TRISTAN'S POV It had to be my legs pulling back or my instincts; I didn't know which. All I knew was the fact that I shouldn't be here at this moment. I stopped pulling back because it wouldn't help me, especially when Aidan had that challenging smirk."You killed Atlas?" I asked again, sounding like a broken record, knowing it would soon be my turn if I didn't find a way to get out of the weaponry. I straightened my shoulder and smiled, "I should give it to you; you are smart."Aidan shrugged, "Someone had to be between the three of us, so I picked me." He walked behind me, bending over Atlas' body and opening him up, "since, you know, I don't think there's any use hiding it, and besides, doesn't it look like art?"I could see at last that his body was stabbed in so many places before his neck was slit that I turned away immediately."In some way, Tristan, I helped you do what you've been so scared to do: get rid of Atlas.""Should I say thank you"? I asked cynically.He shook his he
IRIS POV I walked into the warriors' camp in my long blue dress, looking for my mother.Since a lone gray wolf had been seen running up toward vampire clan at full speed, the line had been in turmoil.My mother had joined all the forces of the vampire clan close to the gate and all over the clan. So she placed the people in whose hands she trusted to oversee everything.Including her best friend, Mikaela. Whose son Axel wouldn't let her go alone, then her driver too. There were others, but it was hard to keep up with their names.I was expecting to get a crew too, but my mother pushed it off, saying it was best I stayed with Andrea, who, on most occasions, was with numerous servants.As I strolled through, I could feel the soldiers ogling my backside, their eyes full on me, and the swell of my bum was beginning to feel heavy.I saw my mother talking to two men in front of the camp; she had full-body suits and guns. When she saw me, she turned and frowned."Princess," the two men ackno
Before Gael could stop me, I was running out of the tent, almost falling over my dress; as I ran to him, he had his eyes on the sky, focused on nothing in particular as he continued to gasp repeatedly.I knelt beside him, unsure where to place my hand, for his body was covered with dried and fresh blood dripping.I heard my mother yell, "Hold your fire!" Cover the Alpha! "Go to the royal hospital now!"I caressed his hair, and tears began falling from my eyes. There were bruises on his feet, which made me wonder how fast he had run and from where.Bloodcanine prolly. But from whom? Were the other Alphas okay? What of Alpha Aidan?I snapped out of my thought when I heard him muttering so faintly I couldn't make out what exactly he was saying."Tristan," I whispered, bending my face close to his, but he could only make out my name before he growled so loudly that even I had to gasp.Something ate him from the inside; he stretched from the pain, and his face darkened with the torture.Und
TRISTAN POV It had to be the lights overhead that had me opening my eyes with so much annoyance, like, "Who the hell uses so much light in just one room, for goodness' sake?"And why was I still alive and breathing, wasn't the goal to Vampire clan just to alarm them and die?Her scent tickled my nose and whetted my appetite—or was I dreaming? But when I turned my head, there she was, all right.In a blue nightie, her back was to me. The hunger to see her face had me using my hands to support myself up so my back rested on the pillow behind me.But then I saw him holding her hand with his eye on her face; indeed, it had to be the drugs that I was so sure were pumped into me, for I felt hot jealousy flooding into my body as I glared at the dude holding Iris' hand.I had my heated gaze on him until his eyes met mine, and he stopped, looking at me in shock.Well, I, too, wasn't prepared to look away. How dare he touch Iris? IRIS!Then Iris turned too, and I shifted my gaze to her; immedia
IRISI saw his eyes widen, and I started to wonder if he did hear what I said. I doubted he was breathing freely, for he seemed so still that if it weren't for the blinking of his eyes, one might think he was almost dying.He pointed to her, "She's mine?"I nodded, feeling my eyes become teary in seconds. Andrea wasn't helping matters, for she had her hands reaching up to him to take her away from me.Everything about them was so alike; I watched him rake through his hair in exasperation, and she did the same, running her hand through her hair while mumbling.He laughed, "You saw what she did." He looked at me, chuckling in amusement, then brought his hand, which she held in hers, squeezing with her tiny fingers.Then he took her from me, holding her carefully like she was glass, wrapping his hands around her, sniffing her hair, and whispering, "You're mine. Goddess! You're mine.""She's yours," I repeated, and he shut his eyes. I thought I could even hear him inhale deeply.He pulled
We stared at each other without speaking a word. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, for just like when I told him about Andrea, he seemed to have been knocked out of his seat.I could only hear my breath and maybe the constant thud of my heartbeat. What was he going to say? But with how he was calm about it, it seemed he already knew. Maybe he would stop being mad at me.He was purposely keeping me in this awkward silence, and it wasn't fair.Tristan suddenly turned towards the bed to see Andrea crying, and then he picked her up, daintily hugging her to himself and whispering, "Sorry, princess, it's ok."And to my surprise, she stopped crying, placing her head on his shoulder to stare into his neck.And when she drifted away, he faced me again, but this time his face wasn't so blank."How many more secrets were you hiding from me?" I mean, this is number two now? So what's the third?"I bit my lip; ok, maybe I was wrong; he was still mad at me, and it seemed with the way things were g
His fingers suddenly wrapped around my neck, so tight like he had never done before, that he was choking me and nibbling my earlobe.He moved his teeth, and I yelled, causing him to chuckle—he was the only one having fun here. Was that what he meant by "be careful what you ask for"?He trailed his lips up to my mouth and claimed my lips; it started slow like I always remembered it, then became wild, rough, and mind-blowing.I was beginning to gasp against him, especially when he pulled me into him with his fingers still wrapped around my neck.He wasn't giving me a second rest. This was a punishment fuck.He turned me around, pushing me to the wall, his hand pushing my back into it, giving him space to rip my gown.The buttons fell, and I gasped, "Tristan!" Ignoring me, he pushed the gown down so it dropped to the floor, turning me to face him, so I looked into his heated gaze."On your knees," he muttered.I didn't need to be told twice. Well, Tristan was a different person when he t
I watched him breathe in and out, my fingers tracing his chin; he had the most angelic features now bare to me; he emptied himself because I asked.I understood him now more than I ever had; he had gone through a lot as a kid, and that was the reason for all of the nightmares and also the reason he pushed people away so no one knew what he was hiding inside.Like me, his growing up had been rocky; was that part of Artemis' punishment for going against her will? And here we were again, interwoven with each other.He frowned in his sleep, and those lowered brows had me smiling. I let my thumb brush his cheekbone, then reaching forward, kissed the corner of his mouth.He was out cold.I climbed out of bed, quietly grabbing a white dress and scarf from the open wardrobe, then putting them on as quickly as possible. When I was done, with the scarf covering my unkempt brown hair, I snuck out of the room.The royal house was so empty that one could hear a pin drop. My steps daintily on the re
Two years later. TRISTAN I stood by the silver lake with a bunch of black roses in my hand. Two years ago, on this day, she went into that water and never returned; her final kiss still tasted on my tongue; it felt like yesterday even though living without her was agony. But I never let it stop my duty to my people. Under my rule, Blood Canine was getting up to its feet. It was no longer a three-Alpha thing; it was just one-Alpha. Me. The people were happy, and though there was still grief over the death of a loved one, the pack's growth kept everyone going. I pulled out a petal and threw it into the water. I felt like I could see her walking into the lake or coming out of it, a big smile on her face, returning to me again. I had a lot to tell, like how I missed Andrea and couldn't wait for the twenty years to elapse so I could get her back and how I broke inside because I didn't know how my baby was faring as a hybrid in a human world. Lycans are banned from the pack; one mig
IRIS POV She was sucking me in; Akasha was beginning to draw me in and suck me into her deep, moldy webs of darkness, holding me in while I struggled within her. We both wanted out, and we weren't prepared for the disaster we were about to cause. "Akasha, let me out, damnit!" I yelled within her. In our heads, the darkness was all—no, it wasn't all in our heads, for the clouds had suddenly become dark, with lightning back and forth like we were in a game. "Akasha, we can't kill them," I cried, "if we do, all of this will be waste, all of our struggles..." "Iris, hold the reins." Hold what, reins? "I don't know what to hold; you're pulling me." We were swirling downwards faster now, aiming to stomp at the center of the vampire soldiers and cause our disaster. I watched them run for their lives, but where could they go that we couldn't reach? My tears were falling in torrents now; they were right; I was a witch, causing nothing but destruction, and now I was aiming for my mother.
TRISTAN'S POV I felt a hand tug at my arm and turned to see Queen Tyra shaking me, a genuine fear on her face."We need to get the soldiers to the other side of the lake, now!"But I couldn't move a muscle; the sight was something I couldn't place my hands on, and though dark and hazy, it was glorious.Darkness covered the sky, shielding the rising sun. Her aura filled every space."Tristan!" The queen yelled my name again. The fact that she didn't add Alpha told me this wasn't something to be joked with."Everyone to the other side of the lake," I shouted, turning to my soldiers, but to my surprise, they were already on the other side of the lake, even moving further back.The rest that stayed picked to their heels, including Queen Tyra. Even the betrayers knew where they were safe; for now, they were among my army, who brought them to their knees immediately.I looked up, and I wished I hadn't, for she came roaring down from the clouds, leaving the smoky darkness in the sky.I pulle
TristanIt was D-Day, and since we had started early, numerous trucks were taking us down the route of Bloody Canine. Even with the knowledge that most of us wouldn't come back alive, I heard the soldiers sing, and that alone brought a smile to my face.I wanted to go in, but the lyrics were strange, so I sat back and nodded my head to the tune of it while watching the road twist.I knew Aidan was ready for us; I was sure he knew we were coming from the soldiers who had fled to Bloodcanine.We drove at full speed to reach Bloodcanine in time and still save enough of the night so the sun didn't meet us right there, and there was still enough time to fight.We passed Silver Mystic, and the view had me taking deep breaths and blinking my eyes in sadness—or was it anger? Reid didn't deserve any of these, but wasn't that all we were all getting? Reid didn't even have an opportunity to fight before he was struck to the ground by his brother.But we were going to do just that. We were going
Tristan.Just a day to go to war against Aidan, the soldiers were ready, and so were the weapons, mostly silver than steel. Handed to every soldier, even though we knew it might be turned on us.The soldiers were beginning to make their stand before the gate of the Vampire clan, ready to fight but not knowing what to fight.The only time I prayed better than this was when Iris was kidnapped. This fight was going to determine everything. If the Vampire clan were to overcome this one, it would take a miracle.One by one, we noticed our soldiers beating the gatekeepers and running away from Bloodcanine. No one knew if it was because of fear or if they worked for Aidan, but when news like that came out, soldiers tended to lose hope more."We have to hurry up with the process and go to war before we don't have any soldiers left," Queen Tyra told me.I was her adviser when she needed one, and now I didn't just bring my unneeded advice to the table; she had to ask for it first.We were in Iri
IRIS POV.I watched him walk up to me, now with all seriousness, with no more smiles on those sensual lips. Does anyone wonder why nobody suspected him? with looks like that? Combined with the fact that he had always been there for Tristan when he asked?But all of our requests had fallen into his game, and he had stood by, patiently waiting for them to fall into place.Now he had everything at his beck and call. And we had nothing to do but wait and see where it would hit us next."You look even more beautiful, Iris," he said, touching my face softly and looking into my eyes. "Even with those pupils, you could make a man's pants drop."I glanced at Gael. "Well, some want yours dropping, sooooo."He laughed. He thought I was being funny.His fingers were under my chin, raising it so I could face him. "Is it Iris or Akasha?"I wasn't shocked, but... "How did you know? Are more of your pawns getting back to you?" He shrugged: "Well, I can't lie; I didn't do it all myself. I had men of v
IRIS POV Waking felt like stages; at first, I wasn't sure if my eyes were open or closed since it was all dark, the darkness so thick and murky that I felt I could reach forth and grab a handful of it. Then next, my head felt heavy and round and couldn't stay still, for my neck suddenly couldn't hold it any longer. Then letting thoughts fill my head; whatever content they held, I just thought about it. Trying to place my hand on if I was awake or not. Then I began to hear sounds like a lighter, and when the first ray of warm firelight hit, I knew I was awake. Then the memories of my last encounter flowed into my head, and the betrayal stabbed me again. "Good evening, princess." I turned to see him; at the end of the room, he was playing with a lighter, striking it and tapping it so the fire went out. His face, that gentle shyness, wasn't there anymore; in its place was a wicked glare at the firelight, a dark countenance of what would soon happen. And instead of fear, I felt a
IRIS POV Two days passed, and still, there was no contact between Tristan and me, but it was easy to see him, for he was always in training, most times with his upper body bare, sweat dripping from his chin, and eyes on alert. Sometimes I held Andrea so she could watch him train, and he'll always stop for a second to wave at her. Every time that happens, his opponents win. He didn't care because that always happened. Like now, he was punching against a bag, muscles sweaty and glistening, when he looked up, seeing Andrea and me, he waved at her, and she waved back. I turned my back to him, returning to the Royal House to maybe find my aunt Mikaela. I had decided to tell her what I was about to do, and hopefully, she would keep it. My mother would cause an uproar if she heard of it. Then Tristan. Well, Tristan was going to be Tristan, and he was going to be the last person I'd ever tell. I had begun packing my precious possessions into a box for Andrea to inherit when she grew
TRISTAN'S POV Watching her disappear through the door, I turned to see the captain also watching her, and I walked closer to him with my hands in my pockets. "What's in it for you, huh? Why are you following her around, always ready to run her errands, even at night?" I raised a brow at him now that I was calmer. "I am just doing my job, sir," he replied, massaging his chin with his hands and trying not to sneer pointedly at me. "I don't know if I can believe you're doing all that without a hidden motive." Goddamn it, I didn't trust this guy one bit. Under all of this gentleness, there was something he wasn't showing: "What's the deal here? "There's no deal, Alpha Tristan." "How about a hidden motive?" He smiled this time and said, "Don't we all have hidden motives?" I looked into his dark red pupils and nodded as if agreeing with him, "I'll be watching you." I smiled back, then leaning close, I tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "That's my woman. Find yourself yours."