CLAIR Unfortunately, sleep didn’t come. It was almost three o’clock in the morning, and I was still wide awake. The face of the wolf that almost took my life lingered in every corner of my room. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I stood up from my bed and went to my dresser, and took Jake’s shirt that I had placed in there without even washing it. It was the one I put on after I shifted, hoping his scent would calm me down enough for sleep to take over. And then, for the first time since I came back, I drew the curtains closed, putting the room into total darkness. I wasted no time and lay in my bed, closing my eyes and pulling my blanket over my head, ready to put my mind in the blanks when a mindlink startled me. 'Are you awake?' A voice came into my head. 'Jake? Why are you still awake? It’s three in the morning.' I pulled my blanket down from my head and openly stared at the dark ceiling. I heard him chuckle before answering. 'Do you really expect an Alpha to sleep peacefull
JAKE I held her body close to mine and continued to rub her arm gently. I would have offered her a jacket if only I had had it with me, but in my hurry to get here as soon as I found out she was still awake, I forgot to grab one. "I mean for saving me. Earlier. Thank you. I was scared." Her voice came out soft, almost breaking. I pulled her head into my chest and dipped my mouth into her hair, inhaling her sweet scent as she began sobbing softly. "I was not ready to die yet. I was so stupid..." she continued, and I let out the breath I was holding. She was scared. And I was too. I let her sob in my chest, and all I could do was hold her tightly, letting her know that I would not leave her. When her sobs turned into hiccups, I hooked one arm under her knees, and with my other arm still holding her, I lifted her to sit on my lap. My finger curled under her chin before I tilted her face up and urged her to look at me. "Princess... You’re here, and you’re alive. That’s the most impo
CLAIR. I turned around and lay flat on my stomach while I covered my head with my pillow to tune out the sound that woke me up, but the knocking didn’t stop. I grunted before flipping my body again, my lashes fluttering as I forced my eyes open and stared at the ceiling. "Give me a moment," I called out to the person outside my door, and the knocking eventually stopped. I took a moment to wake myself up and ended up remembering the events of last night. I was almost killed by a rogue, but it was not the thought that forced me out of bed. Jake was here last night. In my room. In my bed. Or was he? Did I just dream that? I looked around for any evidence of his presence the night before, and it was then that I noticed a folded shirt on the other side of the bed, where I remembered him lying the night before. I reached for the shirt and saw a piece of paper neatly folded above it. A note. My heart was thudding loudly as I opened it excitedly. A smile curled on my lips as I read th
JAKE. My Beta knew fucking well how to ruin my day. I opened the front door and hurried in, leaving it open for Beta Gavin. I went directly to my office, taking several breaths to compose myself before I made my presence known to the person in my office. "Elder Rose, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting." I nodded at her as I proceeded to sit behind my desk. I saw Beta Gavin come in and close the door behind him. He chose to stand by the door as he always did. "No, not at all. I just came in as well. How are you, Alpha Jacob?" She let out a wide smile, her eyes flashing with concern. "I’m good. Thank you for asking. How have you been yourself?" "I’m good, Alpha." She cleared her throat before proceeding. "I will cut the chase short. I want to discuss the reason why I am here." "Go ahead, I’m listening," I answered curtly." "The Blue Moon will happen ten weeks from now, and the next one will take place in two years. I suggest we hold the mating ceremony on that day. The moon is at
CLAIR I put the radio on full volume, singing along with it while I washed the dishes. Singing, though I wasn’t good at it, helped to relieve my stress, at least for a moment. The fact that I hadn’t seen Jake for the last two days after he left my room was technically stressing me out. So I tried to let go, even just for tonight. I almost dropped the plate in my hand when I saw Aaron leaning on the counter behind me when I was about to spin around to dance along with my music. "What the..." I glared at him before putting the plate down and wiping my hands with my apron. I turned off the radio and faced him again, huffing. "Don’t scare me like that." He shook his head, arms crossed on his chest. "I was actually talking to you, but apparently, the radio was on full blast and I just wasted a tremendous amount of saliva." I rolled my eyes and turned my back on him to continue with the dishes. "I have to bail out on you on your birthday, Clairy." I heard him talk, his voice remorsef
CLAIR I closed the shower and pulled my towel from where it was hanging to dry off before wrapping it around my body. I only have twenty minutes left before my time starts at the daycare. The daycare houses pups from two to five years old, from six o’clock in the morning up to five o’clock in the afternoon. It would be either their parents were warriors who were in training or had tasks to do, or parents that were working in and outside the territory. I was just on a volunteer status with an allowance. The allowance was something I really don’t need since Dad and Aaron have been providing for all that I need while I stay here. This status would also allow me to quit at any time since I wasn’t sure yet if I wanted to stay here for good or not. But I was truly excited to work there, especially after I saw how refreshing it was to be around the pups. My first day was yesterday when they hired me on the spot, but technically today would be the first time I would go there at a schedule
JAKE The day was almost over, and I hadn’t seen Clair yet. In two days, I will be heading off to Alpha Caspian’s territory and won’t be back for five days. The thought of not seeing her before I leave started to affect my state of mind. I was starting to become restless. I also just remembered today that her birthday would be on Monday, and if I hadn’t already confirmed the dates with Alpha Caspian, I would have adjusted the travel to another day. It would be too unprofessional if I canceled now. And because of this, Echo has been growling in my head the whole day and just wanted me to search for her. I would have if I could, but as much as I wanted, I had duties I needed to settle before my departure. And this was something my wolf couldn’t understand. It was like fighting off myself, and it was just giving me a full headache. I have been contemplating as well whether Clair’s distraction was a good or bad thing for me. If this girl could distract me and could hinder me from doin
JAKE I followed her as soon as she walked away and with just a few strides, I was already beside her. I reached out and took the gym bag from her shoulder, placing it on mine. She stopped in her tracks and looked at me, clearly not in favor of my action. "I can carry my own bag. And it’s not like there’s something heavy in it." She said and extended her hand, waiting for me to hand over her bag. Instead, I took her hand and entwined it in mine before pulling her beside me as we started to walk again. "I didn’t say you’re not capable of carrying your bag. I just want to carry it for you." I explained, letting a smile grace my face. Her gaze fell to the ground, and I noticed her cheeks turning pink as she let me lead the way. Sometimes I wondered if I rendered her speechless when I knew she had a sassy mouth, but she seemed to forget how to talk whenever I was around. That, or I was a terrible conversationalist. "How have you been? Did you like it there with the pups?" She nodde
What would you do if you had been saving yourself for your mate? Only for him to choose another Alpha Female right in your face? Reciprocate the act. Avenge. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Easier said than done. Because whenever he was around me, my body betrayed me. "Alia, do you trust me? Even just for tonight?" His voice came out low and rough that it sent shivers of pleasure direct to my core. I know I should not trust him. But my body and my mouth have a mind of their own. "I trust you, Gavin..." I whispered as I pressed my back to his naked chest. He took a deep breath and dipped his head into my neck, slowly brushing his lips against my burning skin. I angled my neck, giving him more access while a sultry moan escaped my throat when he started nibbling and sucking the soft spot on my neck. This was all wrong, but I don't want to be right this time. Just for tonight.
CLAIRI stirred awake at the pleasure running through my body. A hand trailed on the skin of my thigh, and from the sparks emitted from the contact, I knew my mate was freely roaming his calloused palm all over my nakedness again, which he would always do once in a while. And I never complained. And I didn’t think I would ever complain.I raised my hand and coiled it in his hair, gripping it and letting him know I was already awake. His lips brushed against my stomach, and the hotness of his breath fanning against my skin and the intimacy of the act was enough for wetness to start pooling in my core."Jake..." I moaned his name, my throat still dry from sleep. "Love, do you even sleep?" I asked him with a hoarse voice while my hand continued to caress his dark hair which seemed to grow thicker and darker with each year.He tilted his head and adjusted his body to be parallel to mine. We were lying on our sides, and with smiling eyes, he raised his hand to my face and brushed my cheek w
CLAIRI woke up today with gratitude for the precious privilege of being alive, being able to enjoy life, and loving the people around me.It was a beautiful spring day, but it was nothing short of ordinary.It was early morning, and the sun cast its glorious rays upon the garden outside of the pack house. The sight of our backyard made me realize how big my world was and how blessed I truly was.The ground was buzzing with male pups who tried to outdo each other, while the females, including my daughter, Catherine, tried to mess up their games.At eight years old, she reminded me of myself in many ways. She was a carbon copy of me, only her hair was straight and black. Something she got from her father.And just like when I was younger, she would always come running around with pastries to bribe the boys to let her join their games, and with her charm and wit, she would always get what she wanted.I shook my head as a smile graced my lips. I saw my little Catherine jump at the back of
"It is a blessing and a curse to feel everything so deeply." 2 YEARS AFTER JAKE. Her scent reached my nose even before I felt her presence. Twigs snapped as small footsteps echoed around us as she approached the place I was resting in. I turned my head in the direction of the noise just in time to see my lovely Clair emerge from the bushes with a small plastic bag that she kept close to her chest. Her eyes were beaming with happiness. It’s been two years since I made a vow under the blue moon to protect and love my fated mate. It has been two years of waking up every day with the fear that something might go wrong. That all I had and all I ever wanted would be snatched right before my eyes. I tried to live with that fear by living my life to the fullest. I made sure that I gave my all to my pack and to her. I never wasted any moment with Clair. Deep down inside, I knew our days were numbered. One thing might happen, and I might never get the chance to be with her for longer t
JAKE. "I came here not to tell you to forgive me. I have already accepted that you won’t. I came here to tell you that I never stopped thinking about you. I never stopped caring. I always had my eyes on you." He threw a manila envelope on the desk but didn’t say anything. My curiosity got the best of me as I grabbed and opened the envelope. There were pictures. All of me - from my childhood until my union ceremony a week ago. I flipped the pictures that I had in my hands, and there were dates on them, and I knew it was my father’s handwriting. It had a detailed description of the event and where the photos were taken. "I wasn’t here, but those photos — I watched you grow up in those. I had people within the pack who would send me those, and if they forgot, I would bother them non-stop." He chuckled at his own words. "You made me proud, son. This pack loves you. They worship you, and I know that leaving you here was a good choice I made. So I don’t regret it. I took an Alpha away
CLAIR. It has been a week since my union ceremony with my mate. I started to find my place in the pack, although the real Luna work has not yet begun. On the other hand, Jake had his head pressed against his work, especially now that his Beta wasn’t around. After the revelation that Alia, Alpha Caspian’s sister, was the Beta’s mate, Jake decided to send him to their pack instead of Aaron’s second-in-command to administer the training for their pack warriors. It was supposed to commence next month, but unfortunately, during my Union Ceremony, the Blue Meadow’s pack — Alpha Caspian’s territory — was attacked by a number of rogues. They had few casualties and many were injured, so Alpha Caspian requested to have the retraining scheduled immediately. Seeing this as an opportunity for the Beta to fix his bond with Alia, Jake sent him off there. I, on the other hand, was still adjusting to my life as Jake’s mate. I was expecting that I would be pushed to attend meetings and review files
CLAIR. I woke up to the sound of movements around me, squinting my eyes to see my mate drying his hair with a towel. He had his pants on, but his chest was still naked. He looked at me, and a smile tugged on his lips. He threw the towel on the chair nearby before walking to the bed. "How was your sleep?" He asked as he sat at the side of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight, causing me to slide a little on his side. "Had any dreams?" I rolled my eyes playfully and grinned at him. "Yeah, like a wet dream." "Tell me about it." He chuckled. I sat on the bed and slapped his arm lovingly, my fingers trailing on his skin. "I woke up expecting to find you still beside me. Now I’m disappointed." He bit his lower lip and eyed me with regret. "I know, baby, but my Beta and Gamma wanted to talk with me now. But I promise that after this, I’m all yours today." I flashed him a sincere smile before I cupped his face and placed a kiss on his lips. My movement made the sheet pool down
JAKE."Please..." My mate begged me to fuck her. Fuck this. She made it look like I didn’t want to fuck her when all I thought about the whole night was the different ways I would feast on her body tonight.Her smell was more potent than I could remember — more potent than her previous heat — and I couldn’t remember being this aroused as I felt right now. My cock just kept getting harder, and it felt like I could explode anytime just by looking at her and how she tried to seduce me.How did I get this lucky?I was mated to an innocent-looking temptress. Fuck!My wolf wanted to come out and fuck the hell out of our mate, but that would never happen. She was mine to fuck, so I shoved my wolf to the back of my mind before I positioned myself nearer her throbbing core.I could see her slickness, and it was already leaking at the sides of her legs. I badly wanted to taste her, but it could wait. My goal right now was to satisfy my mate.Fuck! I held my dick and jerked it up and down with m
CLAIR. "We are gathered here tonight for the union of our Alpha, Jacob Galhart, with Lady Clair Montrell, the future Luna of the Black Shadow Pack. I preside over this union under the blue moon with great honor, where the Goddess will bestow her greatest blessing, the blessing of love and bliss." Elder Garret cleared his throat before turning his face towards me and my Alpha. "May I ask the Alpha and the Future Luna to promise to love and be loyal to each other as I bind you together for life in the name of the Goddess?" I turned to my side to face my Alpha. I slowly lifted my eyes to meet his, and even without touching him, I could feel the spark and the tingles that had been a constant in my skin whenever he was around. My eyes then followed Jake‘s movement as he took my hand and held it to his while Elder Garett started to bind our wrists together with a black rope, which symbolized the color of the pack. And then our eyes met again, and my heart stopped. He was beautiful but