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
AlishaAfter reaching the pack clinic from my spar with Mischa, I walked through the back entrance to inform Simon I had returned. My feet padded down the hallway, through the sterile scent of the wards and down to Sinon’s office when the door opened and out walked Derek.Our eyes met and I kept my voice measured when I greeted him.“Good morning,” I said.I could feel his eyes all over my disheveled state - I hadn’t yet taken a shower.“Hi,” he eventually said. “I came over to see you. Simon informed me you were out.”“What is it you want to talk about?” I asked him plainly. “If this is about the children then I expect you’ve met my conditions.”Honestly I expected Derek to come out and say my conditions were nothing short of unreasonable, but for the last two days since I sent him that letter he hadn’t done that.To my utmost surprise, the Alpha nodded and he replied with, “And I’ve spared no expense in making sure your specifications were met. It’s done, all of it.”I was silent fo
AlishaI fell silent. Everything that Simon had just told me rang through my head but I still felt uneasy. It was as if my emotions were on overdrive and I had to struggle to keep myself in check.Derek had done this to me. If I had never seen him again, I would have felt better. It had been a numb existence without him but at least the memories of pain and hurt I had been through because of him had become relegated to only my nightmares, instead of them plaguing my waking hours as well.I let out a sigh and felt Simon pay my head gently in the manner that he liked to.“Why don’t you take a long break?” He asked. “Clinic day’s over, so you can go on and rest until the twins get back, hmm?”I silently glanced at the wall clock on the corner and saw it was only 5.30pm. The twins were supposed to be back by 6pm, as Derek had promised.It might be a little early but…“I’ll go pick the twins up now,” I stood, making up my mind. I felt like I would overthink if I ended up staying on my own
AlishaThe way to the dining room was filled with the twins’ running commentary on how their day went; how they ate lunch and spent some time in the garden, how they ended up taking a nap in the BIGGEST BEDROOM EVER(!) and everything else in between from the color of their bedroom walls to the tasty cake they had for dessert that afternoon.I kept silent through it all, holding Ares in my arms and letting their words wash over me.As we entered the dining room, I placed Ares in a seat across from his sister, and I saw Derek reach to pull out my chair and my jaw was tense from how much I gritted my teeth.Walking away from him I sat on the other side of the table.He looked stoic yet concealed hurt was behind his eyes as he sat down on the chair he intended to be for me.Dinner was tense as the maids served the food, but I couldn’t help my mouth watering when the aroma of steak and the side dishes hit my nostrils. As one of the maids passed by him I noticed Derek say something impercep
Derek“I can’t do that,” my words made my mate stop once more.If hell was a feeling I was certainly there now. To hear her say those words, that even if she forgave me she couldn’t forget… it was far too painful for me to withstand. How could I, when she had even implied that I should move on and marry another? That I should forget about having her back in my life, save for the twins? It was like she was a judge of my sins, damning me to a life sentence filled with eternal regret and pain.“That’s not for you to decide,” she responded to me.My wolf roiled in me, straining to reach out to our mate through the bond. That mate bond with was warm in my chest now bhrnwd with the power do a thousand suns.“I’m not going to do as you wish this time, Alisha,” i said to her, my tone certain and leaving no room for doubt. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t for you to decide either. I can’t move on, and leave you behind. Not when I know it would be a lie. I can’t be a husband to anyone else, and no on
Derek“What are you still doing up?”I stared at my mother through the gap in the door of my study and felt like she was chastising me just like when I did something bad as a child. Her eyes were weary and she looked exhausted but she still came to check up on me.I let out a sigh; it was her knocking on the door of the study that was what drew me out of my work flow.“I’ll be going to bed soon, mother,” i responded to her, before turning briefly to eye the clock on the wall. It said the time was just last midnight and my face must have shown surprise at how quickly time flowed because I heard my mother huff.“Sure sure,” she said knowingly. “Just don’t overwork yourself, Derek. It wouldn’t do for you to break down simply because you wanted to work.”“Yes mother,” i droned in a monotone that made her roll her eyes at me.Then, in a softer voice she asked, “I saw Alisha come into the clinic earlier this evening. Did she come by? Simon said she might have,” hope was clear in her eyes as
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