*** Naomi's POV***
-"I should have known, Owens' jovial little girl would be my son's mate. After all, he chose you for his First Shift Ball opening dance. You were the reason for his smile after ten long thorny years. Perhaps coincidence, or maybe the mate bond working its wonders. The truth is, we all failed to see what was right in front of our eyes, and I hope you can accept my unfeigned apologies." Elijah's words make me blink hastily, trying to grasp what he just said.
-"Elijah, please forgive me for my bluntness, but are you telling me Matthew and I first met seventeen years ago?" I question, presuming Matthew shifted when he turned eighteen, that would make me eight years old.
-"Indeed, you did. Do you not recollect tha
***Naomi's POV***"You and Matthew need to be careful and trust no one but each other. I have already lost two loved ones. I can't lose both of you too."Elijah's words stirred concern within me as I followed Elder Theo. What did he mean by trust no one? And who are the two loved ones he mentions? One for sure was his mate —Matthew's mother—but who is the second person? Does he mean Morris' father? Was Elijah warning me of Elder Theo? Doesn't he trust him? He was his second appointed Beta. It made no sense whatsoever.So many questions and so little answers.Elder Theo pulled a bundle of keys from his grey dressing trousers and opened a section of the Library I hadn't seen yet. I enter th
Matt, Carl, and I are currently heading back to my old pack's territory for Morgan's Luna Ceremony. Oliver is driving our black Land Rover with Jax sitting next to him on the passenger's seat. Following us in another car are Morris, Charlotte, and Morgan's parents—Julie and John Bates—who I recently met. Three more vehicles complete our convoy—one ahead of us and two behind our cars for security measures.The last couple of days had been pure chaos. Daniel's threats of a future attack, the mystery surrounding my powers, and the possibility I might have an expiration date left us on the edge of a Cerebrovascular accident. Between Matt, Oliver, Jax and I, we read every book, manuscript and report in the pack's library and the Alpha's Office. However, the amount of information we gathered about Yeti was concernedly little. Even more disquieting was the possibility of a thi
***Matthew's POV*** Alpha Lee and I had gone over the security details in case Naomi's father decides to confront his son or Rob hastily, and I am currently headed to check on my beautiful mate. Her outfit tonight is astounding, and it's not doing me any favors. Alex had been highly protective of her lately, and her dress tonight is just adding wood to his already raging fire. It's hard to hold him back as it is. Now it's even worse. Not to mention, when she unveiled her worries towards her newfound abilities, it had brought me this constant uneasiness. My senses tell me something terrible is about to happen, and I have no control over it. Being an Alpha makes me very controlling by nature, but I have no control whatsoever when it comes to Naomi. Leaving her alone had been very challenging. Call me overprotec
***Naomi's***My tears flow like an open tap. Artemis begged me to run back to our mate, but I refused. He needed to understand I am not to be taken for granted just because we marked each other. The grip on my dress tightens as I make my way through the trees. I have been running for ten minutes, and I am headed to my parents' cottage. The moonlight comes and goes as the clouds sail the dark sea of stars. My bare feet dig into the cold mossy ground from ditching my heels back in the packhouse as I push my empty shell closer to the warm yellow light, peeking through the vegetation branches in the distance.I halt my movement upon reaching the front door. My hand rises to knock but misses as it opens, revealing my aged Father; he hadn't lost his sharp senses. Stepping aside without a word, he signals
*** Naomi's POV***Morgan's Ceremony had been quite the night. More and more, I realize whatever little knowledge I possess about my life and those around me is very limited and distorted. Father's confessions open a new perspective of myself, allowing me to understand the need to heal my own soul before trying to comprehend the actions of those around me.Forgiveness—something everyone seeks from me, and I seem to have lost the capability to deliver.Excuses—the trigger to my short fuse.Love— the feeling I long for the most.Currently, in bed, staring at the ceiling's dark abyss, I seek the best resolution for those three things. Sleep di
***Matthew's POV***I watch with horror as Naomi falls to the floor in pain. My instinct compels me to help, but Gabe and Rob hold me back as instructed by my father. Their tight grasp around my arms has me wrestling for freedom.-"Do something. They are going to hurt our mate."Alex begs through our bond, clawing his way to the surface.Despite the wolfbane, Naomi's pain and suffering still flow through our bond. I can feel every bit of it as she grabs the silver chains bracing herself for what's to come.This all began during medieval times when the trial was first implemented after an evil shadow witch killed the Alpha King's Luna and manipulated him using a spell to convince him she was his
***Naomi's POV***Theo and Oliver had led us through the secret tunnels, successfully rescuing Charlotte and the kids. However, just as we reunited, we had to part again, leaving Theo and Oliver to fight the attackers back in the mansion. Charlotte and I navigated the musty underground passages to emerge through the faded dark green metal door with Carl and Caroline.A group of rogues ambushed us, including Nathan, Daniel's Beta, and the most surprising revelation—Nina White. The she-wolf, who every werewolf community desperately attempted to rescue, stood with them.It was clear Nina White is a shadow witch with ill-intended means. Her dark magic smothered Charlotte and me, restraining us from fighting back. A loud, excruciating pitch resonated th
***Naomi's POV***My steps guide me to Matthew's office. Everyone had gathered there to discuss the recent attack on our lands and the Beta couple's abduction—Charlotte and Morris.Dr. Reyes had assembled an emergency hospital in the packhouse's old medical quarters to treat the many werewolves wounded in battle. The battlefield was near the retired hospital facilities, allowing the medical team to treat everyone quickly. The stable patients were mobilized to the new hospital downtown, creating more patient accommodation.Matthew, fearing my energy manifestation and consequent cocoon stage had drained me, had insisted I take the evening off. But as usual, I had other plans. Whatever happened in the realm of souls had fully unlocked Blizzard, and I no lon
***Naomi's POV***Life has a weird way of placing you where you need to be, precisely at the right moment. Some call it fate, others destiny. They say you can't run away from it, you must walk the path written in the stars, but if I'm honest, anyone can write their own story. The people you choose to walk alongside and their unique traits make it possible. Good things happen to those who are honest and kind, even if the rough thorny patches make you think otherwise.The path I walk hasn't always been easy, but now I am happy, at ease. The question is, how long before another storm hits my tiny island of happiness. In everything, there must be balance. The bigger the light, the bigger the shadow. Till then, I can only do one thing, enjoy every moment like it was my last.
***Naomi's POV***I thought you wouldn't feel or remember a thing when facing death's gates, but I was wrong. I feel it all too well --Pain. Not physical pain, but rather emotional. I lost the one whose mistakes and imperfections I learned to love.It's dark, cold, and lonely in here. Is this the afterlife? A soft and warm hand caught the stray tear I could no longer hold back. My blinking eyes adjust themself to the bright light. The fuzzy picture is slowly coming to focus. The familiar white sheer fabrics are dancing to the seagulls' melody in the arms of the wind.-"The one time you should have walked through the door, you didn't." The Moon Goddess giggles, amused at my apparent and unintended defiance.
***Matthew's POV***-"Daddy, wake up. Please, Daddy, Mommy needs help." Carl rocks me awake.My head is pounding as if I had an awful hangover, and my ears have this persistent deafening ring. The last thing I remember was my injury and Naomi trying to heal me. I feel my chest, looking for the wound Daniel impaled me with, but I am fully recovered.-"Mommy needs help!" Carl shakes me again as I sit up.The smell of burnt flesh makes my nose sting, and instinctively, I cover it with my hand. The lightning flashes bring brightness to the stormy dark battlefield. Scanning the area, I do a mental battle map. Everyone seemed to have stopped fighting the rogues, and they desperately fought this gi
***Naomi's POV***Matt fights a group of rogues in his large wolf form, and the sight of him takes the edge of my anxiety. Somehow, it doesn't matter if this battlefield is from my father's vision because Matt is here. With him by my side, I feel I can take on the whole world. My shaky tired legs push me to walk towards him. Freedom and safety are within reach, just a few more steps.Morris grips my arm, spinning me around.-"Did you think it would be this easy? That we would just let you go? You are so naive, Naomi. My brother always spoke highly of his Luna, yet look at you? They take away your wolf, and you become a defenseless human."His grip tightens, and his lips curl into a mischievous evil smile.
Sitting abruptly, I take long breathes, trying to fight back nausea my spinning head is making me feel. It's as if I rode the merry-go-round on a high-velocity cycle with my eyes closed and then attempted to walk a straight line. Instinctively, I try to cover my mouth and stop myself from pouring lunch out, only to face my constrictive reality and searing pain to my wrist. I have no notion of time or place, but my sixth sense tells me this is far from home.The rhythmic machine whooshes along with the rancid smell emphasize the eeriness of the darkness surrounding me. The silver and the wolfsbane block Artemis' powers, but I still have Blizzard's energy flowing within. It's in my best interest to stay put and try to understand where exactly I am and who took me before doing anything drastic or attempting to escape. Fighting a werewolf in this condition would put me at a significant disad
***Naomi's POV***Along with the other ally Alphas, Matt and I raided Woodlands pack territory before the first sunlight rays had the chance to peek from behind the mountains, but we found absolutely nothing. And the same empty sight repeated itself the following weeks. We would gather information about Leo and his pack's whereabouts, but they were always empty the moment we hit the compounds. It was as if they knew our every step, our every move, and vanished just before we got a chance to confront them.-"Argggh!" I grunt in frustration as I let my body slump on the black settee in Matt's office, papers scattering everywhere.Matt suspects, well, more like he is certain, we have a mole among us. Only he and I share this knowledge, though. It's a ris
***Nina White's POV***One of the disadvantages of having a human body is stress. While a werewolf can shift and run it off, humans often need to involve themselves in certain unhealthy habits. I take the last puff of my cigarette before putting it out on the ashtray sitting on the modern contemporary black nightstand. The she-wolf I have chosen for my evening carnal desires stirs but remains asleep as I get off the bed.Grabbing my whisky glass, I sip on it before admiring the naked beauty before me. Although I do not possess a wolf spirit anymore, I still wonder what it would have felt like to make love and wake up beside my mate. But I can't fill that void left in me when he stole her from me.My hand swirls the orange liquid inside the crystal glass as my
***Mathew's POV*** We bicker among ourselves about what to do next. Daniel had, yet again, escaped along with his beta-rat I caught lurking in the pack's library. He stole a book from the secret room and had vanished within the woods. With no scent to track him down, we lost him completely. Especially after the sharp pain that came through Naomi and I's bond, it had me on my knees in seconds. My eyes met Arlene's, and her expression told me, somehow, she felt Naomi's distress too. She and Maximus were with me when Morris reported the strange person scaring people in the library and followed pronto, ready to support if the threat proved to be dangerous. So when she saw me bent over in pain as I held my neck, she didn't waste time. Her hands moved through the air to create a purple light whirlpool, vanishing through it with Maximus in tow. Not
***Naomi's POV***As per Morris's request and in Charlotte's honor, we will be holding a masquerade ball this evening in the Alpha's Mansion. Charlotte loved to dress up, and masquerade balls were her favorite. We also prepare fireworks, another favorite of hers, for the guests to enjoy.Holding this event so soon might be risky, maybe even unwise, but the guilt of Charlotte's death has been constricting my heart. The constant dreams about her are wearing me down with the sleepless nights. I needed to say goodbye, and this Gala will help me do just that.What people don't know is that the gathering will cover up a secret meeting with the strongest packs—Crescent Moon, Grayfang, Windriders, Kyaten, Faisant, and Silverfalls. Matt moved my old pack from the bottom of the stronges