Back in the woods, Nicholas watches Beryl leave, his head flooding with thoughts and emotions. When she’s out of sight and earshot, he turns his heated glare on Brian, who looks mildly back at him, prepared to read his brother’s lips, knowing neither of them care enough to learn to sign. “What the hell, Brian? What’s going on out here?” He’s vague but almost frantic, and doesn’t really know why he’s so upset. But the moment he had seen Brian and Beryl sitting together, laughing in that clearing, he had become uncontrollably furious. He storms over to the bench where Brian is sitting, and uses his height to loom over him. Brian, used to Nicholas’ domineering behavior, reclines, propping his feet on the bench where Beryl was sitting moments before. Brian sighs, knowing what is coming next. He’s seen his brother struggle with his feelings for Beryl for weeks now, and hadn’t said anything to him, yet. Maybe he should now, he t
I felt as though I should be more concerned about the confrontation between Brian, the brothers, and I, but I couldn’t find it within myself to care much. Something within me had changed, and I was growing more confident, more willful. I was growing into my wolf. Today I was spending the day with Lily, and I was looking forward to a day without the overwhelming testosterone of the brothers. I arrived at Lily’s house in high spirits.“Hi!” She greeted me with a huge smile on her face. I knew from the look that she had something in mind, but didn’t mind. “Hey! How are you today? Are we still on for movies and popcorn?”“Well… I had another idea I wanted to run by you.” She looked a little sheepish now, hesitant to tell me what her idea was.“What is it?” I rolled my eyes and laughed at her, thinking it probably had something to do with the triplets. Most of her crazy ideas had something to do with them, she was near obsessed with them.“I was thinking, maybe, if you didn’t mind, that w
The joy that the hockey game brought me held over for the next few days. I was in higher spirits than I’d been in a long time.Bouncing down to breakfast one morning, I was singing to myself, and was caught off guard by Armand’s sudden presence in front of me.“Oh! Hi! I didn’t see yo there. How are you?” Armand hadn’t been around the mansion much lately. I had heard rumors that he had been seeing someone new, and that the tension with the vampires had increased some, causing him to be gone more.“Good morning Beryl. I’m well, thank you. And you?” He seemed distracted, not really looking at me, but off into the distance, contemplative.“I’m great. Ready for a good day!” I couldn’t keep the joy from leaking out. He chuckled a bit at my exuberance. He looked at me fully now.“I’m glad to hear it. Just be careful when you’re off the grounds for awhile. Things are unsettling lately, and I’d like to know you’re sa
NicholasI could tell that all three of us felt it when her collar bone broke, and then again when they knocked her out. The rage roaring through my mind was almost as loud as the roar that erupted from me as I felt her pass out.I was in the middle of a death match with two heavily built vampires, and could see that Cheney and Brian where in the same shape. My rage took over and in a moment of blind fury, I reached out and crushed the windpipe of one of my assailants.I could see to my right that Cheney was dispatching with his combatants as well, “Cheney, can you get to her?” I shouted over the chaos whirling around me.“I’m trying! Damn it, they just keep coming!” He roared back at me, throwing panicked glances over his shoulder in Beryl’s direction.“Brian??” I couldn’t see him, but could sense him behind me somewhere. “I’m covered up! They’re fucking everywhere! Where is the rest of the guard?” He yelled b
Nicholas:We watched impatiently as our father broke one vampire after another, getting bits and pieces of information from each of them.We knew they’d taken her to a farmhouse on the edge of the city, we just weren’t sure how many were holding her and which direction they’d gone.We also didn’t know who had called the rear guard away from their posts. They’d been called away with the correct code words, which could have only come from someone close to us. But right now, rescuing Beryl was the main priority.Finally, after what seemed like forever, our father turned to us. “She’s to the east in an old abandoned farmhouse. There are animals still on the property, so look for livestock. There should be about five of the holding her for now, but they will be moving her soon, so you must hurry.”“Take ten men, just to be sure, but bring her back unharmed.” He had apparently not heard that she had already be hurt.
In the swirling darkness I could feel them. Without seeing them, I could tell them apart from how they felt against my skin, my fur.Brian was soft against me, gentle, like a breath of fresh air. Cheney felt like worn down sandpaper, rough, but it was comforting in a way. And Nicholas, he felt like a heated blanket on a frigid winters night.In the darkness of my mind, I began to dream. I could see their faces, in both human and wolf forms. I could feel them touching me, hands caressing my skin, the nuzzling of their fur covered faces against my sides.The heat within me grew with every gentle stroke. Bodies began to meld together, and I became unsure of who’s hands, lips, teeth were on me. They were everywhere, almost overwhelming, but it was the most intense pleasure I’d ever felt.Their hands roamed my body, exploring every inch of me. I opened to them, mind, body, and soul, holding nothing back.&
The triplets and Armand continued with frequent secret meetings for the next few weeks. There was a considerable bit more guards stationed around the mansion and grounds as well. They were taking the attack seriously and seemed to be trying to prevent another one.Even through the traumatic experience, and my continued anxiety over the kidnapping, I could feel the shift in the triplets feelings towards me.In the hallways, instead of ignoring me, Cheney and Nicholas would smile and nod, even stopping to ask how I was a few times. Brian and I spent more and more time in the gardens just outside of the mansion, deciding the forest was a bit too far away for now.As much as I enjoyed the shift in their attitudes towards me, the interactions always seemed a bit awkward. I thought maybe it had to do with the dream I’d had about them but didn’t want to bring it up with any of them.One afternoon, after o
I could feel the warmth of his eyes on me, and I enjoyed it. “Good, that’s good. You know, we won’t ever let that happen again, right?” The fierce warrior took over his features then and I felt the truth in his words.“I know.” Breathless now, my words were no more than a whisper. We sat together like that, in silence for a bit longer, neither of us knowing what else to say, but soaking in the closeness of each other.After a while, he sighed. “I’ve got to go. More meetings and all that.” He looked genuinely upset at the thought of leaving me, so I just smiled and rose to my feet. “See you later then?”“Definitely.” We smiled at one another a last time and he left the room. I waited a few minutes, alone in the quiet, pondering all the changes that had occurred over the last month or so.After the heart to heart talks with the triplets, I was feeling surprisingly good about my place in the world. 
Lightheartedness turned into lightheadedness as Armand had a guard escort to my room. He was obviously in a hurry to leave and didn’t have time to deal with my near hysteria.The guard that walked me to my room, Devin, was patient with me though, seeing my panic and assuring me that I would be safe. “The boss is leaving some of his personal guard here at the house to watch over you. You’ll be fine. We are more than prepared for anything they throw at us now.”He talked quietly, but moved me quickly through the house, the sense of urgency obvious. “Where are the triplets?” I asked him, wondering if they would be staying with me or going with their father.“They’re on location.” The reply was short, clipped, and confused me. I didn’t know what that meant, but when I turned to ask, Devin pushed me towards my bedroom door, and cut me off.“Stay here, rest. It’s going to be a long night, so you should just try to g
Beryl:The air in the room felt thick with tension as I lay on the examination table, the cold surface sending shivers through my body. Dr. Matthias and Elara stood on either side of me, their expressions a mix of concern and determination.Something was wrong, and we hadn’t figured out what yet. A tremble ran through me. I was both cold and stressed. Elara noticed my shiver, and moved to cover me with an extra blanket. She propped me up on another pillow, trying to help make me as confortable as possible.I let out a soft sigh, trying to ease the discomfort that had become a
While I had been asleep, they had decided to plan an all out attack on the vampires and the dissenting pack. The plan was to hit them soon, before they had a chance to move too far away from their current encampment.The overall consensus was that we were ready to go now, so they had decided to gather our forces and proceed with the attack the very next day. With Amy under heavy guard, and unable to use her magic to bolster their forces, they would be weakened and unready to withstand this kind of assault.My mates were invigorated, ready for the battle, but I was wary and t
The plan to surprise and trap Amy, the vampires, and the dissenting pack was a simple one. We finally had the advantage, and were going to use it to the best of our abilities. Our numbers were larger than they had been in years, and we were finally ready to be done and over this distress in our lives.One group would be with me, my mates, and a large guard, waiting for the vampires and werewolves who would attempt to rescue Amy. I would be ready to use my light magic if Amy tried to use her dark magic.At the same time, one group would travel to where the prisoner had told u
Beryl:After our sweet moment, my mates were able to tell me what was going on with the prisoner, and we headed to the dungeons together. Nicholas and I walked hand in hand, and he kept glancing down at me as if I might fade away into the night.As we approached the dungeon, I could feel the dark magic at work. When I entered the cell that held the prisoner, I could tell that he was connected to the darkness in a much stronger way than Nicholas had been. It would take much more than a touch to release him.
Beryl:I knew that Nicholas didn’t know about my little library escape area, so that’s where I headed. I had to gather myself and think. Was that really my mate? How could he hurt me like that? There were so many thoughts running through my mind.As I settled myself into the comfort of my tiny secret corner of the library, weeks of habit took over and I began to drift off to sleep. It was as though the moon goddess was beckoning me to her.“Beryl, my dear...&rdqu
Beryl:I had gone in search of Nicholas, wanting to finally put to rest whatever it was that had come between us. The baby was going to be here soon, and I didn’t want whatever this was to dampen the happiness of our impending child.As I had wandered the grounds looking for him, I had run into one of the dissenting pack members who had lingered after another discussion with Armand and Solomon. He looked at me, with a smirk and asked if I was alright.“Yes, I’m fine thank you
Armand:The echoes of the past had lingered in my heart for far too long. Amy's betrayal had wounded me deeply, and the scars it left seemed permanent, but Seraphina’s presence had been a balm on the pain I felt.One evening after a long day, she and I found ourselves alone on the moonlit terrace outside my study, the distant stars overhead like watchful sentinels. Seraphina was quiet and her eyes held a gentle understanding as she watched me."Armand," she began softly, "I can see the w
The tensions in our world had reached a breaking point, and it was clear that we needed a united front against the looming threats. The meeting between the packs had reconvened, the weight of our discussions heavy in the air.Solomon stood beside Armand, showing how united the two of our packs had become. The two of them exchanging solemn glances as the other leaders filled in around them.They had just been deep in conversation, discussing the logistics of our alliance and the potential for peace among our kind. They had hopes of finally coming to terms with the other packs today.The dissenting pack was a problem. Their desire to mate Nicholas to one of their females had faded away into the background, or at least I had assumed it had, since I hadn’t heard anything else about it.Armand's voice resonated through the chamber as he addressed the assembled alphas and their representatives. "I understand that this arrangement is new and uncharted territory for all of us. But I believe t
The distance between Nicholas and I grew with every passing day, but I didn’t understand why. I could see the frustration in Nicholas's eyes, and it weighed heavily on my heart, and even though I asked him time and again what I could do, he just pushed me further away.I thought that it was to do with the fact that I was continuing the magic lessons, but one evening, I overheard a conversation between him and his brothers.Cheney and Brian had cornered Nicholas, their voices determined yet gentle. Cheney spoke up, "Nicholas, we can all see that this situation is tearing you apart."Brian added, "But Beryl's never wavered in her love for us. We need to trust her."Nicholas's shoulders slumped, and he let out a heavy sigh. "I know, but it's hard. I feel like I'm losing her."Cheney placed a reassuring hand on Nicholas's shoulder. "You're not losing her, brother. We're just facing a challenge together. We should talk to her, communicate our feelings."It seemed like he had taken their wo