Allie POV
I’d thought I still had a vague idea of where north-east was, but as I continued to walk on, my confidence was fading. Fear and regret churned in my gut. What had I done? I’d sent Josh home to protect him. I wanted to shield him from this crazy mission of mine, but there had been a big part of me that was hoping he wouldn’t leave.
But he did.
I couldn’t fault him for that, though. I’d stung him with my words and pushed him away. His family deserved to have him home, and he deserved to be with them. He’d done his job guarding me for this long.
Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! The realisation of what he was going home to suddenly hit me.
Josh would be returnin
Josh POV Walking away from Allie was the hardest thing I’d ever done. ‘And the stupidest,’ mumbled Aster. He had been pacing in my mind ever since, on edge and antsy. He wasn’t happy with me at all. ‘She fucking dismissed me. Like I didn’t even matter to her. What was I supposed to do? Everyone back home thinks I’m dead. What will Mum and Dad be going through? I can’t be wandering through this fucking forest anymore, not when I have a way out right in the palm of my hand.’ ‘Go after her,’ he growled, causing a low rumble in my chest. ‘She doesn’t want me to! She made it perfectly clear. Enough!’ I blocked him from my mind and trudged on, following the direction on the
Josh POV I let Aster take control and shifted. He immediately went to Allie, nudging his snout into her hand. “Hi Aster,” she whispered, rubbing behind his ear. He was a complete puppy right now. He licked her face, making her giggle, then crouched down beside her. She was weak, and I was really worried. She slowly crawled onto his back, hugging his neck, and he rose gently. ‘Take it easy, Aster,’ I warned when he began to pick up the pace. ‘I know what I’m doing,’ he replied. ‘Really? How many naked women have you carried on your back before?’ He ignored me, and I chuckled to myself. It was getting dark, and the only thing I co
Allie POV Each breath was laboured, as though I had a weight sitting on my chest. There was a strange burning sensation in my lungs, and my throat ached painfully. I tried to move, to lift my arms, but my whole body felt weak, tired. I forced my heavy eyelids open as a surge of fear washed over me. Where was I? I looked down and saw unfamiliar clothes–some sort of nightgown. Someone had dressed me. Seen me naked. The room was empty though, I was alone for the moment. The room I was in looked nice, but so had the Obsidian King’s bedroom. I let out a whimper of fear, but with my throat feeling the way it did, it sounded strangled and pained. A familiar freckled face appeared from a doorway, and at the same time, what looked like the main door was almost ripped off its hinges as a large figure appeared. “You break it, you fix it!” Mulberry scolded Josh. He ignored her, his eyes firmly fixed on mine. She turned to me and smirked. “He’s been sleeping on the bench outside your room.
Josh POV Allie drifted off to sleep in my arms. It felt so right. Everything about her fit me. She moulded into my body, tucked safely under my arm, close enough to kiss her forehead as she slept. I couldn’t imagine anything feeling more natural. There was just no way that there could be someone out there who would feel better than this. The guilt moved in swiftly as the word ‘mate’ circled in my mind. If my mate could see me now, how would she feel? How would she feel if I told her about my feelings for Allie? It was like I was being torn in half. One part of me was enjoying this so much, and was determined that I was going to hold on to Allie and never let go. The other part was thinking about all the ways I was already disappointing my future mate. Her scent was everywhere when I woke up. There was long blonde hair in my face, her palm resting on my chest. Her face was higher, her nose snuggled right into the side of my neck. I lay watching her, the rise and fall of her ch
Allie POV He said he loved me. Did he mean to say that? Did it just slip out? No, he said it twice. And the way he was looking at me… had he been feeling what I’d been feeling towards him this whole time? I knew there was mutual attraction there, that was undeniable, but the shock and surprise that was registering with me as he said the word ‘love’ was a completely unique feeling. He was right. Once I had my wolf, the fairytale that I’d been clinging to in my mind would be over once and for all. I was an Alpha’s daughter, the future Alpha of the pack, and he was a guard warrior. Even without my wolf, I knew there was no way the Moon Goddess would pair us together. It was now or never. One chance to live out the fantasy I’d been dreaming of–vividly–all this time. Standing on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to his, my arms wrapping around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to me. His mouth moved in time with mine and my whole body relaxed into his as he held me. His tongue trac
Josh POV There was no going back now. She was mine. I was hers. I’d heard all about sex from my brothers and friends, and it always sounded like best thing ever, but I never thought it could possibly feel like that. Like what I’d just done with Allie. No one told me that I’d want to sell my soul or a kidney, just to do it one more time. With her. I carried her into the bathroom and ran the water. She hadn’t taken her hands off me, and I didn’t want her to either. Her small, soft hands left goosebumps in their wake wherever they touched, and it didn’t take long for my cock to twitch back to life. I thought that being with her, relieving the sexual tension that had been building between us for a while now, would be enough. But it only made me want her more, with urgency. I turned off the water and climbed into the large bathtub. Reaching out my hand to help her step in, my eye caught our fluids that had mixed and were trickling down her leg. A possessive low growl erupted from me
Josh POV The elves woke us at dawn and the frustration that had been flowing through me yesterday returned, along with a new feeling of dread and resignation. We thanked Chieftain Wallace and Elder Myles, and now Allie and Mulberry were crying and hugging. Mulberry had brought along Spidey, and I noticed that there were plenty of elves who were equally wary of Spidey as I was, which satisfied me. Despite what the girls thought, I wasn’t a sook for being terrified of a giant fucking spider–it was just common sense to be scared of him. “Allie, I’ll never forget you. Thank you for breaking me out and helping me get home. I can never repay you.” “There’s nothing to repay. Thank you for being a friend.” She looked towards the sky. “As soon as the Obsidian Court is overthrown, I’m coming back to visit.” The elf warriors looked eager to leave, so I went to take Allie’s hand. If I left it up to the two girls to decide when to leave, we’d be here all day. “Thanks for everything, Mulbe
Allie POV Rosina smirked at me. I must look absolutely pathetic to her. An Alpha born werewolf, reduced to a snotty, snivelling mess. Too stupid to avoid getting cursed in the first place, and now someone else was paying the price to have it removed. Why would Josh do this for me? Ten years. TEN. I would never–and could never–forget him, regardless. He didn’t need to make this sacrifice for me; it was too much. But knowing that he would do it made my heart squeeze almost to bursting point. “Are you going to behave, or do I have to turn you to stone?” asked Rosina. She could not wipe the smile off her face, and it angered me that she was laughing at my expense. “I won’t interfere,” I snapped back. Josh sat back down on the chair and Rosina sat next to him. She placed both of her hands on his forearms and I had to fight the urge to knock her away from him. It surprised me to realise that the anger wasn’t because she was about to take ten years of his life from him, but because she h
Allie POV Six years later… The jade green clouds were high in the sky and the sun shone brightly in Olive’s glade, as my family rained utter chaos on the poor unsuspecting forest. Really. Just pure chaos. But in the most lovely of ways. These picnics started off with just the Tanners, but had eventually expanded to include all four of the Alpha families from the packs bordering the forest, plus our fae friends. Bringing us all together as friends and allies. They quickly escalated into events of epic proportions as each of our young families expanded rapidly. Leo sat with Zac and Zoe’s youngest son in his arms. He was the newest grandchild, and number fifteen in total for the Tanners. Julie held a wriggling blonde toddler who was screaming for snacks. Josh and I named her Bree; he calls her Breezy, but really Stormy would be a more accurate nickname. What could I say? She was a girl who knew what she wanted. Queen Neva and King Roman sat alongside them with their new little pr
Allie POV One month later… My favourite moment had fast become Olivia’s late night feed. Sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery with just a dim lamp on in the dead of night, the packhouse completely silent, just me and her. She would look up at me with her big blue eyes, her perfect little hand curled around my finger. And her smell, oh man, her smell. We were all addicted to her. She had everyone captivated. Her dad especially. She couldn’t so much as whimper before he was picking her up, fussing over her. I’d found myself blubbering an extraordinary amount of times in these past few weeks, just from pure happiness, in total bliss, and drunk on love. “Hey, I didn’t hear you get up,” whispered Josh from the doorway. “Do you need anything? Snacks? Water?” He really was the best. “Yes to both, please.” He returned five minutes later and sat next to me, feeding me and holding the water for me, while I fed our daughter. “Can you believe we actually made her?” he asked, soun
Josh POV Several months later… “Have you seen Mum?” asked Allie, standing in the office doorway frowning. “She’s gone with Samson to visit Queen Neva.” “Again?” she snapped. Uh oh. I hopped out of my chair and put my arms around her. “What did you need her for? Is it anything I can help with?” “No, it’s ok. She was going to help me organise all the baby’s clothes.” I swept her feet up, picking her up bridal style. “Let’s go then.” “Josh, you don’t have to.” “I want to. You and Maggie have done almost everything else, I can help with this. Let’s go get snacks first.” That made her smile. She kissed me and snuggled her head into my neck. Her belly was now huge, and she was often tired, grumpy, and completely over being pregnant, but she’d never looked more beautiful. Watching our pup roll and kick around in there was the highlight of every day. I sat her down in the rocking chair, handed her the slice of banana bread we picked up in the kitchen, and she put me to work. I stac
Allie POV I’d spent all day with Mulberry and Spidey helping in the village gardens, and my eardrums still felt like they were bleeding after the moment I’d told her I was pregnant. Her squeal almost rivalled the ones Mum and Julie made when we told them. Aunty Mulberry was just as ridiculously excited as our family were. This baby was definitely one lucky and loved pup. On the way home, I stopped at Olive’s glade. The new saplings were thriving thanks to the extra care of the elves tending to them, and a little magic. It would take some time, but eventually these trees would be full grown, and the cocoons of the new dryad spirits would form. I couldn’t wait to meet them. I filled the watering can up at the lake and watered the saplings and pulled a few weeds. Sitting down, I looked up at the light green clouds and gave my tiny little baby bump a rub. My whole life had changed so quickly. I was still trying to adjust to having a life outside of the packhouse walls, yet here I was
Josh POV“Alpha?” I glanced up from the computer to find the head housekeeper standing in the doorway. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you have a moment?”“Come in, Laura,” I replied, gesturing to the seat across from me. “What can I help with?”“I don’t want to bother you or Alpha Allie, but the kitchen staff reported that trays of croissants had been made overnight and were left cooling on the benches this morning. Croissants that none of them prepared or baked. And the wait staff said all the forks in the main dining room have gone missing.”“Was the kitchen locked overnight?”“Yes, Alpha.”I let out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. These little incidents had started happening across the pack the moment Allie became Alpha, but they were now increasing in frequency, and a lot of pack members were now on edge. It wasn’t normal for the fae to be on our territory.Most instances were harmless. Some were good deeds, like the croissants, or doing housework tasks, and some were pl
Allie POV “Baby, sit still,” laughed Josh as I bounced up and down in the passenger seat of the car. “I can’t help it. Drive faster,” I whined. His wide smile told me he was equally excited as I was, he was just doing a better job of holding it in. It was the first time we’d ventured this far into the Jade Willow Forest since balance had been restored, and it was a completely different experience travelling by car. Most of the old highways and dirt paths had grown over after years of abandonment, the forest swallowing them whole, so it had taken some work from each of the four bordering packs to get them cleaned up and usable again. For now, it was just the main roads open, but over time, the rest would be unearthed again. The news from the fae closest to the Viridian Creek border, was that the fae were just as excited to have visitors again as the packs were to visit. Trades of supplies and products were already underway, and for the most part, the Obsidian Court was keeping
Josh POV The cold and damp conditions of the underground cells mingled with a fetid stench in the air that had my gut churning. This place was miserable, and pretty much summed up what I’d expect from Maurice Everett. I wasn’t unhappy with the fact he was now locked up in this hell he’d created. I squeezed Allie’s hand as we approached his cell and the guards nodded and moved to give us privacy. I pulled over two chairs and we sat, staring at Maurice, who was perched on the end of his bed. “Have you come to gloat?” he asked with a slight scoff. “I’ve come to find out what I need to know about the pack,” replied Allie firmly. “No one can recall seeing Beta Kyan in the last few days, and he’s missing from the pack mind-link, so I’m assuming he’s gone rogue–” “He is dead. He started sticking his nose in where it wasn’t necessary and made Ellis question some of my methods, so I got rid of him.” This guy was unhinged. A complete mastermind who managed to get away with his corrupt mo
Allie POVAs the life faded from Ellis’ eyes, I felt a surge of power run through Stella, right before the howls rang out from all around the pack, recognising the death of their Alpha.Stella raised her head to the sky and let out an almighty howl in response, answering their call and staking her claim as their new Alpha.Slowly, more and more wolves appeared on the packhouse lawn surrounding us. Those in wolf form continued to howl their loyalty to their new Alpha, and those in human form took a knee before Stella. A maid ran out of the packhouse with a dress for me to slip on as I shifted back.I felt his eyes on me before I spotted him pushing his way through the crowd and raced towards him, throwing myself into his outstretched and still bloodied arms. He burrowed his face into my neck as I clung to him tightly, kissing the side of his head.“You fucking did it, baby.” His voice was hoarse and littered with raw emotion. I needed to address the pack that had assembled, but I didn’
Allie POVEllis and my father were similar people. They liked control, and they liked to hold all the knowledge and power. For that reason, I knew Ellis was not happy at being blindsided by the fact that not only did I have a wolf, I was the Jade Wolf… and I was challenging him. I was certain it would be affecting every part of his being.He lunged at me, starting the battle, but I easily dodged. Nate said my best strategy would be to let him lead, watch his moves carefully, and try to spot any weaknesses that I could take advantage of later. Stella was light on her feet, so it was a simple task.Ellis’ overconfidence began to show. His wolf growled and snarled as it snapped its jaws at me, and his moves became sloppy as he interpreted my hesitation for fear rather than observation. He lunged again for my flank and Stella finally made her move, dodging left, then pouncing on his exposed neck. He evaded the hit to the neck, but couldn’t move quick enough to avoid Stella’s teeth as the