The Master Alpha paused then breathed in heavily, "The elder council is briefing the press now. I want you to make an announcement to the guests, Sage. It is very important that we are on the same page to minimize the damage, so we will liaise with the Savannah's and smooth things over. Your stepmother is with them now, and then, after a decent interval, it can be announced that you and the girl, Sophie, have decided to get married.""Father—""Sage, the kingdom needs a savior; the people need someone to step up from your brother’s mess," the old man added. Sage looked at his father with knowing eyes. He was angry. More than furious. Sage might have consoled his father, but he knew better not to show concern. The angry ones create their own ghosts to chase, their delusions of who they were. So let them run; let them exhaust themselves. Ignoring them was the only sane response.Sage closed his eyes for a moment before saying, "I always knew you were ruthless, but the factor—does it act
So here they all were in the south chamber, and after half an hour, all the talk was going pretty much nowhere. Sophie looked at the clock ticking away in a corner, her eyes fixed on the hypnotic swing of the pendulum. She knew she should be feeling more; after all, she was the one who had been humiliated. Something she was not likely to forget as her mother kept screeching the information at her every few minutes. Where the hell are you, Cherryl? There were so many questions, her wolf was agitated. The beast was worried. Would anyone even notice if she weren’t here? Sophie unclipped the veil—a family heirloom—and dropped it to the floor. She would have stripped off her finery there and then if she could have, but then someone might notice she was there. A naked woman in the room generally got attention. As usual, she was nothing but a trophy, a decoration. They didn't even acknowledge her presence. She fought the temptation to tear at the massive, shimmering jewels that felt h
"Stop!" Sophie cried out as she summoned her wolf, but the beast wasn't listening.What on earth?She couldn't shift into her wolf?Why? The demon only snickered and kept coming, not breaking stride, moving like a predator corralling his prey. The darkness of the concluding shadows and the giant, misshapen trees crowding nearby loudly overwhelmed the gloaming air. Could anyone even hear her? Sophie paused, not wanting to go to extremes unless she had to. But what else could she do without her wolf?Could she fight a gigantic demon? Maybe, but for how long?With no choice, she had to fight it alone and die trying. With her werewolf strength, she wasn't just an ordinary woman. She had the advantages, but with this massive beast? She didn't think so.Her strength was being sucked out. She felt like a loser. A prey.Two blazing eyes stare at her with an immobilizing force, and another crash resonates from its fanged mouth in pure agony. A lush head of hair adorns its bony head, which it
Why did you run so far from home, Sophie?" Sage murmured under his breath. What was he supposed to do now?The question was, would he be able to get her to share it?Finally, Sage couldn't help himself; this woman was like a fire, and even with its warmth, a moth-like him couldn't just stay put; awfully, he could feel his arousal. Dammit. This is crazy, Sage. So crazy yet tempting. He thought to himself.Sophie seemed to awaken as he heard her moaning, yet her eyes were still closed. Maybe she was dreaming?For hell's sake, she moans like a goddess too.Sage's hands burned a trail down to her shoulder. He murmured no sense of vulgarity against her flesh. Dammit, Sage. This is stupid.But he was lost. His wolf wanted to mark her. To have her. His wolf howled. Must have her. Must take her.Without warning, he lifted her legs and took the little underwear she was wearing; all common sense was lost when he took a whiff of her womanly scent. Bloody hell, she's that wet? How could she be
The next morning, Sophie woke up and wailed in real anguish; her head was exceptionally painful from the inside out, and she was frightened. It was like a baseball bat had been smashed on her head. Bloody hell, if this is death, then what the fuck was going on?Her hair was as chaotic as the wilderness—untamed and raucous. Her once remarkable curls now vaguely resembled a bird's nest, and any bows or clips that had once held them in spots were long gone. She looked around and remembered that she was in her grandfather's cabin, and she knew this was her room.Wait? Why?She—Oh, God, Sage.She knew it was Sage who saved her from that demon.Okay, Sophie, do not panic. Stop thinking of a hundred nonsense questions per hour. Take a deep breath and don't forget to cover your ass! After all, you only have one of them.Wait... why did I feel, uh, not tired and so beautifully rested? And why was she here in her grandfather's cabin?Did Sage bring her here?The room was just tiny and clean e
Watching him from behind was a damn sight! That butt cheek She thought. Then she suddenly stopped when she remembered that this cabin was no longer hers. Her grandfather didn't mention anything about selling this place, and it was unnerving that he didn't let this cabin into her care. Sophie felt a little disappointed. Sage was not a stranger, but she couldn't help but feel so unwanted and undesirable for a company. Yes, he saved her; he looked for him when she ran away from the awful disaster in his brother's and her sister’s wake, but Sage didn't even offer a single remorse about what happened. Or maybe, like her, he too felt relieved?But why?A million-dollar question.She looked around and sighed again. She wanted to go home anyway.Wait. Her headaches were gone, and she didn't even notice it. How strange? Well, who was she to complain? At least her head was not hurting from the pain anymore.*****Ten minutes later, fully clothed and with her backpack on her shoulder, Sophie o
"Why did you run from the mess? Your family is looking for you. Your mother is worried." Sage said as he looked for a decent place to sit. "I hate politics, Sage. I don't want the media to know that I wasn't grieving or saddened by Landon’s decision. In fact, I felt relieved." Sophie muttered just to get the elephant out of the cavern. She focused on the fragrances in the air, like the loamy smell of calm rain or the salty tang of the usual earthy and ocean air. How was that even possible when the ocean was a thousand miles away from here. Weird? "It's the spirit of this cavern you sense." Out of nowhere, Sage grumbled as if reading her silent wonderment. "How?" "You are a seer, Sophie. The daughter of time The spirit of your ancestors, who once dwelled here thousands of years ago. They recognize you." "How did you know this?" "You must know that, even though I'm just the beta of my pack, I'm the one who loves to read.." "Really?" "Why? Is that unbelievable?" "Well, hearing fr
Back to the temple royal chamber, meanwhile, Sage’s father had made it as far as the door when his breathing got a lot worse. The royal pack doctor, against his father’s wishes, said that bed rest was called for as a precaution. It was half an hour later when Sage, who was deputizing for the Master Alpha, a first, was leaving the room when he encountered someone he vaguely recognized as the Savannah’s delta, Wally, a man who bowed excessively and never smiled. "Beta Sage. I mean, um, your highness." Wally sounded breathless, his bow perfunctory, and the big politician’s smile was absent. "Are they here, sir?" "Who?" Sage asked, furrowing his forehead. "Doctor Sophie, and, um, my daughter, Chenna? We have no idea where they have gone, and Luna Ally is quite distressed. She has decided they have been kidnapped." "Considering the level of security here, I seriously doubt it. I have an idea, though. Leave it to me," Sage said, leaving the gasping man standing there staring after him a
Two days later.Sage picked himself up off the floor and realized he could remember nothing from the time he’d entered the doorway hand in hand with Sophie until now. He shook the fuzziness from his head and glanced around, finding Sophie near him. He sighed in relief and reached out to lay a hand on her arm.When Landon jumped from Eve's windows through his unstable passageway yesterday, it made Sage sick. He followed his brother, but to no avail. His trip had not been pleasant, but he wasn’t retching on the floor the way Sophie had been. After then, they knew they'd been poisoned and that Eve's was missing. So many questions remain unanswered.Why Eve?He thought to himself.Greg was already up and examining the room.Sophie got to her feet, and Sage struggled to stand, too. They stood in the middle of a darkened chamber. Symbols were etched into the veined marble floor, and tables, interspersed with tall, carved armoires, lined the room. Bowls and cauldrons sat atop the tables, alo
Drinking it, Edmond added, "Not that it matters; darkness was darkness; I believed it was always their answer, a sad but true reality at the same time.""Yes, my friend." After their hunger plight and exchange of rye bread and beef jerky, they agreed to travel north towards the lake, where some of the two pack allies must reside.After some point, the air was rich with the fragrance of leaves and loam, and it was moist too. Even so, many hours after the rains have passed, the soil remains wet, releasing its heady fog. The melody of running water in the stream has the same slumberous quality as music; Raymond wants to stop just to drink in the melody. On the side, the berries were red and bitter, but with just the right amount of sweetness.He took in all the air her lungs could hold and expelled it. These hikes were like a trip out of her life, a visit to somewhere where the measuring of time was done only by the rising and setting of the sun. Raymond went his way through the skinny t
A few hours later, Alpha Henry took his cup of tea and savored the fresh minty taste. The cup of tea was small enough to fit in the palm of a child, holding that potent brew only the hardiest of the grown-ups could savor. Sipping it, he simply added it and looked at Eve. "By any chance, you knew something about where they took Elizabeth and the rest of them, Eve?""Yes, probably in the Devil's Forest.""Are you sure, Eve?""I'm sure. I was never wrong. The only forest that would disable the werewolves to shift, or more likely, the southern pack, has demon warriors and rogues on their side. It only made sense now. They've abducted Tomas before, and he wasn't able to fight them back, and because he wasn't able to communicate with his wolf, he became feral. Most likely, the one who had Jefferson and his family were feral."Sophie interrupted them, saying, "Eve, what does this devil's forest look like?""Glad you asked. From my knowledge, it was a cursed forest where any supernatural powe
"Who is this, Eve?" Sage appeared from behind them. His lips twisted. The words made the skill sound imperiously elegant. Eve swallowed a lump before she turned around and said, "Alpha Sage, this is Alpha Henry, ally of the north." Henry gasped, I'm sorry, Eve, Alpha Sage? The Alpha Sage? " he asked in bewilderment. Unbelievably surprised, he heard so much about this legendary alpha traveler, but none seemed to have seen him or knew him personally. It had been rumored that he wore a disguise and could vanish in thin air. He was rumored to be the only one who could travel in time and was cursed for eternity. If this was Alpha Sage, then he was indeed fortunate to have such an honor to see him face to face, and knowing that he was indeed real and not just the figment of imagination was a privilege enough. "Yes, I'm Alpha Sage of the Robinson Pack; how did you know me?" A few seconds passed before Henry could answer. "Pardon, um, I heard from, um, rumors, tales, and all," Henry respo
In the afternoon, Alpha Henry arrived at the misty woods and shifted into his human form. Butt-naked, he looked for something to cover himself and found a banana leaf. He wrapped it around his exposed manhood, tied it carefully around his waist, and then whispered a safe passage to the hidden cottage of Eve. Few knew about it, yet he was one of those few who was fortunate enough to know the precise location of her hidden location. Whispering words to the garlands, the foggy cottage was now visible as he knocked on the door and silently waited for Eve to open it. Surveying the surroundings, he noticed how the front door opened slightly, and the enclosed, tiny stone porch carried the aroma of flowers and the warmth of the home. The old wooden veranda was where one would relax when the chance of a conversation with passing neighbors was welcome, yet it was all covered in mud and drops of recent blood. "Eve?" On the left side, some plants reached up past the wooden railings and branched
"Holy crap! Should we help Sage, Raymond?" Sophie asked and was startled by Tomas' howls. They were hiding behind a gigantic tree, trying not to get near two vicious fighters.A minute passed, maybe more, and the only thought that kept pounding through Sophie’s brain was. She has to help him. She has to help Sage."I don't think it's a good idea, Luna Sophie." Eve muttered. "Let them. Don't worry about your mate. He is an alpha for a reason.""Well—" But out of shock, Sophie’s mind wouldn't even let her think, her feet running towards him. Ultimately, she knew he didn't need any help, but she did anyway. "Sage... don't kill, Tomas."Tomas's wolf snapped out of its confusion and snatched its neck from Sages's mouth. In that second, Sage backhands across Tomas’ face. The wolf's head whipped to the side, and the smack echoed around them as he dropped to his bottom onto the moist ground."Stay there, Sophie." Sage yelled. Sophie halted.Red blood flowed from the wolf’s stouts from the spl
Alpha Henry woke up suddenly. It was just a dream, but it felt like it was real. He was confused for a while and tried to remember what happened as his bewildered mind began to ensue. He discovered that he was still on the floor of the banquet hall, below the table, and thankfully hidden. With all that wolfsbane in their drinks, it was all a loss. The northern pack manor didn't burn after all.All around him was blood, and dead bodies lay neglected humans and werewolves in human form. He glanced around and surveyed the banquet hall, yet no one appeared to move. The headache told him it was time to rest someplace quiet, to ride out the storm within his brain, for with time, pain does wane.Unhurriedly and carefully, he sauntered his way out of the manor and breathed in a lungful of the fresh morn
A dozen feet away, Sophie saw all the disregarded cadavers. Ten, or more. Gawking at it, she shuddered from the horror.Dozens of small mounds of earth were visible there. The heaped soil looked very dark in the moonlight. It must have looked even darker to humans. And still, Eve and Raymond did not move.Almost all of it has been disgustingly slaughtered for food, with the head, limbs, and entrails removed.It was suddenly very quiet.Some small thing chittered in a tree. The wind rattled the grass. And then more quiet, silence so deep it almost drowned out the roar of the night music that pounded away in her secret self.Sophie shivered as she thought about how the small dirt road was barely visible. You almost had to know it was there. But she knew. She had been there before. The road ran for two and a half miles, twisting three times through the sawgrass, through the trees, alongside a small canal, deep into the swamp, and into a clearing.Except the old vegetable garden out in th
As Landon’s face passed over, he moistened his clitoral area and smelled the sweetness and sensual scent of her juices. As soon as the underwear was gone, his tongue found her wet mound. Her body trembled as the tip of his tongue flicked back and forth over her protruding clit. Casey spread her legs, and Landon gawked as her engorged lips spread, showing him the entrance to her tight mound. As her lips spread open, they allowed a tiny trickle of dampness to escape. Landon licked it up with his tongue. The intense taste refreshed his mind. He felt her pull on his pants and boxers.She jerked his head up to hers, and as she locked on to his lips, her tongue danced in his mouth, teasing him. Landon felt her cool hand grip his thick, hard shaft."I want this buried in me now!" He compelled and guided the tip of his shaft to the entrance to her moist mound. He began to thrust toward her, only moving enough to wet the head of his rod between her parted lips. Adding some strength, his head b