The unexpected ambush from my old pack didn’t sit well with Hycinth and the rest of the Gypsies. We decided to move again and this time, we sailed across the ocean to a territory not too far from the Highlands.It felt weird to be close to the place where I spent four years of my life as a slave. However, I was more than happy to be far away from Apex Woods where Darius and Damian couldn’t reach me anymore.Lola continued to get cheeky with me, talking in riddles and carrying on like the queen of the pack. Eventually, I was free from her disturbance when she fell sick and was confined to her tent for days.One evening, her parents came to our tent to speak with Hycinth regarding her health.“The pack physician has finally figured out what is wrong with Lola,” her father said. He was an elderly Beta who was well-respected in the pack for his wisdom.“She is about three months into the pregnancy,” her mother said. “We thought you should know.”“Why?” I asked curiously. “Do the rest of t
We reached the south the next day and docked at a small village. By then, I was very hungry and tired.This place was like a hub where different packs mingled and traded with each other.I had no money or any other valuable item on me to trade with anymore, so I had to swallow my pride and offer myself to a random rich stranger. I gave him head in exchange for ten silver coins.I bought some food and a bottle of strong wine with some of the money. When I was satisfied and full of energy again, I began my journey into the woods.It felt so freeing to be without a mate. I didn’t have to answer to anyone or be pressured to produce an heir. I could finally start my life over and live on my own terms.I walked through the woods all day until evening, but I never ran into the Lycan. I became worried. Where would I sleep tonight?Could I sleep in the open like some wild animal? What if someone sneaked up on me and attacked me in my sleep?I kept walking and then I began to hear the sound of
Living with Sasha was an exciting experience but as the days progressed, I became bored. I was tired of our daily routine; sex, food, sex, sleep, and more sex.I needed new exciting experiences and I thought about the Lycan a lot. Perhaps it was time for me to go out and search for him again.I also wondered if my former mates including Hycinth were searching for me too. I didn’t feel guilty about abandoning the Gypsy Pack but I sometimes wonder if I should have at least left a message behind to let them know that I was ok.As weeks slowly turned into months, Sasha began to notice my restlessness. I couldn’t tell her that I wanted to leave because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.“What is it?” She asked me one evening as we sat on the cabin porch, listening to the crickets and birds chirping.“What do you mean?” I asked, pretending not to understand her question.“You know I won’t stop you if you want to leave,” she said softly.I was sad because I could already hear the loneliness
I knew this showdown between these angry werewolves wouldn’t end well and I didn’t want to be held responsible for the outcome.Although I admired the Lycan for stepping in for me and trying to protect me, I didn’t want him to lose his life on my account.In the same way, I didn’t want Dominic to die either. I wanted him to return home safely to his brothers who probably thought he was dead.“Please, don’t do this,” I begged him.“What are you afraid that I will kill your boyfriend?”“He’s not my boyfriend and I don’t think you can kill him. Have you forgotten what he did to you the last time?”“How can I forget? That’s why we are here now, isn’t it?”He jumped at the Lycan, scratching and biting the tall werewolf in the face. In response, the Lycan dug his long sharp claws into Dominic’s back, tearing his skin. Blood oozed out of the wound and Dominic fought back.They landed on the ground eventually, rolling on grass and dirt. The Lycan punched Dominic mercilessly and he retaliated
“Wait, what’s going on here?” I asked Hazim. “Do you two know each other?”He sighed. “Yeah. Briefly.”“When?”“I need to sit down. My legs still hurt.”I helped him sit on the porch and then went back to knock on the cabin door to get Sasha’s attention.“Go away!” She yelled from inside.“Please, Sasha. He needs help. He saved my life again in the woods.”“Leave her alone,” he said. “I’ll be fine eventually.”“I’m not going to let you bleed to death out here,” I said to him. “What did you do to her anyway?”“I broke her heart,” he said and groaned in pain.“You wish you did,” said Sasha from inside.“You two were together before?” I asked.The cabin door swung open and Sasha came out. “This fool was the first person I ran into when I fled the Highlands. He got me a room in a village inn and paid for my food and care. We started to hang out and then we were practically living together.“We had plans of getting jobs and a proper house to live in. Everything seemed fine until he took of
“Hey, wake up.”My eyes fluttered open. I blinked but I saw nothing. Then suddenly, light!“Ouch!” I groaned and closed my eyes again.“I’m glad you finally woke up,” said the elderly man holding a lantern close to my face. “I was almost about to toss you back into the river.”I knew he didn’t mean that because I could hear the smile in his voice. I was on a boat and I was soaking wet. When I shivered from the cold, he grabbed a smelly wool blanket and covered me with it.He was probably expecting me to thank him for rescuing me from the river but I didn’t feel grateful. I was angry. Very angry.“Why did you bring me out of the river?” I asked him testily.The old man grinned. “And here I was, thinking I had done a good deed today.”He held the edge of his raggedy wool cap and said, “I apologize, my lady. I thought I was helping you.”“No, you weren’t,” I snapped at him. “I wanted to die. I don’t want to be in this world anymore. I have never been lucky and I can’t even be allowed to
“No!” Albert screamed. He jumped on my back and dragged me off Lattie.“What are you doing?” He shouted at me. He looked terrified and his fear melted my anger away.All Albert had ever done since he met me was be nice and friendly. Why was I paying back his kindness with such savage behaviour? The least I could do was control my temper and address the situation like a sane person.“I am sorry,” I apologized to him.“I knew bringing a stranger home was risky, but I didn’t expect this kind of extreme behaviour,” he said.I felt as if I was been scolded by my father and I was remorseful. Seeing Lattie again and remembering how she betrayed me in the Highlands unleashed a side of me that I wasn’t proud of.“It was not my intention to offend you,” I said to him. “I’ll leave now.”“Where would you go?” Lattie asked as Albert helped her back on her feet.“Don’t talk to me,” I replied to her and opened the door.I had to get out of the cottage quickly or else I might be tempted to pounce on
With Albert’s help, I got a ride from the village to the Highlands port for free. Lattie had gone out of her way to resize a few of her dresses for me. Then, at her husband’s insistence, she trimmed my hair and dyed it a bold strawberry blond colour.“You look stunning!” Albert had gushed when she was done with my makeover.“The red hair brings out the brightness in your green eyes,” she’d said.“I don’t want to draw anyone’s attention, Lattie,” I had complained. “I want to blend into the crowd.”“You were not created to blend in, Jade,” said Albert. “You were made to stand out.”I chuckled at his words. “How would you know?”“I just do,” he had said, grinning like a proud father.“Will come back this way and visit us again?” Lattie had asked hopefully.Sometime in the course of the night, I had buried my hatchet with her and decided to let bygone be bygone. Staying angry with her won’t bring Domarius back to life, so it was pointless.“Maybe,” I said. “But don’t hold your breath.”No
“You’re back,” Rowan whispered happily. I blinked. “Where am I?” “We had to bring you to the pack hospital. Your bones were broken badly from the fall,” he explained. “But don’t worry, you’re the only one here. We cleared out the hospital to give you some privacy.” I looked at him and noticed how tired he looked. There were dark circles under his eyes and his beard was overgrown like his father’s own in the chasm. “I am so sorry,” I apologized. “I have put you through a lot. You don’t deserve any of these troubles you’ve experienced because of me.” “Please, don’t say that,” he replied tenderly. “We are one. You’re my mate and that means that whatever affects you affects me. We’re in this together.” “Thank you,” I whispered. “From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you, Alpha Rowan.” He smiled tenderly. “You’re welcome, Luna Jade. Always and forever.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead softly. “I have some good news for you,” he whispered. “Let me guess, you found the neckl
“Here she is, my lord,” Tarik announced as he led me into Alpha Jaxon’s lair.“Leave us,” he growled and Tarik promptly disappeared.Alpha Jaxon watched me warily like a predator. He was sitting on a wingbacked chair, nursing a goblet of wine. His beard was overgrown and his bloodshot eyes told me that he was piss drunk.“Where have you been?” He asked me. His deep voice rumbled like thunder.“I – I…”“Answer me!” He barked and I nearly peed on myself.Why the hell did I agree to this? Why did I let Lynda talk me into this nonsense? I wasn’t even Sasha, so why should I receive her punishment?“I’m not Sasha,” I blurted out fearfully.“That’s not the answer to my question,” he rumbled again. “I will ask you one more time only.”I swallowed hard. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest.“Where… have… you… been?”I began to shiver with fear. “I am not Sasha,” I repeated stubbornly.He was out of his chair like a shot and was standing in front of me within a second. He grabbed my throat
The last thing I remembered was Albert and Lattie shifting into their wolf forms and meeting Damian mid-air. I don’t even know how I found my way out of the cottage but I did.“I have to get to the Highlands! I have to get to the Highlands!” I chanted again as I ran towards the dock.I couldn’t see Damian but my wolf senses told me that he was already behind me. I could almost feel his breath on my back.As I reached the dock, a boat was just pulling up and the only passenger on it got off through the gangplank. He was a dashing guy that I would recognize anywhere.“Sahid! What are you doing here?”He stared at me blankly. “Who are you?”“It’s me, Jade.”“Watch out!” He yelled and pushed me out of the way.Damian crashed into Sahid, knocking him to the ground. He tried to come after me but Sahid wouldn’t let him. He held onto the Alpha’s hind legs, stalling his movement.“Get away from me, you fool!” Damian shouted and kicked Sahid savagely.Once he broke free from the Lycan’s grip, h
“Slow down, girl. Why are you running?” An old woman asked me.I had reached the southern village and I was heading to the dock to get a boat ride to the Highlands. I’d stopped briefly by an empty stall in the market to catch my breath when the woman showed up.“Are you ok?” She asked.She was standing in the shadows where I couldn’t see her properly but I recognized her voice.“Lattie?”She stepped forward and the moonlight shone on her face. She was staring at me with a puzzled expression.“Do I know you?” She asked.“Not in this life,” I replied plainly. “Where’s Albert? Do you think he’ll be willing to give me a ride to the Highlands?”Lattie was speechless at first. “Who are you?”“My name is Jade. You don’t know me yet or maybe you do and don’t remember, but I know you from another time.”“Child, that doesn’t make sense.”“To you, it doesn’t but to me, it does. Where’s Albert?”“He already packed up and left. I only stayed back this long to sell off my last batch of fresh apples
“You don’t even know me,” I said.“Doesn’t matter,” he replied promptly. “Come here.”I sighed. This new life was filled with more sex than I’d had in my other life. I’m not even sure if that’s a good thing at this point but I could tell that it was purely a physical thing for me at this point.“What a stubborn fellow,” I grumbled under my breath.“I heard that,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll make this worth your while.”“Whatever…” I mumbled. An image of Hazim fucking Sasha on her kitchen cabinet flashed through my mind and I nearly gagged. Yikes!“Why do you look like a lamb approaching the slaughterhouse?” He asked me with a chuckle. “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”“No.”“Then what is it?”“I don’t want to have sex with you.”“Oh.” He looked disappointed. “Well, you don’t have to.”I stared at him. “Then how do I get my necklace from you?”He threw it at me and it hit me in the face. That reminded me of that nightmare I had in my other life where Dominic threw the necklace at me.
“Intruders!”My eyes flew open. Hycinth and Lola woke up with a start too. We could hear loud voices outside our tent and what sounded like a stampede.“What’s going on?” I gasped.“That’s what I intend to find out,” Hycinth grumbled. I could tell that he was seriously pissed about being woken up so rudely.We scrambled to get dressed but we were barely halfway through it when Gertrude burst into our tent. Her eyes were wide with fear.“Quick, we have to flee! There’s an army of werewolves out there trying to kill everyone!” She shouted frantically.“Where are they from?” Hycinth asked.“Who cares? There’s too many of them and they’re here for blood.”We ran outside with Hycinth in front and we were shocked to see the chaos going on outside. The enemy werewolves were pouncing on every Gypsy in sight, attacking them viciously.It only took me a few moments to recognize the Alphas leading them. Fear paralysed me. I knew I should run but I simply couldn’t.Hycinth swung into full battle
All Hycinth and I ever did was have sex at the slightest opportunity. We did it anytime and everywhere until Gertrude became annoyed.“You must have been starved of sex in your previous relationship,” she commented one day. “Don’t you ever get tired?” “You could ask Hycinth that too,” I replied cheekily and that silenced her.Hycinth and I were unofficially mates. His mother had tried to choose a mate for him a couple of times because he never felt the mate bond with anyone.According to him, once he’s had sex with them, he loses interest in having a proper relationship with them. He’s had a ‘taste’ of all the young she-wolves in the pack to the annoyance of the elders.“What happens when I eventually leave?” I asked him when we settled down for the night in our tent later that day.“Why would you leave?” He asked with a questioning look.“I can’t stay here forever. I have several unanswered questions burning in my mind.”“Have you regained your memory?”“Uh, no but I’m curious about
“Who is this?” Gertrude asked as we entered the camp.“This is Jade. I rescued her from the jaws of a beast that tried to kill her.”“Why? What did you do?” She asked me.“I don’t know. I don’t remember,” I said. I’m going to stick to my amnesia story and see how this plays out. I didn’t want to get myself in trouble by saying the wrong thing.“She appears to have lost her memory,” said Hycinth.“Something traumatic must have happened to her. Come on, then. Let’s get you cleaned up and fed.”She led me through the camp where everyone stared at me curiously. She assigned Lola and Cherise to take care of me. It felt odd that they didn’t recognize me.“Your wounds are already closing up,” said Lola. “Are you from the Moon Pack? They’re famous for healing faster than every other werewolf.”“No, I’m not. I’m from…” I bit my tongue before I blurted out my identity.“From where?” Cherise asked me.“I don’t remember,” I lied.“It must be very frustrating to not remember anything about your pa
“We’ll send for you when the time is right,” said Damian.It was two days after the tragic stillbirth of Domarius. My birthing injuries had finally healed but I wasn’t ready to be kicked out yet.“Why are you all blaming me for what happened?” I asked softly.“Because you gave us false hopes. We will send for you when we get over this disappointment. Goodbye, Jade.”He shut the door before I could manage to get another word in. So, here I was, mateless and babyless in what should have been my comeback.I went to Nana’s cabin to see where she’d buried the baby’s body. I saw the small mound of sand where she’d put him and my heart broke.“Who’s there?” She asked from inside.“It’s me, Nana,” I replied.She came outside and met me there. Her expression softened when she saw my tear-stained face.“Oh, Jade. Can you ever forgive me?”“There’s nothing to forgive, Nana. What happened wasn’t your fault. I think we both miscalculated the outcome.”“When are the triplets coming to see the baby’