t black like Alpha Grey. They looked so very much the same. There were clear differences between them, but they were slight– the dip of his nose, the space between his eyes, and his eyes. They reminded me of Alpha Grey, but they were gray. The biggest difference, though, was this man‘s smile.It came so easily, so naturally, like the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening. It just happened without effort.In all of the time I was with Alpha Grey, how often did I see him smile? Hardly ever at all, and when I did, it always seemed forced. The man‘s expression thus made it impossible to mistake him for Alpha Grey. Who was this person? And could I trust him? Just like with the dangers of the forest – a coiled snake behind a fallen log, a beautiful tantalizing mushroom that might be p
Grey POV “Not only are these cities along the west coast being attacked, but we‘ve also gotten requests for reinforcements from both the eastern and northern borders,” Logan said, reporting the latest news to me as we were walking back to my suite. “On what scale?” I asked. “Scattered. Doesn‘t seem to be military actions– more like rogues.” “Any information on which group is behind it?” “No, Alpha, It could be multiple groups. The roques all know most of our men are now at the West coast fighting against Alpha Kal‘s invasion. They’re not going to miss this opportunity.” We stopped at my door. “Ok, give me the map and the report. I‘ll take a look at it later tonight. You can let James know first thing in the morning.”Logan stood there, but he didn‘t move. “What else?” I didn‘t lift my head as I flipped through the pages of the reports from the frontline and pictures of the most recently assaulted villages. “Alpha, it‘s already two in the morning. We have the steering committee
Grey POV I had two hours before I met with Logan later tonight. Walking into the bedroom I sank down on the bed, falling backward and staring up at the ceiling, willing my mind to go blank. During the day, it was easy enough. There was plenty to do, especially with the conflicts heating up along the border. I could focus my rage on the enemy. But now..It had been more than three days. Despite all of my men‘s efforts, we had found no trace of Avalyn's body, not even a scrap of fabric. The river rushed through the rocks there, and the cliffs were jagged and full of crags. There were a thousand places for evidence to hide.The sun was setting and it was getting dark, but I didn‘t bother to turn on the light. All of a sudden, I seemed to hear a sound from the living area.I got up to check it out, but froze as soon as I entered the room.In the dark sat a figure that I thought I would never see again. Someone I could not help but recognize instantly, no matter where, no matter when.
Avalyn POV Luckily, I didn‘t have much time to think about Alpha Grey in the next few days, as they flew by thanks to Seraphine‘s company. She had been to all sorts of different places and had lots of fun stories to tell. “You should have seen his face, dear.” I leaned in. I was so drawn to her story that I put down my fork. “Don‘t stop eating, Ava. The food will do you well.”. She patted my hand, and when she saw me put food in my mouth again, she continued, “The big bad wolf thought of himself as a monster, but at the sight of his pup being born, he passed out upon the floor.” Our laughter fluttered through the air. Seraphine concluded, “So no matter how tough men seem to be, you never know what to expect when they see their baby for the first time.” Suddenly, the joy of the story dissipated, and I felt a pang in my heart.I couldn‘t help but wonder, what would Alpha Grey‘s reaction have been if he were there to witness the arrival of his own child? “Seraphine” – I tried to
Avalyn POV A small jolt woke me from my sleep.When I sat up, I quickly realized the boat was swaying from side to side, leaving the most uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I had known that I would most likely get seasickness, but I had hoped I would be one of the fortunate ones who didn‘t. “Uhh…” | groaned, walking towards the bathroom.Splashing some water on my face, I tried to sweep away the grime of my previous adventures, hoping it would draw the sickness away from me. But even though it disappeared for a moment, as soon as I stepped back out into the room, it was back in full force. I tried with all my might to remember things I had read in one of my many books to help get through this, but no matter what I did, it wouldn‘t ease up.Deciding on getting some fresh air, I tied my hair up into a ponytail and put on casual clothing, including a chunky knit sweater. Before I headed to the deck, I also put on my dark sunglasses to try to hide my appearance more. I knew that I