Alvara's Point of View
I had gotten out of there with my tail between my legs. Everything inside of me screamed to turn around. To give whatever this was a chance. Almost as if I had found another mate. Or mates. The pull I felt between us was undeniable, yet so utterly wrong.
Eugene was my mate and no other. Even with Dargan's sweet words of encouragement. They couldn't fully grasp the danger of the situation. Eugene was many things, but forgiving wasn't one of those. Ciaran had baited him once before. So had Maverick and Ozias with their little stunt in the school. He wouldn't let another transgression go.
He had hurt me in that tub. Squeezed not only my private parts, but the fear inside my heart. For years now, I had barely felt a spark with my mate. Ha
Alvara's Point of View In life, you are given several options. Decisions. When you choose one, the other option fades away. So we are told. You are given your mate by the Goddess herself. Two options are in front of you when you find that special person. The first, and the best, option is to accept that mate. Be with them until the day you die. Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing you have someone only to yourself. The second option, and the road less traveled, is to reject your mate and live the rest of your life single. Men are more likely to choose this option than women, but it happens rarely. What I have come to find out is that there is a third option. Something far worse than rejecting your mate
Ciaran's Point of View She wasn't his mate. He had said it. Shoved it down her throat. She. Wasn't. His. Yet she had chosen to stay with him. To stay in that fucking pack. Marble skin plunged into my mind. Red cuts traced over white. Blue bruises blooming from where he had hit her. I had had to be there sooner. Step in sooner. She wouldn't have suffered if we had acted faster. Alvara had still stayed. The glass in my hand shattered into hundreds of pieces, blood dripping to the floor. Maverick's head shot towards me, eyes filled with concern. Shaking my head, I wiped the blood from my hand on my pants. Savanah would have chastised me from making such a mess. Yet her eyes would have held amusement. My temp
Alvara's Point of View Kindness had never been one of Eugene's strong suits. Nor has apologizing. Somehow he had mastered both in the span of a night. He hand slept with me in bed, yet when I woke, breakfast was already laid out before me. Bacon, cut up strawberries. French toast with hearts cut out in the middle. During our long marriage life, he had never done such a thing. Hell, he had never done something of this caliber even when we were just courting. A note lay beside the splendid breakfast. White, with a golden seal on it. Eugene's family crest. Sitting up, I grabbed the note, giddy shoving it's way down my throat. 'This is just the beginning of many apologies. I love you, my mate.'
Ozias' Point of View Being back home felt wonderful, yet utterly hollow. We had heard what Eugene had said. Alvara wasn't his mate. Somehow, it made sense. All of it. Even if they were mated and fully bonded, the connection would be subpar to that of true mates. His contempt for her was clear as day. No true mate would ever treat her in such a grotesque manner. But why? Why would he choose Alvara when he had his mate living so close to him? The girl was now his concubine. Someone kept in the shadows. What could he possibly gain from having her kept far away from the Luna title? There were things that didn't add up. For instance, the very existence of Alvara defied reason. She was the spitting image of Savanah. Almost as if they were twins. The ages matched up, but the history was a blur.
Ozias' Point of View Black steps lead into the library, with a warm fireplace in front of me. Three chaise lounges sat to my left and a small table to the right side windows. The library was at the furthest end of the hall and packed with every sort of book you could ever want. Not nearly as many books were held here as the central library, further into the city. With a staggering 2.4 million people living in Eiecrunt, large libraries were needed. Of that number, roughly 1.7 million of the citizens were wolves. The humans that stayed here knew of us and often married into the wolf society. Ciaran had lead a bunch of rogues to greatness over the last thirteen years, starting with Maverick, Dargan and I. Everywhere we had gone, people had bowed to him and soon a small rogue pack had settled and become a city. There was a city full of only humans not forty kilometers from us. We thrived in our ventures together, but no one within their li
Alvara's Point of ViewThe day had gone to shit faster than I had thought possible. Eugene's sudden burst of rage had set my nerves on fire. Our waiter hadn't come back after Eugene's outburst, instead a young lady had taken his place. The idea that he was flirting was absurd. Along with the idea that I wanted to screw him.From some deep part within my body, I understood Eugene's fear. I had felt it time and time again whilst he fucked around. Whilst he broke the bond we shared. To have the one you love betray you by thinking of another felt like a hot knife digging into your soul. Not enough to kill you, but enough to leave lasting wounds.After our almost completely silent breakfast, we headed to Lone Creek water fall. The path towards the fall had a canopy of green, filtering out most of the sunlight. Light mist covered the area, giving it a whimsical feel. A few years ago, this would have made me swoon. Lover's covered the pathway,
Alvara's Point of View I could hear the scream before registering who it came from. Eugene stood in front of me, eyes filled with nothing but fury and hate. Angelique stood in the small pathway between the kitchen and living room, hands to her mouth. She was screaming. Her eyes were filled with terror. Swinging my head back forward, I felt the blood trickle from my nose. It hadn't even been properly set since last night, meaning I would feel it even more after this. Yet he had to hear what I needed to say. Backing down now would only cement the dread inside of me. For too long I had kept silent. Obedient. Even Angelique had beaten me down. Looking at her now, I knew where she would draw her lines. Too little, too late. "You are right, she isn't the bitch. You're the bitch." I shat, letting my blood trickle to the floor. Hatred blossomed inside my chest and I could feel every positive emotion flow out of me. Another slap landed on my
Ciaran's Point of ViewSybil had agreed to go. No protesting. No trying to convince me that Alvara was just another girl. She knew. Could feel just how special Alvara was to the four of us. The convoy would leave at first light. Sybil even had an entire speech planned for the Alpha and why she should stay amongst them.Adelia wasn't amused that her mother would go and not her. Even the dimwitted she-wolf could see that something was up. After our little scuffle last night, Adelia had made sure to drag Dargan all the way to Menlyn mall. We would pay more than double a normal man would earn in a month for all the clothes and shoes she would buy. Even enticing perfumes were on her list as she insisted that Dargan take her later today. None of us had expected her to call in the favor so soon, especially not directly after coming home.Ozias had visited Albert, being gone for a while, before he finally showed face in my office. The arrangeme
Alvara’s Point of View “Aunty Adelia!” Aurelia screeched and ran to the front door. Adelia leaned against the frame, arms crossed over her chest, until she saw my daughter. Her face lit up like a thousand little lights. Her arms unfolded and reached forward. The little girl jumped full force into her. Nearly knocked her inside the house. Dargan came in behind me carrying the diaper bag. As he passed me, he kissed the side of my face. His wedding ring glinted in the afternoon sunlight. I swelled at the sight, still transfixed at the thought that I was a married woman. Married to the loves of my life. “My sweet girl!” Adelia exclaimed and threw Aurelia into the air. A giggle escaped the two-year old. Her dress puffed out around her. Hair fluttered in the wind. Dark golden blonde. Curly, like mine. The trees were a bright green. The grass neatly trimmed. Flowers bloomed all around us. Maverick was next to walk up. His hand settl
Alvara’s Point of ViewJessebelle stood at the edge of the fighting. Kept a close eye on all of her men. Guns fired in rapid succession. Wolves tore men limb from limb. Blood coated the grass. Between it all, Ciaran had a standoff with Eugene.Both sides landed blows. Bones crunched beneath their combined strength. Ozias had run after the Beta. Maverick shot whoever got closest and Dargan was still passed out cold.For a moment before Ciaran had arrived, I was sure I would be dead by the end of this. I was sure that I wouldn’t see the morning. Yet, Jessebelle had pulled through. Made sure that the odds were fatly stacked against Eugene. With however many reinforcements he called, he still wouldn’t win. Money drove him. Drove his pack, which wasn’t a good motivator. Love and freedom drove ours.Mason had gotten away in the chaos Harland caused. Got hold of Jessebelle and convinced her that we needed h
Maverick’s Point of ViewThe truck collided with the first of their cars. I lurched forward, gripping tightly onto the dashboard. My driver floored it. Scraped the road with their scrap metal. I braced as we hit another one. Men darted from their positions. Drew their guns and fired rapidly at the sides of the truck. Bullets peppered the steel but refused to go through. Thousands and thousands of rands were spent securing my people.The border patrol was thin tonight. Almost lax. According to Mason, we would have a hard time getting through, but this seemed almost too easy. Some of my men jumped from the rear. I heard their feet hit tar. Saw them run beside us. They opened fire. Some of Eugene’s men held up small flags with a diamond on it. I opened my window and craned my neck outside.“Don’t hurt the ones with the flags! They are on our side!” I screamed to my men. All of them nodded and proceeded to atta
Dargan's Point of ViewMy feet ached from the pace I was setting. I dodged trees. Cleared ditches. Lungs screamed for me to slow down. Air came in short supply. I had to take it easier. But I refused. It had been years since I ran with such ferocity. With so much intent and purpose, it nearly drove me mad.Alvara sounded far beyond distressed. Her voice had pitched and fallen. The fear was tangible in my mind still. She needed us and she needed us now. Everything we had endured led up to this moment. I would not let her have the same fate as Savanah. Let her die in a pack that hated her deeply. Die beside a man that had used her all her life.Those revelations set my mind blazing. My legs pumped harder. Drove me further. I could see the lights of houses in the distance. Slowing down, I sniffed the air. Picked up the scent of several enemies. I lightened my steps and avoided the trail where the scent was strongest.Two secon
Ciaran's Point of ViewMaverick nearly crawled out of his skin the moment Alvara left. Her mind link had shut between us. Locked us out of her thoughts. But I could feel every tremor of fear. Every quickening of her pulse. The panic she felt. Her small feeling of pride. Like she was still with us. Yet, none of us could reach her. Speak to her mentally. It drove us insane. Made us bite our nails and down glasses of whiskey. This was hell.Our minds remained open at all times. We had a plan but plans could change at any moment. Alvara had to be able to reach us at a moment's notice. Thus, we played riddles and made jokes through the mind link. To keep it sharp and make sure it was open even whilst we were sleeping.Ozias wouldn't stop pacing. Dargan smoked more than he had ever before. We weren't far from her. Maybe 80 kilometers, tops. Maverick and Dargan were closer. Harland camped out on a farm close to the edge of Half-Moon. We were w
Alvara's Point of View All the lights in the house were off when I woke up. Glowing moonlight sifted in from the open curtains. A cool breeze drifted over my bed. Yet I had woken up. No nightmares plagued me. No monsters hidden in shadows. My body had made peace with my surroundings, even if my mind was a bit slow to adjust. There wasn't a sound to be heard. Barely a cricket chirping. But I was awake and it was hell. Maybe two in the morning. I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes once more. Sleep danced at the edge of my mind and I rolled back onto my back. Then I heard it. The near-silent struggle in the room beside mine. Soft groans. Scraping of nails across flesh. Grunts of satisfaction. I covered my ears with a pillow. Eugene had a lady visitor over. As I had told Angelique, he would never change. I willed myself to sleep until I realized that Teagan's room was beside mine. Cold dread settled into my spine. Blind panic
Alvara's Point of ViewAs I had thought, Eugene never came to dinner. He had made paint swatches with Mariposa. We could all hear them laughing and bantering above us. Then, she had insisted they go out to eat. Something about having a craving met. So, that was exactly what they had done. Without so much as a whisper about spending too much money, they were off.If she had arrived before any of this had happened, I would have believed it when he told me she was just some woman he was helping. Clung to the idea that some part of him was still good inside instead of rotten and foul. Now, I knew better. Knew that she was his mate and I had been used for my money all these years.Stolen from my pack. Kept under lock and key because they couldn't find the keys to my family's kingdom. Somehow, after spending so much time with my own mates, I understood why he was so excited. Happy. She brought out the best in him as all mates would. But she w
Alvara's Point of View"You asked for me?" I said from the door. Eugene lifted his head, looking at me with a soft smile. He nodded and I stepped inside."Did you find everything you were looking for today?" A vague question. Very vague. It set me on edge enough that I lowered my gaze. Made my eyes appear larger than they actually were. Eugene put a hand out towards me and I took it when I got closer."I forgot how expensive everything was. I am sorry you had to spend money on me." I whispered back. Eugene kept that soft smile on his lips. Gently, he tugged me into his lap. I nuzzled into his neck, draping my legs over his.This was wrong. Utterly wrong. Being close to another man in such an intimate way hurt my heart. Every memory I had of my mates flashed into my mind, making my soul hurt even more. They were far away and I was inside the monster den with only Teagan to help me."Anything for you. I hate how we left thin
Alvara’s Point of ViewMason met us at the house. Unlike when I had first met him, he had a suit on. Sunglasses. Polished shoes. As if he had changed overnight. The young man I had come to know was gone. When Eugene greeted him, he simply gave a curt ‘Alpha’ and a bow of the head. Everything felt formal. Stuffy. As if the air had thickened in just a few seconds. Teagan looked between the two men and shrugged when I looked at her.I had personally asked for Mason, but it still didn’t mean that we were completely safe to wander around. The rest of the pack was still on Eugene’s side, and I had returned. Once an outsider, always an outsider. At least now I knew why they had stayed away.As for Lover’s Quarrel members, they had stayed away because Eugene had threatened them. Told them that if they interfered with me, they would lose their jobs or their lives. None of them would risk that. Until now.