Tatiana's POV
Tia returned to the house the following morning after searching for Luca all night. No one was awake yet. She popped her head into Luca's room, but he wasn't there. She tiptoed to her room and flopped on the bed. There was a light rap on the door. Tia looked up to see Gaby standing in the open doorway of her adjoining room. Tia motioned for Gaby to join her.
"Good morning! This place is beautiful, and I have never slept in such a comfortable bed in my life."
"I am glad you slept well. You needed it."
"Yes, I did. I appreciate what you have done for me, and I apologize for yesterday."
Before Tia could protest, she held up her hand and continued, "I don't want you to think I am ungrateful because nothing could be further from the truth. However, I need to go back to the Village. If I stay here, I will be hiding. I don't want to hide. I want to face this and get through it."
Tia nodded, "Okay. I understand. However, I want you to
Tatiana's POV When Tatiana pulled up in front of the packhouse, Luca was outside to meet her. She was relieved to see him standing there. He looked vibrant and healthy. She jumped out of the car and ran into his arms, "Don't you ever do that to me again!" Luca wrapped his arms around her holding her tight against his body, "I am sorry." She angrily pushed away from him, "Sorry for what? Running off without a word, or not telling me the full story?" "What full story?" "Oh, I don't know, maybe the part about when you use your empathic and healing abilities it slowly drives you insane!" He looked startled, "Who told you?" "Does it matter? The point is that I know." "It is true that in the end, Zeta's do lose their minds, after a few centuries of using their abilities. It is not the most glamourous end, but it is hardly unique. I am sorry you had to find out this way." He stepped towards her and pulled her i
Luca's POVThe Alpha and Luna had gone to bed, so Luca finished up the last of his paperwork and call it a night. He quietly crept upstairs and stopped in front of Tatiana's door. Her light was on, so he knocked. She opened the door, surprised to find him standing there. Tia took his hand and led him inside. Before he could speak, she pulled him to her and crushed her lips against his. He responded hungrily as his hands slid under her nightgown and pulled down her panties. Tia's lips trailed down his neck. Her teeth grazed the skin on his neck where his mark was, sending shivers up his spine. She pushed him back onto the bed and pulled her nightgown off over her head. Her eyes stared deeply into his as they flickered between blue and violet. The backlight made her body appear to glow. She kneeled in front of him and started to unbuckle his pants. As he looked down at her, Lux strained against him. A guttural groan reverberated from him. Her tongue softly lapped at the head of
Luca's POVLuca stood in the shower, holding Tatiana, "You know I am empathic. The closer I get to people, the more emotions get involved. It is easier to keep my distance, so I can perform better at my job.""Isn't it lonely?""Sometimes it can be, but I have you and the Alpha and Luna. Having more friends does not guarantee you will no longer be lonely."She kissed his forehead and his soft, warm lips, "Fine, then my mission is to get you away from work as much as possible."He laughed and flashed her a sexy smile, "Good luck with that," as he squirted shampoo into his hand and started massaging into her hair.She turned her back to him and let him work his magic, "You know I can wash my own hair.""I know you can, but I want to do it for you."She sighed, "This is dangerous. I can get used to being spoiled by you.""I can get used to spoiling you."Duncan's POVDuncan and Sadie finished up a run through
Duncan's POVAs they arrived at Sea-Tac Airport, Duncan was glad to be home. He had been away longer than expected. Sadie was quieter than usual. He gave her hand a quick squeeze, and she smiled up at him. Luca was picking them up from the airport. So they headed to baggage claim."Are you nervous?""Yes, but in a good way. I am looking forward to this new life.""You know you can always fly back home for a couple of days if you are feeling home sick?""I know. I love you for that," Sadie said as she stood on her tippy toes and kissed him."Hey, get a room you two," a familiar voice said behind him.Sadie squealed and ran to Tatiana. She winked at Duncan."I thought Luca was coming.""Yes he is here," she motioned toward the baggage carousel. Luca stood there patiently waiting for it to shudder awake.Duncan gave Tia a big hug, lifting her off the ground, "It is good to see you are still in one piece."She
Tatiana's POV Since Luca and Tatiana reached a tentative truce, he drove her to train at the Village. Gaby asked at the last session if another young she-wolf named Zoe could join training sessions. Her mother was worried about keeping her safe. Tia was happy to train her. She was a sweet girl and was eager to learn. She had a zeal for self-defense that Tia admired. When Tia arrived promptly at 2 pm, both Gaby and Zoe were ready to learn. Neither of them shied away from combat either. Zoe broke Gaby's left hand, but she kept fighting. Zoe tore a tendon in her knee that required her to stay off of it for twenty-four hours. Tia did not realize the extent of the injury until Gaby had to take a moment to rebreak the bone so it would heal properly. Despite the injuries, both wolves were progressing beyond what Tia had imagined. Gaby especially was a natural. Today they wanted to discuss the attack on Mora. Tatiana asked if they had seen or heard anything strange l
Sadie's POV Tatiana took Sadie on a whirlwind tour of pack territory. Sadie needed some girl time with Tia. They ended the evening having cocktails on the main street at Tia's favorite Italian restaurant. Duncan met them there for dinner. When he arrived, they were both tipsy. "What have you done to my mate, Tia?" Duncan scolded when he smelled the alcohol. Tia shrugged and giggled, "I gave her a proper tour of the Kalaloch property, and then we discovered together how good the Mojitos are here." Duncan shook his head, "Well, at least you both stayed within the pack boundary." "Another round of Mojito's," Sadie called out to the waiter. "Don't you think you should eat something first?" Duncan frowned. Sadie scowled back at him, "Aren't you a party pooper!" The waiter returned quickly with another round of Mojitos and took their food order. Sadie nuzzled up to Duncan, "Are you upset with me?" "No, you are allowed
Tatiana's POVWhen Tatiana and Luca woke again, a couple of hours had passed. She felt slightly better, but she did not want to get out of bed. Today was Duncan's ascension ceremony, and she did not feel ready for it. Tia snuggled against Luca's body. He was warm, and he felt sublime. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "How are you feeling?""I feel better than earlier, but not great. How about you? You were out late.""I was on patrol. We go some rain last night, so it felt nice to come back to a warm bed with you in it."She turned around in his arms and looked into his eyes, "Is our relationship significantly different from what you had with your mate?"He thought for a moment, "Yes, every relationship is different. What specifically are you curious about?""It was just something Duncan said. He figures if we were fated to be mates by the Moon Goddess, we would never let each other out of sight."Luca laughed,
Tatiana's POV Everyone had been working hard all day, and it all came together perfectly. The Omegas were completing the finishing touches while everyone else was getting ready for the ceremony. Tatiana stayed back to help before heading in to shower and get dressed. As she entered, she found Luca sitting in the lounge talking with Duncan's Grandfather, Augustus. All the pack Elders returned for the ceremony. Most Elders stayed with family members or at the packhouse. Tia met Augustus earlier when he and their Grandmother Elspeth arrived. He was a very stately gentleman, and Elspeth was beautiful with her long flowing gray hair and striking green eyes. Duncan got his eyes from his Grandmother. They were both warm and friendly, and Tatiana liked them right away. It struck her as strange as she watched them speak that they looked the same age at one time. Since then, Augustus had aged, but Luca barely changed at all. Zeta's aged much slower than the average Werewolf. I
Ari’s eyes flickered in the candlelight as he leaned over her. The feeling of his body and scent so close made her ache for him. Yet he was slow and purposeful as he leaned into her. His lips melted into hers and his warmth overwhelmed all her senses until she felt his fingers pinch her hard nipples. Pleasure shot through her body, down between her legs. She pressed her body against him until she could feel his arousal pressing against her thigh. He nipped her ear as a soft growled rattled in his chest. She moaned as his lips traveled down her body. Her hands running down the hard muscles rippling on his back.Suddenly, Ari’s body froze, and he looked toward the cave entrance. Tia was about to say something when she heard it. The sound of a deep huff and a growl. It was a bear. Ari climbed off of her in a flash and shifted to Nikau as he darted out the door. She could hear a viscous growl rip from Nikau, followed by a growl from the bear. Tatiana shifted into Talia and darted out to f
Dorothea was sitting at the bonfire watching the villagers scurry by preparing to start their day. Ari was finishing up his breakfast, talking to Mike. Mike finished first and left the table. As Ari was about to stand up, Dorothea called out to him.“Gamma, come.”Ari look around and then walked over.“Good morning Dorothea.”She motioned for him to take a seat next to her. Ari sat down and her voice dropped to a whisper.“We need to keep this to ourselves.”“What is it?”“Have you noticed Tatiana getting irritable and feeling off?”He wasn’t sure how much he should share about his personal life with her, but finally, he nodded.“She is going into heat. I give her one or two days, tops. You need to get her out of camp. Once she scents, there will be chaos.”Ari looked stunned, but it explained a lot.“Take her where?”“You need to get her as far away from werewolf packs and villages as possible. There is a cave out on the coast. It is where a lot of she-wolves go while in heat. If you
Tia was eating breakfast when the Kalaloch pack arrived, but it surprised her to see Duncan and Sadie get out of one suburban. Ari had already left for training, and Gaby was leaving for the Arena when they arrived. She introduced Micah to everyone, and said he would take care of their food orders, before she waved and hurried down the path.Duncan and Sadie exchanged hugs with Tia.“This is a pleasant surprise.”“I am sorry I showed up unexpectedly with Duncan, but I am hiding.”Duncan snickered and bent down, whispering in Tia’s ear.“Good luck with this one.”He then walked off to talk to Mike.Tia pulled up a seat for Sadie next to her and motioned for her to sit.“Okay. What are you hiding from?”“It isn’t a what so much as a who, your mother, to be exact.”Tatiana snorted, almost inhaling her coffee. As she coughed and spat, Duncan glanced over and laughed.“Why are you hiding from mom?”Sadie looked sheepish.“I sort of snapped at her yesterday, and now she is upset with me.”T
Sadie came down the stairs with a bundle in her arms. She looked exhausted, but smiled when she saw Tatiana. She came over to her placed Logan in her arms. Tatiana couldn’t tear her eyes away. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He wiggled in her arms and made adorable gurgling noises.“I just fed him, so he should be happy.”Tia looked at Sadie as tears slipped from her eyes. She was mortified, but she couldn’t hold them back. Sadie smiled and hugged them both.“Logan, meet your Aunt Tia. She is going to love you so much. You will always be safe with Mommy and Auntie Tia around, and you will learn quick that you don’t take she-wolves for granted.”Tatiana laughed.“He is beautiful, Sadie. I love him already. You have made the most beautiful pup I have ever seen.”Sadie smiled as she put her forehead against Tia’s.“Your brother makes beautiful boys, doesn’t he?”Tia sniffled.“No, you both do.”She looked up at Carina and Bran and back to Sadie.“This little pup will t
Tatiana’s skin touched Ari, and it exploded with tingles. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Her body was taking over, and it wanted him. His warmth radiated through her and his scent drove her crazy. She cursed under her breath. This fucking bond had her at its mercy. She was made for him. Despite all her defiance toward the fated mates, Ari was intoxicating. His delicious, hard body and soft touches made her want to rip his clothes off and feel his skin next to hers. She fought it with everything she had, but her resistance was crumbling. She looked into his eyes, and a growl escaped her. Before she was aware she was moving, she was on top of him, nuzzling his neck inhaling his scent. Talia was no longer waiting, and she had pushed forward and taken control. Ari’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he gave in to the feeling of her body on top of his. They flickered as she felt Nikau trying to push forward, but Ari pushed him back. He suddenly realized Talia had take
It surprised Tia to see Zoe arrive with Jared. It was the middle of the night. Jared looked sleepy, but Zoe was wide awake. She greeted Tia with a hug, and congratulations. Jared rubbed his eyes and mumbled his. Ari patted Jacob roughly on the back. He seemed to wake up long enough to do a special hand shake with Ari before he led Zoe into the house. They had a long night ahead putting baby furniture together. Duncan never found the time and Sadie had been too sick. Tia was going to help them until they attacked her. If Luca had been here, he would have assembled them weeks ago. Luca always took care of what needed to be done, no matter how big or small, without complaint. He always thought of others before himself, especially his Alpha. As a result, we left it for Zoe, who I am sure, when she accepted the job of Logan's nanny, did not know it involved putting furniture together at 2 am. Despite all that, she took it in stride, and clearly handled it way better than Jared did. Ari chu
A month passed before Vex returned to the Hoh Forest Pack property. He arrived bloody and dirty looking as if he hadn’t showered since he left. Kyle had enlisted the help of Mora pack to maintain order and help in the recovery after the Kalaloch attack. Vex showed up in silence, stomped to the packhouse and disappeared inside. He nearly knocked Kyle over as he stepped out of the kitchen.“You are back!”“Yes, I am back. I wasn’t sure I would find anyone here.”“Alpha Dylan has helped to loan us some men. It spread him pretty thin, however, and wants them back as soon as possible.”“How many?”“All of them. We are in talks with a pack from Idaho that lost their Alpha and land recently. They are small, with only about 20 warriors, but it would be enough to keep us together.”Vex said nothing, so Kyle continued.“Now that you are back, we can arrange a meeting with the Luna. Prior to returning home to her family pack, she wants to take care of her husband’s pack.”“Good job, Kyle. Set it
Vex was in talk's up north at Mora pack organizing a new transfer of warriors, when Kyle interrupted the meeting. His face was ghostly pale. "I just got news Hoh Pack was attacked. Kalaloch came in early in the morning and attacked before we were able to react. We lost all our warriors."Vex' face turned red and he slammed his fist on the table. "Vex, both Alpha Naren and Luna Daisy were also killed.""How did this fucking happen? You are my Beta. You should be on top of this shit."Vex charged Kyle, but Alpha Dylan stepped in and shoved him back. "It is not Kyle's fault. Are you going to kill the last surviving warrior in your pack? What will that help?"Vex let out a tortured growl and stormed from the room. He shifted as he cleared the building and darted for the woods. Kyle was about to follow him, but Dylan stopped him. "I would not recommend it. He needs time to get his head on straight. You need to get back to your pack.""No, I will wait for Vex.""Kyle, you just told him
Dinner had finished hours ago. Gaby was asleep, but Tia kept having nightmares. She wandered out to the fire. She expected to find Ari asleep, but he was awake and poking a stick at the fire. He looked up as she approached. She pulled her blanket tighter around her and sat on a log.“Couldn’t sleep?”She ignored the comment.“I know right now it feels like I am the enemy, but I hope you realize that is not true.”Still, Tia remained silent.They both sat in silence for a while until again he spoke.“I don’t know your feelings on the matter, but I don’t take the fact that you are my fated partner lightly. We can talk or not, but I am not going anywhere. My place is here with you.”“I know you are not my enemy, and I know you helped save my life. I am sure I seem pretty ungrateful and unfriendly. The moon goddess made a mistake. I am not supposed to be here. Luca is supposed to be the one alive. He loved me and look where it got him. I was stupid and cocky and it cost him his life. I br