AVAA couple hours after that eventful breakfast, I found myself in the gym, kicking bags. The fight I’d had with Beta Alexander had become the talk of the pack, and both the Beta and Alpha referring to me as Artemis may have let it slip that I had my wolf already…“Fuck,” I growled under my breath, kicking the bag so hard it split.Footsteps suddenly stopping behind me had me spinning around, still trying to keep my temper and Artemis under control. It was the twins. As soon as I saw them, I turned back before they could notice Artemis in my eyes.“Ava… talk to us,” Callum begged. “What happened this morning?”“Just a dispute with your dad after our run, Callum. Nothing major.”“Ava, that didn’t sound like it wasn’t major,” Oscar added.“It’s fine, leave it,” I growled, kicking the bag again.“Ava, please, talk to us,” Noah begged. I turned to face them all, my eyes closed, willing Artemis to calm down.The looks on their faces when I opened my eyes said it didn’t work, and my eyes w
NOAH“And this is Artemis,” dad said, motioning towards the other side of the training grounds.A huge midnight black wolf trotted towards us with bright yellow eyes. Yellow eyes that we’d seen before…The wolf, Artemis, walked over to us, stopping directly in front of us before licking each of our faces in turn. My dad and Beta Alexander chuckled at the show, but the four of us just didn’t know how to react to a massive wolf licking our faces.We’d all seen wolves around the territory before, of course we have, but never quite this up close and personal. I definitely hadn’t been licked by one before.Typically, the first time kids in our pack get up close and personal with other wolves is when they shift for the first time.Unless there’s an emergency, our pack members aren’t permitted to run in wolf form through the middle of the most densely populated areas in daylight hours. We have a lot of young pups, so all possible steps need to be taken to make sure they don’t accidentally g
CALLUM“I’m sure you all have some questions for Ava, but I would appreciate it if you can hold off until after we’ve gone through everything that’s happened today,” Alpha Jacob said, before turning to Ava and my dad.“What happened when you two ran this morning?”“Three rogues by the river. I made Ava hide whilst I shifted back to talk to them. They were here on behalf of their ‘boss’, who believes his mate might be in this pack.”“Of course, we believe they’re actually talking out of their backsides, and he’s planning on forcing a matebond on someone,” Ava continued, before throwing a concerned look towards my dad. “This she-wolf they’re looking for is apparently a special woman with a special wolf.”Dad’s face was stressed, and just got more stressed as he looked at Ava. Was it her?“The three wolves fled before we could do anything about it. All three of them were in the group just now, two are dead, and the third is in the cells waiting to be interrogated,” dad explained.“What e
AVAThe next morning, the twins insisted on joining Beta Alexander and I at the training ground for our 5am run. Of course since they were on two legs they couldn’t keep up, but we took it in turns carrying them around the forest for a while. Callum loved it when I took him; Noah was nervous at first and thought I was going to crash into a tree, but when he settled, he just wanted to keep going.I high fived Beta Alexander after our run, chucking a bottle of water over to him which he caught easily. “Hey, Ava?” he shouted.“Mmm?” I turned to look at him, water bottle still in my hand.“Think fast.”He sprinted at me, going straight for my legs.I rolled out of the way, spinning back to my feet a few metres away from where I started. When he ran for me again, I was ready.I dropped to the ground and spun, kicking his legs out from underneath him.He skidded across the floor from the momentum that he had been carrying, scowling at me when he stood. I shrugged. “You always taught me not
AVAI took advantage of his distraction; darting behind him before flinging my massive body at him, knocking him onto his back. This time when Artemis had her jaws around his neck, he had no choice but to submit.The applause when he did was enormous, and only got louder as we both shifted back and lay on the floor trying to catch our breath. “Good fight, Alpha Jacob,” I laughed, noticing that my ribs were sore from some of the kicks he got in.“Good job, Alpha, Alpha,” Beta Alexander appeared over us, throwing us both spare clothes since we both shredded everything we were wearing.“What was the final time, Beta? Alpha Jacob asked, both of us still lying on the floor. “One hour and forty eight minutes!”“Jeez, no wonder my ribs hurt,” I laughed, before wincing at the pain.We both got to our feet, and it was only then that I realised Alpha Jacob had come off considerably worse. I winced when I saw his face. “Sorry about the black eye, Alpha,” I grimaced.He just laughed, pulling me
CALLUMI would love to know what Ava said to dad over the mindlink to distract him that much. Since it involved Oscar and I… I had a pretty good idea.I also was very aware that the only reason we were here and Ava wasn’t was because of whatever she had said.She walked in between us on the way back from the field, winking as she went, before pulling the t-shirt over her head, leaving it in one of the spare clothes stashes and shifting to run back to the packhouse.Noah and Theo were on the other side of the group, both still slightly shocked that they’d seen Ava take their dad down. Who wouldn’t have been shocked though?An hour later, dad finally let us go.The FiveAva: I’m lonely, boys. Come join me.Noah: Where are you, Princess?Ava: You’ll find out soon enough. No cheating, you have to work it out on your own.Ava: For now though… enjoy.She followed that message up with a photo of her having just gotten out of the shower. As soon as we saw that, Oscar and I sprinted straight b
AVAI made a point of not seeing any of the twins for the rest of that day. One way or another, they would learn to shut doors behind them like civilised people.I still hadn’t spoken to them by the time I got to the training grounds for what had become my regularly scheduled run with Alex. Not many people could keep up with Artemis, and I needed to run with someone who stood a chance.“Morning, Alex,” I called out when I saw him.“Morning, Ava,” he smirked. “Have you spoken to my sons?”“Not since yesterday. Nor the Alpha’s sons.”He laughed so hard he nearly cried. “Oh Ava, you really are my favourite. Shall we run?”“Let’s do it.”We both shifted, and after Kieran and Artemis’ usual display of respect, we ran straight into the woods. We’d been running for an hour by the time I noticed something was… wrong.“Alex,” I called through the link. “Can you feel that?”“Feel what?”“We’re being watched.”“Fuck. Okay carry on like normal whilst we try to work this out.”“We’re too far out
CALLUMI was left standing there dumbfounded when Ava left. The looks on Oscar, Noah and Theo’s faces said they had exactly the same thoughts.“Dad,” I asked. “What is Ava? How… Why can she…”“That’s a question for Ava, son. But as she tried to tell you, she doesn’t need to go to the hospital, wolfsbane doesn’t affect her.” He sighed, turning back to Alpha Jacob. “You and I should probably go and apologise to her, Alpha.”Alpha Jacob nodded, sighing too. “We fucked up, she’s going to be pissed, and rightly so. Her power when she commanded you was something else… I know I would have had trouble resisting if it had been focused on me.” He groaned.“Yeah, I had no chance of resisting that command, Alpha,” dad replied.“If she doesn’t forgive us, we’re going to have to come up with a plan to back her up because she’ll tackle this on her own.”“Wait, Ava commanded you, dad?”He nodded, a scowl on his face.“Boys, why don’t you go down for lunch and make sure Ava is okay? Beta Alexander and
AVAThe howling wind outside the castle walls mirrored the turmoil in my mind as I stared out the frost-covered window. Days have passed, and the relentless snowstorm showed no signs of abating. I pressed my palm against the icy glass, feeling the chill seep into my bones."My Queen," a guard's voice cut through my thoughts. "There's someone at the gates seeking refuge."I turned, eyebrows raised. "In this weather? Who would be mad enough to travel?"As if in answer, the doors to the great hall burst open, a gust of snow and a cloaked figure blowing straight into the castle. The hood fell back, revealing a woman with raven-black hair and piercing violet eyes."Greetings, Your Majesty," she said, her voice as smooth as silk
AVAThe crackling fire cast a warm glow across the Crown Suite as I curled up on the plush sofa, nestled between Callum and Noah. Theo and Oscar lounged in armchairs nearby, all of us basking in the contentment of our earlier run. Outside, fat snowflakes swirled past the frosted windows, blanketing the kingdom in white.I couldn’t help but smile, remembering the joy of our pack - wolves and Lycans alike, frolicking together in the fresh powder. It's everything we worked for.But as I watched the storm intensify, a flicker of worry sparks in my chest. "I heard earlier that this storm is going to keep getting worse," I said, breaking the comfortable silence. "We'll have to arrange resources to make sure the city and the wider Kingdom don't struggle."Callum's arm tightened around me. "You're right, love. What did you have in mind?"I sat up straighter, my mind already racing. "I've got the basics arrang
AVAA few days later, I woke up to a chill nipping at my nose. Blinking away sleep, I snuggled deeper into the warmth of my mates surrounding me. Noah's arm tightened around my waist, Theo's breath tickled my neck, Callum and Oscar were a tangle of limbs across my legs.Something felt different. The air held a crisp, expectant quality. Curiosity tugged at me, urging me to get up.Carefully extricating myself from the pile of bodies, I walked to the window. My breath caught as I pulled back the heavy curtain."Oh my god!" I squealed, unable to contain my excitement. "It snowed!"A blanket of pristine white covered everything in sight, transforming our kingdom into a winter wonderland. Artemis, my wolf, pranced joyfully in m
CALLUMThe aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, mingling with the scent of pine from the surrounding forest. I watched as Ava cradled her mug, her green eyes sparkling with a lightness I haven't seen in weeks. The weight of her crown seemed to have lifted, if only temporarily."I can't believe we have to leave today," Ava sighed, her curly brown hair still tousled from sleep. "This getaway has been exactly what we needed."I nodded, feeling a pang of regret that our time here is coming to an end. "It has. You needed this, little one. A chance to just be Ava, not Queen Avelina."Oscar chimed in, his tone playful. "Yeah, no royal duties, no political manoeuvring. Just us, the beach, and s'mores by the campfire."Theo snorted, a rare smile tugging at his lips. "Don't forget the skinny dipping."Noah nearly choked on his coffee, laughing. "How could we forget? I still have sand in places I'd rather not mention.
AVAI dug my toes into the warm sand, relishing the sensation as I looked out over the sparkling ocean. The rhythmic crash of waves provided a soothing backdrop to our little beach paradise. Noah's strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me close."Penny for your thoughts, my queen?" he murmured, his breath tickling my ear.I leaned into him, savouring his warmth. "Just thinking how perfect this moment is. All of us together, away from the pressures of the Kingdom."Theo approached, his blue eyes twinkling as he handed me a fruity cocktail. "Careful, or you might get used to this life of leisure."I laughed, taking a sip. The sweet, tangy flavor danced on my tongue. "Don't tempt me. I might just abdicate and become a beach bum."Oscar's voice rang out from where he and Callum were setting up a volleyball net. "As if you could ever abandon your duty, Ava. It's too ingrained in you."His words, though teasing, held
AVAThe flames of our bonfire danced against the night sky, casting shadows across the sand. I leaned back, feeling the warmth of Callum and Theo supporting me as Noah and Oscar stretched out across my legs. The ocean's rhythmic waves provided a soothing backdrop to our quiet evening."Look, a shooting star!" I exclaimed, pointing upward.As the streak of light arced across the heavens, I closed my eyes and made a silent wish. Please, let there be a way for me to have a child of my own. To have a family with these four incredible men I love."What did you wish for, love?" Noah asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.I opened my eyes and smiled mysteriously. "You know I can't tell you that. It won't come true."
AVAThe sizzle of bacon filled the air as I stood over the hob, wielding a spatula like a scepter. It had been a long time since I'd cooked anything myself, and the familiar domesticity warms me more than the heat from the stove."How's it coming along, love?" Noah's deep voice rumbled against my ear as his arms encircled my waist. His lips brushed my neck, sending a delightful shiver down my spine.I leaned into his embrace, savouring the moment. "Mmm, perfectly crispy. Though I might burn it if you keep distracting me like that."Noah chuckled, his chest vibrating against my back. "We can't have that, can we?" He gave me a final squeeze before moving away to pour coffee.I returned my focus to the bacon, flipping each strip with practiced ease. The aroma was intoxicating, reminding me of lazy Sunday mornings from my childhood. Before my world expanded to include four incredible mates and an entire kingdom."I vote we make this a weekly tradition," Theo piped up, sliding past me with
AVAI stared at my four mates in disbelief, my mind struggling to process their words. "A week away? But I can't possibly…"Callum's warm eyes met mine, gold flecks shimmering as he stepped closer. "Ava, love, we've arranged everything. Michael's agreed to cover your duties.""But the kingdom…" I protested weakly, even as a part of me yearned for escape.Oscar's playful smirk cut through my objections. "It’s sorted, I promise. Jeremiah and the Queen's Guard are on board too. They'll be coming along to keep us safe and sound."I felt a gentle brush against my mind;Theo, working to reassure me. His deep voice rumbled, "We've packed your things. You don't need to worry about anything."
THEOThe weight of silence hung heavy in Callum's office, broken only by the occasional creak of leather as we shifted in our seats. My eyes drifted from face to face; Callum's furrowed brow, Noah's clenched jaw, and Oscar's distant gaze. The air was thick with unspoken worry, all of us grappling with the same gut-wrenching concern.Ava."We can't go on like this," I finally said, my voice rough with emotion. "Ava's struggling, and we're all feeling it. We need to do something."Noah leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Agreed. But what? We've tried everything the healers suggested."I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building. We're supposed to protect her, to make everything right. But how do we shield her from h