Keva-“Do you think I am doing the right thing?” I asked Daxton when we arrived at Stark Growlers.I expected the guards protecting the territory would cause problems when we arrived, but they didn’t even notice me. Their attention had been on Daxton. Seeing how much they respected him made me feel at ease for using him as a shield.Technically I wasn’t exactly using him. It had been Daxton’s idea to pretend to be mated, but I had felt a little worried that it would bring problems for him. I knew he had reached an alliance with Ethan, but I hadn’t known the extent of it until now.Apparently, Daxton was not just the Alpha of an allied pack, he was also a temporary member. He has taken the position of Gamma, to train the members of Stark Growlers. I also learned that he wasn’t meant to report to the pack for another week but had already informed Ethan he would be arriving ahead of schedule.On the drive back, I had been determined to take back everything I gave Ethan, but now I was uns
Keva-“I guess you might not recognize her. It has been a few years since you saw her and she was recently attacked. Her injuries were severe, so she had to get reconstructive surgery and her vocal cords were damaged.” Carter explained.The proud look on Natalie’s face was hysterical. Only an idiot would believe that was the reason for the change. I knew Carter was pretending, as was Daxton, but seeing that Ethan seemed convinced, marked him the idiot of the bunch.“You’re Gumdrop?” Daxton’s brows slanted as he took in Natalie’s appearance.“I didn’t think you would recognize me, so I didn’t say anything, but yes.” Natalie moved forward and tried to grab Daxton’s arm as if he was her new target that she wanted to latch onto.Daxton swiftly stepped back, moving to stand behind me. “Stay back!” Daxton warned. “Even if you are his little sister, we should keep our distance since we both have mates.”I almost felt like I was watching a terrible drama with horrible acting skills. Natalie w
Daxton-Once inside the house, I let my eyes wander. There weren’t any pictures on the wall but every aspect was fully Keva. I thought that after two years of being with Ethan, there would be some touch of his presence in the house, but I didn’t notice anything.Everything, from the furniture to the décor was Keva through and through. If I hadn’t heard Keva mention she lived with Ethan for a while, I wouldn’t have guessed it. Not a single item represented a man living in the house.The house seemed a little bare and didn’t hold any valuables, which caused my heart to ache. The once pampered little girl that I remembered, didn’t have anything decent. All the furniture looked second-hand. Even the quilt draped over the back of the worn-out couch looked to be handmade.I could imagine Keva sitting in the small rocking chair in the corner of the room, spending countless hours pouring her heart into making the quilt. The handiwork of the quilt was without a doubt Keva’s.As I was looking a
Keva-When I woke in a strange room, I wasn’t sure where I was, until I remembered what I had done after returning home. I also vaguely recalled Daxton taking me out of the house and bringing me to his house. Sitting up on the bed, I thought about everything that had happened since returning to face Ethan.I had been prepared to deal with him, but now I was starting to think I was in over my head. The pain in my heart was still raw and nothing was going as I thought it would. Perhaps I should have waited until I was in better health or had a better idea of what I wanted to do.Feeling out of sorts and like I was a little lost, I let out a sigh, as I pushed off the blanket covering me and moved off the bed. I looked around the room and noticed that the furniture was new, but a little plain. It wasn’t the quality of the furniture, it was how there wasn’t a single decoration.Placed in the center of the room was a king-size bed, with a black headboard. There was a nightstand on both side
Keva-“Alpha!” A man yelled from the front door while knocking on it rapidly.We had just finished eating and Daxton was in the kitchen washing dishes. I offered to help, but he refused and told me to relax in the living room. Since Daxton’s hands were buried in soapy water, I went to answer the door.I recognized the man as Daxton’s Beta but had only seen him once. I could remember his name, but since it seemed like he had something important to discuss with Daxton, I stepped out of the way and let him enter the house. Daxton’s Beta didn’t hesitate as he swiftly entered the house and entered the kitchen.“What’s wrong?” Daxton asked as he continued washing the dishes.“Ethan came with some of his warriors and is demanding to see Keva.”“What does he want to see her for?” Daxton’s expression changed from calm to anger, almost immediately.“He claims that she burned down his house.”“His house?” I scoffed as I shut the front door. “That house is mine.”“Where is he?” Daxton asked as he
Keva-Sticking to the back of the crowd, I watched silently with satisfaction. Ethan didn’t look like he was having much fun. Surrounded by pack members as they demanded an explanation while waving paper in his face, Ethan was sweating profusely.“If we knew that you weren’t the one to do all these things, we never would have accepted you as our Alpha!” One member shouted.“We don’t need an Alpha who is reaping the rewards of someone else's credit!” Another shouted.“What is going on here?” The previous Alpha asked, holding up a paper. “Why is Keva’s name on all of this? Did you lie to me so that I would accept you as my successor?”One of the members dropped the paper on the ground. Since I didn’t know what the paper was, I bent over to pick it up. After examining it, I saw it was one of the papers Daxton had shown Ethan earlier.“Did you do this?” I asked Daxton as I held up the paper.“I couldn’t let Ethan talk his way out of it or hide it. Now that the truth is out, he will pay fo
Keva-We didn’t proceed with the challenge behind the packhouse; instead, we went to the training grounds, which is as large as a football field. As we ventured over, we passed by my house, or what remained of it. It was a pile of debris and soot. Surprisingly, seeing the house made me feel much better like my heart was lighter.After stepping onto the training grounds, I walked to one side of the field, while Ethan and Natalie walked to the other. Roughly twenty yards separated us. While I stretched my limbs, I watched Ethan and Natalie whisper to each other. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it didn’t matter.“Are you sure about this?” Daxton joined me on the field.“Since they issued the challenge, I have no reason to disagree. Even if I am not at full strength, I believe I can handle Natalie. Her lies are full of holes, but I remember hearing that she was never trained. She claimed that her so-called father didn’t have her trained because she is his precious daughter.” I
Keva-“I am starting to believe that every word out of your mouth is a lie, with how easy it is for you.” I sneered.“I am not lying!” Natalie yelled with tears streaming down her face.“You really should have tried a career in acting, I think you missed your calling.” I shook my head as I looked at the audience and how they were wrapped around her finger. “Or just give everyone a stupidity reward.” I let out a small laugh, unable to hold it back.I was tempted to let the show come to an end and tell everyone the truth about who I was. As my eyes shifted from one face to the next, I knew I couldn’t let everyone off so easily. Seeing how convinced everyone was that they were on the right side, I wondered how everyone would respond when they learned the truth. Right now, Natalie and Ethan have their absolute trust.“What do you want to do?” Carter’s voice filled my head.“I don’t know. I hadn’t expected this to happen. As much as I want Natalie to suffer like I did, I am not going to s
Keva-Waking up in Daxton’s arms was better than I could have imagined. Now that I have let go of the block within my heart, I wondered why I hadn’t allowed myself to experience this sooner. Although Daxton and I hadn’t done more than kiss, last night was the best night I have ever had.If Daxton hadn’t pulled back, I would have let him claim me. Instead, he had broken the kiss and wouldn’t let me continue. He admitted that he wanted to claim me more than I knew, but he didn’t want to do anything I would regret. I tried convincing him I wouldn’t regret it, but he still refused.I thought he was going to kick me out of the room and tell me he didn’t want to be with me, but he didn’t. Daxton had pulled me onto the bed and wrapped me in his arms. He then told me that he didn’t want to rush anything.No matter how much I tried to reassure him that I was ready to take things to the next level with him, he didn’t let anything happen. He simply held me, kissed the top of my head, and told me
Keva-“What?”“When Daxton turned eighteen, he found out that you are his fated mate.”My eyes widened to the point they felt as if they were bulging out of my sockets. “What?”“It’s true.” Jayden nodded. “When he turned eighteen, he felt the bond with you. He tried to deny it at first, due to his history and age difference, but then he stopped fighting against it. He did start avoiding you, but he planned to approach you on your eighteenth birthday. When you ran off, it didn’t just break him, it shattered him. Do you know how painful it is when the one you are fated to, mates with another?”Slowly I shook my head, unable to form any words. I was too stunned and everything he was saying was beyond my current comprehension. I tried to process everything, but it was like my brain had been fried.“Let me put it to you this way…” He took a deep breath and lowered his leg while leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees. “He nearly died. He stopped eating and drinking and started dis
Keva-After discussing it with them, they both went quiet until Daxton broke the silence. “I don’t think Lunar Eclipse is related to this. I am not saying we shouldn’t stay vigilant, but this doesn’t sound like their thing.”“I agree with Daxton. I think you might be overthinking this, sis.” Silas added.They could be right, but I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was bound to happen. I was tempted to get a professional team together to handle the mission. If Lunar Eclipse was involved, then things wouldn’t just be dangerous, they would be deadly. I wasn’t too worried about their teams, but I had an idiot on my team.“Maybe.” I sighed.“Look, you are under a lot of pressure right now and there are a lot of variables in play. I think that for tonight, you just need to relax and try to clear your mind. Tomorrow we will have a better understanding of what we are dealing with, and we can plan accordingly.” Silas spoke.“We aren’t brushing you off, but we do think th
Keva-“What I can’t call my daughter unless there is a problem?” My father sounded offended, but I knew he was teasing me.“Not at all. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” I smiled as I entered my office and shut the door behind me.“Actually, I do have a reason for calling and it is a problem.”“What is it?” I asked as I sat at my desk.“I remembered you telling me that you were going to be doing a leadership test today and would be doing missions.” My father paused and I heard the shuffle of papers in the background. “I have a mission I could use your help with.”“Go on.” I encouraged him as I leaned back in my chair and gave him my full attention.“There is a scientist who is being targeted. His lab exploded a few days ago and he feels like he is being followed. I don’t know how bad his situation is. I planned to send some warriors to him, but I thought it might be better for you guys to deal with it. I mainly need you to contact the scientist, figure out his situation, elim
Keva-The test ends, with Ethan leading everyone out. Tobias had been correct, Ethan had an excellent memory and sense of direction. They had moved through the maze without direction when locating the items for everyone, which Ethan had noted each turn.When they collected the items, they stopped and discussed their exit strategy. As if it were a puzzle he connected each path, and figured out even the areas they hadn’t ventured. Ethan deduced where the exit would likely be and took the lead. He traveled in his wolf form and while many were unsure Ethan was leading them in the right direction, Tobias had followed Ethan with confidence.The others slowly followed Tobias’s lead, which proved they were already seeing him as their leader. That alone filled me with excitement. I didn’t care that Ethan had been the one to help everyone escape. It was Tobias who had shown the true purpose of the test.At best Ethan was simply cocky and had a superior complex, which gave me an idea for the nex
Keva-With a sigh, I settled into a chair in the control room we set up. The loyalty test was officially over and had lasted a little longer than I planned. Technically the test only took three days, but we had to wait an additional two days because one member had been injured.Everyone in charge of the testing was assigned three members, although Jayden only had two. We had a few members fail, but everyone in Daxton’s, Jayden’s, Carter’s, and my group passed. One member Silas had tested failed, but it wasn’t a member who failed is why we had to wait two more days before beginning the next test.No, Daxton decided to take things a little too far with one of his testers. The person passed, but he had caused him to be injured by torturing him after an arranged kidnapping. Up until that point I had avoided Daxton, but then I was forced to deal with him.I hadn’t been mad at Daxton due to what happened between us, but I was struggling to wrap my mind around it. After his latest stunt, how
Daxton-After getting dressed, I attempted to stay with Keva to calm her down, but she uncovered herself and threw a pillow at me. Thinking it was better to retreat than make her even more mad, I left the room. Once I was in the hall, I was startled when I noticed Silas leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.“While I am glad you and her finally got together, it isn’t going to be that simple.” Silas smirked.I didn’t need to ask what he meant. I knew exactly what happened. I shouldn’t have let things get as far as they had, but something came over me and I couldn’t hold myself back. Originally, I just planned to tease her so she would let down her guard a little more.When I caught the familiar scent of a blood pill, I took advantage of the situation. I knew she had been intoxicated by vampire blood, which was as effective as a sexual arousal drug. Because of that, I hadn’t marked her, but I had desperately wanted to.I had asked her if she was sure and if she wo
Keva-“What are you doing?” I gasped as I took a step back from Daxton.“That is my question. What are you doing?” Daxton’s voice was low and slightly husky as he kept moving toward me with each step I took away from him.“I…” My mind was blank and I couldn’t think of a reasonable excuse.“This time you provoked me.” Daxton quickly closed the distance between us, wrapping one arm around me, while grabbing me behind the neck and pulling me toward him. “Don’t think you can run little wolf.”As his lips crashed against mine, I only had one thought running through my mind. I no longer wanted to run from him. I could deny it all I wanted, but the truth was, his touch, his taste, and his scent, made me crave him in ways I never thought possible.Now that I wasn’t holding back, it was like the floodgates of hell opened up. My hands swiftly moved to his shoulders and I gripped them tightly as I pulled myself closer to him. It felt as if my body was coming alive, even if I didn’t quite underst
Keva-As if we had been caught doing something we shouldn’t have, Silas froze, with one foot on the first step and I tensed. Tobias didn’t seem surprised to see Silas carrying me on his back. He also didn’t say or do anything until after Silas regained his composure and continued walking up the few steps to the porch.“Put me down.” I whispered in Silas’s ear.Silas didn’t protest as he put me down, but I could sense that he was on edge as he placed himself between me and Tobias. “What are you doing here?” He asked Tobias.I was about to tell Silas he didn’t speak, but to my surprise, Tobias answered. “Two reasons.” Tobias pulled a hand from his pocket and extended his arm toward me, with a pill bottle in his hand. “To give you this and to speak to you.”“I thought you didn’t talk?” I lifted my brows and looked at the item in his hand, unsure if I should take it.“I do, but I don’t speak unless I have a reason to.” Tobias shrugged.“Makes sense.” I said as I accepted the pill bottle.