JAKE My head dropped to my side, jerking my body awake from sleep. I must have fallen asleep leaning on my office chair again. The clock overhead read 3:05 AM. I’ve been here in my office since yesterday afternoon, rummaging through the journals of the past Alphas and Lunas of my pack. Elder Garret had sent in more than twenty journals, including the ones owned by the previous Betas and Gammas. More things to look at. After what had happened with Clair and what I found out about her and Aeon, I decided to work my ass off to find what I needed instead of drowning myself in alcohol to pacify my frustration and my jealousy. I was already tired from all the journal reading I’d done in the past few days. All of them were useless - they all said the same thing. Whether they were chosen Lunas or fated ones, they only stayed alive or stayed as Lunas for one to two years. There was nothing new. There was nothing that could give me a glimmer of hope. I knew I couldn’t just stop or waste any
CLAIR I didn’t have a scheduled day at the daycare today and just wanted to wind off somewhere away from the territory. So I planned to go to the city. I wanted to shop for new pillowcases, curtains, and other things to brighten up our living room. It had been too long since it looked like some female lived here. After convincing my father that I wasn’t trying to run away, he finally agreed and gave me some cash as well, which I really didn’t need. I still have much left from the allowances he gave me while I was in Atlanta. My uncle and his wife never let me spend anything there except my personal stuff. So everything went to my savings. But before Dad allowed me to go to the city, he asked me to prepare breakfast. He didn’t have work and had invited the Alpha to join us. I was itching to ask why, but I kept my mouth shut. After what had happened yesterday, I really wanted to see him and explain about Aeon — not that I needed to. I didn’t want people to judge me, especially him.
CLAIR The breakfast went well, but I felt they weren’t talking about anything serious because I was still there. The conversations rounded out about the pack and the businesses, which were interesting, but I felt like I was dragging them away from the real reason they were here. So as soon as I finished my meal, I went back to my room and brushed my teeth, changed into my jeans, and slipped on my sneakers before heading out. They were still in the kitchen, talking, but went silent when I came in. I went and placed a kiss on Dad’s forehead before smiling at him and the Beta as I headed out of the house. "Where are you going? Daycare?" Jake followed after me. His voice was soft and a little worried. "No. City," I answered as I continued to walk, only turning around to face him when I reached my truck. "I’m coming with you," he said in a low voice, his eyes gazing at me softly. "No. Dad wanted to talk with you. I’ll be fine." I smiled. My palm reached for his chest and rubbed it, d
CLAIR. The Beta and I had been in the city center for more than three hours now. In the beginning, he would just shadow me and let me walk ahead but after a few minutes of feeling ridiculously rude about ignoring him, I asked to him walk with me. The hours just flew by, and it helped that the Beta was easy to talk to. Now, I had almost checked off everything on my list and was already dead tired. We were walking back to the sidewalk where my car was parked when he saw the ice cream parlor beside our parking space. "Ice cream? My treat." He nudged my arm to get my attention. "Hmmm... Okay. But I’ll stay here and just wait for you. Too crowded inside." I nodded at him, dropping my shopping bags at the back of my truck. "No problem. What do you want?" he asked smiling, hands in his jeans pockets while his eyes followed the two she-wolves passing by. "Rocky Road with extra marshmallows." I followed his gaze and rolled my eyes at him while grinning. "As you wish." He chuckled as h
CLAIR. The car finally came to a halt. I don’t know how long we were in the van, but it wasn’t dark outside, though it looked like the sun was ready to set in this part of the country. Although my hands and feet were hurting from being tied up, I was grateful that I was not blindfolded and that my mouth wasn’t bound. I carefully studied the faces of the men around me. If I get my chance, they’ll be the first ones to face my fury. Rain kept snarling in my head, castigating me for going out of the territory. She was blaming me for declining our mate’s offer to accompany us. If Jake were there, he would have never left us alone. And this would have never happened. My chest constricted at the thought of Jake. Does he know now that I was taken? Would he be worried? Of course. I was part of his pack, and knowing him as an Alpha, he’s protective over his people. But a part of me hoped that I was more than a member and that he would make an extra effort to find me. I pushed negative tho
CLAIR Everything went in a blur after I disconnected from my pack. I felt I was just being pushed and told what I needed to do, and I didn’t even have the strength to complain anymore. My mind was elsewhere, with someone. The only thing that connected me to my mate was my pack bond, and now it was gone. After I pledged allegiance to Alpha Noah’s pack, a new connection bound me to my mother’s old pack, the Night Howlers Pack. I had no idea what he wanted from me, but I have never hated anyone in my life the way I hate Alpha Noah right now. I needed to find out why, and I needed to survive it. After talking with him, I was brought to the dining area and served dinner. The meal looked appetizing, and as much as I wanted to eat it to draw strength from it, my stomach couldn’t take it. I left it almost untouched. Then I was brought to a bedroom after dinner. I was expecting a cellar of some sort. Maybe a dungeon like the one where Jake held the rogue captive they had caught last time.
JAKE. Her connection with my pack was severed. It was either because she was a lone wolf now or because she had pledged loyalty to a new pack. I couldn’t describe the pain in my chest when it hit me. It was torturous. Not because it was unbearable, but because I knew it was her. My only consolation up until the moment she denounced the pack was that she was alive. But it was no longer guaranteed after this point. This was all my fault. I should have claimed her. She’s fucking mine, but because of my stupidity and cowardice, I let all this happen to her. The pain I felt right now was tenfold more than what I had felt when she left the first time when I thought she had found her mate. At least then, I believed she was happy. All the pain was just for me. But now I knew she was in danger, and this made the pain more unbearable. I had poured whisky into my glass, but it stayed untouched for Goddess knows how long. I couldn’t bring myself to drink it. I wanted to just back out, not fun
CLAIR Luisa and I spent the whole morning together. I was scheduled to meet with Alpha Noah before dinner so I wanted to hatch a plan with Luisa while we still had time. I swear to the Moon Goddess, if I ever get out of here alive and unmated, I will take my cousin out of this hell hole. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have many options to plan our escape, so we just spent the whole morning getting to know each other. And from what I learned about her, I think I already like her and wish I grew up with her, but definitely not in this place. No wonder my mother wanted to get out of here and ran away with Dad. I was back in my room after lunch since I was not allowed to go anywhere else aside from where Alpha Noah wanted me to go, and my door was always guarded by two burly men. After an eternity of feeling sorry for myself, Luisa came in. Her face was void of emotions until the door was closed behind her. She then rushed to my side and grabbed me up from laying down in my bed. Wi
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