Elelira POV Cherum walks me down to a part of the castle I had never been before. I didn’t even know this part of the castle existed. The hallways look so new, the stone still bright and polished like it has been freshly cut. The sconces on the walls are different from the rest of the castle. They are all shaped like siren tails, the details of the fin scales so intricate. The floors are polished sandstone, looking a bit like real sand. Everything about this wing of the castle reminds me of the ocean. I love it. “Where are we?” I asked Cherum, still looking around in awe. Cherum chuckles deeply. “You look impressed.” “I am,” I admitted. “I never knew a place like this existed in the castle.” “It didn’t before. This is a new addition. We’ve been hard at work getting this ready.” “Ready for what?” I asked. He just laughs, shaking his head. “I’m going to let your mate explain that, Ela. This was all planned by him.” Val was pressed forward, eager to hear more. Cherum won’t sh
“If I promise to listen without getting mad or defensive, can you promise to tell me the entire truth? Don’t glance over anything if you think I can’t handle it. I am stronger than you think.”Lachlan smiles softly down on me. “I promise to never keep anything from you again, Lira.” His voice is so sincere, so tender that I can’t help but to trust him. Please, just don’t let my trust be broken again. Lachlan leads me into the parlor connected to the bedroom. It’s sparsely decorated, but it has a settee and a pair of chairs. They look custom made, matching the beach theme with the rest of the room. “Where do you want me to start?” Lachlan asked nervously, wiping his hands down the front of his pants. I can tell he is holding back from touching me, which I am grateful for. I don’t need the sparks and the bond to confuse me right now. I want to put the bond aside as it should just be me and Lachlan through this if at all possible. Touching would hinder that. “From the beginning. Our w
~6 months later~“We need to get home,” Killian begged me for the millionth time. “We’re almost there,” I reminded him, seeing the town in the distance.“Go faster,” he demanded.He has been like this the entire month we have been away. Actually, he has been acting weird for some time, since before we left. It all stems from one person. Elelira.Lira.I have started to shorten her name when talking about her with my beast, which is becoming a common occurrence now. He caught sight of her about a month before we left for war again, and he had been curious about her more and more ever since. I barely had to try to avoid her any longer. She stopped trying to find me, and has stayed well hidden. That day, she was walking with her maid to the maid’s bathhouse late at night after most everyone went to bed. Her long golden hair was down, almost touching her waist. The soft smile on her face as she carried the old maid’s belongings as well as her own drew Killian to the front of my mind
~Later that evening~Everyone was gathered in the great hall, preparing for a run that we often do on full moons. Ever since the last battle with the north, this has been our pack's way of celebrating the victory. Tonight, we will be celebrating our freedom from the Western Realm’s Alpha as well. He will no longer have any foothold in our pack. We know how strong we are. Though Alpha Wayne did help us in our time of need, I do believe we could have been fine on our own. We can survive without his help now. I looked at the clock impatiently, wondering if Lira had left yet. “You should have been kinder to her,” Killian nags me again, “She is leaving this place. You could have parted with kinder words.”“There was never anything kind about this arrangement,” I reminded him. “It was forced on us.”“Still,” Killian grumbles. “She was crying. You didn’t even ask her what was wrong.”“You’re right,” I muttered, “She doesn’t want my concern. She doesn’t want anything from me.” It makes me
Elelira POVThe mate bond tingles and throbs in my chest as his words sink in. Even if I hated him, or tried to hate him, I never wanted him to abandon his pack or his life. As terrible as he was to me, he was still an amazing alpha to his pack. Hearing his side of things made me so much more conflicted. I can’t blame him for not trusting my uncle. I can’t find it in me to blame him for trying to safeguard his pack by making me an outsider. I would likely have thought the same in his situation. But that still doesn’t take away all the hurt and pain I endured. I wonder if he knows everything that I went through. “Did you know?” I asked softly after a painfully quiet span of time passed. “Did you know all that I had to endure in those two years?”His face turns grim. “No. Not the extent of your suffering, no.”I nodded, looking down at the ground before meeting his eyes again. “Do you want to know?”I don’t know why it is so important to me to tell him in detail, without anger or
Riley POV “Daddy Kent. What are we doing today? Why are we going to the packhouse?” I stared up, wondering what we were going to do. I thought he said we were going to hunt today, and he was going to teach me how to tan a hide. I still don’t know what a hide is, but I know that when Daddy Kent goes hunting, we get to eat the yummy stew with the parsnips for dinner. I like the deer stew. It makes my tummy really hot and full. “We have to bring a friend to see the Luna,” Daddy Kent smiles down at me. “The Luna?” I look at him like he’s crazy, because he is. I’ve never seen no Luna here. I’ve never seen no Luna ever. I know there used to be one, because people talk about her a lot. They said she had pretty hair and she liked to play in the water. I like to play in the water too. Westley and I do it all the time when we visit. Westley even said that he played with the Luna in the water a lot, but then she ran away in the water by swimming. “The Luna is back,” Daddy Kent rubs my ha
Cedric POV“It’s going to be okay,” Mel rubs my shoulders with both his hands, massaging his fingers into my tense muscles. “She wouldn’t even look at me yesterday,” I muttered, trying to keep my voice down so the warrior, Kent, who is with us wouldn’t hear. He was a few paces ahead, chasing after the boys, but Lycans have very good hearing.It shames me to not be in my princess's favor.“She didn’t look at any of us. I’m telling you, she was better yesterday after talking to the Alpha and her father. Did King Brennus not seem happier when you were with him? Both talks went really well, according to Cherum. She was even smiling and laughing at dinner. She stayed in the castle again instead of going back to the pirates.”I frown, remembering my King and the sadness in his eyes yesterday evening. Yes, he seemed happier, but it also looked like he was losing something the more we talked about his daughter and all her new pirate crew revealed to us. It was almost like he was in mourning
Elelira POV“I told you I could handle myself,” I muttered to Lachlan. We were discussing strategy this morning, and he kept insisting that I stay out of the fighting. I had to prove to him that I knew how to defend myself. “I saw,” he said in a dead tone, sounding more upset than impressed. “I’m not staying here while everyone else is in battle. If you even suggest it again, I’m going to be mad. Val doesn’t take kindly to being underestimated anymore.”Val huffs in my head in agreement. “I know,” Lachlan mutters very unhappily. He isn’t going to argue with me. Not after our talk yesterday. I can tell he wants to, though. Submitting to me, especially with what we are about to do to my Uncle, is going to be really hard for him, but I appreciate that he is trying. “Ela, lass. That was a good show,” Cherum throws his arms around me in a hug. “Now people can’t think I’m crazy when I tell them you got a true alpha beast in you.”“Did someone not believe you before?” I lifted the cor
~~~~~~I had closed my eyes in hell, giving the rest of myself, all that I was over to the man I knew would fulfill the task that I had set out to do. Lachlan would bring my daughter happiness. He was giving her a family. He had already given her everything she had missed out on in her former life.As I closed my eyes, I felt peace, knowing they were going to be fine. I felt peace, knowing that my greatest accomplishment was finally seen through to the end. I felt peace….because I knew I could finally be with her. I could finally join my love. I had closed my eyes in hell, and I opened them again in the light. The light around me was brilliant, so brilliant I instantly knew where I was. There was no sun. No moon. No definition of time. There was just the light, and all the good the light had to offer. None of the pain and heartache of the mortal world could be felt in this place. My feet pressed into the soft, vibrant grass, like a pillowy carpet and without the harshness of weeds
7 months later on Elelira’s 20th Birthday….Elelira POVTonight was the night. It was finally the night I would turn twenty. Just a few more minutes, and the full extent of my power will be released inside me once again. “You look lovely,” Gemma gushed, standing beside me in front of the mirror. “She looks like she’s getting ready for something other than taking a swim,” Beretta muttered to Yasmin, who was feeding her and Percy's daughter. “Maybe a private swim in the hidden pools near the stream.”Yasmin snickered. “They do that plenty. Percy overheard the Alpha ordering the sharp stones be smoothed down so as not to hurt his Luna’s back.”“Will you both stop it,” I snapped, scowling at them in the reflection. “It’s just a robe.”“And what are you wearing underneath?” Beretta wiggled her brows.“You’re annoying. Don’t you have a pack to run?” I huffed. “Eh, it’s running itself right now.” She appointed one of the women who escaped the North with her, who was also originally fro
Lachlan POV“Where is she?!” I demanded, running through the castle after being called back from town. “Where’s Lira?”“Alpha,” Meldec was waiting for me, and was rushing to keep up as I stormed through the halls. “Ced and Cherum took her to the ocean.”“THE OCEAN?!” I roared. Killian was growling in my head, “This is not the fucking time to take a bloody swim.”“She kept demanding to be taken to the ocean, Alpha. She commanded it.”“Of course she did, that infuriating woman.” She goes into fucking labor the day she insists I pick Westley up to surprise Mel and Cedric. She was too excited about sending me away with their adoption papers they applied for last week. Because Westley had living relatives from another pack, we had to ensure they wanted no claim on the boy before we granted my gamma and Lira’s knight’s request. They didn’t want to take him in years ago, and they didn’t want the boy now. When we got the message back this morning, Lira insisted I handle it right away, but I
Elelira POVLife after the brief but impactful war was much different than our lives before. So much had changed. When the rest of our warriors saw that Lachlan had survived and I was also alive and well after running into literal hell, the celebration lasted weeks. Percy chewed me out, as did the rest of my guard, but they soon turned to rejoicing at our return from certain death. Our pack was celebrating, but our hearts were not in it.My father’s body was taken back to the sea by Cedric and Lillian after I was finally able to let him go. It took me days to accept that he was gone. I had been hoping that some magic was left in his body and could save him from death, and everyone allowed me to live in the fantasy until I came to terms with him truly being gone. He was to be laid to rest deep in the ocean, at the place where all the siren kings and queens were buried. I wasn’t aware, and neither was Lachlan, but when my father and Lillian had stormed into my uncle’s pack the day bef
Elelira POVMy soul was torn. My heart felt like it hadn't beat since the moment we felt the pain of his death. Val was howling and roaring furiously as we tore through the rugged terrain to get to the place we sensed he was. Something was pulling forward, whether it be desperation or insanity, or maybe some lingering trace of our dying bond, our body just knew where he was. He can’t be dead. There was no way he would die just like that after all we had been through. After everything we overcame to finally be together, I can’t accept that it was all ending just like this. I could sense others behind me, but Val wouldn’t slow down for anyone. She was maddened with her desperate need to see our mate. To see with our own eyes that this was truly the end. As we raced forward, I suddenly felt another tear in my heart that had Val roaring loudly with the pain. I’m choking with the dread of finding out what it was from. My world was collapsing, and we could do nothing but run towards th
King Brennus POVEverything happened so fast. I was already feeling weak because of draining as much of my magic into the necklace as I could. It was not just my daughter I needed to save anymore. It was all of them. My daughter, son-in-law….and their child. I wouldn’t let all the sacrifices her mother and I made be in vain. With the bond connecting them, I prayed that the magic would flow through that and keep her safe, while also protecting the one that will protect her and my grandchild in my coming absence. When my mate told me before we reset the fabrics of time once again that his happiness was hers, I didn't understand what she meant. I thought that just Elelira being alive and safe was all that mattered. Then, she ran away, joining the pirates, and though she was fierce and found her inner strength, I could see that it only made her bitter. Not happy.Her happiness didn't come until she finally forgave and accepted her mate. Now, he was dead, and everything was coming full
Jack POVThe sky was growing dark. Night was coming. The anticipation for the battle to come was now painful. It was festering. The anxiety it left in my chest was like an infection that I couldn’t cure. Even if I had a lick of alcohol, it wouldn’t help this feeling to go away.That, coupled with the fact I still had no idea if Beretta was alive or dead, made this entirely unbearable. I wanted to attack first. I wanted to draw first blood, and tear through any and everyone blocking my path to save that maddening woman. I knew why I couldn't. I knew I would never make it through the demons alive. All I would be doing is risking every life here. It didn’t make it any easier to just sit around and wait. “Gamma!” A group of freshly shifted men came running towards where the Gamma and I were sitting, staring at the growing dark army while discussing our plan of attack for our men when the time came. “Gamma!”“Percy?” Gamma Meldec stood up, looking curiously at the men that were left beh
Nilo POV“We have to stop her!” Beretta was hissing at me. “Do you know what he will do to her? Do you have any fucking idea what these monsters do to women?”I knew. I knew that too damn well. I wish I could do something, anything to stop her, but I feel helpless right now.Irrita used her magic to hide our voices, but the strain on her was growing. I could tell the energy was draining from her face. She may be free from the restraints, but there is no telling how long she and these other women were oppressed. They won't have the reserves of energy like a fit warrior would.The other women were holding Beretta back from revealing our location. When the Luna said she was here to trade her life for ours, I reacted the same way. The command Ela gave and my fear for my mate's safety were the only things keeping me from acting right now. When I saw Ela move to cut the throat of her own uncle, my blood ran cold. She is my Luna. I should be out there protecting her from the vile stares of
Elelira POV“Oh, really? Then what, pray tell, have you come here for?” The dark fairy was gazing down at me with sinister superiority. He did have the upper hand, but I had a plan. Val and I were discussing how to get Nilo and Beretta out of here, speaking about how we could use the magic still inside us to win this, even though the situation was not in our favor. We came up with one way, and it was something we never could have considered in the past. Something so grotesque and shameless that even suggesting it would have sent me into a panic before. I just need him to take the bait. If I can get him alone after I guarantee my loved ones’ safe passage to the south, I could finish this, and there will be no need for endless bloodshed. “I have come to trade myself for the prisoners you took from my pack,” I stated boldly. “I wish to give you my life for theirs, as long as you allow them to return home unharmed.”A vicious snarl ripped through a mind link that I recognized coming