Derek:Evening came and after a lot of work I returned back to my home. I nodded as I walked past the guards who bowed in greeting to me, and entered the house.As Benjamin was on another mission tonight I expected to not have any more encounters with anyone for the day once I entered my bedroom.Instead I felt a hand wrap around my waist as soon as my door was shut behind me. Admittedly I was a little startled but quickly recovered.“Hello, Derek,” Lila’s seductive tones whispered into my ear and it drove me angry.How had she managed to conceal her identity? Or had I been too tired to notice she was in my bedroom?In a split second I ripped her hand away from my waist and pushed her away. As I turned to look at her I noticed she was dressed in practically a red lace lingerie. Ironically I never felt less attracted to her in my life.“What the fuck?!” She shrieked at me, from the rug at the center of my bedroom. She looked affronted that I would lay a hand in her like that. But I wa
AlishaThe next morning luckily seemed to start off well. I didn’t find myself puking my guts out in the bathroom sink that is. It was as if the moon goddess took it upon herself to grant me a book for which I was ever thankful.As I showered, my hand would constantly brush over the small bump my stomach had. And every single time I would feel warmth. Simon had mentioned to me after I had been found to be pregnant, that sometimes pregnant werewolves were able to communicate to their unborn babies and vice verse. So feeling the warmth everytime I focused attention on my smaller baby bump was like an affirmation that things were going so well for me. I was such in a good mood that I even began to whistle as I dried my hair.But then the dreaded moment came. I couldn’t find anything suitable to wear. And just like that the day began to turn sour for me.I discarded the second shirt which I had loved to wear. It was too casual. I frowned at the next dress I put on. Too formal. And I just
DerekHonestly, women!I cursed several times in my head as I stormed out of my home. It was a rare day off and I had to deal with having Alisha in my home, in my space?There was this odd feeling thinking of her gave me, this odd feeling inside me I hated to acknowledge. It was getting stronger by the day, but I couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge it.Perhaps it was because of my lack of finding release the previous night.I growled to myself whilst ignoring pack members who stared confusedly at me as I walked towards my best friend’s place.The night had been going on okay. The girl by my side has been very upfront and we spent a lot of time making out and having her on my lap, fondling those breasts of hers.She had practically shoved her hands in my pants and grasped my manhood as we found ourselves on the bed of the room I had paid for.But then… I had fucking ruined it.It wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t stop thinking of her. That girl…“Alisha,” I called her name before I could st
AlishaWhat did Derek want?“Let’s get some things straight, Alisha,” he sounded so rough as he held my arm and pulled me down the street. I was confused by everything he was doing.“What-?” I tried to ask what he meant but he only pulled harder at my arm and pushed me into the alcove hidden out of anyone’s sights. “Derek, what…”“No talking,” he growled and I couldn’t contain the shiver down my spine. “I am going to talk and you have to listen. Understand?”I nodded. What else could I do?“Good,” he paused, “You need to stay away.”“But why?” Those words flew out of my mouth before I could control myself and it was clear from Derek’s glare that he didn’t like it. I closed my mouth promptly, feeling apologetic.“You need to stay away from my home. Don’t come near, pretend like you don’t know me. Alright? I’m saying this to be kind to you, but you have no reason to come to my home from now on.“But we are mates, aren’t we?”It felt like Sebastian all over again. The good mood that I ha
DerekI was pissed off and rightfully so.I walked back to my home, already plotting in my mind. Alisha and the mate bond was pushed firmly back and I could focus on doing this.As soon as I stepped inside I noticed the maid who I had spotted several times with Gerard, and also this evening when I was with Alisha, standing looking innocent by the corner.It infuriated me.“Guards,” I called.“Yes Alpha,” the guards came swiftly to me. I pointed at the maid who all of a sudden looked startled, like a deer in headlights.“Seize her, and bring her to my study,” I ordered.“What? No!” The maid shrieked, sounding like she was about to cry. I grit my teeth and walked to my study, hearing the footsteps of the guards dragging the girl right behind me.Entering my study, I forced the guards to kneel her down in front of me, standing in either side of her. She was trapped and her expression showed that she knew what sort of trouble she was in.“You know why you’re here, don’t you?“ I asked her
Derek“Mother, please,” I tried to calm her down, still avoiding answering the question. “You need to think reasonably about this.”“I am thinking quite reasonably, thank you very much.” She bit back. “I’m thinking of your position as the Alpha of this pack, not just my son. You need to face facts. Derek. The Pack Elders want you to marry soon. They want a Luna, not a Luna Regent like me. And I support that. You need to settle down. Is that so hard for you to understand?”I let out a sigh, taking my hand through my hair. She sounded so upset that I didn’t even know what to do about it. For that reason, I admittedly felt a little bit of guilt as I turned to her.“Mother, Alisha and I… we’re just not a good match. Besides, you know how things are complicated right now,” I explained.“How are things complicated? She is your mate.”“When it comes to Gerard, things are always complicated,” I answered her.She fell silent and pursed her lips. She didn’t like me mentioning that Beta, my fath
AlishaI struggled to finish up the dinner I had eaten. It had been over a few days or maybe even up to a week now and still the memory of Derek’s callous, cruel words to me were stinging. Simon was silent as he ate and I pushed my food around with a glum expression.“You know, you need to feed yourself. For the baby, dear, if not for too itself,” Simon was gentle as he said that, as usual. But his words packed a punch. “So I guess what I’m asking is, do you want to talk about what’s been bothering you recently?”He had asked me this before but I didn’t respond. Or maybe, I didn’t know how to. I didn’t want to tell Simon that the Alpha, the son of the woman he was close to… had fully made it clear to me that he could never have me as his mate.And I couldn’t tell him of how much my hopes had crashed and how I had somehow fallen in love with him in such a short time. I was going to end up putting my burden on him and that wasn’t what I wanted. He deserved to not always be my emotional
Derek“Alpha! Alpha Derek!” It was that and the persistent knocking which woke me up. I jolted up fast with my heart pounding and realized it was just barely the crack of dawn.What had happened?Storming over to the doors, I practically ripped it open. A maid was standing there, looking frightened to the core.“What happened?” I growled at her.“It’s your mother, Alpha,” the maid sniffled pitifully. “She fainted at the living room-““Mother!”Suddenly I was taken back to the days as a child when I would rush to her side as she sobbed in pain.No!I ran out, brushing past the maid who came to report to me and quickly moving to the living room.There she was, unconscious on the floor when I found her and a maid trying to shake her awake.“Move,” I commanded the maid who did as I asked and I took my mother in my arms, not paying mine to anyone else. Her head killed and I was glad to not see any visible bruises on her. But still… something had to have caused this.“Call the doctor over
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