AURELIA~~Katie called the terrified kids out and I watched them move forward like spineless chicks. Two boys and a lanky girl. They appeared to be about ten years old each and from the striking resemblance between them and the two useless men I sighted earlier, I could connect the dots. The kids that bullied my kid were Matoe and Leo’s kids. They were just as rotten as their fathers. Of course, the kids weren’t trained properly which was why they chose to bully a girl who was five years younger than them. Shameful! “Are you sure they were the ones that dragged you to the forest and left you thereafter injuring you, Katie?” Raiden asked Katie not because he doubted her but because he was trying to enlighten the pack members that had gathered to witness the punishment the bad kids would receive. Katie nodded, “Yes, Daddy. Thank you for finding them for me.” My daughter was really happy and neither she nor Raiden seemed to care when the crowd gasped in response to Katie calling
ALPHA RAIDEN~~Katie’s giggles were loud and melodious to my ears as we walked back to the apartment together. My heart swelled with pride and love for the little girl. It pleased me to know that getting justice for her was the reason she was happier. “I can’t wait to tell Kyle all about this, Mom. He’d be extremely happy to know that our dad is not only an Alpha but he is also a strong hero.” Katie squealed. I maintained a happy face for her despite my clenching heart as I recalled that even though I was able to make Katie happy today, this happiness wouldn’t last if Kyle didn’t return to her soon. What kind of hero would that make me?The issues of the bullies have been sorted but the kidnapping case was still unresolved. I reached out to Alpha Clinton yesterday after Larisa stormed out of my office in tears. I had to hurt Larisa yesterday to put an end to our so-called relationship that would only hurt her more in the future.Alpha Clinton was shocked to hear from me and he s
AURELIA~~For a split minute after reading the note, the world around me faded, and it was almost as if I was pulled into a real yet subconscious world where I vividly saw Larisa sitting in an unfamiliar room, seething as she poured her anger into the words.I could swear to the goddess that I saw her. I could still sense her on the note even though I couldn't explain how.As if it hadn’t happened at all, I was shoved back to reality, Jessica’s usual unreadable face twisted as she stared at me as if my head had suddenly been replaced with an ugly hippo’s. Raiden on the other hand has his mouth wide open. I didn't miss the mistrust in his eyes after I blurted out what I saw and sensed without thinking twice. Honestly, I didn't stop to think until Inara etched, “That was a clear vision, Relia.”“A vision?” I asked my wolf out of shock. Although I’ve had visions in the past, there has never been a clear one and why was I suddenly getting a vision after countless failed attempts? “Y
ALPHA RAIDEN~~I was no fool. Aurelia might argue otherwise but I wasn't a fool.I knew Aurelia was hiding something from me and she was lying to me. Aside from the weird but strong energy that surrounded us before she labeled Larisa as the kidnapper, I’ve noticed a few other unexplained actions of hers. The nights she sits by the lake, moving her hands around like she was trying to channel or tap into some sort of unseen energy, the cries that came after what seemed like failed attempts to channel and–“Don’t think too much, Raid. Aurelia definitely knows something and I bet she has plans to sneak out of the apartment again tonight.” Lex interrupted my thought as I walked out of the apartment after hours of planning secretly with Jessica and an absentminded Aurelia.“Do you think I should believe her? A big part of me wants to trust her but I would be condemning Larisa after breaking her heart. I don’t want to hurt anyone else and who knows, Aurelia could have accused her out of
AURELIA~~“Get up. It’s time.” Inara announced. “They are asleep. Let’s move before Raiden shows up.” I jolted from the bed, grasping reality as my eyes flew open, quickly adjusting to the dark state of the room. I heard Katie and Hazel snoring peacefully and I quietly got off the bed, hoping to get out of the room without disturbing their sleep. “How many hours do we have till dawn?” I asked my wolf through the bond we shared while I threw on my leather training suit before slipping out of the room and closing the door behind me. “Two hours,” Inara answered. I inhaled sharply, “Two hours? How did I sleep for so long? Fuck! Jessica must have woken up to prepare–” “Relax. Jessica is still asleep. I can’t sense her consciousness in the house and I helped you sleep longer because you need enough physical strength to bring Kyle back. We only have one chance and we can’t mess it up.” Inara explained, urging me to stay calm. “You induced my sleep?” I queried in shock.“I did what I
LARISA’S POV (6)~~That sneaky bitch! Did she just yell out my name? Of course, I knew she suspected me but how could she come out here and yell out her suspicions when her son’s life was in my hands? Crazy bitch!My already frustrated aide muttered to me, “Did you reveal your identity in the note you adamantly sent to her?”He looked at me as if he was contemplating whether to rip my head off or abandon me in this dire time. “I wasn't named Stupid, for goddess's sake!” I exclaimed. “It's either she knows or she doesn't. Whatever it might be, I don't care. It doesn't make any difference.” Aurelia already made a mistake by showing up here. It shows that she cared about her bastard son but I didn't care about them. This morning, before daybreak, Aurelia and her son will be killed. I'll deal with the daughter later and there would be no one left to confuse Raiden. Love me or hate me, I'll be the one beside him when they are all gone. “This is crazy, Larisa. Very crazy and this pla
ALPHA RAIDEN~~Following Larisa was the best decision I have made in my entire life… well aside from getting justice for my daughter. I got to discover the truth about her even though I still couldn’t explain some things like how she walked out of the air. One minute I couldn’t see her and the next, she walked out with Kyle staggering and struggling weakly behind her. “What the actual fuck!” Lex gasped, shocked. Despite his suspicions, my wolf was still shocked to see Larisa drop her mask, revealing her real face as she stepped closer to Aurelia whose pain flooded my system. It took a while to get here. Larisa walked around in circles for a while before she disappeared. I didn’t know where she had entered but I could still sense her presence in the vicinity which was why I decided to hide and wait for her reappearance. I had thought to myself, “Where could she have gone? It’s an open forest. There is no building in this area.”It took seeing Aurelia after many minutes of waiti
AURELIA~~No. No. No.Jessica shouldn’t have revealed herself so that she could poke the bear. I could have handled Larisa and distracted her long enough for Jessica to arrive with help. She should have gone in search of help. Heck! We needed help. Larisa had a gun… not just any gun. A gun with silver bullets and one of those bullets could end Jessica’s life and mine… and Kyle's. Still, Jessica wore her pride like a second skin... like I hadn't been shot by Larisa's men who I failed to perceive until I crashed on my knees.This was one of the countless times I wished I could access Jessica’s mind like a pack member but spending almost six years in Black Fur Pack wasn't enough to make me an official member—“You've got guts,” Larisa mumbled, disbelief loud in her voice.Rather than keep her mouth shut, Jessica snorted, her footsteps sounding closer by the second, “What can I say?” She paused just as she stopped beside me, holding Larisa’s gaze without flinching, “I'm not a spineles
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
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