The Main House—as Caleb calls it—is quiet. Maybe the pack members are at the picnic Caleb mentioned, and I don’t have to meet anyone new. Tomorrow, if I am less tired, I might consider it, but for now, Caleb is more than enough. Even talking to him becomes tedious. We make it to the kitchen without bumping into anyone. Inside, a male—probably Blade—is singing. While I am not good with music, I am sure he missed more than a few notes. Caleb brings his index finger to his mouth—I think. Understanding what he means, I nod, and Caleb slowly opens the door to the kitchen, and after a quick peek, he tiptoes inside. From the doorframe, I watch how Caleb goes to the freezer and opens it. Blade, who has his back to us, is washing some dishes and singing from the top of his lungs. I am surprised Blade hadn’t caught Caleb’s scent. Caleb turns to me, and after pointing to the sink, he makes his way there. I am waiting to see what Caleb is up to when he suddenly snatches two spoons put to dry,
After returning to the Main House, I take a nap. The nightmares are still present, but so is the white wolf, keeping me safe from the monsters. It is dinner time when I wake up. But unlike other days, I didn’t wake up screaming this time.I am not sure if it is from all the running from earlier, but I am… hungry. I am still not ready to join the others in the dining hall though. Maybe tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow.I get out of bed and open the door. As I suspect, Caleb is sitting in a chair by the door, working on his laptop.“What’s wrong?” he asks, looking up at me.I rub my right upper arm up and down. “I am… hungry. But I am not ready to eat with the others.”Please don’t make me join the others.Caleb’s scent tells me he is shocked, but he jumps to his feet a few seconds later. “I will bring your dinner here. Blade made lasagna. You will love it!” he says enthusiastically, placing the laptop on the chair.Then he rushes down the stairs, and I close the door. After folding
He was supposed to be a product of my imagination! Maybe this entire clearing is a product of my imagination.Wanting to be sure what I see is real, I slowly approach the wolf, not wanting to wake him up. But what if I am wrong and it is not the wolf from my dreams, and he is going to sense and… and… hurt me?I freeze. For a moment, I don’t even dare to breathe.But white wolves are supposed to be good. At least, that’s what the legends say.Biting my bottom lip, I take another step, and then another, and another, until I reach him. I crouch in front of him and reach out my hand, and I brush the tip of my fingers over the top of his snow-white fur.Warmth like I have never felt before spreads inside me, and sparks dance across my skin. Safia—who had been grief-stricken from the moment Jordan has rejected me—not only reacts for the first time in weeks, but I can feel a beam of happiness coming from her.I am trying to understand all the sudden feelings and Safia’s reaction when the wol
I sit at the vanity desk, trying to untangle more of my hair, while I am remembering my encounter with Alb -wondering if everything was just a dream. Even now, two days later, I can still feel his warmth on my skin. If he is real and not only a product of my imagination, why could I not find the clearing again? I went to look for it not only yesterday but today too.Safia is starting to become restless, wanting to be outside.‘I guess you are done moping around, huh?’ I tease her, and she rolls her eyes at me. ‘Such a little brat you are. I am so happy to have you back.’She lets me know she is happy too and that she won’t leave me alone ever again.I am about to get up from the chair when someone knocks on the door.“Rain, it’s me, Viki. I am with a friend that is dying to meet you. Can we enter?”I sigh. This is exactly why I didn’t want to leave my room in the first place—people will start noticing me and will want to talk to me.Not wanting to be rude, I say, “Yes, you may enter.”
Sarah starts braiding my hair. “Well, Jeremy might not be an Alpha, but being with him is the best thing that has happened to me.”“I can tell. He knocked you up pretty well, didn’t he?”My eyebrows inch up. “That explains your scent being mixed with that of Jeremy,” I say excitedly to Sarah. “You are going to have a pup!”“We have been trying for a year now. When I finally got pregnant a month ago, I could not believe it!” Sarah is so happy, her scent fills the entire room.“Wait till the cub is born. It won’t be all fun and games then,” Viki grumbles.“Don’t you want pups?” Sarah asks Viki.“Blah,” Viki closes the book. Then lets out a big sigh, “I don’t know. Maybe if a big dragon shifter comes and scoops me up in the air and takes me to his cave, I might consider it.”“Maybe you should stop reading smut books,” Sarah says to Viki. Then to me, she says, “How about you? Do you want pups?”I don’t really know what to reply, as I never thought about a family of my own. My only concern
I nod. After a few seconds of silence, I say, “Sarah and Viki showed me where the new school is. I bet the pups will be happy.”“I think they will. Kassandra complained, for months, that the old school was too small for the growing pack. Five new pups started school this September. Also, with all the newly pregnant females, I am thinking about adding an annex to the clinic and having a midwife in the pack. What do you think?”I did not expect Caleb to ask for my opinion about pack matters. “Well, I think it could be a good idea. Hector is a good doctor, but I think females will feel better knowing a midwife will be here in case they need her. I mean, if I were to have pups, I would prefer a midwife over a male doctor.”“You want pups?” Caleb asks.My mind goes back to my conversation with Sarah and Viki. “I never thought about having a family. Not until today. But I think I would love to have a pup or two. Not right now, but in the future.”“I should have guessed you wanted a family,”
RainFor the next week, I keep meeting up with Alb in the clearing. Since he never shifts for me, I spend the time chatting about all kinds of nonsense. Most of the time, though, I let Safia out and just enjoy watching Alb teach her how to hunt and other things she never got to learn as a pup.As for me, I decided not to let Jordan’s rejection, or my rape and attack, define my life. While I didn’t want to be touched by males, I started to speak with more pack members, and I even met Kassandra. Not only does she have red hair like me, but she is a hybrid. Her mother was a werewolf, and her father was a vampire. With a round belly indicating she will give birth anytime now, I don’t know how she keeps up with all the pups she is teaching. They are the most energetic lot I have ever seen.Sitting at a table between Viki and Sarah, I watch Conon and Jeremy play soccer with some pups while Caleb and Blade are busy flipping hamburgers, meat, and sausages on the three barbecues built close to
It is Hector who replies. “No. As long as Caleb is touching you, skin-on-skin, the pain will be tolerable. In the morning, when the suppressors arrive, everything will be over.” Reluctantly, I agree. “If there is no sex, then I think I won’t mind being touched.” Caleb walks out of the clinic. “You are such a good little Omega for not putting up a fight,” he coos. I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. I was supposed to meet up with Alb later on today. Realizing that he is going out of the village, I ask, “Where are you taking me?” “There is a bungalow in the forest near the village. It is used by females when they are in heat. I was thinking of staying there until morning.” I nod. My body starts to hurt so badly, I start to sob. Caleb starts running. “We will be there soon,” he tries to comfort me. My hands find his t-shirt, and I grab it hard. Warmth spreads around my body, making the pain a bit more tolerable. Caleb keeps running, and some minutes later, he enters
Ever since the feral rogues tricked us into believing Caleb was dead, grief like I’ve never felt before threatened to overpower me. Katherine is the only thing that kept me sane. Along with helping Conrad take care of the pack and keeping an eye on Rain and Sky, I was exhausted at the end of the day, and by the time my head hit the pillow, I would fall into a deep sleep, only to start again the next day.Being apart from Katherine added another level of pain to my grief, but her returning the same day Tatiana let everyone know Caleb was alive still has my heart dancing with joy inside my chest. Tatiana visited the pack while Katherine and I were preparing for our date and let everyone know what had happened to Caleb. Everyone wanted to come and see with their own eyes that Caleb was alive and well, but it wasn’t possible. My arm snakes around Katherine’s waist, her slender body molding after mine. Caleb’s joke didn’t sit well with her. It doesn’t really bother me since Caleb and I a
I chuckle. “She did. I would be dead if not for my amazing soulmate.” I look around for Red. She is behind me. It’s wrong. She should be by my side, shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, soul to soul, as my soulmate, as my Queen, as my everything. I take her hand into mine and guide her in front of me so that everyone will know that she is the most important person present. “Tristan, this is my soulmate, Rain. And the one clinging to you is my daughter, Sky, but I have a feeling you already know this.”Tristan looks at Sky, who glances up at him with silver eyes, similar to mine. “How could I not know when she carries part of your scent? Daphne told me everything. I see Sky as my flesh and blood, but I made sure she knew who her real parents were.” This is why Sky said she wanted me as her dad the moment we met because she suspected who I was to her? ‘How could she not know when she looks like you? Except for the hair color. That one she got from Daphne.’ Now, that Raven mentioned
Being a slave for the Cosaci Vampires reduced me to a shell of my former self. I lost count of how many times I begged all the gods and goddesses out there to let me die. The only reply I’ve ever received is silence. Even the Moon Goddess deserted me as if I wasn’t worthy of her help. In the vampire castle, I was alone in my suffering. Most of the other slaves loved to taunt me, especially the Omegas, because it granted them favors with Sinn or his monster of a mother, Queen Lamia. Not all slaves wanted to be in Sinn’s good grace. Katherine was the only one who risked her life to take mine and set me free. Not all vampires took great pleasure in tormenting me. Daphne, despite being Sinn’s sister, was nothing like her brother or mother. She was more like her brother. Like Tristan. He has been my light in my darkest moments, my friend when I needed one, the brother I always wanted. When my adoptive father sold me to the vampires, Tristan was the only one who never tried to drink m
I follow Esyn as I try to memorize the scents of those working here. It would be so much easier if I could see their faces, but there’s no cure for face blindness. The palace is so big it feels like a maze. The entire pack could live here, and there would still be empty rooms. Caleb and Conrad should consider it. The pack would follow Caleb anywhere. It takes us several minutes to get to the Royal Wardrobe. “This is…huge,” I say as I stand in the doorframe and look at clothes displayed on mannequins. “Queen Sera loved clothes. When the place was built, King Aris requested that an entire floor be turned into a wardrobe. He wanted to fill it with all sorts of gowns he designed especially for Queen Sera,” Esyn explains. “Their love must have been something special,” I say. “It was,” Esyn agrees. A long one-shoulder lavender tulle dress catches my eye. The soft tone should look good on me. Noticing the dress I’m looking at, Esyn says, “You will look very lovely dressed in it.” I
I let out a sigh of relief. “That room just saved my life,” I say, making Caleb laugh softly. “There’s something I wanted to ask you. You mentioned a vampire, K. Do you think he is Kain?” Caleb falls silent while he thinks. “I think he is,” he finally replies. How could Kain have ended up as a slave in another realm? Wasn’t he going to find his mate, Elly? “Your friend, Voros, got Kain out, right?” I ask, concerned about Kain.Caleb’s scent changes again, this time to shock. “Voros. How could I have forgotten about him?” he wonders. “Yes. By now, Voros and Kain should be far from the Nether Realm.” “Good. Good,” murmurs slip past my lips. “We should find out what happened to them.” “If everything went according to plan, Voros and Kain are in the Ruby Realm, home to the Dacian Vampires.” My hands slide to Caleb’s chest, and I tap it with my right forefinger. “Unknowingly, you might have secured your friendship with the Dacian Vampires. You also count on the help of the Druid Witch
Despite going through so much, Caleb’s endurance and resilience are beyond anything I’ve ever seen. He is not only the male fated to me and the one I trust completely, but he’s also my hero. Everything that had happened to him made him into who he is today.I’m determined to prove, not only to him but to myself as well, that we are meant to be together not because the Moon Goddess decided so or because of the love and friendship that binds our hearts together but because we are equals. There’s so much I need to learn about the Diamond Realm. As the future Queen of this nation, I must give my all. My stomach churns as I think of all the implications that come with such a title. I don’t know how Caleb can be calm about it. Safia suggests that maybe he had some time to get used to the idea.I chew my bottom lip before I reply to Caleb’s question. He won’t like my reply, but he deserves the truth. “The pack is fine. We had some problems a while ago, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Conr
My hand stills on Red’s back as I reminisce about the past. When I fall silent as I remember my fight with the one trapped in the sword, my soulmate and love of my life says, “You won the right to use the Sword of Nightmares from the god trapped in the blade.” She has no idea how right she is about that.“Something along those lines.” It’s too complicated to explain what happened after I was absorbed in the sword. To be frank, I don’t think I understand everything myself, but Red is right, I was given the right to use it. “What happened after?” she asks. I drag the loofah sponge across her back, my gaze on her tattoo, wondering why it appeared on her skin, and say, “I think you already know. Not long after I pulled out the sword and knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was the heir to the throne and a descendant of Queen Sera and King Aris, I saw you fighting with…” A crease forms between my brows as I fall silent, thinking of the day I first saw Red in the Diamond Realm. “My
Each week, there’s a different test, each one harder than the next; more contestants fail them. Fortunately, just as the doctor predicted, I made a full recovery from the silver poisoning. My biggest opponent is the one with the green mask. So far, he’s the judges’ favorite. I prefer not to draw attention to myself, so I can sit in the back and observe all the contestants and learn their weaknesses and strengths. From what Elton told me, the last task involves fighting the remaining contestants, and the last male standing will be the regent. Elton slowly wins my trust and over time, we become friends. After six weeks of entering the Games, after a very difficult test, Elton approaches me. “Sir Colt, I was wondering about your wolf. What color is he?” His question takes me by surprise, and I reply with another question, “Why do you ask?” Elton looks right and left, making sure no one is listening to our conversation. When it’s more than clear that the only ones left in the arena a
After entering the competition for the next Regent of the Diamond Realm, I spend my time either dreaming about the female with red hair, reading in the Royal Library, or roaming the palace, learning its secrets while I wait for the first task to begin. The tension in the air is high, as each person in the race to become the next regent thinks they deserve to win the Games. It will be fun to see them lose one by one.A week after the Games officially started, the first task takes place—the contestants are tested to see how much they know about the Diamond Realm. A good regent knows the history of this place so he won’t make the same mistakes as his predecessors. Passing the test is more challenging than I thought, testing my knowledge to the fullest. Spending most of my time in the library paid off as I answered most of the questions correctly. Out of fifty contestants, seven fail to answer the minimum number of questions and are sent home. The rest of us pass to the next phase of t