LOGINShare
Chapter 31
Last Updated:
2024-10-21 23:36:19
Related chapters
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 32
MaraJohnathan walks into the lake with me still in his arms. The water here isn’t freezing cold as it should be, but it's still cool and refreshing on my feverish body.The Alpha doesn’t ask any questions, he simply sits down on a rock in the middle of the lake and starts to wash me.I don’t know what the sticky substance on my skin is. It wasn’t there when Aria surged and the witch forced us to shift.Gradually, the warmth of Johnathan’s body seeps into mine and I stop trembling. My chattering jaw stills and I relax in his arms. Healing my wolf was easy. Gertie did it within minutes. Shifting again for the first time in two years was a different matter. Aria didn't want to do it. She was still weak and frightened. "If you do not shift now," the witch said. "You will for certain die on the next full moon. You have to shift or the spell won't take."I forced Aria to shift. Like a butterfly breaking out of her cocoon. It was painful and difficult, but I refused to give up.I felt eve
Last Updated : 2024-10-22In Service of the Alpha Chapter 33
MaraThe mansion is eerily quiet when we return. It’s well past the six a.m. waking hour, yet no one is about. “Where is everyone?” I ask.“It’s Saturday. The staff gets the day off,” Johnathan says. “I’m not a complete fucking monster.”I smile. I haven’t stopped smiling since I shifted again. Aria is quiet, but I can feel her. She’s here with me, tired and weak, but alive and well. I've missed her so much, and I periodically feel as if I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.“Are you still planning to go out today?” Johnathan asks and folds his hand over his genitals.“No. I don’t think so.” I’m suddenly very aware that I’m completely naked. It did not bother me when it was dark and no one but Johnathan was around to see me. Now I want to run and hide. What if Gregory wakes up and sees me?“Go upstairs and get some sleep,” Johnathan says. “I have a few phone calls I need to make.”“What about the marking ceremony? You promised Gertie you'd mark me right away.”"Yes. T
Last Updated : 2024-10-23In Service of the Alpha Chapter 34
Johnathan“Hey Johnny,” the council elder, Liam, says and shakes my hand. “So you really made it happen, hey? Found yourself a worthy Luna before the deadline. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed.”“Don’t call me Johnny,” I say automatically. Eli used to call me that, and I hate it when others use the name. “It’s Johnathan. Why are you disappointed?”My first guess would be that he doesn’t want to incorporate a rogue pack led by a rogue Alpha, but it's not unusual. “I lost a bet because of you. A pretty hefty sum,” Elder Liam says with a guffaw that makes me want to tear his eyes out. “I can be petty and not register your union in time. Win my bet. Or you can give me my money back, and I can register your union right away.”I hang on to the red-hot rage that tries to consume me. “Are you trying to extort me?”“Oh.” Liam gives me the fakes laugh I've ever heard. “Of course not. Think of it as a business deal.”"No," I say firmly."Oh, relax," he says with that same fake laugh. "I'
Last Updated : 2024-10-24In Service of the Alpha Chapter 35
JohnathanMara is tense. Her eyes are focused on the darkness beyond the priest, and she refuses to look at me. She clutches the bouquet of orchids so hard that her knuckles have turned white, and she's taking in little gasps of air.I try not to let it bother me, try to convince myself that it’s just the crowd that’s making her uncomfortable, but I instinctively know that I’m the one making her nervous. What happened? This morning she was fine. Relaxed. Even joyful. Now she’s back to being the same skittish girl Preston brought to me almost a week ago.The insanity of what we’re doing hits me right as the priest starts to say the words. We barely know each other, and I’m about to tie myself to her forever.Maybe I'm the weird one. Anyone in their right minds would be scared right now. When it was still just a business transaction it didn't bother me - I had a way out, but I don't anymore. This is a proper mating.I barely pay attention to the priest who, despite my instructions, is g
Last Updated : 2024-10-25In Service of the Alpha Chapter 36
MaraIn all the years we were married, I never managed to form a mind link with Lucas, and my father refused to use them - he always said if you can’t say something aloud, it’s best to leave it unsaid. I always thought that was a sound policy until I married Lucas - only then, did I realise the importance of a mind link.I formed one with Haley, and we used it whenever I couldn’t leave the house to see her. Every so often, she’d risk her safety to go to the black market for me so she could buy the birth control I used. It was the only way I could talk to anyone other than Lucas. And by the end, I didn't have much to say to him anyway.Every time I think about Haley, I want to cry. I try to tell myself that she wasn’t a bad friend, that she was always there for me when I needed her, but I can picture her with Lucas, laughing about me, telling him everything I confided in her.And now I know that every seeming act of kindness was for her own benefit. Even going to the black market to ge
Last Updated : 2024-10-26In Service of the Alpha Chapter 37
JohnathanThis is our town. Anyone who comes to our home and disrespects us pays a price. Anyone who doesn’t follow our customs or our rules, pays a price. Anyone who questions me and my decisions, pays a price.And now, Elder Liam will pay the price for openly disrespecting me, my home, and the pack’s new Luna.He did not just disrespect me. While I argued with him about the sealing ritual, Preston reported that the Omegas saw Liam snooping around the mansion, going into rooms he had no business entering, and opening drawers he had no right to open.It doesn’t matter. I keep anything secret or sensitive in my office, behind lock and key and in multiple safes. Liam would not have found anything important, but it means he can't be trusted.Nor can I forgive him for disrespecting me and taunting me in front of my pack. If I simply let him go, the pack will see me as weak, and I'll lose their loyalty.I can be a very petty man when the mood takes me. And tonight, the mood has taken me.Ev
Last Updated : 2024-10-27In Service of the Alpha Chapter 38
JohnathanWe wake at dawn next to the same lake where I took Mara to wash after she was healed. Dante went to sleep, but Aria is awake, sitting quietly by my side, staring at me with her unsettling green eyes.“Where is Mara?” I ask through the mind link.“You told her to go to sleep and give me control,” Aria answers. "She is still asleep."She sounds reasonable. A few times while we ran through the forest, Dante gave me temporary control. Nothing Aria did seemed out of the ordinary. She’s just a regular she-wolf.I nod at the tiny wolf. Lucas probably took one look at her and deemed her useless. Having such a small wolf as a mate more than likely bruised his fragile little ego. Many wolves make the mistake of underestimating the small wolves. They have hidden talents, deadly ones at times. “Why don’t you trust me, Aria?” I ask.“You are a man,” she says simply. “An Alpha.”“Fair enough,” I reply with a smirk. “But we’re not all the same. Your father strikes me as a good man.”“He so
Last Updated : 2024-10-28In Service of the Alpha Chapter 39
MaraI’m so angry at Johnathan that I can spit. I have had enough of men telling me what to do, and I’m convinced he’s only making me see the healer so he can assert his dominance over me.I plant my hands on my hips and straighten my back, jutting out my chin as I do. I must look totally absurd, with Johnathan’s long sleeves dangling to my knees, and the undone buttons just about hiding my shameful places.I haven’t felt this sure of myself in a long time though. It feels foreign to speak my mind and to stand my ground, but at the same time it’s familiar. I used to be a recalcitrant, pain in the ass… and my father fostered my defiance, encouraged it even. He always said that Omegas need to learn how to use their words the right way. Mindfuckery he called it. We can’t fight physically, but we can fight back in other ways. “We have mouths and we have brains,” he always said. “And we will use that to outsmart the stronger wolves. They rely on their strength too much. We will rely on t
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 144
MaraI stumble through the mansion, barely seeing anything around me. I have no idea where I'm going or what I'll do when I get there. I just know that I can't stop now. I can't think about what we've done. If I do, I'll never be able to get back up.As soon as the crew cleared out, I killed Finnian. The only ones I would allow to stay were Johnathan and Kahn. I love them. I trust them. It was worse this time because I knew his name. He wasn't just a threat I needed to get rid of. He was a person to me, and he wasn't our enemy. Not really. He didn’t hate us. He had no problem with us. He just wanted to save his child.Shortly afterwards, Oberon showed up and wanted to take my pain away, but I refused. I can’t keep hiding from it. Easing my suffering makes it too easy. Everytime he does that, I feel a little less, and I am sure if he keeps doing it, I will become cold and indifferent. I can’t allow that to happen.At long last, I I turn right into an unkown room, and end up in one of
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 143
MaraThey enclosed the brain thing in a glass container that reminds me a lot of an upside down bowl. It’s to contain the toxic gas it’s giving off, but I think it’s harming him. He looks sick. Greyish-white, the pulsating slow and uneven, like he’s gasping for air.He’s well away from the rest of the town, hidden in a vast cave that's not too high up. “We can’t film him like this,” I say and give Johnathan a pleading look. “They will call us cruel.”My mate nods. “Agreed. Everyone stand back. I don't know what that gas will do to you. I’ll release him.”The film crew that came with us disappear from the cave, but Kahn doesn’t budge. The vampire’s eyes are filled with sorrow. “You know… at least we have the decency to treat our blood bags well.”“Yes,” I answer without missing a beat, “but the problem is that you think of them as blood bags, not as humans with feelings.”“We acknowledge their feelings,” Kahn says in a huff, “which is why we don’t lock them up in cages.”“Don’t argue,
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 142
JohnathanMara is sitting in her favourite spot on the windowsill, staring out over the wilderness. The storm clouds are gathering again, and I expect another good downpour as soon as tonight.She is upset. Six of the wolves didn’t make it. Even with her present in the temple, and with Oberon’s shield, they still burst into flames immediately.But she is not upset because they died. It’s the way they died that bothers her the most. “Are you okay?” I ask as I adjust the towel around my waist, and run my hand through my wet hair.“They died terribly.”“Probably for a good reason, Mara,” I say. Not that I disagree with her. Watching someone burn to death is horrendous. “We couldn’t trust those wolves. The Goddess allowed everyone else to turn.”She sighs, a heartbreaking sound that tears me to pieces. “I know. That doesn’t mean I have to like it though.”“No, it doesn’t. There’s something else we need to talk about.” And she’s not going to be happy. Not at all. I’m not happy about it ei
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 141
JohnathanI catch Mara and Donovan just as they leave the forest. They are surrounded by dozens of wolves - the ones I’m starting to think of as the originals - who went to visit with their children.“How did it go?” I ask.As soon as I ask the question, my mate’s eyes are filled with tears. “I almost couldn't say goodby to him. I didn't want to let him go.""I'm sorry, baby," I say gently. "I know it's not ideal.""He asked about you.”A heavy weight of guilt settles where my heart is supposed to be. “What did you tell him?”She pulls one shoulder up her ear. “I told him that you are working very hard to keep the pack safe, but that you will go see him soon.”I feel my own tears trying to push their way up my throat. I swear, I hadn’t been this emotional and teary since I was a child. “He was okay with that?”“Yes, because his daddy is his hero. He is very proud of you, Johnathan.”The love that wells up in my chest is overwhelming, but so is the sorrow and longing to see my child. “
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 140
JohnathanI sit with Rose and try to follow her disjointed report. She is speaking for all the Lunae and the whole bunch of them are babbling at once.It takes them a while to settle down and allow Rose to translate.As far as I can tell, each of them explored a different part of Red Ridge, and they are not telling me anything I don’t already know. Experiments, pain, suffering, families torn apart, unbelievable, unbeatable soldiers. Everything Mara already saw in her vision.It was an absolute waste of time and resources to send the Lunae to Red Ridge, but at least I now know that Mara’s visions are scary accurate.Which does not bode at all well for our future.“Last I go see Douglas. He feel Lunae presence,” Rose says.My stomach goes a little cold. “What was he doing?”“I no know. He sent me away. Say we need run. Hide. He no help.”I slowly nod. “Where was he?”“In big white room. Lots of glass… what you call those things?”“Test tubes?”Rose shrug. “Machines I no understand. Bloo
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 139
MaraFor once, it’s not raining. The sun shines brightly in the clear, blue sky and birds chirp merrily in the trees.Johnathan is still asleep, wrapped around me like a blanket. I slide out from under him, grab his t-shirt and walk over to the window, throwing it wide open and inhaling the clean, crisp air.The sun might be out, the clouds might be gone, but it’s fucking freezing cold. I feel like it should be snowing, not raining.Running on my tiptoes, I head back to bed and crawl under my mates warm arms. It’s just cozy enough so I won’t freeze to death, but not so hot that I’ll dehydrate.“Morning,” Johnathan says without opening his eyes.I jerk at the sudden sound of his voice. There was no indication that he was waking up. His breathing didn’t change, his heartbeat didn’t speed up - nothing. “I think it’s closer to afternoon,” I reply.“It might be,” he says and finally turns his head to look at me.His eyes are clear and wide awake, but he’s deeply troubled. I can tell that
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 138
MaraI pull Johnathan into the shower with me. He follows me inside without any complaint, even allowing me to help him wash. It’s awkward and difficult—he’s so tall that I can’t reach everywhere, but he still lets me do it.I don’t know what his plans are anymore. I don’t know if he changed his mind at all, but I saw him fight for us. I saw him stand up to Thrax, brilliantly weaving a strategy I would never even have considered.I am not sure if he was just acting in the moment, and if still wants to abandon the pack, us, and go his own way. And I will not ask him. Not tonight anyway. He’s carrying a veil of sorrow around that’s so thick I can feel it, and I refuse to let it consume him.He needs to know, has to understand, that I am here for him and that he isn’t the one who always has to keep me standing. He has to know that it goes both ways.Johnathan grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to look at him as he shields me from the water with his body. Then he a
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 137
JohnathanStaring at Thrax’s disembodied head is quite disconcerting. I hold him up by his hair, looking into his slack-jawed face. His mouth is open in a silent scream, and his eyes keep blinking at me. “How do we keep this thing alive without blood?” I ask Kahn.“A vampire as old as him can go several months, if not years, without blood. He will be fine.”Donovan holds a canvas bag out to me, and I drop the head into it, rubbing my bloody hands on my jeans. Not that it helps much, but it makes me feel better.That was absolutely revolting, and probably one of the worst things I have ever done in my life. “Do not beat yourself up, Warlord,” Oberon tries to comfort me. “He deserved it.”Maybe he did. But it still feels so, so wrong. The floor is slick with blood, we’re all covered in it, and my office smells like death. “I need a shower.” And about twenty bottles of rotgut whiskey to forget this night. I'll take the cheap moonshine the rogues used to distill - it's a hundred perce
In Service of the Alpha Chapter 136
JohnathanI wish I could say that drinking Kahn’s blood was one of the more disgusting things I’ve ever done in my life, but that would be a lie. I have had far worse things in my mouth than a little vampire blood over the years.And it did work. Not only did it sober me up, I am wide away, and I feel stronger than usual. No wonder the vampires don't share their blood.When Thrax showed up, Kahn whispered four little words in my ear. “Careful. Don't trust him.”While Thrax went on and on and on, I managed to put up a wall, blocking him, and I could contact Preston, who went straight to work - he found Oberon, he rallied the troops.I am still not sure if I changed my mind about our future. But what I have to worry about now is this new threat. There will be no future if Thrax kills us all. Or worse, hands us over to the humans. I knew the vampires, especially Thrax’s younger children, wouldn’t be able to resist the nymphs. Much like Lycan blood, theirs is considered to be a rare deli
