I heard the snaps and snarls and growls as those behind me shifted again, following, but falling silent as a very different kind of snarls sounded from either side of me. I realised it was a Lycan that held me, its huge, long forearms around my waist, and I froze. This one was even larger than Cole had been, but otherwise similar, with pure black fur and golden eyes. He rose up on his strong hind legs, towering over the wolves at his full height, and they backed off, leaving Xavier at their head. He shifted back, and I could smell his fear. Still, he spoke bravely, "My apologies, Lycan, that one is one of ours, who seems to have a nasty little habit of spending time around your border. I assure you, now that we're aware of it, it will not be happening again."He sneered at me, and I glared back. Trev stepped up behind him, snarling at me, though he'd already shifted back too. "Fuck it," he said angrily, "let them do their worst to her, after what she did to Sarah.." He cut off as a
He inhaled sharply, tangling his hand in my hair in return, holding me to him as he deepened the kiss, his tongue parting my lips as it sought mine. I met his eagerly, moaning softly as his taste filled my mouth, and he shifted his position slightly, until I felt his huge, hard length under me. Instinctively, I moved my hips, grinding against it. He moaned and moved his hands, cupping and massaging my breasts, pulling his mouth away as he suddenly pinched my nipples, then rubbed them between his thumb and forefinger, grinning as he made me gasp and whimper softly. Arousal only filled me more, and my need only seemed to make his grow, as he kissed me again, grinding back against me now. He thrusted against me suddenly, pinching my nipples again, "Thane.." I gasped softly, and he growled again. Standing up, he turned around, pushing me onto the bed, flipping me over onto my front. I turned to look over my shoulder at him, watching his strip his clothes off hurriedly, baring his incre
His face darkened, from concerned and confused, to something.. unreadable. I backed away instinctively, but he stood, moving closer, until my back hit the wall and he loomed over me, with an absolutely terrifying look in his eyes. "Who the fuck was your mother?" he asked quietly, his voice sounding dark. I swallowed, pressing myself back against the wall, "A.. Alena," I said softly, my voice trembling. He frowned, that dangerous look still in his eyes, "And what exactly do you know of our previous Alpha?" I stared at him, wondering how that was relevant, but the look on his face made me respond quickly, "I.. not much, only what Dad told me.." I said, and his face grew even darker. "And what did he tell you?" he asked, putting his face closer to mine. "Just that.. that Alpha Asher hunted all the Royals down, and anyone that knew them, including.." He raised an eyebrow at that, cutting me off, "Including your mother?" he asked softly, and I nodded, wishing he'd back down. He seemed t
I sat up straighter then, starting to protest, but Finn ignored me, stepping in and sitting himself across from me. Cole followed a moment later, sitting down beside me and stretching his long, heavily muscled arms along the rim of the tub. "Hello, little mate," he said casually, a smile on his face and mischief in his eyes. Finn grinned at me from across the tub, grabbing my left leg and lifting it above the water. "Is your ankle better now, little wolf?" he asked, studying it, and smiling when I nodded. "We were worried about you, especially when you didn't react well to Thane's mark." He started massaging my legs and feet then, being incredibly attentive. Cole rolled his eyes at him, but his expression turned much warmer when he looked at me, "We would have waited, if it was us, until you had your wolf," he said softly, moving around just a little, so his hand could reach the back of my neck, beginning to massage it softly. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back and exhaling slo
I awoke a few hours later, hearing the doors of my room swing open, then shut again. I could feel Cole and Finn stir beside me too, and lifted my head to see who it was, finding the room was much darker than earlier. I could smell Thane, I realised quickly, his cool, misty, forest scent enticing my nose. His brothers seemed to notice too, grumbling as they looked up. "Are you planning on joining us for your birthday dinner, little wolf?" he asked, standing at the foot of the bed and looking down at me."My.. what?" I mumbled sleepily, the realisation slowly sinking in. 'Of course it is,' I thought to myself, 'That's why I finally have Lisbet!' I felt her warmth then, in the back of my mind where she seemed to be quite comfortable. It was nice, really, feeling her presence there without her being at the forefront of my attention a lot of the time. Comforting, but unobtrusive. That made sense too, I'd never been big on endless amounts of small talk either. Finn and Cole were already p
It was a pleasant night overall, despite Valerie's often unsettling presence, and the rest of them seemed very welcoming. When it finally began winding up, Thane stood, taking my hand with a small smile, lifting it gently until I stood. Cole and Finn also got to their feet, and the three led me towards the back of the house, earning a puzzled expression. There was a seperate set of stairs here, I realised, and as they led me down, Thane spoke softly. "We have some small gifts for you, for later, but we wanted to surprise you, before it got much later," he said, leading me down into a large, multi-car garage. Or, multi-bike garage, given what this one seemed to mostly house. He passed me a helmet, gloves, and leather jacket then, as Cole and Finn grabbed their own, smiling at me as they put them on, mounting a bike each. Thane did the same, before gesturing for me to sit behind him, and moments later, we were tearing out of the garage and onto winding mountain roads at adrenaline ind
I had no idea where I was or where I was going, I just knew I couldn't be in there anymore. It was too much. I kept running, though slowed to a more sustainable pace after a while, as the forest thickened the deeper I ran. My eyes adjusted easily to the clear night, with the almost full moon shining bright in the sky, and I kept going until the shock began to fade. I paused at a large, mossy, fallen stump, sitting down and catching my breath. Leaning forward and rubbing at my face, I shivered sightly in the cold mountain air. It was refreshing, at least, helping me thinking more clearly, which wasn't easy at the moment. I understood why Dad had never told me, no doubt he hoped he'd never have to, but it was still an absolute shock, even if I didn't blame him for it. I felt sick, thinking of what my Mother must have been through. Her own friend had raped her?! And then she'd had to explain it to Dad, and they had me without ever knowing for sure whose I was, before she was killed for
As we pulled into their garage about an hour later, I could feel Thane's tension rising again. I stepped off his bike as soon as he stopped, taking off and handing him back the gear, with a wary look. He still looked angry, I realised, and even his brothers looked unsettled by it. He hung the gear up with their own, "Upstairs. Now," he said shortly, his anger in his voice. He headed straight for the stairs, and the Cole and Finn gestured for me to follow, coming up behind me. They led me upstairs silently, and to one of the bedrooms past mine, which I assumed was Thane's, judging by the way his scent filled the room. Cole closed the doors behind us, making me raise an eyebrow as he locked them as well. They all had very serious looks on their faces, but as I turned to Thane, I took a half step back. He was clearly furious. "I said I'm sorry.." I started, but he growled threateningly, and I stopped, by eyes wide. "Does your wolf know?" he asked, his gaze intense, "Know.. what?" I as
After that, everything else began to happen all at once. A blurry, chaotic, storm of events, as attacks began, from their side, and then ours, as our patrols began to hit their more isolated groups, using the terrain they knew so well to take them by surprise. We weakened them quickly there, while our sentries weakened those who dared attack our home, the few who broke through meeting Tyson and his teams, and finding themselves overwhelmingly outmatched. As the sun went down, they only grew more desperate and disorganised, the attacking groups growing smaller, weaker, and far less confident. Within a few hours, Marcus had his original patrols hunting down the remnants of Yannick's pack. Yannick himself was captured as he tried to flee, and his Beta, Sean, was killed as he led a dismal final attempt to attack our home. It was almost dawn again when Yannick was brought before us, greatly wounded in both pride and body. Cole, Finn, and I stared down at him with disdain, while we awaite
Dorian reached up to wipe my tears with his thumbs, a look of sorrow-filled sympathy on his face, "I promise you, we'll help him as best we can," he said softly, "but your pack still needs you, you need to help them." I stared at him wide eyed, not feeling like I could help anyone right now, but he cupped my cheeks gently, giving me an encouraging nod. "I.. but.." I stammered, looking around and seeing so many uncertain faces looking right back at me, and I knew that it was me who needed to give them certainty again. He stepped back, organising for Thane to be taken to the hospital, and I shook my head sadly, taking several long deep breaths and closing my eyes for a moment, before speaking again. "I need reports," I said more firmly, "I need to know what's happening with the incursions, and.." I paused for a moment again, trying to clear my head enough to focus. "The sentries, they need to report to Finn now," I said, looking up at him. His face was pale, so very pale, and shocked,
Samantha seemed to find some determination from somewhere though, straightening her posture even as her companion fell forward, his face hitting the ground with a soft thud. She suddenly dropped her hand, allowing the metal piece to move towards her, before suddenly raising both, trying to thrust it towards me with everything she had. I screamed wordlessly, letting that rage rush through me again, wildly, as I raised both hands, thrusting them towards her. I could see the fear in her eyes as the object raced towards her, and unable to stop it, she ducked, and it shot right past her, barely missing her companions, and out of sight. She turned to me as she straightened again, but her eyes were drawn to the same thing that had caught my own attention. From Thane's slowly stirring body, a dark figure had formed, leaving his body and hovering above it. "What are you doing?!" Samantha screamed at it, sounding hysterical, "She's right there! Take her!" She pointed at me, but nothing rushed
"Where?" asked Finn, and I frowned at him, "Right there, in the middle, Thane's walking over to her.." I stopped as he exchanged a look with Jess, both of them looking puzzled. "The young blonde kid?" Jess asked, and I stared at her in bewilderment, "What young blonde kid? I mean the black haired woman, standing in the middle of the group waiting for Thane." Finn stopped walking, grabbing my arm and turning me towards him, "You see a black haired woman standing there?" he asked, as he and Jess both frowned at me in confusion. "Yes.. don't you?" I asked, suddenly feeling uncertain, and they both shook their heads looking concerned. "No.." Jess began, looking thoughtful, "Do you think.. could she be masking herself somehow?" she asked, looking up at Finn. "I don't know.." he said, as he rubbed his chin, seeming to consider the idea, then lifted a brow, looking over behind us, "but I know someone who would," he added, and I turned, seeing Elyanna over at the edge of the green, closer t
As we reached the green, we noticed the tension in the air. Nerves were frayed, and some were frightened, knowing something was happening, but having no clear message of what. A few people stopped, staring at us, seeming to be waiting for something, and I sighed, looking up at Finn. "They need to know," I said gently, and he frowned, shaking his head, "Thane.." he began, and I gently put a hand on his arm. "Check with him," I said gently, "but he's not down here, he doesn't see their nervousness. They'd feel better if they knew, and knew it was being handled." He sighed, but nodded, his eyes going blank for a moment, before they came into focus again, "He still doesn't want to share much," he said, looking mildly disappointed, "but we can let them know a little." I nodded, giving him an encouraging smile, and he turned, making eye contact with those watching and waiting nervously, beckoning them over. When a small crowd had gathered around us, he lifted his head, raising his voice,
Josefine turned to him with an arched eyebrow and a stern look, before looking back to me, "Which one of you does the Fearmonger seek?" she asked. "They said it was me," I answered quietly. "Have you confirmed it?" she asked, and I frowned, asking her, "How would I do that?" She gave a brief nod, then turned to the others, who already seemed to be gathering some things up. "Leave it with us," Josefine said, as they all began heading for the door, and Elyanna ushered for us to follow, "We will do what we can," she said encouragingly, "For now, take care of your pack, defend them if need be. We'll find you when it's time," she continued, as we followed the others outside. "When it's time for what?" I asked, as she pulled her door closed behind us, locking it with a key on a ring full of others. My mind caught on that detail for some reason, it seeming odd, given her tiny cottage, for there to be so many. She smiled and reached over to touch my cheek gently, drawing my attention back t
"Just like Margrethe herself," Mathilde breathed softly, half to herself, and Anne stood, coming closer and peering over her friend's shoulder. "Truly!" she gasped, seeming just as surprised and impressed as Mathilde was. I frowned at them both, as Lisbet began to withdraw again, "Margrethe?" I asked, and they stared at me in mild disbelief."Queen Margrethe, of course!" Josefine said, sounding a little offended, and Anne turned to face her. "She is so young, you cannot expect her to remember a Queen long before her time," Anne said gently. Josefine tilted her chin up slightly, "She was also a werewolf, do they not teach the history of their own Royals?" she asked, and Elyanna sighed. "Whether they do or not, Laila had no control over what she herself was taught as a child," she said sternly, "Do not place the blame that belongs to the generations past on her shoulders."Anne nodded agreement, along with Sofie, and Josefine scowled. "It may be the fault of generations past, but will sh
Elyanna opened the door a moment later, with a small frown in her face. Seeing us, she stepped outside, rather than inviting us in, pulling the door closed behind her. "Finn, Laila," she said with a warm smile, though her forehead still held a small crease, "What's happened?" she asked. Finn and I exchanged a glance, and he gave her an apologetic smile, "This.. probably won't be a quick conversation," he said hesitantly, "Would you prefer to have it inside?" Her lips pursed together as she shifted uncomfortably, "Ah, at the moment, I have.. company," she said awkwardly, "That you may not wish to overhear?" she continued, her tone suggestive. He sighed, and nodded, "We hoped it might have been the kind of company that might have offered further insight," he said gently, "We've just had some ourselves." She raised an eyebrow, "You have learned something?" she asked, seeming surprised, and Finn shook his head, giving a short laugh. "No, I don't think so," he said, "It was Yannick, from
Marian looked stunned, the colour draining from her face, and she closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead, seeming to process what he'd just told her. "Okay," she said shakily, ".. okay, okay.." she took a couple of deep breaths, her eyes still closed as she calmed herself, before looking back at Finn and I. "Are we still trying to keep the South Wing clear?" she asked, sounding much more composed. Finn nodded, "Yes, if we can manage without it," she nodded again, seeming to have fully recovered from her shock as she took charge, and I had to admire her ability to react well under pressure. "We only have five patients at the moment, in wards One through Three," she said, seemingly half to herself. "Camille!" she called out, and the other nurse stuck her head out of one of the nearby wards, "Prepare ward Twelve for emergency triage, we might have a lot of incomings. Eleven too, just in case."Camille stared at her in disbelief for a moment, and Marian raised an eyebrow, "Now! Laila and