ALTHEA. Everyone was doing their part except me. “How many hours do I have before his soul voluntarily goes back to the moon?” I asked Lucius without taking my eyes off Dalton and the men around him. “Three, four, seven hours. Unless Selene comes and takes his wolf right away. But his wolf is still alive, according to Blade.” I took a deep breath as I made a decision I hoped I would not regret in the end. “See you on the other side soon.” I told Lucius before I stepped forward, aiming to get to Blade. His hand coiled on my wrist as he pulled me back. “What do you mean?” “I want to speak with my mate first,” I replied before pulling my arm away from him. I walked to where Blade was and held his shoulders. He tilted his head to look at me, and it was only then that I spoke. “Can we talk?” “But…” “We don’t have time. I want you to trust me.” He nodded and took one last look at Dalton before he removed his hand from his and stood up. Lucy dropped to her knees in the space l
ALTHEA. “I’m ready…” As soon as the words left my lips, the light on the candles became brighter, and my heart thudded loudly. I knew there was no turning back. The only question was whether I could trust the dark spirits. Would they give me what I needed without harming anyone?My head began to buzz with murmurs and whispers from the spirits. They were too many, but I could fully understand all of them. I could hear the excitement in their voices, like a family welcoming me home. My eyes snapped open, and I found myself with my hands raised. I was creating a global barrier around Dalton and me. It just came naturally, even if I had asked Patrea to shield Blade and Thalia, probably because I knew something would go wrong or because I didn’t fully trust the spirits in my head.“Spiritus potentes post umbram latent, detrás da sombra escoitan as miñas súplicas...” As soon as the shield was up, I began chanting the words they whispered to me. I could feel the heat burning from my chest
BLADE. I held my breath as I watched Althea. She began chanting, but I couldn’t hear anything. This was like when she cast a spell to bind Stone and Lucy’s lives together. “Is your barrier not allowing us to hear what she’s saying?” I asked Patrea. “No. I believe she created her own shield.” “But why?” “I have no idea.” “This is not good.” I blurted out as I brushed my hand over my head. “You need to trust Althea. She’s not a child.” Lucius said. I knew he was right, but knowing this was the first time Althea would be performing such a dark and dangerous spell, I couldn’t relax. And the thought that I would never get to her if things went wrong didn’t sit right with me. I kept my focus on her as I stared ahead. I saw her eyes snap open, and it felt like I was looking at a different person. I couldn’t see any whites in her eyes. They were totally black. They looked empty, and then her hair began to rise as a black mist swirled around her body. Soon, the flames of the candle
BETA FEMALE THALIA. When they told me the Luna would try to revive him, I didn’t even react. I knew he was gone, and there was nothing we could do about it. But the moment the plants and the animals around us started dying, hope rose in my chest. A life for a life. And as selfish as it may seem, their deaths made me believe my mate was coming back. But there was still nothing. Despite his physical appearance returning to normal, he was still lying lifeless in front of me. My shoulders shook as tears rolled down my cheeks. I laid my head on his chest, waiting for any sound of a heartbeat. But there was nothing. He was still cold. No sparks, no addicting scents. It was as if he were dying all over again. I shouldn’t have raised my hopes high. “Thalia, come… Patrea wants to try one more thing.” Luna Lucy’s voice came, and I just followed her lead while I reminded myself not to expect anymore. I stood up and let her guide me to stand behind Patrea, who was kneeling in front of Da
BLADE. “Is it yours?” Lucius asked. My head snapped to look at him, and I was sure a growl escaped my throat. “What the fuck was that question?” Stone asked him in an annoyed tone. “I don’t sugarcoat things. I want to understand what’s inside her. Althea was barely a month here.” Lucius hissed at him. My chest heaved, but I spoke calmly. “I was Althea’s first. So I know she’s never been with anyone…” “Well, she was gone for three nights!” He cut me off. “Taken by a demon. And in case you are not aware, demon pregnancies only take 24 hours to be conceived and detected!” Rage coursed through my whole being, and I had no idea how I got Althea off my lap. I blacked out, and the next thing I knew, I was lunging at Lucius. He didn’t expect me to attack him, so I was able to hit his face, and it threw him backward. But he surged back forward just as fast, and his knuckles hit my jaw. I staggered to keep my balance. He hit me, but it wasn’t a hard punch. “Listen!” He hissed. His eye
BLADE. “But your mate is a strong one,” Lucy added as she smiled warmly before pointing at me. “And you... are her best talisman. You’re keeping Althea strong, Blade. So never underestimate your part in this fight.” “We got this. We have each other.” Stone added, and I nodded my head. “I can shield the whole territory, but I need your blood. Put her to bed, and I can take your blood after.” Patrea said. “No. Take now. I don’t want to leave her alone tonight.” “I understand,” Patrea said before she walked up to me. Her claws erupted, and I angled my body toward her so that my arm was in front of her. Without words, she scraped my skin, and a vial appeared out of nowhere, catching the blood oozing from the wound she created. “This should be enough.” “Thank you,” I told her in a low voice before turning my back on her. I was almost by the door when Lucius spoke. “I’m sorry about bringing my war here.” He began, and it made me halt. “I will do my best to end this without any
BLADE. Althea’s stomach glowed. Not only once. But twice. My body stiffened, and I felt my face heating up. I wanted to let out a growl, but I couldn’t. I closed my eyes to pacify myself. My chest heaved as I breathed through my mouth. I had no idea how to explain the emotions I had at the moment: betrayal, hurt, anger, nervousness, confusion, disappointment, or guilt? I still hadn’t decided how to react to it when I felt warmth surrounding me. I opened my eyes and found the white mist circling my upper body, and I couldn’t help but force a chuckle, although my chest was in pain. “You surely know how to console Daddy after you give him pain, huh?” I said without any bitterness, just full amazement. The mist left me, and Althea’s stomach glowed. The pup agreed to my words, including me using the word Daddy. The pup is indeed mine, but I needed an answer as to why it liked Alastor. Was it because he saved Althea? That was it. Nothing more. I shouldn’t let any bad thoughts dest
BLADE. “Tell me what happened in the three days that you were with Alastor?” I asked without even thinking. I should have checked to see if she was okay, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to know the answer to what was bothering me since I found out she was pregnant. Not that it would change anything. I had already told them I would take the child as mine no matter what, but after my short moment with the little witch in her stomach, I was convinced she was my pup. I sounded like I was interrogating Althea, but I just wanted to know if Alastor assaulted her. I knew in my heart that Althea would never cheat on me, and she would not be able to look me in the eye and tell me she loved me if she did. But then Alastor could be something more. “What do you mean? Nothing. I refused to talk to or even look at him. He probably tried to hypnotize me, but with the azurite stone around my neck, it didn’t work.” I nodded my head and forced a smile before tucking her stray hair behind
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