[Valerie]
The immense power I felt was almost as if it came from an outward entity, stronger than I could ever imagine anything could be. Except, the entity was balled up inside me, like a titan’s fist ready to throw punches, and I was puppeteering my own strings.I never thought myself a killer. I always fantasized about the strength I felt right now, being able to heedlessly shed blood with no remorse for the next life, only feeding into the strength that was already there. I tasted that careless from the bitterness between my lips, as I severed Marcella’s neck, forgetting her name in that moment and only thinking about her crimes against me. It was a selfish act of revenge, yet it worked out as a selfless one the moment I laid eyes on my mate, laying on the ground and breathing from the wounds inflicted by the one whose blood reeked and tasted of her sins.I always controlled the rage, the anger, and pushed it far enough so that it wouldn’t consum[Alexander]I followed Valerie as if it was the most natural thing to do. I knew who she truly was, and as her raven hair dazzled under the moonlight, I knew that the witch leader hadn’t lied to me.I wondered if Valerie herself knew what she was. It was as if leadership came to her so naturally, it didn’t strike her as odd. Perhaps she didn’t have much time to think it over, when she was busy saving my life and worrying about the pack I was ready to forsake.I cast the pain in my neck aside, praying I wouldn’t bleed out before we could eliminate our enemies. I took a deep breath to steady the throbbing pain and push its effect on me aside just long enough to see this through.“You will pay for this!” Elena spat venomously. Her weakness as a human witch was almost amusing, as she clutched her chest from where Valerie bit a chunk of her flesh. I was sure she fancied herself stronger than us, but with the scalp of our ancestor’s powers drained from her, she was as pathetic as her basele
[Valerie]In some ways, I felt pity for the witch leader, who was convinced she would win tonight. But the Moon Goddess had other plans, and shined her brilliant light upon our imminent victory. I had faith in my Lord to bring us to triumph over these godforsaken witches who I was growing tired of.Elena was strong-willed, and didn’t seem to accept that Death was coming for her. Even as she laid on the ground, her expression was that of perseverance, and it seemed she wouldn’t quit until she got what she wanted.“Give it up, witch!” Alexander roared beside me.Elena sat up, dragging herself to the nearest tree where she propped herself on one arm. “My witches won’t listen to you.” she scoffed, then shouted at the top of her lungs to her witchwolves, “Kill them all! Avenge Marcella and don’t spare them! We do not need their heads!”I turned wide eyes on my mate. If they no longer found use for their scalps, it meant that they would kill them in an instant, instead of only injuring them
[Alexander]As an Alpha myself, it struck me how odd it was that Valerie was able to heal me likethis. The only ones I knew with the gift of healing were my mother and sister, and neither of them had a wolf to go with it, let alone an Alpha wolf. Either way, I felt stronger now, and I had Valerie to thank for it. So strong, that my aching desire refused to settle down, and it was only when she left the bathroom that I was able to press down on it and inwardly scold myself for muddling up my priorities. I had to remember that my pack needed me, and even if they weren’t aware that it was my deal with the witch that led them into trouble, I had to somehow make up for it.I pulled myself out of the bathtub, staring at the water which was now too clear to hold any evidence that I was bleeding out at a rapid rate just minutes before that. With no trace on my skin either, I wondered just how powerful the witches’ potions were to completely erase any inkling of pain. I found a tow
[Valerie]I searched the witches’ home high and low for the book of spells Layla told me about, even getting Alexander to help me look for it. I barely knew what I was looking for, except that it was a powerful book with Latin between the pages. Nothing we found came close to what Layla described, and I realized that Elena must have come back here to retrieve it.“She must have taken it with her.”“Why is it so important?”“It’s apparently very powerful. It’s how they learned of the wolf’s powers.”“We’ll find her, Val. I think we’ve done enough for now.”Alexander was right. My bones ached from exhaustion, and all I needed was a place to rest my head. He suggested going back to his home, but I was slightly sceptical. After all, it was because of me that his pack had to face the witchwolvesBut I didn’t know where I truly belonged. It seemed that even now, I w
[Alexander]I knew that Valerie being here was a bad idea. And I had to be blamed for everything I told my father prior to their meeting. I could see now that he looked at her suspiciously, already knowing what my reason had been to lead my members to their deaths. I had hoped that he would understand, but his firm belief was set in stone - the safety of the pack was far more important than just one life.I spent the night in my father’s study, listening to how wrong it was of me to put our lives in danger, especially at the hands of our sworn enemies. I was walking a thin line, and another mistake of this magnitude would cost me my place in his company.What my father didn’t know, but my mother understood, was that I was a man in love for the first time in my life, and I couldn’t think past that love. I had hoped my mother would be here tonight, but she was too busy trying to heal those whose injuries were far worse than Charlotte, Dwanye or Emilio.
[Valerie]Alexander pushed me against the wall, dropped his lips from mine, and bestowed kisses all over my neck and jawline. The scent of his swarmed my senses, and all I could think about was ripping his clothes off so I could feel his skin on mine.He lifted my legs and wrapped them around his waist, his muscles flexing so much from the effort, that his t-shirt ripped at the sleeves. Feeling as if it was my own might that did that, I ripped the rest of his t-shirt off, exposing his voluptuous abs that sculpted his torso. As a werewolf, it was impossible to get drunk, but I do imagine that what I felt right now was how an inebriated person felt when they reached the bottom of a bottle or two. And I was thriving in that feeling, sinking my teeth into any available honey-golden skin, tasting his sweetness and craving more, craving all of him.He was grinding his hips in slow, circular movements, as if tormenting me slowly with what I desired the most. I was growing im
[Alexander]I knew I was dreaming when Valerie shifted but was her old wolf with its brown fur and leaner limbs. I guess it was a hard habit to let go of that burning need to protect someone. It seemed my mind refused to let go of the Valerie before she became the Alpha she was destined to be, even though my heart accepted her as a force to be reckoned with.That force was strong as I made love to her tonight, and here I was thinking that my stamina was durable. I chuckled in my sleep, just as I chuckled in the dream when Valerie cracked a joke about me losing my pants. I chased her up Mount Diablo, and when we reached the top, we made love on the ground until the sun set and the moon came out from hiding. She rested her head on my chest, and bore my markings like crowned jewels that glimmered gold beneath the moonlight. My fingers skittered across her warm skin, and in reality, I sought her warmth. It was not finding it that woke me up.I stretched my arms above my h
[Valerie]Somehow, I’d managed to trace my steps back to Amelia and Adam’s house. It took me a while to figure out which one of the windows belonged to the master bedroom, but by a stroke of luck, a gap in the curtains allowed me to peep through and find who I was looking for.I tapped lightly on the glass, hoping that with her back turned to me, she’d still be able to hear that I was knocking on the window. The sun hadn’t even begun to wake up, and the air was rather chilly during this time of the year, and bit through my skin. The blanket tucked her all the way to her ear, and after the third attempt, I thought she’d never hear me. Throwing a stone would only wake the owners up, so I gave up and was about to turn to leave, when I saw Layla’s head move.I tapped again, breathing a sigh of relief and watching it cast a misty circle on the glass when Layla turned to see where the noise that woke her up came from. When her eyes fell o
[Alexander]** Epilogue **** One Year Later **I didn’t mind that we had had to postpone our wedding. The twins were growing beautifully, and rather normal for babies who had both wolf and witch blood coursing through them. It was Camilla who had explained their rapid growth before birth - Elizabeth, who was afraid of the dark, had closed her little eyes inside her mother’s womb, and had somehow managed to speed up the process of her mother’s pregnancy. Leo, on the other hand, seemed to fear nothing. I could tell by the way he climbed to the very top of the apple tree in the garden to pick some fruit for his sister and him.All those around us, our friends, family, acquaintances, all fell in love with the twins the moment they interacted with them. Leo, with his gift of insight, and Beth with her gift of healing. The girl had a tremendous power to win over hearts, while Leo awed them with his strength and ability to show them what he wanted wit
[Valerie]If I thought I was full of nerves before, I really had no idea what I was in for the afternoon before my wedding.Everything around me was moving fast, and the women who’d seemingly taken up residence in our small, two-bedroom house were moving faster.“Where are the dresses?!”“Where are Valerie’s shoes?!”“Did anyone call the makeup artist?!”Questions like these were flying around, the air thick with the agitation I was sure everyone was feeling. But all the preparations seemed to overshadow me, and in some ways, I was thankful for that. I didn’t quite like being the center of attention, and with only a few hours left before that became inevitable, I sneaked into my room, quietly locked my door, and laid down on my bed.My belly was huge by now, and if I looked up while laying down, it was as if I was staring at a mountain. Watching my babies grow day by day made me miss my mate eve
[Alexander]I had promised Adam one last hunt before the wedding. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, but after all, it was only a few more days until I’d get to wake up next to Valerie every morning for the rest of my life.Over the past couple of days, I’d been packing away some of the clothes I had in my closet, making space for Valerie’s things. The small, abandoned town in Walnut Creek wasn’t exactly ready to be lived in, and I had contracted some builders to redo the dilapidated walls and tile the floors. I’d told them to leave the walls unpainted because it sounded like a good idea to do it myself.I’d been spending most of the day organizing some work files that I was planning to give to Adam while he stood in my place at Young Industries. It was only temporary, while Valerie and I would spend our honeymoon in Greece.Valerie didn’t know about our trip. I’d managed to keep it a secret, and thought
[Valerie]With less than two weeks to go before the big day, I didn’t have much time left. I’d been putting off going to see Camilla in Oakridge for far too long, and decided that if I didn’t do it today, it would never get done.I wasn’t planning on visiting her alone. I was expecting Layla to accompany me, but she was taking longer than expected to come out of her dorm room. It was only when she finally emerged that I realized what was holding her up.Selena’s cheeks reddened the moment she saw me standing outside. I hadn’t seen her in a while, since I wasn’t allowed to hunt, and was too busy with wedding preparations to meet with her. I was guessing that Layla finally found the courage to speak to her, and it didn’t bother me at all. However, Selena looked like a bear caught in a trap.“Hi, Selena.” I waved from the corridor. “How’s everyone doing?”Selena seemed taken aback by
[Alexander]I couldn’t wait to get back from work and visit Valerie that evening. It was as if the moment we were given the green light to go ahead and get married; it had become increasingly difficult to stay away from each other.I was just about to pack my things away and leave the office when I saw Adam making his way towards the door. Putting my phone in my pocket, I stood up and picked up my suit jacket from behind my chair.“Hey man!” Adam grinned as he entered the office.The rest of the building had cleared out, with Melissa giving me a curt nod before she left. News about my marriage had spread through the town, and once Melissa heard about it, she’d given in her resignation. For the most part, I was glad. That one very awkward and meaningless kiss we shared on impulse wasn’t exactly a fond memory, and even while I suspected she was leaving because any hope she ever had before had been stripped by the news that I was gettin
[Valerie]** Two Weeks Later **The day we planned on saying our vows to each other and sealing our souls together into forever was near. I highly doubted that it was nerves for the big day that had me throwing up that morning, or the fact that we were going out shopping for dresses.We’d picked the date - fourth November, the birth of a new moon, as well as the birth of our unification. With just a little less than three weeks to go, planning for the big day was well underway. Everyone seemed to accept that we wanted to do this as quickly as possible, but the only trouble seemed to come from Alexander’s mom, who refused to settle on some private affair. I supposed she had big dreams for her son’s big day - after all, he was the eldest of her children.All the planning didn’t matter much to me. The color of the drapes, the length of the aisle, the style of the dress - seemed insignificant when I was doing the most important thing of all; I
[Alexander]I didn’t want to leave Valerie alone with my father, but she seemed much braver than I was. In fact, I didn’t know why I felt as afraid as I did when I knew that there was no way he could harm her. Besides, he didn’t know the truth yet, and even if he did, he wouldn’t hurt her here, anyway.I couldn’t hear them speaking behind the thick oak door sealing my father’s office, as much as I strained my ears and tried to listen. I wondered why dad needed to speak to her alone, and I could only hope that they weren’t fighting, or dad wasn’t saying anything to upset her.From the kitchen, mom called out to me and reluctantly, I stopped pacing the hall and went to the kitchen. Amelia was helping mom, while Layla played with my niece in her arms. If you asked me, it was possible for our kind to live in harmony with witches. But as the days passed, Layla was becoming less like a witch, and more like a human. But her tho
[Valerie]I couldn’t control myself. I ran towards my father and fell at his feet with tears rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably. I had never realized, until this very moment, how much he truly cared for and loved me.I felt like I had failed as a child. I had often looked at them with anger, hurt, thinking that I wasn’t loved the way others were loved by their parents, and when I found out that I wasn’t actually theirs, I was consumed with a disappointment that now held no weight at all.I had been stupid all along. Suddenly, I was being surrounded by the type of love I had always dreamed of, and even then I had shoved those dreams far into the back of my mind, believing that I was never destined for a grand love. But now things were seemingly coming in full-circle, but one problem still remained.Arthur Young.My nemesis - the man who was responsible for stealing my parents away too soon. And the cherry on top? He was my fated mate&rsqu
[Alexander]I hadn’t slept a wink last night. I have been doing well over this past week in terms of sleep, work and life in general. But tonight, I was just a nervous wreck.Valerie and I had agreed that I would do things the way any normal couple wanting to get married would; by asking permission from her parents. But that wasn’t exactly something I was looking forward to. And it wasn’t because I wasn’t determined to make her mine forever, with our loved ones as witnesses, but because if I closed my eyes, I was still able to feel my cheek stinging from the punch I’d received from her father.I had to admit, it warmed my heart knowing they cared so much for her. But it worried me that they cared enough that they wouldn’t see me as a fit husband for her. It was as if the fact that I was the father of her kids didn’t matter to them. They knew who I was, who my father was and what he had done to her family, and that made