Aurora POV "Where are they!" Sitting at the kitchen table, I moaned, running my fingers over the dark oak, irritated that Hugo or Alex hadn't followed me. "What am I doing here?" I muttered to Eva frustratedly. "You beat the shit out of some female, then bolted." Ava sassed, pulling a sigh from my lips. "That is not what I mean! I do not fit in this world anymore." I moaned, biting the corners of my nails anxiously. "Yes, we do!" Ava announced with spunk. "No, Ava, I have spent too long in the human world saying what I liked—doing what I wanted, when I wanted. Fucking who I wanted! So I don't know who I am in this place." I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest stubbornly. "So, what, are you going to bolt again!" Ava said, making me frown, the idea feeling like a good idea if I was honest! Running my hand through my dark hair, I closed my eyes and rested my head on the table. I knew I had taken things too far with the girl. She was only young. I hadn't seen anything untowar
Aurora POVPushing open the doors to the infirmary, my eyes darted around manically for assistance, but the startling realisation that it was empty besides Jason and I hit hard. His frenzied face searched mine as he laid the girl I knew to be called Lara down on one of the beds. His movements were soft and gentle. "Where the fuck is he?" Jason roared the anger in his voice, taking me by surprise, given his gentle disposition seconds ago. Walking to the door, I watched him throw them open to glance down the empty hallway, his aura darkening with each passing second. "Is this a fucking joke?" He roared. Sucking down a breath, I willed my legs to move; no matter who did this, it was clear the girl needed treatment. And Jason throwing a fit wasn't going to change that. Walking closer to the bed, I picked up her wrist and felt for a pulse, not expecting to find one if I was honest with myself. "Aurora?" Ava asked nervously. Shutting her out so I could concentrate. Pausing, feeling the f
Alec POV"Are you sure?" I asked Frank, our pack doctor. He had never led me astray before, and I had no reason to believe he was lying now, but seeing Aurora collapse and lay lifeless in my arms has left me more than a little concerned. "Alpha, I promise nothing is wrong. She is simply exhausted. She has had to endure a lot in the last few weeks. She needed a few more days of rest, but we all know how she is." He smiled at me, his eyes shining with wisdom. "How she is?" I asked, slightly irritated by the way he was making assumptions. "Strong-willed and stubborn." He chuckled, smacking me affectionately on the shoulder as he passed by with a vile of her blood in his hands. Aurora had been in and out of sleep since she passed out, but finally, after reassuring her she was okay, she had succumbed to sleep and agreed to let Frank run a few tests! Not that she had a choice; her health was paramount to Hugo and I, given what she had already suffered at our hands."You will test that fo
Alec POV "Let him do his thing!" Wrath laughed in amazement, watching the events unfold; Hugo was on his feet. Finn had lunged toward him in a bid to shield Lara from whatever proverbial shit was about to hit the fan. "Hugo!" I conveyed firmly, stepping in my brother's path. My eyes narrowed on his yellow glowing eyes. "Fury!" I snapped, my brother's face snapping towards me in acknowledgement, but the defiance in his eyes was unmistakable. "She is just exhausted! Doc said she needs rest!" "I warned you what would happen if you didn't control that mad dog, Alec!" Maxwell laughed from the other side of them. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and opened them to see the yellow of Hugo's eyes glowering as he looked over my shoulder to where Maxwell sat smugly at the back of the room, staring at us, his legs crossed as he leaned back in the chair, casual as shit! Not at all bothered by the lunatic Finn was holding back. "Let him go! It might teach the bastard a lesson!" "Whic
Hugo POV Closing the doors, I swallowed my pride with a sigh. Every part of me wanted to be on the other side of that door with Aurora. I believed my brother that she was telling the truth, of course, but seeing her look so vulnerable made me feel powerless—something I wasn't used to feeling. Maxwell wasn't exactly wrong calling me a mad dog; it wasn't the insult he thought it was, but rather a compliment coming from him! Hugo Mad Dog, it suited me! I knew there were those within my pack who had similar names for me. I was unpredictable, hot-headed and more than a little impulsive. However, that was before Aurora arrived, and I had no one I needed to behave for, impress and perhaps prove my worth too! As much as I acknowledged how just being close to Aurora pushed me to be a better person, I was acutely aware that when it came to protecting her, there were absolutely no lengths I wouldn't go to. "You pouting their bud?" Jason asked playfully, pulling me from visions of myself bat
Alec POVWith Aurora in my arms, I checked the bathroom and felt satisfied that the room was safe; I laid her on the bed and watched her stretch out on the plush mattress like a lazy cat before curling up into a ball. "Sleep, angel!" I requested softly, kissing her head. I pulled the sheet up around her. Her body curled in on itself with exhaustion. "Alec?" She whispered, drawing the covers up under her chin for comfort. The outline of her body through the covers made me smile; she was so small and dainty. Precious!"I am here, kitten; I am just going to shower," I explained, stroking her hair intimately like I used to years ago when she lay asleep in my arms after hours of lovemaking. I smiled genuinely, admiring her natural beauty as her eyes floated closed and she fought sleep. "I'm so cold." She mumbled sleepily, "Shower later, come keep me warm." She requested in that needy voice I could never deny. "Kitten, I am covered in blood.. give me..""I will break your nose and cove
Aurora POVI looked into Alec's anguished eyes as he waited for me to reply. His words were desperate but nonetheless filled with raw emotions that were pulling at my heartstrings. I know he needed me to agree, to make a promise not to leave.. the pack.. him? I refused to make a promise to him I couldn't keep! I wasn't sure how I felt about anything right now, including myself or where I belonged. I did know that I didn't want to hurt him again, and at this moment... I knew I belonged with Alec in this bed! Enjoying the comfort of his arms. "And body!" Ava purred at the closeness. She was right; I did want his body, but I was spent. I felt like I had just done five back-to-back sessions at the gym. Did I have it in me to jump his bones?No, all I wanted was to get undressed and hit the hay, but here Alec was, launching into a deep heart-to-heart! I shoved him back into the bed with a wink. Deciding sex seemed better than the seriousness of this conversation. "You know what Alec, I
Aurora POV I wanted desperately to torment his cock further, but not at the expense of my own urgent needs. Digging my nails into his chest, I leaned forward and planted a kiss on his plump, soft lips, slowly at first, wanting to make him work for it as I circled my hips on him mercilessly. Coaxing his lips to part with my needy tongue, I groaned, tasting him as our tongues danced lusciously. Deeping our kiss until I felt dizzy with craving, I reluctantly pulled away with a hungry moan. "Don't overthink this, Alec!" I whispered as I licked up to his ear before slowly standing on the bed, my feet firmly planted on either side of him. I smirked down at his lustful face as I peeled my leggings off and threw them away, leaving me in nothing but a black lace thong. "Yes, Mistress!" He winked, earning a chuckle from lips! I liked that! I liked it a lot! Tilting my head to watch him, I tried to hide the delight from my eyes, noticing his eyes flashing between the azure blue of Alec and th
[Please note: Trigger Warning - The following chapter contains Blackmail/CNC/Reluctance that some may find hard to read.] Aurora POV "It's just sex!" I soothed myself repeatedly, feeling his hands move up my calves and pull her knees up. I kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling and attempted to will myself out of my body. I was brought back to cold reality when I felt hot breath on my inner thigh followed by his hot tongue, licking. I hadn't realised that I had yelped until he told me to calm down. "C..c..can we just get this o..over with. Please," I stammered, my throat dry. Maxwell lifted his head up and looked at me over my body, his eyes alive with a fire I didn't feel comfortable with. "You don't want me to enter you dry, do you?" With that, he reached down between my parted thighs and cupped my mound. "Or are you already wet?" My mouth desperate for saliva, I simply shook my head in answer. "Then I need to make you a little wet, so I don't hurt either of us. I could spit on the e
[Please note: Trigger Warning - The following two chapters contain Blackmail/CNC/Reluctance that some may find hard to read.]Aurora POV"I am deadly serious!" Maxwell smirked, his lips thin and tight as he stared at me with an evilness that made me shiver unintentionally. Looking over at Violet, my stomach dropped, seeing the sick smile plastered on her lips. "You're enjoying this!" I growled, and her lips pulled into an even wider smile. "Seeing the bitch that caused absolute chaos get her comeuppance? Absolutely!" She snarled nastily. Looking back at Maxwell, I shook my head of the tears I felt falling from my eyes, hoping to play on his emotions. "I want a blowjob and a fuck!" He declared unashamedly. There it was- His terms! I knew he would have wanted something like this, but hearing him say it made everything feel much more serious and real! As if sitting on a bed surrounded by my own vomit and self-hatred as one of the men I loved hung from chains on the TV with his back ri
Aurora POVStretching out across the softest of beds, my body ached almost as severely as my head throbbed. Opening my eyes slowly, I allowed them to adjust to the bright lights of the sterile room. I was alone, and judging by the goose pimples that had broken out along my stomach, I was naked. "Ava?" I called out to my wolf, feeling alone inside my own head."Ava?" I asked again as I lay back on the plush mattress. I sighed as I realised whatever was making me groggy, was also affecting my wolf.Closing my eyes as I rubbed at my temples and tried to recall where I was or how I had gotten here, but I came up blank, except for the image of my reflection and chains. Something that seemed oddly familiar yet foreign to me. "A baby changes everything!" I heard a female voice snap from somewhere close by. Moving my legs slowly, not wanting to make any noise, I pushed off the bed. Regretting it the second my legs touched the floor, they felt hollow and utterly useless. Gripping the nearby
Alec POVWe continued the next few hours in silence until we reached large gates that made ours look like child's play. I watched Jason's eyes gloss over as he communicated with his pack, and the doors opened. "Very fancy!" James scoffed as we followed the winding trail up to a large gothic-inspired castle that wrapped around acres of land. He wasn't wrong, this place was fancy! Which made no sense; why would Maxwell go after my pack when he had something so grand at home? Parking outside the entrance, I took a deep breath and hoped we would leave here with the answers we all needed. "Mother!" Jason beamed as a middle-aged woman stepped from the doors, her arms wide as they enveloped him. Her tanned skin and dark hair flowed freely in the light wind as her gigantic son swallowed her tiny frame in a bear hug. A smile split my face, seeing him scoop her up and spin her around, hugging her tightly, not caring that we all stood around watching. "Mother, meet Alpha Azure.." I offer a cu
Alec POV"How can it have been ten days, and we are still no closer to finding my brother and wife!" I roared, slamming my fist into a nearby wall, the plasterboard shattering under the force, causing rubble to slide down the wall and coat my hands. "Ex-wife!" James corrected me. The fucker was truly starting to get on my nerves, but I ignored him, reminding myself that he was my oldest friend and instead looked at the destruction I had caused with a sigh. It wasn't the first hole I had made in the walls of my office over the last few days, and I doubt it would be the last. Frustration ate at me with each passing day, knowing that Aurora and Hugo were slipping further and further from me. Luke had given us a name: Maxwell! It didn't take much to get information from the pair once Jason heard his father's name slip from our prisoner's mouth. I had thought James was brutal when it came to torture, but it seemed I had underestimated Jason entirely. We now knew Maxwell headed the traf
Hugo POV--Ten days later--"How much wolfsbane did you give him?" I heard Violet's panicked voice bounce around the bare walls of my prison cell. I fought the urge to smile. I had purposely remained still all day and worked to slow my breathing right down. Even when the bastard took that whip to my back again to wake me, I refused to make a sound; I just let my body rock back and forth from the impact. It wasn't easy, when all I wanted to do was rip their inners out through their nostrils. But there was more at stake than revenge! I daren't risk a glance at the blacked glass panel, knowing whatever I saw through that window may push me over the edge and ruin my plan. Over the last ten days I had watched them pull enough fingernails and toenails off Aurora to destroy that particular method of torture for me. The joy he took in stripping her naked to humiliate her and aggravate me in any other circumstances would have led to me removing his dead, dull eyes; lucky for him, the chains k
Alec POV "You look like shit!" I snorted, looking into the filthy cell that held the objects of my anger at this point in time."They don't smell much better!" James gagged mockingly, making me chuckle."Let's change that!" I smirked. Opening their cell, I walked in with James close by, both of us stepping over the shit and discarded clothes. Usually, I avoided such filth. My suits cost more than most people earn in a year, and until Aurora arrived, my appearance was the only thing that gave me joy. "Do you remember that time your father kept those guys down here so long he forgot about them?" James asked, unlocking the chains behind the pair, the heavy metal clinking as it hit the floor, the sound making our human guest in front of James jump. Like the pussy he was!"The whole packhouse stunk of rotten eggs, but we couldn't work out why until we came down here to do something and found them in a cell." He laughed, gripping the human male by his hair; he pulled him from the cell wit
Alec POVStaring at the pyres as the flames consumed our dead and carried them off, I felt my jaw ache from how tightly I had it clenched. My mind was swirling with the events of the last few hours. It felt surreal that I was currently saying goodbye to a handful of my pack members after a demonic attack on my pack. I had heard of these kinds of things happening occasionally throughout history, but never would I have thought that we would be on the receiving end of it. "Here, man." A deeply set voice offered from beside me, placing a cell phone in my hand. "It's all set up, the same number as before, just in case your brother reaches out." James remarked, handing me an opened bottle of beer with a nod."I don't want this!" "I never said you did, but fuck knows you need it. You are giving off mega approach me and die vibes!" He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched the flames rise dramatically, crackling through the air. "You approached!" I shrugged, ignoring his c
Hugo POVI had never been squeamish when it came to blood, but I guess when you spend a large part of your life shifting into a werewolf or torturing those who displease you, it made no sense to be scared of the stuff. I couldn't exactly be the Beta if I passed out every time I got a damn paper cut. But something about the way I was watching blood slide down Aurora's porcelain throat as she paled had me feeling weak-kneed and sick to my stomach. Her words would haunt me for as long as I lived, and I hoped that wouldn't be long because the idea of a world without her in it again was too unfathomable to bear. Plus, having to tell Alec I had let her get killed broke my heart just as much as watching her face slowly pale. Those rosy cheeks turned purple as her eyes closed; I could only imagine the way her heart pumped viciously, trying to get blood around her body for this fucker to drain it. Her arms seemed to relax into the chains, and her body slumped forward; he was killing her; that