“Damon!” I gasp, transforming back.“It’s vampire venom!” Aliya rushes over to him, her face grim. “Vampire venom is strong enough to quell a full-grown shifter,” Darius smirks. “The older the vampire, the stronger their venom. I've been around for two hundred years. You are all children in front of me!”Lucas is by my side helping me up in his human form, his hand going to my stomach.Darius sees the protective gesture and a cold terror builds inside of me when’s eyes fill with glee.“You’re pregnant.”He laughs, almost giddily, “Oh, this is just wonderful. A pregnant wolf shifter with your abilities and power, your child is going to be a force word reckoning with.”Despite my strength, for the first time, I find myself scared and I look up at Lucas who is watching Darius, his eyes dark and cold."You will never get your hands on our child!”Darius laughs, unbothered by the threat, “I remember another wolf saying that to me a couple of years ago. I was care
I watch in growing horror as Darius bursts into flames.Behind him Kayla is walking towards us and I recognise what she’s holding. It’s a heart.A heart on fire.The vampire’s heart.It’s only weakness.She’s looking at the burning vampire, a bored look in her eyes. And I know. I know that I'm not looking at Kayla, the little girl, who had begged me to take her with me or had hugged me when crying as she talked about her family.I’m looking at the Phoenix that everyone is coveting. Cruel. Those eyes signed with fire are cruel and bored. A terrifying combination. “Kayla,” I murmur her name.When she doesn’t respond, I say it louder. This time, she looks at me.She doesn’t say anything just tilting her head, and looking at me in curiosity.I swallow my own fear, trying to remember that while she may be the legendary phoenix, she's also a little girl."I think that's enough," it's difficult to keep my voice steady.There’s silence a
“Sarah! You can’t be impulsive!” Damon watches me.He’s recovered but he’s still leaning against Aliya, a lot of tiredness on his face.“Impulsive?” I demand, furiously. “That bitch is going to kill three of my most trusted people tomorrow. I have to leave now!” “We have to have a plan!” Lucas agrees but I can see the anger in his eyes. “How is she able to get the pack to go along with this?!”I don’t know.I don't understand how she has managed to convince any of the pack that this is a good idea.“So, what's your plan?” Damon demands. “Just storm in there? Whatever grip she has on your pack isn’t going to be shaken so easily.”I look at Aliya who looks thoughtful, “It could be magic but the caster shouldn’t be able to maintain a spell for more than few hours especially if the object of the spell are individual people. People are harder to manipulate through magic. Not for a long term. And if this woman has been there for as long as I think she has, it shouldn't be
I don’t say a word, hardening my heart against the child. He had clearly been about to do something if Ariel's actions are any indication. When I look in her direction, Ariel looks furious.“Let my son go!” She says angrily. “He’s a child! I this is how you treat the children in your pack, no wonder they asked me to replace you!”“Asked you?” I ask, coldly. “They must've forgotten that they have a blood bond with me. You should know what that means, Ariel."When Ariel’s eyes narrow, I smile, “It means that to choose an Alpha they have to kill me first. But they need a good reason to do so.”“Like they don’t have it!” Ariel spits out.I'm a little surprised at her anger. I thought she was conniving and smart. If she had handled this conversation in a more composed manner, she would have had a better chance of getting one up on me. But she seems agitated for some reason, shooting glances towards Silas and then towards the tree line.“Darius is dead,” I say, coldly.
I look in stunned silence at the silver furred wolves who are now surrounding us.Ariel lets out a howl and struggles in my hold, trying to escape and I can feel the panic in her movements.The largest wolf of them steps forward, his teeth bared, and Ariel’s struggles grow more vicious.The wolf transforms and it is an elderly man.I can see my soldiers grow in warning but I lift a hand, stopping them, my eyes on this new person.“Who are you?”He ignores me, however, his eyes on Ariel, and I can see the rage in his eyes.“I finally found you, Ariel!” His voice booms and I can feel the weight of power even in my bones. “Get off me, you bitch!” Ariel sinks her teeth into my arm, surprising me enough to let go of her. She scrambles away from me, desperately but Lucas blocks her path, snarling, “You’re not going anywhere.”She tries to sidestep him, completely ignoring Silas who is pinned to the ground by Damon, his wrists tied together by gnarly vines as A
“A what?” My head whips around to look at the cold look on my grandfather’s face. “What do you mean he’s-?”Aliya twists her fingers, murmuring something and I see Silas’s face twist in a terrifying manner as his features change, the silver fading out of his hair, replacing it with a dirty brown, his blue eyes transforming into black ones. The scar is the only thing that remains.“Did you really think you’d escape from me?” My grandfather hisses. “The blood of my people is on your hands!”I’m still shocked by the sight of the Silas transforming in front of me.“He works with the Order,” My grandfather says, tightly. “He has the gift of charm. Ariel brought him into the pack and the whole pack turned against your mother and father. They didn’t understand what was happening. He’s called soothsayer in parts of the world. He can manipulate feelings and emotions.”Silas goes still when the vines begin choking him.He still looks quite young and the time it’s Aliya who spea
Vampire?Like Darius?I remember the way his eyes had glowed when he had told me nobody would be able to see us. Why had I forgotten about that? In fact, why had I forgotten about that meeting in the forest?And then something occurs to me, "Did you just say the first vampire?”My grandfather takes a struggling Ariel from me, throwing her to the other wolves will transform and hold her, “Malcolm is the oldest living vampire. He just wanders about. I first met him when I was a boy. It's a long story. But ultimately, we maintained a friendly relationship over the years. I see him every few decades.”“You’re friends with the oldest living vampire?” I ask him again, forgetting for a moment that I am a powerful Alpha in my own right, as I gaze at my grandfather in awe.He can sense my admiration because he puffs his chest a little, “Yes, well, I have been around for a long time.”I think back to the middle aged man I had helped out in the forest.Never had I thought
(The Prisoner)It’s cold and my feet are bleeding as is my head.But I don’t stop running. My beloved.My child.I have to get to them!The rain is hindering my ability to see, the drug they pumped me with leaving me weak and helpless. I can’t summon any of my usual strength.I run, half-blinded, bleeding from wounds that refuse to heal.I can hear the men chasing after me and I try to run faster but I know it is of no avail. I don’t stand a chance. I can hear howls in the distance and I recognise them.My beloved!I try to run towards them but an arrow pierces my back leg, making me stumble forward. Falling to the ground, I try to reach out to my heart.But I can’t reach out to her, our link damaged and blocked by whatever they have fed me int these few days of captivity. And then I hear a rustling and A beautiful wolf emerges.My heart is filled with hope as I see her watching me. My love!I reach out my hand to her and then it all
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