I could see the frozen expression on Ariana’s face, as Aurora called me ‘Dada’. I don’t think she was expecting this. Hell, even I wasn’t expecting this. And I don’t even know why she called me ‘Dada’ in the first place.
Silence settled over the room after that one word escaped Aurora’s lips.
Dada.
The weight of it slammed into me harder than any blow I’d ever taken on the battlefield. And for a second—for a long, raw second—I didn’t know what to do.
Ariana’s hand was still curled around mine, her fingers trembling slightly. I could feel her gaze on me, searching, waiting. Aurora, blissfully unaware of the way she had just cracked open an entirely new world between us, continued to cling
The council chamber buzzed with a low, tense energy, the kind that seeped into your skin and made your heart pound faster even when you were sitting still. I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the heavy oak table, fingers interlaced tightly. Ariana sat across from me, a thick folder of maps and reports open before her. Her face was calm, but her fingers trembled slightly as she turned a page.No one could blame her. We were planning a war.Around us, the council members—heads of the strongest families and allied packs—were murmuring, exchanging notes, pointing at strategic points on the giant map sprawled across the table.“We need to cut off their supply routes here,” Marcus said, jabbing his finger at a narrow valley south of the Darkpine Forest. “Otherwise, they’ll corner us.”“They’re vampires. They don’t need supplies. They just need blood,” snarled Liam, his voice rough. “They’ll feast on our people if we don’t stop them.”Ariana flinched slightly at that, and my heart twist
The training field smelled of sweat, dust, and raw determination. I stood at the edge, arms folded loosely across my chest, watching as warriors clashed and fell, got up, and clashed again.The air was thick with grunts and the rhythmic clatter of bodies hitting the ground. Across the open ground, banners of other packs fluttered in the sharp breeze. Wolf packs I hadn’t seen in years—some who had once been enemies, some who had disappeared into the rogue lands—had come back. Answering our call for help.It should have made me feel stronger. Safer. But all I felt was this hollow, gnawing ache.Lucas was across the field, organizing sparring matches, his voice steady and commanding. His presence was a steady rock in t
The walls of the tent felt like they were closing in on me. Ryan whimpered in my arms, tiny fists waving helplessly as he searched for comfort I wasn’t sure I could give. I cradled him closer to my chest, trying to rock him back to sleep. His body was so small, so fragile it terrified me. Every breath he took was a small miracle, a tiny battle fought and won.I brushed a kiss to his forehead, breathing in the soft, sweet scent of him—milk, baby powder, and something uniquely his own. Outside, the camp buzzed with movement. I could hear the warriors sparring again, could hear the council arguing strategies in low, urgent voices. There was no time to rest. No time to feel. But I couldn’t switch it off.Tears pricked my eyes as I pressed my cheek against Ryan’s fine, dark hair. I was supposed to lead them. I was supposed to be strong.
I woke up with a blissful smile on my face. Why would I not? After all, it's my birthday today. I turn 18 today and I finally get to choose my mate. Throwing off the covers, I jumped out of the bed and quickly ran into the washroom to get ready. Pulling out a white sweater and a white skirt, I wore it with my white stockings. Wearing my pink shoes to fit my outfit, I quickly applied my lipgloss and blush. Grabbing my bag, I rushed out of my room and ran down the stairs to meet my family who were waiting at the dining hall. My mom hugged me on seeing me and wished me.“Happy Birthday Ariana.” My dad wished me looking up from his plate. He is not a big hugger or even a man who shows his emotions.“Happy Birthday dear.” This was my mother. I put my bag on the floor and sat on the stool at the kitchen counter, beside my brother.“Happy Birthday Ariana.” This was my brother.“Thank you Augustus.” I gave him a smile which he didn’t return. But nothing could kill my mood today.“Are you exci
Four Years laterA knock sounded on the door.“Xav! Who is it?” I yelled from the kitchen.“Coming.” He yelled back from the stairs and ran to open the door.I could hear some muffled dialogue but apart from that I couldn’t make out who it was. Oh, right. It should be Mrs. Paul, she said she wanted some recipes from me and she would visit us in the afternoon.Wiping my hands on the kitchen towel, I walked towards the door. “Is it Mrs. Pau—”Words got stuck in my throat.It was him.Lucas Klein in flesh, at my doorstep.“What the hell are you doing here?” I barked and Xavier held me back before I could kill him.“I–I just wanted to talk to you.”Wow, Lucas Klein and stuttering. I never thought that I would get to see the day where I would see the mighty and proud Alpha stuttering. Hell, I didn’t even think that he would want to see me after all that he said and did to me. “Then talk. Why are you here?” I folded my hands in front of my chest and his gaze fell onto my boobs.“Eyes up he
Walking towards him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He immediately wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. Pulling apart I rested my head against his and whispered. “I love you.”“I love you too.” He kissed my forehead and I smiled.“Sometimes, you cannot undo certain things. And one of those is betrayal. I lost something very precious to me when I met him and I can never ever get it back. And with you I found pieces of me that I didn’t even know existed. I am not talking about choosing but it’s always you for me.” He smiled and hugged me tightly and I hugged him back discreetly wiping my tears. “Thank you for telling me that. That’s the sweetest thing ever.” He kissed me all over my face, making me giggle at the wet, ticklish feeling.I escaped his grip and went back to the kitchen.Xavier followed me and hugged me from behind, kissing me on my neck. He bit my skin there and I hissed. “Don’t leave a hickey. I can’t cover it in s
I woke up to someone raining kisses on me. I tried to shield my face and sleep but I couldn’t. He was relentless. Sighing, I opened my eyes and there he was. Straddling me but without touching me. I pouted seeing him so energetic and active while I felt tired and sleepy.He kissed my pout and I pushed him away playfully.“I am sleepy. Let me sleep.”“Come on baby, you must be hungry. Let’s get you some food and then come back here.” I ignored his comment and pulled the comforter over and closed my eyes.“Are you tired?” I nodded without opening my eyes. “I am sorry for being so harsh last night.”I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was feeling bad and demeaning himself in his head.Caressing his face I spoke. “I loved what we did yesterday, but it’s probably this pregnancy that’s making me so tired and lazy.” He leaned into my touch and I smiled at his act of his.“Sleep for a little while. I shall grab our breakfasts and be back.” He kissed my forehead and pulled the comforter up
“Can I come in?” He asked and I stepped aside from the doorway and let him in. “I got these for you. I didn’t know what flowers you like but I hope you like Tulips.”“Now just because you got me something, I must like it?” I snapped back, feeling a sense of frustration building up.“No. I am sorry, that’s not what I meant. I can take them back if you—”“No, it's fine.” Xavier cut him off and I glared at him. He glared back at me and I knew what he meant. He was asking me to remain composed. He picked the bouquet and walked to the kitchen to place them in a jug of water. I sat on the couch and he sat in front of me. Xavier came back with a bottle of water for me and kissed my head. Sitting beside me on the armrest, he wrapped his arm around me and I leaned into him. Lucas was clearly uncomfortable with the way he was fidgeting in his place seeing us. He tried to look here and there to hide his discomfort but he was doing a poor job at it.“I want to let you know that we are coming to C
The walls of the tent felt like they were closing in on me. Ryan whimpered in my arms, tiny fists waving helplessly as he searched for comfort I wasn’t sure I could give. I cradled him closer to my chest, trying to rock him back to sleep. His body was so small, so fragile it terrified me. Every breath he took was a small miracle, a tiny battle fought and won.I brushed a kiss to his forehead, breathing in the soft, sweet scent of him—milk, baby powder, and something uniquely his own. Outside, the camp buzzed with movement. I could hear the warriors sparring again, could hear the council arguing strategies in low, urgent voices. There was no time to rest. No time to feel. But I couldn’t switch it off.Tears pricked my eyes as I pressed my cheek against Ryan’s fine, dark hair. I was supposed to lead them. I was supposed to be strong.
The training field smelled of sweat, dust, and raw determination. I stood at the edge, arms folded loosely across my chest, watching as warriors clashed and fell, got up, and clashed again.The air was thick with grunts and the rhythmic clatter of bodies hitting the ground. Across the open ground, banners of other packs fluttered in the sharp breeze. Wolf packs I hadn’t seen in years—some who had once been enemies, some who had disappeared into the rogue lands—had come back. Answering our call for help.It should have made me feel stronger. Safer. But all I felt was this hollow, gnawing ache.Lucas was across the field, organizing sparring matches, his voice steady and commanding. His presence was a steady rock in t
The council chamber buzzed with a low, tense energy, the kind that seeped into your skin and made your heart pound faster even when you were sitting still. I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the heavy oak table, fingers interlaced tightly. Ariana sat across from me, a thick folder of maps and reports open before her. Her face was calm, but her fingers trembled slightly as she turned a page.No one could blame her. We were planning a war.Around us, the council members—heads of the strongest families and allied packs—were murmuring, exchanging notes, pointing at strategic points on the giant map sprawled across the table.“We need to cut off their supply routes here,” Marcus said, jabbing his finger at a narrow valley south of the Darkpine Forest. “Otherwise, they’ll corner us.”“They’re vampires. They don’t need supplies. They just need blood,” snarled Liam, his voice rough. “They’ll feast on our people if we don’t stop them.”Ariana flinched slightly at that, and my heart twist
I could see the frozen expression on Ariana’s face, as Aurora called me ‘Dada’. I don’t think she was expecting this. Hell, even I wasn’t expecting this. And I don’t even know why she called me ‘Dada’ in the first place.Silence settled over the room after that one word escaped Aurora’s lips.Dada.The weight of it slammed into me harder than any blow I’d ever taken on the battlefield. And for a second—for a long, raw second—I didn’t know what to do.Ariana’s hand was still curled around mine, her fingers trembling slightly. I could feel her gaze on me, searching, waiting. Aurora, blissfully unaware of the way she had just cracked open an entirely new world between us, continued to cling
Do you ever wish to freeze some moments in life? Capture them in a box or pack them in a bag and always keep them with you?I was feeling like that today.In spite of everything that happened—Xavier’s betrayal, the deterioration of my health, the premature birth of Ryan, and the tension of the upcoming war—I was at peace. A rare, still kind of peace.It wasn’t the aching silence of emptiness I’d been carrying with me for so long. It wasn’t the cruel kind of quiet that comes after someone slams the door and never returns. No, this was a tender silence. A comforting one. It didn’t feel like a void anymore.I didn’t think I could ever fill that hole Xavier left behind. I used to believe that no matter how much I tried, no matt
Another irritating beep woke me up. I tried to shut it out and fall back asleep, but it continued to pierce through my head, making it impossible to ignore. I shifted slightly, wanting to find the source and end the noise, but as I attempted to sit up, a warm, firm hand on my right shoulder gently pushed me back down.“You need to rest,” a familiar masculine voice said, quiet and careful.My eyes squinted open, vision still hazy and blurry. “Why?” I mumbled groggily.“You just had surgery,” he replied softly. “You’re not allowed to exert yourself.”Surgery?It hit me like a crashing wave—surgery, the C-section, blood, panic...
I ran. My feet pounded the hospital floor, heart hammering in my chest, lungs burning with the ache of holding too much fear, too many thoughts.She had been fine just hours ago. Weak, yes. Tired, definitely. But not… not this. Not cut open on a surgical table, unconscious, drained, fragile. Not barely clinging to consciousness while her son—her son—fought for every breath of his first moments in a cold, clinical world.I turned the corner and slammed into the ICU doors, shoving them open, startling a nurse in blue scrubs. I didn’t apologize. Couldn’t."Where is he?" I asked, voice shaking despite my Alpha command. "Where is my son?"My son. Yes. Xavier might have been his true father, but I was his father. He was my son.
What was happening?Something sharp—foreign—ripped through the fog in my mind and pierced deep into my lower abdomen. A blinding jolt of pain made me gasp as my eyes fluttered open, assaulted immediately by sterile, white lights overhead. I blinked rapidly, struggling to focus. My mouth was dry, my throat sore, and the air smelled like disinfectant and fear.I was lying on a cold table. Something tugged at my stomach, not sharp exactly, but wrong. Wrong in every way possible.“She’s waking,” a voice announced. Male. Clipped. “Keep her calm.”Where was I? Why couldn’t I move?My arms felt heavy, pinned at my sides. My legs—numb. There was a blue cloth curtain blocking the l
Some days demand more of you than you ever thought you could give. Today was one of them.The sun was barely up when I stood on the balcony outside the Alpha wing, a steaming mug of black coffee in my hand and a thousand thoughts clawing at my brain. The chill in the wind did little to shake the exhaustion that clung to my bones. From my perch, I could see the training grounds bustling with the sound of metal clashing, orders being shouted, and the distinct thump of combat boots against gravel. The Russian warriors were already up—disciplined, fast, and efficient. Just as I expected. Our own men were trying to keep pace, bruises from yesterday’s fight still fresh on their skin.The scent of lavender and baby powder drifted faintly from the room behind me. Ariana and Aurora. My sanctuary amidst this growing storm.I sighed, placing the mug on the ledge, the warmth lingering on my fingertips as I turned away and re-entered the room.Ariana was still asleep, but at least today she wasn’t