Alaric’s POVErin’s POVBella and I walked a bright hallway. When we reached the end of the hallway, she stopped, opened the door, and gestured for me to enter.I poked my head in and hesitated upon seeing Xavier waiting for me. He was alone. I know I should be nervous right now. But I was also curious. I wanted to know why I was here, and Xavier was the only person who could tell me. Seeing him dressed in a priestly white robe, I felt no fear. Rather, I felt a certain calm spreading through my entire being. The room is warm. Enough to make me feel cozy. In truth, I could stay in this house for good. There is a warm, secure vibe in it that makes me feel comfortable -something I have not felt in a long time. And Xavier, I looked at the man. He does not look old or young, but despite his brawns, he looked to be a very intelligent and wise man. “Hello, Erin Acklen, Alpha Daughter to the Red Stone Pack.” He addressed me formally.A frown formed on my forehead, and I shook my
Alaric’s POVThe first thing that clued me in on her location was the fragrant smell of lavender. It burst through my nostrils, filling my lungs with a certain kind of peace. A peace that has eluded me for the longest time in my quest for revenge. But a few days ago, in a rogue attack, we perpetuated against Alpha Leo of the Red Stone Pack, I came face to face with my destiny. At first, anger filled my heart. How could the moon goddess play a cruel trick on me?Why did she pair me up with someone from my sworn enemy’s bloodline?The goddess could have chosen someone from another park or maybe an ordinary she-wolf would do. But why her? This thought niggled my mind. Until I came to know her, and I came to recognize the sufferings she endured for the past 18 years of her life. How cruel her own father and presumably her mother as well to her. I am not fully aware of the things she had to endure. I could hazard a guess, but that guess does not give me the full details of her s
Erin’s POvI opened my eyes at the first crack of dawn, got up from bed, and did my daily morning thing before tiptoeing out of the room.My steps were quick but measured, careful not to awaken anyone. It had become a morning routine to get up before everyone else. The silence of the pre-morning dawn had a calming effect on me. It was like communing with nature at its finest hour. Outside the packhouse, I looked through the west side and started running. My destination?The pack’s training grounds. When I arrived at the place, I found no one there, which made me feel at ease. I immediately went to work. I did some warm-up exercises. Then, I started my training. I flexed my arms and legs, leaped, and made circular motions in the air before landing back on my feet. While my body was busy doing its thing, my mind was preoccupied with what happened after I came through after passing out in Alaric's room. I still did not recognize him or the people in this pack, and thinking about
Erin’s POVI never thought I would get the answers to my questions that very same day, making me realize Aesop’s lesson in his fables Be careful what you wish for clearly had some grain of truth in it. Remaining cooped up in my room the entire morning and way into noon because I am avoiding Alaric left me feeling antsy. I find it such a drag. As far as I remember, when I was back in my father’s camp, I was never idle. I would always be doing something - chores that seemed endless and had no time of ever halting. There is so much to do in running a packhouse. But coming here, I live a life of leisure. I had become quite adept at doing nothing, which vexes one’s mind making so much room for one to overthink. I’d rather move because as the day wore on, I found the four walls of this room quite stifling. By noon, I had enough! I need to quit loafing, or I will go crazy in solitude. Maya, my wolf, seemed to agree with me. It was never my best suit to wait still and do nothing. I
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!“How gracious, Alaric! Is this the very reason you are averse to returning my daughter to my pack?” Everyone gasped at the sight of a massive man who extricated his way from the crowd to walk between Alaric and his future Luna. “Father!” Erin could not believe it. It was her father, Alpha Leo of the Red Stone Pack. How did he get her unnoticed?Upon hearing her call the unknown man in their midst as father, Alaric's warriors became alert at once. They drew their swords out, ready to fight. Alpha Leo ignored the drawn swords and strutted toward Alaric and Erin. Aware of everyone's eyes on him but confident they would not touch him. He was after all an important figure in the Crescent Moon State. If it would be known that Alaric and his men killed him, the repercussions would be great for Alaric and his pack. “I come in peace, my future son-in-law. If you had told me earlier that my daughter is your mate, I would have eased up on you.” Alpha Leo clucked, giving
“Xavier.” The name repeats itself in my head like a broken record. Why does the name sound familiar?I cocked my head to the side, waiting for something to happen, like an epiphany or something. I could not quite put my finger on it. It seems like my mind is telling me something I could not quite comprehend in my limited memory. “Do I know him?” Finally, I asked Alaric.Alaric chuckled. “Unless you lived to be a hundred years old. Xavier, the father of truth, had been the Lycan’s forebears.” “Lycan? I don’t understand. Didn’t we come from the breed of werewolves?” Alaric shook his head. "Yes, you do, but my kind came from the lines of the Lycans." “My father is the Lycan ruler of his time. He was the direct descendant of Xavier.”“So that makes your father….”“The ruler of the state.” Alaric finished for me. Then, an idea dawned on me. “If your father was the ruler of this state, does it mean this whole state belongs to you by birthright?” Alaric shook his head. “
Erin’s POVWhen we got down to the breakfast kitchen that morning, I could not help but feel a little bit shy knowing everyone knew what happened between Alaric and me yesterday. At the same time, it left me feeling a little awed. Unlike before, when I saw blatant hostility, there was now acceptance. Members of the Black Water Pack have accepted me as a key figure in their pack. Alaric’s men greeted me with renewed respect in their eyes. Maybe telling his members about me helped. Alaric told me yesterday that he had made it known to everyone that I was his mate, changing my status overnight. It was overwhelming, but at the same time liberating, knowing that these men looked up to me as their Alpha’s mate. “Good thing you are here. I am hungry.” Ben said by way of greeting when he saw us getting inside the kitchen. I looked at Ben in horror. “You haven’t eaten?” Ben nodded, pursing his lips. “She is not your mate.” I overheard Alaric telling Ben while I dashed to the kitchen
Erin’s POV“Let’s go.” Alaric swatted my b*tt when I would not budge from my comfortable position on the island counter. “Where are we going?” I asked, eyes heavy-lidded after the morning exercise we did in the kitchen. He laughed, making the crinkles in his eyes deepen. Alaric looked carefree and handsome with a reddish face and messy locks wet from our exertion. “To the bathroom. We need to wash up.” He said, but I was feeling languid. “My legs turned to jelly,” I complained, eyes dropping in exhaustion. All I want is to sleep. “Come on.” He coaxed. “Five minutes. Let me just catch my breath.” I told him, but Alaric would not let me haggle even for a few minutes. He picked me up and hoisted me up in his arms. My legs automatically wrapped around his torso, and my arms went around his neck while I nuzzled him. I found our position perfect, and I purred in contentment, my lips curving automatically into a smile. “I knew it!” Alaric murmured in my ears. “This has b
Erin’s POV How do you recover from the death of a loved one? One who had been an integral part of you and who had greatly influenced what you had become? How do you cope with the loss, at the gaping hole they left in your heart? They say that for werewolves, losing a mate means eventual death. I never fully understood it until now. I scattered the ashes in the air and saw specks mingled with the wind. They danced together, intertwined like some old lovers until that far beyond. While I watched them go, I murmured in the air, hoping it would reach the ears of my loved one. “Luna, it is time to go.” I turned around and met Boris’ shadowed face. We nodded at each other before my gaze locked with my mate. We do not need any words between us. One look from him is all it takes to calm the storm within me. “I love you.” He mouthed. His words were enough to puncture the dam in my eyes and it burst. In quick strides, Alaric reached my side. He wrapped my trembling body in his arms as
Alaric’s POVThrough the help of Fabian Gray, we unbound the spell cast on Lyla. A cloud of smoke appeared, and out came Lyla, who at first looked disoriented upon seeing herself surrounded by too many people. We were inside the courtroom. Alpha Douglas, as head of the council, was presiding over Lyla's trial. There was a general look of amazement, and everyone seemed to hold their breath when Fabian Gray started reversing his spell. Fabian's movements were precise and meticulous. It was no wonder he was the best of his kind and the undisputed Warlock chief. My gaze scanned the whole room until it landed at the back of the courtroom where Luna Bella and Erin were seated. Luna Bella insisted on witnessing the trial. Erin came in support of her mother. I guess it would be hard to tear Luna Bella at bay. Lyla is her daughter, too. After Fabian broke and retracted the spell, Lyla appeared before us in her human form. She looked around, surprised to see the Alphas surrounding her.
Alaric’s POVI shouldn’t have walked away from her. I shouldn't have let my emotions get out of hand. It was just that the mere mention of my mother reminded me so much about Alpha Leo’s crimes against my family. Compounded by her sister’s crimes and her mother’s demands, I could not hold back my temper and snapped at her. I looked back in remorse to where I last saw her, but Erin was already gone. She has probably gone inside the house. Taking my frustrations out on her is uncalled for. Alpha Leo and Lyla's actions are their own. Erin has nothing to do with it. Having the same family name does not make one responsible for the other member's mistakes.Shedding off my human form, I started galloping into the forest. I let the speed and the wind clear my head as I put distance between me and my mate. I stopped at the lake Erin, and I frequented panting. For a while, I looked at my reflection in the water. Dark, guilty eyes stared back at me. I snarled my frustratation. I loo
The following morning saw us atop the highest mountain lining the border of Red Stone and Black Water territory. Luna Bella chose this spot specifically. “I want to have a vantage view of our territory.” She explained when she requested that we bring her to this place. We arrived here before dawn. Now, the skies that were previously covered in darkness slowly lighten up as the first light appears. The sun is breaking. I watched Luna Bella contemplating in silence. Her shoulders hunched like she carried the weight of the world on them. “Even in death, your father cheated me.” I knew what she meant. Alpha Leo died ahead of her, thus, leaving her behind. Sometimes, I wonder, who hurts more: the one who left or the one left behind?Alaric and I stood a little distance from my mother to give a quiet moment with her thoughts. But she let her nurse, Dana, and personal slave Beth flank her small frame as she looked beyond the mountain range. The wind slapped against our faces as
The next few days are hectic. Mother and I went back to the Red Stone Pack to meet with Gamma Alexander to discuss pack affairs and to keep tabs on what has happened since Lyla and Gavyn took the reign of the Alphaship. Upon Gavyn’s death, the remaining pack officials elected Gamma Alexander to handle its affairs temporarily.With my mother sick, Lyla missing, and me in the hospital, the position of Alpha was left vacant.“Here are the books detailing the income and the expenses these past months.” Gamma Alexander showed us an updated version of Red Stone's cash position. In addition, he gave us a rundown of everything that has happened since Alpha Leo's death. Mother had no concern over that. She was impatient to know one thing, and so did I. “Where are Alpha Leo’s ashes? I did not give him my proper respects.” Mother’s voice almost broke in the end. She was trying to hold back her tears, and I knew she had never mourned his death yet. Or maybe, that is our way of coping. Gri
“Erin Acklen…” The sound of someone calling my name woke me up.Still cloaked in a sleepy daze, I pried open my eyes only to shut them close immediately when bright lights glared at me. “It hurts,” I complained to the voice, ignoring whoever it was calling me and letting sleep take over, only to be roused, yet again, by that same mysterious voice to wake up. Again, I ignored it, but it persisted. It kept badgering me until I was too irritated by the constant harping. Super annoyed with whoever has the gall to disturb my sleep, I opened my eyes and angrily bolted out of bed. Even with my disorganized thoughts, I was surprised to find out I was not inside our room back in Black Water Pack but somewhere else.Chin jutted forward, I scanned the area around me before my head tilted down. It was then that I realized I was in the middle of what looked like a forest, and the bed from which I rose earlier was a bed of moss-green grass. It felt ticklish under my bare feet. “Where am I?
It took Alaric not more than fifteen minutes to process my discharge slip and pay my hospital bills. Then, Alaric returned to tell me we were ready to go. I was excited to leave. In the past weeks, I was not allowed to leave the confines of this hospital, nor was I allowed to walk outside. Alaric posted bodyguards everywhere I turned, annoying me no end. It was a refreshing change to see the bodyguards’ unmissed presence. “Let’s go?” He asked, eyes drifting to the bag beside me on the sofa. In his absence, I collected all my stuff lying around to deposit them inside a travel bag I saw on the bottom of the cabinet.I stood and took the bag, but he knocked my hand off. “Just lead the way, ma’am.” He said playfully, making me laugh so hard. We were silent inside the elevator. We did not speak, but the silence was not a strained one.“Stay here,” Alaric instructed, placing the bag beside me on the floor after submitting to a security check and exiting the lobby. I did not argu
“Luna.” Ben struggled to get up from his hospital bed. I saw the pride and respect reflected in his eyes when he saw me. How do I know it was him? I don’t know. I just do. When I started to take in Alaric’s word and accepted the idea that I am his Luna, things began to clear in my head. My memory still eluded me, but maybe it was the acceptance that made me see things in perspective. My head turned to the side to see the other bed’s occupant. He was still asleep, but from what I gathered earlier, it was safe to presume he was Blake, the pack’s gamma. Both Ben and Blake were muscular like their Alpha, and I am quite sure they could hold their own on the battlefield, as good as Alaric. I still don’t remember anything about them, but there was a sense of rightness in seeing them. “Ben.” I drew close to his bed and reached for his hand. Ben’s eyes twinkled when our hands clasped, but later, it was fixed somewhere behind me. I do not have to make a wild guess to know he was
Erin’s POVIt was the sweetest kiss!My eyes snapped open when I realized what I was thinking. It was like crashing back down to earth after a spine-tingling explosive kiss.“W-what did you do that for?” I stammered when Alpha Alaric released my lips, only to venture south and nuzzle my neck. He darted out his tongue, sending glorious tingles of sensation that spread out all over my body. What is happening to me? Desire shoots up to every corner of my being. Wide-eyed, I stared at him. “This can not be!” I pushed him hard, but he would not budge. He pressed his body against mine, effectively trapping me to the wall. And his stare. Gosh! Why does it make me weak? “Do you understand what I was trying to tell you?” His muffled voice carried its weight to my ears, causing me to shiver involuntarily at the promise in them. I hate it! I hate how my body melted so naturally in his arms. “Stop!” I cried before I pressed both palms to his chest and shoved him off of me. I app