Please let me know what you think of their journey so far.
XANDER Was it possible that Emma actually had an aura like he mentioned? I never heard of it before, but that did not meant it was an impossibility. Emma was a unique creature all around. I was beginning to understand that I should not underestimate anything in terms of her because she surprised me at every turn. Her personality, her affinity to give her all, her kindness, her abilities, and everything else. One reason she frustrated me so much was because I could never get her out of my head, but it seemed like she was not having the same problem. Ethan said she had the hots for me, and with that declaration to Kai, perhaps I had actually been mistaken. On the stairs, it seemed like she did. I badly needed to test that out because my control was slipping. Had she not maneuvered around me on the stairs, I was prepared to just give in and smash my lips onto hers whether she wanted me to or not. I laid on my stomach, trying to fall asleep, but the revelations of tonight really kept m
EMMA Xander’s sudden chattiness and openness was confusing, but I surely was not complaining. Talking to him was easy, and I appreciated how he let me open up instead of demanding answers. Ethan was right. He really was not a bad guy once you got to know him. There was more to him than I originally thought. That would teach me to not look beyond someone’s exterior. Although, it was a very sexy exterior. Perhaps I had been too quick to pass judgement on him. Sometimes my insecurities got the best of me. He really seemed to be putting forth an effort. The look in his eyes when I turned around and noticed he was in the kitchen would forever be etched into my memory. The hunger in his eyes made my stomach twist in knots. I wanted to push him up against the wall and kiss him, but I was not going to ruin the chance to actually talk to him. I felt like we made progress in the kitchen. Quickly, I made it to the bedroom and changed into something more suited for a trek outside than pajamas.
EMMA The image was too much, and a furious blush hit my cheeks. He seemed damn well amused by the blush. “Where was your mom in all of this?” he asked me after a moment. My mother was never a mother. She was a monster. She worked so well with Ezekiel and Heath. I had always thought she was part of the reason they attacked the pack, but I never found proof. The feeling in my gut told me it was true though, and my feelings were never wrong. “She was there. She said Ezekiel used his Alpha command to make her comply, but I never believed her. When they thought I was knocked out with the wolfsbane, I’d hear her talking to them about my progress. She acted as if I was some fucking science experiment. She was the one to give them ideas on how to break me. She said I was weak and would submit one way or another. If a certain tactic didn’t work, she would give them bright new ideas of how to destroy my will.” My mother and I were never close. Once Papa was killed, it was like all pretenses
EMMA I woke up with the goofiest smile on my face. My finger grazed across my lips where Xander’s had been last night. Completely unexpected but certainly not unwelcomed. It made me realize that he did see me too. It was incredible to hear how much I affected him. It had not just been me who was affected. It made me really giddy if I was being honest. He could kiss me all the time, and I would never get tired of it. Those sparks just enhanced the sensations. His lips were dominating and unyielding, and it was incredibly sexy. As far as first kisses went, that had to be a 20/10. His eyes had darkened, and I could feel his arousal against my ass when my legs were wrapped around his waist. I felt great knowing that I did that to him. Me. Just feeling his hands on me, and his body pressed up against mine had my panties soaked instantly last night. Yes, I had to take care of that, just as I had to many times since coming here. I was lusting so hard after him that I would have died with
EMMA He bent down and let me climb on his back. I absolutely loved running with him, and I was thankful he ever proposed the idea in the first place. He took me on another run, but this time he ran deeper into the mountains. He was careful with which paths he chose, deliberately making sure I was comfortable. I laughed with the exhilaration of it all. Nothing compared to running with him. “Let’s see how fast you can run,” I said loudly enough for him to hear me over the whipping wind. He let out a long howl of delight in response and shot off like a bullet. Okay, yeah, I was not expecting him to be quite that fast, especially with me on his back. I lowered my body and held on tightly. He jumped over fallen logs and wove in between trees without so much as getting a scratch on either of us. His speed and agility were absolutely incredible. I whooped and laughed because I felt like I was legitimately flying, and I enjoyed every second of it. A fallen tree was laying at an incline,
XANDER I was torn from sleep with a sharp pain in my shin. My mind felt groggy, clearly a byproduct of not enough sleep. Kai stayed with Emma last night as long as he could, but I did not want her to wake up to a naked Alpha in her bed. I figured Emma probably would not be too keen on that. I growled, willing to destroy whatever the fuck caused the pain. My eyes snapped open to see Emma standing over me. She was still dressed in the clothes she fell asleep in. This angle gave me a perfect view of her creamy thighs, and I swallowed hard. Her arms were folded over her chest, emphasizing it from where I was. She looked fairly angry. If looks could kill, I would be a very deceased Alpha twice over. “Emma?” I asked hesitantly, unsure of why she was angry. Whatever the cause, she felt it warranted assaulting my shin. Her narrowed eyes were laser focused on me and gave absolutely nothing away. It was very unsettling and making me uncomfortable. That was saying something because I was a
XANDER “A custody arrangement? Please elaborate,” I said, amused and curious to see what she had in mind. She always found ways to surprise me. Knowing her, it could be a number of things. “You get Handsome, and so do I. He’s grown on me and helps me. He makes it to where I don’t feel as much of a risk to others. I don’t know what it is about him, but I feel more in control of myself around him. However, far more importantly, he’s a pretty epic wolf. Spending time with him is a blast and running with him has easily become my favorite activity. I thoroughly enjoy our outings, and he makes me very happy. Plus, he’s going to be my date to the pack run.” I looked at her in awe of this she-wolf. She never did what I expected. If Kai and I were not already infatuated with her, that sincere request would have made it so. Both of us wanted to learn every side of her. We wanted to know everything about her. He was jumping at the bit for me to agree. I had no doubt that he would permanently
XANDER Emma had already left for training by the time that Ethan and I were ready to leave. Some last-minute issues arose in Sector 4, Johnson’s sector. They had a power malfunction that appeared to be harmless, but we had to run through the procedures just in case. The weather was really nice this morning. It was a little breezy, but that just helped cool us down while we trained. Natural air conditioning was great, especially since we all trained outside. We had a few indoor facilities for when it was raining, but otherwise we were always outside. I also liked how it made the woodsy smell more intense. Kai certainly loved that part. “So, Emma, huh?” Ethan asked waggling his eyebrows. That boy had been smug as fuck after he saw her coming out of my room the night before last. He was also pretty damn smug this morning after she staked her claim on Kai. True, he called it that we had both been into each other, but I would not let him know that, lest his ego inflate further. That cou
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