~HUNTER~"I won't be staying long," I told her.Arya smiled, nodding in acknowledgement as she stepped back to shut the door. "Will you be alright?" I inquired, prompting a giggle from her before she responded."Certainly, I will be. I'm at my parents' house. I live here remember?"“Yes, I know, but there's a distinction between being in the pack, close enough to rush to your aid if necessary, and being miles away from you," I reasoned thoughtfully.Arya stepped away from the door and nestled into my embrace. "I appreciate your concern. I assure you I'll be alright. I'll be careful not to exert my body. You know Mom dotes on me more than you, and she would rather bathe me herself if I allowed it. Therefore, she'll ensure my safety, so you can try not to worry too much.""Of course. She can bathe you if the situation calls for it. The pack doctor advised that you should steer clear of any stress-inducing activities. Hence why we must always be careful."Arya shook her head and said, "
~HUNTER~“So, you think that by calling me here and feeding me with your lies, I’ll simply abandon Arya as my chosen partner? And this all stems from your anger and envy that your ex is doing better than you expected with an Alpha, something you will never be. What a pitiful excuse for a man you are.” I declared with disdain, shaking my head as I strode towards the door.Arya had already warned me that he would become angry if he discovered she was now with me. I chose not to reveal to her that he was the person I was meeting, as I did not want to cause her any concern. Nevertheless, her insights into his jealous nature were accurate, and now he is trying to deceive me with his lies as a means of retaliation against her, despite being the one who had caused her harm.Coming here was a waste of my time especially for a resentful man who remains fixated on his ex, after his actions cost me my relationship.“Perhaps I am a better man than you are.” I heard him declare, and I halted.“Wha
~ARYA~ “Luna.” The nurse sitting behind the desk rushed to her feet with a smile on her face. “How is the day going?” I mirrored her smile. “Excellent, Luna.” Her smile broadened as she replied. “Doctor, is he available?” I asked again because I wasn’t really in the mood to keep up the attitude of being the soft lovely omega that they all seemed to know. “Yes, oh yes. He’s in, available.” “Can I see him or is he busy with anyone?” She shook her head rapidly. “You can see him, even if he’s busy with anyone, you’re the chosen Luna, of course, anyone else can wait.” She smiled brightly, and I tried not to let my agitation show through the forced smile on my face. “I really don’t think that would be proper. As Luna, the pack comes first, but thank you though. For thinking so highly of me.” She ducked her head shyly, nodding at my words. “I’ll go see him now.” This is the part I hated most about all of this. Did I enjoy it when they called me Luna? Hell, yes, I do, it was what I wa
~ARYA~“It will help you keep up the facade, at least for the next months. If you were still pregnant, you would be showing already. Hunter is an Alpha, and as you said, he might soon find out about the absence of a second heartbeat.”“And what will that in your hand do?”“Make believe. You’ll smell like an expecting mother, and your stomach will grow to a believable size. Simply put, once it is inside your body, it will take on the likeness of a growing fetus,” he explained, and I nodded.“Great. Get on with it. How do you get it inside me?”“I must warn you, though.”I sighed heavily. “What is it again?”“If things go sideways, I do not have a hand in this. I still think it is wrong to deceive the Alpha; what you’re doing is risky, and if he finds out,"I stared at him for a few minutes, shaking my head and I burst out in laughter. “If he finds out, you’re going down with me. There is no backing out of this now, Jace. You are in this with me, and if you don’t want this to blow up in
~REIGN~ The pack doctor stood in the living room waiting for me as I walked in, back from grabbing food in the main kitchen. “I was just on my way out.” With the tray of food in my hand, I walked up to him. “How is she? Is there anything else I need to be mindful of while she’s in recovery?” I asked. “If she doesn’t do anything strenuous for now, she’ll feel more like herself in a few days. I left some herbal medications on the nightstand; it will help her eat better to replenish her strength and boost her system to heal faster.” He explained while I nodded. “Good, how many times does she need to take the herbs in a day? Do I brew it, mash it, or is it something she can chew?” I asked, just to be sure I got everything right. “The herbs have already been crushed into powder form; you can add two spoonfuls to warm water daily. It is better if she takes it in the morning before eating.” He explained as he instructed. “Okay, good. You know better than to breathe a word of this to any
~JADE~ Tears streamed down my face as I accepted every spoonful of porridge he offered me. Try hard as I may, I couldn’t shake off the guilt weighing down on me. Even if my pup wasn’t dead yet, it didn’t negate the fact that he was still out there with a stranger who wouldn’t know how to care for him. The wound on his hip hasn’t closed up yet because it’s still healing, and without proper care, it would take longer than usual for it to heal. Already, I didn’t have the means to care for the wound properly, but I still made sure to clean it every day and wrap it, hoping that his wolf blood would at least help him heal faster, even though he was just as malnourished as his mother. And I was eating when I didn’t even know if he had anything to eat yet. He is only a month old, and he needs breast milk; he needs me; he needs his mother. I broke down in a sob, unable to accept more of the porridge. My heart just couldn’t take it anymore, and I wished I had just died that evening. At least
~REIGN~“What do you mean you lost the trail?” I asked Lamonte, dragging him farther away from the door.Casting his head down, he began apologizing. “I’m sorry, Alpha, but I think they figured we were hot on their trail and someone we lost them.”“I don’t need you to think. I need you to know, to be specific, and don’t stand there telling me you think they did this or did that. What the fuck happened and how the fuck did they know?” I growled at him.“Since the trail of his scent went dead at the motel in the human town, we had to ask around if anyone saw anything or someone who looked suspicious. The trackers also did a general sweep of the area and we were able to pick up the faint trail of his scent, which we followed. They knew we were close and then there was nothing.” He explained with his head lowered and his neck slightly barred in a submissive position.I dismissed his explanation with a shake of my head, as it lacked any logical sense. “There is no way they could’ve known t
~JADE~A whimper caught in my throat, and I quickly covered my mouth with both hands to stifle any noise. I pressed myself against the wall, hoping the length of the refrigerator would hide me from his view if he chose to come in.It hadn't planned to eavesdrop on the conversation or go after him. I knew how to mind my business when necessary. Hunter often had pack-related meetings in the house with his father and I never made it a habit to eavesdrop or interfere unless I was called upon.So, I had no reason to go after him or interfere, even though the way he was acting after accidentally nicking my skin was suspicious. I had the mind to turn over and lay on the bed because what else would I do? But I was uncomfortable seeing the bowl of unfinished porridge on the bed. He was too distracted when he sprinted out of the room to take the bowl with him, and I didn’t have the appetite for more food. I could choose to sit on the bed aimlessly for his return. However, I was never one to abu