“What is this nonsense, Erin? I asked you to see your mother, but you slapped me with a court order so you could get custody of her. What are you trying to prove?” My father bombarded me with a torrent of questions when the other attendees to this meeting left us. Now, only four of us were inside the hall - Alaric, me, Alpha Leo, and his beta Boris who looked daggers at me.I could tell from Alpha Leo's tone that he was trying too hard to rein in his temper. Well, what should I expect from an Alpha who wields terror through intimidation and violence?If it were not for Alaric, I am sure Alpha Leo's palm would have landed on my cheek by now. He would have slapped me so hard like he used to when I talked back to him or voiced an opinion.If it were in the past, I would have easily cowered after coming up to me so strongly. But I am not the old Erin. I shook my head and looked Alpha Leo d
The thunder-sounding voice was like a splashing of ice-cold water on my face. It reminded me of where I was and what I was about to do.Instantly, I shifted back to my human form and bowed before Alpha Douglas, the Alpha acting as our mediator.I heard a ripping sound and saw the drapes hanging by the window falling out of their hinges.Alaric took the sheet and wrapped it around me from behind. “I am sorry for losing my cool, Alpha,” I said, while my eyes drifted to the floor where my father lay in a disgusted heap. Whatever happened to the ferocious wolf who attacked me earlier? He looked like he was about to pass out. It was clear to me that he was putting up a show.“What a fraud,” I muttered under my breath, watching him from the corner of my eyes while Boris assisted him. Both of them look like the aggrieved party in this case.Were it not for Alaric restraining
I saw the perplexed look on Alpha Leo’s face, causing a subtle change in my feelings. Was I too harsh in my pronouncements just now? Did I misjudge him?But then that expression was gone the next moment, almost fleeting, replaced by the hardening of his facial muscles. His jaw clenched as he addressed me, his tone calm, suppressing the storm raging inside him, which made him appear more dangerous despite his age. “You know that throwing accusations left and right was not a good way to grant your request in this court.” Alpha Leo retorted after Boris caught Lyla in his arms. “That was not your call, but Alpha Douglas’s, who sits at the head of this meeting!” I spat out.My words echoed in the room, followed by Lyla’s coughing fits while she massaged her neck and thumped her chest repeatedly as if that would help normalize her breathing. On the other hand, Boris ran his palms up and down her back, offering comfort. They looked like a picture of a devoted couple. It was unsettl
I woke up to the sound of my alarm. With my eyes still closed, I pressed the snooze button, afraid it would disturb the baby’s sleep. Turning to the side, I looked at the glass windowpane and saw blackness covering the skies.Gingerly, so as not to wake Alaric up, I sat up in bed, my feet reaching the floor, but before I could stand, a pair of muscular arms wrapped around my waist from behind. “Where are you going this early?” Alaric said, yawning. I patted the back of his hand that rested on my belly. “I am going to train,” I said simply. Alaric sat up in bed, legs spread before him. He was naked from the waist up, showing me the contours of his hairy chest. His long hair was in disarray. My mate looked delectable this early, but I had to shake my head off the lustful thoughts and focus on what I set out to do.Alaric, on the other hand, kept a watchful eye on me as I padded to Cirala’s cot. Cirala’s angelic face greeted me. He was awake and cooing. Every day, on the
How do you mourn the loss of a mother? Someone who had been cruel to you all your life? “No!” A guttural cry was torn from me as Alaric held me in check. He tried to console me. He became the wall I depended on as I cried my eyes out. “Why didn’t she wait for me? I am trying my best to get her.” I asked, my voice filled with grief. He tightened his arms around me and pressed my face to his chest, not bothered that I was soaking his shirt with my tears. “Love, it was not that she could not wait. It was her time.” He said, running his hands on my back. Death was like a thief in the night. It comes and goes with none of us the wiser, leaving only the remnants of memories behind. For years, I resented her, but I realized she suffered as much as I did. She had to bear with me - a reminder of her mate and sister’s betrayal. She had to swallow her pride to be the Luna that her people needed, regardless of the damage to her own dignity.After a while, I pulled my head away from
“How could you?” I snarled as I grabbed Alpha Leo by the lapels of his crisp white shirt and pulled his head closer to mine.“Erin!” From far away, I heard Alaric’s voice calling out to me but shoved his voice away. Right now, anger, as I had never known, consumes me to take notice of anything else. Not even my mate could stop me as I released a punch, hitting Alpha Leo in the face. It was a hard punch, and he fell backward due to the impact. I lunged forward, unsatisfied. Reason fled me at that moment. The only thing I ever wanted was to rip Alpha Leo to shreds along with his favorite daughter.How could they do this to me? They did not even give me a chance to see her! I took a step, only to be impeded by powerful arms wrapping around me. Those same arms pulled me from the dark abyss I sank myself into. Then, I heard his gentle voice telling me."It is going to be alright, love. We are one in this fight." I could feel myself relenting as I clung to the promise. He murmu
I woke up with a start. I turned my head to the side to check on Cirala and Alaric. Both were sleeping soundly in bed. Cirala was sprawled in the middle, planked on both sides by Alaric and me. His cute little mouth twitched at the same time I felt a heaviness in my b*east. I picked him up, knowing it was his feeding time, and settled on the recliner near his cot. Then, I prodded my b*east toward him. He opened his eyes at the same time he opened his mouth to take my n*pple and started feeding. My child is hungry. I watched in awe at Cirala’s contented face. He was looking at me while his little hand reached out to pull the tendrils of my hair that escaped the scrunchie tied on it. After some time, Cirala fussed. I switched him to the other n*pple. When he was full, he let go of the nub too quickly that droplets trickled down and wet my dress. I took a fresh cloth from his drawer and put it over my shoulder up to my chest area to cover the wet spot. Then, I put Cirala’s
I opened my eyes to see Alaric hovering over me. Turning my head to the side, I realized I had not left and was still in our bedroom, half-lying on the bed with my head resting on the back of my overlapping hands. “You had been dreaming,” Alaric told me before pulling up, giving me space. “It seemed real, though.” I sat up in bed and pulled my knees up with a dazed look on my face. The bed sagged on Alaric’s weight as he sat on the edge. We are now facing each other. “What was your dream about?” He had a curious look on his face. I licked my lips. “I could not sleep right after I put Cirala to bed, so I took off and went for a run. I broke through the woods and arrived at the lake where we disappeared previously and met Xavier.”Alaric’s forehead creased in a frown. “Xavier again? Why does he keep popping up? What does he want?” I shook my head. I, too, was baffled as I tried to recall the details of my dream. “He said something to me.” “What is it?” Alaric had his ful
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