Shocked, I pull away, reeling with the force of the bond as it settles within me, “What have you done?”Sarah doesn’t seem to care about the horror in my voice, her lips pressed together, the blood on her lips giving her an almost wild look.Her voice is tense, “Making the decision.”Her eyes are still wet but there is a determined look in them, “I can’t let you run away. Now now. If you had wanted to run away then you shouldn’t have acted the way you have over these past few weeks. When Peter was trying to court me, messed up as it was, you kept getting in his way. You think I was ever going to find somebody better than you? You said so yourself! You staked your claim on me. I’m just finishing what you started, Lucas!”Her voice is growing fiercer by the second and I see a glimpse of the old Sarah in her. “Do you know what this means?” I ask, frustrated, and yet there is a strong sense of relief within me that makes me weak at the knees as I feel Sarah’s presence withi
SarahBeing back in the pack is difficult in a way that I never imagined it would be. It is everything I wanted. This is everything I wanted. And I’m grateful Lucas and I have decided to heal together. I know this was ultimately the right decision for both of us. It’s just…I move from beneath his touch. Lucas and I went back to sleeping in the same bed together right away.I feel safer that way. I’m a comfort to him. And it feels so natural and yet so strange at the same time.I sit up with my knees brought to my chest. I watch my sleeping mate. He breathes slowly, like he’s caught in some dream.My mind flashes back to him with Carmine. Out of my control, I imagine what they did together. I think of her hands on him. His hands on her.The trauma Lucas went through is clear. If he had been in his right mind, I know for sure he wouldn’t have wanted it. He wouldn’t have chosen this.Still, I went through so much. The pain was overwhelming. And this isn’t as easy as just choos
SarahLucas looks uncomfortable and I still love him. The connection is still there. So, I want to do everything I can to ease that feeling for him.Yet I’ve learned that sometimes people just need space. We’ll need lots of space to grow from this. So, I wait. I allow him to take his time.“Maybe we could go on a date tonight,” he says. “Just you and me. Everyone loves Fergus. We’d easily be able to find someone to watch him.“I don’t know. I think we just need to reconnect a little bit. Would you want to go on a date with me?”He looks so vulnerable in this moment. I want to hold him and never let him go. I want to assure him I’d go anywhere with him, as long as I could be with him.Pain still holds me back though. It keeps me from being my full self around him. I know it’s not his fault, but I still can’t fully let go of all he put me through.“I…” I hesitate until I look into the eyes of my mate. “I’d like that. I’d love that. Where would you like to go?”“A surprise,” he
LucasThe date last night changed things; I can feel that. It brought us closer together. It was exactly what we needed.Still, sometimes something feels off. Things are still a little odd as we go about our day the next day.We’re working towards something better, a glorious future together. Yet it’s going to take time to work through this. I know I need to be patient, but that can be difficult.I can sense the shift within her. It’s too noticeable to ignore. And I wonder if she’s aware of it. Or if this will simply become our new norm.Guilt swamps me as I watch Sarah try to absorb all of the changes that have happened since she left. I can tell it’s unsettling for her.It’s unsettling for me too. It makes me wish I hadn’t done anything in her absence. Maybe I should’ve just left things how they were. I don’t know what to say to make it better.So, we don’t talk as I make sandwiches and Sarah puts together a fruit salad. We pack the canvas bag around each other. Then, I scoo
SarahMy heart pounds as I look around. I feel so stupid, so irresponsible. I’m the worst mother and the worst mate. I let my jealousy, hurt, and fear get the best of me. That’s why I pushed Lucas even though I know he’s been traumatized by all of this. That’s why I lost sight of my son.Just the thought of her clouds my eyes in visions of red. I think of his hands on her. Her wrapped up with him. I think about all the torture I’ve been through.Yet its lingering presence is just making things worse. It’s ruining everything. I know I need release it.First, I need to find my son.I turn to Lucas, desperate and scared. “Please tell me you saw where he took off to,” I beg him. I know we should’ve been watching him more closely. I know I shouldn’t have been so distracted by the past. “I don’t know,” Lucas admits, his body growing as tense as mine is. “Let’s focus. We’re bonded to him. We should be able to find him.”I try to look past the worry to focus on that. I’ve never l
LucasMy heart warms at all of this. I know it doesn’t erase my past mistakes, but if she thinks I’m a good person, or at least if I’m good enough for this, then maybe there’s some hope for me. Maybe I’m not completely ruined.That’s all I need, really. I need hope. I need to know that there’s something salvageable about me. And here, I find it.As Annabella tells us all about the fairies, I connect more with Sarah since we’re sharing this experience together.We let Fergus go again, though this time keeping a much closer eye on him. After that fright, I’m anxious to look away for even a second. Though there is so much to look at.Fireflies flicker among the fairies, casting light even though it’s still bright outside. Under the leaves, this whole area glows. It’s a fantasy land. It’s magical.We come across a stage made out of a fallen log with fairies dancing around on it. They look excited when they see us.“Visitors!” a fairy with red curls, fire eyes, and gold wings says
SarahThere’s something about the fairies that awakens something different within me. I can’t quite pin down what that is. I don’t understand how creatures so different from us could affect me the way they did.Yet it heals something within me that’s been broken. I feel closer to my mate. I feel more alive again. I feel like the Alpha I am.“Do you think we should tell them?” Lucas asks, as we see some of the pack members going about their day. “I’m sure they might want to know about the fairies surrounding our land. They might at least be curious about it.”At that, I feel oddly defensive. Usually, I share everything with my pack. I am the leader after all. That’s how it should be.Yet this is something I feel like I want to keep to myself. Or at least something I just want to share between Lucas and me. I can’t explain why. It just seems special.“Why don’t we wait a little while before doing that,” I suggest. I hope he doesn’t ask too many questions about it. I’m not sure I
SarahLucas and I help the fairies search the surrounding forest, using our heightened since of smell and sight to add value to the search. We stay there for much longer than usual, chasing down any trails possible, narrowing in on places where a fairy might be able to hide.We don’t find anything.In a way, that’s a good thing. At the very least, we don’t find blood. We don’t find a dead body. There aren’t signs of a struggle or hints that something bad happened to her.Though we all know something bad happened. She wouldn’t simply leave her family like that. Someone took her, and we have to figure out who is behind this.“She’s been gone since morning,” Lucas says, pulling me aside as our search efforts prove fruitless. We don’t know how far away she could be by now, but she could’ve gained quite a lot of ground since whenever she was taken.”I nod. “I agree, but it’s difficult to search the area properly without knowing what direction she went in. It’s going to take us forev
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