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?”
ALPHA RAIDEN~~“They are yours!” Andrew gasped, his mouth hanging wide open. I sighed, “I believe so. She won’t admit or explain to me but the boy is a replica of me and that explains why he had been masked since they arrived in my Pack.” I facepalmed, digging deep within me to find any residual bond that could connect me to the kids, but again, there was nothing. “I’m in shock and I can’t seem to connect the dots, Drew.”My Beta and I were in my home office. Larisa was out of the house doing goddess knows what and I called Andrew to come over to mine after I left the hospital feeling unsure and defeated. Andrew who had been sitting on one of the couches in the office, muttered in response to my emotional statement, “She must have been pregnant before she left if the kids are truly yours, Raiden. I don’t understand why Alpha Tristan would want to raise the twins if they were yours. He must really love Aurelia if he’s–”“He doesn’t love her!” I snapped, pacing around the office. “H
AURELIA~~I perceived his presence before opening the door to seethe at him. Did I expect him to show up? Yes.Was I willing to talk to him about anything? Hell no!“You should have gotten tired of trying to talk to me, Alpha Raiden.” I snapped under my breath, considering my kids and Hazel’s presence in the room. “We’ve nothing to talk about. Please leave.” “I won’t leave until you listen to me and give me a chance.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he retorted. “Then you can stay here and talk to yourself–”Raiden countered, “If you refuse to talk to me, I won’t just stand here. Remember you’re in my pack. I can start by telling everyone that your kids are mine and tell your beloved Black Fur family that you’ve fooled them. Tristan might understand but his members will never accept you to be their Luna–”“Are you threatening me?” I asked, unable to believe his nerves. Maybe I dread what he would actually do and what would happen to my relationship with the people of Bla
ALPHA RAIDEN~~I stood in front of my mansion, pacing as I deeply considered my options. I have been standing here ever since I watched Aurelia drive away with my kids… with Tristan who she should never have trusted. I pulled at the root of my hair when I felt Andrew’s consciousness in my head again. He has been asking me for permission to attack as we both felt Tristan and his entourage drawing closer to the border where Andrew had stationed troops. It was hard to make a decision that I knew would come back to bite me in the ass.But my failure to give the last order would also tear my ass off as soon as Aurelia and my kids get past my borders. It would be hard to get them back. I allowed Andrew into my head and said to him through the mind link, “Keep Aurelia and the kids safe during the attack–” “They didn’t make it to the border, Alpha.” Andrew’s voice echoed in my mind. My feet froze and my breath hitched as I said, “They didn’t?” “Yes, Alpha. I’ve been trying to communi
AURELIA~~My heart skipped and a part of me sort of died when I saw my daughter’s terrified face. Beads of tears escaped her eyes as she blinked rapidly. I could hear the murmurs from the small crowd behind Katie and I completely avoided Hazel’s gaze for obvious reasons.“Dad?” I asked with disbelief loud in my voice. How could she call him dad? Why would she call him–“I know he’s my dad, mom.” Katie cried, sniffling as she added, “Kyle told me everything, Mom.” Her heart plummeted to the bottom of my soul. Two of my fears were manifesting before my eyes. One is Katie’s reaction when she finds out the truth and the second is Black Fur members finding out the truth about my past.However, my focus remained on my wailing child. “Baby–”Katie muttered an objection, “Can you stop hurting him? He didn’t take Kyle.” Although I had many other questions, I settled for one to avoid overwhelming Katie. “Where is your brother?” Katie wiped her wet face as she began to explain, revealing s
ALPHA RAIDEN~~My son was kidnapped within the walls of my home… I was still getting used to having a son but there was no getting used to the fact that my home was not safe for my son and neither was my pack safe for my daughter. How did anyone get into the mansion without alerting my senses? For fuck’s sake, I’ve been standing in front of the mansion for what seemed like forever. Even though I couldn’t perceive Kyle for some unknown reason, I should have perceived the person who kidnapped him. But strangely, there was no scent to lead me to the kidnapper… Just a flimsy note with words that were obviously scribbled hastily. “You want to see your son again? Await further instructions. Your ability to obey the instructions given would determine if you’d see him alive or dead, Alpha Raiden…. And oh! Congratulations on finding your long-lost destined mate.”Those were the words in the note left in my office by whoever took Kyle. I held on to Kyle’s mask as I fumed. How did I go w
ALPHA TRISTAN~~“You should take your leave.” The he-wolf who smelled like a strong gamma seethed at me. “She doesn’t want to see you.”Although I had been standing by the border of Dark Moon Pack for hours, I intended to remain there until I got to see Aurelia. “C’mon, Gamma Seth. You know we mean no harm.” Louis, who had officially resumed his duties as my Beta after I was reinstalled as Alpha, said to the strong Gamma. “This is a peaceful visit.”I simply listened as my Beta negotiated with the Gamma, feeling more like Louis was the Alpha. I would be lying if I said I haven’t felt useless these past few days. After regaining consciousness, I found out that Louis had become more influential, not only in my pack. Obviously. “Your ego is bruised?” Dolf mocked me. But his assumptions weren’t exactly the case. I just couldn’t wait to get back my strength and become myself again. “This isn’t about your intention, Beta Louis. It’s about my Alpha and Luna's wishes.” The Gamma answer
AURELIA~~Perhaps it was anger or hate, I couldn’t tell. Or maybe it was both. I was angry that Tristan was back to his feet even though I permitted Lori to send some Mender to Black Fur Pack to help him after Beta Louis took the oath, signed the peace treaty, and pleaded for help. I was so angry that my mate had to fall and Tristan got to rise again even though he didn’t deserve it.And for the hate, it was simple– I hated Tristan.Although my hate for Larisa was greater, Tristan wasn’t far from being another Larisa to me–“Talking about that bitch. She has had enough peace, don’t you think? It’s time we pay her another visit.” Inara snarled into my mind, fueling the hatred in my heart. My wolf had taken a hobby in tearing Larisa apart since she had become our prisoner– one that I wasn’t ready to kill just yet. Each time we pay her a visit in her cell, we torture her until death flashes before her eyes, leave her to healers to heal her, and return to start the process all over
AURELIA~~Life was different now. Before the war, I simply trained to get better and increase our chances of winning, but now, I am the leader of two packs and have more duties than I could have imagined. Life was different but one thing remained constant– my life was difficult.“Are you with me, Luna?” Andrew’s voice called me out of my self-pitying thoughts. I blinked rapidly, composing myself despite my desire to just go home, be with my kids, and–“Do you want to take the day off? I can handle the pack affairs while you recuperate.” Andrew offered and Seth who was sitting on the chair beside him nodded in agreement.But to be honest, I have rested enough. It’s been two months after the war and while a lot still needed to be fixed, the pack was recovering better than I thought it would, thanks to the help I have gotten from both sides– White Shade and Dark Moon.Andrew and Seth have been helping with Dark Moon’s affair and the elders of the White Wolves have been very helpful
ALPHA TRISTAN’S POV~~As my eyes fluttered open, I could have sworn that my body had forgotten what it meant to be alive. Opening my eyes was harder than it should ever be for anyone but adjusting my eyes to the brightness around me was way harder than opening them. I let out a groan when I tried to lift a finger and pain consumed me. My entire body ached. I felt so heavy.“Alpha. You are awake.” Louis. That was his voice but it sounded more like noise to me as his voice sent a sharp ring through my aching head, making me groan again. At the moment, I didn’t feel like an Alpha. It took forever before I could see clearly and Louis's face was the first thing I saw. He was hovering above me, looking at me like he was scanning me for damages. “Thank the Goddess. I was beginning to worry that you might never wake up–” Louis stated, smiling. But seeing him so close to me sent flashes of what I knew was the past through my mind. I recalled everything. How he joined forces with Laris
aryAURELIA~~“We can’t give up like this, Relia. You shouldn’t give up like this. Mend him. Do something.” Inara uttered, urging me even though Raiden was gone. Do something… I couldn’t count the number of times I had heard those two words today and I hated the sound of it, mostly because I couldn’t do anything. “Yes you can, Alpha.” Tamia’s voice echoed in my mind. I didn’t know how she managed to reach me despite the turmoil my mind had become but she did and her voice would have given me some sort of peace if I wasn’t mourning my mate… My teary eyes found Tamia and Lori beside me, making me wonder how long I had sat in the dirt with Raiden’s body. For how long has his heart been crushed right there in my presence? For how much longer can I keep this devastating news from my kids–“Oh, my kids.” I cried out, undiluted misery settling within my being, making itself at home. They just got their father. How do I tell them it would be just us from now on? How do I manage this
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 pure
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 slip
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