I didn't want to return to the pack.However, Lucas told me to trust him which is what I did.I don't know what Valerie and Hunter are planning but a few days later, they arrive, to bring me back to the back and this time by force if need be. As Lucas had predicted, he had been sent on a mission and he wasn't home. But the surprise really came with my entire family showed up to escort me back, my father at the forefront. I had seen Hunter’s anger at being out maneuvered and Valerie’s dismay but they had had no choice but to let my family escort me. Whatever, while holding their gaze, I had crouched to the ground and told my wolves to run which they did.The fury in Hunter’s eyes had been satisfying.However, I wasn’t welcome back to the pack with open arms, just as I had expected.It’s been four days since I returned and the hostility is suffocating. Pack mates who had once been so close to me, now give me cold glances or simply pretend I don’t exist. This is
“I have nothing to say to you,” I walk over to the armchair and sit down, refusing to let him see my fear at being alone with him. Hunter ignores me, “How long has this thing being going on between you and Lucas? He was obviously courting you while we were together. Why else would he mate you so quickly?”His voice is hard and I narrow my eyes at him, “Why do you care? You banished me, remember? You and Valerie had made that perfect little plan of yours.”I can see the anger in his eyes and he hisses, “There was no plan! You’ve been harassing Valerie for a long time now! I saw the marks on her body where you hit her! Despite everything, she still protected you-““Marks?” I echo, a mocking laugh on my lips. “She’s a wolf, Hunter! You of all people know about our healing abilities. What marks are you talking about? And I never touched that girl!”I see his face falter but I ignore it.I get to my feet, “I don’t even care. I just want to leave this hell hole. I don’t wa
I don’t have a plan but I know I need to get out and figure out something. When I open my door, there are no guards there. I don't know why I expected Hunter to put somebody to watch me. Despite everything, he's very confident in his plan.But if I leave right now, in the middle of the day, he will hear about it.So I decide to wait till dinner time when everybody would be in the common room. So I pack up a few essentials and wait. I can't look like I'm leaving. It has to seem like I'm just going for a walk to stretch my legs.Not surprising since shifters do need to run. Now, I may not be able to shift, but I still have the desire to feel the earth between my feet and just run.I time my escape very carefully.I’m counting on the fact that the spell Lucas has had put on me to prevent my scent from being tracked is still working. When dinner time arrives, I slip out, quietly, without my shoes. I have them in the small backpack slung over my shoulder. It takes me
“Blood - What?” I’m so dazed right now and tension goes back to the pack mates standing just a few feet away from me and I scramble back, “T-They can’t see me?” “No.”“We should leave,” One of them, John, says, looking uncomfortable. “Why does Hunter even want us to bring Sarah back? Didn’t he just banish her? What is he doing bringing her back?”His companion, Ralph, frowns, “I don’t get it. He’s acting strange. And Sarah just stays in her room. Poor kid.”“Why are you sympathising with her?” John barks. “After what she did-“Ralph shrugs, “It seems a little off to me, the whole situation. I mean kicking her out without even a witness to back up Valerie’s claims and then making Valerie his intended almost immediately. Sarah was smart. She would have made a good mate to him. The whole thing feels a little fishy to me. Sarah isn’t like that. She’s always been helpful and kind. From he way Hunter and Valerie are describing her, she sounds one step up from crazy. So why brin
The wolves come pouring out of the trees, their teeth bared as they rush towards the shifters, members of my own pack who had been chasing after Lucas.I stand tall and firm, hatred in my eyes as I watch the wolves go after them.My pack mates look stunned at first as they look at me and after fending themselves off. They realise that they’re not going to win so they turn around and flee. “Stop,” I say, quietly and all the wolves freeze, turning to look back at me and I continue. “Let them escape.”I know who they are. I glimpsed the scars on their paws.They are Hunter’s private soldiers. Alphas don’t usually have a private army but it Hunter’s father had created one. It was a small force of ten very deadly shifters. Hunter had once revealed their existence to me when we were young. He had boasted about how they would serve him when he became Alpha. All ten members bore rigid scars on their wrists. It was their identifying mark.So that’s what Hunter meant when
I rush into the cottage but before I can reach the bedroom, the door opens and a bare chested Lucas walks out.He looks like hell and the minute he lays eyes on me, I’m within his arms before I can so much as blink, “Thank heavens you’re okay!”I have never seen him sound so desperate since I’ve known him and as I stand there pressed against him, my eyes brim my tears and I take in his scent, “Do you know how worried I’ve been?”I make a sobbing sound, “You blocked me out! I couldn’t feel you - I thought -““I’m sorry,”He murmurs, hoarsely, into my hair. “I’m sorry but I was left with no choice. You would have felt everything - l had to protect you.”“What happened?” I ask, pulling away from him to look at his handsome face. “Why were you gone for so long and what happened to bring you to this state?” “You’re awake,” Aliya’s voice floats from the stairs. “But not completely healed. Get back to bed. Why are you always bringing trouble to my doorstep, Lucas?” Lucas
Despite my pain, I scowl, “You’re supposed to be resting. Go back.”But the wolf pads over, nudging me with his nose and licking at my tears. I push him away, “Just go. Leave me alone.”But Lucas seems to have no intentions of leaving. He stands by my side, towering over me and I look the other way, the wounds far too raw for me to deal with him.However, when nothing he does gets my attention, he plops down on the ground, resting his head on my lap.I push it off, “No.” He puts it back on and when I bring my hand closer to push him away, he licks them shamelessly, making me scowl.His head alone is too heavy for me to get up and the more I try, the more adamant he is on not letting me leave.“Do what you want,” I mutter, bitterly. “In fact, why don't you hurl a few more accusations at me? Maybe tell me I deserved everything that happened to me? That -“The wolf in my lap transforms into an angry looking man who pushes me back onto the ground, holding me down, “I
“Go back?” My injured feelings forgotten, I turn around to give Lucas an astounded look. “Have you lost your mind?! I'm not letting you go back there! Hunter tried to kill you and the moment I stepped back into the den, they’ll lock me up!”“You think I’m going to let then do anything to you?” Lucas pushes my hair over my shoulder, exposing my neck and his mouth lowers to the vulnerable skin.I shiver as an unexplained emotion passes through me at the contact, “W-What do you mean?”“First of all,” He murmurs, his breath hot against my skin. “I’m going to take the weeks of vacation days I have piled up.”My eyes flutter shut as all I can think and feel is Lucas and his mouth hovering over my neck. His tongue darts out to give a small lick and I press my lips together, not trusting my voice.“You and I will walk in there, as a mated couple. We’ll stay together. Newly mated couples aren’t expected to part from each other anyway so if Hunter tries to separate us, the pac
SarahThe days that follow are sad ones. We all have to come together as a pack to work through the loss of so many loved ones. “I really thought we were finding peace,” Dustin says, as we gather together three days later. “I hoped it would stay.”“We’ll find that now,” I tell him. “There are always going to be times of peace and times of conflict. I’ve learned we have to accept that as a way of life. That’s the downside of being in a wolf pack.“But the good days outnumber the bad. And we’re strong, we’re fierce. We’ll get through this and defeat any enemies that might come up next. We just have to trust in each other and have faith in the pack.”The words resonate with me as I say them. Despite all the hardships, I’m more devoted to this pack than I ever have been. I’ve learned to accept the ups and downs which are easier to manage now that things between Lucas and I don’t feel quite as fragile.“That’s why you’re a great leader,” Dustin says. “You inspire us all to do just
LucasAs I watch my baby in Sarah’s arms, I’m happier than I ever thought I’d be. A son and a daughter. It feels like now our family is complete. Though I’m open to more children in the future. Right now, I’m just content.Sarah and I tend to be rough sleepers though. So, as Sarah dozes off, I take Evelyn from her arms and place her in the bassinet. Then, I join Sarah on the bed.“She’s beautiful,” I say, cuddling my sleepy mate. “You’re beautiful. I’m so grateful to you for bringing our children into our life like you have. “I know it’s never easy. I won’t even pretend to understand what you go through. But you give up so much for our family. I appreciate that more than I can express.”“And I appreciate you,” she says. “You’re a wonderful father and a fantastic husband. I’m so glad to share all of this with you. I’m so grateful to be building a family with you.”I kiss her and the warmth of having my true mate in my life envelopes me. It just feels so natural and right when y
Sarah“That is an incredible offer,” I say, my eyes staring right into Azar’s. “You’ve promised so much, and I know we’d both prosper within a formed alliance. However, we can’t promise our daughter’s hand in marriage.”My words prompt a hearty response. Some are mere whispers while others are outright defiant. Many can’t believe that we would turn away from this. But we have to do what’s right for our daughter.“Now, I’m not shutting down the idea of a future marriage completely,” I clarify. “Maybe our daughter will end up with your son. Maybe they will be mates.“But we’ll have to wait and see once she’s old enough to decide. Since we’ll be allies regardless, they’ll know each other. They can spend time together.“If our daughter decides that your son is her mate and they both love each other, then they can get married. We’re going to leave that up to her though. We don’t want to make such a big decision for her before she can even consent to it.”Azar’s demeanor falls. It re
LucasSarah looks at me with an expectant look on her face, and I’m just not sure what I should say. The kiss still bothers me. It hurts me. As her mate, I have reason to be upset.The guilt still haunts me though. It reminds me of how I hurt her. It whispers that I deserve this. I know that I deserve this.“It’s nothing,” I insist.“Lucas, please open up to me,” she says. She takes my hand in hers and looks at me with those eyes I never can resist. “I saw you and Azar last night,” I confess. “I saw the kiss.”Sarah looks at me with shock and guilt written upon her face. I hate that. It’s proof that what I saw was true. They did kiss. She betrayed me.“I know I betrayed you horribly,” I continue. “So, I understand that I deserve that. But it still hurts, Sarah. “I thought we had moved past all of that. I thought we were solid. I thought we weren’t ever going to let anyone get between us again. But I guess I was wrong.”Jealous tears through me as the kiss replays in my min
LucasI’m surprised then when I wake, Sarah isn’t beside me. I panic. After everything that’s happened, I simply can’t help it. There are too many ways things can go wrong.I need her near me. I need to always know that she’s okay.After a deep breath, I realize that something feels wrong. Something seems off. I walk to Fergus’ room and see him sleeping peacefully. I tuck the baby monitor in my pocket and step outside. I won’t go far, I can’t go far without Fergus, so hopefully she’s close by.It doesn’t seem like she is at first. I look all around our home and don’t see her. Then, I go towards the back yard and I stop.Sarah is there, but the tree line, but she’s not alone. He’s with her. The anger from earlier boils within me again.I know I shouldn’t be jealous, especially not after what I did to Sarah. I have no right to worry about that after all I put her through. And nothing truly awful has happened between them. I don’t have a solid reason to be upset.Besides, I tru
Lucas“You don’t have to give an answer right now,” he rushes in to say. “I’m not expecting you to be sure of anything right now. It’s just something to think about.”I’m so taken off guard by this that I don’t know a single word to say in response. I have tried to push aside my fears that he wants to seduce Sarah and getting to know them all a little better has helped me to do so.My daughter though… I never thought he’d be after my daughter. Arranged marriage? “That’s a big topic,” Sarah says slowly. “We’d definitely need time to think about it further. We’d have to talk through this amongst ourselves.”“Of course,” Azar replies with a pleasant smile. “I’m not trying to force your hand or anything. Take as much time as you need. It is a big decision but I think it’s the right one.”We don’t stay out much longer than that. We circle back to the gathering for a little while. But everyone is tired, so we all head back home soon after.It’s only once we’re back home that every
SarahI take a moment to give Lucas a hug and another kiss before we step into the area where the feast is being hosted. I can sense that he’s still a little insecure about things, but he had no reason to worry. I’m going to be true to him always.I’ll admit though, I am intrigued by this new pack. I wonder about the kinds of magic they can do. I’m curious about all they have to offer.As we walk towards their Alpha, the pack starts to congregate together, which is a little strange. Before this, they were mingling with everyone else. There seems to be a shift though as we approach them.“We’re so grateful you’ve accepted us,” Azar says, flashing that friendly smile. Is there anything flirtatious about it? I don’t really think so.“To show our gratitude, we would like to show you something,” he continues. “A little show before dinner.”I hesitate. What if this is something malicious? I don’t know anything about this pack. Is it a trap?They’re already here though. They could tr
LucasAfter everything else that’s happened, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about this new pack joining us. It’s not like it’s uncommon for packs to approach each other, especially if they think a mutually beneficial alliance can be formed.The fact that packs are now approaching us like this shows our growth. I’m proud of Sarah for bringing this pack to greatness like this. I’m happy to welcome newcomers in.It’s just that there’s been a lot going on lately. And it still seems like a risk to allow anyone new to come into this peaceful place we created.Then, I realize that I’m sounding a bit like how Liza sounded when we brought Brandon in. It gives me more empathy towards her but also makes me realize that maybe I’m being a bit paranoid.It will be good to have another alliance. This could ultimately be beneficial to us. So, I help answer questions as the pack follows us. I remain as engaging as possible as I get to know them.“You’ve truly created something impres
SarahChills run down my spine as I listen to this prophecy about our daughter. I always knew our children would be great. But I never expected something like this.Could it be true?I assume it is considering the way this prophecy has been delivered. What does it mean though? How do we deal with something like this?Before we can ask any questions, the bubble floats off into the sky which grows lighter again. The lights turn back on. The candles are re-lit.Lucas and I look to each other as everyone looks to us for answers. Yet I’m stumped. Usually I know what to say, but not this time.“I have no idea where that came from,” I admit. I’ve found that when it comes to being Alpha, the best way to approach these sorts of things is from a place of honesty. “However, I can say that I feel blessed.“It’s clear our daughter will be special. I don’t know exactly what that means yet, but we will take care of her to the best of our ability. We’ll cherish her just as we do Fergus. We’ll