.If I wanted Axel to go in search for Thane, then I would have to do my part, I would have to take charge of the pack. That shouldn't be so hard considering I had done something slightly similar, though the difference is that back then I managed a team of ten soldiers, but now, there would be even more people.In times like this, I had to remind myself that I was no longer the little scared wolf, I was stronger now. That brings me back to the subject of ‘Bailey’. I hadn't seen her in the last few days since Thane's disappearance. Of course I hadn't forgotten her threat, she was hiding something then and what if she was involved in all these?What if she had Thane and had somehow managed to keep us from finding out?"Have you seen Bailey lately?" I questioned."No I haven't ; why did you ask?" Axel questioned."I don't know..." I paused, "Forget it.""If you know something, tell me, Riley."All I knew was that Beatrix was now 'free' and that they were both talking about getting ‘somet
The bruise had all healed up, but still, I couldn't help but worry if he was completely fine."Are you okay?" I questioned, and he nodded. I was going to get angry at him for risking his life later, for now I was just happy he was back. "I always knew something was up with Bailey." I said to myself."Is there any news about the pack I should be aware of?" Thane questioned, but Axel shook his head."Nothing new."He was clearly still mad, and I could understand that. They were close—closer than brothers, if I might say."Come on, Axel, I know..." "You don't know anything," Axel said, cutting him off. "You're keeping secrets, and I don't appreciate it. As your beta, I'm here to support you. But keeping me in the dark, like with my mother and now this ‘master’ plan? That's not our way.”"I apologize." Thane said, the smirk on his lips contradicted his words. "But I need to hear what Riley has to say about this.""What do I have to say?" "You know something; you kept it from me, so I am
Thane's hand unconsciously tightened around mine in a gentle, reassuring grasp."You want to know the truth? then here it is." Bailey started, her voice laced with venom as she settled on the cold floor. "You tricked me, Thane Blackwood. You took me for a fool. We made a deal, a deal you weren't willing to keep. I betrayed my people for you, and what did I get in the end?Nothing.I was pathetic to have trusted you, but it took only a while for the doubt to set in. I saw the way you looked at her; you were never going to let her go. Still, I had no other choice but to hold on to your words. Just as I had suspected, you didn't keep to it. When I discovered Nyaos was alive, I knew I had to kill him; if I didn't kill him, then he would find me, and he would kill me very slowly for what I had done.But then I found out Caleb too was alive. I wasn't expecting to see him ever again, but there he was. I was trapped and tortured in ways you cannot even imagine. Give me more reason not to see
Axel had been right about Thane's intentions. “Yes. I did know it would come to that,” he answered simply. “I am starving; it was a long journey; please dine with me, Riley.”I took a seat beside him. “The fact that you are okay with this never ceases to surprise me.”“Riley, I am not okay with it, but I know what you want, and I know you want both of us. I won’t let you choose; it would be too hard a decision for you to make.”“Well then, that makes me the selfish one.”“I don’t deserve you, Riley. Axel is the better man, and you want to know why I would never make you choose?" He questioned.“Why?”“Because I am insecure, what if you choose to be with him? He would have never hurt you like I did.” Thane says, and I was surprised at his words. He felt insecure; that was a first. He was right about it being hard to choose, but I knew who I would choose if it came to that, and I hated myself for knowing that and still holding on to Axel.“You had a reason; you let me go because you th
I recalled the strange dream I had, where a familiar voice kept on calling out my name, pleading for my help. Why did it feel like it had something to do with these bruises?"Are you alright in there?" Axel asked."Yes, I am fine." I said, quickly putting on my clothes and walking back into the room to join him. "I'm ready."....."Hand me your clothes; I'll keep them safe for our return." Axel says.My hands wrapped around my naked chest; it was an attempt to hide my bruises, the one to my hip had almost completely healed. "We don't want to go butt naked into the pack, do we?" I questioned with a smile.He chuckled at that; his eyes trailed down my body before looking away quickly. "I was checking you out, sorry.""Nothing you haven't already seen." I say, grateful he didn't see the bruise on my ankle.He transformed into his wolf form, waiting on me. I tried, but... it wasn't working. Instead, my wings sprouted out of my back. I willed them in before trying again; this time nothing
"What do you mean, Bailey had escaped? How is that even possible?" Axel questioned."She had help." Thane said, walking past us. I followed him into the dressing room. He brought forth the key to Bailey's room, the very same one he had kept there a while ago."There must have been a spare key, another way in. She had gotten help from someone in this pack." Thane said."She escaped; we would get her back." Axel said confidently."The problem is not just her escape, but over a dozen of our soldiers had been killed, their body parts torn limb by limb."Axel and I exchanged glances; that had been why Thane was mad. It wasn't just Bailey's escape but the soldiers she had killed."Oh gods." I whispered."I shouldn't have told you this," Thane says."No, I need to know about this, I need to know everything happening in the pack.""I only wish I had killed the bitch.""Why didn't you?" I questioned."She is an elder, the only one who would ever be willing to give me information; killing her w
"Thane. I need to ask you a very unusual question.” I said to him,"At this moment, I need such unusual questions to take my mind off everything that has been going on lately. So ask on.""Uhmm, so since my return... we've never... uhm, done it and it is okay if you aren't ready yet." I paused, turning red, because he had his full attention on me and he found this funny. "You know what? Forget it.""No, please go on.""No." I say, pulling away from him and heading to the couch."Don't be like that; I promise I won't laugh.""Well, I'll just go straight to the point, then... I want to know why you haven't had sex with me yet. There, that's what I wanted to know."He burst into fits of laughter."You said you wouldn't laugh!" I exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him, but I did love watching him laugh this so heartily."I'm sorry." He says, but still wouldn't stop laughing."You don't get to be sorry, you little traitor." "There is nothing little about me, Riley, and you of all p
I was sore. But I had asked for it. "You have to go to work; I'm fine." I lied, but Thane saw right through that. "Maybe I did go a bit too far." "And I liked it." "You did, didn't you?" He asked with a smile. "Do you always have to be so cocky?" "No, just once in a while. I'll be back early." He promised. "I am a big girl; I can take care of myself." "Well, I could send in Axel." "No, not Axel." I pleaded; I knew exactly what he would do if he saw me like this. He would make fun of me; he already knew what I and Thane had been up to by now, and I wasn't ready for that just yet. "Have it your way then." Thane kissed my lips before he left for work. Thane going beast mode is the hottest thing one could ever see. He seems to lose it all to his animal instincts, and he is a sex freak. I needed that reminder so badly and even though I was sore, I still felt very turned on just by thinking about it. I needed a shower. I walked into the bathroom, taking a quick b
ALEXANDER'S POVKaida Dawn was different.She was different from any other woman I had ever had in my bed.I had discovered she was my mate four years ago, but unlike many other werewolves, the thought of having mates never did intrigue me. I didn’t want to be loyal to anyone; I didn’t want a family, and that’s why I stayed away.And then Alpha Trent Dawn had come to me with his proposal. He was one of the few people in my good books; I knew what he had done for this pack, and I was aware that we owed him a favor. But I did find it strange; He had a Beta, going by the name Aric. Since he had no male children, the Beta could've taken over, and Kaida could've mated him instead. But for some reason… he didn’t hand the pack to his Beta.I had spotted her the moment she walked into the feast. How couldn’t I? Her scent was all over the place. My wolf inside didn’t like the Beta being so close to her, or the fact that they had slept in the very same room, but I reined him in. What happened b
I’d heard other she-wolves talk about how it felt when they met their mates. The scent, the pull—I felt it all.“Do you feel it?” I asked him, and a small smirk spread on his face.“Feel what?” he asked. “The mate bond?”“You knew.” My tone was accusing.“I’ve known for a very long time now, Kaida. Even before I agreed to your father’s proposal.”“How long ago did you know?”“Your father and his beta made constant visits to this pack; your scent was all over them.”“And yet you made no move, why?”“I don’t say this to offend you, but you aren’t exactly my type.”“Oh, I know. I guess brunettes are your type, and maybe you'd have preferred a girl who would fall on her knees and worship the very ground you walk upon, a girl who would obey every single word you utter without questions.”“I would have liked that, but that wasn’t what I was referring to. You see only a few girls shut the doors to love and choose the parts of becoming ‘warriors’. Of course, most times there were reasons beh
It had taken every ounce of willpower in me to return here.But if I was going to be his Luna, then the rules would have to change; I didn’t care who the hell he was.The soldiers escorted me to his chambers. He wasn’t alone. There were about a dozen men seated there, many of whom were middle-aged; they should be the ones people refer to as the king's 'advisors.’Alpha Ethan’s eyes settled on me.The scent was even stronger now, but I was going to rein in my wolf; I was in control, not her, and it's time she knew that. I had expected to see a smirk on his face; after all, he won. I was here because I had no other options, but his face remained unreadable, and maybe that’s one of the many things I found unsettling about him. I couldn’t read his emotions, and I was very good at that. I didn’t like surprises, but the man seated before me had a bottle filled with surprises, waiting and ready for me.“Leave, every one of you.” He ordered, and all the men rose and walked away, leaving me a
My father had told me countless times the story of when I was just a child, and he thought he was going to lose me, he had done everything in his power but it all failed and then he discovered the ‘healer’s lilies’, it healed me. Words could never fully capture what it feels like to stand on the edge of losing a loved one.I didn’t miss my mother much—I never had the chance to know her. She died giving birth to me. All that was left of her were only her pictures. Alpha Trent was a strong man; not many Alphas carry on after the loss of their mates, and yet he did.Now, the very same man I once believed was invincible, laid on his deathbed. I held in the tears because they were of no use. Crying never changes anything.“Kaida, I want you to know that I love you so very much. I know you will take care of this pack, even in my absence.”“I will.” I promised.“You met with the Alpha… I know he might seem…”I cut him off. “He is my mate.”“That… is very convenient.” He said with a small smi
That was it.I was done.Aric had been waiting for me, and as soon as he saw me, he quickly took off his suit and wrapped it around me. I felt like a fool.The moment we were both in the room and alone, he finally spoke up.“What happened?”"There’s not much to explain; it’s all right here," I say, gesturing to my torn clothes.“If he laid a finger on you, I’ll—”“You will what? He is the Alpha King; he is also very strong, and so there isn’t much any of us could do to him.”“Where are you going?”“Packing my stuff and leaving.” “What are you going to say to your father?” he asked.“I wanted to do this—for him, for the pack, but I can’t. The man is a monster; I cannot imagine sharing the same bed with him and his many… whores.I stuffed my things into the bag. I hadn’t brought a lot of things, and so in a few minutes I was packed.“Kaida, I don’t think you should leave now.” Aric says.“Why shouldn’t I?”“At least wait till the feast is over.”“Well, to hell with the etiquette and mo
Despite all the warning bells ringing in my head, I walked in and took a seat, just as he had requested of me. I didn’t know many things about this man, but one thing I knew for sure was that he was used to having his command being obeyed.“A drink?” he offered. Pouring me a glass of whiskey.“From where I come from, a girl does not drink.”“This is your home now; soon the Dawn pack will be no more, so get used to it.” He says, passing me the glass, I took it, but I didn’t drink.“You know, it is wrong to refuse a drink from the King.”“I do not drink, and if I will, it won’t be because you told me to.” I said, placing the glass down on the table.Those ruthless eyes pinned me down once more; I felt for my dagger once more.“I’ve heard a thing or two about you. The girl who aspired for greatness, you fought your way into that; you’ve gone to battles and never failed a mission. I admire that, but in this pack, you are just another girl; all you’ve built, everything dies with your pack.
“My mate, he is here.”“What?” Aric questioned. “How is that even possible?” “I don’t know, but he is here, I can feel it.”Just then, complete silence fell; all chatter ceased as The Alpha King rose to his feet. He was huge, clearly above six feet; he had sea blue eyes and brown hair, which he cut short into a buzz cut. His features were sharp, and maybe my father was right about one thing—the man before me didn’t look twenty-two years of age; he was no child; he was an Alpha in every sense of the word. The scent I had been perceiving, the one that made my heart pound, it was him.Fear was not something I had felt in years; I always liked to think of myself as fearless, but for the first time in a very long while, I was afraid. I was afraid of a man, the very man standing right before me.“He is my mate.” I whispered.“Who?” Aric asked.“The Alpha King.” I whispered back.As if he heard me, the Alpha King's eyes met mine. I wonder if he was feeling the same thing I felt; that was h
The room was just as elegant as everything in the Nightshade pack; it was bigger than my room back in the Dawn Pack. I spotted the dress on the bed. A flimsy thing. If it had been any other day, I would've been attending the Grand Feast in my leather pants and jacket—I hated parties and public gatherings, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t invited to a few back at my pack. I was the Alpha’s daughter; it was required of me. My father tried to force me into dresses more than once, but of course, I never did wear them. It was different now; this was not my pack, and here I was a stranger. Wearing my ‘usual’ clothing would only make me stick out in the crowd.I didn’t want that, but that didn’t mean I would wear the dress he had picked out for me. “It will be amusing to see you in a dress.” Aric said, a smirk playing on his lips.“I’ll be in a dress alright, but just not this one.”“Rebellious as always, let’s hope the Alpha King doesn’t notice.” He said with a smile.“I really don’t give a d
It was time, I would have to pay a visit to the Nightshade pack. Beta Aric was nowhere to be found.I stopped in the courtroom to inform my father that I was leaving, but I noticed he wasn’t alone, Aric was there too. I stopped by the entrance, they hadn’t noticed me and so I hid away from view.“You are marrying her to the Alpha King?” Aric asked, this was indeed the first time I had heard him question the Alpha.“Yes, my daughter will marry the Alpha King.”“You know that’s not where she belongs.”“I will be having no discussion over this matter, it is already settled and done.”“You know who he is…”My father cut Aric off. “He is ruthless, every powerful Alpha is, fear is sometimes power.”“The Blackwood lineage is a powerful one, but it’s cursed – that’s what I think. How else would you explain the mysterious deaths? Slade had been killed by his own son, Thane who wanted the throne – there had been other rumours too, that Freya, his mate, had actually been the one behind his deat