** Two Months Later **[Alexander]Eight weeks, three days and five hours. I had been counting the milliseconds as they ticked by from the moment I last saw her face. It only took two days for me to completely lose my sanity, and regardless of how many times I woke up and decided that that day was the day I wouldn’t think about her, I always found myself dwindling around lunchtime. The burst of energy from the morning would quickly drain from my very being, until all I could do was sit behind my desk, fiddling with a pen or rolling corners of the cover pages of an odd file that I had no interest in looking at. The worst were those mid-afternoon meetings, when businessmen from far and wide would come to Young Mining Industries with heavy bank accounts, and leave with heavy disappointment.Even my dad was concerned about the company - so much so, that he was here himself today. A few meetings I had missed with Mr. Gasser meant there was a looming thr
[Valerie]The metal bench was becoming increasingly uncomfortable to sit on, and I shuffled as I tried to find a better position. It wasn’t that I was too big - it was just that I had been waiting for almost an hour for my turn to see the doctor.All of the other women in the waiting area outside the obstetrician’s room had someone with them. Some had their partners with them, while others sat with their mothers. I was the only one visiting alone, and I had to keep my head down when their curious stares became too much to bear. I might have been accustomed to being alone, but other people obviously didn’t understand why a pregnant she-wolf was here all by herself.If I was being honest with myself, it did feel strange to visit the doctor by myself. When our kind conceived, it was usually to keep the bloodline alive, so it only made sense to have someone - especially your mate - here with you while you both made sure the child you were carrying was he
[Alexander]I lingered around their street for a little while, undecided on what I really wanted to do. It had been almost two months since I smelled her, and I wanted so badly just to burst through her parent’s house and rake up all the sweet-smelling air I could get to fill my lungs. But I was a coward, as I proved to myself, and put the car into gear and drove myself out of the town, putting more distance between us.I had to admit, I was rather relieved that I now knew where she was. It was fear of the unknown that terrified me. Still, I yearned to see her face in the flesh, because right now all I was left with was the memory of her smile, and the nightmare of her scornful look before we parted ways.I felt weak and tired as I entered my apartment. All I really wanted to do was crawl into bed, and wait for the sleep that never came while I stared at the ceiling and avoided the nightmares that threatened to break me into a cold sweat. It was the dream, excep
[Valerie]“I want to apologize.” I said with my eyes down in shame.“Valerie, are you -” my mom choked, reaching out for my father’s arm as if shock had withered her knees.“Are you pregnant?” Dad finished for her.“Yes.” I nodded, keeping my hands on my lap and my face down.I was expecting to hear a mouthful - or worse, a beating. It was only a matter of time before they kicked me out and disowned me - after all, I wasn’t theirs to begin with.“This - this is great news!” mom exclaimed, and I peeped the smile spreading on her face.I looked up in confusion, and she came towards me, reaching out and cupping my face between her hands. “You’re really pregnant?”“Yes. I am sorry -”“What is there to apologize for?” Dad stood beside mom and draped his arm around her shoulders.I was stunned into silence, but the moment my mo
[Alexander]I waited for a little while, whinnying and closing my eyes with sorrow when I heard nothing back and heard my pack calling out to me instead. With slow feet I went back down, almost tripping over myself when I was near the edge. The Beta was waiting for me at the bottom, his teeth dripping with fresh blood from the mountain goat lying at his front feet.“For you, sire.” His lips peeled back further as he shot me a wolfy smile.“I’m not hungry.”I was about to pass him, when he knocked me in the shoulder, causing my knees to buckle under my weight. I growled, but the sound was just a measly yelp, and I turned my face in shame.“I am your Alpha.” I said without much emotion.“Is that supposed to scare me?”“You’re supposed to respect me.”“Respecting you also means I care enough about you. And right now, you need to feed.”“I just want to g
[Valerie]I tossed and turned all night, regretting my decision not to call back to Alexander. I had learned that being both a witch and a wolf gave me the ability to speak to him regardless if I was in human or wolf form, which is why I was able to hear him calling out to me in his wolf. I hoped that he thought I wasn’t able to hear him, and that’s why I didn’t call out to him.He was missing out on a lot, and that made me miss him even more. But I swore to protect my child at all costs - and that meant that we could never be together. Still, I yearned for his touch, especially in times like these, when the baby inside me refused to sleep, and I ended up staying awake too.I crossed the room and went to stand by the window, looking out and in some ways, hoping I would hear him again. But it was too late, and his pack must have retreated for the night, because all I could hear was the hooting of the owls and the sound of the trees swaying in
[Alexander]My dad was rather concerned when I told him that I wasn’t going to work that day. It wasn’t until Adam spoke to him and told him that it was a matter of emergency within the pack, that he seemed to be put at ease. I realized then that I had placed my parents under immense stress, and that they didn’t trust me as much anymore. I only had myself to blame - for withering away and sending those who loved me in a frenzy.All day long, I wrestled with the thought of my mate coming for revenge, and what that meant for me and the others. I was disappointed in a way - if she really wanted my head, all she had to do was take it, and leave the others out of it. They were innocent in all of this. It made me realize that perhaps I wasn’t the prestigious leader I thought I was. This was the second time they were in danger because of me.I hadn’t told Adam yet who I suspected of leading the attack on us. I wasn’t sure if he’d sta
[Valerie]Each step I took in haste filled me with more distress. I worried that if I tried calling out to him, I’d only end up alerting the witchwolves that we were on their heels. We stood a better chance of defeating them if they didn’t know we were on our way.My pack was close on my heels as I led them through the woods towards the valley. I didn’t hear howls as yet, and I wondered if Alexander’s pack were even out there to begin with. Worse than them encountering the witchwolves out here, was the witchwolves stepping into the town and blindsiding them in their homes. I thought about Alex, about Amelia and her little one who might be in danger. If I had known about this sooner, I would have told Layla to go back to protect them. She wasn’t using her witchcraft anymore, but still she’d be able to alert Alexander if that was the case.We were getting closer to the glade, and I slowed my steps to get a better view of what I saw up
[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