Random objectsMADALINA"Get in my car. We need to talk." I demanded, not giving much space for an argument and blocking his way to his own car."I couldn't agree more." He muttered unamusingly, his creamy skin flushing with anger as he rushed to my car, hopping in and slamming the door violently. Judging by his reaction, I figured he was upset although he had very little right to be. The verbal proof followed as soon as we hit the road. The soldiers stayed in the village, cleaning the scene of bloodshed."Why the hell did you have to undermine my authority like that?""I am not going to carp about trivial matters.""A merciful death for some mutt is what you're calling trivial?! Lenience is the last disposition of yours that I would expect to see today. Those animals don't deserve our compassion, Mads. And you know better than anyone how brutal they can be when given the opportunity," Alex countered.He wasn't wrong. Indeed, I knew it better than anyone. In the past years, I have com
TurbulenceMADALINABeing called a leech was a great insult. The single word kicked me out of the initial shock of meeting my... argh, I could even force myself to admit what he was to me. No, I wouldn't be connected to some mutt. Especially not to the one who threatened my family, holding my brother and mopping the dusty ground with his unconscious body. What did he say? That he wanted to end Alex's life?!Injured or not, I jumped at the mutt from behind, my fingers dipping into the muscles of his neck. My goal was to grip him by the neck and snap it. The fastest way to kill someone. But once again, I froze for a millisecond because...Losing concentration and the element of surprise, he gained an advantage and decided to fight back. Jerking his head back as hard as he could, he hit me straight in the face. Hot liquid dripped from my nostrils, its metallic taste reaching my upper lip. Did he just break my nose? As a vampire, I would heal faster than any living human, and some broken
LabelsAIDEN"Save her!" Remy yelled at me, his heart on the verge of collapsing. Not because of me struggling to swim in the turbulent waters. The prick did not give a shit about me. He was out of his mind. because Madalina was sucked by the river, her very blond hair no longer floating and shining next to me. Currents took her and for a minute or two I was relieved.A quick recap of our fight played in my mind. The psycho attacked me and then pushed me into the river. Luckily, my reflexes were still sharp despite the lack of air in my lungs. I grasped and dragged her with me, the initial thought of seeing her drowning tickling the hurt ego of a man who got beaten up by a woman. But then I realized she was a valuable asset. Her death would not bring anything to the lone wolves' community except more terror. The Crud clan would be furious and wished to avenge the death of their family member. So, I pulled her closer to me, my new mission to take her with me as a prisoner unless we neg
"You almost killed me." She huffed in annoyance and my temper sparked."Allow me to correct you. You almost killed us.""Allow me to correct you. You attacked me and my brother first." She retorted, referring to the incident when I threw a stone at her car. "Now take me back to the village, mutt."Clenching my fist so tight that the knuckles turned white, I had to concentrate not to rip her head off. And just like that, I regretted saving her life. I should have let her drown! Ungrateful vicious vampire.Remy raised his protests, disagreeing with any physical harm towards our mate. Our mate?! I didn't want her. He could keep her if he was that obscene in his thoughts, but I would not take part in such craziness."No." was my simple nonchalant answer while inside I was fuming."What do you mean by no? You have no authority here and even that little rebellion you and other mutts pulled today is going to be severely punished. Because we, the Cruds..." She started the whole genesis of how
Know your enemyMADALINA"Ruthless beasts, my ass." He glowered. "Especially since you do not hesitate to kidnap the weak ones and kill in cold blood."I furrowed my brows. Killing other werewolves - yes. To be honest, that wasn't uncommon at all in past decades. Taking into account today's incident, let's not forget the wolves had started it! But kidnapping? Who did I or anyone from my family kidnap and what for? The wolves which got killed today during the uprising weren't weak in particular. This Shadow guy must have been delusional, imagining things which were barely true. Unless he was talking about those two who I knocked down in the woods."If you're speaking about the mine worker and the she-wolf, they chose to chase me. Consider that self-defense." Why did I even try to make excuses? I shouldn't care about his opinions, right? Who was he anyway? Some, um, male... unfortunately, very good looking, with broad shoulders and...Uh, fuck those broad shoulders! And fuck that wet sh
The real meMADALINAI didn't have much time for a deep-dive analysis. The mind quickly summarized the facts and calculated options for successful survival. If that was an option in the first place.There was a feral rogue baring his teeth at my face. Driven by hunger, his mouth was already salivating. Starvation must have been a long-term state for him, judging solely from his visible ribcage.I was in my underwear. I was injured. My dagger was next to my clothes, which were, of course, on the opposite side of the firepit. The distance between the weapon and me was wider than the distance between me and the enemy.In addition, and to my horror, the so-called mate was nowhere to be seen. Was he still on the hunt? How long was I asleep? Either way, his whereabouts were irrelevant. Speculations were no longer in place because the outcome was crystal clear. I was majorly fucked. If I wanted to survive this, I needed to work fast. Showing the rogue my back could be fatal. He would jump at
The power of wordsAIDENWhen I first sensed her distress, I dropped the rabbit which I successfully hunted down. Tilting my head in the direction of the wind, I used my enhanced sense of smell to identify potential danger. The urge to run came as soon as I recognized it. Rogue. He must have been very close. And then the sudden stab of pain and fear assaulted me. She was harmed by him. Without thinking, I shifted back to Remy's form and ran as fast as I could.The rogue didn't see me coming because he was too obsessed by the half-naked vamp. Why did she have to show her skin to him? The skin, which was flawless to touch. Remy growled at me, reminding me this was not the right time to be jealous. Me and jealous? Because of her?! Pfft."Still in denial."He rolled his eyes at me, muttering.Madalina fought bravely. If she hadn't been injured before, she would surely have taken the rogue down. Her technique was impressive, yet it was not enough. Wrath flowed through me like lava when I sa
"I am speaking about those who your sick family kidnapped. Where are they, huh? Are they even alive or have you just sucked them dry? When it comes to your savage habits, you obviously do not care who or what to feed on.""I honestly don't understand what you're implying. Our methods with wolves may have been rough, but there were never minors involved." What a colossal bullshit, right? Alexei Crud was her twin brother. They were connected on a very deep level, and it was impossible for her not to be aware of his operations, for her not to be involved. Her lies only enraged me more.Losing my shit, I jumped at her. Gripping her by her shoulders, I slammed her body against the nearest tree, demanding the truth. Not expecting my harsh treatment, she yelped with her eyes widened. Or maybe it was once again the mate bond's tingles which paralyzed her temporarily. Perspiration beaded her brow when our faces were just inches away. It was so difficult to remain concentrated, to ignore the ph
Shifting perspectivesMADALINAMy stomach was upset, and my mouth was dry. Apparently, my body underwent a range of reactions due to the most important event of my new life. I would be the center of attention, all eyes filled with judgment on me. Even before, I never enjoyed public events or parties, and rather let my brother fulfill such a role. Alex was an extrovert like no other, never experiencing an increased heart rate or sweating when giving out a speech. And although I wasn't afraid of speaking up my mind, my attitude was more... military oriented? I was not good at sugarcoating or putting on a perfect-smile façade. And yet, that was exactly what I was about to do tonight.I stood before the mirror, my gaze fixed on the reflection staring back at me. Who was this woman and what did she do with Madalina Crud?Carrie had chosen for me a stunning long dress with bare shoulders in the shades of dark red. It was definitely a departure from my usual style of leather pants and milita
When I first learned about Carrie's idea to throw a big welcome party for Madalina, I was a little hesitant. Ever since we arrived at my pack, my mate has faced a barrage of unwarranted prejudice due to her different background. No one dared to confront her or me directly, but the silent whispers were there. People stared. At me. At her.It was mostly due to all those horrible crimes her family was responsible for. Her family had tortured lone wolves, treating them like slaves. Sadly, even my mate took part in it, blindly manipulated by her parents. Though with each new day, I could see how much she regretted all her past actions. I may have gotten a second chance at love, but Madalina got her second chance at normal life. And she was going to prove to everyone that she no longer was the ruthless, stone-cold werewolf slayer.The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as the preparations for the grand evening were in full swing. Decorations adorned every corner, bringing vibrant colors an
Unwelcome newsAIDENUpon Jerome's resignation, I was faced with an enormous workload that made me truly grasp the extent of his responsibilities on my behalf. An Alpha was like a lost puppy without his Beta. Despite Scott shadowing Jerome for many years, he struggled to fulfill the role with the same efficiency. Regrettably, Scott was caught between his previous Gamma duties and attempting to assume the Beta position. Our pack was huge in size, and leading it was never meant to be a solitary endeavor. It necessitated a cohesive team, which, unfortunately, I did not have.Days started to merge, and I couldn't tell the difference between light and dark, granting me less and less time for my mate. And I hated it. I hated leaving Maddie alone, even though I could count on Carrie to keep her company. But it would be irresponsible of me to just ignore the escalating situation in my pack and simply lock myself in the room with my gorgeous woman. I was an Alpha and sometimes I needed to put
Notre DameMADALINAIt has been a whole week since I moved to Black Forest pack, but nothing has changed significantly.My mate was incredibly busy, leaving our room early in the morning and returning at night. His Beta stepped down and he now had only his Gamma to support him. Aiden's father tried to help too, but it wasn't common practice to see a retired Alpha interfering in the pack's business. Moreover, it would shed a bad light on Aiden, putting him in the position of not being competent enough to lead the pack if daddy needed to hold his hand.. Eventually, it would motivate ambitious males outside the pack to come and conquer the place, seeing Aiden as a weak element that could be easily challenged and eliminated. Status was everything in the werewolf's world.Aiden spent the entire week searching for a proper candidate for the Gamma position. He wanted to promote the current Gamma to Beta. That man seemed to be one of a few who were loyal to Aiden and openly supported him desp
"Go back to your own kind. Leave our pack before facing further humiliation."I cleared my throat before speaking, controlling the fiery rage that tortured me. Oh, the fantasies that danced in my mind - to give her a taste of her own venomous words, to unleash that never-ending thirst in me, and sink my fangs deep in her flesh until she begged for her life. To punch that nasty mouth and show her true fear.But could I afford such scandal on my first day among werewolves? As much as I wished to make her pay, I concluded she simply wasn't worth the trouble with my mate. I came here to be a better person.Hence, I put my old habits aside and kept the fight on a verbal level."Oh, wow, thank you so much for your unsolicited prophecy! How fortunate I am to have you... whoever you are, enlighten me about my inevitable fate. Your concern for my well-being and humiliation is truly heartwarming. Clearly, your wisdom knows no bounds. Perhaps I should bow down and seek your guidance on all life
Fire tangoMADALINANerves fluttered in my stomach when his family first approached me. Will they grimace in disgust? Will they be bothered by the presence of a vampire? I had all those questions clawing at my mind, terrifying me. But what I experienced... it was something entirely unexpected.In a flurry of introductions and warm smiles, my unease began to dissipate. I stared at Aiden's mother, who exuded a genuine kindness which I found both comforting and bewildering. Not like my own mother, who only veiled her real personality under a sweet, innocent face. My mother carried the mask of kindness, pretending to be a good person, a victim of horrible crimes for which, after all, she was primarily responsible. But the warmth in Amelia's eyes and the way she squeezed my hand indicated she was genuinely happy for her son and accepted me as I was.Aiden's sister, Carrie, was a vibrant young woman. Her presence required attention as she effortlessly owned the room with her wild and loud p
"I'll get some drinks. It's time to celebrate." Carrie winked at us and rushed to one of the Omegas, splashing instructions."Okay, I guess." Maddie placed a light kiss on my lips to ensure me she would manage to survive my family. I didn't need to worry about her. My mate wasn't any shy damsel in distress. If anyone annoyed her, she would deal with it. I promised her not to be away for long and left her with mom and Carrie.On the way to my office, I met my dad. He had arrived at Black Forest pack before us."Jerome knows." He informed me shortly. I sighed, feeling how a big lump formed in my throat. My Beta had already learned about the death of his son.~~~~~~~"We are currently providing shelter for over a hundred lone wolves. The majority of them have already applied for asylum but some haven't decided yet. They still consider returning to their original village once all is settled. Anyhow, we can't accommodate them all permanently. We are running short on resources. But the disc
. Bitter tollAIDENMadalina squeezed my hand when we passed through the main gate to my pack. The Black Forest pack was one of the largest packs in Yukon, providing a home to thousands of people, mostly werewolves. We had several witches among us, as well as humans. Overall, it was a great place to live in. Despite the isolation within the mountains, our civilization thrived.The air carried the scent of freshly bloomed flowers, intermingled with the sweet aroma of home-cooked meals waffling from the houses. The streets were alive with the joyous spirit of community, as people strolled leisurely, their smiles radiant and genuine. Children reveled in their innocence, their laughter echoing through the pathways, while the sun cast a gentle glow upon their carefree games.We lived in peace, surrounded by beautiful nature, and I couldn't wait to show it all to my beautiful mate. Therefore, I was stunned when we finally arrived at my pack and the streets were empty. Gone was also the melo
Raindrops farewellAIDENI was glad that my mate agreed to live with me in my pack. I understood the depth of sacrifices she had undertaken to be with me. Her departure from her family was due to forbidden love and it led to her being estranged by her own parents. They cut off any future physical contact with her and although she tried to be strong and not to show it, I knew it bothered her tremendously. At least her brother, despite being a sick psychopath, stood by her side.And now, I was going to be her family and I would do anything to make her happy.When I returned to the safe house together with Madalina, the place was emptied. Only my father stayed with a couple of soldiers. He was eager to meet my mate and shook her hand a bit too enthusiastically that I had to remind him to keep it cool. As surprising as it was, my dad was very open-minded and didn't care about Madalina's origin. I assumed after all he had to go through in his life, he understood how precious true love was.