After an hour of the public announcement of the transfer of control, the papers were signed and questions from the press were answered with very minimal words, Maggie sat back to enjoy the view of pinched faces.Veins stood out on necks, eyes popped and nostrils flared. The media were the first to leave but Maggie knew that nosy as they were they would hang around for juicy bits because, to everyone in the room, it was clear that the transfer of ownership was a hard pill to swallow for some, and the journalists wouldn't want to miss anything. The Board members knew this too that was why they weren’t attacking just yet.“What have you just done?” Axel asked, his voice low and deep, carrying the weight of danger that constantly surrounded him.“I have taken what is rightfully mine and as of this day, you all are fired.”“Fired?!” they exclaimed simultaneously.“You heard me right.” Maggie pushed her chair back, signaling an end to their meeting.“You can’t do that! We serve this pack! W
Vivian threw her arms wide open like a vulture, her face a contortion of worry and concern as she half ran half walked toward Maggie.“Oh my God, Maggie! I didn’t believe it but you are alive!”Noah stood in her path before she could hug her. Vivian fell back a few steps as she stared quizzically with fury in her eyes at Noah. “What is going on here? Maggie, I was worried about you. Imagine my shock when I saw you on TV…”“Oh, you were shocked?” Maggie’s voice was heavy with sarcasm. “When exactly? Was it when you saw me at the club or when you planned to have me killed?” she asked as she moved out from behind Noah with a pat on his back.She feigned shock at Maggie’s words. “What are you talking about? I have been so worried about you…”“Oh really? And was that why you almost tore out my bodyguard’s throat?”Maggie didn’t need to mention Caleb’s name for Vivian to know who she was talking about but her face betrayed nothing.“Didn’t you send those warriors to kill me?“I was trying t
The car came to a stop at the edge of the woods and could go no further because of the thick trees closely packed together. From there she and Noah went on foot with Noah in wolf form and the motorbikes from the Council strung together on his back.Maggie was not surprised to find Asher, Cathy, and Chase at the edge of the clearing that was their home waiting for her, the expression on their faces ranging from pleasant welcome to suspicion and open friendliness respectively. Asher’s expression soon change to one of open perplexity when Noah walked into the clearing with the motorbikes.“What…?”Maggie offered a light smile. “A little peace offering for destroying the other one on our way out.”“I bet you can afford those given how much money you have now,” came Cathy’s bitter remark as she uncrossed her arms. “I honestly thought you wouldn’t come back. Imagine my disappointment now that you are here,” she added as she walked away from them.Chase shook his head at her and came forward
They stared at each other with such strong anger and hate for a long time, chest heaving and broken with the hurt of each other’s words. They had both said terrible things to drive their point home and now that it was silent, their heavy words hung in the air like clouds waiting to rain down piercing cold waters on their skin.Maggie was the first to balk as she sagged on the counter in the tiny kitchen. “This wasn’t supposed to go like this.”"Could have fooled me." Asher dropped one hand on the counter, his last words still shivering in the air and leaving a bad taste in his mouth. “I do my work as Alpha to the best of my ability.”“And you are doing a great job at that.” It was she who wasn’t doing a great job at seducing him. What did she know of seduction anyway? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was still tensed up with how much courage it took her to call the Board members, members of the pack who betrayed her and her father, to come together in the Board room tiny space.
Chase had just opened his door to Maggie when he heard the loud bellow and he immediately released a stream of curses that made Maggie raise her brows. He was the gentler of the triplets and she would never have expected such words from him. But there he was with a massive frown on his face as he pushed past her in the direction of the voice.“What are you doing here, Trevor?!” He demanded in a loud voice that would have made even Asher whimper. Maggie watched as Asher himself stalked out of the other side with Ginny on his heels and at the same time, a large man who had to be 6’5 appeared out of the woods. He had on a black tank top that stretched over his taut muscles and tawny skin and his dark skin was as beautiful and gleaming as his pearly white teeth which were exposed in what was supposed to be a smile but looked more like a snare. Yet it didn’t distract from his beauty.“What do you want Trevor?”Trevor ignored Chase’s question. “Where is Asher?”“What do you want?!” it was A
“Where is my brother?! I want to see my brother.”The harried-looking secretary tried to hold Axel back but he was too strong for her.“Mr. Lycrox does not want to be disturbed at the moment,” she argued as she placed herself between the door and Axel’s looming size.Eventually, she found herself being tossed to the side while Axel nearly kicked the door down. “Bastard. Where are you? What have you done?”Lance looked up calmly from the small suitcase on his desk into which he was folding a pair of shorts, some shirts and some briefs. Axel stopped mid-stride into the office that was over-washed with lights from the decorative fluorescents above and from the open windows.“What the fuck are you doing?” Axel demanded. “You are running away you coward? You are running away like a dog with your tail between your legs?”“When you are done barking like a common fool you will tell me what you want, Axel.” Lance then threw his head back in the direction of the door and saw his poor secretary
“What are you doing? You are going to hurt yourself.” He warned when she delivered another blow to the trunk. It groaned dangerously but remained rooted in the ground. “Maggie!”“I am doing the exact thing you are doing, Asher.”“You don’t have to be foolish about it.”She stopped punching to stare at him incredulously. “Foolish?” She laughed. “So you agree that what you doing is foolish?”His nostrils flared and his amber eyes flashed at her but he didn’t respond.Maggie narrowed her eyes and rubbed her sore fists. “Communication.”“What?”“Communication, Asher that is your problem. You will rather scream and punch your way through things instead of talking about them.”He scowled. “Coming from the woman who thinks money buys everything, I don’t need a lecture.”Maggie raised her hands in surrender. “Fine, we both have our faults and we have skirted around them until now. Let’s behave like adults for once and talk.”He stared at her suspiciously. He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to
Maggie moved closer and touched his face. His face was a lot furrier than it looked and her fingers easily sank into the softness. She scratched lightly and a small sound akin to a cat’s purr escaped him.“Tell me what happened, Asher.”His massive chest visibly heaved and his red eyes swirled. She thought he was going to avoid talking about it again but he sat on his hunches and gave her a droll stare with his red eyes.“I will only tell you because I know you won’t drop the subject.” Her smile encouraged him to go on. “For a long time after I became Alpha, I accepted my fate as a man without love. Our pack used to be much larger than this but when more Ptakkagaris kept attacking us just because we couldn’t defend ourselves, we kept dying and reducing in numbers. We couldn't protect ourselves and we could not strike a deal with the Ptakkagaris. The only way I could save my pack from dying out was to procreate. I finally decided to find a wife. Even if I couldn't find a wolf to marry
“You are lucky Anthony was right, you know?” Maggie looked up from her wine glass with a smile. Cathy was holding a wine glass of her own. They were celebrating life after the goddess’ curse. Luckily, Ezekiel’s army hadn’t done much damage to their house and what had been destroyed was rebuilt, partially with Ginny’s help. “I know that. If that blood offering hadn’t worked we’ll not be enjoying this nice bottle of wine right now.” Maggie raised her brow at the woman. “Do you still think challenging the goddess to a fight was a stupid idea?” Cathy’s lips stretched into a reluctant smile. “Well maybe you’re not as foolish as I thought, Dark Storm.” “You are a Dark Storm too.” “Yeah yeah.” Cathy raised her glass as she turned and left. She had to go to be club. Business was booming faster than she could manage. As she started to leave she looked back at Maggie. “Thank you, Maggie.” As soon as she left Asher came in carrying another bottle of wine and he raised his brow. “Did Cathy j
Everything went still. Phoenix hovered in the air, a stricken look on her face as she looked around as if searching for something to fall as if the sky would come falling on her head at any second.Maggie waited.Asher waited.Lance waited.Ezekiel waited.Then Phoenix started to laugh. A peal of nervous laughter spurted out of her. She looked even crazier than before as she opened her mouth unnaturally wide to laugh at Maggie’s foolishness.“It failed!” She laughed. “Nothing happened.”She spun in the air laughing as she tossed her hair about. “Oh, mortal. Foolish, foolish mortal! You have failed. You have brought an end to your kind!”Without warning she snatched the sword from a dazed Maggie’s hands. It was coated with her blood.“Oh, look,” Phoenix taunted her. “I win!” she chuckled.Maggie didn’t know what to do. She lost. She lost and now…She looked back at Asher and Lance. Would they start disintegrating or would the goddess kill them after she was dead?“I’m sorry,” she sighe
Maggie put her feet on the gold armor, feeling the cold metal beneath her feet and grunting, she kicked the goddess off her, put her hands behind her head, and pushed herself off the ground. In a flash, she transformed into her wolf.Vapor escaped her nostrils. She looked down at her paws noting that the proximity of Asher and Lance reduced the bleeding to a nonexistent point. She sighed gratefully and glared at the goddess who was on her feet smiling at Maggie.“You sure took your time showing up,” Maggie told her.“I wanted to see what your pathetic uncle would do. Shall I leave him or shall I kill him?”“He’s mine for me to kill.”“Are you sure?” Phoenix asked with a lopsided grin.“He is mine to kill!”“Hmm, then I should let the men fight to keep them busy. That way Asher and Lance will have their hands full to protect you.” With a snap of her fingers, she summoned 3 more wolves and sent them at the men. “Ezekiel Dark Storm, take these wolves, they are yours. That makes things eq
It was a gloomy day. At least for the newly formed Dark Storm members. Even though the sky was bright and sunny, the occupants of the car moving Eastward were silent and dull.Maggie tightened her hand on the wheel. Asher had opted to drive but Maggie wanted to be behind the wheel. Staying still and doing nothing would make her go crazy and she didn’t want to think about what the outcome of the day would be like. It was time to face the goddess, time to decide the fate of her kind. Did she have what it took?Her hands were shaking on the wheel. So much training but it would all be for nothing if she couldn’t win.She had more than the fight with the goddess to worry about. She also worried about the others remaining in the mansion. So far they hadn’t heard anything about Ezekiel. Since his last attack, he had not attempted attacking again. But she knew trouble with him wasn’t over yet. He wouldn’t rest until she was dead. A second time.For that reason she had Greg and his team stay b
“What do you know about my mother…”They were in the study. Asher, Lance, and Noah stood behind Maggie ready to battle if their visitors pulled any silly games.None of the External Threat unit members sat. Maggie didn’t offer them seats either. They weren’t friends nor foes and depending on their actions, she would decide whether or not she could accept them as part of her new family.For now, however…“I know that your father was in love with her,” Greg answered.Maggie waited but when he didn’t continue she held out her hand. “But?”“But your mother…she used to love your father until his brother, Ezekiel, came along and swept her off her feet.”Maggie couldn’t believe it. She didn’t know her mother but she always dreamed of her as the perfect mother who would have been there for her if death hadn’t snatched her so far out of her reach. She liked to imagine that her parents were so in love that her father was devastated after her mother’s death. She imagined he was so devastated and
Lance was standing outside the balcony where the sun was high and bright. The golden rays glistened off his dark hair and on his face. He squinted his eyes as he gazed off into the woods surrounding the Dark Storm property and could clearly see Jennifer’s red head bobbing as she encouraged Maggie to continue to work with her breath.Maggie was scantily dressed in a pair of shorts and a thin shirt. Even though the sun was out the weather was a bit drafty but Jennifer, whom Maggie had invited earlier that morning before the doctor came, wanted Maggie to practice in harsh conditions.According to her, the goddess was crafty, and who knew what kind of tricks she would play. Maggie had to be prepared for anything.So with goosebumps on her flesh, she practiced holding her breath to build her endurance while fighting the various enemies Jennifer created with her powers. After all, she had only three days left to train before facing her opponent, an ageless goddess with a penchant for murder
It was precisely 12 when he arrived and Ginny was the first to see him.“What the hell…?! It’s you!”His smile was cocky as he wagged his brows upward. “Cathy’s waiting?”“Waiting and ready to shred your ass most likely. Why are you here?” The teen asked defensively crossing her arms in front of her chest as she eyed him derisively.“To see Cathy. Give us some privacy will you?”Ginny exchanged a glance with Darren. “Cathy’s gonna be mad.”“Do you know him?” Darren asked.“Let’s just say yes and leave it at that.” She turned to the man and tilted her chin upward toward the office. “She’s in there. She’s in a mood and seeing you is not going to make her calm. Knowing you’re the one offering to buy the club, she’ll probably bare her teeth at you again.”“I don’t mind Cathy’s teeth.”Ginny couldn’t hold her laugh. She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I hear you, sir, up you go. Try not to get eaten.”Theodore left Ginny and Darren to continue with their jobs and he made his way up the s
Maggie stood back while Anthony examined Caleb. She had sent Asher back to take care of other things so that she could help Anthony if he needed any help. Carl was in the room with her watching Anthony through narrowed eyes. He didn’t trust anyone but he trusted the vampire doctor even less.Anthony took one look at Caleb’s weak form. “How has he managed to stay alive?”He was pale as death, his skin held a very translucent look. His shirt had been taken off to reveal his emaciated body, his ribs very clear through his pale skin. The gap in his neck and side had crusted over and were showing no further signs of healing. Through the gap in his neck, Caleb’s pulse beat an unsteady rhythm. His lung rose and fell, visible from the side where he was stabbed. His bronze wolf heart beat unsteadily.“Steph and I did the best we could.”“I’m amazed,” Anthony said genuinely impressed. “But I am afraid that cannot keep him alive.”“You think I don’t know that?” Carl said annoyed. “We couldn’t ge
The doctor came two days later. Tall and pale as always. He wore a polite smile like Asher remembered from the last time.Asher still couldn’t shake his distrust for the man. He was a vampire! Why would Ezra Dark Storm employ a vampire in his service? He couldn’t help but wonder.“Miss Dark Storm sent for me,” Anthony said in his lilting accent, his golden eyes bright as ever. It was a cloudy day, perfect weather for bloodsuckers.“Yes, she did.”He stepped inside the mansion and took off his coat. “I am glad she is doing a lot better. I told you not to worry,” his gaze was direct. “Asher.”“You know my name.”“Your name and that of the others have been included in Miss Dark Storm’s health insurance. Her father did the same thing for every member of his pack while he was still alive. She’s filling his shoes nicely.”Asher didn’t know what to say when the man was being openly friendly. Too friendly.Anthony grinned and held his hand out. “I am harmless.”His hand was icy cold in Asher’