“Thank you so much for visiting,” Diya said as she escorted us to my car.“No need to thank me. I should do more.”“This is enough. You have a life.” She told me with an understanding tone.We got to the car, and while Zion opened the door and got in, I turned to her. “I pray all goes well for you. I want you happy and with your baby.” I pulled her in for a quick hug.She waved us off, and I looked forward to visiting again.Driving home took forty-five minutes. I did a mental calculation of my time. Including traffic jams, it would take an hour and thirty minutes to reach the house.“Mommy, sleep!” Zion yelled, and I glanced back to see his weary eyes.I strapped him into the back seat and made sure it was comfortable. That way, he could easily do that without stressing himself if he wanted to sleep.“Okay, Zion.” I beamed at him, and I knew he’d be asleep in no time. After thirty minutes of driving, the empty fuel tank icon popped up on the front screen, and I took the turn to the ne
Aaron’s POV. I knew the snake named Nicole had planted the seed of distrust within Zera. She had always been a master at manipulation. I couldn’t believe I once thought she was the one for me. She never was, and like everything else, she manipulated her way into my mind and made me believe that lie.I still remember the night I marked and mated with her. Instead of a restoration of my ever-reducing power, I witnessed a massive loss of the little power I had, and I realised she wasn’t the one. She had lied about the spark and bond she said she felt between us. When I confronted her about her lies, she told me I needed her as an ally. She told me she knew too much about me and the Dominio pack and that it would be bad if she took what she knew to the wrong pack.I knew even if I kept her, she would betray me, so I ended the union and banished her from the pack, never to set foot there again. I learned she later joined forces with the rebellion pack, our sworn enemy.Nicole had always be
Ivan’s interpretation of the first ritual had brought about its success, but the second one, which he had interpreted, felt impossible. According to his interpretation, the marking would take place when the lunar eclipse was at its apex. For the lunar eclipse to reach its apex, I had to be in my wolf form.The lunar eclipse had a different effect on werewolves as compared to the other full moon shifts. On the lunar eclipse, our wolves would have complete control over their form, with minds of their own to do what they liked. I would be in my wolf’s form, where I would have little to no control. Unless Ron, my wolf, would give me control (which never happens when he takes over), I could do nothing.Ron had always had a mind of his own. Three years ago, when he last took over control, it was a disaster. He attacked and terrified the entire pack, and he didn’t stop until Ivan forced him out of the lights. I haven’t given him control since then.Knowing that Ron would be in control has sta
I wanted to do something, help, and tell Ron Zera he wasn’t an enemy, but he had shoved me so far behind that the only thing I could do was watch and listen. I wanted her to stop running and face him, but I knew she wouldn’t do that even if she heard me. She was terrified of him, as she should be, but the more terrified she was, the more he would take advantage of that.Zera stumbled and fell to the floor, groaning loudly, and as she turned around, she gasped as she saw Ron before her. She hurried to her feet to run again, but Ron surged towards her, pushing her onto the ground and keeping her there. He dug his claws into her shoulder, and she cried out in pain. She was human, and she didn’t have the strength or the healing ability to take the pain and heal through it. Ron knew that, but he did not care. He wanted to afflict her; he wanted to hurt me for what I did to him, and by hurting her, he did just that. Seeing her in pain gave him great pleasure.“Please, let me go,” she pleaded
Third POV“I love you, Aaron,” she mumbled.He knew that and believed it. “I love you too.”They stayed in each other’s arms, unmoved and unwilling to let go. The night was chilly, but Zera didn’t seem to mind. Aaron held her close to his warm body, and the heat kept her content.She kissed his chest while running her hand over the engravings, making him shiver at her touch.“We should go inside,” he said, seeing as the morning approached. They had laid for over an hour in silence, and as much as he wanted to continue, he knew they shouldn’t.She nodded, and he helped her to her feet, gathering her clothes and helping her put some on. He found his trousers and shirt not so far away and quickly retrieved them. He wore them, hoping to go in and clean up properly.“You’re okay, right?” he asked, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she picked up her boots. He took hold of her hand, bringing her attention to him, and their gazes locked. “You’re okay, right?” he asked again.She smiled before an
Part 6Zera’s POV Aaron had tried to convince me more than once in the last three weeks to quit my job at Stanford University as his way of protecting me, but I turned down his offer. After the appearance of the rebellion pack at the estate, Aaron took all the precautions necessary to ensure the safety of himself and his loved ones. But I couldn’t live in fear of getting hurt. Call me stubborn, but I confronted Ron, and I made him into a cute wolf. So the devil called Theo, his she-devil partner called Nicole, and his minions didn’t scare me.‘Except Ron was a part of Aaron, hence his name. Ron already knew you and had already established a connection with you through Aaron. Theo, however, hated Aaron and wanted only to bring destruction to him and everything he cared about. You are something Aaron cares about.’ The voice in my head educated me.That was true, but I couldn’t condition myself to a life of constant fear. I had to live my life regardless of what was happening around me.
“Mommy, you’re not eating,” Zion called out to me, and I snapped out of my thought to find the eyes of Ivan, Zion, and Aaron on me at the dining table where we sat having dinner.I knew Aaron was the most curious of the three. When I got home hours ago, he asked why I had hurried off without telling the bodyguards where I went. I knew the guards he had placed on me had fed him information about my misbehaviour and disappearance. I wasn’t ready to talk about it, and I told him I just needed air. He knew that was a lie, but he didn’t place any form of pressure on me because he knew better.I brushed it off casually: “Oh, do not mind mommy, she’s got work stuck in her head. Go on, eat your food, and you will be just as tall as Daddy and Uncle Ivan.”“They are really tall,” he admitted, and I knew their height must have left him in deep thought once or twice.“And you want to be that tall, right?” I asked.He nodded vigorously, and, without having to be told, he dug into his food and ate a
“What the hell?” I spoke, glaring up at one of the bodyguards named Francis, who suddenly just got in my way when I tried getting into the car and heading out to meet Lionel and Tatiana for our picnic.We had planned on meeting up at our usual spot by four, so I stayed back after my work closed to get a few markings and gradings done for the tests I had on my desk. This way, I would not have to take them home. Once it was three thirty p.m., I stepped out of the office and locked the door, hoping to head out only to have Francis step out of line when I got to my car.He was doing more than his job at this point. I didn’t understand his goal, and I didn’t want to. I had a place to get to, and I didn’t want him to make me go late.“I’m sorry. We just received instructions from the alpha to bring you home.”“What the hell? If the alpha wanted me home, he would have called. Now get out of my way before you get yourself in trouble.” I snarled at him, but he didn’t move away like he should; i
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