ALTHEA. “Got your tongue tied, my little witch?” My little witch. I liked that. Aside from the fact that he licked those sinful lips, he sounded so sexy. But then I was too nervous to reply seductively. “Blade…” “Althea…” “I’m here about the punishment,” I said, looking at him straight in the eyes. “What about it? Do you want it now?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow. “I’m not going to let you hurt me. I did nothing wrong.” I told him right away. “Hmmm…” He mumbled, but I saw his mouth twitching into a smirk, and it was making my blood boil. “Shouldn’t the Luna be equal to her Alpha in all aspects?” I asked him, my voice laced with anger. “Yes.” He answered right away. “And why am I being punished and you’re not?” “What is my crime, little mate?” I paused and let my thoughts run free, making up reasons and deciding which one I could use for tonight. “You didn’t wake me up this morning before you went to work.” “I didn’t know I was supposed to wake you up.” He scoffed. “
BLADE. I’d been wanting to smile the whole time Althea was trying to explain and make up reasons why I shouldn’t punish her. But I didn’t because I didn’t want her to think I was making fun of her. Althea was like a breath of fresh air. I knew I shouldn’t be comparing, but she was making me feel something I had never felt before — even with Soledad. My first mate could make my heart flutter and spiral my lust into an overdrive. But Althea… She could make me smile even without trying. She was making my heart full in the innocent way she was throwing her words at me. She was making me feel young. I felt like a teenager looking at the female I had a crush on and just letting her talk, even if I couldn’t understand or hear everything she was saying. Just looking at her and the expression on her face was enough to make my day. I got hypnotized every fucking time, and for the longest time, I tried to fight it. And now, I felt good that I could finally just let it be. Althea could
BLADE. “One year, we can try. If, by the end of the year, we are still lost with this bond, I will let you go.” That was painful to say, but one year was better than nothing because I didn’t want her to leave. “I’m going to have another heat next week. Without Patrea, I’m not sure if my power is enough to knock me off so I won’t feel the burn.” She said, ignoring my last words. “Is it still painful even with my mark on you?” I asked, tilting my head to look at her. She nodded. “Lucy said, maybe because we didn’t mate yet. So maybe we should take it slow. So when my heat comes, you don’t fuck me so brutally that I might die.” “Die? What the fuck? Where are you getting these thoughts that you can die while having sex?” I growled. If she was reading this somewhere, she might be reading the wrong books. “Just imagine your cock that big!” She retorted before she balled her hand into a tight fist while she curled her point finger and thumb into the smallest circle possible. “And you pu
BLADE. “I want you to come for me, Blade…” She said so seductively that it made something within me snap. I growled as I bucked my hips forward, and Althea let out a whimper. My breathing hitched as I looked at her expression, but I couldn’t stop stroking in and out of her, but I was doing it slowly — fucking painfully slow. And then she smiled, although her eyes were watering. It was all I wanted to see. I slid my arm under her neck to hold her closer while her hands on my shoulders tightened. “Are you okay?” I asked after I pressed a kiss on her forehead. She nodded. “Feel free to hurt me, sweet angel,” I told her before I growled when she clenched her pussy around my cock. “I’m not sweet, Blade…” Yes, she was, but I didn’t argue with her. “But definitely my angel…” I said hoarsely. She smiled before she whimpered. Her eyes rolled as her nails dug into my skin. I was hurting her. “Allow me to go faster, or I might lose control because this pace is... fucking t
ALTHEA.My lashes fluttered before my eyes snapped open. My forehead was leaning on something hard, and something heavy was around my body. But despite that, I felt comfortable and well-protected. Blade’s masculine scent that was swirling around me was so addicting that instead of taking his heavy arms off me, I hugged him tighter and pressed my face on his chest, letting some of his chest hair tickle my face as I took a whiff of his scent.He was snoring, and I couldn’t help the soft giggles erupting from my throat. No wonder he needed a big room. His snoring would be enough to collapse a small one. I smiled as I wondered why it didn’t destroy my small cabin in the mountains or the room we shared at the Fortuna Coven.He probably didn't sleep, or I would have heard him. I pressed a kiss on his chest before I tilted my head up and saw his face above. He was handsome. Not the boy next door type handsome or the prince charming type that would sweep you off your feet in a red carpet s
ALTHEA. I wanted to call Lucy. As soon as I got to the room, I closed the door and grabbed the receiver to dial the Mystic Pack phone number. Lucy gave me her office number, but no one was picking up there. It was only a quarter past seven, and she might be asleep. But I had to try. I waited some more, as I was sure her phone line would automatically transfer to Alpha Adan’s office if she didn’t pick up. “Alpha Stone,” the man said from the other line. And from the grumpiness in his voice, I was sure he didn’t appreciate someone calling him too early. “Alpha Stone,” I greeted. “Althea,” he chuckled. “What the fuck is Blade doing that he let you on the phone at this early?” I smiled bitterly, only for my eyes to water because I heard someone peppering the Alpha’s face with kisses, and I was sure it was Lucy. A tinge of jealousy crept into my heart. Will I be able to experience what they have? “Can I speak with Lucy?” I asked softly. “No. We haven’t had breakfast yet. I need
BETA DALTON. If I could smack the Alpha, I would. If this were an ordinary day and he was not destroying anything, I would. But I knew my Alpha. This was one of those days where he would not listen to anyone. My only hope was that Luna Althea would be able to calm him. But it looked like she couldn’t. Something happened this morning, and I knew she was lying when she said she knew nothing. Blade smelled of sex when he came down. And even after the sex scent faded, his scent was no longer his own. I had lived all my life with this man, so I knew what scent he carried. There was a mixture of someone else, and I was sure it was the Luna’s. They mated. They completed the mating process, so I fucking wonder why he was throwing a tantrum at the moment. Blade’s family had always valued their mate bonds, whether fated or chosen, so I was sure completing the mating process was important for him. So I’d been wracking my brain the whole morning about what could have possibly gone w
ALTHEA. The walk from the packhouse to the clearing where Blade wanted my cabin was what I needed to clear my mind. I’d been in a push-pull state of mind the whole morning. I badly wanted to leave him, but then we had been apart for so long and had never really tried being together to face the challenges of being mates. So maybe Lucy was right. I couldn’t just give up. Besides, despite wanting to go, I didn’t want to be far away from him. But I also didn’t want him to treat me this way. I didn’t even know what I did wrong. I wished he would talk to me. But I tried not to think about him during the walk. Thalia was delightful to be with. She was four years older than me, but despite the age gap, she never made me feel like I was too young to be respected as her Luna. She asked how I was feeling, and I told her I didn’t want to dwell on it for the moment. So, instead, I asked her to tell me things about her. She shared that she and Dalton were never a couple and barely spok
EPILOGUE 2 BLAIR.I showed Alonso my dagger—a gift from Mama Patrea and Dada Lucius. It was made in the underworld. Mommy taught me a spell where I could summon it even from a great distance, in case I needed it in a time of danger. But I didn’t tell Alonso I was not supposed to use it for simple duels like this. In no time, we were dueling, and I could tell he was going easy on me. Easy, but not really easy. “Oh, shoot!” His dagger slashed into my arm as he was backing away. It was painful, but it was just a small cut. Nothing that wouldn’t heal. He was about to approach me, but I held my hand to stop him. “Moved back. You’ll pay for cutting me.” I said, giggling, and before I realized what I was doing, I threw the dagger at him. Like I’d done twice today, and I didn’t throw hard. I knew he could dodge it.But for some reason, my surroundings felt too warm, like I was placed in a sauna. After that, everything happened in a flash.I saw the dagger flying at full speed toward him.
FIVE YEARS AFTER EPILOGUE 1 Blair 11 years old Alonso 16 years old Luther 12 years old Blast 7 years old Lukas 6 years old Lily 6 years oldALTHEA. I sliced another portion of the cake and placed it on Blast’s plate. He, Lily, and Lukas had been eating non-stop, and if I was not aware of who their fathers were, I would definitely ask them to stop. But I knew they could all handle the sweets and food. They had an appetite bigger than the whole Kalmerus. “And you were saying?” I inquired as I made my way toward the sink. I had to wash the cake knife directly and place it back inside the drawer afterward, as it’d be a big risk to leave it on top of the counter where Lukas could see it. Lukas had a fascination with knives, and at six years old, he had no control over his reflexes. Everything he throws would end up exploding. “Sorry, I spaced out,” I added.“I said Blair is doing great in the Alpha camp. It didn’t matter that she was the only female there. She could make all th
6 YEARS AFTER BLAIR’S BIRTH.‘Luna Althea…’ The Omega’s voice reached my head, and my heart dropped. She was panicking, and I could tell she was running.‘Where are you?’ I asked as I opened the door from where I was.I saw Meredith running toward us with Blair in her arms. I grabbed my daughter from her and checked for any injuries or something strange, but there was nothing. “What happened?” Blade asked as he stood behind me. He was holding Blast, our two-year-old son, in his arms. We were celebrating Blair’s sixth birthday, and we had a small celebration in the packhouse. I was in one of the receiving rooms with our guests when Meredith mindlinked me. She was Blair’s Omega, and she had been with her since she was a baby. When I was not with our child, she was the one responsible for her. So, the worry in her voice made me panic, too.“I turned my back to her for a few seconds, and when I looked back, she was already outside the door. I didn’t hear her open the sliding door. I kne
ALTHEA.“It is no longer in our control, Althea. But I’m keeping my hope that one day, Elliot will realize we are not the enemy.”Althea didn’t reply and just let the silence rule us. The last car passed by, and we acknowledged the nod of respect they gave us. Once they were out of our sight, Althea turned her body around and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her cheek against my chest. “Shall we call it a night, Alpha?”“Hmmm… The night is young. Would you like to go somewhere with me?”“You know I will go anywhere you lead. What do you have in mind?”My eyes dilated before a smile graced my face. I licked my upper lip before I leaned down, my mouth brushing against her ear. “Rage wanted to take control tonight. If you let him…”She pulled away from hugging me, and I always laughed out loud at the way her eyes squinted and her lips pouted. “Rage or you? You’re always using his name…”“My Luna knows me so well,” I chuckled before pressing my forehead against her. She was so sho
BLADE.“You need to be careful with your words, Blade. He’s too young to be traumatized.” Althea said. “I’ll try my best…” I let out a breath and tried to calm myself. Althea was traumatized as a child, and she made it her advocacy to look after children’s welfare. She had built a women’s center in our territory, which was run by females and served as a safe haven for women and children. As much as I tried to have a peaceful territory, domestic abuse was still present, but no one was complaining about it. So Althea wanted the women’s center to reach out to every school and hold symposiums and meetings to build awareness that there was a place they could always go to. Her vision and effort were rewarded, as lately we were able to save two females and their children. It was not a big number, but it was still celebrated on our end. While one of the perpetrators managed to escape and has yet to be found, another has already received a whipping and is currently serving his sentence in
ALTHEA.Six months had gone by since Blair was born, and so far, everything had been quiet. We had not heard of Alastor. I was not even sure if he was aware that I had given birth already, as there were no strange occurrences within the territory.Blade had beefed up the security, investing in the same equipment that Adan had used before to detect a demon’s presence around his territory. He used Lucius’ body temperature as he was the closest to what Alastor was—a full royal demon. But we have not detected anything up until today. Either it didn’t work for Alastor, or he was really nowhere around us. We tried to live normally. Blair hadn’t stepped out of the packhouse grounds, but she was given an Alpha welcome in one of the hotels in this territory. We took a big risk that day because we wanted our people to see her. They deserved to meet their future Alpha, and I was grateful that everything went smoothly. There were also no signs of Alastor or even his aura. Four royal demons su
ALTHEA.After spending a few more minutes together, Blade helped me change into more comfortable clothes, and we finally let our family and friends see Blair.Patrea, Lucius, Lucy, and Adan came in together. My Beta Female Thalia and Gamma Female Sheena also came with the Beta and the Gamma. Lucy was holding her son, Luther, while Thalia had Declan in her arms. Declan was just five weeks old, and I had already fallen in love with him. I was lucky that my girl would have him. Based on how protective his parents were toward me and Blade, I knew the future Alpha would be in good company.With me and Thalia having pups, we had been teasing Sheena that it was her turn this year, so our pups’ ages wouldn’t be too far away.We had no idea if our teasing did it or simply because our Gammas couldn’t get their hands off each other. Sheena was already in her third month of pregnancy, and in less than seven months, our Gamma baby would be born. Sheena had already relocated to our pack and was
ALTHEA“Blade!” I screamed before I gave one last push, and I felt a large mass just swim out of my vagina as my whole body melted. I had been tired from doing rituals and spells and sex marathons with my mate, but I was never this tired. I felt like all of my limbs and even my internal organs needed a whole year to get their energy back.I was still lost in oblivion when a loud cry pierced the air, and Blade’s hold on my body tightened as he hugged me again. I was sure he had been whispering words to me, but I kept spacing out.“We have a girl…” He mumbled excitedly when I finally met his eyes.I couldn’t stop the smile from curling on my lips. I was actually smiling wide because Blade’s enthusiasm was contagious.What was funnier was that we knew all along that we had a girl. Guinevere confirmed it, and the ultrasounds said it as well. But the excitement on his face and his voice told me like this was the first time he found out we were having a girl.“Can you believe we have a girl
ALTHEA.A soft moan escaped my throat before I bit my bottom lip, suppressing any further sound from coming out as I arched my body. I woke up with a tingling sensation coursing through my core, and I was right — Blade was worshiping my pussy, feasting on it as if he were never fed. I just let myself get lost in the sensation, and it took a while before my surroundings sank in.We were in my cottage. In my old childhood bedroom. He probably didn’t feel right fucking me in my mother’s bedroom, so instead, he cramped us in my little bed. The last time I remember, we were inside the cave behind the waterfall. I couldn’t remember coming here. I must have passed out. My pregnancy was making me sleepy all the time, so falling asleep anytime, anywhere, was nothing new. And the way my body felt secure around Blade was most likely the reason I didn’t wake up while he walked us home.Then the memory of my conversation with Guinevere came flashing in my head. But was it real? Or was it all a d