GALLAHAN’S POVI knew I was dampening the festive mood in the Glass Dome, but I didn’t give a flying fuck.I meandered my way through the mingling and celebrating crowd that huddled into smaller groups of friends, a menacing glower stuck on my face.I easily spotted Zuleika and Maliya, standing at the sideline near a deserted table, like they were a pair of wallflowers. Still, they stood out from the sheer absence of joviality that the others clearly had.“Gallahan, were you able to talk to Willa?” Zuleika asked as soon as I was within hearing range.She handed me a goblet of mead, her eyes looking at me questioningly.“Disaster,” I grumbled before chugging my drink empty.The sweet liquid slid down my throat smoothly as I silently half-wished it was a strong whiskey instead.“Oh… But did you see your children?”“No,” I answered tersely.Maliya sighed, picked up the decanter of the mead and refilled my goblet.“Don’t they have anything stronger than this?” I complained beneath my brea
WILLA’S POVI paced around the room as I waited for my family to arrive, leaving Lewis to comfort Sarina.I honestly didn’t have the mind, nor the emotional capacity, to cater to her at the moment. Because I was barely holding myself together as it was.My twins…My beautiful, beautiful twins…Without the parental blood link binding them to me as their guide and protector, their inner wolves were bound to take over and dominate them. Their inner wolves would go rogue with no one to keep them in line. That would catastrophically lead the twins to losing their humanity completely.My children could become real and proper forest wolves, and it was all because of me and Gallahan.What kind of mother…I closed my eyes, trying to stop more tears from falling. But my effort was all in vain. There was no way I could stop crying in this situation.I was about to lose Calisto and Gillian, all because I was prideful and I was a liar. The words I spat out to Gallahan did this to them, and…My pac
GALLAHAN’S POV I was getting antsy as the seconds bled into minutes, and minutes blurred into eternity. At least it felt like eternity since the Alfieros left the feast. But none of the celebrating crowd seemed to mind the absence of their Alpha and his family. It was as if only Zuleika, Maliya and I noticed their early exit from the exuberant revelry after the Ascension Rite. “How many minutes has it been again?” I asked, looking around for an Alfiero among the throng of people. Maliya let out a soft groan of annoyance. “It’s only been ten minutes, Gee. Seriously, you’ve asked this question a hundred times since they left.” I tousled my hair with my hands, unable to simply stand still anymore. Just then, a light blue wisp of glittering magic appeared before me. It then took on the form of a cute little hummingbird while retaining its wispy and translucent state. It seemed harmless enough, so I let it perched itself onto my shoulder. Then I cast a glance at Zuleika and Maliya, n
WILLA’S POV“I cannot believe this,” Dad muttered for the thousandth time as he continued to march all over the living area. “Gallahan Wick!? The Gallahan Wick of the Culling Army?!”I no longer offered him any reaction and just kept staring at the door as I mentally willed Gallahan to arrive.Even then, there was a loud pessimistic voice in my head that kept telling me he wouldn’t come. That after what I had said and done to him tonight, he wouldn’t even deign to spare me a single second of his time.I did my best in silencing the doubtful and insecure thoughts to the point of justifying my actions. That I had every right as a mother to decide whether Gallahan would be a worthy man to be welcomed in the twins’ lives. That, after the threats Gallahan spewed, he deserved to be shoved and strangled.“Goodness me! I cannot believe that of all people…”“Wendell, please. He is Willa’s fated mate and the twins’ father. There is nothing to be done but ask for his help.”“I know, okay?!” Dad
GALLAHAN’S POV The door flung open quite harshly, and the sight that welcomed me was of Willa. Her eyes were slightly wide, as if she couldn’t believe I actually came. They were mildly puffy and pink-rimmed from crying, and a few of her lashes were clumped together from the tears she had shed. Her complexion was ashen, looking like the current situation had completely drained her of her blood. Even her slightly parted lips, the ones that I just kissed earlier tonight, appeared alarmingly pale. Still, she remained unfairly beautiful. And seeing her this wrecked and distraught eviscerated most of my frustration and anger at her. “You came,” she said in a whisper. I gave her a small but polite nod. Then, carefully keeping my voice even and cool, I replied with a simple, “Of course, I did.” And the rest of what I wanted to say remained safely tucked in mind: ‘There is no way I would ever not go to you and our pups. Hellfire could raze the world, and I would still find you on
GALLAHAN’S POV“That is not a problem for me,” I said carefully, keeping my voice even and my face passive to try and hide my glee over the fact that after six fucking long years, my bond with Willa would finally be complete. “The person you should be talking to now is Willa. She loathes me with burning passion, so… I believe it’s her who needs to be sat down with and be talked to. I highly doubt she will agree.”Bullcrap.I was certain Willa had already agreed. As a mother, there was no way she wouldn’t swallow her pride for the sake of our children. Greggory Alfiero wouldn’t also have brought this up if he knew his own granddaughter didn’t consent.“Willa has already agreed,” Greggory replied, levelling me with his gaze that was slightly unnerving in its shrewdness. “She is willing to do whatever is necessary for Calisto and Gillian.”“Then all is well.”“Indeed,” he said slowly, his eyes still studying my face as if trying to decipher the thoughts and emotions that lay beneath my c
WILLA’S POVHearing the words straight from Gallahan’s mouth had my heart quickly dropping to my feet. My mouth suddenly tasted like ash, and coherence seemed to have been eviscerated out of my brain, so the best response I was able to stammer out was a mildly panicked, “B-but… But you’ve already agreed to do this.”Gallahan’s eyes were fixed on me, his gaze appearing to be calculating and careful. After a beat of silence, he said, “I did. I’m not too sure you do, though. You look like you would rather drop dead than complete the bond with me.”“That’s not it!” I said too quickly, my voice loud and high-pitched.Gallahan’s brows rose, making him look like he didn’t expect the immediate denial. He crossed his arms across his chest, then casually leaned his back against the closed door.“Miss Alfiero, you couldn’t even meet my eyes for longer than a second. You’re fidgeting as if you want to dislocate your own fingers. You’re not talking in the same way you usually do, and you also loo
WILLA’S POV Gallahan studied my face, his gaze intense and unreadable. He spent a few seconds just staring at me, unmoving against the closed door. To say it was unnerving would be a big understatement. The way he was looking at me made me want to squirm, as if his eyes were able to poke and prod at me with an incorporeal stick to make me unravel before him. Finally, he broke his silence and said, “You say that, but you don’t look and sound sure. Why don’t you just jump straight to the biting part?” My eyes fluttered close as I felt my ire starting to bubble in my blood. I inhaled deeply, trying to muster all my patience that I wasn’t sure I still had. After all, I was already emotionally wrung out from everything that transpired tonight. And so, I was far from surprised when I found myself still growing irate. “You told me yourself that we have no time to waste and that you've agreed to do this,” I said waspishly, opening my eyes to shoot him an annoyed glare. “But you’re
GALLAHAN’S POVExcitement rang clearly in Calisto’s voice, and when my gaze flickered to his direction, I saw how his round eyes glimmered with eagerness and hope.The ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips was quite endearing, and I couldn’t help but mirror it.Even then, I said as gently as I could, “I don’t know, bud. I think you better ask your Mommy. She’s the boss.”Calisto quickly diverted his attention to Willa. “Mommy, we’re going, right? Right? We have to go on a run tonight. Please?”Willa huffed, closing her book and tossing it aside. But there was fondness in the way she regarded our son, sending a warm buzz beneath my skin.She was a good mother to our twins, and every time I saw things that proved it, no matter how little or trivial it might seem to others, I would always end up feeling so full of affection for her that I often felt that I might just combust on the spot.“We’re going. After all, the full moon is the opportunity for you and Gillian to shift
GALLAHAN’S POVI didn’t mean to be so cutting with my words.But regardless of intention, I still did anyway.Fortunately for me, the two balls of sweetness and energy were enough as a buffer between Willa and I, saving us from being trapped in suffocating air the following day.Gradually, though, the frigidity between us wore off, and by late afternoon, we found ourselves out in the back garden, having a picnic with the twins. A large red picnic blanket was laid out, and a few charcuterie boards of finger food sat in the middle.It was a good day. Crisp and cold breeze blowing by, ruffling leaves and making them rustle quite audibly. It made a relaxing background noise. Meanwhile, puffy clouds littered the sky, shielding us from the sun that was bound to dip beyond the horizon in less than an hour.If we were in Moonshire, we would’ve been locked indoors as harsh frost took a claim of the territory. Unless, the twins would appreciate a snowball fight while wrapped in multiple layers
WILLA’S POVElodie didn’t walk.She glided, waltzing into the room and towards us like a graceful swan moving on water. The sight of her vividly reminded me of Miss Banfey, and I couldn’t help but think that they were likely cut from the same cloth.“So pretty,” Gillian whispered in uncontained awe.‘She is,’ my mind supplied in agreement while my gaze remained firmly trained on Elodie.She was really quite the sight. Her beautiful hair was pinned on one side, cascading down in soft curls and contrasting strikingly against the fabric of her castleton green dress. Her perfectly shaped face, which boasted beautifully sculpted features, wore a barely-there smile that could only be read as genial and coy.And Gallahan?Gallahan couldn’t take his unblinking eyes off of Elodie.I bit my lower lip as my stare flickered to and fro between him and Elodie, who was fast approaching with my brother.Did Gallahan regret it? Letting go of such a wonderful woman?Did seeing her holding another man’s
GALLAHAN’S POV“Can you stop fussing?” Willa asked as she herded us to the great dining hall of the Alfiero Manor. “You’ll ruin my hard work.”“I’m sorry to break it to you, sweetheart,” I drawled playfully, “but my dashing appearance is not your hard work. It’s my parents’ hard work.”“What does that mean?” Calisto wondered, tugging me by the hand I was holding him with. “I don’t get it, Daddy.”Willa shot me an irate look, slapping my other hand that had been tugging at the collar of my regalia for tonight’s dinner affair.While I had my official garbs as the heir of the Alpha King, which boasted the colors of midnight blue and gold and had a long side cape for the right shoulder, Willa had clad me in dark green and black with accents of silvery gray for this Alfiero family dinner.“Daddy meant nothing about what he said,” Willa explained to Calisto with a tight smile. Then she shot me a glare when she noticed me fussing with the fancy silk jabot she had chosen for me. “I said stop
WILLA’S POVDays passed in a blur, and before I knew it, days had turned into weeks, and the weeks bled into months.In fact, three months had gone by, and I barely even felt it.Perhaps it was due to the infectious bliss of the twins that had only doubled since the particular family talk that happened in the dining area. Or maybe it was because it just felt so ridiculously right to have Gallahan around that it got me a little spellbound.In fact, it was terrifyingly fast and easy for him to meld himself into our home and into our lives. It was as if there had been a Gallahan-shaped void that existed all this time without our knowledge, and now he had reclaimed that void, rightfully slotting himself into place.He had even unofficially moved into my home, his clothes and other personal belongings taking space here and there. He rarely went to Moonshire now, only leaving the house when he deemed it was truly necessary.And while this setup was not what we had agreed on at first, I didn
GALLAHAN’S POVThe tension left me as soon as Willa’s words registered and sank in my mind, and I nearly slumped like a ragdoll on my chair from the sheer relief they brought.A light feeling I could only call joy swarmed my core and enveloped my chest tightly.It felt great.And honestly? I haven’t had a taste of such pure and adulterated happiness since Gillian first called me Daddy.So, as I moved based on nothing but my emotions like I usually did, I drew Willa into a kiss with a hand holding her jaw. But I couldn’t contain the smile that stretched on my lips, which only grew bigger when Calisto loudly cheered.“Yay! Yay!”I broke the kiss, affectionately bumping my nose against Willa’s before completely pulling away.A hint of uncertainty laid beneath the apparent fond softness that lined Willa’s face. It was like a quiet plea, asking me to prove to her that her decision was right, to never make her regret it.She didn’t have to ask for it, though.There wasn’t a chance I would a
WILLA’S POVThere had been times when my children’s questions had left me speechless. There had also been times when I simply didn’t know the answer.This time, it was both, and it seemed like I had lost my voice as soon as Gillian threw her question.But even if I could speak, I still wouldn’t know what to say anyway. Words were quickly slipping out of my mind, and those I could grasp didn’t weave into a coherent answer.Because really… How did one explain something so complicated and so difficult to a pair of young children without confusing them or hurting them?But I knew I had to give Gillian an answer, so I cleared my throat, hoping it would remind me how to make my voice box work again. Then, I spoke, regardless of the fact that my mind was still floundering for the right words to say.“I think,” I started, but I ended up pausing, my tongue flicking out to wet my lips. “I think everything your Daddy has done to humans is very bad and… and difficult to forgive or look past.”An
GALLAHAN’S POVI had never once doubted, much less regretted, all my choices and actions when it came to the war that erupted from my path of vengeance against humans. Not even when I met Willa.I had stood firm back then. I hadn’t even faltered about my stance even after I met her again. Sure, I had put an end to it to have a chance to be together, but I had made sure that my cause remained intact. That the conditions agreed during the parley were still completely aligned with my convictions.But now…Staring back at Calisto’s innocent eyes that reflected his pure, untainted soul… It made me uncomfortable. Like my skin was no longer my own. Like my rib cage had shrunken into a size that could no longer house my lungs. Like my heart was alarmingly slowing down while my blood rushed like an angry river in my veins.It was… odd, and I hated it.The discomfort even left an acrid taste in my mouth, but it didn’t really hinder me from answering Calisto’s question.“Because… I was hurt, Cal
WILLA’S POVThe way Gallahan’s face fell upon hearing Gillian’s answer would’ve been comical if not for the way his eyes clearly dimmed as if life had been sucked out of him in a blink of an eye.In the next heartbeat, though, his body was taut as a bowstring, his anger visible in the lines of his frame. His bluish gray eyes were stormy with thinly veiled emotions.Knowing how he didn’t have the best command over his own emotions, I felt somewhat proud how he hadn’t snapped and raged about how William had slung mud onto his image and name to Gillian.I had half expected him to immediately bombard Gillian with questions, demanding to know what William had said about the matter exactly. The other half thought that he would defensively deny and call William a liar and all other colorful names he could probably think of in a fit of fury.But he did neither.Perhaps he had learned a valuable lesson of restraint after making Gillian cry the last time. It soothed my lingering upset and anger