Ivan sat at the counter with a glass of vodka before him. He traced his finger over the mouth of it, reminiscing about everything that had happened so far.He couldn’t think about Xoe’s death; it would be too painful, but he could think about the little time they spent together and how she made him feel while she still lived. It wouldn’t change reality, but it would make him feel better, even if for a little while.He had never felt this much pain. The loss of the wise one was one thing, but the loss of Xoe was another.Today had changed everything, and now he felt fate had robbed him of the sacred things in life. After meeting Xoe, he thought he would experience what the other “normal” Harts experience: being with someone, but he never got the chance.He wasn’t like the rest of the Harts; he was different, and that made him keep to himself. He was the only human among them. He felt different for a long time, but his siblings did their best to not leave him out of anything they did. B
Daniel raised a brow as he stared at him. “Umm? You’ve been stalking me even though I told you not to. I thought it was an explicit instruction,” he demanded.He wished he didn’t have to have this conversation now, but he couldn’t shut it down. “I only wanted to make sure you were safe,” he said, and when his words failed him, he wrapped his hand around the glass of vodka and gulped it.“I am not a child.”“I know that. I was just worried, and I’m sorry. It was one time, and I never went back after seeing you were fine.”Daniel poured himself the whisky and gulped the content at once. "I had a feeling you were watching me. But like you said, that feeling came only once, and it confirmed your words," he said after a while of silence, setting his glass on the counter. “It’s in the past.”Ivan exhaled in relief, happy that they would move on from it.The bartender returned and filled his glass with vodka. He gulped it and asked for another immediately. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
Aaron’s suggestion after the confrontation Zera faced last week was that she quit her job at the university. He explained how necessary it was to keep a very low profile now that there was so much they didn’t understand. Ivan was still out seeking answers for what had happened, and there was still no clue. With the deaths of the wise ones in every pack across the country, getting answers would become as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. There was no guarantee that there would be an answer. The best advice would be to keep with her own until they got to the root of this, but she couldn’t do what he wanted despite agreeing to keep a low profile.The university was almost closing up for the session, and the next week would be exam week. The least she would do was give the last weeks to them and be done. Aaron didn’t understand why she refused, and even after she explained everything to him, he still didn’t get it. Her safety was more important than two weeks with a university that
It wasn’t really clear which house on 3rd Street belonged to the Yates, but she had already taken off before asking the question. She now had to use her ability to avoid breaking into the wrong house. She had to rely on her strong sense of smell, having been around Davine for a long time and knowing his scent. All she needed was a faint smell of it, and she would do the rest.The neighbourhood was filled with lilies, and almost every house had it in their garden, and this was one smell Davine always had on him. George arrived, panting and trying to catch his breath. It seemed he had pushed himself to his limit just to keep up with her. His strength left her impressed.“I am sorry,” she immediately apologised.He shook his head and said, “It’s ff…in…e, I needed the extra speed. Where is he?”She turned from him to the houses on the 3rd street and then shook her head and said, “I can’t tell. It’s harder than I expected.”She went silent, and when her sense of smell picked up on Davine’s
Zera wasn’t surprised to find Aaron outside the house at the pack estate, awaiting her arrival. He probably saw Miguel bringing Zion and Quincy home and asked where she was and why she wasn’t with them then. Learning that she had gone to rescue Davine must have put him on the edge and on the verge of restlessness.George released Davine from his grip, and the other man set his feet down firmly for the first time in almost four minutes of racing from his place over to the pack estate.Aaron stepped towards them, his steps fast and impatience, which was not Aaron’s virtue she was familiar with.He pulled her into a tight hug, and they stayed for a while before he pulled away. “Do not go off on a reckless hunt on your own without giving me a heads-up.” he breathed in relief.She chuckled and hugged him back. “It wasn’t reckless, Aaron; it was necessary, and I wasn’t alone; I went with George.”He grunted and pulled away from the hug, cupping her face so she would look at him. “You know w
Aaron woke up and found her awake and staring up at the ceiling. He pulled closer and kissed her neck, making her tingle and squirm in bed. He took advantage and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against himself and grinding against her. “You are awake early.”“Hmm,” she moaned, and her lashes fluttered weakly. “Just thinking.”“About what, the night we just had?” he asked.She giggled. “That too; I didn’t know the reverse could feel better.”He grinned mischievously. “There are a lot of things we don’t know how good they are until we try them out for ourselves.”“True.” She said this and wandered into silence.“What are you thinking about now?” he asked, kissing her shoulders.“I didn’t tell you everything that I found out at Davine’s residence yesterday.”He pulled himself up to sit down and look at her. “Really? What else did you leave out?”She pulled herself up to sit up as well. “The Crimson Moon Pack is out searching for weaknesses among sages; they are not relenti
“Why on earth will I help you after everything you have done?” Aaron snarled, “I do not even consider you a friend, much less an ally, and so you have no right to ask me for anything!”Viktor nodded, not denying any of the words he just told him. “You are right, but I need your help still, and if you help me, maybe, just maybe, you won’t end up like me one day," he said, struggling to get up.“Is that a threat?” Aaron demanded, his grip on control thin.“What’s the noise going on for?” Damor asked from far back, and they all paused and turned to him. “Isn’t it too early for this much noise? I was soundly sleeping, but I couldn’t drown out your voices and enjoy my morning sleep. Someone tell me what’s going on and why many are out of their quarters.”They all remained silent, as those who could speak didn’t have the right to, and those with the right didn’t want to. He grunted and walked closer to where they stood, and his eyes met Viktor.He blinked immediately before asking. “What is
“What do you think?” Damor asked after a while of silence went by. The Harts and Zera had returned inside to deliberate on everything Alpha Viktor had told them.“About what?” Aaron asked.“Everything Viktor said back there,” he replied.Viktor wasn’t a friend, but after what he had told them had happened to him, they couldn’t send him back or away. So, Ivan placed him in his quarters until he was mentally calm and fit with better reasoning. Aaron instructed the pack members who were present during Viktor’s confession to keep what they found out to themselves. He encouraged them to return to their day and assured them nothing bad would happen to the pack. They believed and did as he told them.It was best to keep peace and assurance within themselves. He couldn’t bear the thought of the pack in disorientation like they were two years ago during the battle with the Rebellion pack.“If he’s right, then it means there are beings with Zera’s strength and ability out on the loose, causing
Eight months later,“I know you’re there; you can come out of hiding now.” Zera said before turning to the mirror she stood in front of.Diya came out of the spot where she had hidden herself beside the door since her arrival a minute ago.“Zera. Hey.”“This baby might have robbed my other senses, but I still have a strong sense of smell. I sniffed you out the minute you stepped into the hallway.” She said this and turned to Diya in her white dress, which stopped over her knees.Diya looked ready for the day, and here she was, not even recognising herself in her dress. She had chased Aaron out of the room because he kept complimenting her overgrown bump and calling her beautiful. She didn’t feel beautiful, and she felt he only said it to make her feel better. That infuriated her and made her send him to Zion’s room.Davine told her eight months ago at the Hart Lab opening that she was a few weeks pregnant. Of course, she didn’t believe him because she was a sage and also because her bo
The Dominio pack has experienced peace like none other since the rest of the packs that survived the war moved back and continued their lives on their own. “Do I look presentable for the night?” Zera asked, turning away from the mirror to face Aaron.He glanced at her from head to toe, and there was satisfaction on his face. “You know, you always look presentable.”She rolled her eyes, giving her silver sweetheart dress one last glance before stepping away from the mirror. “I think you might be talking about yourself, Mr.”He smiled cockily. “I will take it as a compliment,” he said as he brushed over his grey suit. “Shall we go?” he asked, extending an arm to her.“Yes, we shall.” She accepted his hand, and together they stepped out of the room.The opening of Hart’s lab was a small ceremony, but many dignitaries from all over the world welcomed it. After the war, Damor began his work of testing the lab and going through the final reviews. It took him three months, and though he had
Aaron, just like Damor, had moved to attack Lucius, but his minions were willing to put themselves in the way. He had taken down three werewolves, one sage, and is currently battling another sage. It was easier said than done because, unlike the first sage he fought, this one seemed stronger, if there was such a thing. His healing abilities were kicking in to repair the damage to the broken bones and ribs, but they were not fast enough for the assault his body was taking. The sage had kicked the golden dagger away, and he was forced to fight with his hands, which wasn’t a fair fight.“You’re the alpha Aaron from the strongest line?” The sage, who had told him his name before the battle but didn’t care to keep it in mind, spoke. “This is a joke. You do not pose any threat to our alpha.” He spat on the floor.Aaron laughs, and this made the sage raise a brow. “What is so funny?”Aaron pulled himself to his feet and asked, “If I pose no threat, why does your so-called alpha want me dead
The entire pack was already outside as the night came along. Many had already been training for hours and didn’t see the point of going inside. A lot took it as their last day and just trained, regardless. They had a point; they didn’t know the numbers of those coming against them. It would be safe to consider giving it all, even though they wouldn’t make it out alive. That would be the right way to go.They noticed the presence of Aaron, and those training out in the open field paused and stepped back from each other.“The enemy will be here any minute. They will come with forces stronger than ours, probably more savage than ours; however, there is something they don’t have. The zeal we have.” They mumbled their agreement with his words.“They are coming with the sole aim of taking control, and we will fight with the sole aim of living. They do not get to decide our lives. I know many of you are scared, but so am I. I am afraid, but with that fear, I will use it to fight this battle,
Four nights later,Agitation grew within the pack after the fourth night came, and no attack from the Legion of Sages followed. It created doubt in the hearts of many, as they wondered if Lucius was even going to attack. No one slept as they anticipated the attack throughout the night, only to be proven wrong twice.Aaron had nothing to tell the pack; he had known that Lucius was not a man of his word, and this was to be expected. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t attack, but he wanted to play with them first, stretch their patience, and see how far it would go.Zera didn’t care that Lucius didn’t attack; she saw it as an opportunity to train Lionel. She had seen him battle Aaron days ago and thought he could do better with a little training. Though she didn’t get the chance immediately, she got it the next day and has trained with him since. She set out as soon as the day broke and has been at it since. She didn’t see them losing to Lucius despite his advantage, and he also wanted to think
Lionel took it better than Zera had initially anticipated because he just nodded and said he was fine with it. She didn’t want to believe his words, but she had to trust that he was telling the truth.When Manon finally arrived, Lionel was one of those to welcome him, as he had no prior visit to this one. There was no bad blood or grudge held, or at least she couldn’t see it.He shook hands with Manon and told him he was the luckiest man alive to have Sesi as his mate. Then he told him to take care of her, or he would hunt him down and kill him. It was a threat, and from the sound of his voice, he was dead serious. That should have been Aaron’s line, but Lionel didn’t care; he said it. He obviously still cared about Sesi and wanted only the best for her.Manon nodded and told him he would not forget his words in case he ever did something to hurt Sesi. Lionel tapped his shoulder and walked away.Zera turned to Aaron and asked him if he had any threats left for Manon, and he shook his h
Aaron was barely awake when he felt a hand on his body, and it wasn’t just any hand, but an arousing one. His skin tingled at the contact, and he squirmed and moved to continue the sleep, assuming it was just a dream. The touch came again, and this hand knew his body well. It knew all the right places it needed to touch and how softly and firmly he wanted each part held. A moan erupted from his mouth, and his eyes opened to find Zera between his legs. He drew a sharp breath at the realisation of what was happening.“You’re awake,” she said, grinning at him, and then stroked him at a medium pace.“Were you hoping I wouldn’t?”“I hoped you would stay asleep a little longer; bite me,” she said.His hand reached out to stroke her face lazily. “With that mouth of yours, I will do whatever you tell me to.”She chuckled and took his head into her mouth. “Fuck! Oh my, Zera, that feels so good.” He moaned, and his head fell back into the pillow, and his eyes fluttered.“Do we have time for thi
With Alpha Kol’s permission, Aaron sent the members of his pack along with the members of the Dominio pack later that day. They went out in threes following his instructions. The reason was because he knew the packs outside might not want to follow the words of the members of the Domino pack to join forces; however, with the presence of the members of the retribution pack among them, their messages would be accepted in a different light. The retribution pack members will help convince the other pack Alpha to join forces in the coming war once they learn about the enemy from them.While at home, he tried to prepare himself.“Am I overthinking this, or is Ivan an even bigger dick than I am on my dick days recently?” Damor asked, stepping into the study and shutting the door behind him. His presence and words moved Aaron’s attention to him. “Ivan had changed a lot, ever since he had ventured into the past of the wise ones, just moments of their execution. It was sure to happen. Whatever
Getting a letter from Alpha Lucius was the last thing Aaron expected the next day, but it came in the morning. No one knew how it came, as Nigo and Lawrence, the betas on watch, had seen no one drop it and only saw the letter much later into the dawn of the day.Greeting Alpha of the Dominio Pack, I would use this as a formal announcement since you already know and there is no point in hiding and seeking anymore. We are coming for your blood first, and then your head next. You have these last four days to put all your houses together. Because the cleansing is coming. You had luck taking out my favourite sage girl, but I will attack with a legion of sages, and I would love to see you die trying to take them down. I wish you all the best, but cleansing is a natural order of things, so there are no hard feelings.Your friend, LuciusAaron squeezed the letter after reading it and tossed it to the ground.The arrival of the retribution pack as well as the presence of Alpha Viktor over the