After hours of tears, loving touches, and kisses Viktor and I lay snugged up in bed. Hours had passed since we had breakfast. It was either lunch or almost dinner time now. I should be get food, I should be hungry, but I wasn’t. My mind was reeling with what should and how should. I was now faced with a different feeling.I was pregnant and in just a few months I would be a mother. I would be responsible for another and would have my mates, or mate by my side. We didn’t have much time left before the baby would be here.We needed to figure out this issue with Jake and we needed to do it fast. I would not have this drag over months. I wouldn’t hope for him to choose us. I wouldn’t let months pass with uncertainty. We needed to know what he wanted, really wanted.Today we would need an answer. Time was ticking and we couldn’t just wait for it to figure itself out. If we were going to fix things than we needed to know today. We would need to work on it over the next few months but first,
We could have linked the kitchen for a meal to be brought up. It would have been easier and I could have stayed a in bed and been a gremlin. I wanted to stay comfy in bed and wait for Jake to come back. I wanted to stay in Viktor’s arms and have dinner in bed. I knew I needed to get up and walk around, so when he stood up and put me down on my feet I didn’t complain. When he offered me his hand, I ignored the instant need to whine and crawl back into bed. I grabbed his hand and he smiled knowingly. He turned without another word and I followed him toward the door. When we got downstairs we walked past pack members who were worried. Viktor hadn’t made an announcement to explain to our people so they didn’t know what happened. Some came up and wished me well and others thanked me for appearing okay. A few thanked the Moon Goddess, bowed, and said they were happy to see me. I needed to be better. I made a note to keep the pack members in the loop in the future. We would need to make an an
The room started to spin as we stared at her. The three of us remained frozen while the three words she uttered began to sink. We waited for her to smile, tell us it was a joke, or to say that it wasn’t true, but none of those things happened. None of it made sense. I had no enemies left living in this world. No one came to mind when I thought of an enemy, not even Clara. “Hurry! The pack needs you. I was with Delta John for a meeting when it happened. Telling you in person was the best course of action,” Jamie said. She straightened her back. “How can we be under attack?” I asked. “There is some tension with the other packs but no one comes to mind when I think of having the balls to attack us,” Jake said. He turned to Viktor but it was as if I saw a mask fall over my mates face. “What pack?” Jake asked. Viktor was Alpha and had many enemies. It seemed more likely that it would be a neighboring pack. “None,” Jamie panted. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter who is attacking u
The two of them looked at me as if they weren’t sure if they believed me yet. Jake looked unsure of my promise but that didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to try and convince them and time was running out. We didn’t know how Delta John was holding up and Jake needed to leave as soon as possible if not five minutes ago. “See? She’s going to stay away from the fight and you’ll make sure she does just that, won’t you?” Jake asked. “Yes,” Viktor growled. “Good. So we don’t need to worry,” Jake whispered. Jake stared into Viktor’s eyes, he turned to me, but Viktor pulled him back to him hard. Jake collided with his chest with an oomph. He inhaled a shaky breath as Viktor hugged him tight. Jake wrapped his arms around his waist and breathed in Viktor’s scent. I watched them embrace each other and ignored the thought that if something happened to one of them, this would be the last time I saw them together. “Don’t get hurt,” Viktor demanded. “Never,” Jake whispered. He unwrapped his arms fr
Kacie“What about her?” I asked.Even as I asked the question all of my fears came together and piece by piece it was clear. Still I hoped that Clara would have something to say, to refute my fears. I knew though, as I stared into her eery light blue eyes filled with worry, that my fears had come true.“She left in the middle of the night and never came back. At the time I told myself that she was probably at a guys house or playing around…” Clara said.“What does that….”Clara ran her fingers through her hair and her earrings swayed left and right. She looked at“But now?” I whispered.“But now…” Clara whispered.“Where is she?” Viktor asked.“I don’t know… but wherever she is I know she can handle herself,” Clara said. She looked to me. “I’ll fight with you.”“And Nyx?” I asked.“I know she will too,” Clara said.As if she had been summoned, Nyx appeared in the doorway behind Clara. Her red hair was a wild fury of a mess, her gold bangles firmly in place despite looking like she’d j
Just over this hill, we would find our warriors, our deltas fighting against the elders. My mate came to a stop just atop the hill and I picked up my speed. I followed him with my sisters atop the hill and surveyed the scene before me. My hand dropped to my stomach and a gasp escaped from my lips as Nyx and Clara came to a stop by my side.The small village that stood here was no more. The homes had been stomped to the ground and bodies lay all over the ground. Blood covered the field and if we didn’t stop the enemy, we would be fighting in a pool of blood.The field was covered with our warriors fighting against the humanoids. Most of them looked just like the one I had battled the other day with Jade. I searched the field for her but couldn’t find her. Our warriors were putting up as much of a fight as the could against the large mud creatures. It had been almost impossible for me to bring the one I had fought against down. But I knew from that training session that it didn’t matter
Kacie The scene in front of me was ripped from my view as Clara tugged on my arm. The three of us made our way down the hill. We tried to stay out of sight as we made our way towards the back of the humanoid warriors. If we could remain unseen, we could look for Jade and deal with the elders without gaining the attention of the mud creatures. I hadn’t seen Jake but I prayed that wherever he was he was safe. We touched down on the ground level and ran through blood puddles. Our plan on remaining unseen fell through the cracks as a mud monster spotted us. It roared and ran toward us with his large arms reaching out for us. Before I could react it ran into an invisible barrier. I looked to my left and Clara looked up at the creature. Her hair flowed around her as her and I knew her magic was at work. Her darkness kept the creature from us. I looked at the invisible barrier and saw a flickering as it went back and forth. The wall turned into a box. The monster was trapped within it. The
KacieA smaller humanoid stood thirty feet behind the pile of dust that we left in our wake. It stood still and didn’t flinch as we made our way toward it. It looked just like the one I’d fought against but closer to my size. This one was small, really small. I slowed my pace until I came to a full stop but ten feet away. The difference between this mud monster and the one I’d faced during my training session with Jade was that it had eyes, just as the one I’d fought a few minutes ago. It was eery was it glared at me with eyes to seem to hold fire.It looked at me, my face, my body and I swear it smirked at me. It opened it’s mouth and roared as it took off toward me. I called on the fire and it exploded in the palm of my hands and ran up my arms. It stood in front of me and I lifted my chin as I looked into its eyes. Large hands slammed together around me in an attempt to squish me but I threw my hands out away from me. My flames burned the hottest I’ve ever burned before. I would ta
My heat aches as the thoughts flit through my mind one after the other. Tears prick the corners of my eyes before filling them. My chest pangs with the need to be wrapped up in his arms. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jake would do all of those things. He would care for me as he had before. He would look after me as my Beta, my partner, and the father of our child.My soul wept for him, my heart broke for him, and my mind went mad for him. I curled into a ball on the bed and grasped at the sheets as the pain poured from my body. I screamed as it became unbearable and my vision went white. I cried out, my cry turning into a scream, as the door burst open. It slammed against the wall, but still my vision remained impaired.I couldn’t see anyone, but I heard voices. I felt the rush of people around me and hands checking me and prodding my belly. I froze when I felt the warmth of a hand on my shoulder and a familiar scent I didn’t think I would ever smell again. I threw my head ba
Kacie I want to bury my head into his chest but I can’t. I can’t bring myself to look away. I continue staring at him as Viktor lays down by his side. He props himself up and stares down at him. The love and sadness in his eyes blend into one. His gaze darts back and forth between the two of us. A sad smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “I love you,” I whisper. “I love you,” Viktor says quietly. We shared stories, we cried, we laughed. I told him about one of the mornings after my Luna Ceremony when I woke up and found Jake naked across from me. He flexed and tried to show off. Viktor chuckled and shared a precious memory from when they first kissed. It was sweet and I wished I could have seen the look in Jake’s eyes if he had heard Viktor tell the story. The next memory Viktor shared with me was the look on Jake’s face when I walked out that first day in Ken’s house. When he smelled me and knew I was his mate, he only trusted Jake to be alone with me. That’s why he let him
Kacie“I have one request,” I said.“Anything my love,” Viktor said.“I don’t want him in the lobby. I want him in our room. Can we do that?” I asked.“We can do whatever we want Kacie,” Viktor answered.In the olden days, it was common for our kind to spend the dead’s last night with them. It was like a ritual, we clean their bodies with a cloth, wash their hair, and clothe them in something loose. After the ritual the body is placed in the living room or the pack lobby if the dead was an alpha. The family would then bring their blankets and pillows to sleep in the front on the couch or the floor. It’s the last night you get with the dead. It’s a form of closure and was done away with one hundred years ago, or at least that’s what Viktor told me. When he told me about it I clung to the knowledge and asked him if we could do it too. He admitted that he mentioned it to gouge my reaction. We looked into each others eyes and knew without a doubt that we needed to do it.It may have been
Kacie “I’ve failed. I failed and lost him,” Viktor said. The weight on his shoulders was large enough to make anyone crumble beneath it. Still, my mate stood firm. My heart broke for the mate we’d lost, but it soared knowing that he was safe. Instead of keeping my thoughts to myself I would make sure he knew. I would make sure he knew every day how much I loved him, how much I needed him in my life. I would make sure he knew how loved he was, but first, he needed to face Jake. He needed to come to grips with it as I have. He needs to make peace with it, so he can move forward. We both needed this. “Come here,” I said. I watched as he mentally drew back, away from me as if he would hurt me. As if he thought he’d lose me too if he touched me. I reached for him, my outstretched hand open in offering for him to take it. He had to take it. Viktor stared at my hand for a moment before his eyes darted to Jake on the ground between us. Desperation clear in his eyes when he looked back at m
Kacie In an attempt to feel whatever warmth Jake had left I pushed my body as close as I could to his. I ignored the unevenness of his body, the difference between it now and what I remembered. Everything in me came flowing out as my hair flowed out all around me. My hands grasped at his muddy shirt and my heart broke for the second time today. Jake’s body was hard and the finality of it pulled the sheet from beneath my feet. I was no longer able to deny the crushing reality. The warmth was seeping out of him as quickly as the clouds had formed above us. Footsteps squelched behind me announcing Viktor’s presence. My pain vibrated in his chest as he stopped behind me. It was enough to pull him away from mourning his sister. The curiosity outweighing the fear led him to me. I could feel his pain as he felt mine. I knew when he saw who lay beneath me because he made an unintelligible sound behind me. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head. I couldn’t look back at him. I couldn’
KacieI’ll hurt you.I don’t want to hurt you.I don’t want to hurt him. I wouldn’t hurt him. The urge, no, the need to make sure I don’t hurt him runs through my veins as the idea of burning him strikes me hard in the chest. It’s like an ice cold bucket of water and I feel like I’ve jolted awake from a dream. The flames protest against my will as my mind refuses to hurt the man in front of me. For the first time since becoming aware I look at him. My eyes wander over black hair, a sharp jaw, and full lips. Dark tired eyes filled with worry stared down at me. My mate reaches for me a second time and this time I extinguish the flames with the flick of my wrist as realization dawned on me.My mate.He’s okay.He’s alive.If my mate is here than why am I so hurt?My does my heart bleed?I lean in toward him and his hand gently grazes over my cheek, his shoulders relaxed, and relief stared back at me. I was safe. I was in one piece. I had survived. If he hadn’t gotten my attention things
Kacie My father’s breathing is haggard and strained beneath me. At my words he roars angrily. He’s weak, useless below me, unable to get away. When I straighten my back, lift myself up, and stare down at him. I take a moment to look over the expression of fear and regret in his eyes. I don’t bother with emotion because right now, I feel nothing. There’s only a high, a haze of bliss from his acceptance. It’s settled over me as I hover over him. The power of taking what I want, getting the revenge I sent out for. I’m hurting him, torturing him, killing him. I focus on this as he stares up at me. “All of this will do nothing. You may have killed my friends and you may have won the fight between you and I, but there’s one you haven’t and can’t win. You can’t win against death,” Charles chokes. I don’t want to hear anymore. I don’t want to hear the truth drip from his lips like poisoned honey. I won’t let him win and I won’t let his words get to me. I won’t change my mind and I won’t hea
Charles yanked his arm back but I didn’t let go. I did the opposite, I dug my nails in as he pulled, my claws dug into his skin and ripped. Blood pooled and burned, he yanked again this time, ignoring the bite of my nails as they pierced deeper. He wrenched his arm free, or what was left of it. I could feel his skin under my claws, chunks of meat between my fingers, as he cried out in pain. I take a moment to enjoy my work. His once scorched pink skin had turned black, blood ran down his arm and dripped to the floor. Charles turned to glare at me, and for the first time since meeting him, fear stares back at me. He clutched his injured arm and I watch as his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows nervously. Sweat pools on his temple and slides down his brow. I chuckle at this small victory. He must have thought that I would be an easy kill. The young girl he once knew died a long time ago. Did he think that his words would have weakened me? Did he think that his words would have an affect
KacieNow that I knew Viktor would be okay, I could give in to what I’ve wanted since seeing the devastation the Elders caused. Now that I knew that Clara would have Viktor, I felt the opposite of what I’ve before at the thought of them together alone. I felt relief. She would make sure he was safe. I turned from Clara and focused on that man I once called father.Answering to the call of my growing flames I dashed forward. I promised to give them what they wished soon. The need for blood, for sliced skin, and the smell of burning flesh drove me forward. I would have what I desired, I would have my vengeance, my revenge. My anger fanned the flames and they grew hotter than they ever have before. I screamed out in anguish as I rushed toward the man who should have been the father I deserved. He was nothing but a disappointment.Tears run down my cheeks before they dry up and evaporate. I don’t cry for him or what I’m going to do, no, I’ll revel in my father’s death. The tears continue