Trista’s POVI glanced around the room, stunned. The walls were lined with assorted weapons: guns, knives, and other things I didn’t recognize. There were tons of weapons there. I hadn’t expected to see a room like this, a secret, underground room stocked to the hilt with weapons.“What is this place?” I asked Dagny.“It’s our armory. We built it and stocked it in case anyone found us out here in the forest and we were attacked.” Her voice was flippant, as though this room was commonplace. I thought otherwise. I’d never been so close to so many weapons before. It made me feel uneasy.It felt so odd standing in that room. From the outside, the cabin looked so quaint. It looked like a nice little place to escape to for a relaxing weekend away. But now? This room had enough weapons to launch a pretty hefty attack. I never would have imagined there was a secret room beneath the cute little main floor. I stepped forward and lightly brushed my hand over one of the machine guns.“I think I k
Trista’s POVHer question came out of the blue. I was taken aback by the boldness of her question. It came out sounding accusatory and her eyes remained fixed on mine in an intense glare. Was that part of the reason she’d been so hostile to Liam? Because she thought that he and I were involved? It would explain why she disliked him so much. “If you are still involved with your ex-husband,” Dagny continued before I’d even had a moment to reply, “then I think it’s best for you to leave with Liam once he’s healed.”I hesitated, unsure of what to say.“I’ll also ask that you not interfere in the Cartwright’s affairs any further. Surely you can understand my position. I have an obligation to protect our family, and that includes Johnson.”I did understand her position. I appreciated how blunt she was being. The questions and demands were a bit off-putting, but she was a mother and I knew first-hand a mother’s desire to protect her family. I’d showed up here, at the church, with my wounde
Trista’s POV“The Cartwright family has a mysterious gene,” Dagny told me. “We’ve often believed that it’s a curse, although we don’t know where the curse came from.”“A mysterious gene?” I asked. “What sort of gene?”“Twins,” she said, her expression serious. “You see, every time someone in the Cartwright family gets pregnant, it’s always with twin boys. Sometimes, the two books like similar, almost like identical twins. But other times, they look completely different. Either way, they never get along. They’re destined to war with each other from the day they take their first breath. It doesn’t matter when any one does. It’s just their fate. One twin always ends up killing the other. It’s a tragic ending.”Dagny paused.“That’s awful,” I said quietly. I couldn’t even imagine what that must be like for the parents, knowing their children’s fate was written in stone and that there was nothing they could do. How strange, I thought to myself, to have the excitement of birth marred by thi
Trista’s POVI was speechless.Me? Had I just heard her right?She looked at me intensely.“Like I said, Trista, I can’t be entirely sure. It’s only a guess. But something has changed. Something has instigated his wolves and I know how he feels about you. I think you might be his mate. And his wolves are reacting to that.”She stated it so matter-of-factly. But her words sent my thoughts whirling. I was relieved we were downstairs in this secret room. I was grateful for the privacy as I grappled through the enormity of the things Dagny was telling me.I was the reason his wolves had awakened? Me? I didn’t like that thought. It was bad enough that Liam was upstairs right now, injured by a mystical Silvery because of me. If what Dagny was saying were true, then I’d activated Johnson’s dormant wolves? But how? And why? I considered Johnson to be family, but up until a little while ago, I’d thought he was human. I’d known him for five years and there hadn’t been a single day I thought he
Trista’s POVI turned the words over in my head.The Lycan Erasthai?“No, I don’t think I have,” I told Dagny. The words were unfamiliar to me.She nodded. “Well, the Erasthai is a special bond that Lycans experience. Werewolves have matebonds appointed by the Moon Goddess. But Erasthai is an emotional bond that comes from the heart.”“It’s like a matebond for Lycans? This Erasthai?” I asked.“Yes, sort of. But it’s much stronger. Much more serious,” she told me.I found it hard to believe that anything could be stronger than a werewolf’s matebond, but I had no point of reference since I wasn’t a Lycan. So I had to take Dagny’s word on that.“I’ve sensed Johnson’s feelings for you. I sensed them when he came to visit us at our estate. I think you might be Johnson’s Erasthai.”I also knew Johnson had feelings for me, but I thought they were just human feelings, since I thought Johnson was human. But now Dagny was telling me that his feelings might be something much deeper. If Erasthai
Trista’s POVI appreciated Dagny’s support. I wasn’t sure yet what I was going to do. The Erasthai bond came with a lot of inherent risks and I needed time to carefully sort through it all. But in the meantime, we needed to come up with a game plan for our current situation.“What should we do now?” I asked Dagny. “Do you know where Stewart it?”“Yes. He must be hiding somewhere,” Dagny told me. “He changed the color of the curtains in the window in the attic to warn me. So I think he’s around here somewhere. I can stay here, hidden in the cottage and look for him.”I nodded. That made sense. If Steward had been in the estate to change the curtains, then he was probably nearby.“What about Johnson?” I asked. I was really worried about him, even more so now with all the things Dagny had told me.“Well, based on the information you gave me about Milan, I think he’s safe for the time being. It sounds like Felix’s younger son is running the show now. He’s likely taken control of all the m
Trista’s POV“I know what you’re thinking,” Dagny said. “I have no idea what’s in the vault, I don’t know where the key is and I can’t tell you where Storm and Mercury are so how are you possibly supposed to find them, right?”Yup. She pretty much nailed it right on the head. That’s exactly what I was thinking. But then she flashed me a mischievous smile.“Well, I might not know where Mercury and Storm are, but I know where their son is.” I balked. Their son? I’d assumed that Mercury and Storm were both men. But apparently my assumptions were way off base.“Mercury and Storm fell in love. They got married and had a child, a boy. He’s just a little younger than Jonathan. Maybe four years or so? Anyway, Storm and Mercury wanted their son to return to the land of their ancestors. So they left Europe and brought him to the United States. He was raised there from a young age and they integrated him into human society. He went to school, graduated, and got a good job at a good company.”
Trista’s POVDagny eyed me with a quizzical look. “Are you certain?”I completely understood her trepidation. It was like a miracle. I was shocked myself. But I was sure. Jules was the person we needed. “Yes,” I said emphatically. “There’s only one personal assistant named Jules at HS. It has to be him.” I grinned from ear to ear. I felt like finally, we’d caught a break. The irony wasn’t lost on me. Jules was supposed to be working for Johnson, but he was Liam’s personal assistant. So he was basically working for Johnson’s rival. It was all so surreal. “You think he knows where the key is?” I asked.“If he doesn’t know firsthand, then he’ll know how to find out,” Dagny said.I nodded. “Then I should go back to the United States immediately,” I told her. Of course, I had some ulterior selfish reasons for wanting to go back.I missed Billy and Belle terribly, as well as Hazel. Relief flooded through me. Finding Jules would be easy. I knew exactly where to look! Plus, I could hold my
Trista’s POV Belle let out a horrified scream. It reverberated through the forest.“Pele, no!” I cried out again.But Pele was in full wolf form by now. His wolf was magnificent, with broad, muscular shoulders and deep, brown fur with matching eyes. He bent down onto his hind legs and put his head onto his front paws. It was a playful position, and was welcoming the kids to come and touch his fur.Of course, the kids didn’t know that though.Neither Billy nor Belle had actually seen a werewolf before, and Pele’s wolf was massive. The wolf shook his head playfully, his brown fur rippling in the world. “What in the world?” Jules asked, aghast at the sight before him. I realized that Jules had never seen a wolf before either. And I had to admit, watching a man transform into a wolf could be a bit jarring, to say the least. I knew what Pele was trying to do.In the wolf pack, it’s normal for someone to shift when children are upset. In fact, one of the
Trista’s POV I felt a flush of relief wash over me. Jules and I couldn’t get through, but knowing that the children would be safe was a huge weight of my shoulders. Plus, I knew that as soon as Liam saw Billy and Belle, he’d know that we were close by and would come for us. He’d find a way to get us into the pack. He was the Alpha, after all. He could take down the pack border to let us through. It wasn’t ideal, separating from Billy and Belle. But we were out of other options. “Thank you,” I told Pele sincerely. I’d have to find a place for Jules and I to stay in the meantime, but I’d crossed that bridge once I came to it. Jules and I could find somewhere nearby, in the forest, and just wait for Liam. First thing was first – we had to get the children across the border and safely into the pack. “Come,” Pele said, holding out his hand to the children. But Belle clutched at my legs and began to cry. “No, Mam
Trista’s POV I needed Pele to understand that this wasn’t a normal situation. It was urgent that he let us into the pack. Plus, we’d come a long way and we were all feeling really tired. I decided to just be honest with Pele and tell him the truth. “This is Jules,” I told Pele, motioning at Jules. “He’s Liam’s assistant and he’s very important to Liam. But he’s currently being hunted by some members in the human world. They’re very dangerous men. They belong to an underground mafia and they’ll stop at nothing to find Jules. It’s very important that you let us through. Liam promised us all the protection of the Blue Moon Crescent Pack.” Pele narrowed his eyes, his lips pressed together. He appeared to be thinking about what I was saying. Honestly, though, I wasn’t sure if he’d care either way. Pele didn’t live in the human world. He probably didn’t care about dangerous mafia men. He turned his head to Billy and Belle. “And who ar
Trista’s POV I hadn’t expected to be stopped at the Blue Moon Crescent border. Pele was not much older than me, but he possessed the composure and maturity of someone much older than himself. I understood that he wasn’t exactly thrilled to see me, since I’d been exiled from the pack. But I was sure that if I explained the situation, he’d let us pass through.“Leave, Trista,” he said coldly, He fixed his eyes on me, his face stern. “We’re here to see Alpha Liam,” I told him, a little taken aback by his unwelcoming and abrupt manner. “I don’t know what business you would have with Alpha Liam,” he stated, his tone dry. “Since you are no longer a member of our pack.”“If you would please just mindlink Alpha Liam, he’ll explain that…” “I’ll do no such thing. You cannot just show up here, Trista, with strangers in tow and demand to cross our border.” “I’m Jules,” Jules suddenly said, extending his hand. Pele did not accept his hand, leaving Jules
Trista’s POV The children felt the tension in the air. I bent down and scooped up Belle, hoisting her onto my hip. She buried her head in my neck. “Who is it, Trista?” Jules asked, his voice barely above a whisper. I shook my head, telling him that I didn’t know. Serena stayed in high alert, her fur standing on end as the man approached us.He had his eyes locked on me as he sauntered towards us. He was tall, with a powerful presence. We all stayed frozen to the spot. I squinted, trying to make out his face with my poor eye sight. But it wasn’t until he was only a few feet away that I recognized him.It was Pele.I was stunned at first. Pele was the man who had succeeded my father as Gamma after my father’s death. I hadn’t known Pele very well during my time at the pack, but his face was unmistakable. He also had the air of a gamma, which only solidified the fact that it was him.I remembered when Pele had been chosen as Gamma. I’d resented him on prin
Trista’s POVJules looked very concerned by the fact that there was no road. But I chuckled.“This is the right place,” I assured him.“How can that be?” Jules asked. I understood his confusion. He was used to living in the human world and humans took roads while travelling. But the Blue Moon Crescent Pack was protected by natural barriers, which is why werewolves have been able to hide from humans. The barriers are strong and only allow supernatural creatures to pass through them.I explained this all to Jules.“So I’m just supposed to keep driving? Through the forest without a road?”Billy and Belle giggled in the back seat. Jules slamming on the breaks had woken them up.“We’re going to drive through the forest?” Belle asked, wide-eyed.“Yup,” I replied. I unrolled the window to let the thick scent of the forest breeze through the car. The scent brought back so many memories and I couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. I’d been away from the pack for so long. I hadn’t expected
Trista’s POVHe drove along the coast line, the salty scent of the sea thick in the air. I was a worried wreck, though. I tried several times to get in contact with both Liam and Johnson, but I wasn’t having any luck. Serena tried too, but she wasn’t able to connect with them.I was worried about Johnson. Was he okay? Where was he now? Was he in immediate danger? Were we? What if they’d followed him and found us? At one point, I thought a car was following us. It was a red car and it was behind us for quite a while. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want Jules to worry. I glanced back at the car through the rearview mirror, momentarily convinced that it was one of Jake’s people and that they’d tracked us down.But the car eventually turned off the highway.‘You’re just being paranoid,’ I told myself. ‘No one’s following you.’I was impressed to see that Jules was a good driver. He didn’t speed and he kept his eyes locked on the road. He was calm and collected, and that helped
Trista’s POVI tried to sleep, but I tossed and turned all night. Thoughts of Johnson flooded my mind. I kept thinking about him and trying to come up with ways to help him. The look on his face in the forest – he had seemed so…tortured. There had to be something I could do. But what?He was going through something, something profound. And no matter how much I wanted to understand, no matter how sympathetic I was, I couldn’t truly feel what he felt. He had twin wolves warring within him. His family was in danger. He was worried about me and the children. All of these things were things that only HE could experience.I sighed, turning over and drawing the blanket up to my chin. The house was dead quiet, with only the gentle sound of Jules snoring softly in the next room. I’d known Johnson so well at one point in my life. Better than anyone, I’d believed. But now, he was somewhat of a stranger to me. We’d been apart for so long and he’d gone through all these events…without me. The dist
Trista’s POVThe pain in Johnson’s eyes was palpable. It broke my heart, seeing him hurt like that. I leaned to kiss him, in an effort to comfort him. But he turned his cheek and shook his head.“We need to have a serious conversation,” he told me, his brows furrowed.“Whatever it is, you can tell me,” I told him, taking his hands in mine. He inhaled a sharp breath. He was clearly grappling with something, searching for the right words.“I can’t involve you or the children, Trista, in anything that’s happening with my family. I’ve already involved you way too much. It needs to stop. It’s just too…dangerous.”“I’m well aware of the dangers,” I told him. “The children will be safe at Blue Moon Crescent Pack with Liam. I’m here for you. I want to help.”Whether or not he liked it, I was already involved. I couldn’t just turn my back on him, not now, not when he needed me the most.“That’s the problem,” he said with sadness in his eyes. “I know you want to help. You’re so brave and strong