Michael's Point of ViewThank fuck for small mercies. One of them was that the hotel suite they had booked us into had two rooms. Nadia took the smaller one, slamming the door shut almost immediately after we walked in. Another of the small mercies was that they had booked us the most expensive joint in the city. With marble floors and chandeliers. A fully stocked bar with underlighting. Even the patio had a hot tub.Wonderful.If only there would be enough time to actually enjoy the fucking thing. "Yeah. We just got to Eiecrunt. The Alpha and his advisers want to see me in the next," I tipped my wrist over, activating the light on the watch. "thirty minutes." I said into the speaker. "We have heard that there has been unrest in the enemy's home pack. Are you to thank for that?" The gravelly voice echoed into my ear, grating against all of my nerves.Victor. An old brutish man who often spoke for the entire organization, like he was the only one running the joint."I was part of an
Michael's Point of View"She has a traitor living in her pack like it means nothing! Someone who openly assaulted not only her but the rest of the pack as well. That dragged her away in the middle of the night like some prize for his sister. And now I need to let it go?" Ciaran ranted.His voice carried through the door Maverick had shown us to. Sounded strained and troubled.But the worst of it was that I knew who he was talking about. Knew to whom the disdain in his words pointed to. And it grated against every nerve that I fucking had.My hands clenched into fists by my side whilst Nadia only glowered at the door."I take it he isn't very happy to be back here without Lover's Quarrel in his arsenal of packs he already has." I breathed, unable to stop the slight anger I felt from showing.Maverick sighed. Forced a pinched-looking smile onto his face that didn't sit well. Conflict raged in his eyes like a fire in a dry field. "Things have been tense between Alvara and him lately. I'm
Adelia's Point of View"Take it easy, big guy, can't have you falling over and adding more to my list of shit to fix on you," Nessa scolded her brother.Her arm was firmly tucked beneath one of his shoulders. The other shoulder was held up by a reluctant Aiden, still dressed in what I now considered his man-whore shorts. He was unimpressed with the fact that his captain saw him in such attire but we assured him Siya was wholly focused on not falling on his face instead of what any of us wore."My feet feel like fucking lead." Siya breathed out.We were halfway down the stairs after he had insisted that he wanted to spend time with us. I knew that it was just an excuse not to be alone all the damned time up there. To rather have company than wallow in your own self-pity.So, with a lot of hassle just to get him out of bed, we made our way towards the living room. The very same one Aiden was still fussing about when Siya asked to be moved downstairs. None of us wanted to ask how we w
Michael's Point of ViewBlowing out a long breath, I slid out a chair and fell into it. Crossed my arms as I stared back at Ciaran, a hollow look in tow.Ozias also blew out a long breath but looked a lot less pleased than I felt."This is Alvara's wish and now you want to go behind her back and change it. How fucking selfish of you, Ciaran. You and I both know you have no right to Lover's Quarrel, regardless of these papers. But you still go out of your way to make things difficult," The Beta growled, letting his canines slip over his bottom lip. Ciaran barely blinked at his Beta's blatant disrespect. But I wouldn't have commented on it either, considering the man had a point.If Alvara had drawn up these parers, it was clear that she was no longer willing to fight with her mate over her family's pack. That they had gotten into too many arguments for her to logically carry on being the rightful heir to the title of Alpha. Now here he was, undermining her once again."She is pregnan
Michael's Point of ViewOne glass of bourbon. Two glasses of bourbon. Three. Fine.A fourth wouldn't hurt.By now, my feet were aching as I paced up and down the hotel room. My bones had become numb to the impact and the stretch of my stride. But my mind still whirred as I downed my fourth, but not final, glass.At least I had a light buzz. Nadia was still with Dargan, even though the sun was setting low over the horizon. Both were working tirelessly to help in any way they could.And when she got back, I was going to shatter her world into tiny bits and pieces. Or free her from this relationship after slaving away in it for so damned long. I reached for the bottle again, fingers feeling heavier already, when the front door opened and I was greeted by her familiar steps bouncing around on the tile."I'm back," She called out. The same greeting she had always given me if she knew I would be home before her.In my younger years, that was seldom. Missions, meetings, and training had t
Adelia's Point of ViewHis warmth wrapped around me like a blanket in winter. Drained all the stress from my bones. Replaced it with the feeling of belonging. Of being somewhere that I was needed. Cared for.The TV was still on in the background, talking about some nature documentary, although Siya had long since stopped watching. His breathing had evened out. Became deeper and deeper. By now, I was wondering where Nessa and Aiden could possibly have been. The sun had set. The shops were closed.And there was still no sign of them.Leaning into Siya more, I placed my hand back on his chest. Glanced at the front door every once in a while just to make sure that they didn't appear out of thin air and scare the crap out of me. Nothing changed."Are you still awake?" A grumbly voice asked through a thick haze of sleep. His chest rose and fell normally. The same way it had when he had slept.Was he talking in his sleep?"I thought you were sleeping," I said.Siya blew out an untethered
Adelia's Point of View"And you are sure you are fine with me having this... killing touch? I mean. It nearly cost you your life and now your mate has it. I can't think that it is easy for you to think about it." I asked into the darkness.Nessa and Aiden had gone to bed an hour ago. Bellies were full and my bank account was empty. They had helped me to make a large bed in the living room like they had promised to do. Which was exactly where Siya and I decided to stay for the night.No need to trudge back up the stairs when he could barely hold his head up for long periods of time.Besides, why sleep on the floor when I could sleep next to him in bliss?"You didn't choose to have the gene. You didn't choose for your mother to be an egotistical maniac, either. We deal with the cards we are dealt. And if these are your cards, then they are mine as well." He said and kissed my temple.This was going to be the first night we slept in the same bed. The first morning when I would wake up i
Adelia's Point of ViewThe wind whipped my hair in every direction possible. Blinded me from time to time, obscuring where the plane from Noha Khoeli was finally coming in.My sunglasses also did little to help me focus. "Ten are coming in today. Aiden has the list of them in hand, with their families on the page as well. We can check them off as they come in and then we have cars waiting to take them to their families." Nessa explained beside me, studying the clipboard in Aiden's hand.I squinted at the plane now landing in front of me. There were some faces pressed into the windows, eagerly taking in their surroundings. Some pressed so hard that they looked more like pigs than people."We will rehouse them as they come in. We have furnished houses on standby. Settle them in but also ask them to come to your house tonight for a briefing. I know it is a lot but we have to figure out their game plan. Their families might have chosen to remain here but we don't know if they want to re
Adelia's Point of ViewThey both cleaned up well. Looked dashing in their suits. But the scene in front of me was obscenely strange. Two fully grown men hiding behind a bush. One with an empty glass of some type of alcohol in hand. The other laughing maniacally into the dark If it hadn't been for me noticing their scents nearby, we wouldn't have found them at all.With their vantage, they could see the entire party perfectly. Still, they chose to hide away. Watched from the outside.And the moment they turned around to look at us, both of their jaws dropped to the floor.I knew Nessa had done a good job of styling me. Knew I looked better than I had ever done before. But their reactions were priceless. Worth every single burn Nessa had given me when she tried to curl my hair for the updo."Close your mouths, boys, it's fly season." Nessa joked from beside me. Chortled when all Michael could do was curse again, eyes digging up my flesh inch by inch. Siya wasn't far behind. Let his ey
Siya's Point of ViewI was a mated male.For one, I couldn't believe I wasn't dead yet. At the end of my twenties and I was still alive and well. Or as well as I could be, given that my body was a royal fuck up at the moment.But not dead. Not yet. And not anytime soon. Second, I was mated and in a new pack. Watched now as my old pack members streamed into a lush and vibrant garden made up for them and only them. To welcome them into a new and more stable home.If only the rest of my pack could have followed as well. Could have escaped the hell that was now Noha Khoeli.My mother would have been proud to see me now. Would have loved to know that her son was not only living but thriving. Saddened by the fact that her daughter had turned into such a cruel monster, yes, but glad to know her son had escaped that reality."Well, don't you clean up well," Michael crooned as he approached me from behind.I was standing in the shadows. Avoided anyone looking at me yet. Speaking to me. Mainly
Adelia's Point of View"Stop fussing! Everything has been sorted outside. It is two hours before the ceremony starts, we need to get ready!" I screeched at Nessa, hand clamped around her wrist and pulling her furiously into my walk-in closet.She was finding every reason in the book not to go inside and look at all of her options. From the decor to the food and everything in between. "Shit needs to be perfect and that fucking florist put one too many fucking roses in the centerpieces," She argued back whilst pulling away from me.A child with a new toy, that's what she was acting like right now."One too many roses isn't going to kill anyone, Nessa! But we can't be late for our own party," I hissed again and finally dragged her the rest of the way into the closet.The overhead lights flickered on the second they detected us. Flooded the small but packed space with light. And shimmers and sparkles from the clothes around us. This was where I kept most of my fancy clothes. The kind t
Adelia's Point of ViewI left Michael at the pack house with Aiden.Both men were walking around the place, making sure that every security measure under the sun was well in place. Nukes weren't the only threat we had to face. If Phaedra wanted to she could send an entire army to come and eviscerate us for what we had done to her pack. A tit for tat kind of thing. So the men peacocked around, trying to figure out every single weak point within the pack house grounds."I'm back," I called into the house and closed the door behind me.Groans sounded throughout the house, coming from upstairs. Groans. Moans. A few curses every once in a while. This was followed by a shrill voice that I couldn't make out the words from.Making my way up the stairs, I felt my teeth grind together as the groans intensified. Nessa was doing a number on her brother and showed zero remorse.When I walked in, she was straddling his ass, working her hands up and down the length of his spine. Siya's face was tw
Adelia's Point of ViewHis lips were as soft as I had remembered them. As intoxicating as well. But this time, his hands roamed my body freely. Hungrily. Claiming every inch as if he would never have the chance again. As if he needed to feel me to believe that we were doing this.Settling my own hands in his hair, I pulled his face away and smiled at him softly. Felt my heart still beating a mile a minute as he stared down at me. Blue eyes were half-lidded and twinkling when he looked down at me. Smiling like a damned fool.Ever so slowly he brushed a hand down the side of my face. Swept some of my baby hair back behind my ear. "You are so utterly beautiful that I might just die from looking at you too long." He whispered, breathing fanning my face in a minty puff. I rolled my eyes and shook his head for him. "That was maybe the cheesiest thing you have ever said to me," I bemoaned, unable to look even a tad bit disgusted by it.Because he could say those things to me my entire lif
Adelia's Point of ViewFor the first night where both of my mates were with me, we all collectively decided to sleep on our own. Not because I wouldn't have loved it to be the filling between both men but rather because neither of them felt very comfortable with that yet.Which was to be understood.I wouldn't know how to feel sleeping with my mate and his other mate.But Nessa's couches slept like utter shit! The girl had really said 'fashion and fuck the rest'. They were lovely to look at. Wonderful to curl up on. Horrendous for the back. So, when I finally woke up, I felt like an old woman climbing out of her coffin. My spine was shot to hell. Knees creaked from having had to curl them to my chest for the entire night.And if I felt this way, I didn't even want to know how Michael must have felt."We really should have brought another mattress," I groaned and stretched. Some of my limbs popped in their sockets, making me wince.Siya grumbled something into his pillow on the mattre
Adelia's Point of View"And you made sure to ask him that everything was disabled? Thrown away? Burned?" Nessa screeched, hands on her hips as she paced the length of the living room.Every time she passed Aiden, he reached for her but she was having none of it. Dodged his efforts every single time with a dip of her shoulder. Or a sneer when he got too close to calming her down."Ozias asked Dargan to check everything. He even sent over a plan of the house and where Ciaran placed everything," Michael explained and let his eyes dance over to mine. "He also apologized profusely for what his Alpha has done." "In what regard? Because everything he has done has been more than fucked up from what I hear." Nessa seethed again.Aiden made a last lunge towards her and when she dodged out of his way, he threw his hands up in exasperation. Looked done with trying. Hell, with living at this point.It was funny to witness them together.Him, the pragmatic planner who thought shit through. Her, wh
Michael's Point of ViewShe was fine. More than fine, actually, from the looks of things. Adelia was joking and laughing. Kidding around with Siya and his lack of cooking skills. Made fun of the fact that a carrot nearly took him out. And her with him, if she hadn't stopped healing him when she had. But she was bubbly and happy. Looked relaxed, even when I tried to tickle her feet. Or got her to snort coffee through her nose by accident.This felt comfortable. Easy. Like this was the place I had always been destined to find. A home I always needed to occupy.Logically she had tried several times to get back to planning. Or tried to sneak away with her phone, just to make a few calls, she had assured us. Neither of us let her, on orders of the Beta of the pack.Your first healing was as taxing on the body as your first shift. Something I had to keep in mind once I won her over and got her to turn me. The process and changes of it all were grueling enough that even Alpha pups were
Adelia's Point of ViewI was helped down the stairs. Helped, like a damned invalid. All because my body had decided healing a gash on an arm was one too much.Sure, give it a kidnapping. Nearly being killed. Being held captive by your deranged mother. Escaping said Mother. Organizing one large ass ceremony. And everything in between. But goddess forbid I tried healing someone. That was just fucking unacceptable.At first, both had offered to help me down. Neither wanted the other to help. A few glares had been exchanfged. Maybe a profanity or two, said through their eyes and luckily not their mouths.By the time they were done with their pissing contest, I was already at the door, tired of their bullshit. Scolded them for handling me like I was broken and not just tired. That had been the final straw for them to back off. Michael had been the winner in the end, to my utter dismay.His hand around my waist and my arm around his shoulders caused us to touch all up my side. Forced so m