EMMA It was amazing to have everyone together again. We were still at the castle since Macario insisted that I needed a little more observation. I figured it was more likely because he had been terrified of losing me, so he was just being overly cautious now. Nobody knew if I was going to pull through or not, so I could not fault anyone for being cautious. The black magic was completely gone from my body, and every single person of ours has now been warded against black magic. There was still a lot to do in the pack, but we were able to take some time here before we would head back there. We had not discussed reintroducing our family just yet because none of us wanted to put additional pressure on them. It would be something we needed to sit down and talk about soon though just so we are all on the same page with everything. I was getting to know everyone better. Jackson and Lilli were exactly like my boys told me they were. Lilli definitely fell in love with the Leflore Gardens, ju
XANDER “This is the private training facility for the Ancients,” Zane explained as we all filed into a room larger than any of our pack training fields. We all looked at the additional people in the room curiously. There were at least an extra fifty people than I was expecting. They all leaned against the walls, brimming with excitement, and not even trying to hide it. Someone must have spilled about today’s training session. Today was the first day for our people to see how Gaisreen fought. We had never seen it before except the little bit that Kai and I saw from her memories. That was not a great indication though. However, Emma had been very vocal on how brutal training was for them. If they stood up against Nokaura then they must be excellent. “Do not mind us, Princess. We are just here for the show,” Commander Frost chuckled and waved her on. Emma rolled her eyes and turned away from him to hide her smirk. She was excited already and had not even begun yet. We all gathered i
EMMA Today would be step one in our multi-step plan. We needed to ensure that Asry would know about the Ball. There were people here in Aedrul who were working with him, so we would use that to our advantage. We would be venturing outside of the castle today for two reasons. One was a tour of our beautiful kingdom, and two was so that we could plant some information to get back to Asry. He would have people watching us. We did not doubt the loyalty of the servants in the castle because they were loyal to Papa. That would just mean that people outside of the castle would be watching us. So, I would be doing what I did best and lay some traps. We would take note of anyone who was following us around today. We were all very skilled at noticing when we were being watched, so that was a benefit in our favor. I had gotten a chance to talk to Brody some more. He was certainly a gifted pup. Jackson and Lilli agreed to allow Macario to test his ability. Macario explained that gifted wolves h
XANDER “Emmaline! Again,” a man barked out. I looked around, confused about what was going on. Kai stood beside me and appeared to be just as confused as I was. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep with my love in my arms after a great round of sex. The three of us had been fully sated for the time being. Sex with our girl was always mind-blowing. She thrived in our personal brand of animalistic hunger. She came to us virginal, but we thoroughly corrupted her in the most delicious ways possible. We were standing in the middle of a room that was obviously meant for training. Weapons lined the marble walls. There were windows that casted bright sunlight throughout the room, illuminating stone pillars and archways that were covered in artwork depicting battles. They looked a lot like the dreams that Emma shared after the Nokaura attack at the bar. A young blonde pup pulled herself up off the ground and wiped the blood from her lips. She was a just a pup, but those eyes were
EMMA I really prayed that today would not be a shit show. There were many things that could go horribly wrong. Barachiel and Nae insisted that we needed to all go as a show of strength and dedication. They understood what this would do, but they still insisted that it was for the best. Nae had a child that she loved more than anything in this world and a mate that she loved just as much. They completed the bond the same day that Ethan found out that she was his mate. He told her that they had both waited long enough and could not wait another day to be tied to her and Brian forever. My Dipshit was quite romantic it seemed. Kestian, Barachiel, and Py all had mates now which was something that went against Gaisreen traditions. It was clear to see that they all cared for one another too. Gaisreen believed that love and fondness were nothing but a weakness. Not to mention that their mates were part of our species instead of Gaisreen. Shifters and wolves in general were not really favore
EMMA I would take him with me one way or another. That boy deserved better than what his father was giving him. This was something I truly hated about Gaisreen. It was not fair that the boy could be hurt because he was worried for his mother and loved her. Seriously, like the fuck. “Have him,” he said with an indignant huff. My fist cocked back, and I threw it as hard into his face as possible. He was knocked out cold but not dead. My fist had done some serious damage though. The medics would probably just rebirth him instead of taking the time to fix him. He was lucky that it was all I did. I turned around and knelt in front of the little boy. I tore part of my shirt off and gently wiped the blood away from his face. “My name is Emma. What’s yours, sweetheart?” I asked with a soft smile. I did not want to frighten the boy, especially after what I just did to his father. “Dylan,” he said quietly. Dylan was a young boy probably no more than eleven or twelve. He was tall for his ag
EMMA The guards outside of the General’s tent eyed us with open hostility. I hated that my family was being subjected to their prejudice. It was not fair for them at all. It was taking all of my self-control to refrain from ripping the bastards to shreds. “I request an audience with General Madelina,” I said as I tried my best to keep the irritation out of my voice with how they were looking at my people. The guards snapped their gazes to me and looked me over from head to toe. I felt the possessiveness and anger rolling through the mate-bond, but we could not have that right now. ‘Don’t act or respond to them. They’ll kill all of us if they feel threatened,’ I told my mates, hoping that they would understand the gravity of the situation. I felt their reassurance through the bond. I heard the other Gaisreen whispering the same things to their mates. This had to be dealt with properly, or it would be game over for us all. This was why Nae and Barachiel insisted on bringing all the
EMMA I explained what power trafficking was, and they listened intently without interrupting. They understood how hard this was on me, and I appreciated them letting me get it out while I could. Power trafficking was somewhat similar to the Ancestral Slave Trade. Instead of using people for ancestral blood, power traffickers used them for their essence. Every creature contained an essence within their bodies. Every essence held a certain level of power. The stronger the essence then the stronger the power. Alphas, for example, held very strong essences because of the power that coursed through them. In Fae terms, the Clave was the equivalent to the Alpha. Sirens held some of the strongest essences among any species because they held an ancient and pure magic within each and every one of them. Those with gifts held even stronger essences than anyone else. Then there were the humans. Human essences replenished even though no other species did. Humans could also be blessed with gifts.
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