“I did ask her,” I say, slowly. “I asked her once before and I asked her this time.”Ezekiel freezes at my words, “What?”“I begged her,” I say, hollowly. “But she refused. She said she didn’t blame me for anything but she has no more desire to try anymore.”My gaze lifts to meet his and I feel weariness deep inside me, “You think I don’t want to just take her back with me? Despite everything I’ve done to that woman, you think I still don’t want to be selfish enough to drag her back and fix things? You say I’m playing the martyr and a coward but I don’t want to take any step which will cause any further damage to Sarah. I’ve caused her enough. If you were in my position, you would do the same. She has to choose me herself this time. She has to forgive me herself. All the groveling int he world or forcing her isn’t going to make a difference till she is ready to forgive me. And I don’t think she is.”Ezekiel is silent, “So, you’re going to just watch her choose another man t
Sarah’s hold is tight as I rest my head against her chest, trying to get myself under control.She doesn’t let go of me, even when I stop shaking.I don’t know how much time has passed but she hasn’t stopped stroking my head, trying to comfort me.At some point, I finally mutter, “I’m okay. I’m fine.”Her arms tighten around me, momentarily and then she let’s go. But she doesn’t move away.I don’t meet her gaze, feeling ashamed.I can feel that she wants to say something and a moment later, she does. But it’s not what I was expecting.“How long has this been going on for?”Her words are not soft but sharp and she sounds a little upset. Or maybe I’m just projecting.I scratch my head, still not looking at her, “Don’t worry about -““How long, Lucas?”This time there is no hiding the anger in her voice and my jaw tightens, “Does it matter? It’s my problem. It’ll go away.”“That’s not an answer.”It does occur to me, a dim thought, that when it comes
I’ve seen a motorbike only once in my life. It was a bar in a town I had once hunted down a rogue wolf shifter too.The machine had been a work of art, all sleek lines, emitting a sound that was like a fierce roar and a purr. I had admired it from afar but things like jeeps and motorbikes are not human technology that shifters ever embraced, partly because as Sarah had revealed during one of her meetings where she enforced change in the pack, the more we embraced technology, the more dangerous we would have become to the organization that is hunting us down.So we were deliberately kept in the dark ages by the moles planted in our packs.“What is that thing?” Peter asks, doubtfully.I don’t even bother to reply, walking over and running my hands over the machine, a little excited, “Where did you get this?”“I ordered a few from one of the bigger cities,” Sarah replies, quietly, after a brief hesitation.“How did you-?”I’m so excited about it that I lift my gaz
Sarah’s jaw clenches at my words but she doesn’t say anything.But her silence makes me begin to calm down and regulate my breathing. “I am not a fool,” She finally says, watching me. “But I am tired, Lucas. It doesn’t matter to me what any of them think about me.”“But Peter is -““A friend,” She says, firmly.“But you smiled at him!” I burst out.“What?” She stares at me as if I’ve suddenly grown a second head. “You smiled at him,” I mutter, feeling a little bit like an idiot now. “Back then, in the woods.You were smiling at him.”She blinks at me, “I’m not following.”Maybe it’s just me who’s gone insane.“Never mind,” I mutter, trying to push past her but she steps in my way, blocking my path.“I don’t need your permission to smile at people,” She says, tightly.I stare at her before saying quietly, “No, you don’t.”I try to walk past her again but she grabs my upper arm, stopping me. She looks frustrated, “Why are you acting like this?!”
Before the conversation can progress much further, I hear the sounds of the soldiers returning.Along with them are Sarah’s wolves who pad over to her and rub against her in lazy motions as if in greeting. Two of them wander over and give my face a few licks before settling down at my feet. I see Sarah look in my direction and for a moment, I feel as if her face has softened when’s he sees Kayla holding on to me. But when I blink, she’s already looking away.A trick of the mind, I assure myself.Kayla pets one of the wolves and I ask, idly, “What happened to that wolf pup that you used to carry around?”She blinks before letting out a childish laugh, “He was a she. She mated with one of Sarah’s wolves and has a lot of pups of her own. She brings them to all the time in my room.”I give her a blank look, before saying softly, “Time really has flown by quickly.”“Yeah,” She snuggles into my side and I give her a fake scowl.“I’m not your personal heater, you know
Before I can stop myself, I’m already next to Sarah, ready to shift at the first sign of danger.I hear the sound again and this time it’s moving closer.A few of the soldiers, roused from their sleep by the sound of Sarah unsheathing her swords are on their feet as well.The crunching of the snow is getting louder and I move towards Kayla and Sarah, protectively. I ignore the frustrated look that Sarah sends my way. Her wolves surround us, including me, their hackles rising, their teeth bared in ferocious snarls.A tired voice comes out from the trees before a familiar looking male panther steps out, “We come in peace.”The Alpha of the Night Stalkers Panther tribe looks like he’s just walked through hell and back. There’s no trace of his usual cocky smirk on his face, weariness, grief, and anger lingering in his eyes.When he takes another step forward, I notice the limp in his leg and then I see the way his left leg is badly mangled. There’s a short woman assis
I go still at that.Worry is a sharp feeling inside of me, “What do you mean?”My eyes flicker to where Sarah is handing out some medical supplies to the injured soldiers, “She seems fine.”“It’s nothing bad,” Aliya says thoughtfully. “I mean I don’t sense anything harmful in it. It’s just strange. it’s like a barrier almost.”She narrows her eyes and when I glance at her, I can see the strain on her face, “It’s like I can’t see anything. It’s nothing that can prevent physical harm. It’s more like she’s shielding Sarah against anyone who can pry within her.”“Pry within her?”Aliya’s face is red with exertion before she lets out a breath I didn’t know she had been holding, “It’s something witches can do. Or something a Phoenix might be able to do. It allows us to look inside a living creature’s body to look for illness and health. It’s an ability that healers also have to some extent. When I meet a shifter, I know who they are because I can see their wolf. That’s how
Her words are like a shock to my system and my mind immediately assumes the worst thing. Aliya takes one look at my face, “She’s not dying.”However, my panic is beginning to set in, “How do you know? You just said you couldn’t see inside of her-““Does she look like she’s dying?” Aliya gestures towards her, dryly. “There are no signs of illness on her and if there were, the Phoenix would have healed her. No,” Her tone becomes heavier, “She’s hiding something else.”“Ask her.”Aliya gives me a disbelieving look, “You’re so sure she’s going to tell me? Whatever is going on with her, she clearly does not want anyone knowing.”I’m not surprised.The change in Sarah is definitely obvious. She is quiet and more restrained. However, to think that she’s hiding something is worrisome. If it was anything life threatening, Ezekiel would have mentioned it, if not for Sarah, then for the sake of our son.I want to go up to her and demand what’s wrong but I know exactly how
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