AURELIA~~I felt it… The second Raiden accepted my long-standing rejection, I felt it in my bones. Mostly, I felt relieved that it was finally over with him but still, a tiny part of me grieved what could have been… what the both of us could have been, what our life would have been like with our kids if we didn’t start on the wrong track.I found myself thinking about the unknown future that stood before us all and I felt fear sinking into my bones as I wondered if I’d ever be happy.But that wasn’t all I felt. I felt suspicious as well. It’s been almost an hour since we left Raiden’s territory and even though we still had a long journey before us, something seemed off. Not only was the car in front speeding off like it wanted to get to Black Fur before the rest. Could Hazel be so excited that she told the driver to go faster than usual? I wouldn’t put it past her but I wished I could tell her to think about safety first.Aside from that, the driver of our car seemed to be stru
AURELIA~~I screamed in hopes that I would be able to get the other driver to use the dam brakes if they were still working.But my scream was cut short when the third car hit ours with a loud bang that had the car spinning so fast. Before I could jump out of the way, I saw my driver’s head hit the steering wheel and window as the car tumbled, His blood tinted the windscreen and my heart cried for him but I still had to jump to protect my kids.I jumped, making the mistake of backing the edge of the hill but that wasn’t the end. I mean, right there and then, the third car did a quick reverse and I almost let out a sigh of relief, thinking the car’s driver was finally back to his scenes.However, he drove straight and fast into our car again. I couldn’t escape the quick impact as the car tumbled again, slamming into me. The impact knocked air out of my lungs but somehow, my hold on my babies was stronger than ever. “Mom…” “Mama…” The twins screamed simultaneously. I didn’t reali
ALPHA RAIDEN~~I COULDN’T SAVE THEM!I tried. I ran. I caught up with them but not in time to save my family… Unfortunately, I was in time to witness the earthshattering explosion and that took my heart out. I lost all senses as my eyes reflected the tall flame and my brain registered the fact that I was too late… “He didn’t plan to kill them here. They’ve to be here somewhere.” Lex cried, agony taking over us both as I scanned the area through my wolf’s eyes in search of Aurelia and the kids. If only I could sense them. If only I feel some sort of connection to them…. I had no links with the kids and the only link I had with Aurelia had been severed about an hour ago. Despite being in my wolf’s form, I still couldn’t get a whiff of them… not even with the smoke that had filled the air.Fuck! Not knowing what could have happened to them or where they could be was killing me. However, Jake didn’t seem to share in my worries. In fact, he didn’t even notice that I was standing beh
ALPHA TRISTAN'S POV~~I got the news of Larisa’s plan from my men a few days ago and I have been trying to reach someone… anyone from Dark Moon Pack so I could warn them but no one answered their damn phone. Not Hazel!Not Aurelia herself!Not even her dumb ex-mate who was a goddamn Alpha! I also haven’t heard from any of them in days.Heck! I wanted to believe they were still in Dark Moon Pack but I’d be a fool to think that, especially after I got the news that Hazel was found unconscious in the middle of the road with a coffin and there was no sign of Aurelia and the twins. “I still don’t understand why we are still here instead of going out there to search for them,” Dolf grumbled impatiently even though the men I sent out were on their way back to the pack with Hazel and Jessica’s body. “Sending men out isn’t enough–” “You do know I have an advantage, right? It’s clear that Larisa’s plan already went through and her people have Aurelia and the kids.” I retorted, hoping to
LARISA’S POV ~~In all my years of relating with Raiden, first as his lover and then as his Luna, I have never been disrespected by him. After living with him for over six years, I can boldly say he was nothing like the savage that Tristan was. That son of a shit slapped me like he was trying to break my face. I didn’t see those jaw-crushing slaps coming even though I had realized that the people who took me were not Raiden’s men before Alpha Tristan removed the blindfold. Raiden men would have still treated me like I was human but these ones didn’t give a fuck about me. I presumed the only reason they didn’t kill me on sight was because Tristan wanted to have the honor to himself.My heart was racing like the continuity of my life depended on how fast it could beat as I thought about what my life had become overnight. I, Larisa Wellington, Dark Moon’s precious Princess who later became their most wanted Luna candidate was now a prisoner to someone who seemed to only care about A
ALPHA RAIDEN~~I stared at the cell phone for the longest time, shaking visibly yet doing my best to contain the rage rushing through my veins, poisoning my mind and contaminating my broken soul yet keeping me alive. That rage was the only thing that had kept me breathing for the past few days and letting it out on Jake who I had tied to a pole in the pack square, was one way to keep myself sane.Mostly, I was mad at Larisa and Jake. However, I was mad at myself as well. Do I always have to be a failure? Why can’t I do one thing right? I had commanded my men to stretch out and search the area where the accident happened. I had been searching with them but there was no sign of Aurelia and the kids. We found no sign of life, except for a few of their belongings scattered around the explosion spot.This brings me to the struggle that I have been dealing with… The struggle of accepting that they were gone–“They can’t be gone.” Lex countered with a ferocious whimper. He somehow
LARISA’S POV ~~Icy cold water hit my body all of a sudden and my eyes flashed open, air rushing into my lungs.“You don’t get to sleep.” Alpha Tristan snarled at me.Was I even sleeping? Hell, I just closed my eyes like what? Ten minutes ago? He wouldn’t leave me alone for crying out loud. If he wasn’t inflicting pain on me, his men were and somehow, they all managed to make me lose my mind without leaving a single mark on my body. I would explain if I could but after being tortured for… I have lost count of days. The pain was just too much–“I can’t sleep. My wolf can’t sleep but you think you can sleep?” Alpha Tristan snarled again, walking into a corner of the torture room while I tried to yank off the restraints holding me to the table but I failed like the other times. I whimpered, “Haven’t you done enough? I can’t take any more–” My voice broke when he stepped into my line of view. His eyes were red, the bags under them were huge and he was wearing a night robe which tell
ALPHA TRISTAN’S POV~~She knew about my mom’s involvement with the dark witches…“Not shocking. Everybody knew about that and it’s the reason dark witches were expelled from the realm.” Dolf seethed within me. But what she knew was more than what everyone else knew. Truly, my mom tried to possess the dark powers so she could use it herself. She went as far as drafting out the steps she’d take and how she would use the power if they were given to her. I still have those drafts in my library. However, the witches believed that my mom was too weak to possess and channel the powers which was why she wasn’t initiated into their coven.“You can’t seriously be considering her gibberish, Tris. This witch killed Aurelia, Katie, Kyle, and Jessica. She took their lives. You know they would have returned to us if they were still alive–” As if Larisa could hear my wolf’s argument, she rasped, her voice low, hiding her pain yet revealing it, “You said Aurelia was the key but she is dead. I can
DAVIEN~~Jade was wrong.I knew that before, but after listening to Aurelia, I got my confirmation. If anyone was to blame for Auntie Jessica’s death, it should be the witch Larisa. Auntie Jessica knew what she was walking into, and if I were in Aurelia’s shoes, I would have saved a helpless five-year-old, whether he was my son or not.“Her shoe must hurt.” Dolf whimpered within me after we heard the full story. “She is stranger than the history books can capture, yet she is so calm.”While Katie had so much in common with her mom, they were still two different people. For one, while Luna Aurelia was calm, Katie wasn’t.“She gave her life for Kyle.” Katie whimpered after her mom finished telling us how my aunt died.Queen Aurelia muttered from the other side of the connected line, “I am sorry, Katie, and I should properly apologize to Jessica’s loved ones. Her death must have hurt them deeply.”“Yes, it did.” Katie sniffled back tears before she mumbled, “I will apologize to Jade a
Princess Katie Anne~~With the new development, Davien and I knew better than to discuss important issues loudly in the bedroom we were staying in. In fact, we knew better than to make important calls in that room.Which was why I had to walk out of the bedroom with Davien when my cellphone began to ring that evening. I could see my mom’s contact ID flashing on the screen. Although I answered the call, I didn’t say anything important until Davien and I made it out of his parents’ mansion.As soon as we settled in the garden, after confirming Davien and I were the only ones there, I said to my mom, “Why haven’t you answered my calls? I was beginning to worry.”Her voice hit my eardrums as she responded, “I am sorry, Katie. I knew your dad and siblings would call you every second, so I thought it would be good if we all stayed off our cellphones for a few days. At least so you could settle down in Black Fur.”My mom informed me that she had to take everyone’s cellphone and hide them
Princess Katie Anne~~“You are a healer, Katie. Please help Cole before you go.”Alpha Jarrett’s voice stopped me from following Davien, whose mixed feelings surged within me. All of this was a show, but Davien’s tense emotions weren’t, and I was genuinely worried about him.He needed me. I could lift his spirits if we celebrated this successful ruse together—without his family. But I had to stay back and maintain the facade. I rushed over to Cole, who couldn’t stand up straight due to a few broken ribs.But the pain from his broken ribs and swollen face wasn’t enough to keep Cole silent. Sadly.I resisted the urge to punch him when he began to speak. “You see what he did to me? He’s an insecure brat, Katie. You don’t deserve to be his ego booster every time he’s feeling down.”“Shut up, or I’ll walk away without healing you,” I seethed, holding his gaze so he’d see my seriousness reflected in my eyes.I hadn’t healed anyone before, but I could use the practice—especially on Cole—an
DAVIEN~~Disrespect from my family members was one thing, but getting the same from Cole, a man who was after my mate, was a whole different game, and my ego just wouldn’t have that. It was more than raging to think about Cole in the same space as Katie alone.Hell, it was a miracle that I didn’t go after Cole the second Katie told me about his visit. By miracle, I mean Katie’s reassuring words and magic touch. She calmed me down.But unfortunately for Cole, Katie wasn’t around to save him now, and the group of ladies around us just weren’t strong enough to get me off him—if they even cared.“My mate is off-limits!” I seethed, raising my tightly balled fist and forcing it down with a force that burst Cole’s lip on impact.Cole tried to fight back, but my second hand was holding him against the wet patio, and with Dolf’s strength pumping through my veins, he was no match for me.Cole proved to be the sneaky bastard we all knew him to be when he chose another method to fight me. He c
DAVIEN~~Having that talk with Katie made me realize that the path I was supposed to walk was already in front of me. Or maybe I knew it was there, and I was just doubting whether I wanted to walk that path.But with Katie’s words and the fire I saw in her eyes when she told me she was willing to become the Luna of my birth pack, give up staying with her family, and stay here with me, I knew what I wanted for myself. For us.Not only did I get a clearer vision, but the path before me also became clearer.“We have to become the Alpha of Black Fur Pack and Katie the Luna,” Dolf said within me as I walked through the corridors the very next morning after planning how to beat my family in their selfish games, with the smart-ass woman that the goddess decided to bless me with.My wolf’s words were meant to be a reminder, even though he knew I didn’t forget that I had made up my mind to stand against my family for the first time in my life.I would become Alpha, and the plan to achieve t
Princess Katie Anne~~Davien stared back at me like I had lost my mind, but soon, realization began to glint in his eyes. He went from angry to conflicted, and that broke my heart because I could tell that his family had once again gotten to him.“Oh,” he muttered, his shoulders falling.I stretched my hands to him, and he took them, joining me on the bed. I opened my mind to Dolf, asking him to create a mental link between Davien and me, even though a part of me wanted to keep the realization I had after Cole left to myself so I could protect my mate.“No, we have to tell him,” Zuri encouraged me.Zoe did the same when she said, “Yes. If we have been dancing to their tunes, it’s high time we changed the tune to ours and made them dance. We can’t do that without Davien.”I could feel Dolf agreeing with my wolves as he created the link between Davien and me. I then smiled at my mate, cupping his face as I sent words through the link: “He was glad we hadn’t marked each other. If only
DAVIEN~~A waste of time.That’s what I would call this meeting with my dad. For goddess’ sake, we have been here for what? Almost an hour, yet all he has done is look down on me and try to intimidate me. He was beating around the bush.Even a blind man could see that.I could feel regret in my bones because staying with Katie, who needed me, would have been a better and more efficient way to spend the hour than sitting here listening to my dad.“That’s it. I am leaving,” I blurted, cutting my dad’s statement short.He grumbled, “But I am not done. Sit down.”“Done what exactly?” I seethed, seeing shock flash through his eyes for the millionth time. I would be stupid not to realize that he suspected I had a wolf now. “Reminding me that I am your unloved son isn’t doing it for me. If you don’t want me here or need my help, just let me know, and I will be out of your hair.”Damn! I just needed him to let me in on the plan. I needed something tangible to tell those who had trusted me…
Princess Katie Anne~~“Why won’t anyone answer their damn phones?” I gritted, resisting the urge to throw my cellphone against the wall.Before I left home, we agreed that my family members would be accessible and that they would call me at least once every day, but even though this was my second morning in Black Fur, that agreement seemed to mean nothing.“There’s no special occasion. No ceremony or ritual that could have kept them busy since yesterday. I am beginning to worry,” Zuri said to me.However, I was too angry to be worried. I felt like my mom was screwing me because she already knew I would discover the truths she had tried hard to hide from me during my stay in Black Fur. Hell, I am certain she knew why I was trying to reach her.“Are they ignoring the calls intentionally?” Zoe queried, her confusion mixing with Zuri’s. “That’s far-fetched, Katie. We might have to be patient and—”A sharp knock on the door disrupted Zoe’s statement.I made the mistake of assuming that t
DAVIEN~~Seeing Cole last night at the welcome party confirmed that my parents were trying their best to rile me up. The party wasn’t enjoyable for either Katie or me, but we didn’t leave until it ended. While I spent the entire night thinking about when my dad would tell me why he asked me to come home, Katie spent it wondering why no one from Dark Moon was answering the countless calls she put through.I could feel her troubled mind as if it were mine, and it pained me that all I could do was hold her.“You should talk to Jade. Perhaps she might be able to shed more light—” Dolf started, but he cut himself off and sighed. “Never mind. What she needed was to speak to her parents. She needs answers that Jade or anyone else can’t provide.“I still have to have a word with Jade. She shouldn’t have accused Katie like she did yesterday,” I said to Dolf, even though I agreed with his conclusion.Looking down at Katie’s restless face, I made up my mind to keep her far away from Cole, who