We're on our way back to the pack. Because we wanted to have the time to ourselves, Thor told Dahlia to ride with Eric. "He sent the food truck you know," I say after some minutes that he's been driving. I just told him someone sent the food truck before, I didn't tell him where it came from. "He who?" He briefly looks in my direction as he asks before directing his gaze back to the road."Alpha Nate... He told them to prepare meals for the shelter for as long as we would need them.""For as long as you need them? Wow!" "Yes, wow!... Uhm, I'm wondering– how did he get to know about us needing donations for the shelter? You didn't call to tell him, did you?""No, of course not!" He replies, looking at me like I just uttered the most ridiculous statement ever."That was stupid. Sorry, I ask."He smiles"Don't be. He got to know because we were at the meeting together. He's my lawyer. Actually, he's been my lawyer ever since the trial and he was my seconds for the duel.""Oh!...""Y
Thor's POVFinally!I beam with delight as I watch Ash and her parents embrace each other. Even though I wasn't expecting her to accept them this soon, I knew it would happen eventually. She didn't think she could do it and didn't believe me when I told her everything would be fine between them but I believed in her.My girl has a heart of gold. I suspected she wouldn't have the heart to reject her parents and I was right. I'm very proud of her decision. I can't wait until her inauguration when I can show her off to everyone. I would make sure the whole world knows how proud and lucky I am to be in her life. "I have all of them in custody. I promise they'll pay for what they did to you– to our family..." Alpha Nate continues to say as he hugs his mate and daughter closely to himself."Excuse me, Alpha... I hate to interrupt your family reunion... " I called after some seconds to get his attention.Alpha Nate's smile rivals the brightness of the sun when he finally releases his mate a
Her eyes widen, then she smiles."Erase her memories!?– oh, no! I didn't mean Ash's memories. I meant her wolf. That memory reset part of the training will be done to her wolf. Right now her wolf is in control and we have to return that authority to Sif which it originally belongs to.""My wolf is Sif..." Ash saysLuna Raina shakes her head"That's part of the control and authority I'm talking about... Sif is Thor's wife. Your wolf is not supposed to be named Sif. Your name is not Ash! You are Sif! As a werewolf, you're supposed to name your wolf however you deem fit. She took the authority away from you when she saw you weren't capable. So to be in control and take back what belongs to you, according to what I was told, we have to first separate your wolf from your human body, do all that needs to be done, and voila you have a tamed wolf.""I see– but 'we'... Aren't you training her yourself?" I ask"It was my responsibility when she was young, but unfortunately we were robbed of t
"Hey babe..." I call softly, taking her hand in mine. "It's okay now... You're okay... Breathe..." I say, rubbing her back soothingly to get her to relax and her heartbeats back to normal. When I see her claws retracting, I finally pull her closer to me"It's me, Thor. You can open your eyes now... Open your eyes and look at me..." I coaxShe opens her eyes and I see they're as red as hot coal. She blinks once– twice..."Thor?..." Her voice croaks out"Yes, it's me. Hey you..." I say and she immediately moves onto my lap, hugging me tightly around the neck."It's okay. You're okay, now..." I say as I gently rub her back till her breathing finally returns to normal.After a while, she pushes away from me,"There was fire..." She says in a hoax voice, looking accusingly at her mother. "She– She threw fire at me! Why did she do that!?... Why!? I thought we were getting along."Luna Raina opens her mouth to explain but I beat her to it"Yes, she threw fire at you but she didn't do it to
Ash's POVI am as angry as I am sad. I've only been with my mate for three days after I left Council Yard for crying out loud! After all I've been through, how can she call herself my mother and still tell me I must go to West Africa? That's another three months apart from my mate!What about my happiness? Does that even matter to her? What about the plan I have for my life– school resumes in about three weeks. How am I going to finish high school this coming semester if I go to Africa for three months? Am I supposed to put everything on hold because of this training?As my mother she didn't even bother to get to know me, ask about my interest... She didn't care to ask how I'd been doing after spending time in prison. How I've been coping after having a miscarriage. All she cares about is making sure the chosen one who would lift her family's dying glory is properly trained. That makes me angry– and sad at the same time.I arrive at our wing and angrily jerk the door to our private li
The moment I arrive at the head of the stairs, I see Luna Raina restlessly pacing around the living area while Alpha Nate stands aside, looking nervous and watching her. Again the restlessness I see them displaying because of me makes my heart ache and I feel sorry for them.The moment they see me walking down the stairs, they hurry forward and wait for me at the bottom of the stairs."Ash, I'm so sorry! Please don't misunderstand me...""It's okay..." I interrupt her softly. "There are lots of things that I didn't understand before. My mate already explained them to me so it's fine."They both nod and smile with relief. I see Luna Raina already has tears in her eyes and the moment she blinks, it spills down her cheeks. I want to hug and comfort her that everything will be okay but doing that would feel weird so I stay put."You look tired– both of you..." I say and suddenly stop talking when I realize what my mouth just uttered. Their eyes also widened with surprise at my words. I
Thor's POVWe finish making the sandwich and eat right there in the kitchen by the kitchen island while gisting and laughing with each other. I've traveled to so many countries all over the world and I've dined in top exclusive restaurants. No food has ever tasted so delicious, and ambiance so pleasant and soothing as what I'm experiencing right now.When we finish eating, we do the dishes together. I wash and she rinses. And as soon as we finish with the dishes she excitedly grabs my hand,"Now we're done. It is time, now tell me already.""Okay, let's go talk in our room..." I'm still talking when she cuts me short "Don't you dare blow me off, Thor! We're alone so why can't you tell me right here!?" She says fiercely, her amber eyes cold and unyielding"Will you just chill!" I say, laughingly but she doesn't find me funny"I will not!" She says stubbornly, stamping her feet on the floor like a child. "I want to know right...""It's Miranda," I say while she's talking and she sudde
CAUTIONThis chapter contains mild torture scenes.*****"Who are we seeing first? Miranda or the rapist?" I ask out loud as we go down the long flight of stairs."Miranda, of course," Ash replies. Giving me a look that says, 'I can't believe you just ask that question. I smile at her"Definitely Miranda." Ella also says. "I have a bone to pick with that bitch. She owes me a duel.""Oh really? When was that? Why am I just hearing about it?" I ask, briefly glancing in her direction."It was the very first day she infiltrated us. She accused Ella of sleeping with her mate and Ella asked for justice through a fight to the death duel." Eric answers this time. "There was no need to tell you about it then since she disappeared that same night.""Her mate?..." I ask, looking disgustingly at Eric. "Did she by any chance mean me?" I ask again when the answer is obvious They all laugh"I want my duel Alpha. The Beta already approved." Ella sounded disgruntled as she said."Of course, you wi
"The Council Chairman!" I exclaim with surprise when I see a familiar white-haired old man walk out from beside the villa and towards the aisle. "The Council Chairman is the officiant!?"He grins"Surprise!" He says with a flourish "Now walk. And remember, your best man is closely behind."I happily smile and nod at our guests as I walk behind the old man hobbling on his walking stick.I can't believe that the Council Chairman himself is going to officiate our wedding!? He's already so old but still makes the time. Today sure is full of pleasant surprises. He arrives at the front and turns to face the guests."Council Chairman, what an honor this is," I say as I arrive before him, my back to the guests.He smiles "Giving the opportunity to join the Chosen ones of House War-Cloud and House Howell in matrimony is a great honor that I dare not pass to another."I nod and he also nods backEveryone arrive at the front and stand at their respective places as we had rehearsed. The moment
I look at my Patek Philippe Nautilus watch before getting up to start dressing up. Just as I put on my tuxedo jacket, someone knocks on my door."Come in," Eric answers Timothy enters, already dressed for the occasion."The guests have arrived. The ceremony will begin soon." He saysI nod and reply,"We're ready. We'll be out soon." He nods and leavesEric finishes buttoning his tux before turning to me. He looks at me critically as he brushes something off my satin lapel and straightens my bowtie."Hmm..." He says satisfactorily before taking a step back. "Hair– on point. Skin– flawless. Tux– immaculate. Shoes– nice pair, they really compliment your outfit. All in all, you look good, man. Your bride will fall in love with you all over again."I smile at his compliment."What about the ring? Do you have it?" I ask to be sure he hasn't forgotten."I have it right here." He replies with a nod, patting on the area it is resting inside his tux. I exhale and nod"Then shall we?" He
Instead of going back to sleep like I tell him, he groans and slumps back into bed."Ugh!... C'mon, don't be a bitch about this."I scoff, looking at him in disbelief."Who's the bitch here? You're obviously tired and need to rest. I'm allowing you to do that but you can't see my good intentions." I guess he thinks I was being sarcastic when I apologized for disturbing his sleep.He sighs and gets out of bed then go to the wet bar. There, he gets a bottle of water and gulps it down in one go. "Now I'm awake..." He says before asking me, "Water?""Yeah, sure," I replyHe hands me the water before going to sit on the sofa."Alright, tell me about your anxiety attack.""I can't sleep. I thought I mentioned that earlier." ''Why can't you sleep?""How the hell am I supposed to know? I just can't!" I know I sounded defensive right now. That's because I know this conversation would end up with him poking fun at me."I wouldn't have found sleep difficult if I was at Alpha's mansion. My m
Two weeks laterThor's POV 1:10 am! I glare in disbelief at the digital clock on my bedside drawer as if it's its fault that time chooses to be moving at a snail's pace today of all days. It was 12:49 the last time I checked, I can't believe that only nineteen minutes had gone by since then."Ugh!" I growl and slump back in bed as I recall all the advice I got yesterday from all the females around me. (that did not include my mate, mind you. I haven't spoken to her in two days because of some Howell's wedding tradition)"You should go to bed early, Alpha," Lily said as they were about to leave for Night Howlers Pack. (They are Ash's maids and matron of honor.)"Yes, you should." Carla chipped in, nodding, before I could ask Lily why she wanted me to go to bed early. "Poor sleep can lead to breakouts, you know?" "Breakouts?" I asked, looking at both of them with interest."Yes, breakout. Believe me, Alpha, you don't want that..." Clarita replied, looking appalled as she shook her he
I step out of the lobby's revolving door and frantically look around me. I don't see him anywhere but his essence is stronger. He's definitely here."Ma'am..." A voice questioningly calls and I turn around to see Jeremy, one of my security details that comes from my Dad. I wonder where he sprang from? "Have you seen the Alpha– I mean my mate?" I say, handing him my backpack."No, ma'am, I haven't." He replies, looking in the parking lot's direction."Yeah, maybe he's just arriving," I say and hurry towards the place. When the parking lot becomes visible, I smile when I see him leaning on his car reading a book. Immediately, he turned in my direction and grinned as if he knew I was coming. I know it's because he smells my essence.I run, speedily closing the gap between us, and then jump into his arms, tightly wrapping myself around him like a koala bear hugging a tree."Oh, hi, monkey." He says, chuckling.I laugh, slightly pulling away from him "Hello, monkey's husband," I say. "
Twelve weeks later"Prom is more than a dance, Miss Reynolds. It is also used to celebrate and honor students who excel in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities..." Mrs Jones, my homeroom teacher, lectures me. "Even though you're only spending this term with us, your excellent performance has made you popular among the teachers. You're also loved by not just your peers but also your juniors. Even though you're a new student, they voted for you to be on the prom court, and with what I've been hearing on the grapevine about you, I'm sure they would vote for you to be this year's Prom Queen. Now, won't they be disappointed if they find out you don't want to be part of the event? It would be a shame if..."'Would it? Aren't you over-exaggerating?' I think as I continue to listen to her drone on and on. Contrary to what she's been saying. As far as I know and can see, no one truly cares about anyone amongst my peers in Apex Academy. Most of them are rich, pompous, opportu
"You didn't have your wolf and you weren't aware of my existence. I just recently figured it out myself. That was why I said earlier that a lot of things about our bond recently became clear to me. Even though I was made aware of our mate bond, I didn't know it was such a big deal. Uncle Elias also didn't see it as such; otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten me a girl on my birthday. Only The Seer knew. Knowing he's one of our number one fans, I guessed he also didn't make a big deal out of me being with other women before I met you because he knew the connection between us was not complete. You were too young. You were six years old when I was sixteen..." It suddenly feels as if I've been slapped in the face with the difference in our age. Damnit! Why didn't I think about that before!? Now that he called my attention to it, I feel I've been insensitive. To think I was eight years old when he was eighteen! An eight-year-old child is too young to shift to their wolves and has no busines
"About us..." He replies, and my body stiffens. "About what happened before you left for Hill-backside." "But I thought everything was fine now. We are fine now so why do we still need to discuss that?" I say and want to stand up, but from his lap, he prevents me, holding me in place. "Please..." He says, looking at me soulfully I exhale "I just don't see any reason why we should talk about that. We're fine now, aren't we?... I love you. You love me. Nothing else should matter except that." I say, not knowing if I should confess to him my real reason for not wanting to discuss that matter. Should I tell him I'm afraid to hear what he wants to say? I'm afraid I might not be able to bear it if he tells me how he manipulated his way around our mate bond? Should I let him know I would rather pretend Delilah never happened than risk hearing about her and not be able to forgive him out of jealousy. How would I let him know that I just want to forget the bad memories. I don't want to di
Even though it bothers me, I'm not really surprised when I return from the bathroom to see Thor in his nightwear, sitting on the sofa far away from the bed. At least now I know without doubt that something is indeed bothering him.He stands when he becomes aware of my presence."Can we have a few words?" He asks seriously and my heart thumps again.I nod. Few words about what? What could be bothering him this much? I wonder as I walk towards him. He doesn't need to say another word before I know what he's about to discuss is very serious. It's written all over his face. "I sensed something was bothering you. What do you want to talk about?" Even though I asked, I dread his reply and hurriedly add"Don't tell me! I don't want to know...""You don't!" He exclaims. "But we really need to...""Okay– but please not right now!..." I plead. "I can tell from your expression that what you want to talk about is serious and I... I don't want to talk about anything serious right now, Thor! Tod