*Cali*“Stand down!” I roar to Marco and Darius while Gold takes over, but their massive, over seventy kilograms of pure muscle lycans are already off the ground charging towards Leroy. “Marco!”“Darius!”Their mates call out to them. Not that the two ever listen to them. Adrenaline pulses into my veins and suddenly everything I see is gold. I scream out in horror when Gold springs in a gap between the two lycans and Leroy, but Phoebe beats her to it. Gold collides with Marco and rolls over before landing on her paws. “Phoebe!” I scream out in horror. She used her human form to shield Leroy. A sharp pain pierces through my heart as Darius’ canine’s sink in her neck. My body shudders at the sight. There is no way that she will survive this.Screams fill the room as guests move away to avoid getting caught up in this. Leroy is now on his knees, holding a lifeless Phoebe in his arms. Cale must have felt his mother’s bond fading too because he starts crying, a sound that shutters my
*Leroy POV*It’s been four days since we buried Phoebe. My heart is torn apart. I can’t think straight. I can’t even sleep at night. I should have insisted that Phoebe remained at home. I knew that she would die soon, how could I be so stupid?All I wanted was to force Cali to admit our bond to the arrogant asses who feel entitled to her just because they are lycans. I intentionally did not shift when Marco and Darius charged at me. As crazy and stupid as it sounds now, I knew that Cali would never let them hurt me. I did not expect Phoebe to jump in front of me like she did. I close my eyes, shutting out the images of her lifeless body in my arms. I clench my fists when Alloy approaches. My heart starts pounding, my anger rising. I don’t know why he is here. “You are seriously going to leave things like this? What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asks, fuelling my anger. Sky stirs inside. Alloy might be stronger than us, but this is my castle and my territory. “Don’t talk to me an
*Cali POV*I am pacing in my chambers, fuming. Leroy has the audacity to show up here after blaming me for Phoebe’s death and rejecting me. I clench and unclench my fist. I hope Betty sends him back to his pack or I will end up hurting him.I am still pacing when Alloy calls. “What?” I snap. I have been on urge since Phoebe’s death. “Queen of Queens,” he greets with his usual charming baritone voice. It’s as if I have not just snapped at him. “Cut the crap. What do you want?”I know him enough to know that this is how calm he sounds when he wants something. “You are being too hard on your mate.”“He is not my mate!” I snap again. Something is really wrong with him and his friend. I clearly recall telling everyone that Leroy is not yet my mate and he never will be because I plan on doing the rejection the moment we are. “Denial won’t change the fact. I am in Ruber city because you care and love him,” he reminds me, getting on my nerves. “Is there a point to your call?”“You both
*Leroy POV*I wake up to find Cali in my arms. My heart is filled with immeasurable joy. Having her like this is heaven. Our union was pure bliss and nothing I ever imagined. Prophecy or not, I have made up my mind. There is no way in hell that I am ever parting with her. Her alluring golden eyes flip open and my heart flutters. “Morning,” she greets with a yawn. “Morning, my love,” I respond and play with her hair. She narrows her eyes at me. “What is it?”I flash her a smile. It’s amazing how she knows that something is on my mind. “I don’t want to be mated with anyone else ever again,” I inform her of my decision and she lets out a sigh. “I don’t think that’s up to us, Leroy.”“It has to be, Cali. I can’t go through this rollercoaster again. Yes, I loved Phoebe, but I can’t do this. We are mates, we should be together forever.”At this point I don’t care what I need to do to make this happen. Dad and his cruel regime are long gone. Phoebe is gone and she had nothing to do wi
*Cali POV*I walk through the bed of roses in my meticulous garden. It is an attempt to clear my head. Leroy is driving me insane. We claimed each other during the Luna red moon, yet both our marks are gone. It’s a clear message that we are not yet permanent mates. It sucks, but we both knew the prophecy. He is taking this too hard. I can’t deal with him right now, hence walking here when he is inside interrogating his Epsilon. I enviously watch the batteries flipping their colourful delicate wings. They seem at peace and happy. Perhaps like I was a day ago. The whole of the red mood was complete bliss. For a moment, I thought life was perfect. Having my mate with everyone and everything else completely gone is something words cannot express.I am still walking aimlessly in the garden when the Epsilon shows up. “My Queen.”“I did not summon you,” I say and realise just how short my fuse is. This man has shown up like this my whole life. He only does when he has a point to make. “So
*Leroy POV* The Luna red moon is over, the pull between Cali and I is not longer as strong. The Epsilon says we are meant to feel nothing for each other, but that has never been us. I have always loved her before I even knew that she was my future. My heart rejoices when I am around her. My soul and my wolf are at peace. She is disappointed that our marks are gone, but I am distraught and angry. I am livid by the time the Epsilon informs me that Cali will conceive and I will have no part in my child’s life until she and I are permanent mates. “Like hell am I letting that happen!” I roar, fighting the urge to tear down everything around me. “Some things are out of our control, some are within. Still, every decision has consequences. A second chance mate is around the corner and…” “I don’t want another mate. I only want her!” I don’t mean to yell at the Epsilon, but he is frustrating me with his usual riddles. “Dad fucked up, many parents do, why am I paying such a heavy price?
LeroyZenith is clinging to me and I can’t push her off. All my energy is spent at keeping Sky down. It’s like she knows it too because it does not matter how rude I am to her, she just won’t let me go. “I will never accept your rejection. Never!” Zenith repeat ms her words while Sky yeps mate nonstop. “You will hurt Cali,” I tell my stupid wolf, but he won’t stop. My heart is hammering out of control. The look Cali’s pack members are giving me is enough to make me freak out. They already hate me for what my pack did to them, now I am hurting their beloved Queen. Cali is also up there thinking I am choosing Zenith. No, I can’t lose Cali. I just can’t. “Let me go, Zenith,” I say sternly, but this woman tightens her grip on me. “You are my mate. You vowed to love me forever,” she reminds me of a promise I can never keep. “I loved you then, not anymore. My heart belongs to Cali.”I don’t know how many times I have said this, she just refuses to hear me. “It does not. I will fight
*Cali POV*I am starting to think that being a nameless slave was preparing me for this. I am the most powerful queen with no dignity when it comes to my mate. I watch Leroy run out to his mate with a ripping pain inside. I feel like my heart is being torn apart. I guess he has made his choice. I can feel Gold breaking before shutting down. Unlike me, all she knows is being royalty. This hurts her more than it does me. I head to the shower and wash Leroy off before putting on a flowery summer dress. Maybe it will light up my gloomy mood. There is a lot of commotion around the second floor. Betty puts me up to speed about Zenith sleeping with Duncan. I am not surprised when someone calls for help to stop Leroy from killing Duncan. I know how possessive Sky can get. This is something that would drive him crazy. I don’t bother going to investigate, but head to my favorite spot in the garden instead. I hum a tune in my head and focus on planning my future without a mate. “It is not hi
*Cali POV*Two years later, I am strolling in the garden when Leroy joins me. “Don’t,” I warn before he opens his mouth. He chuckles and pulls me into his arms. I roll my eyes at my gullible being for getting smitten by his scent. It’s been ages for goodness’ sake, and I still get like this with him. “Babe, please.”“He hurt your daughter,” I remind him. Alloy is all pitiful and all, but he caused all this.“I know. He was an idiot, but Babe, he is really suffering,” he pleads. Aerol left the moment she recovered. Alloy has gone all over the world searching for her. I and Alloy’s mother are the only ones who know where she is. “I know that he is suffering. He has not suffered enough.”“Babe,” he calls to me. “Alloy has lost so much weight. He is depressed and miserable. Please forgive him and let him see Aerol,” he continues to plead while I leave him and head back inside. Alloy goes on his knees and begs the moment I walk in. He does this a lot. I let out a sigh
*Cali POV*It takes a moment for the noise to subside and the air to clear up. It hurts like hell when I lift my head and meet Leroy’s terrified eyes.“Oh, thank goodness,” he murmurs before lying his head down facing me. My ears are ringing, and my head is spinning. All I can do is lay my head down as well. “You scared me there, mate,” he says with that gentle tone that melts my heart. “I love you too.”He chuckles. “Meredith,” I hear Cale’s voice. He is okay.“Mmmh?”Meredith is fine too. “I am fine too. Thanks for asking,” Simeon responds sarcastically to Cale.“Oh, come on. You are my friend, Meredith is my mate. I have to ask her first,” Cale replies before a moment of daunting silence.“What happened?” Orlaith’s croaky voice asks after a good five minutes of uncertainty. “Well, you collapsed in the helicopter. Let’s just say it’s a good that you did not see anything,” trust Neptune to say that. My drama queen and her arrogant mate are okay.I hold my brea
*Cali POV*“Take your mate and leave if you don’t like what we have to say!” Cale snaps at Neptune and Orlaith starts wailing. “This is my home too. How can you chase me away?” “It’s Aerol’s home too and she is not here because of you.”Cale is really mad. Neptune must realise it too because he strangely remains quiet.“Fine. I will go since you all hate me,” trust Orlaith to say. We all just look at her until she runs upstairs and returns with her suitcase. “Stop being so dramatic. No one can chase you away from your home,” Neptune tells her when she heads towards the door. “But they hate me.”“Woman, please. Your twin is missing. My uncle, who happens to be my best friend is devastated. Can we focus on that?”We all exchange looks when she blinks her eyes and nods. On second thought, maybe Neptune is the best person to handle her. We all go back and forth trying to figure out where Aerol would go. Leroy and Terrence are back with the golden pack helicopter within an h
*Cali POV*We are all shocked when Orlaith shouts MATE and it is Neptune. Now this is a disaster for a pair, but it’s the least of my worries right now. Aerol’s Lycan is in a dire state. All the wolves around quickly clear out. She is so angry, she looks like she is going to explode. Alloy has shifted into his human form. He is as pale as a sheet. This is what I have feared. He drops on his knees before the livid Aerol’s Lycan. “Aerol, Babe, please,” he pleads, desperation evident in his voice. The chickens have come home to roost. “No! I Aerol of Golden and Ruber packs, reject you Alloy of Lily pack as my mate!” This is a mess. Aerol is a Lycan, she is not likely to live without her mate. She said this a while ago and we did not take it too seriously. We had all hoped that Orlaith will be the one mated to Alloy.Alloy groans in pain and frantically shakes his head while I rush to Aerol’s side.“I-will-never-accept your-rejection,” Alloy stammers and groans. This must hurt like he
*Leroy POV*We have all decided to go to Ruber city for the full moon. Cali and I had our wolves there. So did Cale and Meredith. It is only fitting that the girls get their Lycans there too. Alloy’s whole family has become our family too. They have attended all these events with us. This has in a way become an unwritten family tradition. One that the Ruber pack loves very much. There was a time they felt that we favored the Golden pack more. They felt that the girls especially, were more customed to the Golden pack more than them. Cale and Meredith being here has changed that view. Aerol has also been here a lot because she gets on well with Cale, Meredith and Marcus’s son. My mate can’t stay too long without checking on our mommy’s boy, so, we have also been here a lot more. “Nothing will be as expected. Be prepared to…” the Epsilon says the moment he shows up out of nowhere as usual. Except for the walking stick, he has not aged much from the old man I remember as a boy. “Don
*Leroy POV*Cali and I have decided to have Cale and Meredith reside in the Ruber city to get used to the pack there. Cale is the future Alpha of the pack. It is good for them to get familiar with everything before we step down. “Meredith is not here. It is just wasteful to have you travel to school alone,” Orlaith tells Aerol, who looks at her mother. She has preemptively spoken to her mother about this. I guess she knew that her twin would bring it up. “Aerol will use her own car with her own guards,” Cali says while Alloy shift uncomfortable on his seat.“But, Mother…”“Not up for discussion,” Call says, ending the discussion. A few months later, the girls turn eighteen and everyone is around to celebrate their birthday. Lord, I can’t wait for the next full moon for them to have their lycans. Luna Abi is not impressed with Alloy when she discovers the breakdown between him and Aerol. She and Aerol get on really well. It is very awkward when Alloy presents the girls wit
*Leroy POV*I quickly move out of the way when Gold reacts, splashing the Beta with her deadly saliva. Everyone gasps when the Beta evaporates before our eyes. I sometimes forget how powerful my mate is.“No one challenges my son, ever!” she says angrily as everyone around us go on their knees while Cale flashes her his sparkling eyes.She rolls her eyes when I grin at her. She can deny it all she wants, but Cale is a mommy boy.“So, you even killed the Beta for your son,” I link with her and crack up at her reaction.“He was charging towards Cale. You were ready to attack him too,” she says defensively, but I will tease her about this forever.“I was not going to kill him. You killed him to eliminate competition for your beloved son.”We have just returned home when Meredith’s wolf shouts mate at Cale. Now this is what we all expected. Cale’s eyes light up. He loves Meredith. We are all taken aback when Meredith breaks down before rejecting Cale and running off.“What jus
*Leroy*It is four days after they brought Meredith into the family when we drop Cale at Fallow. He and Cali take forever to say their goodbye’s as usual. I curiously watch when Leane approaches and drops on her knees. I notice Meredith wince when Leane holds on to Cale’s leg, dropping her head on his feet.Rumors are, she is now a laughing stock and her sleeping mates want nothing to do with her.“Please forgive me, Your Highnesses. I was wrong. I love Cale. He is my mate.”I shoot my wife a stare when she opens her mouth. She is overprotective of Cale, but he has to handle this himself. We won’t be with him all the time and this girl does not look like the type to just let him go. I suppress my laughter when he kicks her off him.“Get away from me, Whore. We are no longer mates. You are free to continue prostituting yourself,” he sneers while she frantically shakes her head.“I was wrong, Cale. Please, I will never do it again.”“Get the hell away from me. It is a command,
*Cali*It is almost dark when we get back to the castle. Aerol is happily showing the overwhelmed Meredith around. “So, you found your beloved son another mate?” Leroy teases while I roll my eyes. I have explained to him four times already why Meredith is here, but he thinks I took her in because Cale has a soft spot for her.“First you reject his mate and now found him a version of yourself.”“What?”“Meredith is battered but beautiful,” he says.“So? That does not make her version of me.”“She is quite smart too and was a slave. Rings a bell?”“Just shut up,” I say before sitting on his lap and gaze at him. Lord, this man is so hot, especially when being witty.He chuckles and plants a light kiss on my neck, send goosebumps all over my body. He chuckles again. He knows his effect on me. “Meredith is our daughter now, Aerol adores her. I think she will fit perfectly in our family,” I say and hope he does not mind that I made the decision before talking to him. I had to ma