Alpha Ian’s POVTravelling back to memories of my childhood with Ezekiel wasn’t something I was especially fond of. The reasons should be very obvious. Our relationship crashed and burned, right alongside him growing into the monster he was always going to be. There were many nights after Ezekiel left when I laid in bed, wondering what I could have done to prevent his banishment. I thought incessantly about how I should have tried harder to make sure he never got to that point, to prevent the innocent murder of that human. I hated myself for scarcely disagreeing with him as we grew up. But more than that, I hated myself even more for never speaking up when I did disagree with him. I never intervened when I felt he did something wrong. Whenever my gut instinct told me Ezekiel had crossed a line, I never did to make him see that.At age sixteen, when my best friend was banished from our pack for a heinous crime, I was devastated, I was heartbroken, but above all, I was filled with sel
Alpha Ian’s POVOnce I got it in my head that I was going to find Ezekiel and bring him home, the idea would not leave me. I thought about it constantly, even in moments when I was surrounded by other people. Sometimes hearing what the entire pack were saying about my former best friend almost served as a deterrence but the desire always returned.As it stood, nobody seemed to want him to return. Nobody had anything good to remember him by. All our age-mates seemed relieved that he was gone. During our training sessions, it was all they talked about. It made me dizzy. I keep overhearing conversations and people saying he made them uncomfortable, even when he was supposedly on his best behavior. Some said he made them angry unprovoked, but the majority of the young wolves seemed to have feared Ezekiel. This wasn’t exactly new to me. I knew that as much as our trainers admired him for the amazing warrior that he was, his personality made them wary of the type of Alpha werewolf he would
Alpha Ian’s POVIt was that very night when I packed an overnight bag and left our Pack. I wasn’t sure if I was going to find Ezekiel where I thought he was. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if he wanted to see my face but I was determined to do this. Nothing was going to stop me from reaching out. Whatever consequences were waiting for me at the end of this road, I will face them head on. There was no going back now. I couldn’t even afford to.As I made my way through the bustling city of New Orleans at night, I couldn’t stop myself from replaying the events that led to Ezekiel’s banishment. The moment he’d murdered that human for hunting a deer.Granted, I hated the persecution of wild animals and believed in their preservation. Humans were too arrogant for their own good. They acted as though this world was created for them and they were somehow superior to animals. I knew even the ones who believed in the existence of supernatural creatures liked me also believed we needed to be wiped ou
Alpha Ian’s POV I rode the elevator all the way to the penthouse and Ezekiel buzzed me in like he promised. Once that door swung open and I saw him standing on the other side, dressed in a pair of loose sweat pants and a black shirt, hair still wet from what was no doubt a shower before bed, I completely broke down. I rushed into his arms and he held me up as I collapsed against his body. I started sobbing, burying my face in his neck. I was soaking the soft skin.“It’s alright,” he said. “I’ve got you. Ian, I’ve got you. You’re here now.”He kept repeating the words but they were going over my head. At least, for now, I could barely process everything that was going on. But I was aware of the fact that I was finally with my cradle brother again. The terrible ache that had been in me since the day he was kicked out was slowly receding.His arms were wrapped around me, his body was solid against mine and I was enveloped by his scent. That was all my brain could compute in the moment.
Chapter 54 No Other GirlAlpha Ian’s POVAfter we entangled ourselves from the floor, I trailed behind Ezekiel, following him to the master bedroom.“You’re not planning to stay for long, are you?” he asked, sitting at the edge of the gigantic bed.“Why do you say that?” I was standing in the middle of the room, clutching my backpack. I didn’t know why I was beginning to feel awkward all of a sudden.“You barely came with anything.” He gestured towards my backpack. “What did you even manage to fit in that small thing?”“Essentials,” I retorted, rolling my eyes, as I moved toward where he was sitting. I dropped my backpack on the bed and zipped it up. “Also, it’s not small. It can keep plenty of stuff just fine.”“Well, then, I’m sorry for belittling your precious backpack.” He looked anything but sorry and I had to resist the urge to smack him on the head.“You’re such an ass,” I muttered. “I ran away. You get that right? This wasn’t some planned vacation where I had my parents’ permi
Alpha Ian’s POV“What the fuck, Ian?” Denise exclaimed, fixing me with a shocked look.In fact, everyone in the Study was staring at me as though I’d grown two heads. What I’d revealed was indeed shocking, given that when Dominic had suggested Ezekiel had a crush I had acted as though I was none the wiser, as though nothing remotely romantic never happened between us.That wasn’t the truth. Goddess, that was far from the truth. I didn’t know why my first instinct had been pretending and then blatantly lying and omitting. Maybe it was the shame. It had to be.If I admitted to knowing about Ezekiel’s true feelings, I had to acknowledge mine, something I never truly did, especially after the catastrophic way my stay at the penthouse had ended. All I did was suppress those memories and pretended those feelings never existed, pretended as though everything hadn’t changed between Ezekiel and I starting from the first night I stepped foot in that penthouse.But maybe it was high time I let i
Alpha Ian’s POV I stood back and watched Ezekiel move around the kitchen with an ease that signaled he’s been spending a lot of time in it. He has always been a good cook. Who was I kidding? Ezekiel was good at everything. He was annoying like that. There were times when I wondered why he felt the need to excel at everything, why he was always so intense, and never allowed himself the laziness of doing anything half way. It took me sometime to realize that he drew pride from his accomplishments, big or small. He was someone who had a high sense of self-worth. And excelling at everything he did was a way of reminding himself and everyone around him that he was special. He was different. Not that someone like me ever forgot that for a second. “How long exactly is it gonna take you to finish cooking something as simple as Mac and Cheese?” I threw the question in the kitchen, perching on a stool, and fixing him with a pointed look. “Patience, baby boy,” Ezekiel said, grinning. He did
Alpha Ian’s POVAfter I asked my best friend to kiss me, he released a sharp exhale of breath. Ezekiel placed his hand on the apple of my cheek, his finger caressing the cheek bone. His touch was incredibly featherlight and gentle. My gaze was fixated on his parted lips. The same way his was fixated on mine.“Zek…”“Are you sure?” Ezekiel whispered the words. “Ian, are you sure you want me to kiss you?”“Do you not want me to?” I asked, voice small, as the fear that I’ve misread the situation took over.“Of course, I want to,” Ezekiel said with a shaky laugh. “It feels as though I’ve never not wanted to kiss you. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t.”His words left me feeling floored. I was overtaken by strange emotions, echoes and fragments of things I felt at some point in the last sixteen years of my life with Ezekiel by my side. There might have been times when I craved him even when he was beside me, but I never understood why that happened. There were many times when I felt a
Francesca’s POVThe coronation of the Alpha King and his chosen Luna is one of the most sacred events for any Pack. It’s one that is celebrated in a grand affair, and remembered for months after the fact. Every Pack had its own special way of going about it, the rituals they always made sure took place and all the flurry of activity and prayers that happen, taking advantage of the full moon and asking the Moon Goddess to bless us and grant our heart’s deepest desires.“Mother, you look absolutely stunning,” I said, my tone dripping with admiration as I stared at Alpha Jessica Reginald, where she sat dressed in a lovely golden gown, about to be crowned the Luna of the Sangria-Crescent Pack.“Thank you, darling,” Jessica replied, smiling, her blonde hair framing her gorgeous face like a halo. “Come sit with me.”The other women who’d been helping my mother get ready for the coronation excused themselves and walked out of the drawing room.I threw them a discreet smile as they exited the
Francesca’s POVAs we approached mid-September, the Fall weather really began to set in. The unbearable heat of the previous month was abating with every second that passed. The leaves of the trees were changing color, losing their life force and vividness, and falling to the ground in a melancholic but beautiful display of the wonders of nature.Our summer vacation was still very much ongoing. Bianca, Patrick and I had at least another two weeks before we were due to return to campus so we were definitely making the most of our last days of leisure. Although to define our days as leisure was subjective. Our training sessions were more intense than ever. Alpha Ian has been present and running most of them. Ever since his therapy sessions came to a fruitful conclusion, he has been more determined than ever to push us to our limits. There was an obvious shift in how he now regarded Ezekiel and the imminent war between us. His hatred was less personal. It was no longer the kind of acidi
Ezekiel’s POVI was standing back a considerable distance as training went on. As much as I had said I wanted to oversee it, my intention was not to interrupt it in any way whatsoever. I also didn’t want our warriors to feel under pressure or act as though they had to do anything different simply because I was present. I wanted to observe them as they always were during each session. And of course, I had the utmost trust in their tutors that they would do a good job today as they’ve been doing for as long as they’ve had the responsibility.So far, I was mighty pleased with everything I was seeing. Our warriors seemed to be disciplined, determined, unceasingly strong, and above all, they all had a killer instinct. From what they were showing, they would absolutely have no qualms in striking down any enemy they came into contact with, and those were the kind of warriors I needed on my side when I made my first calculated attack against the Crescent-Sangria Pack.Alexander and Eve were m
Ezekiel’s POVGreat Aunt Elizabeth’s sprawling estate has long ceased being hers. Not since the day I snuffed the life out of the stubbornly staunch old woman right after making her sign over the deeds. That was another lifetime ago, way before I grew into myself. Sixteen-year-old me wasn’t exactly the brightest. I can’t believe he tried to have it all, tried to hold onto Ian even when he knew there was no way the other boy was going to be accepting of the inevitable path I was going to choose.The path I was already on when we were merely thirteen-year-olds and I decided on animal sacrifice to summon the Moon Goddess. I didn’t even think twice about killing those helpless bunnies that I’d spent weeks raising. That should have been Ian’s warning shot, and maybe it was but he definitely did not heed it.But what made me hope, that I could bring him over to my side, even if I had to use lies and manipulation to aid me was how he reacted after he watched me commit cold blooded murder for
Alpha Ian’s POVThe idea of going to some cold and lifeless office of a therapist was enough to make me want to puke. If I was going to cut my skin open and bleed for a complete stranger, I had to do in a place I felt safe and comfortable in. The sessions had to take place in my Study and nowhere else. And this was how the therapist that had been chosen for me by Jessica found herself sitting on my high-backed chair facing me, as I reclined on the sofa. Her name was Valentina. She was a beta wolf, and the energy she gave off was of someone kind and capable at the same time. She had honey blonde hair that was cut in a bob and it framed her oval face in a flattering way. She wore red lipstick, and had a nose-ring.It was the nose-ring that threw me off when she arrived. It didn’t match the image I had of the look of a therapist in my head. But somehow, that injected this chill vibe into the atmosphere. And I could almost delude myself into thinking I was about to have a conversation w
Alpha Ian’s POVIt was a different kind of torture, having to narrate practically everything I told Francesca and the others to my wife the next day. She listened to me with the same empathy and compassion that I received from everyone who was present in my Study the night before. She didn’t cut me off necessarily, only asked questions when she felt that I had mentioned something too important to skim over.By the time I was done with my narration, Jessica let out a loud sigh and said, “I’m afraid Francesca is right on this one, Ian. You do need therapy.”I nodded, she took my hand in hers and squeezed it in comfort. We were sitting side by side on a sofa in our bedroom. I’d alerted her we needed to talk about something right before she turned in for bed. Jessica wasn’t one to dwindle when her specific time to sleep arrived.“I know, darling,” I said to her. “I’ve already accepted that this is something I need. It’s high time I dealt with this unfinished business so I could move forwa
Francesca’s POV“So, what’s the verdict?” Alpha Ian asked after I hadn’t uttered a word after his vulnerable confession. “Am I still in love with a monster?”I fixed him with an intense stare then, really looking at him. There was a vacant look in his eyes, it seemed as though he was bracing himself for the worst. It was kind of tragic, the entire situation was, if I was being entirely honest.And I couldn’t bring myself to feel any sort of jealousy toward Ezekiel. Maybe, it would hit me later and I would hate him even more for being my fated mate’s first love. But now, I was more concerned with helping Alpha Ian sort through his emotions and any lingering feelings he might still harbor for the king of the rogues.“Well?” Alpha Ian prompted. “Will you say something?”“I don’t know,” I finally said.“Excuse me?” Alpha Ian sat up then, and fixed me with a disbelieving stare. “What don’t you know?”I shrugged, breaking eye contact. “I don’t know if you’re still in love with him or not.”
Francesca’s POV“What did you just ask me?” Alpha Ian said in a dangerously low tone, his eyes narrowing as they gazed into mine.“You heard me very well,” I said, “But I can still repeat myself: are you still in love with Ezekiel?”This time, he seemed unable to form words. He opened his mouth several times but ended up closing it again. I guess one can say, he wasn’t expecting that kind of question from me, or from anyone for that matter.Even I wasn’t completely sure why I asked it. Okay, I did know why. The root cause wasn’t jealousy. It was a true desire to help him sort through any lingering feelings he might have had where Ezekiel was concerned because a love that intense doesn’t just disappear altogether. I wasn’t even sure I could decipher all the different kind of feelings and emotions that I experienced while listening to him go into depth about his relationship with Ezekiel, the bond they shared, their subsequent honeymoon in the penthouse, and ultimate rupture.At some
Alpha Ian's POV"So that was how it went down," Dominic said, looking like someone who's entire world has been tilted on its axis. "Man, you kept all of that inside you when you returned, and pretended as though you merely failed in convincing Ezekiel to come back with you and plead his case.""Yeah... pretty much. that's what happened.""I bet he was impossible to be around when he returned," Francesca wondered."Oh yes, he was was," Denise replied to her. "It was worse than when Ezekiel had just been banished. The Ian who returned was a completely different person.""He seemed to have shoved all his emotions in a box, locked them away and and threw them in a raging volcano," Dominic said."Hey, I wasn't that bad," I said, tone defensive."You so were," Dominic and Denise said at the same time and then they started laughing as they stared at each other."You were worse than bad, big brother," Dominic said. "You were frighteningly cold. It seemed as though the only emotions you allowe