Ciaran's Point of View
Sybil 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 ViewFear, hot and pungent, stuffed itself up my nose. Peter stood above me, a tower of a man with menace in his eyes. A certain pleasure danced across his lips when he tugged them into a smile. How long had he been waiting for this moment? Ten sentinels stood behind him, all donning automatic weapons. Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I stood. Still, I was much shorter than him and very outnumbered."It is always a pleasure to see you, Luna. My, the Alpha was beyond himself to learn that you were inside the house when it had burnt." So Angelique was found sooner than anticipated. But the story she was to tell was a lot different than what we had planned."Is the fire finally put out?" I asked and brushed fallen leaves from my clothes. The Beta inspected my frame, then noted the backpack. There was a knowing look on his face for a second, before snarling erupted not far from where we stood. Sentinels dashed toward
Alvara's Point of ViewKilometers flew by faster than I could keep track. Dargan's grey fur felt lush beneath my legs. My new home, of sorts, until we reached Middelburg. There was a halfway house waiting for us. With each thud of his paws, I could feel Dargan's muscles tremble. Fighting and running so far had left them all drained. Regardless, they had come when I had called. When I had needed them the most.Maverick had ran ahead of us, scouting the area we needed to travel past. No signs of trouble lingered, so he ran on until something was off. Ciaran and Ozias stayed close to my side, nipping at my booty every now and again to remind me to keep my legs tightly pressed against Dargan.Exhaustion weighed heavy within their eyes and guilt fed on my insides. I had asked too much of them. Where would I even go once we reached Eiecrunt. Staying put within a house certainly wouldn't cut it. I would just be another burden on them. Another
Ozias' Point of ViewShe had fallen asleep on me. Soundly. Having her this close brought out my more ferocious side. Everything was a threat. Everyone. Except them. Her other mates. We hadn't even had time to discuss what that might mean. Whether we should tell her or keep it a secret for now. Throwing her with such a curveball of information might scare her. Or send her over the edge.Ciaran knew we would have to tell her at some point. We all did. Now just wasn't that time. Ruining something before it had even properly begun was just masochistic. When the time was right and we knew she could handle it, we would drop the bombshell of her life. Beginning from her being kidnapped up until us being not only her mates but the mates of her dead sister.I couldn't deny the pull I felt for her. The way her body curved in just the right places. How soft her hair was. Savanah had laid on my lap much like this and I would toy with her hair until
Alvara's Point of ViewNothing smelt the same. Or felt the same. The sheets were too soft and jasmine lingered in the air. Far off, there was bustling. People yelling at each other and vacuums being switched on and off. The difference were blaring. I was no longer in half-moon.Cracking open an eye, I took in my surroundings. Black stared back at me. Black curtains. Black bedding. A man with black hair dozing in a chair not far from my bed. I sat up in bed, my heartbeat hammering. Soft snores came from Ciaran's mouth. His arm was propped beneath his head, facing towards me.There were floor to ceiling windows to my left and a balcony past it. All black. From the tiles to the frames of the windows. Modern in style but darker than I had imagined. Ciaran stirred from his spot, the snores stopping. He tugged his lips into a smile, feeling my eyes on him."It is rude to stare at someone who is sleeping but I will make an exception for
Alvara's Point of View Wealth wouldn't begin to describe what they had. Eugene's family had money, I would never deny that but it was mere scraps compared to what Eiecrunt had amassed. The property alone housed a horse riding ring, stables, the pool house, tennis court, volleyball court and several other larger buildings. The house itself had eight bedrooms, ten bathrooms and a library. Art of all kinds were displayed in the hallways and living areas. Dargan had taken me on a tour after breakfast. He had prepared a feast along side Maverick. The two were culinary geniuses but I had refused to stuff my face in front of them. I would note their disapproving looks every time I took something out of the arrangement presented to us. Knowing that my weight had hurt Dargan, I barely put anything into my stomach. "Where are we head off to now?" I asked, trying to keep pace with Dargan. His legs were much longer than my own. His strides much
Ciaran's Point of View Work had to get done faster. More efficiently. Several companies were complaining about how we had gone off the grid, leaving them vulnerable to hostile take overs. Our mines had a transportation problems. Strikes were popping up all around our businesses and I was utterly exhausted. Last night's sleep was sub-par, leaving my mind in a state of limbo. Day's last rays of light crept from the room. Automatic lights burst to life, blinding me. With a curse, I shoved away the papers. Alvara's presence soothed my mind but she could only do so much. We were still nothing but strangers to her. Another curse flung from my mouth and I stood. Pacing around would help nothing, yet motion in my limbs already eased the growing tension in my mind. The pack had sustained tremendous losses the last couple of days. Somehow, the stock market had fallen in the span of a few hours. National taxes also ate away at my member's funds
Maverick's Point of ViewI had stolen her before breakfast. Shoved a croissant into her hand and ran for the stables. Sleep was barely wiped for her eyes before the early morning sun burned them to crisps. Alvara groaned as I tugged her along, not fully waiting for her to catch up. To just catch her breath. Luckily she had dressed before exiting her room. Jeans. T-shirt. Fuck, she could be dressed in a table cloth and my body would still tremble at her form."Where are we going?" She asked and put a hand to her face to try and block the sun from her eyes. Pupils contracted in response. It was a harms summer day. Swimming would be best suited, yet horseback riding was what I craved. Among other things."To the stables." I said, continuing on."Dargan already showed me the stables." She hissed, still holding her hand up to her eyes. As we walked, she bit down on the croissant and a low moan caught in her throat. I could feel myself
Alvara's Point of ViewI couldn't begin to describe what I saw. An entire world blossomed before me. Although, it wasn't even a quarter of the Eiecrunt pack. Cars rushed within the busy streets. Skyscrapers dominated the distant horizon. People flooded the walkways and dogs barked with happiness. It was a new world. New life. All right in front of me.Maybe even to my right. Maverick stood at my elbow, gazing away at his city. Even he looked to be awe struck. Excited and in love with the view. Perhaps he wasn't even looking at the city. Rather at me from the corner of his eye. There was a softness about him that I hadn't noticed before. Love of life and all of the people within his reach. Adventure was one thing he treasured above all. To never be bored somewhere. Maverick could conjure up the best times out of nothingness.What if I had found where I belonged? Found the people I belonged with? He had said it himself, having four mates
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.