After Alfred was done sharing his confession, that was when he could finally bring himself to look around the room.Amelia was openly bawling her eyes out. Valentina was hugging her tight, trying to console her mother while tears ran freely from her own eyes. The poor girl looked so hurt...so betrayed, by her father who was supposed to be her hero."Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God..." Ismena's mother couldn't stop crying. The sound of her sobs was heartbreaking to her. The painful memories of the past and everything her daughter went through was reflected in her wet, red eyes.Ismena felt...numb.She was staring ahead but she couldn't see anything. Her ears were open, but she couldn't hear anything.She sat there, like blank porcelain, while her father's confessions recapped in her mind. His words replayed over and over and over again.She was in the labs when she was eight.She was paired with Wolfaraine.She got pregnant with him.She lost her child and her womb.She died, and was resurre
Alphose searched for Wolfaraine everywhere, but he was unable to find him. Even the cougar couldn't sense him. His Alpha King does not want to be found.He was worried, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he went out in search of Ismena and her family. But, on the way out, he'd seen the doctors and nurses rushing towards Alfred's room. The doctor was shouting orders, while the nurses hurriedly wheeled him out of the room. Through his enhanced senses, he heard the loud beeping of the monitor that was connected to Alfred.He'd gone to the doctor and asked what was going on. The doctor had told him.Minutes later, Alphose walked out to find Ismena and her family. They were still in the backyard. He found them all seated closely together, holding each other together. Even Kassandra was seated with them.One thing Alphose observed very well was that his Kassandra has been a very good part of this family for a long time—they treat her like one, and she treats them like one too. Your Kass
She barged into the open door of her father's hospital room, to see the nurses and the doctor surrounding her father's bed, she couldn't even see his face. "Let's go two hundred joules, come on." The doctor commanded one of the nurses, rubbing the defibrillator together before he jolted her father's chest again. Her father jerked on the bed, but that was the only reaction they got.The machines were going crazy. There was a loud beeping but for the life of Ismena, she can't seem to figure out where the sound was coming from. Her mother and sister crowded her, grabbing her from everywhere in sheer panic. They were asking her questions but she couldn't hear them well. She couldn't hear anything,see anything apart from the monitor.She watched in horror as the lines straightened—until it flatlined, and then there was an even louder beep.The doctor straightened away from him, his lips pursed in sadness, before looking at the nurses and shaking his head. Like a movie, everyone stopped wh
Three more days later, they were ready to go back to Naturiah. Wolfaraine made it clear that they cannot stay any longer in the human world. Wolfhunters have attacked twice, he'd confessed, but he and Alphose had managed to take of them in secret to avoid scaring her mother and sister."Please, come with us, mother." Ismena pleaded again for the umpteenth time. Wolfaraine had agreed already for her to bring her family to Naturiah if her mother was in agreement. But she wasn't.Again, Amelia shook her head, pasting a smile on her face. She seemed to have aged more in the past few days, and the changes tugged on Ismena's chest so much. Her father's death hit her mother harder than she's letting on."I can't, Ena. I want to stay here," she gestured to their home, "Here... Your father's memories are right here.When I move around the house and I can still feel him."Ismena swallowed tightly, glancing behind her at Wolfaraine's inscrutable face before staring back at her mother. "Mother, d
Everywhere was quiet. Too quiet.Ismena rolled over on the bed and curled herself into a ball again. It's been an hour since Wolfaraine had gently placed her on the bed in her room before disappearing through the door. Whether he went to his own bedroom or not, Ismena had no idea.It was just a week ago that Mirian interrupted their love session, crying and bringing the news of her father being in the hospital. It's only been a week again since they'd hurried out of Naturiah to the human world. But, it felt like years ago. A lot has happened since that time.A lot was found out during that time.A lot has changed.She felt like a huge rock had grown in her chest, her heart was that heavy. Tears threatened her eyes and she blinked hard to keep them at bay, it's been like that for long minutes now, and she seemed to be losing that battle.Finally, her nightmares made sense to her. Her blank memories of when she was eight have been remedied. Thankfully, the memories weren't that clear b
He blinked hard, wishing he could block out all those voices, but it would be a futile attempt so he didn't even bother. She was always pouting. No matter how hard the wolf tried to scare her, baring its teeth and growling at her all the time, the girl was never scared of them. She'd purse her lips into a pout, glare at him through those shiny brown eyes before she moves a few distances away from him, lowers herself to the floor, and began telling him stories about anything and everything.That girl was his greatest guilt. It wasn't his packmates who died in that hellhole. It wasn't his female packmates he'd been forced to molest. It wasn't Nalaila. It was her.Just thinking about the little girl was making his heart bleed. He'd been traumatized after being paired with Nalaila, he'd been sick to his stomach. Worry was eating at him when he never saw or heard about his sister for very long days. Only for those monsters to get him high as a kite again and bring a victim much worse tha
It's been so long since he consoled someone close to him. Probably because everyone close to him had died apart from his sister who was still not close to getting healed after so many long years. As an alpha and a king, he consoled his people whenever they needed him, but it wasn't the same, especially when the woman in his arms was his mate.His hand wrapped around her fist and pulled it away from her chest, then he adjusted her, placing her chest to his own chest and held her against him tighter. Then, the Wolf reached out through his chest in a consoling gesture, rubbing against her, soothing her. He closed his eyes and leaned down, pressing her deeper into his chest and rubbing his jaw, his cheek all over her hair. Warmth spread through Ismena's body, rubbing against the pain, dulling the harshest part of it. The pain is still there but it wasn't as overwhelming, as suffocating as it was before.Ismena cried and clung to him for a very long time, and he held her. The night dragge
When the tears splashed on his chest, he blinked deliriously as if it was a dream he never expected to see them. He had no idea that he'd been crying.Taking a deep breath, he wiped the liquid from his eyes and cheeks."It was not your fault, Wolfaraine. Why do you have to take the blame for everything?" Ismena asked vehemently, "You were drugged. You did not drug yourself. They drugged you. It was all their fault."He didn't say anything for a very long time."Those nightmares you have, they were because of what I did to you. You know that right?""If I know that they were because of what you were forced to do to me? Yes, I know." She deadpanned, skeptically.He turned and looked at her. His throat bobbed, "Do you finally have a recollection of that memory?""Yes," she averted her eyes, "It's hazy, but it's no longer a blank slate. Eighteen years have passed.""Your father said you died. You fought for so long but it was just too much, and you died. I ended your life. Twice.""And yo
When the full moon eventually came, screams from two women in two different parts of Naturiah were particularly high in the air because two couples were getting mated. One from the Cougar Clan, the other from the Heart of Naturiah.In the Cougar Clan, Alphose held his woman close as he gave her all that was him. She has never taken all his forms before, but tonight she was going to before the mating ritual is performed. Her sweaty body shook under his, and he could smell her fear too. He whispered words of love and encouragement to her ears as he filled her body from behind yet again and began thrusting again.They were in their bedroom, kneeling on the floor with Kassandra's upper body lying on the bed and Alphose's own blanketing hers from behind. They've been at it all night. She has lost count of how many times she has released. At this rate, her soul was going to leave her body. Alphose was the best lover she'd ever been with—hell, even the word 'best' does not do him justice. G
"I love you too, baby." He rose with her in his arms, withdrew a gold ring from his pocket, and slipped it into her ring finger. "It's so beautiful..." She cried, staring reverently at the sparkling jewelry. "It looks so good on you," he whispered to her. That night, they made passionate love together. As always he took his time arousing her body, touching her everywhere until she begged him desperately to join them intimately before he proceeded to do just that. They created the perfect rhythm together, moving sensuously and whispering words of love to each other. Wolfaraine took his time making her go wild in pleasure in his arms, he savored the cries, the litany, the sounds he drew from her as they pleasured each other for hours. Afterward, they lay together, sated and happy. He caressed her belly, cradling their child as Ismena burrowed closer to him. "I'm so glad that it was my father that helped us escape. We were victorious because of him." She played with the soft hairs
The next day, Onaries was publicly executed in the square at the Heart Of Naturiah, before the people. Crowds gathered to watch it and it gave them great satisfaction to see the shame, the humiliation on the psycho's face before he was beheaded. To Onaries, it was the worst punishment. He should have killed himself when the lab was invaded—it was better to die in battle than to be killed by public execution where the people get to laugh at him, spit on his face and call him names. He'd been tortured for days by his own Head Sentinel, Rodarh who took great pleasure from the act. He tortured Onaries until he lost his pride and begged to be killed. But Onaries, that monster, had denied him. Until today when he was publicly executed. As for the human doctor, Beloca; Alphose, and Degar had taken turns beating the man up, they carved his skin out of his own body, his screams like music to their eyes. They tortured Beloca to an extent that he stopped breathing several times, but they did
"Nothing, Miss Kassandra; I only forced your dormant hormones to come alive. My 'attempted claim' on you forced your body to wake and take on your mate's scent." He smiled a little, "Now, you practically stink of him." Sandra doesn't understand. "Him?" She asked, confused. "The Steele trying to break down that door, ma'am. You are his mate. There was a time you were very sick, right? To the extent you thought you might die, right?" Sandra doesn't need to think hard about that. "Yes, when I was very young, I suffered pneumonia." He nodded knowingly, "Whatever drugs humans used to cure you suppressed your hormones that made you a potential mate. So deeply suppressed that they wouldn't have stirred if you hadn't met your lifemate, my twin brother, and I wouldn't have been able to awake them if I didn't push as hard as I did. I'm sorry for hurting you, lass." The man wasn't as bad as she thought he was, Sandra thought, and some of her fears dissolved. Instead, joy began spreading thr
When Ismena heard the news about Alphose and Kassandra, she left the Tower and went back to Eline's house to be with her best friend. Sandra cried on her shoulders, dreading every hour that passed, every ticking of the clock because it was a reminder that Josiah was already on his way to Naturiah to claim her. She told Ismena that she didn't wanna do it. She just wants to go back to the human world. It's better to go home to live the rest of her life alone than to be with a man who isn't her Alphose. Although it killed Ismena to do it, she talked her out of it. How will she live the rest of her life knowing that she could have met her soulmate? She could have been with him, but she gave up on it? She talked her into giving Josiah a chance. After all, who knows? It might be the best decision she has ever made in her life, right? The Alpha King, on the other hand, could only pat his best friend's shoulder, commending him for doing the right thing even when the 'right thing' hurts. B
He smiled, "She is. Do you remember all your time together with her?""Oh yes. She is my best friend.""She will be so happy to hear that. It'll probably make her cry. She thinks of you that way too. Maybe even more.""I want her to stay with us forever. You're going to mate her, right?" "Yes, I will. If she will have me." Wolfaraine stated matter-of-factly. He has no doubt anymore. He wants to spend the rest of his life with Ismena. In fact, he cannot imagine his future without her in it."I'm glad. I hope she will have you, too. We will be one big family. She is so brave. She's everything you need in a mate. She always came by my room, all the time, no matter how scared she was. She came every day. I knew you two fought when she didn't come by for a few days. I was mad at you because you let her go.""Is that way you growled whenever I came close? I thought perhaps you hated me.""I never. I was just mad at you, madder, because I couldn't tell you how I felt. I'm happy you two sort
He walked into the room, quietly closing the door behind him, and took a few minutes to just stand there and watch them. The two most important women in his life. He felt lighter and refreshed, his heart filled with happiness like he'd never known before. How his life has changed in the past few months. He'd resigned himself to a bland life filled with guilt, sadness, and loneliness, never taking a mate, never having a child of his own, and living day by day with the fear of not knowing when he would lose his sister forever. But Ismena came into his life and changed it forever.He'd felt more in the past six months than he has in almost twenty years. The past no longer fills him with rage and sadness, his cougar wasn't as rough and out-of-control as before. He has a mate who is so highly compatible with him, his child is growing in her belly, and his sister, who he thought was lost forever was back to him again.Complete. He feels complete."What are you thinking so hard about?" Ism
Gasps of disbelief filled the air. The people were shocked and excited. They found it hard to believe that their King's sister—someone who they'd all given up on—would take her mortal form again after all these years. Murmurs rose in the crowd, bits and pieces of them could be heard audibly."Did you see that—" A voice said."What just happened!?" Another added."She took her mortal form again...!" "Bless the Lord!""May the deities be praised...!""Did you see that too?""...thought it'll never happen for her.""It's been eighteen years."Wolfaraine Daminor Throne stood frozen. He glanced down at the small, pale, feminine hand in his larger one. His eyes trailed from her hand to her arm, up to her shoulder, her neck, and her teary face. His throat constricted at the sight in front of him.She was more beautiful than the distorted image his mind had desperately held onto all these years. His sister was ten the last time he saw her face. His eyes watered as he gazed into eyes as blue
All the leading Alphas of Naturiah were there, the sentinels, the Betas, the Omegas, the houseworkers. He could see Eline, Mirian, and Kassandra too, even the Alphas that fought with him in the human world earlier in the day. They were all gathered there. They rose and greeted him respectfully when he walked through the door with his mate in his arm.Then they were crowding him. The joy and relief on their faces, filled his heart with love for his people. The females had tears in their eyes as they came really close to him. Some were hugging him, while the others were kneeling at his feet—a gesture of welcome and respect. They were all careful not to press tightly against him because of the woman in his arms. Ismena wiggled a bit, a sign that she wanted to be on her own feet, but Wolfaraine glanced at her and shook his head slightly."Please, I'll be careful, and I'll be right here by your side." she pleaded, a hint of her smile on her face. She knows how badly his people wanted to g