Alpha Tristan’s POV ~~ Everything was unfolding according to my plan. I felt at peace knowing that I had put Raiden in his place after he witnessed the picnic yesterday. Yes, the picnic with the kids was part of my elaborate plan to ensure Lia returned to my pack with me. But I enjoyed the fun time with Lia and the kids. It was heart– “It’s time for the final duel!” The funny-looking guy who almost never leaves Raiden's side announced on the podium, smiling as if his park had already won the cup. “The result determines which pack would claim the cup. Are we ready for this!” The crowd cheered, causing my ears to hurt. Noise. I hated that shit- “But not Katie’s high-pitched shrieks and whatever the annoying sound swords make is called.” Dolf chimed, calling out my bluff. I couldn’t help but smile. How could anyone not like Katie’s melodious screams? She’s a bundle of joy– “Yet you feel comfortable using her in your ridiculous plan. What’s wrong with you!” My wolf
AURELIA~~Did he just ask me to be his mate and wife? “Yes, girl!” Inara shrieked within me. “I told you he wants you. I just didn’t know he needed you as well! This is so romantic.”Romantic? KindaBut terrifying? Absolutely. Alpha Tristan shouldn’t be doing this doing this–“Doing what? Asking you to marry him and mate with him?” I could feel my wolf rolling her eyes as she asked me sarcastically. “This is exactly what he should be doing. Think about it, Relia. The kids love him, he’s powerful and he’ll be able to protect you and the kids from Raiden for the rest of your lives.”“Seems like you’re forgetting that Raiden is known to be the most powerful of all Alphas in the realm. If he decides to come for me, I’d be putting Alpha Tristan and the Black Fur members at risk. I shouldn’t marry him, Ina. I shouldn’t be his mate when I’ll only be a burden–” Alpha Tristan cut my line of thoughts when he went down on one knee, holding my hands and gaze while everyone in the arena gas
ALPHA RAIDEN~~I wore the fake smile regardless of the blinding pain eating me away. I kept my eyes on them even though seeing them and their kids together broke me. I felt a painful twitch in the depths of my soul when she muttered, “Yes, I’ll marry and mate with you.” Don’t break right here. Don’t, Raiden….I chanted to myself while almost everyone in the arena cheered in celebration of what I never had with Aurelia… No. I had it. I just threw it out the window with my own hands. My eyes stung as pain and anger mixed perfectly together within me when Tristan pulled her into him, kissing her deeply and slowly… as if they were oblivious to the presence of the rest of us. I could sense my pack’s grief as my members witnessed another man claiming my destined mate whose rejection I still haven’t accepted. Gosh! My soul hurts. It has been since yesterday. I tried to but I couldn’t put an end to the grief. “This is your fault! We shouldn’t be feeling this pain–” Lex didn’t hesitate
ALPHA RAIDEN~~Although the feast was impromptu, I could sense everyone’s contentment as they celebrated the union of the man I detested and the woman my heart ached to have more than the win my pack representatives earned at the competition. For some reason, Larosa went all out to celebrate Aurelia even though it has become clear to me that Larisa wasn't as kind as I used to believe. If I hadn’t blocked Lex, he would have said something along the lines of, “Told you so.” But to keep my head clear and not act emotionally before my members and guests, Lex had remained subdued in my mind. Yet, my mind was a mess and my emotions were just as messy as my eyes settled on everything… everyone but the duo.Larisa rose to her feet with a glass of wine in her hand and I barely stopped myself from groaning out in frustration. If only I knew that I was about to make a great discovery that would completely chnage the odds. “I’d like to make a toast to Alpha Tristan and his woman,” Larisa an
AURELIA~~Raiden was losing his shit.Somehow, I could sense every bit of his emotion before he walked out of the hall. An unmissable tight knot was in my chest as he stormed off. I hated that feeling, but it grew stronger by the second even though I was surrounded by happy people. In fact, I saw some of Raiden’s pack members cheering Tristan and me on as we were called to dance. Apparently, Larisa included a Couple Dance in the plans. “I wonder why she’s being all nice and pretentious,” Inara stated into my mind while Tristan and I danced. I sneaked a peep at Larisa and found her grinning from ear to ear. “She’s suspicious. The entire arrangement is but we will be leaving tomorrow. I’m not worried about her–”“But you’re worried about the asshole that broke your without thinking twice.” Inara chimed, reminding me of the knot in my chest. “Why would I be worried about it?” I blurted, holding on to Tristan whose hands were gently guiding my movements. “What I feel is guilt, Ina.
AURELIA~~The twist began the second I stepped foot in the hospital and with Kyle’s mask falling off even before we got there but I didn’t pay attention to that. I was more worried about Katie caring about a mask or even about Raiden finding out that he was their biological father. However, it was only a matter of time before I regretted that.“Aurelia. You’re here.” Raiden had said to me when he saw me dash into the hospital waiting room. At this point, Kyle’s face was still hidden in my chest and I still hadn’t noticed that his mask had fallen off. “Where is my daughter? What happened to her?” My voice was barely a whisper. To my dismay, I caught sight of Raiden’s bloodstained sky-blue shirt which made my legs weak. “Tell me that’s not her blood.” I cried, shaking my head as fear gripped my heart, suffocating me. “I’m sorry, Aurelia.” Rather than tell me it wasn’t Katie’s blood on his shirt, he apologized, pushing me beyond my limit. I broke into tears, holding Kyle tight bu
ALPHA RAIDEN~~They have got to be kidding me!The kids are mine?Fuck the question! That boy is mine which makes the girl mine as well. How could she keep that from me?“How did we not perceive them as ours?” Lex voiced out his concern, sounding just as shocked as I was. “The boy looks like you but he doesn’t smell like ours, Raiden.” My thoughts returned to Kyle and I could vividly see his face in my mind. He was a younger version of me. I inhaled deeply, picking up the scents in the room, hoping to get a whiff of Kyle’s but I got nothing.“How’s that possible, Lex?” I asked my wolf, sharing my thoughts with him.If Aurelia would just tell me the truth…. The truth has to change our already existing dynamic. I might have thought of raising Tristan’s kids just to get a chance to be with Aurelia but there was no way in hell I would let him raise my kids.Lex scoffed, “He has been raising them, Raiden. You were not a part of their lives and if Aurelia wants, you’d never be–” “If t
AURELIA~~Of course, I knew Raiden wouldn’t give up. Knowing him, he would use the kids against me… he’d want to use them to tie me down in his pack but I wouldn’t let him. Alpha Tristan and I definitely have to talk about my past. I’ve to come clean to him before we can proceed with our wedding and mating ritual. It would be difficult but I’d choose that a thousand times over explaining myself to Raiden. Kyle stirred beside me, throwing his hand over my stomach. Katie was snoring softly on the other side. She hasn’t regained consciousness even though it's only an hour before daybreak. Kyle and I spent the night in Katie’s hospital bed which happened to be bigger than usual thanks to Pheobe.In two hours, I’d be leaving this pack and I’d never return–“Mom.” Her soft voice healed my soul even before I looked at her.I smiled, “Baby.” Katie yawned and tried to sit up but her body was still weak. I left the bed to help Katie who looked confused as she asked, “Where are we, mom?”
AURELIA~~I knew I screamed. I felt my lips parting and my lungs pushing out air as my mouth widened. I knew I screamed but I heard nothing. The world went still while Raiden kept falling. Faster than my brain could register. Faster than my body could react. Although I was still standing, I fell with him. Although my eyes were still open, they closed the second his eyes did. I saw the same darkness he saw when he closed his eyes. I felt the same pain he felt when his heart was engulfed by a strong force and maybe I screamed because I knew there would be no going back as that force crushed his heart before I could even blink. “No!” Inara’s cry burst through my crushed soul as she exclaimed, “Do something, Relia.” But what could I have done? After draining Larisa as my wolf suggested, I didn’t expect any sudden movement from her. Heck, she was as good as dead and when Louis screamed those warning words, I was too tired to react quickly. Converting Larisa’s dark energy to pur
ALPHA RAIDEN~~It took seeing Larisa and Aurelia in a fight for me to realize that I was wrong to assume that I could take down Larisa just because I was the most powerful Alpha in the realm… Physical strength was no use against Larisa because she had soaked my soul in dark energy. She wasn’t even touching me and I was feeling pain despite floating in the air like gravity had decided to take a break.Sadly I realized that I was of no use in this war. In fact, I was merely a weak link that Larisa wanted to use to defeat Aurelia and have her way in the realm. I was trying so hard not to scream and came off as a powerless puny before my exhausted mate and my warriors but this pain was eating me alive. It was everywhere. Digging deep into me. I have been trying to block the pain from getting to Aurelia as I could tell that she didn’t need that right now. If I couldn’t contribute power, I shouldn’t add pain either.But of course, that wasn’t easy to achieve. I could feel the pain sli
AURELIA~~Raiden’s scream was heard by every warrior. I could feel every one of our friends and pack members freezing for a moment as we all understood that for an Alpha; in fact, the strongest Alpha in the realm; to scream like that, hell was coursing through him. We all understood. I, as his mate and Luna, knew even better because the second the hell burst out within him, I felt it burning me from within and it was only a matter of time before I let out a scream of my own. “You dare not, Relia.” Inara’s voice echoed, breaking through whatever Larisa was doing to Raiden which was affecting me greatly as I tried to keep the spiritual link between me and the warriors open. If those links should close, they would all die as they would be no match for Larisa’s fortified warriors. “It hurt. I’m burning from within and–” I cried to my wolf even though Phoebe was still right behind me, healing me and Otis keeping me out of sight.“Do you know why she is coming at you hard?” Inara as
ALPHA RAIDEN~~My feet couldn’t carry my body weight fast enough as I ran through the forest, noticing how deserted my pack was. Those pack members who were not in the hall with Mia Lu were with Aurelia on the battlefront where my body was literally yanking me toward.I was on high alert and if I was being honest with myself, I would admit that I wasn’t in my right senses but how do I even think when all I felt was the urgent and dying need to be with Aurelia? It was like a pull.The kind of pull a mate should feel only when his mate is in grave danger. The kind that makes a man’s heart bleed and every nerve in his body go out of control.Yes, I was losing it. I had lost it from the second I regained consciousness and felt the strange burn on Aurelia’s mark which was sitting on my neck.I woke up with the need to get out. To break free and get to Aurelia even though my kids were in the hall and beside me. The second I saw Mia Lu stagger due to exhaustion, I ran and hadn't stopped
AURELIA~~“You did it, Alpha.” Jeremy’s words echoed in my mind. He was satisfied. I could tell, even though I wasn’t looking at his face, that he was smiling. Together we have extended our spiritual energy and every warrior with his now has enough to fight against Larisa’s warriors. I have been trying to study their behavior and movement since we arrived. They seemed strange and I had also reported everything I noticed to Tamia and Lori through the mind link. The duo promised to start working on breaking Larisa’s hold on the warriors of Black Fur who might still decide to fight us afterward but when we get to that bridge we will cross it.“Stay with me, Alpha. You can’t be distracted now that you have announced yourself to the witch.” Jeremy warned me, becoming a friend faster than I could ever imagine. He had my back.I felt safe with him.“For how long can we keep this going?” I asked Jeremy through the mind link, my eyes on Andrew who has his hand on one of our opponent’s hea
LARISA’S POV ~~That bastard Jake!He couldn’t do anything right!He failed to save my parents and now he even failed to kill this bitch…I didn’t see this coming and I hated the sight of her. I felt like pulling all my hair out just because she was standing there and wasn’t an illusion. And did that warrior just refer to her as the Luna of Dark Moon Pack? This has to be wrong. I was hallucinating–“Oh, I’m very real, Larisa,” Aurelia said to me like she could hear my thoughts. Yes, I was screaming them in my head but still, she…Argh! Aurelia chuckled, fueling my rage as she said, “For me, it’s good to see you again, Larisa because not only have I taken my rightful place as Raiden’s mate and Luna of this pack but I’m also his wife and the mother of his kids.” Her words ripped me apart, limb by limb. That was my biggest dream. To be everything to Raiden but she had always been in the way and now? Now she was living my dreams–“And of course, that’s the least of my achievements
AURELIA~~I heard him scream. I heard him plead. I heard him lose his cool. Scratch that, I felt it more, his emotions pushing through our bond in a way that had me standing outside the shield for what seemed like forever even though I had no time to waste. I just couldn’t bring myself to move away from the house even though it was hidden perfectly within Tamia’s shield. I could see beyond the shield if I wanted to but I was scared I would change my mind if I was to see Raiden again. I was afraid I would let him out because he doesn't deserve to be locked up against his will–“We have to move now, Luna Aurelia,” Seth said to me, without asking questions about why I had to lock Raiden up. Even Andrew who was standing on my other side didn’t question me. It was as if they knew. I also didn’t ask them any questions as my feet failed to move away from the shield. I didn’t realize Andrew was experiencing the same until I heard him groan in pain. Susanna was also beyond his reach a
ALPHA RAIDEN~~Without hesitation, I agreed with Lex because I couldn’t imagine my family without me even though they lived well without me in the past…I couldn’t imagine living in the Great Beyond without them– if there was a Great Beyond. Heck, nothing would be great about a place where my family wouldn’t be–Katie etched, calling me back to reality, “Can I go with you? I can fight too.” Truly, she could fight. She has been training with Seth and Tara, the strongest female warrior if Aurelia isn’t in the group. My daughter was a little warrior but she was one I wouldn’t want on the battlefield.Her innocence was to be protected for as long as possible so I answered, “You will fight right here beside Mia Lu and every others that will be staying behind. They need you to protect them.” Katie didn’t seem convinced but she nodded regardless while Kyle just looked at us. He didn’t utter a word, not until I asked him, “Everything okay, buddy?” My son held my gaze for a second before
ALPHA RAIDEN~~The war was here. The same one that would claim my life and make my kids fatherless. The same one that would make the woman I love a widow– mateless. The same one I have been dreading since Aurelia started falling in love with me again. The same one–“Snap out of it, Raiden. Death or not we still have to fight!” My wolf barked at me as I mindlessly stood beside Aurelia in the same hall where we married. “Aurelia is right. You gave up even before the war. It’s like you are willing to die–” “If that will keep them safe, then yes, I’ll die.” I cut my wolf off. “You can’t keep them safe by being a living dead!” Lex seethed. “Look at her taking over and leading alone even though you are still here. Wake up, Raiden or Aurelia will die before the so-called predicted death gets to you!” My wolf’s words hit me hard.I tried to pull myself together just as Aurelia started addressing the people in the hall. When I built the hall and had some of my pack engineers work on it