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Chapter 10
Last Updated:
2024-09-30 05:04:20
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In Service of the Alpha Chapter 11
Mara“The humans are coming for us, Mara,” Johnathan says. “They want to eradicate us. We have to be ready.”I look at the Alpha with new eyes. He sounds a little unhinged. Downright paranoid. But he believes it. I can see it in his eyes. I don't. The world is a big place, and I’ve never seen the humans working together to achieve anything. They hate each other as much as we seem to hate each other, and they're always at war with one another. “Are you going to say something?” Johnathan asks sarcastically. “Or did you swallow your tongue again?”That stings a little. Can he not see that I'm trying my best? “I mean...I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t think humans are capable of wiping all of us out.”“You should speak to Susarah,” he says. “Find out what happened to the wolves where she lived.”“That’s one place. Red Ridge is safe.”“Red Ridge belongs to your father. Like Haven’s Crest belongs to me.”I press my lips together, afraid that I'll say something stupid. During
Last Updated : 2024-09-30In Service of the Alpha Chapter 12
JohnathanPreston enters my office for our regular meeting at exactly nine a.m. He lives on the compound in a cabin, but not in the main house with me. The place is big and there’s more than enough space, but unlike most pack wolves, we both like our privacy.Rogues are just built different.“Where’s Mara?” he asks as he closes the door behind him.“Out by the pool. I think she’s napping,” I answer.Before I phone Douglas and give him the ear washing he deserves, I want to get my daily meeting with Preston behind me.“Napping?” Preston asks surprised. “Shouldn’t she be attending the meeting? Isn't that her job?”“She didn’t sleep last night.”A smile plays around my Beta’s lips. “Are you bending the rules, Johnathan Banks?”“Just this once.” I didn’t sleep much either, but I’m used to it. Mara looked like she was ready to collapse when she came down for breakfast. “Johnathan Banks, changing the Bankonian calendar for a she-wolf.”I growl a soft warning at my Beta before I pull the va
Last Updated : 2024-09-30In Service of the Alpha Chapter 13
JohnathanMara isn’t at the pool. I follow her scent to a shrub on the edge of my property. There’s a low fence to stop anyone from falling over the cliff, and she managed to roll up against it where she fell asleep in the shade.Thank fuck I had the forethought to put the fence up when Greg started walking, or she’d be at the bottom of that cliff now. I kneel next to her and take in her appearance. She’s healing slower than most humans I know. The last bruises Lucas left on her skin are still dark blue and purple. If anything, the bruises are much worse today than they were yesterday. There’s a particularly bad one on her forehead, and greenish-blue one on her jaw.She's just bruises on top of bruises. I can’t even begin to imagine what her body must look like. She keeps hiding herself, even in the stifling heat, by wearing long sleeves. Last night, she pulled the sheet all the way up to her neck so I couldn't see her arms and legs.Today, she’s dressed in a hoodie and jeans. Sweat
Last Updated : 2024-10-02In Service of the Alpha Chapter 14
MaraI come to as Johnathan lays me down on the bed and disappears into the bathroom. A few seconds later, I hear the splash of water as he opens the taps and starts to fill up the tub.He comes striding back into my room, wiping his wet hands on his tan coloured shorts. His jaw is set, dark eyes already flashing a warning. “Take that fucking thing off,” he says.I have nothing on underneath the hoodie except for my bra. I thought if I added another layer it would be too much to handle in this heat. Now I know why everyone here dresses in shorts and t-shirts or the skimpy dresses. It's so hot here that I expect to see fried birds falling from the sky."Mara," he says in a low, dangerous tone. "Take that ridiculous hoodie off right now."I don’t want Johnathan to see me in the my underwear. I don't want anyone to see me naked for that matter.Wolves aren’t usually bashful about nudity. We’re used to shifting in packs and getting naked in front of each other, but it’s been so long sinc
Last Updated : 2024-10-05In Service of the Alpha Chapter 15
Mara“I feel fine,” I say.I don’t really. The buzzing inside my skull is getting worse, the world blinks in and out of existence, and for whatever reason, I’m terrified.The fear is the worst of it. I’ve never been so scared in my life. It’s as if the grim reaper is standing next to me, squeezing my heart.And I can’t breathe.I sag to the floor, still keeping my breasts covered. Johnathan kneels in front of me and almost roughly forces my hand away from my chest. “Stop fighting me,” he orders. Still frowning, he places two fingers on my pulse. “Your heartbeat is weak,” he says. “I can barely feel it.”This has happened to me before. The first time, Lucas sent for a healer, the second time he told me to stop being so fucking dramatic. “My blood pressure,” I say through little gasps of air. "Sometimes it drops."“What blood pressure?" Johnathan asks with a smirk. "It’s not there.”I’m vaguely aware of the Alpha turning his head in the direction of the door and calling out, “We’re in
Last Updated : 2024-10-07In Service of the Alpha Chapter 16
JohnathanI have seen some gruesome shit in my day, but nothing shocked me as much as seeing the many healed and healing scars that criss-crossed Mara’s back.Two years. He did all of that in just two years. Beating her must have been a daily ritual. Something he did to pass the time or amuse himself.I’ve seen worse than that on other wolves, but seeing Mara’s injuries angers me more, and I want to rip Lucas’s intestines out through his mouth.It explains a lot. As I walk to Gregory’s room, I quietly curse myself for being so irritated with Mara and impatient with her for being so meek. I didn’t know the extent of her mistreatment. I did not think it was possible for a little Omega to take that much abuse and live to talk about it.It says something about her will to live. Her true strength.Greg comes sailing around the corner, holding a toy plane in the air and making whooshing noises. “Daddy!” he screams and leaps into my arms.“Hey, big fella,” I say and ruffle his hair. “Did yo
Last Updated : 2024-10-08In Service of the Alpha Chapter 17
JohnathanI spend the rest of the day sitting outside Greg’s room, listening to him as he throws an epic tantrum. It hurts my heart, but I force myself to stay where I am. Giving it to him will send the wrong message.I can hear the crashing of toys and furniture, but I don’t go in until he quiets down. I find his room in ruins. Broken toys and furniture strewn all over the place. My exhausted boy is lying of the mess where he cleared a little space for himself, fast asleep.He pulled all the linens off his bed, and shoved the heavy mattress almost halfway off the frame. I rearrange his bed, pick him up and gently lay him down, making sure that the aircon is blowing directly on him.He’s covered in sweat, and his cheeks are bright red.People sometimes think Alpha boys are just regular children. They’re not. They’re stronger than children twice their age, smarter than most adults, and stubborn as all get out. They can take a punch that will knock a grown human male flat on his ass.We
Last Updated : 2024-10-08In Service of the Alpha Chapter 18
MaraI wake in a flat panic. Sweat drips from my body and my heart pounds painfully against my ribs as air races past my lips.I had a nightmare. Lucas chased me through the woods back at Red Ridge, swinging his ‘special belt’ over his head like a lasso. "I have you now, Mara," he taunted me in a voice that sounded a lot like Johnathan's. "You broke my rules. You have to be corrected."*Calm yourself,* a voice in my head says. *You are safe now.*It’s a new voice. One I heard it earlier today for the first time, when Johnathan checked on me. The voice told me that the Alpha won’t hurt me, that I can trust him.I believed to that voice, trusted it. She sounded like my mother, and I thought it was just me, having a little conversation with myself, but now I’m not so sure.The voice feels much realer this time.Wiping sleep from my eyes, I sit up in bed and look around the dark room, my eyes fixing on the silhouette in the window.Johnathan is sitting sideways on the windowsill, one leg p
Last Updated : 2024-10-09
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In Service of the Alpha Thank you
And that is all she wrote folks.My dearest readers, I'd like to thank you for coming on this ride with me. Thank you for sticking around, for your thoughtful comments, and support. I may not always reply to every comment, but I do my best to read them all and I appreciate every one of you.Johnathan and Mara are two of the most complex characters I've ever written, and I hope I did their story justice. I always say that I'm not an author - I'm just the dumb ass writing up the incident report. The person chosen to tell their story. And that was very much the case here. I'm not in charge of a story, the people in my head are.My next book will be available soon, and I promise it will not be another saga like this one.I love you guys. Thank you for making my twisted heart sing.Until we meet again,Celice.
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 160
MaraI stand on the platform next to Johnathan. For once, I'm wearing a proper dress, fit for the occasion. Before us, is a sea of reporters, cameras flash, microphones are pointed at us like guns, quiet voices ripple through the air.Behind us is the ruin that was once our town. Johnathan insisted that we have the press conference here, and he made sure to invite reporters and podcasters of his own choosing. He really doesn’t trust the humans and their peace deal. The last two weeks had been brutal. We kept finding fresh bodies all over the place. All of them had been recently killed. Children torn apart, mothers with their babies still in their arms. Each dead child hurt me as deeply as if they were my own, and I finally understood the prophecy. It was never my own children who died. I begged the Goddess to spare my child because we had lost so many before the humans came back to take the town.Johnathan sent warriors into the forest to look for the culprits. They found a dozen su
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 159
MaraJohnathan is filthy and smells of death, but I don’t care. I roll into his arms and cuddle tightly against him. It’s all I can do. I can barely move as it is. I feel as if a bulldozer ran over me, and left me on the streets to bleed to death.I can't process it. All that blood, the pain, the suffering, the death. I even feel sorry for the human soldiers who had to endure that brutal battle. I lie against my mate, his arm protectively around me, and I cry. My heart has been torn to pieces. They took almost everything from us - and those who are truly responsible, the ones who sent their soldiers here to die - will never be punished for it. They will never feel the loss. They get to go on with their lives as if nothing happened.“King?” someone asks, her voice coming from far, far away. I hear her, but I can’t place her. My mind is a buzzing mess, unable to hold on to any thoughts.“What is it, Ingrid?” Johnathan asks, his voice muffled.“I, uhm, we found your mother.”“And?”“I-
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 158
JohnathanBefore the dust even settles, someone sticks a camera in my face. Not one of mine - a human. “Mister Banks, can you tell us what sparked this conflict?”Absolute fucking vultures. I’m still on my knees, naked as the day I was born, staring at my trembling, bloody hands, and they want a fucking statement from me?I look up and straight into the camera. “We didn’t start this,” I snarl. “You did. Look at it. Look at the mess you’ve made. We never bothered anyone, all we ever wanted was a chance to live our lives in peace.“They killed the fae king today. Are you aware? Did you see him die?” My voice is cold, bitter.The reporters are quiet, giving me room to speak, to contradict myself, so they can spin this in their favour. I know how they operate by now.“Do you know what the fae did for you? They never killed you, they never bothered you or harmed you. All they ever did was comfort those who were hurt, healed the sick, eased the suffering of the dying. And you killed them. F
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 157
Johnathan“I’m sorry,” I say to Kahn after our hurried meeting.Mara and Talitha already left with Oberon to bring the town’s children to the fae forest. The Omegas and humans who can’t, or won’t, fight are heading off into the woods to hide in the caves.“I’ve waited hundreds of years,” the vampire comments dryly. “Another month won’t kill me.”“You might die tonight.”He just shrugs. “Unlikely, but if I do… I hope Frans dies with me so we can be together in the afterlife.”That is such a cold way of looking at it, but I guess it’s pragmatic under the circumstances. I don’t mind dying tonight, but I don’t want Mara to die. The only reason I’m still fighting is for her and Gregory. It’s as good a reason as any other. A man who doesn’t have a reason to fight is a useless soldier. He’ll give up as soon as things get too difficult.“Why are you even fighting?” I ask Kahn. “If you’d rather be dead?”“I don’t want to die,” he answers calmly. “I just wouldn’t mind if I do. I’m really fuckin
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 156
JohnathanWhile the rest of the town is becoming complacent, going on with their lives as if nothing is wrong, I’ve been working, never relaxing, never letting my guard down.It's not over, not even by a long shot. I keep my soldiers fit, healthy and battle ready. We have accumulated a staggering amount of weapons and heavy artillery, all of it hidden from view. Oberon assures me that the humans’ satellites can’t penetrate our magical veil, but I’m sceptical. No magic is infallible, just as the humans aren’t infallible, and those fuckers are industrious. I wouldn’t be surprised if they develop some kind of technology that can ‘see’ through our protections.It only took us two years, but we finally found a crack in the human allies’ armour. The brilliant people I appointed over that time managed to find backdoors into the humans’ computer system and started intercepting their encrypted communications.I have no idea how they’re doing it, and I decided not to ask. There are some things
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 155
MaraJohnathan makes a plate of food for my father and hands it to him. To my surprise, my dad sits as far away from us as possible. "I know how much I stink," he announces. "I don't want to spoil anyone's appetite."With my father seettled for now, I can finally ask Kahn the question I've been burning utter since the trio showed up here, “How did you kill Thrax?”“They were hiding in a cave. He was in the death sleep. So old, and he still couldn't resist it. I just dragged him out into the sun, and poof. Dead in seconds. It was kind of disappointing really. I wanted fireworks. Anyway... we stuck around just to make sure he didn’t come back after sunrise.”“Good,” my mate says. “So it’s all sorted?”“Yeah, looks like it,” Kahn says.I look at Eli who is still chowing down. It's as if he can't stuff the food into his mouth quickly enough. "What happened at Red Ridge?"The vampire looks at Eli who doesn't utter a word, he just grunts and moans as he keeps chewing. It's my father who answ
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 154
Mara“What if we’re wrong? I ask. “What if he’s been playing us all this time?”It’s the first time since the incident with his mother that I feel I can talk to Johnathan about my concerns. He had so much to deal with, his heart was so heavy, that I did not really want to pile on. But if Eli has my father then I can’t postpone it anymore.“You saw him in your vision. Rick was torturing him. They don't usually torture people who cooperate.”“Yes, but there’s… a ripple effect, isn’t there? When we change the future, we don’t just change the outcome, we change other things too. It’s almost as if- the whole world bends around the new future we’ve created.”“The butterfly effect,” my mate says with a little smile. “One small action can affect the larger system.”A puff of air explodes from my lips. I’m relieved that he understands. “Exactly.”“Okay.” He smiles at me. “If he is on his way here, then it means we’ve altered the course of our destiny, correct?”I nod.“Then we’ll just have to
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 153
JohnathanThe inside of my skull explodes with hot rage so intense that I see the world through a thick haze of red. I am aware that I am on my feet, snarling and growling at the vampire. Dante surges, ready to rip Kahn’s throat out. I’m only vaguely aware of the others’ presence. “You had no right,” I grit past my teeth. “You took my vengeance from me. It was over!”“Can you excuse us?” Kahn asks the others.“No, they can not. Who the hell do you think you are?” I curl my hands into fist, aware that I won’t be able to hang on to Dante much longer.Kahn would probably survive if I tear him to shreds, but I wonder if he’ll survive being eaten.I blink, and the vampire is on top of me, his hands curled around my neck. I fall backward, missing the edge of the chair by an inch.“You have no clarity anymore,” Kahn says, and lets me go.Enraged I get to my feet, ready to pull him apart like a fly. I look around at the empty dining room, and my anger simply fizzles. “When did everyone leave
