“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
“Come here, quickly. Let’s get out of this kitchen.”I allowed myself to be dragged from the kitchen into the corridor that led to the palace dining area. I hadn’t been to this part of the building before and I was relieved to finally be out of that hot kitchen.It took me a moment to recognize Cherise, one of the Deltas from the Gypsy Pack who was always present for kitchen duties during my time with them.“What are you doing here?” She asked me excitedly. “We thought you got kidnapped or killed in the woods. Where have you been?”“Did Alpha Hycinth look for me?” I asked her.“He did,” she replied. “He even went to Apex Woods to find you but the Alphas there tried to capture him because they thought he was there to spy on them on your behalf.”“I can imagine…” I muttered.“Where is she?” The woman who opened the kitchen door asked from inside the kitchen. “Where is the farm girl?”“That’s me,” I told Cherise. “I came into the palace disguised as a farmhand.”“Why?” she asked me with
He barely resembled his father but I knew he was the new Alpha. I could smell his aura of power and authority like a strong perfume.Rowan was taller than his father and ruggedly handsome with a chiselled face and broad shoulders. He had wavy tan hair with streaks of blond in it. His eyes were grey like his father’s but with icy blue flecks.He was standing more than six feet away from me but I could see every detail of his physical features clearly. We stared at each other in silence, studying ourselves from head to toe. My initial fear soon gave way to desire.I had heard so much about Alpha Rowan but nobody had bothered to mention his unearthly beauty. I could tell that he was attracted to me too by the way his eyes began t darken and his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply.The air between us seemed to sizzle as we continued to admire each other. It was only a matter of time before one of us made the first move and –“My lord, the scouts are back,” said a guard who appeared from
I nearly fainted. Brianna had an adult daughter? When? How? That was impossible, wasn’t it? My dead cousin was only a year older than me, so how could she have birthed a fully grown woman like this one?“I don’t understand,” I said.“My mother was Brianna Miner, from the Moon Pack,” she said. “She lived in the mountains where everyone called her Nana.”I exhaled loudly with relief. “Good gracious, you almost scared me,” I said.“Do you know of another Brianna?” She asked.“Yeah, but she’s dead now. Thankfully.”“Wow…”“I know how that sounds, but trust me, she was a bad person,” I assured her. “The world is a better place without her.”She smiled in response.“I didn’t know Nana had a daughter,” I said. “She never mentioned you when I was with her.”“I’m sure she didn’t,” said the woman. “My name is Freya, by the way.”“Another By-the-way?” I laughed, remembering Albert.“What?”“Never mind. Inside joke,” I said. “So, tell me, why didn’t Nana ever talk about you? Where have you been?”
I couldn’t believe my ears. The same Hycinth that should be thanking me was instead accusing me of murder. How? Why?Since he had decided to act like an idiot, I took a deep breath and slowly told him how I got to know about the Gypsy Pack situation from an old friend in the village. I narrated how I entered the Highlands in disguise and my meeting with the Gypsy maids who gave me access to Mariah.When I was done talking, his mouth was hanging open in awe.“You did all of that for me?” He asked softly. “After how badly I treated you?”I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t do it for you, Hycinth. I did it for Lola and Mariah here. What you did to her mother was wrong and you should be ashamed of yourself.”He hung his head in embarrassment. “I know,” he said quietly.“Then why did you do it?” I asked. “And please, don’t tell me that your mother made you do it. You only listen to her when it favours you.”“You’re right,” he admitted. “I was angry. When you left, I thought that I had failed you.
The battle line was officially drawn between me and Gertrude. I didn’t let that bother me as I settled down beside Hycinth at the end of the celebration.It was cold outside but inside our tent was warm and cosy. I snuggled closer to him and he responded by holding me and stroking my back tenderly.Not much has changed since we parted. He still smelled the same and his body responded to mine in that familiar way that I still remembered.We kissed passionately and began to make love tenderly. I didn’t realize just how much I missed the loving touch of a man until this moment. We climaxed together, clinging to each other for dear life.It was a beautiful moment but I felt… empty afterwards. My mind drifted back to Alpha Rowan and I had to shake my head to clear out that alluring image from my subconscious. The way my body reacted just from thinking about him, amazed me.“Are you all right?” Hycinth asked me.“Yes,” I replied and smiled at him in the dimly lit tent.He kissed my forehead
“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’