Elsa.I had heard him.After all this time, I thought he had given up on me. It was such a relief to hear him. Even if it were only seconds of his voice and at the end of a phone.Finn had come to me earlier with a mobile phone. He had pressed it into my hand. It had felt like some kind of trick. All the numbers had been glued down except the answer call button.“When I call, answer.”His instructions had been simple. He said nothing else. There was no warning to not try anything stupid. Maybe because he knew that I had given up trying. Hearing Nate’s voice. It gave me so much hope.Finn cut the call after a few seconds. He had left it going long enough for me to recognise Nate’s voice, but not long enough for me to shout something.I hear a key fumbling in the lock of my door. It's finally pushed open. A large man fills the doorway. A man I had never seen before. He glares at me with his dark eyes.“We need to move.” He tries to grab me and seems surprised when I pull away."Get off
NateTwenty minutes. That was how long he took to realise that something was happening. It was a little longer than I expected. His eyes had glazed over, someone from his pack was letting him know they were under attack.“You wanker!” He yells, smashing his glass and launching the shards at me.“Did you really think I wasn’t going to do anything? That I would come here without a plan?”“I will kill you.”“You can try.” I was aware that I was surrounded. The chances of me getting out of this alive were minimal. But as long as she was safe, that was all that mattered.I rise from my seat, creating more space between us as men pile into the bar. Some had already partially shifted, others were in full blown beast mode.“You were the one stupid enough to leave her with minimal protection.” I mutter as the Lycans circled me.“I claimed her!” Finn growls at me.“She was never yours to claim.”He snarls at me. He holds his spot as his pack closes in around me.“You will die for this.” He nods
NateKyra stares at us. Her brow deepens the longer she stares. Her hand tightens around the gun. She slowly raises it, pointing it directly at me.“I suggest you start talking.”“It’s not my secret to share.” I growl“You might want to think about that. If this bullet hits you, you are dead.”“And you still won’t know what it is, that is more of a threat than us.”“Are you trying to get us killed?” Finn grumbles at me.“She’s not going to let us get out of here alive anyway.”Kyra points the gun up to the ceiling and fires. Kyra smiles at us as pieces of plaster crumble over our heads. “These people hate your kind. The whole world will hate your kind.”“All because of one man? A man that you loved. Is that why yu are doing this?”The other humans turn to look at her. “What is he talking about?” They start demanding“All because you married a Wolf?” I keep my eyes locked on hers. If she pulled the trigger again. I would need to move fast.“You married a Wolf?” A human shouts as Kyra’
ElsaRex was right. Where was everyone?It was dark and the quietest I had ever seen Black Forest. Even that time when everyone was on lockdown there was noise. Here, nothing seemed to move. The trees stood tall and silent. No birds flew above our heads. It was eerily quiet.“The other Alpha’s, they should be back by now, right?” Nate asksThe other Alpha’s? Did he mean Vella and the others? I had only seen Brock.“I’m sure they are good. I made it out. Brock was challenging Craig when I helped Elsa get out.” Rex tells him.“You didn’t help Brock?” Nate questions Rex.“It was a choice of helping Brock or getting your mate out. From what I've heard, I'm pretty sure Brock can look after himself.” His grey eyes linger on me. "And from what you have told me. She is pretty important."“”You’re an Alpha?” I whisper to Rex.“Greystone Pack.” He gives me a wink. Why did they always wink at me?“Inside.” Nate whisper shouts at us as he scans the groundsHe gestures for us to go inside.I smell
Nate“Elsa? You think Elsa is the one that can sort all this out?” I look at my mate. She is standing completely still, staring up at Rex.“I can’t do anything.” She mutters“I think you have lost the plot.” Lola mutters with a frown and tugs Elsa away.“You really should make her stay. She should hear this.” Rex watches them disappear upstairs.“She’s overwhelmed. Just let her be.”“You can’t ignore what is right in front of you.”“Ignore? I’m not ignoring anything. You seem to think you have the answer.” I snap. “Just let her rest for now.”“That’s your choice.” He mutters. “But if I were the Alpha here, things would be a lot different.”“So now you’re trying to tell me how to run my pack?”“You may not like it Nate, but when you call for other Alphas because they have more experience, it would suggest you are not cut out to be Alpha. Or maybe it’s the fact you listen to everyone’s ideas. I certainly wouldn’t have let it get this far.”“Yeah, well, thanks for your help.” I mutter sa
Elsa.Nate pulls me from the room. Anger cascaded off him in waves. He was angry at me because I hadn’t said anything. Because I hadn’t told him when Finn was doing this interview.I couldn’t cry anymore. I had cried so much that even if I wanted to, there were no tears left.“Why didn’t you tell me?”“I…” The truth was, I didn’t have an answer. I couldn’t even say that I had forgotten, because it wasn’t the truth. I couldn’t tell him that I didn’t want to. I couldn’t tell him that I had no faith in humans anymore. I couldn’t tell him that Kyra being alive had broken the final thread of hope I had for the humans.“Elsa, I don’t understand.” He pleads with me.The tears that I thought were empty were now rolling down my cheeks again. His dark eyes search my face.“Did he order you not to tell us? Is that what this is about?”I shake my head, swallowing the lump in my throat. After trying to convince Nate not to attack, how was I supposed to tell him that I now agreed with Finn.The tea
Nate“I thought she would have handled this better.” Vella murmurs. “After all, she is a product of her mother and father. Both are fine people.”He really thought Corina was fine. The woman was nuts. “I never meant to drag her into this mess. Her life was supposed to be better, happier.” I felt guilty for everything she was going through. Vella was right though. She couldn’t cope with this. Being held hostage had changed her. Being a Wolf had changed her.“Don’t you think you should go and find her?” Rex murmurs without looking up from his phone. “Make sure she hasn’t left the packhouse.”“What’s so important on the phone that you can’t even look at me.” I snap“His appearance on tv is being shown around the globe. This is one almighty fuck up. And it isn’t going to work in our favour.”Once again, the Alpha’s are speechless. This was it, we had lost control. There was no coming back from this.“Your pack?” I mutter seeing as Rex seemed to be very smug about the whole thing.“Unaffe
ElsaHe wants us to hide. My eyes flash open at his words. What happened to fighting fire with fire?Leaving the pack, I could just about understand. At least it would give everyone a chance. But to hide, they had spent years hiding and what had it achieved? Nothing.Lola nudges me with her elbow. “I love my brother, but he is losing it.”“What do we do?” I whisper back. Hoping that maybe she had an idea.“I’m starting to think you should have gone with Rex and taken me with you.” Her dark eyes flash to Nate as he continues to tell the pack why they should hide.I look at my mate. Pack life was still a lot for me to understand. But I was gradually getting there. One thing I did know and understand is the lengths an Alpha would go to in order to protect their packs. Hiding didn’t seem like Nate was protecting his pack, it felt like he was running away from his duties.“Everyone needs to move out as soon as possible.” Nate declares. He had stopped answering questions. There was chatter
Elsa Five months had passed since I killed Kyra. Some nights, her face still haunts me and Rex needs to remind me that I killed her. That there was no way she was coming back this time. There had been no sightings of Vampires, making Kyra right about one thing. She took us on alone. Maybe she really had been ready to die. Fingers click in my face. “Daydreaming?” I smile at Rex as he hands me a juice. He kisses me on the cheek and then kisses my very swollen belly. “I can’t help it.” I whisper, taking a mouthful of the juice. “There hasn’t been a problem in months. Everyone is happy.” “What about Oliver? he still hasn’t forgiven you.” “He never will. I was the reason he lost his mate.” “But…” “It doesn’t matter. I would be the same if I lost you. Now drink, I want our boy to be strong.” I roll my eyes at him. It still wasn’t a hundred percent certain that we were having a boy or girl. “Why don’t we just go and see Fern? She has a machine that can tell us.” He pleads. He h
RexIt takes a few hours for one of the guards to locate Rosa. They find her unconscious and in her underwear. Tied to a tree and gagged in the deepest part of the forest.Her blonde hair was a mess, she had scrapes and bruises all over her, but she insisted she is fine. That worse things have happened to her.She stands next to me as we both look on over Elsa.“Still no sign.” I mutter. She had been barely conscious when we found Kyra. By the time Elsa was dropped to the ground, she was completely unconscious and she had been that way since. That was three days ago.I couldn’t find a single mark on her. No bullet holes. No strange scent coming from her mouth. The baby’s heart was beating normally too and yet, she couldn’t wake up.“I have tried everything.” Rosa murmurs.“I know.”“No, you don’t understand. There is nothing else. No other medicine. No herbal remedy. No concoction. Her heart is beating perfectly and so is the heart of the unborn pup. I cannot find anything wrong.”“I
RexNo one had seen Rosa. She had just vanished.For a brief second, I feel Elsa. Pure dread washes over her.‘Elsa, talk to me.’ I link as I hurry back towards Rosa’s cottage. "Is something wrong? Is it the pup?"Links start coming in from Oliver and other guards in the forest. Lycans had been found dead. Silver bullets in their heads or their hearts.‘It’s not Rosa’. Elsa is somehow keeping calm. ‘It’s Kyra. I can kill her.’‘Elsa, you can’t shift. You are pregnant.’Her fear kicks in as she realises she is at a massive disadvantage.As I approach Rosa’s cottage, I feel Elsa’s pain.‘Elsa you need to keep talking.’ But there was silence and she wasn't here.‘Elsa?’Pushing open the door of the cottage, I find it empty, the fire in the fireplace had gone out a long time ago.‘Elsa, where are you?’‘Forest.’ She whispers back which is followed by a cry of pain.Zara and Oliver come running towards me.“We have been breached.” Oliver mutters.“I know that. It’s Kyra, she portrayed hers
ElsaHis grey eyes don’t leave mine as his brain puts together what I was trying to say. It was the birth of Zara and Olivers twins that had freaked me out. The fact that one twin was fine and the next minute, he was gone and nothing could have helped him. I was certain it was me, that I had brought my bad luck with me and I was afraid of something happening to James.The day that I realised I was late on my period. I freaked out because I didn’t want children. Knowing that I would be a bad mother. Nor was I ready for them. Not with everything that's happening right now.Rosa had taken one look at me and said I was pregnant. One single look. She told me that she would find me a test to confirm it.I hadn’t said anything to anyone. I didn’t understand how she knew. She encouraged me to talk to Rex, she told me that he would be happy. Of course he would. He had openly said it. I was the problem. Me not him.It was now. I had to tell him now before he got himself killed.His hand pushes
Rex“She’s panicking.” I mutter as Oliver hangs up the phone to one of the Alpha’s“Do you want to go and check on her? I can keep making calls.”“She said she stubbed her toe.”He smiles as he tries not to laugh. “She doesn’t quite understand the matebond does she?”“No. Our bond is different to what she had with Nate. She probably doesn’t understand that I know she’s lying or the fact I can feel it.”“You should tell her.”“I will, but not right now. It's only something she has heard. It's nothing major. Plus, she’s with Rosa, maybe it’s something Rosa has said, but right now, we need to prepare for the meeting at two.”He rings around to a few other packs. Oliver was pretty much getting the same response I was. They weren't happy, but they agreed to the meeting.“That’s the last of the Alpha’s.” Oliver mutters as he hangs up. “They have all agreed.”“And they are all pissed about it.” I groan“Do you blame them? We haven’t had to discuss Vampires in a long time. They’re not stupid
Elsa“You hit me?” I mutter, rubbing my cheek after I slammed my hand against her face.“You are not yourself. I need you to snap out of it. We all do.”“I’m fine.” I mutter, but I wasn’t sure if that was true. My mind seemed to be running at a million miles an hour. Different images popping into my head. I was trying to remember what Kyra had said the last time I saw her. If there was even a hint of a plan in her words. I couldn’t. All I could remember was her horrible smug smile. “Elsa?” Rex smiles, slipping his hand between the front seats and reaching for mine.I take his warm fingers in mine. His calmness was reassuring. How he was always calm when chaos surrounded me, I will never understand.“Just breathe.”For a few moments, I do as he says. Pushing all the bad thoughts from my head. Trying to give myself a clear mind so that I could think straight.“She’s here.”All three of them nod.“I’m not crazy?”“No. You are right.” Rex’s brow furrows. “Somehow, she is alive.”“Or sh
Rex“Elsa, Kyra is dead. I killed her myself.”“You’re wrong!” She snaps at me as she tries to look around me.“Elsa, I broke her neck. She couldn’t have survived that. Humans don't survive that.”Her eyes are wide. “I know what I saw.”“I know. But it’s just your mind playing tricks on you after everything you have been through.”“Tricks?”“You have been through a lot and it’s finally catching up with you.” I try to wrap my arms around her, but she shakes her head at me.“She survived once.” She mutters. “Someone saved her before.”“This time it’s different. You have to trust me.” I should have asked Rosa for some help before I left. Maybe a tonic or something that could have helped Elsa.Her eyes refocus on mine. The darkness slowly disappears until I see those beautiful baby blues.She gets back in the car. Her knee jiggles as we pull away. Her hands tie themselves up in knots.She keeps looking behind us.“There is no one there.” I rest my hand on her thigh and her knee stops jigg
RexElsa was gone by the time I woke up. In her place in my arms was her pillow. She was pretty good at getting away if she needed to. I was massive in comparrison to her.She hadn’t been gone long, her scent was still strong. Maybe an hour tops.Dressing, I follow her scent through the house and out the front door. “Alpha Rex!” Zara calls out to me. She hurriedly paces towards me with James strapped to her chest“Zara, I’m a little busy.”“I know.” She matches my strides. “You’re looking for Elsa. I can save you the trouble. She’s with Rosa.”“Why?”She shrugs her shoulders at me. “It seemed important but I didn’t think it was my place to ask. Maybe she has gone to ask Rosa for some help. Elsa hasn’t really said much since the plane or the meeting. I’m sure she must be grieving to a point.”“Maybe, maybe not.” I turn ready to head in Rosa’s direction. Thinking about how she broke down in the shower yesterday.“Has she said anything to you? About how she killed Corina?”“No.”“Alpha,
ElsaThe plane touched down and just like before, there were cars waiting for us. People looking on eagerly. Rex must have told them already.Oliver runs towards us, embracing Zara and lifting her off the ground. He thanks Rex for bringing her home. And quickly starts asking questions, wanting to know what happened.“Debrief back at the house.” Rex mutters. His hand had been on mine the entire time since he had pulled me on his lap. Almost afraid to let me go.The car ride is quiet. Rex’s eyes would fall on me every few minutes. I could feel his worry. The concern that he had for me. He wanted to ask me questions but I knew he would wait until we were alone.Even when Rex invites them in so they could talk, he still refuses to let go of me. Maybe it was his touch, holding me together like glue. Preventing me from having some kind of melt down.They sit around the glass table. Already talking about what had happened like it was some kind of history story. But it was me. I was the one w