MaraBy the time Johnathan comes upstairs to tuck Gregory in, I’m seething with rage. I didn’t expect to form a friendship with Rose right away, but I didn’t think she’d ask me to share my mate with her. I’m eternally grateful that I didn’t grow up with the Lunae, and for the life of me I don’t know why my mother went back to that place when she had other options. My father gave her money. She could have gone anywhere, and she went back to live with monsters.For Gregory’s sake, I pretend nothing’s wrong when my mate finally shows up. While we waited for him, I gave Gregory a bath and read him a story. We’re now sitting on the floor, playing with his dinosaurs.Johnathan doesn’t say a word about Rose when he joins us. “Are you okay, buddy?” he asks when he sits next to me. “You seemed upset when you left the table.”“I don’t like the new giwl. Mawa says it’s hew sistuh, and she's going to stay hewe now.”“Yeah maybe.” Johnathan crosses his legs under him and pats his knee. “Come sit h
Mara The door closes with a soft click that sounds louder than it actually is. I’m a bundle of nerves and excitement, filled with conflicting, swirling emotions I’ve never felt and don’t know what to do with. For a moment, the only sound is my breathing - too shallow, too fast. Johnathan doesn’t speak. He just watches me from his side of the room, his dark eyes steady, waiting. He’s always like that with me, always so patient. I don’t know how he does it, and I expect him to explode at any moment, to go back on his promise and take what’s his anyway. Back at Luna school, they always told us that Alphas have ferocious appetites, and we have to prepare ourselves for it. I don’t know if Johnathan’s just different, broken, or has exceptional self-control. He’s not like any Alpha I’ve ever met, read about, or heard about. His quiet patience and understanding is unnerving. It makes me want to scream and cry, but it almost makes me want to lean into him, give myself over to him in ever
MaraI stare into my mate's onyx eyes. He opened himself to me. Showed me a vulnerable side no one ever gets to see. He trusted me enough to reveal that part of himself, and it had to take a lot of courage for him to let his guard down like that.The least I can do, is give him that same kind of trust.His hands linger on my waist, not pushing, not pulling, just waiting. “Can you tell me what you want?” he asks after a while.I want to do that so badly, but I can’t. I don’t know how. No one ever cared enough to ask me, so I never learned.He cocks his head at me and smiles. It’s like he knows that I can’t say the words. This must be so frustrating for him. Having a sexually anorexic mate who swallows her tongue when he needs her to open her fucking mouth and speak.But he doesn’t seem to mind.“Can I show you then?” he asks, his voice low and soothing. "Tell you what to do?"Numb and mute, I can only nod.His thumbs trace slow circles around my hips, grounding me in the moment, letting
JohnathanI’m actually impressed by my own level of control and patience with Mara. There’s a reason why I never chose to sleep with virgins, or inexperienced women in general, in the past. They require too much patience - a quality I mostly lack when it comes to sex.But Mara is my mate. She’s special. She’s not just another cum receptacle or a temporary body to warm my bed or company to keep my loneliness at bay.She is my mate. And the memory of her previous mate is still too fresh in her mind. I have to keep reminding myself to be gentle. To be patient.I thought it would annoy me, it usually does, but it’s the opposite. Slowing down, forcing me to concentrate on her and what she needs, grounds me, connects me to her.I settle between her legs and look up at her flushed face. Even though I’ve known it for a few weeks now, even though I marked her, her presence, her very existence, still feels fantastical and impossible.Yet here she is. Lying under me. Beautiful and vulnerable, tr
Johnathan I crawl up Mara’s body to kiss her. Her skin is flushed, and her chest is still racing. She looks at me with eyes that are filled with shock and awe. “I never…” she starts. “I didn’t… it has never-” “Shh,” I silence her. "I know. You don't have to explain anything." I press my mouth against hers, and she moans softly when she tastes herself on my lips. She reaches between our bodies for my cock, but I quickly break away from her and grab her hand. “No.” A small frown creases her brow. “Don’t you want me?” “I do,” I say. “That’s the problem.” “But… why?” Her heart is beating way too fast, and even though she’s blushing and shy to ask the questions, she forges ahead. “Why is it a problem that you want your mate?” I chuckle softly and plant a soft kiss right above her eyebrow. “I promised you that tonight is all about you. We are going to keep it that way.” “What if I want more?” “I will give you all the orgasms you want, Mara, but I’m not fucking you. Not tonight.” He
Mara I expected to feel different. Used. Dirty and filled with shame - like I always did after Lucas was done with me. I feel none of those things. Johnathan was rough, but in a different way. He cared about me, and Lucas never did. He’s still caring for me now. He went down to the kitchen to get food and water, then came back to bed, making sure that I ate and drank before he pulled me into his arms and just held me. “How many women have you been with?” I ask. It’s mostly curiosity, but there’s a hint of jealousy in my question that I can’t deny. “Less than you probably think,” he says. “And more than you imagine. It’s lonely, you know… the rogue life. And then you become the Alpha of a pack, and you think it will be better. You have a pack now, and you won't be so lonely anymore. But it’s worse. “You are the leader, not just another member of the pack. People use you. They want things from you. Women throw themselves at you, hoping to become your next Luna. You can’t trust any
JohnathanI head in the general direction of the fae territory, sure that I’ll come across Oberon at any moment, but it’s Hakon and what’s left of his pack that I find first. “Where are you, you bastard,” the Alpha hollers. “Bring her back to me.”I turn to Hakon’s Beta who is staring at his Alpha in disbelief. “What is he doing?” the Beta asks me. “Is it this place? We’re not supposed to be here, so the Goddess cursed us?”“No,” I answer with a sigh.As we watch, Hakon scrambles to his feet and runs full-tilt at the fae forest, but he can't break through the magical barrier the fae put up to protect themselves. I’ve passed through the barrier many times, so I know how strong that magic is. He is going to kill himself.“Our Alpha lost his mind,” one of the wolves says. If I don’t do something right now, Hakon is going to destroy himself. “Alpha!” I snap. “What are you doing?”“The fae captured my mate.” He runs head-first into the invisible barrier and bounces back like a rubber ball
Mara I can’t sleep. The heat is stifling, even with the windows open, and I’ve grown used to being outside at night, training with Kahn. I'm wide awake and deeply frustrated. After a while, I get out of bed, dress in a tank top and pair of shorts, and go down to the pool. The dark water is inviting tonight, and without thinking much about it, I slide into the luke-warm pool. There’s something peaceful about floating on the water, staring up at the magnificent night sky. I feel like I’m ensconced in the womb. Warm. Safe. In a place where no one can reach me and harm me. There’s no pollution out here. I thought the heavens at Red Ridge were beautiful, but no matter how much my father tried to run a clean facility, it still polluted our air and the stars were never as bright as they are here. I wouldn't mind floating here until the moon sets and the sun rises. “Luna!” Chad calls out. Disturbed and annoyed by the butler's intrusion, I drop my feet and lower them to the bottom of the
JohnathanI stumble up to my bedroom, completely oblivious to the world around me. My head is spinning, my mind trying to work out my next steps as fast as my alcohol-addled brain will allow. The vampires can’t cross into Oberon’s realm, I know that much. My son will be safe, at least. I don’t have such high hopes for myself. I will die. Probably soon. But I'll take some of those bastards with me.Tomorrow, as soon as the sun comes up, I’ll take Mara to Oberon too. She can live with Gregory. Safe. Happy. With her child by her side. They will miss me at first, but then that, too, will fade. Mara can take another mate, have more children, be happy.My heart clenches at the thought of my mate finding someone else, but I ignore it. I won't deny her love. I can't do that to her.Rhoda comes out of my bedroom as I approach. “King?” she asks, her voice faltering when she looks at me. “Uh- the Queen- we were just- are you alright, King?”“Don’t call me that,” I growl and push past her, slamm
Johnathan“Johnathan?” Kahn asks softly. Oh God no. I can’t. I’m too tired for this shit. “What?” I ask without lifting my head off the desk.My Betas have long since left to get some rest. I didn't even bother to get up. I've been sat here all night, trying my best to get wasted, steadily working my way through the second bottle of whiskey.“Are you drunk?”“Trying my best to get there,” I answer with a soft, sarcastic little chuckle. I finally manage to lift my head and look at the vampire. “Do you ever sleep?”He shakes his head. “A few hours in the middle of the day, but mostly no. It's a curse.”I slowly blink at him, trying to focus on the fussy figure in front of my desk. “Why are you here?”Kahn looks over his shoulder at my open door, he closes it, and rushes to my side. He bites into his wrist, holding the bleeding appendage to my lips. “It’s against the rules, but… drink some of my blood. It will sober you up.”I laugh at the mere thought of his suggestion. I push his arm
JohnathanMara sits by the window, staring out at the rain. She’s quiet - scarily so. The last time she got this quiet, I lost her for a while. “Don’t do that,” I remind her. “Don’t shut down like you did last time.”She doesn’t look at me, just wipe at the tears that keep streaming down her face. She's is exhausted, heartbroken. Her ability to see connections also made her feel the mutations' pain. My mate is very close to reaching her breaking point.It worries me that she’s not talking, but at least she didn’t put her walls back up. She’s allowing me to feel it all, and it’s devastating. We found three more of those creatures before nightfall. Mara killed two, Oberon killed the third one. We dragged the slimy brain corpse thing in under a ledge, and set it on fire. It was revolting.Our method wasn’t as effective as Mara’s magic, we couldn't seem to burn the whole thing, but she wasn't able to release another one. By that point she had already reached her limits - emotionally, phy
MaraMy heart fills with pity for the poor human who gave his life for the humans' misguided cause. I am not even sure he volunteered. He probably didn’t even know what he came up here to do.I can feel him. All his emotions. He's so very scared.Although, I am still wondering how the fuck he made it up here. Even Johnathan couldn’t do it, and if Oberon and Kahn are to believe, Johnathan can climb up trees and mountains like a cat.I kneel next to the human, and hover my hand over him, trying to find the energy he’s emanating, but it’s something new and foreign. It’s partly supernatural, but it has all been manipulated by human hands. “What do we do with it?” Kalypso asks. “Do we kill it or…” she shrugs, letting her words hang in the air.“I think we should attempt to disable it, and bring it with us. Study it,” Johnathan throws his two cents in the hat. “We do have scientists in town. Maybe we can find out what kind of… thing it is. What makes it tick. We can… dissect it, I suppose.
MaraThe trek to the foot of the mountain is relatively easy, if a bit difficult due to the rain. The neat footpaths have turned into little rivers that stream past our feet, dragging mud, leaves, and other mountain debris with it.The paths are as slippery as snot, and we fall down often, landing face or butt first in a mud pie or a puddle of water. Everytime it happens, we laugh until we can’t breathe. It’s not funny, considering where we’re going, but the laughter helps to ease our growing tension.The closer we get to the mountain though, the more I expect Johnathan to call off our search and retrieve mission, but it looks like he’s actually having fun. And as a result, so am I. It's a stark reminder of how much our respective moods wrap off on one another.I burn with guilt when I remember how I behaved. How hard it must have been for him to pretend nothing was wrong, while he basically had to walk on eggshells around me.Never, ever again, will I do that to him if I can help it.
JohnathanI’m not even sure where to start. The humans never breached our magical defences, but it’s possible that one managed to sneak by. The one carrying the weapon perhaps.There is no way to communicate with the gods. Not that they’re very talkative on their best days, but at least I knew I could ask for help, and more often than not, they'd answer. Not in words, but they'd show me the way - like Father Patrick's God supposedly shows him the way.Now I have nowhere to turn. The gods can't hear me, can't help us. We are well and truly on our own.I glance at Mara who is snug in her raincoat. She did not gripe or refuse to come outside with me, but she insisted on wearing a raincoat and galoshes. “I prefer snow,” she said as we got ready to head outside. “It’s cold, but at least it’s solid.”“What happens to the snow when it starts to melt?”“Mud.” She held up one of the galoshes. “That’s why we had these.”I laughed and swung her around into a hug. “You have an answer for everyth
JohnathanI get up and walk over to the door where I know Preston is waiting for me. One look at him, and I know he heard the entire conversation. His eyes are dark, filled with rage. It's not so much just because Pia is a shit mother, but because all of us suffered a wolf like her at one point or another. The callous disregard for her daughters hits home for all of us. “Please escort Pia back to the hotel. She will be stripped of her rank. She is to receive no special treatment. No Omega will serve her. She will serve the warrior Lunae instead.”“Yes, King,” Preston says.“Move her to a servant room on the ground floor. I want a guard on her twenty-four-seven, and her windows are to be barred with silver so she can’t escape.”My Beta nods. He doesn’t approve of my light sentence. Just like Oberon, he'd rather see Pia dead. Death is a release, not a punishment, and unless I can help it, I prefer not to give people such an easy out. Despite everything Pia had done, despite the pain
MaraThe people file from the library, including the vampires and Johnathan’s two advisors. “Come here, Pia,” Johnathan orders.My mother folds her arms under her breasts and gives Johnathan a defiant look. “I don’t take orders from men.”My mate slams the sturdy table so hard that it cracks down the middle. “You will do as you are told. Get over here. Now.” His tone is hard. Final.It sends a shockwave of pure delight down my spine. A few months ago, this version of Johnathan would have scared me. I would have hidden from him. Only now do I realise that he made himself softer on purpose, all so I’d learn that there’s no need to fear him.He talks about the blessing I am to him all the time, but I don’t think I’ve ever told him how much he means to me. What a blessing he has been for me. He took all my broken pieces, and patiently, lovingly, glued them back together with gold.I have been selfish, hiding in the folds of his love, using that same love as my shield, while he had to carr
MaraI sit quietly next to Rose who is regarding the proceedings with lively eyes. Pia is here, but Johnathan made her sit in the corner like a naughty child. I look at her, searching for the love I used to have, but it's all gone. The warm spot my mother used to occupy is now cold and dead./Kalypso, Oberon, Ilse, two women I’ve never seen before, Kahn, Preston and Donovan are all here, gathered around a round table in the library. It was the only place we could prepare on such short notice.Jonathan goes around the table and introduces everyone. He points to the first stranger sitting next to Kalypso, “Cora, leader of the changelings,” he says, and next to her, “Aurora, high priestess of the witch coven.”Cora shakes her head. Her long, blonde hair rattles and she changes into a little girl no older than five. She giggles and changes back. Changelings give me the heebie-jeebies. It’s said their true appearance is quite terrifying, but apparently their men find them irresistible an