LUCIEN. There was a knock on the door before Alice walked in. I lifted my face, scanning behind her for Mia but she was all alone. "Where is she?" My brows arched in disappointment. "I got her call early this morning about the Winter Ball she's planning—" I continued. "I tried to talk her out of it, it's almost near impossible to come up with something for tonight but she was hellbent on it.""It's fine Alice. I already gave her my word. We'll help in any way that we can," I muttered. My lips curled. "I just thought she'd be here." Alice sauntered into the chambers."She had a lot of work to do for tonight, to get the decorations up. Luckily, she has some help. Oscar came around earlier today." I felt my jaw clench and my wolf retract from underneath my skin. "Oscar?" I echoed, the name leaving a bitter taste in the back of my throat. "They're only friends," Alice was quick to correct but I already felt the fury in the blood. Oscar. Who the hell was Oscar?"I came around to help wi
MIA. "Mia, you look beautiful." My father said, running his hand across the ends of my white flowing gown. A hard lump slipped down my throat as I stared into the mirror, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks. Today was supposed to be my eighteenth birthday, the happiest day in the life of every teenage girl, the day one truly became free. But here I was, dressed in my mother's pale wedding gown, about to wed a man whom I feared more than I could ever love. The thing is, I was never really your average teenage girl. No one from this part of Rosewood was but besides the fact that I was a werewolf, I was also just an Omega which from here, was way worse. They always said an Omega was only good for two things, as a breeder for whatever Alpha was willing to settle down for her or to become a slave to your own Pack. It's either one of two, never anything else. Born an Omega, I was often considered the weakest and lowest of the Pack hierarchy. It didn't matter that my father w
MIA."Arrgh!" I screamed.My feet snapped through a branch as I fell to the ground. I felt the ends of my dress rip across but even more so the sting that came from the thorns slicing through my skin.I forced myself up, even though I could barely move. My feet were bleeding and my whole body ached. I clenched my teeth together, picking out the thorns from my flesh before completely ripping the wedding dress in half.The weight of the ends fell around me as I struggled to my feet. I threw a look over my shoulders, the breeze icing the tears on my face which I wiped savagely. Night had fallen and after running the entire day, I had reached the outskirts of Rosewood. The darkness clouded the periphery of my eyes as the winds picked up with howling from a distance. This was no place to be at this time, especially as a wolfless rogue. I had heard all about the forest, but it was even scarier now that I was in it. I limped forward carefully, not that I had much of a choice but my ankle c
MIA. ONE YEAR LATER. It had been over a year since I met Lucien Storm, the once cold-hearted Alpha of the Black Mountain Pack and a man I'd come to love. That day, I sat, staring into the mirror. In this same room.That day was far from vague—the first day I came here. Attacked and wounded in the forest, the day he saved me. The day he looked into my eyes, sure as anything under the sun and he told me."You're my Mate." A growl that stung the deepest parts of me, like suddenly explaining the fire I felt in my chest all this time. The magnetic pull to him. The inexplicable bond and familiarity like we'd met and known each other our whole lives. That day was fated. It was our destiny. Because if I hadn't run away from home, from Ezra—I would've never met him. I wouldn't even be sitting here today, the happiest I'd ever been. I wouldn't say the past year was the easiest, moving into a foreign place where everyone questioned your integrity, your intentions. For the longest time, the B
MIA.My father's feeble hands clenched around my face. His eyes began to water at that moment. I held onto him."My Mia." There was a crack in his voice, almost like he couldn't believe his eyes—that I was standing in front of him. That I was back. "Oh my God, Mia. It's you." His disbelief brought me to tears.Who would've known that after so long, my father would be so happy to see me? His eyes were bright with love but there was quite an emotion left in them that I couldn't quite decipher.I raised my eyes to the Pack surroundings, the drabness of the castle and the scanty fields that once bloomed with the brightest flowers. The utter fear in the people's eyes as they looked at me.Lucian stepped forward to my side and I felt his hand slip through mine with a squeeze. I unarched my brows, looking at my Dad."Can we go inside now?" I asked him and a hard lump slipped down his throat. He gave way with a bit of hesitation. Perhaps it was after seeing Lucian—like I said, both Packs were
MIA."Alpha Ezra" His name escaped my lips, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. He masked a smirk, inching even closer to me. I felt my heart drop but I couldn't move. Kyra had shut the door behind me.I threw a look back at her, stung by betrayal. But she darted her face to the side. My heart stomped as I looked back at Ezra. His presence overwhelmed the room and fear crept up my spine."Did you really think you could escape me, Mia?" His finger curled a strand of hair that fell by the side of my face. He gently clasped it behind my ear. Each time his skin brushed against mine made me sizzle. I was defenseless next to him.But I could sense the anger subtle in the sound of his voice. I never thought I'd see Ezra again, not after running away on the day I was to wed him. I was only a wolfless omega, surely he was bound to find a better-suited wife. I expected him to forget me.But as I looked at him, those eyes glistened as though they had never forgotten. They were filled with venge
MIA.I couldn't believe it.I couldn't believe that Lucien, of all people would be the one to hurt me so much. As I stormed out of the building, or at least what was left of it after the war ravaged most of Pack, I felt my heart shattered into a million pieces.It was a pain so physical that I could feel it in the back. A betrayal that pierced through my bones. I had cried until I couldn't anymore. Until the tears could no longer form in my eyes.And each time I thought about my Father, each time the image of Lucien holding the knife above his body flashed behind my eyes, it was like my heart breaking all over again. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe he could do that.For so long, I'd heard about the ruthlessness of Lucien Storm from everyone else—the warnings I assumed were nothing but tales. Because that wasn't the Lucien I met that night. That wasn't the Lucien I'd come to fall in love with. But even today as he stood there, his eyes vile and blood-red, I almost couldn't
LUCIEN.I walked out of the hospital ward, closing the door right behind me. It was on sighting me that my beta, Roman leaped forward. "How is she feeling?" He asked, a knot between his brows. I heaved a deep breath through my lips. "She's alive." I replied. At that moment, I couldn't be thankful for anything other than that. Mia was alive. And she may have been able to remember me, or anyone else from the last fifteen years but at least she was alive. I remembered the feeling of holding her in my arms and thinking that I might never get to see her again. I remembered the feeling of my whole world shattering into pieces all around me at that moment.And then she woke up and asked who I was and my heart broke a little more again, realizing that Mia didn't remember the past year. She didn't remember me saving her and taking her in.I did.That night will forever be forged into my memory because it was the day I met her. I felt something I had never felt for anyone before and even tho
LUCIEN. There was a knock on the door before Alice walked in. I lifted my face, scanning behind her for Mia but she was all alone. "Where is she?" My brows arched in disappointment. "I got her call early this morning about the Winter Ball she's planning—" I continued. "I tried to talk her out of it, it's almost near impossible to come up with something for tonight but she was hellbent on it.""It's fine Alice. I already gave her my word. We'll help in any way that we can," I muttered. My lips curled. "I just thought she'd be here." Alice sauntered into the chambers."She had a lot of work to do for tonight, to get the decorations up. Luckily, she has some help. Oscar came around earlier today." I felt my jaw clench and my wolf retract from underneath my skin. "Oscar?" I echoed, the name leaving a bitter taste in the back of my throat. "They're only friends," Alice was quick to correct but I already felt the fury in the blood. Oscar. Who the hell was Oscar?"I came around to help wi
MIA.Alice opened the door and walked in on me tucking the twins into their bed. It had been a long day in the town but finally, we were back home with Kyra. I had missed my kids and days like this when I was faced with the brutal reality of what had become of Rosewood and the families that had been torn apart, I loved them even more. I was glad I had them and I knew in that breath that I would do anything to protect them. I wasn't going to let any more of my family down. "How is Kyra?" I turned to Alice, walking towards the door where she stood. "She's just had a shower but she isn't eating anything.""Lena made some oat as well soup but she's just sitting there, staring blankly at everything," Alice paused. "I don't blame her. She's already been through so much. Every one of them has" I said."We just have to take care of her until she's feeling better." There was a sliver of worry in Alice's eyes. "She's family," I reassured her."It's not like it used to be. I can't turn my back
MIA.Three weeks had passed since anyone saw Ezra. I believed only then that was truly gone at least for now but each time I thought about him, my stomach would tie in a knot. Ezra was a dangerous man and it was worse especially when he was out of reach. When you had no idea where he was or when he was going to strike next."Ezra has something up his sleeves," I muttered, walking the path through the forest with Alice. "We have to figure it out so we're not completely blindsided. We have no idea what he's capable of or what exactly he wants to do with me." I added."Or he could just be gone?" Alice replied. The idea was laughable.He couldn't.Ezra was planning something, I knew deep down. "It just doesn't make sense, he had me. He couldn't killed me but he didn't. You'd think about all the years of trying to find me and killing innocent people in the process that he would waste no time when he finally had me but he didn't. Almost like he couldn't." I muttered."I may sound crazy bu
TARA.I could hear voices from behind the door. Lucien's as well as a feminine one. It couldn't be her, I shook the thought off my head as my hand enveloped the door handle.He wouldn't hurt me that much. And then I pushed it open to see the both of them, barely inches away from each other with his hand against her face. My heart dropped into my stomach and my hands clenched into a fist.It was her. Mia Harper.The name that haunted the walls, the name on everyone's lips—she was the one who got away, everyone knew. Her departure was what led the Alpha into a year-long solitude. Everyone who knew Lucien knew how much he loved her. It wasn't a competition, it could never be. But when she left, that was when he finally looked at me. When I felt like Lucien really saw me and how foolish I was to think there was a world where we could be together.A world where he would finally love me after I loved him my whole life and we could raise a beautiful family—his father had all these aspirati
MIA."So who are you?" I asked and Oscar turned to me with a smirk across his lips. He narrowed his eyes. "I've already told you my name haven't I?" He replied. I rolled my eyes to the back."I mean like who are you? You're not a face I've seen Rosewood much. Or at all even" I said. "Well, you haven't been around much." That was a fair point but I could see through Oscar. I could see through the wit and the sarcasm and the cockiness.And I could tell immediately what kind of man he was. His gaze lingered as he took a sip of his vodka. He sat right next to me just behind the bar counter. "I'm kidding," He chuckled. "But I could say the same about you. Long lost daughter of an Alpha returns to her hometown—" Oscar paused and I turned to face him."You know me." I muttered."News spreads.""That is creepy" I downed the rest of my tequila and Oscar leaned back in his chair with a laugh. "I promise you it's not. I just know everything that happens in this town." He said."What Pack?" I se
MIA."What are you doing here?" Lucien grabbed my arm but once I walked outside the castle, I withdrew from him. There was a furrow between his brows, an anger in his eyes."Meeting Ezra? Have you lost your mind?" He gritted through his teeth and I lifted my eyes to him. "Do you know how dangerous that is—" "Enough Lucien, I don't need you pretending to care," I said."You think that's what this is?" He asked. I swallowed a hard lump down my throat. His eyes scanned my body and then he sighed."Look at you, you're wounded." He whispered, his hands reaching to my face but I moved away. I could feel the blood drip down my temple right between the corner of my eyes and my ear. "Come back with me. I'll take care of it." Lucien said. I shook my head, staying still. "I'm fine. I'll see Alice when I get back.""It wasn't a question, Mia. You're coming with me, with the amount of blood coming from your head you're lucky you're still standing." He said. I rolled my eyes to the back of my head
MIA.The car came to a halt right in front of the Blood Moon pack house. I sucked in a deep breath, looking up at the place I'd grown up in. It was dark but it was clear how much had changed. Silence had ravaged the building and the few people that remained scantied across the street."Are you sure you want to do this?" Alice let out an exasperated sigh. She turned to look at me. "Meeting Ezra is such a bad idea, especially when you remember what happened the last time.""The only reason you were able to escape was because I poisoned him." She added. "Which is why you're coming nowhere close to that house. You said it yourself, it's me Ezra wants. He would stop at nothing until he has found me." I muttered under my breath."But I won't let him find me. Surprising him gives me an advantage""Then what?" Alice hissed and I pulled out of a waistband a knife I'd carried. "Mia" She sighed once her eyes fell to it. "It's okay," I paused before alighting the car. "I've trained six years fo
MIA.The moment I saw him, my heart dropped to the ground. Lucien was standing by the door and his eyes had met the kids. They were sitting on the floor playing a board game but when they saw him, both Ella and Theo stood.The way they looked at him. The way he looked at them. I could tell that he knew at that moment.This wasn't the way I wanted them to meet their father. Not like this. "Lucien," Alice broke the awkward silence, surprised that he was even standing here in the first place. He batted his eyes to me and though his lips parted, he didn't say anything for a second."Mia" But when he did, he called my name. It was as if he needed to see me a second time to actually believe it was me. "What are you doing here?" I bit down my teeth. "Did you follow me? Roman?" I looked at his beta behind him."Who are they?" Lucien stepped forward and I did too, holding the kids behind me. I locked my eyes into his. "You haven't answered my question, Lucien. What are you doing here?" I mut
LUCIEN.My heart hung heavy in my chest as I stared down at the letter in my hands. Six years ago, I had walked into this very room thinking I'd find the love of my life there but Mia had gone. She had left nothing but this very letter lying capriciously across my table. The first time I read it, I remember the feeling of tears in my eyes, the pain at the back of my throat and my stomach wrenching. It was the first time I ever felt that way. Hopeless, angry. Broken. "Dear Lucien," Six years would pass and there would be no day that I wouldn't read it all over again and again. It was a form of self torture, to remind myself of how much I was an asshole and an idiot for ever letting Mia go—for ever lying to her. But it was also the last thing of hers that I had. I never thought I'd see her again until tonight. It wasn't always like that. The first night I'd read her letter, I immediately summoned Roman."You have to find her. Search the heights of the mountains and the depths of the