AlishaI hummed as the sphygmomanometer gave the reading for Hilda’s blood pressure. Not too bad. It seemed she was recovering nicely, which I really was glad about.Turning around I made notes on her brand new folder, only to hear a loud cough.Whipping my head around I saw the reddened, smiling face of Mark, and Hilda, who was silently laughing, covering ber open mouth with one hand as she wheezed.I was mildly confused.“Mark?” I asked wordlessly the question of what happened, and he reddened once more.“Uh… she said you look a little…” Mark blustered while translating for his wife and mate. “Funny…” he couldn’t help but chuckle.I snorted; of course I knew how funny I looked. It was I who made the disguise of course. What, with the scarf covering my entire head, the surgical mask, and pair of glasses that looked a little too wide for my face, it wasn’t a hard thing to wonder why Hilda was so amused.I glared teasingly at her however, and all she did was laugh harder, her chest hea
Derek looked infuriated, to say the least, but I was just as upset.“How could this happen?“ i demanded to know from Derek, my eyes piercing into his. “What the hell have you been doing all these two years to deal with Sebastian? Let me guess… nothing, right?”Guilt flashed in his eyes as Benjamin cleared his throat.My eyes snapped to the warrior as he said in defense of his best friend, “To be fair, a lot happened then.”Mischa spoke heatedly, ”That’s true, a lot happened, but what has he done to stop Sebastian?”I knew she was thinking of all the things she faced - her father dying in the cell, having to hide and pray to the goddess that Sebastian wouldn’t find out who she was, and the escape plan. It was all because of that which I understood very well.I remembered the days we still had nightmares regularly because we feared Sebastian or the Silver Moon Pack warriors would find us somehow. Those dreams slowly faded but Sebastian never disappeared. He only got stronger, and I hate
AlishaAs the work rounded up, the sun set and evening fell, i checked once more on the warriors and finished my work for the day.With a brief glance and wave at Melissa and Simon in the kitchen eating together, I went up the steps to where my two babies waited impatiently for me.They were already wearing their jackets and shoes.“Mommy, are you ready now?” It was Ares who asked looking mildly upset.“Can we go?” Aria was the one who asked that, and I huffed before nodding.“Sure thing,” I picked up the picnic bag that Simon had helped to pack for me. Finally I would be going on a small nighttime picnic in the forest. It would be just as fun as camping to the twins.We left through the back door of the clinic where the guard Derek had introduced to us was waiting perfectly still. If I wasn’t a seasoned warrior I would hardly have noticed him.We walked up to the edge of the forest and i heaved a sigh of relieved when we entered the forest. I enjoyed the scent of nature which eased
DerekAttack… HER?My eyes went round with surprise as she aimed her claw at my neck, not moving still.“Go on,” she dared me, her eyes cold and words heated. I couldn’t remove my eyes from her. Surprisingly, she was nearly as fast as I was. I had no doubt she was hardly a match for anyone, and would be able to surpass even Benjamin.I was the only one who was made for her.“Go on!” She yelled at me and I raised my two hands.“Alisha… I can’t do that,” I said to her. I could see our children watching us, their eyes round at seeing their parents fight. This wasn’t what I wanted.It brought up bad memories for me.I didn’t want this for my children.“Alisha, let’s talk about this-“ I tried to request from her, but then she charged at me again. I began my task of dodging once more. This time she was faster than before and I found I had to hold myself back from responding to her attacks with a blow of my own.I couldn’t hurt her - it would kill me inside to do so.Soon I found myself back
AlishaThe evening passed in relatively peaceful silence after that, although in many ways, i tried not to think about Derek, whose eyes constantly stayed on me. I barely spoke, only focused on letting my children have a good time.Finally the night was to end and I wearily packed up the items. Derek held the twins in his arms, and I had to admit it was a great help for me. They were already snoozing and rested all their body weights on him, and I peeked at them numerous times to be sure that they were okay.“Thank you,” Derek said as we began walking back. The guard that had accompanied us was with us as well, keeping a small distance behind his Alpha. “For letting me stay.”I sighed; couldn’t he see that I didn’t want to talk to him? Having him near me irritated me to the core.I stayed silent, praying silently to the goddess that he would simply take the hint and let the rest of the minutes pass in silence.However Derek didn’t seem to understand cues like that.“Have you considere
DerekBenjamin sniggered as he read the letter Alisha had sent to me that afternoon.He looked mighty amused, more than my mother had been when she found out about it.“Are you done?” I asked my best friend who only coughed lightly, his laughter still at the back of his throat. “You’re supposed to sympathize with me.”“Oh come on, Derek. By the goddess, you should be happy she agreed to let you have the twins over at all,” he argued. “But really? I’m just thinking of how you plan on meeting her every condition listed out here. I mean… the meal plan is one thing. I can understand her specifications for their bedrooms. Getting the twins new clothes is fine. But special silverware for each meal? Removing all red and yellow flowers from the garden? Clearing out the mansion of all guards and maids anytime they’re around? That’s just her trying to fuck with you.”“I know that,” I ground out, my hands clenched into fists on the table. “But I can’t deny her that, now can I?”Alisha was never
GerardI was more than frustrated; I was furious.Another spy? Dead.They were dropping more and more like flies, like one could easily swat them down with just how twitch of a finger.“Fuck,” I growled, tightening my grip on the quill that it snapped in half. I was losing this battle of wits against Derek. The only thing keeping me from truly losing is having a hold on the Pack Elders. And that secret…I growled as a knock on the door of my study distracted me again from my thoughts. Standing up I barked at the door, “Who is it?!”The door opened to a maid who meekly bowed, clearly shaking from fear underneath the weight of my glare at her.“What is it?” I demanded to know as she trembled. I was impatient and didn’t have the time nor energy to entertain her any servants sniveling. “Speak!” I raised my voice in frustration and she fe to her knees.“Sir,” the maid kept her gaze to the floor, her hands clasped together. “Miss Lila has left the house again.”I grit my teeth in anger; of
MischaI dodged the blow, hissing from the force that knocked the wind out of my chest.Damn, I thought. Alis was always hard to beat in a good day, and impossible on other days.I shifted back to my human form and charged directly at her black wolf, which dodged seamlessly, jumping up in the air and shifting back to her human form. I blinked; and that was all it took for her to plant her foot on my face.“Argh!” I growled, tumbling on the floor. I found my footing and came face to face with her pointer finger extended out into a razor sharp, curved claw.“Call,” she said, barely panting, while I sweated buckets.I felt the sting of defeat again, but it left a smile on my face nevertheless.“Damn,” I said with laughter bubbling up in my chest. “You win again, Alis.”She smirked at me, “I always win, Misch. But you’re getting better.”The compliment made me preen a little, while I wiped the sweat off my brow.Benjamin had been able to use his status as one of the strongest warriors in
EPILOGUE IIIALISHATWENTY YEARS LATER“Mmm,” I grunted as I sat up, my back hurting after using Derek’s body as a pillow.He had woken up early and left the bed, I remembered, after giving me a kiss as usual.I shouldn’t have drank so much.We were all getting on in years now, and though I had clocked forty-one last night, I still had a long life ahead of me.I smiled to myself as I remembered the way Misch, Benjamin, Hilda, mark and Derek had coerced me to take not one, not two, but THREE whiskey shots.Damn them all for being able to hold their liquor while I, barely used to drinking even at my age, had NOT.“So damn unfair,” I muttered under my breath, and thought briefly about postponing the training session I had with Mischa, Markson and Erika.The two children had grown up so fast, and were already 19 and 20 respectively, already becoming accomplished warriors at their age.Erika was much like her mother, a consummate warrior. I smirked as I remembered the way that Mischa and I
EPILOGUE IIHilda:I opened the windows of the kitchen to let in the fresh air, and enjoyed the beautiful scents of spring. My nose in the air, I sniffed, and ended up my twitching a little.I had grown sensitive to the scent of pollen around the air ever since I had given birth to Alis, my lovely daughter.She was five now, and a delightful little one to have. I began with the task of preparing lunch, as breakfast had long passed. The children would be coming over today and I also needed to go out to get some herbs and meats for dinner and breakfast tomorrow.Somehow, my role in the Red Wolf pack had settled into becoming a part-time assistant for Doctor Simon, who was soon retiring, and handling the children. Meaning, Alisha’s and the Alpha’s four children, Mischa’s and the Beta’s daughter, and mine.That was often a lot to handle, but I many ways I enjoyed it. I loved having children around me and hearing the sounds of their laughter. It reminded me of my own voice which had been s
EPILOGUE IDerek:“…And they all lived happily ever after,” Alisha finished, smiling at the dozing faces of our twins.Finally, I thought with a light chuckle. Some peace and quiet.The head of my son killed on my chest and I gently carried him out of his sister’s bed, and took him over to his own bed.Meanwhile Alisha strengthened, and I heard her take a deep breath.Her abdomen had rounded delightfully, growing our baby in her.Her due date was soon, according to Simon the last time he checked over her. And each day I prayed I wouldn’t have anything that would take me out of the pack long term, because I didn’t under any circumstances, want to be out of the pack when she gave birth. I had missed the birth of my older two children due to my own foolish mistakes, I didn’t want to miss this next one at all.“What are you thinking about?” Alisha asked me, as though she could read my mind.I smiled at her, knowing the best way to rile her up.“Our bet,” I replied with, and felt y grasped
Alisha:I opened my eyes to the sound of birds chirping. The sheets were warm underneath my body and I felt peace within me.There was finally a conclusion, I thought, to the pain and suffering, the hiding and secrecy that had been occurring for ages now.Now I could calmly walk down the streets of our pack with my twins in hand and not fear that Gerard would show up. I could embrace my relationship with Derek fully without needing to second guess myself.Sebastian was Gone.And Gerard, was Gone.Everything was well.“Hello, love,” i felt an arm I knew to be Derek’s worm its way around my waist and I smiled at the contact.It had been several days since I moved back into his home- now OUR home, and I had never felt more complete in my life.“Good morning,” I murmured to my mate, feeling his lips on the back of my neck. I turned my head and met his lips with mine, and I close my eyes as my body felt alive, wrapped up in his.“What are you thinking of?” He asked me as our lips parted an
Benjamin:“Oh goddess,” Mischa’s sigh made me smile. “That was some workout.”We lay side by side facing each other in the dark, sweat sheen over our naked bodies.“I’m glad you feel that way,” I chuckled at my mate’s words, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her closer.The scent of her hair drove me crazy, and I wondered like so many times before what kind of oil she used on it. She was always taking care of her curls with expert ease.Only the bathroom light was on in the entire house, leaving a trail of light towards our bedroom, and I enjoyed the sounds of silence, thinking about how the day had gone so quickly with all the happenings. I was glad that finally, Gerard was condemned for execution, and Sebastian, the thorn in our sides that had troubles us so much, had eventually been taken out.“Things are going to go smoothly from here on out,” Misch murmured and I marveled silently at how we always seemed to think the same thing. Almost like we knew each other since we were
Derek:I turned to glance at the Silver Moon Pack warriors who watched me and Sebastian as their Alpha lay curses on them.In their eyes I saw defiance and weariness, and I smirked inwardly.“Do you think they would come to your aid now that you’ve finally been taken off their hands?” I sniggered at Sebastian, who flared up at me. It wasn’t very much effective as he probably hoped it would be, for his eyes were swollen form the best down I had given him.“YOU ARE ALL TRAITORS!” Sebastian was livid, baring his teeth maniacally at his men. “I will KILL YOU ALL!”“Not if I have anything to say about it.”Kaiden’s voice reached me and I smiled. So the Beta did arrive.Sebastian’s face upon hearing Kaiden’s voice was nothing compared to his expression when his Beta entered the scene with the rest of their pack’s men.“You!” Sebastian spat in Kaiden’s direction, and the Beta only regarded Sebastian with indifference. “What the duck are you doing here? Disobeying my orders?!”“Your orders me
Alisha:Sebastian’s declaration made me want to retch hi whatever was left in my stomach since last night’s dinner.Well, he hasn’t changed one bit I thought. He was every bit as reprehensible as I remembered. The sense of entitlement he still had over me made me furious as well.However I was content to let Derek fight this battle for the both of us. Talking with him would only give me a headache.“Is that so?” Derek said, a calm look on his handsome features. “I had no idea you can still lay claims on someone who has absolutely nothing to do with you. And your threats, Sebastian, are nothing more than words to me. You know you will never win against me.”That served to drive Sebastian more into unbridled rage and frustration.“Alisha is mine!” He growled.Derek took a step forward, and I saw the tension in his jawline and neck as he all but spat out, “She was NEVER yours! She is MY mate, and mine alone! You made that very clear with the way you treated her when you had the chance! A
Derek:The trial had filled me with pain and guilt from the get go. Knowing that my mother had to reveal her past with my father brought me no measure of relief.But thanks to her and Alisha,The door suddenly opened and a guard rushed inside, panting as though he had run a full mile.“What is this?!” The Elders were incensed upon the trial’s interruption.“Silver Moon Pack warriors are out our gates!” The guard blurted out in such a loud voice.Immediately I went rigid. Alarm filled my body and I looked to Alisha who met my eyes at the same time.Sebastian was at our door. And that news brought a chaos that shattered the peace of the meeting hall.I could see the Pack Elders themselves had begun to lose their heads and it made me grit my teeth in frustration.“Everyone please be calm,” Alisha’s voice was like a steady lighthouse in the storm. “Now isn’t the time to panic. We can’t let this distract us. I believe we have to move against Sebastian at once. But Gerard must be put behind
Alisha:I looked to the Elders, all of whom were shocked into silence at Melissa’s confession.“Things got so bad, that I had been unable to have another child. Or rather, I couldn’t carry the pregnancies to term. That was because, due to many of Marcus’ actions, I would end up having a miscarriage before long. There were several times…” she swallowed heavily. “That I had to deal with those losses without any support.“Hearing that shocked me to my core; she had never told me this before! Turning to glance at Derek, I saw pain on his face, and knew he hadn’t heard of this either.How badly he must feel, I thought, to see his mother this way.Every part of me longed to comfort them, but I knew I couldn’t put a stop to this trial just yet.Melissa took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before continuing. “That night Marcus died, was another of his worse nights. Derek stopped him, and Marcus tried to attack him. No… he tried to KILL his own son. And Derek had no choice but to defend himse