~Declan~
“What do you mean she’s gone?” I slammed my fist on the Oakwood desk. The glass of bourbon I’d been nursing after handing down Serena’s sentence rattled.
Lia flinched, quickly hiding her trembling hand behind her back. “I followed Serena as soon as I could, but the rogues got to her before I did.”
Stunned, I clenched my fist, feeling my world crumble. Lia had one job. She needed to make sure Serena made it through the Hallow Forest, take her to my contact in The City of Brille, and explain why I did what I did.
I can’t believe this. My Serena. She’s gone?
I shook my head, anger simmering inside me. Trying to keep my anger at bay, I took a huge breath and met Lia’s eyes. “How fucking sure are you that the rogues got Serena?”
Lia was perfect for this job. She was an exceptional warrior, and Serena trusted her. They were best friends. If there was anyone Serena would listen to after what she had gone through, it was Lia. Did I make a mistake choosing Lia for this job?
“I…” Lia swallowed hard. She was never one to stutter. Warriors in our pack would shake in front of me, but not Lia. Seeing her shift from one foot to another would’ve been funny if this were another situation. She met my gaze before continuing. Fear and sorrow shone in her eyes. “I saw the rogues gobble the last of her, Alpha.”
The hair on the back of my neck rose. Images of rogues ripping Serena’s limbs like savages filled my head. Clenching my fist, my nails carved crescents onto my palm as anger filled my every fiber.
“Are you lying to me, Lia?” I let a sliver of my alpha aura slither out of my hands. It swirled through the air in thin waves only I could see, wrapping around Lia’s neck and body.
Fear settled in Lia’s body, her wolf whimpering inside her as my power wrapped around her in a chokehold. Lia shook her head, her legs wobbling, but she remained frozen across my desk, panic glowing in her eyes.
My power has grown considerably since I married Serena. What was the use of this power and title if I couldn’t even protect the woman I loved? This entire week has been a fucking shit show. I thought the finale would be sentencing Serena to exile, fooling everyone in Embercrest with my best-laid plan. Then things would finally calm down, and I could be with her in a couple of weeks.
I had everything planned out. I needed to get her out of Embercrest, then ask her what truly happened. Grandfather’s men knew nothing about what had happened inside his office that day. All witnesses died inside that room apart from Serena. She was the prime suspect, and the council was in turmoil. The clash between Embercrest and my old pack was a civil war waiting to explode in a violent, bloody fight.
I was holding the thin thread between keeping Serena safe and keeping Embercrest from ripping apart. All my effort went to waste? What the fuck am I going to do now? I cannot simply accept that I failed Serena. I promised I would protect her, and I failed miserably.
Lia’s clenched hands remained on her side, her eyes watering as she stared at me. Her small frame shook as though turbulence raved inside her body. Her cheeks were turning deep red, silver swirled in her eyes, her wolf clawing its way out.
Drawing my power from holding Lia frozen, she dropped to her knees, gasping, chasing her breath.
“I would never lie to you, Alpha.” Lia looked up at me, tears welling in her eyes. “Serena was my friend. She was family. I want her safe more than anything else.”
There was a faint rogue stench in the air coming from Lia. But there were a lot of scenarios as to why Lia brought a rogue stench with her.
She shoved her hands inside the pocket of her zip-up jacket, then removed the distance between us, placing a ring on my table.
I stared at the ring with wide eyes. My heart broke in every possible way as my wolf howled in fury and pain.
I would recognize that ring anywhere. It was Mom’s ring which I gave to Serena the day we got married.
Molars grounding, I commanded Lia. “Get out.”
“Alpha-”
“Get the fuck out!”
Lia scrambled to her feet, tripping over the carpet. As soon as the door slammed closed in her wake, I stood and grabbed the glass of bourbon on my table, taking a sip. As the liquid spiraled down my throat, anger boiled within me. I hurled the glass to the wall, hitting the books stacked on the shelf across my table. The alcohol drenched the books as the glass splinters flew everywhere.
I felt sick, lightheaded. My chest rose and fell, the air around me became heavy. A massive chain suddenly appeared around my throat, tightening as the truth settled in.
No one could lie under the alpha’s command. Lia was telling the truth. Serena never made it out of Hallow Forest, and I was the one who sent her to her death.
Growling, I slammed my fist on the table. It broke in half with a sickening crack. I stared at the broken furniture; the remnants of the security breach reports on the south border littered my office floor. Serena’s ring glistened as it caught the light from the ceiling.
Here I was, scrutinizing how a rogue managed to slip through our security on the morning after my wedding, the week in which we had the tightest security in place since we invited the alpha of the neighboring packs in The City of Brille. I was reading paperwork while my wife fought for her last breath, losing her life in a rogue attack.
What kind of alpha am I? I couldn’t even protect my wife? A fucking useless alpha, you dipshit!
I looked around the office that once belonged to Alpha Lucian. He was more of a father to me than my own. Serena insisted that I use this office, too, because it reminded her so much of her father.
She even put a picture of us on the wall where her family’s photos were hanging.
All of this was her idea. I never wanted to become an alpha in the first place. If I wasn’t the alpha, I could’ve gone to her myself and saved her from those rogues. I would die protecting her!
Feeling the walls closing in on me, I sprinted on my unsteady feet towards the balcony, shifting mid-air. Landing with a furious groan on the ground, my black wolf dashed at lightning speed toward the woods.
My paws dug into the ground, leaving prints on the muddy ground. Now that Serena was gone, everything I worked for went to waste. I was a strong fighter and a good leader because of her, and I wanted her to be proud of me.
Growling, I jumped in the air and slammed my body on the tree blocking my path. The trunk broke in the middle. I rolled on the ground from the impact, gaining my balance before the top half of the broken trunk touched down the forest floor.
Serena’s gone? Someone, please wake me up from this nightmare. I simply cannot live in a world where she doesn’t exist.
I howled. My agony reverberated through the woods, disturbing the birds and animals in the forest. My wolf refused to accept this fact. This isn’t how we were supposed to spend our first week as husband and wife.
“Alpha, where are you going?” Jared’s worried voice vibrated through the mind link.
Now that I am Alpha, everyone has their eyes on everything I do. Nothing I do seems trivial. It’s fucking suffocating.
“Alpha?” Jared asked again. As my beta, he must know where I am. “You’ve just crossed the border. Where the fuck are you going?” But as my best friend, he knew very well that I was not in the right mindset right now. “Declan?! Fuck!”
I shut him out, my paws digging into the dirt, the darkness of Hallow Forest cloaking my black wolf.
….
~Five Years Later~
“Don’t you think it’s enough that Embercrest is rogue-free?” Jared asked from the SUV’s driver’s seat.
I kept my eyes focused on the twinkling lights of Brille. Its noise and bustle in the middle of the night were a huge change from the serenity of Embercrest. The city never sleeps. Skyscrapers pitched on each side of the street operated twenty-four hours, housing the grandiose casino where humans squandered millions each second.
“Seth invited me,” I murmured, thumbing over the cufflinks of my white dress shirt. “I didn’t invite myself to this loud city.”
Seth Hawkins, the alpha of Fallenmist pack, was a good friend of mine. He’s holding a charity event for his birthday. ‘That’s what billionaires in the human world do,’ Seth explained when I asked him what the charity was for. Seth was also a shifter, and unlike us, living a quiet and peaceful life in Embercrest, his entire pack blended well with the humans. So I made the exception of taking this ten-hour drive, half of it spent in heavy traffic, for a fucking drink.
Jared blew a breath, his disbelief in my words filling the entire space of the car. “So you’re not here because of Roy’s report?”
We had to adjust our tactics and mirror what the human government does. We’ve placed spies and moles in all cities. When shit goes down, we wouldn’t be blindsided by rogues anymore. They’ve become smarter as time goes by. I don’t know how they did it, but their attacks had been more synchronized. Rogues were supposed to be lone wolves, yet they seemed to have found a way to bend the law of nature.
“I didn’t even pay attention to his report,” the lie dribbled out of my lips like honey. Jared pursed his lip, giving me a side-eye. “Did Roy finally get laid?”
“You’re such a bad liar,” Jared huffed. Since we were stuck in traffic, he kept himself entertained by playing with the radio dial. “You endured a ten-hour, excruciating drive just to attend Seth’s charity ball? Not to mention promising to wear a suit and tie for his charity event?”
I paid Jared’s teasing tone no mind. I’m not a bad liar. He just knows me so well.
“I’m all in for having fun with the rogues here, but can we at least enjoy the view?” In Jared’s books, enjoying the view meant spending two nights drinking and fucking random girls, human and shifter, whoever was available and willing.
“You can have your own fun,” I murmured, watching the pedestrians on the side of the street go about their mundane lives. “Seth mentioned we could stay in his hotel for however long we want.”
“Hell yeah!” he made a fist bump in the air.
My beta was such a kid sometimes. I shook my head, doing a double take at the woman ambling on the sidewalk.
I will never forget that angelic face- plump lips, soft, round jaws, and a striking blue cat’s eye. She might have blond hair, but I know that face.
Serena.
“Stop the car!” I commanded Jared.
Jared jumped in his seat. “We aren’t moving, man! We’ve been stuck here for ten minutes! Wait! Where are you going?” His protest and questions faded into the background as I slipped out of the car and dashed towards the sidewalk.
~Declan~I was careful not to use inhumane speed in chasing Serena’s doppelgänger. The ghost of her had haunted me for the last five years.No, I haven’t forgiven myself for causing her pain and death. Part of me knew I was chasing someone who didn’t live in this realm anymore, but my wolf refused to accept that Serena was really gone. He was a stubborn one, more stubborn than me.A war raged between my mind and my heart as I merged into the crowded walking path. My mind said it was all my imagination, but my heart believed this imagination, and so did my wolf. He was restless. If someone in this crowd would investigate, they’d see the gold swirling in my eyes. My wolf fought for dominance. I paused and willed my wolf to calm down, craning my neck in search of the blond girl in this ocean of people going about their lives.There were about thirty blond-haired women within a hundred yards. Through my heightened sense of sight, I spotted the blond in the pedestrian lane at the corner o
~Declan~“Stop fidgeting. You look great, Alpha,” Jared whispered. The laughter in his voice made me frown. The elevator chimed, signaling that we had finally reached Seth’s penthouse.“I look fucking ridiculous,” I grunted as the elevator door parted, revealing a dimly lit hallway. “You made me wear tights!”Jared stepped out, chuckling. “Trust me. You will have every woman’s eyes in that ball the second we walk in.”“Of course, why wouldn’t they? We both look ridiculous in these outfits!” The muffled bass drummed beneath my feet as we approached the double doors at the end of the hallway. Two men in sharp suits manned the doors.Jared handed them our invitations. They scrutinized our outfit with a passive expression before nodding.“Wait, you forgot this.”“What now!?” I growled. I swear I was on the brink of losing my shit when Jared held out a gold glittering mask. “For heaven’s sake, Jared?!”“It’s a masquerade ball, Al- Declan,” he stopped himself before calling me alpha.Face p
~Declan~The moment my foot settled on the ground floor landing, I understood why my wolf had been eager to know the lady in the blue ball gown.It started with a scent so delicious that I deliriously salivated for a single taste. A growl rumbled from my chest, loud enough for Seth to look over his shoulder and frown at me. His frown quickly morphed into concern.“Declan.” His wide eyes scanned my face, then our surroundings, worried someone might notice the change in me. It took all of my strength to control my wolf from catapulting forward to take over the situation. The tension coiling inside me was chaotic, a storm ready to wipe out everything in its path. Liquid gold filled my eyes, my canine elongating, and my fingernails lengthened, digging into my palms as I tried to keep it together.I was shifting. And a crowd of influential people in the human and shifter world would witness it if I didn’t control my wolf.Deep breaths in and out, I willed my heart to slow its beating and
~Serena~I stared at the fire dancing up in the air, the gorgeous Cinderella ball gown burning inside the steel drum. The beautiful ball gown just went to waste. The nasty scent of burning fabric drifted through the air, but it wasn’t enough to erase Declan’s scent. It annoyingly lingered around, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.Pulling out a packet of cigarettes from my leather jacket pocket, I lit it up and took a long pull.Fucking Declan Mitchell. I huffed, peering up at the glowing moon above.‘What kind of sick joke is this, Moon Goddess? Really? Declan? I don’t mind not having a mate. I don’t need a man to complete me, much less the bastard who was the reason I lost everything in the first place.’“Penny for your thoughts,” Spade asked, materializing beside me from the darkness of the forest behind the cabin, one of the many safe houses I owned. I didn’t hear him coming, but I sensed him before he made himself known.“Do I look like I need a penny?” I retorted, scowling at him
~Declan~My fingers in one hand were enough to count what I liked about being an alpha. In the eyes of an ordinary wolf in a pack, being an alpha was a noble title. Some wouldn’t hesitate to spill blood just to gain control over a pack. In the wrong hands, being an alpha could be a powerful sword he could wield to overpower the weak.It comes with power and respect, but if anyone would ask me what being an alpha was like, it was a heavy burden I had to carry over my shoulder. Although it was my birthright, being an alpha didn’t have its appeal to me. I blamed this bloodline for my mother’s death. If my father wasn’t the alpha’s son, those rogues wouldn’t have targeted our family.Serena was the only reason I agreed to be an alpha. Honoring her is also the reason I am still an alpha to this day. It felt like letting go of Embercrest also meant letting go of her memory.I had help, of course. All these years, Jared had kept me sane. He protected me from the scrutinizing eyes of the Ember
~Declan~As if on cue, Seth’s beta, Clint, knocked and opened the door. “There’s a Heart and Spade in the lobby. Wouldn’t say their surnames,” he announced with a frown. “They said they’re here for the meeting with Chief Ramirez.”That’s odd. Seth employed humans in his company and if you were meeting with the CEO with Seth’s caliber, it was an unspoken courtesy to give your full name or you’d be considered a threat to his security.“They are the team I’m speaking about,” Chief Ramirez cut in, his eyes anticipating Seth’s next instructions. Beside me, Seth’s fingernails were already drawing blood from his palm. I hear a low growl rumble from his throat. Then he nodded at Clint. “Let them in.”Mind link between Seth and me wasn’t needed for me to understand what was running through his head right now. However, he had to take into consideration that Chief Ramirez was an outsider from the shifter world. He didn’t understand that shifters were territorial creatures, that we rarely work wi
~Declan~Just like in my daydreams, Serena vanished from my sight. The only difference this time was that I knew this was real.She left me dumbfounded with nothing but a bruised ego, a million questions, and a confused Seth Hawkins as my company. Chief Ramirez had already excused himself and his men when Spade and my wife’s doppelgänger left the room. I bet my money he’d chase those two before they could exit the building.Heart. Spade said that was her name. Heart without a surname. Who the fuck is she?“Who was she?” Seth asked. He’d already abandoned his chair, his white and red striped necktie and suit jacket hanging on the backrest. Undoing the top button of his dress shirt, he went to the small long table on the side of the conference room, opened a bottle of Grant’s. He filled two glasses with the amber liquid and offered one to me.Seth was a good friend, but there were things he didn’t know about my past. I rarely talk about myself, especially about Serena. Anything about he
~Serena~The purr of my Ninja H2 echoed through the basement parking, followed by Spade’s YZF-R1. Thank heavens we didn’t use Spade’s car today. The drive from Hawkins Enterprise to Spade’s condo gave me head space before my partner berated me for what I did in that meeting.Securing my bike in the guest parking space, I removed my helmet and walked past Spade. I headed straight to the elevator, jabbing my fingers on the tenth-floor button. Spade was behind me the moment the elevator door opened. The silence inside the lift was heavy. Spade’s eyes bore holes in the back of my head, and the shifting of his mind gears was so loud it echoed through the confined space.I wish I could just ditch Spade off and start a new life again, but fate had a different plan for me this time. Five years, I was able to evade Declan and everything that would drag me back to my dreadful past. It seemed my luck had already run out.Inside Spade’s condo unit, I went straight to the kitchen and pulled out a
~Serena~“What are you talking about?” Declan’s eyebrows knitted together, genuine confusion coating his face.This oblivious facade he was putting in front of me was so excellent I would believe him if I didn’t know the truth.“Take over Embercrest?” he continued to act innocent of my accusations. “And Serena, I married you because…” he paused, catching himself before he admitted why he really married me. “Because…”I arched an eyebrow, daring him to finish that sentence. Tension swelled inside the car. The sedan became more and more cramped even though the windows were open.“Don’t bother finishing that sentence. Like I said, we can’t change anything.” I slid my gaze away from him, setting all my effort in scrutinizing each student proceeding to the university. To my luck, Declan didn’t bother to say another word. He was lost in his thoughts, and there was still silence in the mate bond. He was concealing his feelings. I’m not surprised that he already knew how to close the window
~Declan~“Wha… what?” I stuttered, shock short-circuiting my brain.She just admitted that she’s my mate. Now what do I do?Realization loomed on Serena’s face. She answered on the spur of the moment. Now she can’t take back what she said. She snatched her arm from my grip, my hand dropping on my lap as I pondered over her admission. Everything made sense now. All these years, no matter how hard I try to forget about her, I just can’t. Goddess knows I tried to move on. I tried to kiss and fuck another woman just to get Serena out of my head, but I fail every fucking time. The thought of being with another woman disgusted me. It was like fighting a losing battle.And now that I’ve seen her, this constant urge to rub my body against hers, coat her with my scent, and mark her as mine… It’s the mate pull.“This changes everything,” I murmured, tasting the weight of my words.My annoyance from her attitude earlier simmered down, but as my rapid heartbeat lulled, another pulse stood out. I
~Serena~“What do you mean you have to drive back home?” my voice was pitchy.I woke up to Spade already eating his breakfast, his duffle bag resting on the couch. He was dressed as usual, with a white shirt and dark jeans, and his boots were waiting beside his duffle bag.“Alpha wanted me back,” he explained, sipping his coffee. “I made you breakfast.”As if pancakes and bacon would pacify my annoyance. I stomped further into the kitchen. My elephant footsteps echoed how pissed off I was.I grabbed the coffeemaker, glaring at the dark liquid filling the cup. “And you conveniently choose this day to drive back home.”I slammed my mug onto the table, gripping the knife and fork with so much force that the veins on my hand were ready to snap. This wasn’t me. I’m used to being alone, I enjoy working at my own pace and on my own rules. Spade knew this, which resulted in the crease on his forehead.“Do you have separation anxiety from me now?” he looked at me quizzically.“Separation anxie
~Declan~Controlling my wolf was a losing battle. Add these confusing emotions to the mix, I was a dormant volcano seconds away from erupting.Was this my conscience? Or this was just how much I missed Serena.I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The way she talked, the way her eyes glared at me when she caught me looking at her, and even the way she suppressed her laughter when Jared would throw in a comical side comment to break the heavy tension in this meeting. It was all mesmerizing. I bet hearts were sparkling in my eyes.Something had changed with what I felt about Serena. I had always been fond of her. It’s the reason I married her in the first place. She has a special place in my heart. Just look how messed up I was when she died. Half a decade and I still haven’t moved on. But I have to control whatever sentimental emotions I feel for her. She was gone for so long, and I had to be careful around her. She could be planning my demise for all I know.And she became a rogue? How did
~Serena~“So, what do they have in common?” asked Clint, Alpha Seth’s beta.After giving us the overview of this case, Chief Ramirez and his team had just left Alpha Seth’s building, and only six of us remained. This was the part where we could really discuss what was going on in Alpha Seth’s pack. Alpha Seth was wise not to disclose every detail to Chief Ramirez. Despite having an agreement with the Chief, he was still human, and it was safer for him not knowing that the victims were shifter descendants.“All of these girls are from your pack?” Spade asked, parking his elbows on the table and resting his chin on top of his locked hands.Alpha Seth nodded. “Born and raised in Fallenmist. I have known two of them since they were pups.” His anger was tangible in the air. He’d been calm and collected the entire time Chief Ramirez was here. Now that the humans had left, he allowed a sliver of his anger out.Ten girls were gone too soon, taken away from the life they were supposed to live.
~Declan~It was pure torture to be in Serena’s presence.This was a different person—tougher, stronger, more stunning, yet cold and distant. This stranger, clothed in my late wife’s skin, resonated with a dangerous and mysterious aura, sending chills down my spine. And trust me, it takes a lot to get the hairs on the back of my neck to rise.Her tone was all business. She was far from excited about reuniting with a friend she hadn’t seen in a long time.I considered not telling Jared about Serena. He always had a soft spot for her in a brotherly way. Jared was born and raised in Embercrest, and he’d seen Serena grow up from a mischievous little princess to a fine, beautiful woman.He laughed at me as though he had heard another overrated punchline when I told him Serena had strutted into the conference room as part of Chief Ramirez’s chosen investigator team. He thought I was hallucinating, like I had been in five years. But when he realized I wasn’t laughing with him, he sat up talle
~Serena~The doorbell sounded again. And that is one very impatient visitor.I narrowed my eyes at Spade when he tipped his head, beckoning me to open the door.“Why don’t you open it? This is your place,” I hissed at him.“You owe me for your tantrums in the meeting,” he countered.I crossed my arms in my middle. This conversation was a waste of time, but I honestly don’t want to open that door. From the way the buzzer was impatiently pressed, I had a good idea that I was in for a stand-off with Declan.Playfulness twinkled in Spades’s earthy eyes. This annoying man was enjoying my misery too much. I wanted to smack him in the face, but the doorbell buzzed again and again.I let out an annoyed groan and stomped towards the door, opening it with a snarl. “What!?” I gasped when I came face to face with the person behind it.“Serena?”“Jared…” I whispered, a tsunami of memories hitting me at full force.I was frozen on the spot, eyes blown wide, when Jared tossed his corded forearms aro
~Serena~The purr of my Ninja H2 echoed through the basement parking, followed by Spade’s YZF-R1. Thank heavens we didn’t use Spade’s car today. The drive from Hawkins Enterprise to Spade’s condo gave me head space before my partner berated me for what I did in that meeting.Securing my bike in the guest parking space, I removed my helmet and walked past Spade. I headed straight to the elevator, jabbing my fingers on the tenth-floor button. Spade was behind me the moment the elevator door opened. The silence inside the lift was heavy. Spade’s eyes bore holes in the back of my head, and the shifting of his mind gears was so loud it echoed through the confined space.I wish I could just ditch Spade off and start a new life again, but fate had a different plan for me this time. Five years, I was able to evade Declan and everything that would drag me back to my dreadful past. It seemed my luck had already run out.Inside Spade’s condo unit, I went straight to the kitchen and pulled out a
~Declan~Just like in my daydreams, Serena vanished from my sight. The only difference this time was that I knew this was real.She left me dumbfounded with nothing but a bruised ego, a million questions, and a confused Seth Hawkins as my company. Chief Ramirez had already excused himself and his men when Spade and my wife’s doppelgänger left the room. I bet my money he’d chase those two before they could exit the building.Heart. Spade said that was her name. Heart without a surname. Who the fuck is she?“Who was she?” Seth asked. He’d already abandoned his chair, his white and red striped necktie and suit jacket hanging on the backrest. Undoing the top button of his dress shirt, he went to the small long table on the side of the conference room, opened a bottle of Grant’s. He filled two glasses with the amber liquid and offered one to me.Seth was a good friend, but there were things he didn’t know about my past. I rarely talk about myself, especially about Serena. Anything about he