Tatiana's POV - Duncan's Ascension Ceremony
All the guests were seated at their tables. Over a hundred and fifty guests packed the backyard. Werewolves from neighboring packs, the Kalaloch pack, and many of the Elders were all in attendance. Luna Carina had outdone herself for her son. Torches and twinkling lights lit the yard and blended in with the stars. As Duncan and Sadie entered the yard, a hush fell over the crowd. Alpha Bran and Luna Carina were already in front of the rock alter of the Moon Goddess. Duncan looked handsome and strong. Every bit an Alpha. She could not believe how much he had changed since they first met. He had apologized earlier for last night, but she was already over it. The only thing she felt now was pride and love.
As she watched her family, Tatiana began to get choked up. Sadie looked elegant in a blue dress. Duncan watched over her protectively as he did with Tia. She looked at Bran and Carina and could not imagine the house without the
Tatiana's POVThe food was delicious, and the champagne was heady. Once people finished their meals, the wait staff began clearing away the plates. Tia felt more awake and was looking forward to dancing. She knew tomorrow would bring a lot of change, so she wanted to squeeze every last bit out of tonight.The music started, and everyone began to loosen up. Duncan and Luca grabbed their partners and spun them out to the dance floor. Sadie laughed as Duncan wiggled and squirmed in front of her. His moves weren't terrible, just unexpected for his size. However, Luca pulled Tia close and rubbed his body against hers, making her and Talia pant. It was hot enough to make other she-wolves on the dance floor hot and bothered. She looked up into his eyes and wondered what had gotten into him. Whatever it was, she did not want it to stop. She looked over his shoulder and caught Sadie's eyes. She fanned herself and mouthed OMG. The feeling of his body so close to hers brought Tal
Luca's POV The next morning, Luca woke to an empty bed. Tatiana had spent the night at the clinic with Zoe. He climbed out of bed and quickly showered before heading downstairs. The caterer's had already prepared a sumptuous breakfast, and the Elders were eating and chatting at the massive dining table. Luca greeted everyone as he grabbed himself a cup of coffee. "I hear there was a bit of excitement after we left last night," Augustus said. "Yes, Hoh pack attacked a young she-wolf outside of the Village last night. Tatiana was training her to protect herself, because the attacks are becoming more frequent." He took a drink of coffee before continuing, "Can't we do anything? They have had a large influx of new warriors. They are preparing for something." Augustus said, "The Hoh Forest pack will get sanctioned if the attackers are members of the pack. However, if they are recruits and Vex denies they were members, we can do nothing. Naren is sm
Luca's POV Sadie agreed to stay with Zoe's mom while Luca drove Tia and Gaby back to the packhouse for a nap. They got Gaby situated in her old room and then went back to Tia's room. Tia flopped on the bed, exhausted. Luca slipped off her shoes and massaged her feet. "Why are you so bloody good to me," she signed. Before he could answer, she was asleep. He covered her with the blanket, kissed her, and whispered, "Sleep well my goddess." Luca hurried down to the office where Bran and Augustus were waiting for him. "How is the girl?" Bran asked. "She is expected to recover, but she had not regained consciousness yet. Tia came back with me and is resting upstairs." "That is good." Augustus nodded. "Any news about the Gamma?" "No, everything has been quiet. Not even a sighting." "Last night, Tia sensed the attack on Zoe before I did. I have never seen anything like it before. It was as if she could feel it.
Tatiana's POV After training, Tatiana and Luca dropped Gaby back at the Village. On the trip home, Tia brought up her earlier conversation with everyone at the clinic. He listened intently before asking her questions. "Tell me exactly what you felt when you realized Zoe was in trouble." She paused for a moment to think about it, "I felt her pain. It felt like my own pain at first, but then I heard her screams." "When you left the packhouse did you know where she was?" "No, not really. It was instinct. I suppose I was running toward the Village, and then I felt a pull towards her location. I didn't recognize it at first, but after they mentioned it, I remember something, some sense, guiding me there. It is hard to explain. Is something wrong with me?" Luca laughed, "No, Nothing is wrong with you, but you do have some unusual abilities." "Sadie wants me to talk to Duncan about it, but I am not sure what he is supposed to do."
Tatiana's POVThe Luna dinner was an informal event. Sadie was satisfied with a simple barbeque. As dusk fell over the property and the twinkling lights popped on, Tatiana and Luca made their way out to the yard. Sadie was already there mingling amongst pack members. Luca looked unusually informal in his jeans and t-shirt, but it suited him well. His butt in those jeans was enough to do her in, she giggled, and Luca looked back at her."What is so funny?""Nothing, I appreciate the view is all."He shook his head, realizing what she was viewing, and asked, "Are you going to stare at me like a piece of meat all night or are you going to help me serve some BBQ?"She raised an eyebrow, "Can't I do both?"He grabbed her and kissed her, "You better not start something we can't finish," a soft growl rumbled in his chest as he nipped at her lower lip.Tia fanned herself with her hand.Luca laughed and turned, heading over to the servi
Carina's POVIt was hard to believe the day had finally arrived. They were officially moving out of the packhouse and heading out on their world travels. It was time to say goodbye to an adventure that started over twenty-five years ago. She remembered first arriving in the Kalaloch territory and feeling overwhelmed. It was so different than her midwestern pack. Her home pack had been a lot smaller and less structured. She was very intimidated by the thought of being Luna to such a large, established pack. It made her chuckle now to think back on it. She had since ruled as Luna of the pack, raised her pups, and supported her Alpha. Bran had been an excellent Alpha and mate. He was tenacious, intelligent, and well respected. Now their son had taken over, and she was comforted to know her pack would be in competent hands. She was proud of the people both Duncan and Tatiana had become. Her only concern was whether Tatiana would find her place. Carina could tell from the fi
Tatiana's POVLater that afternoon, after Bran and Carina had left. Luca and Tatiana went to the Village to train. As they arrived, Gaby and Zoe were waiting with ten females and three males.Tia looked at Luca, "It seems like I may need some help.""Indeed, It looks like you have your work cut out for you," he chuckled.She raised an eyebrow at him."Yes, I will help on one condition.""What?" she sighed."On the condition that we double up on your training."She massaged her forehead with her right hand, "Fine, but we need to talk Duncan into finding someone else to take over pup training."They climbed out of the car and walked over to Gaby."Hi, Guys! We have a few more people interested in training.""I see that. Hello Everyone! I am Tatiana from Kalaloch Pack, and this is our Zeta Luca. We have a lot to cover today, so we better get started.Duncan's POVShortly after his parents left, J
Tatiana’s POV Both Luca and Duncan left before Tatiana woke up the next day. Sadie was in the kitchen when she went to grab a coffee. Sadie eyed her when she entered the room, but remained silent. “If you are going to lecture me, Luna please wait until I have had my coffee.” Tia grumbled. Sadie rolled her eyes. “I have no intention of lecturing you. It is between you and your brother, but you guys better work it out. I will not let you guys tear this pack apart.” Tia went back upstairs to the office. She kneeled on the floor and started picking up paperwork. Duncan trashed it completely. She felt terrible pushing him to that point, but she couldn’t abandon the rogues in the Village. They were a part of her. Duncan was also a big part of her. He wouldn’t force her to choose, would he? Tatiana was so busy working, and she did not hear Duncan return until she felt his eyes on her from the doorway. He leaned against the door
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