Adelia’s Point of ViewFor the first time in my life I woke up to someone beside me. His rhythmic breathing lulled me gently as I woke. A steady heart beat right next to my ear.It was the most comfort I had felt in a long time. Soothed a aching part of my soul.The sun was fully up and shined perfectly into the room, illuminating everything around me. Brought warmth with it to wash away the biting cold of the night. Still, Siya slept, even with the rays falling onto his handsome face.Full, pouty lips. Defined eyebrows. High cheekbones. A large nose that complimented the rest of his features.My heart fluttered in my chest at the thought that this man was mine for the rest of our lives.Until reality kicked in and I was reminded that we were still in deep waters.Timidly, I raised the blankets, aware that he might wake up if I didn’t move slow enough. Slid out of bed with a lightness I hadn’t felt since being home.I wasn’t alone anymore.But there was still work to be done. So much
Michael’s Point of ViewThe terrain out here was rough. Had barely any fucking coverage.It had been bad enough to find the proper combat gear for this barren landscape but the heat was what truly got me down.Night was no better. The temperatures dropped well below zero. Not that there was anything out here to freeze. Except for us. With the wind cutting through your bones right into the damned marrow.We were all miserable as we waited for the scouts to report back their findings.“I thought we didn’t take private contracts anymore. That we only reported back to the board.” One of the newer cadets groaned.He was bunched up in several blankets. Teeth chattered harshly against each other. Even if we could find something to make a fire with, we couldn’t risk someone seeing it.According to Ulrich, the pack we had to ambush was only a solid two kilometres away. Far too close to risk our position for some heat.“This is a personal favor to me,” Ulrich replied behind me.His footsteps we
Adelia’s Point of ViewNessa’s apartment looked a whole lot more inviting than Siya’s. Had photos of her and her brothers on the walls. Flowers in vases. Even smelled like her.It felt like a home, not just a place where you slept.Although, a lingering smell of smoke clogged my nose when we walked in.Siya, to his credit, disguised his disgust the moment his sister waltzed out of what I presumed was a kitchen.Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, curls threatening to fall free at any moment. She wore an apron with various smears all over it. Had flour streaks on her nose and cheeks.She was busy cooking. Or had been, considering her defeated sigh when she came closer. “I give up. I can’t fucking do it,” She exclaimed and placed her hands on her hips. “I ordered pizza. It should be here in half an hour.”I restrained a chuckle that threatened to spill over my lips. Glanced at Siya to see how he took the news.He had been right, then, to say that his sister didn’t belong in a kit
Adelia’s Point of View“Can you please stop pacing? We are in the remotest corner of the compound. No one is going to get in here. And if they do, we have two guards posted outside.” Nessa snapped as I ended one of my countless loops around the room.Anxiety speared my insides. Boiled into my blood.For a moment, I paused. Looked right at her with a scowl on my face. “I know we are far away from the shit but that isn’t why I’m worried. What if something happens to him?” I stated my worries out loud. Let them feed into my growing anxiety.Like speaking the words gave them more power. More control.And I hated it. Hated admitting to myself that I had opened up to Siya enough that the thought of him getting hurt broke me.Nessa raised a sculpted brow. Got a large grin on her lips that grated against some of my nerves. “You care about the fucker.” She said, excitement bubbling onto her face.Rolling my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Without thought I started pacing again. Another
Adelia's Point of ViewThe guard that had spoken to me fell first. With a few neatly placed bullets, he fell to the ground. Blood pooled beneath him in a matter of seconds. Terror ran down my spine in a thick wave. Settled somewhere behind my heart.Gritting my teeth, I slid down the other side of the counter, making myself as small as possible. Loud bangs vibrated through my bones. Heated my blood considerably to the point where beads of sweat formed on my brow.The intruders moved into the living room. Killed the last guard that kept us safe.Us.Fuck.Nessa.I inhaled a sharp breath. Steadied my heartbeat to where I was almost unsure whether I was alive or dead. And jumped into the open, gun raised and perfectly aimed at a human in ridiculous tactical gear. I fired. Fired again before the other four could spot me.He went down with a thud. Which was promptly followed by a few rounds being fired off by Nessa. Another body hit the floor and I slid in behind the large bookrack that
Adelia's Point of ViewThe rug I thought I had beneath my feet got ripped right out from under me. Made my knees buckle as I stared at the man in front of me. Mate.My mate. Another one and a human no-less.If Teagan could see me now, she would holler with laughter. But that's not how I felt. The grip I had perfected on my emotions for the last few years seemed to be tugged away like the rug."What is he talking about, Adelia? Why is he saying that?" Nessa asked, now standing beside the bed, waiting for me to explain.But I didn't know how. Didn't know if I could even summon the words to try."We really don't have time for this. Our distraction is only going to last so long and we need to be gone before that. Have you made up your mind?" Ulrich pleaded in front of me.Yet I couldn't look away from the painfully gorgeous man in front of me. How beautifully his blue eyes glittered compared to his dark-brown hair. The gentle curve of his lips.The goddess took her time sculpting him. A
Adelia's Point of ViewGuilt was the most irrational emotion of all.Even when you knew the circumstances surrounding your choices were justified, guilt still found a way to get to you.The journey back to Lover's Quarrel was at least more pleasant than when I was taken. Gone was the hull of a cargo plane and the stench of blood. Replaced by the smooth leather interior of a private jet. A stewardess in a neat little outfit brought out trays of food prepared somewhere in the back. Bubbly flowed freely.And the two men in combat attire stood out like sore thumbs amongst the finer things in life. So did the unconscious girl slumped on a large couch."Ciaran sent the plane with us when we left Lover's Quarrel. Apparently, he didn't want you to be more traumatized than you already were. I thought it was ridiculous because we couldn't fit all of the men in here once the mission was a success," Ulrich explained and snorted. "Nope. Not for all of the men because fuck the injured, right? Just
Michael's Point of ViewShe was strikingly beautiful. Why Ulrich didn't worship her, heaven only knew.With her voluminous black hair and piercing blue eyes, anyone could see she was a beauty beyond this world. Considering the fact that she had more curves than a back road, a tongue that lashed like iron, and ample fire in her blood, she was the perfect woman. Hell, even Nadia seemed to falter somehow.Which made our interaction only that more disgusting to me. My fiancee still remained fully in my mind. Took up more space than any woman had ever had. And I let her. Because she was wonderful in her own wicked ways.But by the gods, Adelia's mere presence sucked me in, and refused to let go.So when Ulrich had said something about a mate back at the compound, my heart had faltered. And I couldn't grasp why. Mates were the werewolf equivalent of soulmates chosen by some goddess they worshipped. That much I already knew. It was what dropped Ulrich this far into the shit. Yet just the
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