Lyra“I’m sorry! I don’t even know why I’m crying.” I find my voice after Silas hands me a box of tissues. Wiping my face, I realize that I must look awful, but he sits down beside me looking so concerned that I completely forget about what I might look like.“It’s okay. I’ve told you. You are safe here.” Silas frowns. “I’m the one that should be sorry. I was just so excited that I didn’t think of how that kind of news might hurt you.”“I don’t want it to, but it does.” I shrug and sigh deeply, feeling a bit awkward under the circumstances. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting. We can have our lesson when you have some time.” I’m about to get up when his hand softly grips my arm.“You can never interrupt me. Besides, we have something important to discuss.” I see a lot of emotions cross his eyes as he seemingly tries to find the words to say whatever it is that he has to say. I patiently wait.“I want us to sign a contract. One that will protect both our rights. With re
Lyra“I’m so damn sick and tired of this!” I pull away from Silas. “What is it with werewolf men? Women aren’t porcelain dolls, you know? We actually know how to take care of ourselves.” I glare at him feeling furious.“I know that.” He sighs. “I just meant that as the alpha of the pack, it is my duty to request your transfer. That is the law.” I can swear that I see a smile start to form in the corners of his mouth, but he looks away for a moment and when he looks at me again, it’s gone.“Oh. Fine.” I sigh feeling really silly. “It doesn’t change the fact that your laws are really stupid.” I puff and he laughs this time. “How long do you think all of this will take?” I frown.“We can find that out right now.” Silas smiles and makes his way around his desk. He picks up the phone and calls Eli. I recognize the voice of that traitorous woman instantly, and I have to fight the urge to scream at her when she tells Silas that Eli is busy and will call back.It’s hardly five minutes later w
LyraImages of that first night flood my mind when Silas takes off his t-shirt and I can see his muscles move. My insides pull together tightly, and all I can think about is feeling him inside me. His hands slip over my body and within minutes we are naked on the couch.His kisses literally burn my skin, and I note that I can smell things I have never smelled before. It is as though Silas has woken something inside me, or it could just be my imagination. When he slides between my legs, I moan and when he enters me, I feel as if I’m being transported to a wonderland of feelings.I have no idea how long it lasts, but each move is indescribable. Each touch sends me spiraling into bliss. When we finally reach our climax, I cry out his name and the moment we stop, I feel my cheeks burn. Honestly, I never knew it could be like that.My fear, however, is that I might be looking and sounding like a very inexperienced lover, and I don’t know if that is such a good thing. It’s probably what mad
LyraI don’t have a lot of time to ponder the possibility that I might be a Lycan when we get news that Eli is at Silas’s border. What could he possibly be doing here? I look at Silas and he sighs. He lets Eli cross the border, but under strict rules to guard them carefully.I feel uncomfortable the moment Eli walks into Silas’s office. My mind is still on what Silas told me. Who I could possibly be. It makes me wonder if Eli knows. Has he known all along? Is that why he basically chased after me?“So, you did decide to shack up with him?” Eli growls, but for once, I’m not affected by it. I keep his gaze. Nobody is ready to take a seat and discuss why Eli decided to show up here uninvited. “Your silence says it all.” His fury flashes and in an instant, Silas is standing between me and Eli.“What do you want, Eli?” Silas growls, and I feel how thick the tension is in the air. Eli tries to sidestep Silas, but Silas is too fast for him.“I came to speak to my wife alone. I don’t trust yo
LyraI can’t bring myself to tell Silas why I’ve been so sick. It’s not just morning sickness. According to the doctor, it could be because of stress. I can’t tell Silas that I’m stressed out because he will try to fix it. He seems the type that would just take over and try to fix things.The doctor wants to keep me overnight with a drip to make sure I get something in, and after a good night’s sleep, I wake up in the morning to find Silas fast asleep on the only chair in the room. He is still holding my hand and I can’t help but smile.How did I get so lucky? I wonder as I watch the sleeping man beside me. Even if he never loves me. He is handsome, and he seems kind. He is also strong, and won’t just let anyone walk all over him. The best part of it all is that we are going to share a child, which means I know that my baby will be taken care of.“Good morning, beautiful.” His voice interrupts my thoughts and I giggle when I see the crinkles on his cheek from the sheet. “How are you f
LyraI feel so incredibly overwhelmed that I have a real tough time keeping up with the history lesson, but the part I did catch was that a Lycan’s curse is only activated once they kill someone. I never killed anybody.“I know that it’s a lot to take in.” Silas smiles and I note the kindness in his eyes. He rubs the sides of my arms, and it calms me down a little.“Ya think?” I roll my eyes. “I’m one of you, but I’m not. My parents probably left me in the orphanage to protect me, and I have to kill someone to get my powers that may or may not protect our baby.” I run through it all and then my eyes grow wide.“What about the baby? Will I have to leave him or her at an orphanage?” My voice wavers as tears form a huge knot in the back of my throat.“No! I don’t know what your parents’ circumstances were. Yet. Look, Lycans don’t need packs the same way that werewolves do. They probably didn’t have a pack to protect them. You have one. Our pup has one, no matter what he is.” I know that
LyraThe one thing that keeps on bugging me is the fact that I have to kill someone to get my power. Apparently, it can also be by accident, but still. That isn’t something I would ever be able to do. I sigh and turn to my other side and stare out of the window at the sky as it slowly changes from day to night.The omega appears to inform me that dinner is ready and as I make my way downstairs, I can feel everyone looking at me. I wonder for a moment if there is something on my face. Silas pulls me into an embrace as soon as I join them in the communal dining room and he smiles.“I know that you’ve all been wondering about Luna Lyra. She has asked for asylum and I’ve granted it. You should all know that she is carrying my pup. It’s not what we planned, but it happened.” Silas beamed, and I’m surprised by the reaction as people shout out congratulations.“Unfortunately, she is still legally married to Alpha Eli. I need all of you to protect her the same way you would protect me. You kn
LyraAfter getting a couple of outfits that would also work when my stomach starts to grow, we return home. Each time I refused to get something, Elise insisted, so I got far more than I planned on. After helping the omega to pack my things away, I go in search of Silas and find him in his office.“Hey beautiful, did you have a good time?” He smiles brightly and gets up. In one swift move, he closes the gap between us and pulls me closer, leaving a soft kiss on my forehead. I think for a moment what a lovely gesture it is, and my cheeks turn bright red.“Yes, thank you. Elise and I had a difference in opinion of what is necessary and what extravagant is, but I had fun.” I laugh when he grins at me.“As long as you didn’t come home empty-handed. I also want you to start thinking about the nursery and what you want to change. It definitely needs a new coat of paint, and I was looking at cribs online.” He grabs my hand and as soon as he is seated behind his desk, he pulls me onto his lap
EsmeOver the coming weeks, the gossip about Jason and Camile eventually die down as life at the pack house becomes very busy. It’s Gabriel’s birthday soon, and I want to have a huge party and invite everyone. Literally everyone.My hope is that a celebration will pull everyone out of the slump we’ve all seemed to be in. It’s very rarely that a one pack member kills another, which has kind of forced a dark cloud of depression over our entire county.Gabriel’s birthday finally arrives and everyone seems to be having a good time. I can literally feel the doom and gloom lift as the evening continues and even Gabriel, who very rarely smiles when others are around, is laughing.His birthday party is exactly what we all need, and I can feel it in the air. Once his birthday is over, however, I feel a little lost. There was total chaos while I was trying to arrange everything and now that I spend my time on what are my normal duties as Luna, I find myself wandering around the house aimlessly
EsmeOver the coming days, there is a lot of back and forth of information, and it’s clear that Jason killed Camile. The only question that nobody seems to be able to answer is why. They didn’t have the perfect friendship, but I just couldn’t see why Jason thought killing Camile would solve anything.The day the trial starts, the square at my old pack house is packed with people wanting to find out what happened. I hear people whispering, and it seems everyone believes that Jason is guilty. It still astounds me that nobody is asking why.I listen to the court case, which is pretty straightforward, and I watch as the video footage they got from us is played. The entire time, Jason keeps his head low and I have to admit, although not out loud, that I’m surprised.He was never the kind of guy to just keep quiet when he was accused of anything. After two days, the trial is over and my cousin announces that he will have his final decision about Jason’s fate in a couple of days.People disp
EsmeMom and I are in my office discussing my ideas when Gabriel and my dad walk in looking very grim. I frown, tilting my head to one side and wondering what on earth could have gone wrong so early.“Esme, we have some bad news.” Gabriel sighs and then looks at my dad before they sit down in my little lounge area in my office.“Camile is dead, honey.” My dad sounds hesitant, and I just stand there gaping at them like a fish out of water for a moment. “Jason has been arrested.” Shock runs through my body, but deep down, I kind of expected that last part.I sit down beside my mom feeling dizziness suddenly hit. I might not have been that close to them in recent months, but for a long time, they were the only friends I had. I just process what I have been told while my dad gives me the gory details they just heard from my uncle.“We don’t have to go to the funeral if you don’t want to go.” Gabriel sighs when my dad is done, and I just sit there in shock. Mom hands me a drink and I reali
EsmeWe do the rounds and spend just enough time with each group so that nobody will feel left out. The only group I have a problem with is my old friends. The first thing I notice is that Camile isn’t there. I’m not sure if she decided not to come to the ceremony, or if she just isn’t there right now.“We can’t avoid them, my love, but I can make an excuse for you if you like.” Gabriel pulls me closer and kisses my cheek.“No, I want all of them to see how happy I am.” I look into his eyes and smile before we make our way over to the group of people my age. At first, everything is incredibly uncomfortable, but Gabriel has this way of just making people feel comfortable.The only one that doesn’t seem to relax is Jason. He keeps glaring at Gabriel, and I just know that is never going to change. Jason will just have to accept that his mate is a lower-ranked wolf. We don’t stay as long as we did with the other groups and I breathe a sigh of relief as soon as we are away from all of them
EsmeThe day of the ceremony isn’t any better! I’m woken in the early hours of the morning and the omegas quickly start to move my things to my new bedroom. I’m a little disappointed when I walk into our room and I can smell that Gabriel had been there just moments ago.It smells of soap and I know he has taken a shower. I really want to see him before the ceremony. I need to see him, but my mom keeps telling me that it’s bad luck. My anxiety slowly builds as the day is spent on waxing and whatever is needed to make me look pretty.Right before I put on my dress, I’m completely freaking out, and I lock myself in the bathroom. My mind is all over the place. I know I want to be with Gabriel. I don’t understand the anxiety all of a sudden. I am sitting on the floor when I hear his footsteps coming closer.“Esme, it’s me.” He softly knocks on the door and I can feel it. The floor was cold, and I hoped that sitting on it would just calm my anxiety a little. I lean against the door and try
Esme“But this house is too big for two people? Where does everyone else stay?” I feel incredibly confused as he climbs the stairs with me in his arms. He stops before the door and looks into my eyes.“It’s big enough for our family. Now, will you give me a moment to welcome you to your new home before the pack arrives.” He grins and I nod. I have a lot of questions, but they can wait for now. He steps over the threshold and I burst out laughing.“Welcome home, my love.” He kisses my forehead and I slowly turn around. I gasp at the sight of it. The house is filled with what looks like only the best. The enormous grand staircase is clearly the centerpiece in the foyer.I note as Gabriel takes me on a tour that the materials used to make the furniture wasn’t cheap. The chairs look like they have been handcrafted out of wood. The cushions are covered in thick lush velvets and the curtains draped in front of the windows look heavy.The bottom floor consists out of the kitchen, a dining ro
Esme“Mom, are you okay with all of this?” I put some of the living room things down on the coffee table while she wraps them and puts them into the box.“All what, honey?” She stops wrapping and frowns at me. I sit down beside her trying to find just the right words. That is really difficult to do when you haven’t gotten along with your mother for most of your life.“Moving to a new pack. Me being mated.” I shrug, hearing the hesitation in my own voice and knowing that she is going to hear it.“Well, honey …” She sits back and studies me for only a moment. “Are you okay with all of this? That is really the big question. None of this makes sense if you aren’t okay with it.” She frowns.“Yeah, I’m okay with it.” A shy smile starts to form, and my cheeks turn bright red.“Then we are all okay with it. The time has come for your brother to take over, which means we won’t have much to do around here.” Mom shrugs and carries on wrapping. “Hey, did you get your robes for graduation yet?” Th
Esme“I … Uhm …” I look from mom to dad to Gabriel, and I’m at a complete loss for words for the first time in my life. Honestly, it’s been nice to have Gabriel there, but I’ve been so focused on just trying to get through the exams that I kind of didn’t think about leaving with Gabriel.“I think we should get through graduation first before any of us make any plans to move.” Gabriel saves the day and I literally breathe a loud sigh of relief, making them all laugh at me. Later in the evening, after dinner, Gabriel and I walk out to the lake.As we get into the cool water, I think how this could be the last time I ever see this lake. I will come to the pack territory to visit my brother, but I can’t imagine us coming here to swim. My next week is going to be filled with finding a dress for graduation and all that, so I can’t see us coming out here.We swim out in silence, each trapped in our thoughts. When Gabriel closes the gap between us, I don’t even notice until he pulls me into h
EsmeBefore long, the horrible written exams are over. I’ve fallen into a new routine and have even grown used to having Gabriel in my space literally all the time. He left to check on his pack a couple of times, but he has never been gone for more than two days at a time.Jason and Camile have clearly become closer, and I’ve even heard rumours that they could very well be mates. Camile’s birthday is right in the middle of our physicals, which means my uncle has limited the celebration a little.Gabriel pulls me into his embrace while we wait for Camile to make her entrance. She tried her best to outshine me, but thanks to my uncle, her party isn’t nearly as big as mine was. Camile finally makes her entrance and I shove my face into Gabriel’s chest to cover the laughter as soon as I see her.Camile is dressed in the biggest dress I’ve ever seen. She is wearing an enormous crown, and all I can think is that she doesn’t even realize how ridiculous she looks. Her dad has the hardest time