“So you’re telling me rogues are cursed?” I wanted to hit my head against a wall. I should have known a person like Felicity would lie about even her academic prowess. “The goddess cursed rogues? Where did you learn this?”“It’s in ‘Rogues 101.’ I’m serious.” As she mentioned the ridiculous book title, I pulled out my phone to search for it on the internet. Surprisingly, it existed. “The goddess cursed all destroyers with a madness that is incurable.”Although I didn’t believe her words, she had cited a source. All I needed to do was read the book and clarify she wasn’t talking nonsense. If the curse was incurable, then I may have a problem.“Is that all?” I asked, taking a sip of my tea.We’d come to a bustling cafe behind the pack house Felicity, I learnt, talked a lot. It annoyed me that she knew Alpha Blood better than I did so I made a mental note to come out more often to explore the pack lands.“If you can tell me what you’re researching rogues for, I might be able to help bett
“Why are you still awake?” His beard tickled my skin as he buried his face in my neck.“How can you tell?” I asked, adjusting myself and wrapping my arms around him.“Your heartbeat.” He kissed my skin and I shivered. “Want me to tire you out?” I snorted at his suggestion. I was tired, I just could not sleep because the thoughts flying around in my head were too much. My brain refused to shut down no matter how I tried.“What’s the problem?” He asked, pushing up on one elbow as he stared down at me. I looked up at him, drinking in his features. Even in the dark room only illuminated by the moon, his finely chiselled features were breathtaking.“Stop giving me that look except you want me tearing off your clothes.” I looked away and heard him sigh. He moved beside me, settling himself back into the bed then light flooded the room as he turned on the bedside lamp, then he pulled me against his chest, stroking my hair.“What’s wrong, bella?” He murmured, his voice soft and intimate.“Wha
The days that followed after had me researching rogues extensively while trying my best to keep my heart from Cahir. It was difficult but his words replayed in my head ever so often, reminding me that he was incapable of love. Using his words as a mantra didn’t work as well as I expected it to. I didn’t want to but it was inevitable – I was falling in love, slowly but surely. “Uggh.” I felt my stomach turn as I buried my face into my pillow. My whole body ached like I had been run over by a truck, and I felt uncomfortable for some reason. “Sihana!” I jerked upright, gathering my sheets to cover my body as Aristo barged into my room. “What the hell?” I asked, wide-eyed, petrified and annoyed. “Why are you here and can’t you knock!?” I shrieked, the full effect of his behaviour dawning on me. I was naked underneath these sheets and this man who was not my mate just barged into my – Cahir’s room! “Oh, sorry, sorry!” He put his hands across his face and backed out of the room. “Ha!”
"Luna, are you okay?" A small hand reached for me, trying to help me up."I'm okay," I said to the little boy who I'd healed in the past. Sam, was it?"Hey, Sir, you are in big trouble!" The boy put his hands on his hips as he scolded the man who ran into me. "That's the Luna you just pushed to the ground.""Shut up, child," The man said as I stood and patted the furious child."It's alright, Sam. It was a mistake," I said but he shook his head."It wasn't a mistake! I saw him! He ran into you on purpose!" He stomped his feet. "Hey, sir, it's rude to act that way. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" He scolded.I was caught in an awkward position. My derrière hurt from falling flat on it, my body felt heavy and I was getting lightheaded. The man continued to glare at me as if I'd been the one to knock him to the ground and the little boy who jumped to my defense was a second away from rushing at the man and – I don't know, biting his leg? He looked like he wanted to retaliate o
“Y – Yes?” I stuttered with my mouth falling open. No day went by where Cahir didn’t say something that surprised me.“Yes, I don’t want kids. I don’t care for them.” His words rang with finality and he stared at me with an indiscernible look in his eyes.“B – But the – Your seat.” I looked at the large chair in his office. “Who will take over from you?”“Who knows?” He shrugged, taking a seat with his arms behind his head. “I hate this pack and can’t be bothered to care for their continuity. Alpha Blood is relevant to me as it acts as my tether. That aside, I couldn’t care less if it perished.”His words shouldn’t have surprised me but they did. It went without saying that someone who hated a pack wouldn’t care if they fell to ruins. Still, it was still hard to reconcile the Cahir everyone knew, the one that would go to war if a single person in Alpha Blood was hurt, with the Cahir I knew who didn’t care about Alpha Blood. I wondered if it was something like possessiveness which he c
“You’re freaking out.”“I am freaking out,” I agreed with my mate.Hours had passed since I tried and failed to heal Sam and I still did not know why my abilities failed to manifest.“Stop freaking out,” Cahir all but commanded. I learnt early that he only knew how to deal with a specific range of emotions so I wasn’t surprised at his reaction.“I can’t,” I responded, staring at my hands with so much intensity, one would think I wanted lasers to shoot out of my eyes. “What’s happening?” My words were choked even to my ears. “I don’t - I don’t understand.” I let Cahir gather me into his arms and move me to his thighs. I let him push my face into his chest and I let his familiar and calming scent wash over me.“The doctor will be here in a minute so there’s no need to freak out,” he assured me but I wasn’t assured.How would a doctor explain the sudden loss of my healing power? In Alpha Blood, there were only two of us who had the kiss of the goddess. Me, and a warrior who was not on pa
I regained consciousness slowly. It started with the sounds around me, the harsh breathing, intermittent cursing and the beeping of a machine. Then I felt a hand clutching mine in a death grip after which I felt the uncomfortable bed underneath me. It took more effort than usual to blink my eyes open and when I did, the brightness of the room almost burnt my eyeballs.“I feel like shit.” My words were broken and raspy, my throat dry – parched, and my body heavy like I’d been pummeled within every inch of my body.“Don’t you –“ I blinked my heavy eyes at Cahir who was crushing my left palm in his. “Don’t ever do that again.” His tone was quiet yet rough, his eyes looking soulless with large bags around them.“I – I’ll try,” I whispered with a throat that burned every time I uttered a word.“Water – I –“ I’d never seen Cahir so out of his elements before. His shoulders slumped forward, his voice was thicker and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he forced words out. “I’ll get you a glass of wat
They kept me at the hospital for three days, and they ran a number of tests on me but could not determine what was wrong. Cahir sent a message to the temple and they asked me to come see the high priestess.When the doctors tried and tried some more without finding any solution to my sickness, they had to let me go. As at then, I’d already become a shadow of myself. Cahir had to hold me up when they discharged me. He’d have lifted me princess-style and carried me to the car if I hadn’t protested.“I haven’t used my legs in so long.” I sighed when he put his hand around my waist as he tried to lift me. “I can at least walk to the car. I am not lame,” I mumbled.“Are you sure you can walk?” My mate asked, clutching my waist.I was the sick one but Cahir looked almost as bad as I did. His usually neatly trimmed beards were now all over the place, his hair was overgrown, his skin pallid and his frame noticeably smaller. He’d lost weight, lost his colour and discarded his grooming routine.
“You smell fantastic,” Cahir burrowed his nose into my side. “I love this smell.”“You’re saying that because I smell like you.” And I did. He’d thoroughly covered me with his scent and he’d enjoyed every minute of it – I had too, there was no denying it but at this point, I was too tired to speak. My eyes drooped as he kissed my skin, his body heat telling me he wanted to go for a third round. My stamina could never match up with Cahir’s but now, I was heavily pregnant so I didn’t even try. In my second trimester, I’d become a horny wreck but these days, I found myself wanting to do nothing but sleep and sleep and then sleep some more. “I’m so tired,” I mumbled in a sleepy voice. “And my back aches.” “Do you want a massage?” His innocent words were tinged with heat that added an extra layer of meaning to his offer. “No, thank you.” I pushed up in bed. “Uggh, being pregnant is the worst,” I grumbled but then the baby kicked and I winced. “She heard that,” Cahir said with a chuck
We stayed at the hotel for a week while the Alpha Castle was renovated. That week, Cahir did not let me step out of the room. My temperature was high most of the time and we ended up pleading with the priestess to send the holy necklace to us rather than going to pick it up.It took a lot to convince the high priestess to entrust something so valuable to someone other than I, the recipient, but she finally relented and gave it to Laura accompanied by Sebastian. “Just touching this makes me feel so much better.” I sighed, rubbing a hand on the necklace. The other one I used to wear was sent back to the high priestess. “I’m glad,” Cahir said in a tired voice. There was a lot that needed to be done now that the battle was over. The number of casualties on our side was high. Corpses littered the streets, parents crying and mass funerals having to be held. There was also the matter of the sanction for the Greyson family. Their head had sponsored war on the pack so it wasn’t unfair to ha
Melanie led us out of the hideout after the shootout and my fire incident. We’d been discovered so we had to find another shelter. “The Alpha is unreachable. The only hideout similar to this which I know is east so we are going east.” Melanie informed us. “Here,” she threw clothes at me. I gulped when she mentioned Cahir being unreachable even though I didn’t want to think the worst. I changed as fast as possible into the black clothes Melanie handed to me and donned the baseball cap. “What’s the situation?” I asked when we got into the car. “Aristo is still on the loose. Five of the twelve packs under Alpha Blood have betrayed Alpha Cahir but the others have mobilized into action. Two borders have fallen but the Alpha has sent back up and they’ll be strengthened soon,” Melanie spoke in a businesslike tone. “Are you comfortable?” She glanced at my stomach. “Y – Yeah.” My heart pounded nonstop so I knew my blood pressure had risen. Catching on fire left my skin dry but the baby wa
*CAHIR*I was leaving my mate behind for the second time since this ordeal started. Unease pricked my skin and my wolf paced restlessly, more concerned for the safety of our mate than the safety of the millions of wolves in Alpha Blood. 'Are you sure she'll be fine?' Perseus asked, continuing to pace. 'Aristo, that bastard, you're sure he doesn't know that particular hideout?' 'I'm about sixty percent sure,' I responded truthfully, aggravating my wolf. 'He is the beta of this pack and he grew up roaming these grounds so there's every possibility that he knows the grounds better than me.' There was no shame in admitting that my beta was more familiar with my lands than I was – it was his duty to survey the pack and report to me, after all. 'Will Sihana be safe?' Perseus wanted reassurance but it was something I couldn't give him because I too had my doubts. It did not show on my face but I was terrified of leaving Sihana and the baby for a second, knowing my beta could find them and
“What’s happening?” I asked, twiddling my thumbs as I heard the stampede getting louder and louder. “Alpha, the dungeons have been opened!” Someone opened a mind link and forgot to channel it to only the Alpha so the whole pack heard it. “We’re going into lockdown,” Cahir said. His eyes unfocused for a minute as he mind linked the heads of various brigades. “Let’s go, Sia.” He outstretched his hand to me and I took it with a puzzled expression.“Where are we going?” I asked. “You’re going to join them in the hideout closest to us. I’m sending you with a couple of warriors so don’t be scared.”“Oh.” I swallowed. Unlike him, I was already scared, terrified out of my mind. “You’re crushing my hand,” he muttered and I got back to my senses. “Sorry,” I muttered with a blush. “I’m just a bit nervous.” As if my body wanted to show just how nervous, flames rose on my hand and then flickered out. “This happens when I’m nervous.” I giggled in a high-pitched tone. “Don’t be nervous.” Cahir
“What the –“ I gasped as the place went up in flames. “He’s quite meticulous,” Cahir said with a laugh, starting up his car. He had a carefree expression on his face, not like someone who just heard his best friend betrayed him and his pack would soon be under siege from more traitors. “You’re taking this rather well,” I commented. “It’s a bit funny. I never thought Aristo would betray me so I’m pleasantly surprised.” He chuckled. “And Alpha Blood which will go to shit without me yet they want to go against me,” he snorted. “It’s a funny scenario.” No, it wasn’t but I didn’t say anything. I fell asleep sometime during the long ride back to the pack and woke up once to drink water, my throat parched and aching. When we got to the Alpha Castle, Cahir was bundling me into his arms when I woke up. “Sleep. I’ve got you.” I snuggled up into his chest and went back to sleep. I didn’t wake up till late afternoon the next day and it was Cahir that woke me up, “We have to find a time to t
“Cahir.” I touched his arm when he got closer, my lips trembling. He wouldn’t hurt me – I tried to convince myself of that but it didn’t stop my heart from shaking when he got closer with a weird look in his golden eyes. I wanted to look away but I forced myself to maintain eye contact. Beneath this wolf coated with blood and with feral eyes was my mate, the love of my life and the father of my child. “Cahir – do you –“ I wanted to ask if he recognized me but I couldn’t. What was I doing talking to a wolf that was stalking me? What was I doing reaching out to a feral wolf? But that feral wolf was my mate and I couldn’t let him go. Never. How many people had he killed for his fur to be coated in so much blood? What had he done before he entered this room? Could I still get my mate back from the abyss of bloodlust that seemed to have wrapped vice-like grips around him? The wolf got to me and buried its cold snot into my neck. I went as stiff as a board. There was no single scent of
*CAHIR*“I don’t feel good about this,” Perseus mumbled after we bid our mate goodbye. Not only did I not feel good about sending my mate away when I wanted to have her in my sight every second of every day, I actually felt terrible. …I hate you! Those words she screamed at me haunted me till now. I knew she didn’t mean them, that she had uttered them in the heat of the moment, feeling hurt and betrayed that I went behind her back to plan this after I promised to never hide things from her. I knew all this but the words still stung. ‘Cahir, are you sure this is the best choice?’ Perseus asked, a gloomy cloud hanging around him as our mate went away. ‘It would be unwise to keep her shackled to our side at this point.’ I mumbled. ‘Greyson will attack in a few days and it's best she isn’t caught in the crossfire because I selfishly held on to her.’ It would be good to get things done and over with as soon as possible so I could have a peaceful life with my mate and baby. I had to e
“You’re not going to get away with this,” I added to my vow.“That’s a bit cliché, don’t you think?” Aristo chuckled. “You don’t love me yet but you like me so I can make you love me.” He sounded so confident, so assured that I would come to love a person like him. I went over our past conversations to see if I had somehow led him on, if I’d ever behaved as if I saw him as more than a friend and my mate’s best friend. I knew I’d never flirted with him so I didn’t need to think hard. Then why was he so delusional? “I’ll dress her. Leave.” He barked at Sebastian. The other man looked at me for a brief second before he nodded and left the room. “So many disgusting men coveting what’s mine,” he hissed, shaking his head. It was easy to reconcile the present Aristo with the Aristo I knew. I thought it was difficult, felt it was difficult at first, but it actually wasn’t. He behaved the same but what I had chalked off as overt friendliness and disrespect that stemmed from his overfamiliar