[Tatiana’s POV]I don’t move or open my eyes as I listen to the conversation that is happening around me while my heart threatens to beat out of my chest.There was no hiding it now. My pregnancy was known, and I would have to begin to face the consequences that came with that. I could only hope that everyone would truly believe that Massimo was the father; otherwise…No, I wouldn’t dare think of the alternative. I couldn’t let anything happen to the child."Then I’ll leave you," the medic who had been watching over me announces, ending the conversation between him and Massimo. "If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.""Thank you," Massimo responds. "But I’m sure that I can take it from here."I listen until the medic’s footsteps head out of the room and down the hall, so that Massimo and I are alone."You can stop pretending now," Massimo announces. "I know you’re awake."Blushing, I slowly open my eyes to find his golden ones locked on me, and the emotion that I see in them
[Massimo’s POV]Tatiana’s eyes widen as I wait to see just how far she will let me go to put on this act of being fiances and then later spouses. Would she let me kiss her? Would she let me touch her? I didn’t want to push her farther than she was willing to go, but I also couldn’t stop the desperate need to possess her that I felt."If you don’t say anything, I’ll go further," I warn.With each passing second, the desire to feel just how her lips feel against mine becomes stronger and stronger. As does the need to feel how soft her body truly is.Fuck, I wanted her. I wanted to make her mine, but I knew that wouldn’t happen right away and would take time if it ever truly happened."Mass," she begins, but stops as I lift my hand and run it along her cheek until my hand becomes entangled in her wild hair. "Wai-wait."Frowning, I don’t move as everything in me screams to continue, but when I notice the look of fear on Tatiana’s face over my actions, I jerk backwards."Sorry," I huff, ru
Sweat drips down my skin as my breaths come in heavy puffs, but I continue to move in order to keep the demons at bay. Only when I was physically exerting myself did the ghosts of the past and present fade away.Since Tatiana was taken away from Hunters Moon, the nightmares have returned. Each night, I saw her ghastly face, accusing me of what happened to her because I wasn't strong enough to save her back then.Again and again, she would reach out to me, crying and screaming, begging me to help her and save her, but each time I would be unable to move and only able to watch helplessly.By this point, you would think that I would be used to it, but even now it leaves me shaken to my core, and with the dreams coming so frequently, I was having trouble sleeping and found myself running alone before the sun even rose.I didn't know if it was my guilt flaring because, just like I couldn't protect her, I couldn't protect Tatiana either, which was why I sent her away after hurting her so ba
[Tatiana’s POV]The sounds of screams and glass shattering wake me from the darkness that I’m currently trapped in.Gasping, my eyes fly open, and I find that I’m back in my tiny room in Hunters Moon’s maid quarters.Frowning, I try to determine exactly why I’m here and what happened before I arrived here. However, before I can think too long about it, I realize that the room is full of smoke and is much hotter than usual.Feeling a chill race down my spine, I jump up and make my way to the door and grab the handle, only to hiss in pain as the metal burns my skin.With wide eyes, I begin to look around until I can locate something to use to wrap around the knob so that it doesn’t burn me again.Settling on a pillowcase, I try again, this time succeeding in yanking the door open so that a wave of thick smoke begins to plume into the room around me.Coughing, I begin to move while holding the pillowcase against my mouth so that I don’t inhale too much smoke.Outside is pure chaos, with
[Massimo’s POV]"Who are you to tell me what I shouldn’t do?"Knight’s voice is harsh, but there is a hint of disbelief and something more behind it. However, I don’t give a shit whether or not this asshole thing is an act or not, because the look of hurt that crosses Tatiana’s face is very real."Do you know speaking against the luna of a pack like that is insubordination?" He continues. "I could…""Could what?" I growl, pulling Tatiana against me. "Where the fuck do you think you are?"If Tatiana wasn’t here, I would have already attacked him and not thought twice about it. But I knew that seeing what I did back at Onyx Falls had left a mark on her, and I didn’t want her to have to see that side of me again."I don’t care if this is your territory or mine," Knight counters. "She is suggesting that the luna of Hunters Moon is planning something and that…""Again, I don’t give a shit," I snap, tightening my hold on Tatiana. "You touch her, and I will cut you down right here and now."
[Knight’s POV]I storm out of Obsidian River’s packhouse and make my way to the car, where Vince sits waiting with his seat back and his eyes closed.As he senses me, he shoots up and eyes me curiously before a look of concern crosses his face."What’s wrong with you?" He asks as I pull my door open and climb into the car. "What happened?"For a moment, I don’t speak as Tatiana’s words replay themselves in my mind again and again.Beware of my stepmother.Frowning, I try to make sense of why she would even say that. Was she aware of something that I didn’t know, or was she already aware of her treachery?Fuck, it was frustrating, and as much as I wanted to question her further about what she was saying, I couldn’t possibly.‘Your attempt at protecting her was for nothing,’ Bane huffs in frustration."Hello?" Vince continues, waving a hand in front of my face. "Are you going to talk to me or keep staring off into oblivion?"Sighing, I buckle my seatbelt and fix my gaze straight ahead.
[Knight’s POV]"You’re welcome to have a seat wherever," I announce, untangling my arm from Anya’s. "My stepmother should be here any…""Wait," she gasps, reaching out and grabbing my wrist. "Won’t you stay?"Stay? Why in the hell would I stay? I was pretty sure I knew exactly what it was that they were going to talk about, and I didn’t need to be a part of it.If that woman had convinced my father to go along with her plan, then that was that, and I had no room to argue."I’m sure the both of you have a lot of catching up to do."As I speak, I begin to move, making my way toward the room's exit, but before I can reach it, I feel my shirt being snagged.Frowning, I turn and take in Anya, who is standing behind me with a pained look on her face."Did I do something to offend you?" She asks quietly, lifting her large gaze to mine. "If so, I apologize."Biting back my initial response, I try to make sense of what the fuck is going on, but before I can, my stepmother enters with Jackson,
[Tatiana’s POV]I stand on the busy street, clinging to Massimo while trying to stop the anxiety that I’m suddenly feeling due to being surrounded by so many people and noises.Since I had grown up in Hunters Moon, I was never exposed to this type of thing, but since Massimo was willing to help me investigate what was happening behind the scenes in Hunters Moon, I couldn’t possibly deny his request for me to go on a date with him.That was why, two days later, I was out here being overstimulated while trying to make it seem like I was fine."Just continue to hang onto me," Massimo says now, snapping me out of my head so that I find our noses are inches apart.Gasping, I stumble backwards but am stopped by his arm wrapping around me."Careful," he hisses, pulling me against him. "You’re pregnant; you need to take better care of yourself.""I’m so…"I don’t finish as Masimo’s gaze narrows on me and our conversation a few days prior flashes in my mind."So…" Shit, old habits really do di
[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