[Tatiana’s POV]My eyes widen as Knight’s word hits me like a ton of bricks. So this was what he was up to the whole time. He wasn’t actually trying to approach me because he was interested in me. E was only interested in the child in my stomach, and I was sure that was because he was now well aware of my bloodline.“You’re the worst,” I whisper, feeling my new-found energy beginning to build. “How dare you think I’ll just let you take my child?"Letting out a snarl, I let the energy explode from me so that Knight loosens his hold enough for me to break free.Whirling around, I shove hard enough to make him stumble, and then I rush out of the room. However, when I reach the main alcove, where everyone else is lounging in many different phases of waking up, I continue to move.No one attempts to follow me as I make my way out of the hideout entirely and then burst into the abandoned hospital.By the time I stop, true panic has taken over, and my heart feels like it is going to beat out
[Knight’s POV]I stare down at Tatiana’s pale face, taking in the sweat that covers her skin and the lines of pain that cover her clear skin. What the fuck was happening to her, and what could be done to stop it?As this thought hits me, Bane lets out a whimper of frustration over having to watch our mate suffer while we couldn’t do shit about it.“How much longer until someone comes?” I demand, turning my gaze to the woman, Winley, who stands nearby, watching on with worry. “Are they actually coming, or is this some type of ploy on your part?”“They’re coming,” she snaps. “We’re pretty far from town, so it will take a bit.”“I don’t think we have that long,” Massimo points out as Tatiana jumps up and begins to throw up more blood. “She is getting worse.”“I’m…fine…” Tatiana pants, though by the gray hue beginning to form on her skin, it is clear that she isn’t. “Just…”“Stop fucking lying,” I growl.She could try to trick everyone else, but due to our bond, I could feel each and ever
[Massimo’s POV]“Wait!” I gasp, feeling like a fucking idiot for even begging. “What I promised you was that Obsidian River would join hands with you?”Growing quiet, I wait as the sound of Giovani moving around on the other end fills the silence.“How can a banished member of that pack do such a thing?” He finally asks, going straight for the gut. “You no longer have your power, boy; don’t waste my time with empty promises.”“Do you really think I’m incapable of taking my position back?” I demand, trying to ignore the offense I feel. Did this bastard truly think I was that weak?“Are you saying you’re willing to kill your father?”If it meant saving Tatiana, I was willing to do anything. Anyway, he was more than willing to kill me and intended to do so.This was how our world went; only the strongest survived, and it was kill or be killed. My father made his choice, as did I. Our familial attachments were no longer in place, and if I had to take him out to claim my place in Obsidian
[Knight’s POV]I don’t move as Massimo begins to move and then shifts into his wolf before bursting into the forest beyond and disappearing. Immediately, the urge to follow him hits, but then I find myself wondering why the hell I should even bother.Letting out a grumble, I sit up and try to ignore the twinge of worry I feel over him being so drastic. From his actions, it was pretty clear that he was going to do something stupid, and despite knowing it didn’t have shit to do with me, Tatiana’s face flashes in my mind.‘I don’t want to see her cry.’Massimo’s words echo in my mind again and again until I’m letting out a growl of frustration and getting to my feet as the urge to immediately go after the idiot hits me.“Fuck,” I hiss, starting to move but stopping as the sound of movement draws my gaze toward the abandoned hospital, where I find Tatiana leaning against the door frame, looking exhausted and winded.For a moment, I don’t move as I wonder if the look of worry in her eyes i
[Massimo’s POV]“You’re a monster, Massimo.”Tatiana’s words are like a slap in the face and a stab to the heart. Was she really saying something like that after everything I had just done to help her? No, I had to have misheard her.“I did this for you,” I say slowly, trying to remain calm despite the storm that is beginning to build in me. “All of this was to make sure that you didn’t die.”As I speak, Tatiana’s expression darkens more and more until all I can see is an icy coldness that freezes the blood in my veins.No, she was serious; she was actually being serious in calling me a monster.“Please, you have to see it from my..." I begin, surging forward, only to be stopped by Knight, who is acting like a fucking shield for Tatiana. “Move,” I continue. “This is between me and Tatiana; you don’t belong!”“I don’t belong?” Knight repeats, giving me a look of amusement. “How does her mate not belong?”His words are like a fucking knife that chops away at the last bit of remaining sa
[Tatiana’s POV]“Run far away and never appear in front of me again, because if you do, I’ll kill you.”Massimo’s words are like a knife to the heart, and the cold stare that is devoid of any and all emotion leaves me with a dull ache in my chest.“Not without the antidote!” Knight growls, loosening his hold on me. “Did you forget the whole purpose of this?”“You heard him,” Giovani chuckles. “Be a good boy and give them what they want.”Remaining silent, I watch the scene unfold in front of me while trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Why was Massimo suddenly being so obedient to my uncle? Was this because I called him a monster and that made him snap? No, that couldn’t be it.“Take it,” Massimo huffs, throwing the satchel he holds on the ground.Not wasting any time, Knight rushes forward and grabs it, then makes his way back to me. After giving Massimo and my uncle one last look, he lifts me into his arms, and then he is moving.“No!” I gasp, attempting to fight but una
[Knight’s POV]I stare down into Tatiana’s large eyes as many emotions rush through me. What the hell was I even doing right now? I swore to myself I would never claim her as my mate or Luna to keep her out of the politics of leading a pack, but here I was attacking her while she was too weak to stop me.As I remain unmoving, Bane begins to protest, attempting to take control so that he can claim our innocent mate beneath us.“Knight,” she whispers, seeming to snap out of it. “You should move.”Her words are like a dagger to the heart and spur me to act again, slamming my mouth against hers while using one hand to pin her hands above her head. Holding her in place, I let one of my knees rub between her legs, earning myself a delicious moan.“Why?” I murmur, sitting up and fixing my gaze with hers again. “Why are you pushing me away?”Although the rational side of me was screaming that this was due to my own actions, the irrational side was saying it was because of that bastard Massimo
[Tatiana’s POV]I don’t move as too many emotions wash over me, drowning me with their strength as they crash into me like waves. What in the world am I even doing right now? Why did I cry when Knight did those things to me? Had I lost my mind?“No,” I whisper, knowing that wasn’t the case. It was because I knew that I was deluding myself, but how could I have possibly said that? And even though I knew that Knight wanted me to deny that I was thinking about Massimo, I let him believe that was the fact so that maybe he would come to hate me.Sitting up, I pull my knees to my chest as sobs begin to escape me. Even though sleeping with Knight and doing things with him felt so good, all I felt afterwards was disgust for allowing it to happen. He didn’t care about me; he was only interested in me because of our bond, and soon enough, he would grow bored with me and throw me away. All he truly wanted was the heir in my stomach.“An omega’s duty,” I whisper miserably.Of course, that was wha
[Tatiana’s POV]My heart races as I stare at the name that flashes on my phone. Massimo. Was it really him calling me right now, or was it someone else pretending to be him? I didn’t know, but I wanted to find out.“Answer it.” Knight’s voice is firm, and it snaps me out of my daze. “We’ve been looking for that bastard for five years, and here he is calling you like it's nothing.”I don’t miss the hint of distrust in his voice as he speaks, but for the time being, I didn’t want to deal with it. The most important thing was answering this call and figuring out if it truly was Massimo reaching out to communicate with me or not.Sucking in a breath, I swipe to answer and bring the phone to my ear, then wait.“Little fairy.” Massimo rasps as what sounds like bottle clatter in the background. “Is that you?”Eyes widening, I realize that the person on the other end is, in fact, Massimo, and he was actually calling.“Is it him?” Knight asks slowly, clearly trying to keep his temper in check.
Three Years Later[Knight’s POV]“Daddy, look the ocean!”Octavia’s lips turn into a bright smile as she lets her eyes come to rest on the sparkling blue water in front of us. This was the first time she had ever been to the beach, so of course she was excited.“I want to swim!”As the words leave her lips, she attempts to rush forward but stops as Tatiana reaches down and grabs her wrist.“Careful!” I hiss, not missing the way she wobbles forward due to her large belly. “You’re going to fall and hurt yourself!”“I’ll be fine,” she insists, giving me a look of annoyance. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been pregnant.”Wincing, I try not to think about that time when I abandoned her when she truly needed me the most. I was a fucking fool back then, and it cost me a year with the woman I love the most and the first two months of my daughter's life.That was why this time around I was doing everything, from attending every single doctor's appointment to doing everything Tatiana needed me
A Year Later[Knight’s POV]“Daddy!”The tiny voice reaches me before arms are wrapping around my leg. Looking down, I take in Octavia as she grins up at me. She looks adorable in her golden dress, with her hair done up into a tiny ponytail at the top of her head.Since she began to walk, no one could stop her from getting where she wanted. She was a little escape artist, and I was certain her nanny would appear soon with a look of annoyance on her features.“Up!” She insists, holding up her arms.Nodding, I do as she says before turning to Desmond, whom I had been talking to moments prior.“Typical,” he chuckles. “The minute your girls are involved, no one else exists.”“As it should be,” I agree. “Why would I want to pay attention to an old fart like you when such a beauty is in front of me?”This was the first time I had seen Desmond in months, and he was busy telling me about how things were going back at Crystal Fang. I realized that things were going back to normal after what ha
[Knight’s POV]I stare into Tatiana’s eyes, trying to determine whether or not I heard her correctly. How was it possible that someone could be given this much fucking happiness at once? Especially a sinner like me?“Well?” She asks, looking shy. “Will you?”Would I? Of course I fucking would! But would she regret asking me to do it in the future? We still had such a long way to go in our relationship, but right now we never felt closer. However, anything could happen in the blink of an eye, and everything would come crumbling down.“Knight,” she continues when I don’t speak. “Look at me.”Reaching up, Tatiana grabs my cheeks and makes me look into her beautiful golden eyes, which can’t be outdone by the sun itself. They were perfect, she was perfect, and somehow she was all mine.“I want you to mark me,” she continues. “I want the world to know that I’m yours and you are mine. If I’ve learned anything from the past year, it is that tomorrow isn’t promised. Many were lost so that we c
[Tatiana’s POV]I wrap a robe around my still-dripping body and then pull my hair over my shoulder. After my day, I felt disgusting, and a hot shower was exactly what I needed, but despite knowing that things were going in the direction that they were supposed to, something was still nagging at me.Massimo.What exactly happened to him, and why couldn’t anyone find any sort of sign of him? It was almost as if he had disappeared or never existed at all.Letting out a sigh, I try to shake off my thoughts and head out of the bathroom to find Knight laying in bed waiting for me.“About time,” he says as his eyes begin to take me in and grow darker. “I was about to go in and check on you.”“Sorry for making you wait,” I say, taking a seat beside him and reaching for my hairbrush. “I was just…”“Needing some privacy?” He offers, making me flinch. Fuck, had he read my thoughts? “I told you that I have all my best men looking for him.”I knew that it probably hurt Knight to know that I was th
[Knight’s POV]I remain silent as Tatiana takes the lead with our ceremony, and when it’s over, I truly feel as though I’ve fallen in love with her all over again. How was it possible that my little caged princess became such a fucking queen in the short span of a year? I was both excited to see what the future brought and disappointed that I would never get to see her shy expressions again.Back then, she was so fucking lovely that it damn near killed me to stay away from her. However, now she was just as lovely but not as innocent. At least, that was what I thought, but the minute we are allowed to leave and we are alone, there it is, that shy and embarrassed expression.“You did well,” I beam, pulling her against me. “Better than well. You were amazing.”“Was I?” She asks, clearly upset over her kill.“Remember that it was to make a point.”We already agreed that the first show of rebellion would be dealt with, and she did fucking amazing in keeping to that. After all the betrayals
[Tatiana’s POV]A week passed since the battle with Onyx River, and since then, both my uncle and Fernando have been placed in the dungeon to await their trials. Of course, my uncle would be tried for the deaths of not only my parents but many others, and while Fernando had done his fair share of horrible deeds since I was still blood-bound to him, there was no way he could be killed.“Are you ready?” Knight asks me as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I’m dressed in a long black button-down with a leather vest and black pants, and my long red hair is pulled into a ponytail at the nape of my neck. This is the typical look for a leader who is in mourning. “If you’re nervous, I can…”“No,” I say, giving him a smile. “I can do this. I need to do this.”Now that my uncle was where he belonged and Massimo was nowhere to be found, Onyx River, Obsidian River, and even Hunters Moon were without alphas, and now was the time for Knight and I to come together to lead all three packs.This
[Tatiana’s POV]I watch as my uncle’s body shifts from human to a large black wolf with a powerful aura that presses against my skin, trying to urge me to bow. Fighting it, I prepare to attack again but feel my energy fading due to the collar around my throat.Dammit, I needed to get this damned thing off of me, but I didn’t know how. Feeling my annoyance flare, I watch as Knight attacks again, slamming his body into my uncle so that they both go crashing to the side.As they begin to straighten themselves out, my uncle bites the nape of Knight’s neck and then jerks his head, throwing him in my direction.With wide eyes, I watch as he flies toward me and then slams into my body.‘Why didn’t you move?’ He demands when we hit the ground. ‘Get it together.’Right. I needed to get out of my head and get moving. I couldn’t let the fact I couldn’t tap into my abilities stop me. There had to be something I could do.‘That collar,’ Knight says. ‘It’s blocking your shifting, right?’‘Right,’ I
[Knight’s POV]I stare ahead, watching Tatiana get attacked by multiple wolves while my vision fades in and out. Fuck, I need to move, but I can’t seem to get control of my body.‘Our mate,’ Bane whines, urging me to go. ‘Help her.’‘I’m trying…’ I huff, finding it drains me to even respond to my wolf. ‘I just…’The rest of my words fade as the world fades, and the last thing I see before the darkness consumes me is Tatiana shifting back to her human form while her uncle stares down at her with a look of satisfaction on his face.“I’m sorry. I failed you.”I don’t know how long I’m out for after that, but the sound of glass shattering and then hands touching me rouse me again, and I find Desmond and Geraldo pulling me out of the remains of my car."Fuck!" Desmond hisses as he takes me in. “They did a number to you, kid.”“Are you surprised?” Geraldo counters.Ignoring their hit, I shift my gaze in the direction I last saw Tatiana and find that no one is there.“Tatiana,” I gasp, attem