-RAINA’S POV- Hera growled erotically, daring Valen to act on his promise. Muffled and soft moans spewed from me, accompanying the distinct sound of flesh slapping against each other that resonated throughout the cave. Sweat dripped down from Valen’s forehead. The sheen of his flesh, the pleasure-filled expression on his face, the low grunts from his lips, the desperate way his fingers intertwined with mine ― every little thing he did was driving me into a mind-boggling haze. “You feel... so fucking good, baby,” he groaned in my ear before thrusting even faster and harder. Lacking restraint, he sped up his penetrations, fucking me harder and deeper with no signs of slowing down. He filled me to the hilt, faster and faster. “Keep your eyes open. Don’t take them off me.” He breathed heavily with each thrust. "Umm ― yes!" Freeing my hand, I gripped his biceps, squeezing the muscles hard before roaming up his chest Valen's eyes were near feral as he reached a calloused hand down to
- - RAINA’S POV- We remained conjoined at the pelvis in the missionary style. Valen was now etched into the very threads of my spirit. “I belong to you ― now and forever.” A boyish smile curled on his lips. His eyes softened, although his voice was husky and thick. “You are so ravishing when you cum.” A bright blush imbued my cheeks. “Are you okay?” He positioned one arm on the rug to support his hulky body while the other stroked my cheek, lovingly. “Hmm.” I nodded, with my lip clamped between my teeth. “Baby, use your words.” “Yes,” I muttered, trying to catch my breath. “But I can’t feel my legs ― or something else.” He chuckled with his chest shaking and kissed the tip of my nose. “I have a better position in mind because I’m going to fuck you until we’re both burned out.” Leaning down, he tangled his lips with mine. He wrapped my legs around him as he flipped over to sit up with me on top of him. I straddled his hip as my ass rested on his thighs. My hands went around hi
-RAINA’S POV – “Oh, come on now! Fix those faces.” Artemis’ silver eyes dulled as she pouted her perfect plum-colored lips at our astonished expression. Bewilderment engrossed me and Valen as we stared at her with one question caroming in our heads ― Why not Selene? Then I thought in a very sarcastic way, which werewolf has ever gotten this grand opportunity to meet any god or goddess other than Selene? Isn’t this narrative messed up? “Artemis,” I repeated in disbelief, unintentionally saying it aloud. We were so shocked that the blaring drum roll was all forgotten until we caught up on ourselves. I clung to my mate tighter. Trying to steal the spotlight with a tough guy expression like he's the king of the mambo beat, the pudgy panda cub drummed on with a clapping glitch and rim clicks. Tapping his feet, never mind that he's destroying a classical moment and looking at us like he's begging for us to add the chic-chicka-boom chicka-boom chicka-boom dance combo. “I’m the one an
-RAINA’S POV- No. Zoning out for an inner dialect, I delved deeper into my own thoughts. I scratched my head, calculating. Snow was not a goddess. She was rotten luck, a jinx ― not a deity. Confusion fogged my brain. I furrowed my brows as I deliberated. “Well?” Artemis demanded an answer. “We don’t have a sword,” Valen responded before my own words could form. Obviously, he did not think it was the same sword either. Fear and anxiety came over me at once and my hands trembled. I curled my fingers in my lap. Artemis hummed to herself, paying a bit of attention to the hound on the table which purred at her touch, wagging its white and brown tail. This was perceived by the panda cub as an opportunity to perform another annoying drum roll. “Oh, goddess!” I groaned, burying my face into Valen’s pectoral and clogging my earhole with my fingers. Valen stroked my head and kissed my crown, soothing me. I sensed his irritation in a rumbling growl that vibrated from his chest. The tr
-RAINA'S POV- My fidgeting fingers froze. I blinked twice at the devil-may-care goddess. My stomach did a calcified dip as Artemis stood there in her glorious silver aura, tall and straight with pure sobriety in her silverware eyes. The panda cub was drumming up some enthusiasm with a single-stroke roll. Boom-boom-boom! Her expression was as hard as granite at the panda cub for his banging and then switched right on us. The ultimatum was not warranted. I would not agree with this. “What nonsense are you spewing?” Valen barked at her with bold emeralds that were sharp and intense. Plus, his tone sounded like someone provoked him for a battle. With me in his arms, he rose from the stone chair and placed me gently down on the solid table. Artemis scoffed. Crestfallen, I joined in with, “I’d rather wave a white flag.” “Where’s the fun in that?” Artemis declared, shaking her head. The goddess positioned her bow and string and shot a silver arrow through the crater of the cave, f
- -RAINA’S POV- One of my white glasses exploded into glittering fragments. I winced and grabbed the sides of the podium, bending my back forward. My furrowed brows spasmed, and my lips trembled as my nerves rattled to a higher level. One breath. Two breaths. The podium reversed a foot, jerking me backward with force. I had to clutch onto the podium tighter to avoid falling. At this doomy time, the persistent panda was practically bursting at the seams to play his drum again, surreptitiously taking out his drumstick and eyeing Artemis warily. Valen's eyes took on a horrified look, bulging from their sockets. Whatever he was shouting to me could not reach my poor hearing. I was too shell-shocked and trying hard to refocus on the game. The countdown continued on the timer. Another question passed. Erk! The podium buzzed red. Blam! More glass exploded and I cowered. Panic fell over me like a shroud. Shit! I just missed an easy one about Valen’s favorite sports team. “It’s ok
-VALEN'S POV- “Don't give up!” My pleading tenor rang out. “I’m going to kill you,” Raina growled, slicing a finger under her throat. “Play now and take my head later,” I replied, flustered and loathing the fact that the mind-link was blocked. Explanations could follow afterwards. Right now, we need our brains in this game. “Caladan, these two are going to make us cry.” Artemis wrinkled up her face, faking sobs and sniffles. The panda cub imitated her with low squeals as he decided to slide down the arc of the crescent moon. Any more discussion we could have had was abruptly interrupted by the hubbub of the vile audience going wild with anticipation. Their coinciding utterances resonated across the galaxy. Even though Raina’s seething features and lashing remarks persisted in the minority. Raina's scores were frightfully bad. These questions were designed to create a rift between us. The motherfuckers! They were enjoying this and their mumbling continued among the stars. As mu
-VALEN'S POV- Explosions of glittery shards sliced through the space, hurling Raina's fragile body swiftly backwards. In the mighty burst of glass, her hands flailed wildly, and several lacerations began appearing all over her flesh as she sailed further and further from me. Her spine-curdling screams ran through my head. The terror and urgency in her eyes cramped my heart with an outrageous fear. This was so wrong. The gods have crossed their limits. “You motherfucking monsters! Give me back my mate!” I gripped my hair, smoldering with resentment as rage nearly consumed my dark soul. Artemis pinched her face with a fixed gaze on me. She remained mute despite our unfolding anguish. Raina was my biggest concern as my eyes saw the horrendous scene unfold. Her high-pitched shrieks speared into my heart as the mate bond panged and burned like hell's fire. Panic, dread, and pain torched my veins. Tears itched my eyes as I fretted for her. Blood imprinted each part of her skin that t
RAINA'S POV-“When your Grandma said she would keep my snow globe safe, she really wasn't kidding,” I muttered with sarcasm as I walked down the dark passageway. Our feet thudded on baked black mud with its walls decorated with brown-black, twining, trunky vines.Leading with a torch in her hand, Pennelope chuckled and then uttered with dramatic emphasis, “Grams never—and I mean never joke around.”“Your home is creepy as hell,” I swear the big vines moved sometimes.Witches' houses were truly a haunted horror for intruders. You could get in, but only the goddess could help you to get out. A modicum of dread weaved through me, but with Penn here, I thought I would be alright.Get it together Raina.It's amazing how the home could transition from a lovely spacious cottage on the upper floors and then descend from the basement into a whole murky forest with thin, white smoky ghosts popping up here and there, whooing around. Ancestors, Pennelope called them.Marlena told me the snow glob
VALEN'S POV-Zeus' volcanic rage was swarming me. It was hard to control him like this. I never expected Devin's revelation to propel my wolf into a hissy fit. Vaheed's attack on my best friend left a bitter taste of betrayal.Not to mention, his actions with Raina were incomprehensible because he was marked by his own mate. Once again, my brother was after my mate. Why? I thought we passed this stage, but no. He’s a damn dickhead who has gone off the rails.“Alpha, did you get the new location?” Jason’s voice came through the communication earpiece.“Yeah,” I replied in a not-so-nice tone. “We’ll move in five.”Nuuk, Bahia Blanca, and Isiro were fruitless. This was the last sanctuary that was on our agenda to investigate. However, Heidi had found that this one in Waipu had a branch in the United States. Pennelope also confirmed high amounts of camouflaging magic that were widespread across the town. All of its energy waves pulsed from that synagogue.I stood to the side with my rifle
VALEN’S POV-I caught Jason standing from his chair with his head down. He was scratching his forehead with his palm blocking most of his eyes, but I saw them sneaking upwards to watch out for my reaction.Guilty as sin. He had to be the culprit who provided the girls with everything they needed, including war gear, despite that he knew how we felt about our women on the battlefield.I growled at him.“We're coming on the mission.” Venus was always the boldest to speak first.With hands on my waist, I rebuffed, “No, that's a negative. You've been up all night, and it’s two a.m., plus the Howl De Lune cannot be planned by itself. The team and I will be gone for days.”“Cleo and Mom are here,” Raina argued, failing to see my point. She shrugged and emphasized, “I’m safest when I am with you.”“Mom left you in charge.” As I spoke, my feet crossed the space to draw closer to her. “Everyone else has to be here to assist you. Besides, the Bolivian and Ugandan wolves rely on your presence. Y
VALEN POV-“This coffee is shit,” Theo’s deep grumpy voice complained, almost spitting the liquid from his mouth after taking his first sip from the cup.“Too bad, I thought it was the perfect flavor for you,” Jason sassed with a cocky grin from around his grand U-shaped desk with the multiscreen computer system up and running.“You are the greatest hacker I know, and you can build the most advanced techno shit. That you can do, but you can’t make a damn good coffee?” Theo exaggerated, gesturing to the hot cup in his hand.Jason huffed and turned his head back to the computer screens, typing away on the keyboard. “Screw you.”“I would, but not today. You’ve got to buy me a beer first,” The Gamma twin jested back and stepped over to Azara with the coffee in his hand, giving it to her.We were at the IT Hub, which was Jason's domain. It was a fawn-colored, single-story federal house located across from the Training Center. He worked hand in hand with the Gammas, being our eyes from the
VALEN’S POV-I side-eyed Gamma Blayne furiously. He immediately bowed his head and averted his gaze.The stench of blood got stronger, permeating my senses, causing my legs to speed up. I can't stand the thought of any more of our members getting hurt or killed."What the hell..." I trailed off as I inched closer, crouching down and examining the line of dead bodies. It was just downright sick and twisted to use them for a ransom note effect.A chill entered the air that made everyone shiver. Raina’s eyes widened at the gruesome sight.Venus gasped, going pale with a hand flying over her mouth. “This is barbaric.”All their necks were slashed by claws and two of the deceased were used for the punctuation marks. Reading from left to right, it stated: ‘We have not forgotten, and we are coming for her.’Gamma Blayne crouched at the lifeless body next to me. He touched the wound on the man’s chest, inspecting it. “The gashes aren’t as deep as you’d expect, but this one got a double tap en
VALEN’S POV-Together, Theo, Thaines, Jason, and I pushed forward in our wolf form. Leaves and twigs crunched under our pounding paws. The sight of the full moon took its turn in the sky and the faint wind skimmed my fur.The grim sound of battle reached my ears long before we reached the outskirts of the station. We arrived united, skidding to a halt as we met the bloody scene with hard eyes and fangs bared. The air was thickened with the stench of sweat, blood, and death. Gruel residues of combat.Looking around the field for a target, the sounds of gnashing teeth, angry snarls, and painful shouts that had previously filled the air vanished with the rogues that swiftly fled through the tree line, leaving an eerie silence.“Cowards!” I roared internally, anger filling my veins.“Go now! Don’t let them get away!” Gamma Blayne shouted orders to a specialized team of elite wolves to pursue the escapees. He stood naked, heaving and curling his hands into fists, and his head whipped to spo
VALEN’S POV-“What’s my Alpha doing in a place like this?” Albert the old bartender had the nerve to joke as he wiped down the triple-fronted bar counter with a chuckle.“It’s a bar. What crime have I committed?” Although he was jesting, I was in a foul mood.Arbitration Day with those bumptious Alphas has finally ended. Things at Alpha Camp were going well with Valiant. Devin’s still in his coma and Raina seems to be in a bad mood. She was madder than a fucking hornet and shanghaiing my mental space.Yesterday, everything went downhill. Devin’s condition showed no change and I did not find the damn Worgen. I came here to clear my mind from the weight of failure that settled over me.All I wanted to do was head to Raina’s room and hug her. But knowing that she’d probably bring up Mercedes again, I detoured here. The thought of her name made the beer in my hand so damn distasteful. Out of panicked desperation, I’ve been spinning my wheels all day to come up with a way to get through to
RAINA’S POV-Theo bent and picked up the folder. He placed it on the desk and fell back into position.The file contained four candidates. Me being one of them. It depicted the Alpha cabal, who represented seventy percent of the werewolf kingdom, voting on whom they advocated to be Queen. Mercedes gained the highest votes, while I had a meager one percent. I saw Tallulah Rumer’s photo, an Alpha-Female from the Rym Greyback Pack in New Zealand. Next was Kristen, the Alpha-Female Valen pitted me against in the sparring competition for the world to see.Then there were pages of signatures and pack seals to officiate the petition in demonstrating which candidate held their favor. This was the beginning of an uprising. It could plunge the kingdom into chaos if Valen’s choice upset them.My heart chipped away at the daunting situation. Mercedes bowed her head to hide the gloating smile that curled on her lips.Okay, I see you Mercedes.“Your Royal Elders marshaled me for the task. Their old
RAINA’S POV-"Oh, goddess!" Venus squealed at us, after entering the loft with Mercedes, dragging her by the ear. She dramatically threw one hand over her harlequin eyes while maintaining her hold on the girl."Damnit Venus! Can't you knock?" Valen snapped, clearly still riled up from the hormones stirring between us. He quickly yanked up his sweatpants, though the bulge was quite prominent."How was I to know that this would be going on in here!" Venus yelled back, keeping her hand over her eyes. “Who would ever bang in their kitchen?”“People with mates, little sis,” Valen replied low and gruff, and I sensed the shift in him.My face blushed bright red in embarrassment. I reached over and grabbed my shorts, clumsily slipping them on while sitting on the counter. Once I was mostly covered, I was ready to jump down. Valen's large hands gently grasped my waist and quickly helped me down to my feet."Of all the people in the world, why would you bring Mercedes here, Vee?" Valen asked, t