AVAOf course, our bliss could only ever be short lived. We hadn’t even sat down for dinner yet when shit decided to hit the fan again.I was sitting in my office studying the old Lycan legends when the message came. Well, two messages.The first was from a team I sent to scout out the Eclipse Mountain pack. I knew what I was destined to do, but I didn’t really know what the situation actually was at the pack. Turns out… It was bad.The territory was being attacked by rogues most days, they were constantly attempting to push through the defences. No one was entirely sure why, but it was happening. The pack, my pack, had lost ten wolves in the last month, and another twenty seven were in hospital, critically wounded. Of the twenty seven wounded, six were children under the age of ten. Six.What absolute scumbag targets children?“Jacob, Alex,” I called through the mind link. “Can you both meet me in my office?”They were in Jacob’s office, so reached mine in less than a minute. When t
NOAHI stared at the note, dumbfounded.Theo wouldn’t do this. It just wasn’t possible.“That’s his handwriting,” dad whispered.It was… but the message wasn’t right.“He physically held the pen, yes… but he didn’t write that message.”Dad glanced at me, eyes concerned.“Can I see it again, Noah?” Ava asked, voice low.I nodded, passing her the paper. She read it again, before stopping and pointing about half way down. “This isn’t right. Theo wouldn’t say this.”“Theo wouldn’t say what?” Dad asked.“Theo and I have… shared girls before, dad. That’s happily shared too. Me being in the group wouldn’t be a problem. It would have been more believable if he’d said Callum or Oscar were the problem, but not me.”“I agree, Jacob,” Ava replied. “I’m sure you don’t like hearing about your sons’ sex lives, but I completely agree with Noah.”“Theo was also happy. He was working with the rest of us to plan something to apologise to you, Ava, to make up for pushing you away.”At that comment, I saw
Three days until the full moonAVAThe next morning, Callum and I still hadn’t stopped arguing. The four of us went for breakfast together in the packhouse dining room, and as soon as we walked in, mine and his auras were so overpowering it suffocated the room.I managed to drag mine back in, as did Callum eventually, but you could still feel the anger that surrounded both of us.Callum was completely convinced that the only way to approach the issue was for me to hide for the lead up to the full moon and the day itself. That absolutely was not going to happen, and for some reason, he just couldn’t understand this. Neither he or Ares would hide away, so why he expected that I would was a mystery.At no point did I say I’d go on my own. He could even stick to me like glue the entire time, I just absolutely was not going to hide away.“Ava!” a feminine, excited voice shouted from across the room. My mum.I smiled, jumping out of my chair and running towards her to wrap her in a hug. We
AVA“AVA!” Callum shouted, his hands on my shoulders, shaking me. “Fuck, she's not breathing.” He sounded really far away.I felt Oscar and Noah drop to their knees beside me, each of them holding one of my hands, Callum’s hand stroking my hair.“Come back to us, Ava,” Callum whispered, tears in his eyes. “Please, come back to us.”I suddenly snapped awake, sitting up so quickly I headbutted Callum in the face.“Ava! You're okay!” He flung his arms around my neck, not even caring that blood was streaming down his face from where my head collided with his nose.“Fuck,” I whispered, voice hoarse. “Water, please,” I mumbled.Noah and Oscar helped me sit up whilst Callum grabbed me a bottle of water. Apparently we were back at the training ground.I sipped it slowly, soothing my sore throat.“What happened?” I whispered.“You blacked out, Ava. You suddenly stopped, your eyes clouded over, and you collapsed. You screamed as if you were in pain, and stopped breathing.”I rubbed my chest; th
AVAOnly two trains ran through Matthew's territory at that time, none in ours and only one in Eclipse Mountain. Much more workable!“What next, my Queen?” Oscar asked.“Well, my King. We go for a run.”He raised one eyebrow. “To where?”“Eclipse Mountain,” I smiled.The room was silent as if I'd said something unexpected. “We can tackle the one train route in Eclipse Mountain quickly. They are also fiercely loyal to me and so are loyal to you all, which means they'll lend me warriors to speed up the process of checking Matthew's territory.”“Ava… why not use our warriors?” Noah asked.I met his eyes, my face stony. “Because we've got a leak.”Their mouths all fell open.“How do you know?” Oscar asked.“Matthew knows things he shouldn't know. They must have an insider here, and until I know who, I don't trust anyone.”“Alright then,” Noah replied. “We go to Eclipse Mountain. When do we leave?”I pulled out my phone, checking the time. “It's a five hour run with no breaks to Eclipse M
Two days until the full moonAVAI woke up in a tangle of sated bodies, but it wasn't right. It wasn't right without Theo. I still felt like something was missing.We all went for a run before breakfast, which definitely wasn’t as relaxing as normal, thanks to the security escort Michael had insisted upon… and by the time we returned to our suite, the room had already been made up and handmaidens must have picked our outfits for the day… including my heels and tiara.I groaned when I saw the ‘casual wear’ that had been laid out for us. The men had dark blue chinos with black formal shoes and shirts, each in a different colour, whilst I had a blue chiffon cocktail style summer dress with black heels. Fortunately the tiara laid out with the outfit was a delicate one, as close to casual as it's possible to be… but it's still a tiara.“You look amazing, my Queen,” Callum smiled, taking my hand and spinning me around. “This royalty thing suits you.”I rolled my eyes.“He's right, Ava,” Osc
AVAThe run back to Blood Moon was faster this time, we managed it in only four hours. But that will be because part way back, I felt Theo being tortured. There’s nothing like the feeling of your mate being tortured to help you somehow run even faster.We set up my twelve warriors in one of the guest houses, one nicely close to the pack house in case we needed the backup quickly. I’d agreed with Callum, who was essentially my head of the Queen’s Guard, that I’d have two warriors tailing me at all times, not including him.I could deal with that.With everything that was going on, being tailed by two warriors is hardly a concern. I was planning on insisting each of my mates had a tail too once my Queen’s Guard was fully in place. They wouldn’t like it either, but they’d have to learn to deal with it.Until they didn’t, I’d keep knocking them on their asses in training.Of course, we hadn’t told Jacob and Alex yet that I’d brought twelve Lycan warriors back with us from our adventures,
AVATo summarise, it’s two days before the full moon. And it’s not early in the day either, it’s nearly 11pm.According to the Moon Goddess, Selene, that’s when shit is going to get serious.There are two psychopaths that want to forcibly mark me. One is the Rogue King, the other is the brother of the Beta female of a pack that’s not even that close to ours. They both believe that if they forcibly mark me, any future pups of ours would be all-powerful, help them take over the world… and whatever else power hungry psychopaths want.They’ve heard the legends of the Alpha Queen, and most likely interpreted it wrong.I’m still missing one of my fated mates. He's been captured by the power-hungry psychopath who wants to forcibly mark me and is being kept somewhere in a basement near a train line. We’ve still got about fifteen miles of train line to search, and it’s in a territory we’ve got to sneak into so we don’t immediately start a war.At the same time, our pack’s Alpha has been kidna
AVAI sank into the plush armchair, my body feeling like lead. The room was dimly lit, shadows dancing on the walls as the fireplace crackles softly. Oscar lay on the chaise lounge nearby, his chest rising and falling steadily. Relief washed over me, but it was tinged with a lingering anxiety that refused to dissipate."How are you feeling, love?" Theo's voice broke through my thoughts.I met his concerned gaze, and I knew my eyes were full of pain. "Like I've been hit by a truck, then run over by a train for good measure."A weak chuckle escaped Oscar's lips. "That's my girl, always with the colourful descriptions."My heart clenched. He nearly died saving me, and there he was, still trying to make me smile. I reached out, grasping his hand tightly. "We need to talk about what happened," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.Callum leaned against the mantle, his jaw clenched. "Agreed. We can't let something like this happen again."I could feel the weight of their worry, their lov
AVAI couldn't bear it anymore. The pain of feeling Oscar slipping away was too much. With a surge of desperate strength, I pushed against Theo's chest. "Let me go," I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper.Theo's arms loosened, surprise flashing across his face. I took advantage of his momentary hesitation and scrambled away, my legs giving out as I reached Oscar's side. I collapsed to my knees, my hand finding his."Oscar," I whispered, squeezing his fingers. They felt so cold. Too cold. "Don't you dare leave me."I could feel our bond stretching, thinning like a gossamer thread about to snap. Panic clawed at my throat. This couldn't be happening. Not after everything we'd been through."Ava," Callum's deep voice c
CALLUMI could feel Theo's anger radiating off him in waves as we strode down the dimly lit corridor toward Sera's cell. My own fury simmered just beneath the surface, barely contained."Remember, we need information," I said, my voice low and tight. "Don't let her provoke you."Theo's jaw clenched. "I'll try."As we approached the heavy iron door, I took a deep breath, steeling myself. The guard unlocked it with a harsh clang that echoed off the stone walls.Sera sat on a narrow cot, her raven hair tumbling over her shoulders. Those unnerving violet eyes locked onto us as we entered."Well, well," she purred. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a royal visit?"
OSCARI couldn’t tear my eyes away from Ava's lifeless gaze as the healers swarmed around us like agitated bees. The scent of herbs and magic hung thick in the air, mingling with the acrid tang of fear emanating from my brothers and me. My fingers tightened around Ava's limp hand, desperately seeking some flicker of response."Damn it, why isn't anything working?" I growled, frustration boiling over as another potion fails to elicit even a twitch from our mate.Noah placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. "They're doing everything they can, Oscar. We have to be patient."Patient? How could I be patient when the love of my life is lying there like an empty shell? The urge to lash out, to find that witch and tear her apart with my bare hands, was nearly overwhelming.
AVAThe moon's absence cast an eerie darkness over the ritual circle, the air thick with anticipation and the scent of herbs. I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I stepped into the silver-etched boundary of the circle, my heart pounding against my ribs like a caged bird. Sera's violet eyes gleamed in the flickering candlelight, her raven hair seeming to absorb the shadows around us. I could feel the tension radiating from my Kings through our bond, their worry and love intertwining with my own determination."Are you ready to begin, Your Majesty?" Sera's melodic voice carried an undercurrent of excitement that set my nerves on edge.I swallowed hard, casting a glance at my mates. Callum's jaw was clenched, his blue eyes stormy with concern. Theo's hands were balled into fists at his sides, while Noah's gaze was fix
AVAI bolted upright, a scream tearing from my throat. The room spun, shadows dancing in the dim light of dawn. My heart pounded, sweat plastering my nightgown to my skin."Ava!" Noah's voice, thick with sleep, cut through my panic. His strong arms encircled me, pulling me against his chest. "It's okay, love. You're safe."I couldn’t stop shaking, the nightmare's grip still tight around my mind. The empty crib, the hollow ache in my arms - it felt so real."The nightmare again?" Theo asked softly, his hand finding mine in the tangle of blankets.I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. Oscar shifted closer, his warmth a comforting presence at my back. Callum's fingers brushed my cheek, wiping away tears I hadn't realised I'd shed."Talk to us, Ava," Callum urged gently.I took a shuddering breath. "It was... worse this time. I could hear a baby crying, but no matter
AVAThe library door crept open, and Theo stepped in, his blue eyes immediately finding mine. My heart rate picked up as he approached, his muscular frame taut with tension."Ava," he breathed, sinking into the chair beside me. His large hand engulfed mine, calloused fingers tracing soothing circles on my skin.I swallowed hard, bracing myself. "Theo, I—""Wait," he interrupted gently. "Let me speak first, please."I nodded, biting my lip.Theo took a deep breath. "I understand how much you want this. Truly, I do. The thought of having a child with you... it's something I've dreamed about." His voice broke slightly. "But Ava, the risks..."
AVADays passed, and the tension in the castle grew as thick as the snow piling outside. I could feel it in every glance, every touch from my Kings. They were worried, and I couldn’t blame them. But I couldn’t let this go, either.I was poring over ancient tomes in the library when Sera glided in, her presence as ethereal as ever. "Any luck, Your Majesty?" she asked.I shook my head, frustration bubbling up inside me. "Nothing. Not a single mention of the Fertility Invocation outside of what you've told us."Sera's lips curved into a sympathetic smile. "It's an ancient and rare ritual, My Queen. Few have the knowledge or power to attempt it."Her words sent a chill down my spine, both thrilling and terrifying. I closed the book before me, dust motes dancing in the air. "Tell me more," I whispered, my heart racing.Sera leaned in, her voice low and intense. "Think of it, Avelina. A chi
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