EMMA “So, what would you like to drink?” Ethan asked, turning to look at me while casually leaning his elbows against the bar. His head tilted slightly when he spoke to me. He looked like a walking ad for confidence, so I tried to intake some of that energy. I watched as some people steered away from him, and it was absolutely amusing. He had been serious about their normal reactions. It was downright hilarious to see in person though. They sensed that he was dangerous, so their instincts screamed at them to steer clear. I never once felt that way though. If anything, my instincts said the opposite. “Vodka cranberry, please,” I replied, smirking after noticing everyone’s aversion to him. He threw up his hand to catch the bartender’s attention. Ethan ordered, and I watched as the poor guy gulped and hurried to get our drinks. I took a moment to look around. It was crowded with all types of people. There was no clear distinction of social groups like there were at school. Everyone i
EMMA “If I’m not worth it, why do you waste so much effort trying to get a rise out of me?” I asked. I looked her over from head to toe. The dress she wore was tight and came just low enough to cover her lady bits. It wasn’t attractive on her at all. She could try all she wanted, but nothing could cover up her personality. Of course, she didn’t respond because she had nothing to say back to that. “That’s what I thought. Heed my warning from earlier. Don’t be stupid,” I said before sitting back down. Marsey, being a dumb bitch, grabbed my hair and yanked, pulling me back to my feet. Both of the guys went to intervene, but I didn’t need them to come to my rescue. I was more than capable of dealing with Marsey’s bullshit. She wasn’t a threat at all. I rolled my eyes before I took a step back with my right foot and planted my body before grabbing her forearms and flipping her over until she was laying against the floor on her back and no longer holding my locks in her greasy paws. M
ETHAN Dropping her off at her house was the last thing that I wanted to do. Pulling out of her driveway was nearly impossible because I knew there was something wrong, yet I did not stop her. Why the hell did I not ignore her and keep driving? She was right that it was not that simple, but I could not shake the fact that the Marsey bitch would seek repercussions. Emma said that was the first time that she stood up to her, and she did it twice in one day. There was no way she would just let it slide. Xander had moved to the front seat once Emma got out. He just looked at me, confused with my quickly soured mood. He was also confused with my eagerness to get her out of Blacktree. If he had witnessed what I had then he would be too. I had not told him about what happened with Emma because I knew she was ashamed of the lengths she had to take to survive in that pack. She had nothing to be ashamed of though. She survived. That was all there was to that. She did not break. She did not f
ETHAN We fell into silence, both lost in our own thoughts while we entered the packhouse. We walked up to the third floor next to one another. He stole a few quick glances at Emma but tried to do it without making it obvious. Well, it was obvious that he was interested in her. It was also obvious that he was concerned about her. I had never seen Xander actually interested in someone before. The she-wolves that he had been with were just there for a release. He always made that abundantly clear to them. Sure, they seemed to always forget that, but he never did. I was not even surprised that it was Emma who finally caught his attention. There was something incredibly special about her. She would be great for him, keep him in line, kick his ass whenever the occasion rose, and help him learn to live his life instead of just surviving it. He would be good for her too because I knew Xander. He would treat her like a Queen as long as he did not get in the way of himself. She needed people
EMMA I had been antsy and could not sleep after Ethan left my room this morning. I stayed in the bathroom until I heard him shut the bedroom door behind him. I felt horrible after going off like that, so I avoided him. I was embarrassed with treating him like shit but also that he saw me in one of my weakest times yet again. How many weak moments could he see before he thought better of getting involved? Granted, Ethan did not seem like that. I just did not want to lose him. I had a lot of baggage, and it was unfair to throw it onto his shoulders as well. My mind ran a million miles a minute, and I could not calm it down. I finally got away from Blacktree and was now currently in the Blood Moon territory. It was the best protection out there. Unfortunately, I was not certain if that would even be enough to keep Ezekiel and Heath out. I was worried about the pack instead of myself. I had to pray that they did not get caught up in the crosshair. Ezekiel needed me alive and in his pos
EMMA “Can I see the substance?” I asked Ethan. He nodded before going to get it from the safe in the corner. “Wait, is that pure liquid silver?” I asked curiously. I peered into the safe and almost clapped my hands. This would be the perfect opportunity to test a curiosity that had always been on my mind. I did not have the ability to test it before, but now I did. This was going to be fun. “Yes…why?” Ethan asked hesitantly. I flashed him a bright smile and patted him on the back. We were about to conduct a science experiment. How fun indeed? “I have a theory that I would like to test.” He chuckled at my enthusiasm before he brought the entire try over, silver and all. We were both curious creatures by nature, so I knew he was eager to see where this was going. I loved that about him. Back at the screen, I pointed out the similarity again. “This strand of DNA right here is what is responsible for how a shifter reacts to silver. Given that it’s found in both DNA samples, it shoul
EMMA It had been an entire day since I woke up here at Blood Moon. Everything had been pressing down on me. I did not know which way was up, and I felt drained. My night consisted of a brand-new round of nightmares. The new stars of it were Xander and Ethan. Ethan had been giving me time to process everything, but I was not even sure how to do that. I spent so many years pushing the unpleasant experiences to the back of my mind. Brushing off emotions and becoming numb to the reality around me was the only way to survive and not give in. Papa taught me the strength of one’s character could help them survive even the most hellish of situations. I often wondered if he was just preparing me for life or preparing me for the future I was going to have. In a better world, Ezekiel never attacked our pack. Papa never died. I would become the Alpha heir once Papa was inducted, and I would have taken over as Alpha once he stepped down. Some people would have fought it because I was a she-wolf
EMMA I reached out to Ethan once we got closer to the packhouse. He forced me to shop, so he could help carry the damn bags. Emma – “Hey, I bought Rome on your credit card. We’re five minutes out. Can you help get the bags?” Ethan – “Only if you brought me gelato.” Emma – “Fresh out of gelato. How about I make you some pie?” Ethan – “SEE YOU IN FIVE” “Ethan will help us get everything in,” I said, putting my phone back in my purse. Diana smiled, pulling onto the drive that led to the packhouse. “I think you’re really good for him even if it is just as a friend. Ethan has always been a little shit who needed someone that could put him in his place. Be patient with Xander. Being Alpha hardened him, but I think you may be able to break through that.” I just nodded without responding. Ethan was a great guy, and I was thankful for his friendship. Was it possible that Diana was right about Xander? That was an area that I had no knowledge in. I hoped she was because I could not shake
EMMA I went into labor during the middle of the night, and it scared the living shit out of my mates. It was adorable while also being a little comical. Most soon-to-be fathers were like that. We had everything ready because we knew it was possible to go into labor a little earlier than expected because of having twins. Oddly enough, this pregnancy had no true complications. Most shifters who had multiples typically had complications. However, I was thankful that everything had gone as smoothly as possible. The sigils truly helped with the pain of the delivery because it would have been torture otherwise. I felt horrible that I did not already have these on hand for when Bellamy was born. “You have this, Emma. One more push and your baby boy will be here,” Tilly said. It had been ten very long hours of labor, but it would be worth it in the end. Kai was sitting behind me, lending me strength during this time. He had a hold of one leg while Xander had a hold of the other. The thre
EMMA It was still very surreal to think that I had been in Tylaphina’s realm for six entire months. However, I was able to bring back messages to Papa and Leonidas from our family. They were amazed as I told them about spending time with everyone. Their parents wanted me to tell them how incredibly proud they were of them both. They were proud of Papa for being the King that our people needed. They watched as he transitioned to the ruler of Aedrul and were thankful for how he protected everyone that he could from Selene until she could be taken care of permanently. They were proud of Leonidas for everything he did to help Papa rune Aedrul. His strength and perseverance made the entire Venscothi line puff out their chests in appreciation and admiration. My mates and I wasted no time in completing our bond in wolf form as well as completing the Goddess of Fate ceremony. It was very intimate and quite pleasurable. It was interesting to say the least because we watched as our souls mom
EMMA The pain from Asry’s shards slicing through me disappeared. Had I died? Nae did not say that was a possibility, but even she could not see every outcome. “No, you are not dead,” a melodic voice said. I opened my eyes and was in a beautiful field that was adorned with flowers of every color. My body was bathed in incredible warmth from the sun overhead. It was so peaceful, and my heart felt whole. It was a nice change from it feeling ripped apart, so there was that at least. There were wolves of all sizes sitting around, curiously watching me. It was a little creepy, but they looked happy. A beautiful woman stood between two of the larger wolves who looked as big as Krosthani. She was easily seven feet tall and had an ethereal glow around her. Her light brown hair cascaded in waves all the way to her waist, and her eyes were the most vibrant honey color which complemented her light bronze skin tone. “My name is Tylaphina, and it is because of you that I am free now. I was the
KAI “Why would you do that?” I screamed at her. There was only one explanation of how I was unharmed when she was not. She used Nata’s magic on me when I did not even realize it. She saved me instead of herself. I had never been more furious with her than I was in this moment. Macario and Tilly needed me to move away from her, but I could not do it. I could not let her go. “We have to let them take care of her. She needs them. Come on,” Xander said. I could hear the same anguish in his voice that I felt. I placed a kiss to her lips before setting her back on the ground and standing up. He pulled me a little further away to where Zane was. We watched as they assessed her. They spoke lowly to one another, but none of us could hear it. ‘She used Nata’s magic to protect me,’ I told Xander. I collapsed to the ground under the weight of it all. It was me that should be there and not her. She always took every fucking risk, putting everyone else before herself, when she should have pro
EMMA The success of tonight depended on my ability to play my part perfectly. Thankfully, that was one thing I excelled at no matter in which life or situation it was necessary. I steeled my shoulders and turned around slowly to see Asry’s smug face smirking at me as if he was the one in charge right now. As if he was the one who fooled me. Oh, how the mighty would fall. “Can’t say that I’m surprised that you’re here with mother bitch,” I said dismissively. “Ungrateful brat. Who do you think you are?” she hissed at me. I looked at Asry imploringly who just laughed and waved me on. He did not care about Lenora one damn bit. He probably was not wanting me to kill her, but I still would. This was something that I thought about extensively since we put this plan together. I needed to make him believe that I would consider being on his side. Then I would kill her so that she was out of our hair while also ensuring that his vessel was no more. This would solve one of the issues tonigh
EMMA Couples danced around the room, twirling, and dipping their partners. There was a string quartet playing on the balcony that oversaw the room. Acoustics amplified the music throughout the room as if it was right beside each of us. Despite the mission of the night, it was great to be in my Handsome’s arms once again. I loved sharing moments like this with my amazing mates. They were near and dear to my heart. No matter how much time we spent together in life, it would never be enough. Kai’s copper and silver eyes peered into mine while a handsome smirk pulled at his lip because he was thinking the same thing. We learned how to read one another better than any mindlink ever could. ‘Anything?’ I linked out. One of the sigils ensured that there was no evidence of a mindlink between any of us. That was the only way that we could pull this off. It also kept an open line of communication among everyone while in this room. It was a bit awkward right about now because there were many
EMMA The stress about tonight faded away the moment that my eyes locked onto my mates. I was never able to comprehend what I did right in life to have them willing to stand next to me no matter how crazy or bizarre the situation was. They were beside me every step of the way from that night at Olly’s until this moment as they pulled me between them. “You are absolutely stunning, love,” Xander said. He and Kai stalked around me to get the full view of my look. The matching low rumbles from their chests showed me that they certainly approved. “Doll…” He could not even finish his thought because his eyes flashed with an intense desire. “You get even more gorgeous every time my eyes look at you,” he said, caressing my cheek with his thumb. My body instantly flushed in response to his words. It was not certain that I would ever get used to everything they made me feel. I felt cherished, complete, immensely happy, and I felt loved most of all. All of those emotions flooded through my bo
EMMA We all ate a late breakfast together. It was not a joyous occasion, but we tried to make it as lighthearted as possible. The mission tonight was weighing heavily on everyone’s mind. It was not something that we discussed or alluded to, but it was the gigantic elephant in the room. I was really trying to keep my emotions under control because my mates would feel them and worry. We could not change what would happen tonight because we all knew the truth. Asry was too dangerous to let live. He would never stop coming for me or my family. We had to take him out of the equation to ensure our safety. I had a feeling in my gut that Nae’s vision of me being in a coma-like state was going to happen. This was the one thing I had to keep from my mates because they would call all of this off right here and now. They already felt guilty enough about me being in harms way, but there was nothing that we could do about it. I would just bury that thought as deeply as possible so that it did not
EMMA I woke up between my sleeping mates and smiled at them. They gave me the best ending to our night yesterday. That bath was perfect and incredibly relaxing. Today was going to be difficult on all of us but more so on them because they would be fighting against their instincts to protect me at all costs. Was I terrified to face Asry today? Absolutely. I would be a damned fool to feel giddy about facing an ultimate evil that wanted to enslave me as his Queen. However, that terror would solve absolutely nothing. For the time being, I would just shove that terror down as far as I could. Everyone needed to remain focused for today because our futures could finally begin once he was gone. A mischievous grin tipped my lips up as I looked between the two of them. Eenie…meenie… My gaze landed on Xander, so I carefully maneuvered myself until I was eyelevel with his glorious cock. I remembered the first time I saw it and how excited it made me. It still did to this day. I would never get