Dante's POVI felt the eyes of every guard and warrior on me as I nodded. "Ready yourselves, men," I called out. "Check your weapons. Arm yourselves adequately now there is still time. We are infiltrating the Dark Stream pack today. We will stop at nothing until we get what we came for, understood?""Yes, Alpha," they chorused. I could see each of them physically and mentally preparing themselves as I had given my signal. This was it- the day I had been waiting for since Allison left. Now, I felt I was actively doing something to get her back instead of sitting around at my pack, getting reports from my men. Currently, we were at the borders of my pack. I was waiting for Maddox to arrive so we could go over the plan again. He and Lucius had gone to do some last-minute checks on the pack we were about to invade. I sort of wished we had invaded this pack the moment I had gotten news that Allison's trail had been found around there. Then, I had not been certain that the pack had anyth
Allison's POVDarien was saying something to Madison, but he was incoherent. I stared at Madison in shock. At that moment, I was petrified. It was as if time stood still. Everything had happened so fast and I was still trying to get the sequence of the events that had led up to this tragedy in my head. Each time I attempted to do so, my mind balked at it. Darien was screaming now, and in the throes of his agony, he shook Madison from side to side. The dagger which remained planted in her chest jiggled with every movement. I wanted to tell him to stop doing that because it was making the wound worse. But all that could come out of my parted lips was a croak. The men stood in a loose circle around us, knowing that they had us trapped. They still held their daggers ready in case any of us decided to make a move. The Alpha's huge body effectively blocked the exit. Darien looked like nothing would pull him away from Madison and I did not think I had it in me to fight anymore. Madison open
Allison's POVI was in the car, waiting for the driver to leave. All around me, Dante's guards and warriors were shouting instructions to each other. I could see members of the rogue pack being tied up and placed in vehicles that would no doubt take them to Dante's dungeon. It gave me no sense of satisfaction to see that my enemies were finally going to get what they deserved though. Inside, I felt cold and empty. I had never wished for something the way I wished I could take back the events of the last hour. I shifted and drew the blanket I was wrapped in tightly around me. I could not suppress a shiver. I was not feeling cold on the outside but I definitely felt miserable on the inside. Beside me was Dante. He had not said a word since he discovered Madison's body. He stared out of the window, a faraway look in his eyes. He looked totally out of it. Lucius, who was the one driving, kept shooting worried glances at us. Some more men came out of the Alpha's house at that moment. Dar
Allison's POVAria moved the dishes in the tray around and sighed. "Are you sure you don't want to eat? Even a little?"I made an impatient gesture and shifted in bed. "Take it away or leave it there." I shrugged. "It does not matter to me one way or the other."Aria sighed again and looked pointedly at the clock. I followed the direction of her gaze. It was some minutes past 3 p.m. and I had not had anything to eat since morning. Aria had come to my room at intervals with different kinds of dishes, trying to coax me into eating but I was having none of it. The thought of eating alone nauseated me. It had been two days since I had been rescued from the rogue pack at a terrible cost- Madison's life. It had been two days since she lay dead and cold in whatever place they were keeping her in. "Why should I eat anyway?" I said half to myself. "It's not like she can anymore."Aria's face tightened as she knew who I was referring to. I glanced at Aria who somehow reminded me of Madison.
Dante's POVI sat in my room, staring at the blank wall. With everything in me, I wished that my heart could be as blank as the wall I stared at. How peaceful and calming it would be to forget the events of the past few days- especially today. Unfortunately, I remembered all too well. I knew that today was the day when Madison was laid to rest. That knowledge depressed me even more. During the long days since Madison's death, I had one wish in my heart. I knew death was final- something that could not be reversed, so I knew it was a waste of time to wish for the dead to come back to life. So, I wanted something more within my reach. I wanted oblivion- I wanted forgetfulness. I wanted a relief from my chaotic thoughts but deep down inside me, I knew I would not get even that. It was not for lack of trying though. There was a saying that the goddess extended a helping hand only to those who tried to help themselves so I had tried running in the woods, relaxing, and burying myself in
Dante's POV The room was dimly lit and the only light came from a solitary light bulb placed strategically in the middle of the room. It had been turned on for my benefit only so that I could see what I was doing. The light shone directly on the prisoner and a little section of the room. It was designed to blind and discomfit him, while I was kept in the shadows. The Alpha rogue's vast body seemed to spread out all over the chair he sat in. Those flat snake eyes of his looked daggers at me. He showed no signs of breaking- yet. As an Alpha and the leader of a ruthless pack of villains who called themselves a pack, I was sure he had a lot of steel in him. But I would break him. I swore to myself by the goddess that I would. Eventually, I would turn that steel fiber in him into plastic and then to jelly. I had a lot of experience in that department and I was confident in my ability. We were in the Darkroom. It was more like a torture chamber which was rarely used and was kept locked
Allison's POVI was in the library, in the old section. The musty smells of the books surrounded me. I had come in here a while ago to see if I could somehow distract myself and get a break from all my disturbed thoughts. Books usually fascinated me, but they held no attraction for me today. My mind kept straying to Dante, wondering what he was doing, how he was coping, and how he was feeling now. I thought about all that had happened in the last few days. With a concentrated effort, I shifted in my chair and squinted at the book I was holding. The words seemed to waver and run together. I found myself reading a paragraph more than ten times which I couldn't even make sense of. Giving up on the futile exercise, I pushed the book away from me and glanced at the door of the library. Lucius stood there, his arms folded across his chest with his back almost turned to me. By his rigid posture, I knew he was attuned to every move I made. With the run-ins we had in the past and the times I
Allison's POVI watched his face tighten at my declaration and knew I was going to have a lot of talking to do in order to convince him to open up to me. It was going to be a long, hard battle but I was determined to win. I peered at him in the dim light. All the blinds in the room had been drawn and the only light came from the half-open bathroom door. My eyes took in Dante's appearance. I had never known him to look so worn out even when he was under an enormous amount of stress. The threats to his life from the traitors a while ago had not been able to do this to him. After all Lucius had told me, I now saw Dante in a whole new light. I could see how he presented such a tough exterior to the world, just like me. But inside, there was a man who wanted badly to be understood. He was staring at the door with a frown on his face as though wishing someone would come in and take me away. Without turning, I shut the door gently and turned the key in the lock. He further straightened
Allison's POV Dante's piercing eyes surveyed everyone in the room. It was as though those eyes were able to unravel every man's secrets. Though he spoke to everyone at the same time, at that moment, it felt like he was talking to each of the men in the conference room individually. The men assembled leaned forward, their bodies tense, looking as wound up as taut strings. They hung onto his every word. The boy in the room who sat beside Dante was transfixed. I could tell that he closely followed all that his father was saying. I smiled a little at the worshipful expression in those green eyes that were so like mine. After a silence of some seconds, Dante continued, "We have been through worse in the past and this poses as no challenge whatsoever. I consider this war we are about to go on... as a form of target practice. Some of you have gotten rusty over the years, so this should be an opportunity to take out your rusty daggers and relearn how to fight." There was a ripple of laug
Allison's POV I spent most of the morning in my room. I kept replaying the scene with Dante this morning over and over in my head. Each time, I gave his words a totally different interpretation and that made me sadder. I knew that I was torturing myself by doing this, but I could not seem to stop. I had ordered for breakfast in my room. Whenever Malkiel had felt hungry, I had fed and soothed him. A short while after breakfast, Aria had come to talk to me. Sensing that something was wrong, she had asked why I did not bother to come down for breakfast and why I was cooped up in my room. Then she had prattled on about a lot of other things which I did not bother to pay attention to. My replies had been so curt that she had eventually left, but not without informing me- without me asking- that Dante had left the pack to attend to some things. It came as a surprise to me when less than an hour later, a knock sounded on the door. I immediately perceived Dante's scent outside the door.
Allison's POV For the next few hours, Malkiel's temperature kept fluctuating. Sometimes he was as hot as a live coal. Sometimes his temperature returned to normal. At other times, he felt cool to the touch, so cool that I felt goosebumps form on my skin when I touched him. It was still scary to see my baby going through these kinds of changes within the space of a few minutes. Even though I knew what had caused Malkiel's illness, it still did not make it easy to deal with. I did not know what to think- how to feel about all of this. It was too much to take in all at once. After Dante had told me about what the red mark was, I had sat watching my son for hours, thinking about all he had said. As I stared out of the window, my fingers trailed along Malkiel's chest. It was easier for me to believe what Dante had said because apart from the high temperature and the fact that he was sleeping too much, Malkiel did not show any other signs of illness. A part of me- the part which alway
Dante's POV I glared at the woman who was on her knees before me. She was crying and mumbling incoherently and had been doing that for the last few minutes. Stiffly, I walked back to my desk and sat down behind it. At least the desk provided a sort of barricade that might prevent me from hurting her. I closed my eyes, shutting out the image of her face. Slowly, I massaged my temples as I felt the headache I associated with one of my fits of rage coming on. My wolf was getting restless, wanting to come out. If it did, it would be bad for the woman- very bad indeed. Calm, be calm, I muttered to myself over and again. When I felt I was somewhat in control of myself, I raised my head and pinned her with my stare. "So, what are you trying to say, Tessa?" I said. "Apart from the Luna and I, you are the only one who spends so much time with my son as you are his nanny. Explain to me how the hell this happened under your watch." "It didn't-" I motioned her to be silent. "The Luna
Allison's POV My eyes lighted on the most adorable baby sleepsuit I had ever seen. I caught my breath in delight. A woman was in front of the rack where the sleep suits were displayed. She was looking at the one that had caught my eye consideringly as though she was thinking of buying it. Abandoning the shopping cart for Aria, I dashed forward and took it off the hanger, startling the woman a bit. I walked back to Aria who was trying to see what I was holding. "What have you got there, Luna?" she asked. "Only the most adorable little sleep suit for Malkiel." I held it up for her inspection. She shook her head emphatically. "Nope, definitely not. This isn't... Malkiel's style at all." I grinned. "How do you or anyone know what Malkiel's style is? He's just a baby." "And he won't like that, trust me. There are some clothes I dress him up in and he then tries to take them off by all means. That way, I know that he doesn't like them." "You don't like it, you mean. What is wrong
Dante's POV With a flourish, Maddox handed me a document that had every inch filled with letters and figures. "Here, take a look at this," he said smugly. I settled down to read what he had given me. Without taking my eyes off the document, my hand wandered across the desk. Anticipating my wants, Maddox pushed the calculator towards me. I snatched it up and for the next few minutes, the only sound in the room was the faint beep of the calculator keys as I put together the figures before me. When I was done, I leaned back and whistled in surprise. "How accurate is this?" I inquired. Maddox flashed a smile. "I knew you would ask that. It is very accurate. I went through it thoroughly. I knew that you would want to see the documents sooner or later, so I prepared in advance. Surprising, isn't it?" "Not entirely," I replied after a few seconds' hesitation. "I was sort of expecting something like this. But the figures- the figures are quite astronomical. Wow." Maddox had given me
Allison's POV A pleasurable thrill went through me. Dante had that look in his eyes that told me he wanted us alone, together. My insides warmed at the intensity of his gaze. I nodded. He grinned and pressed me even closer to his body. "That's my girl. You said what I have been wanting to hear all evening," he murmured. He stepped away, looked around, and slid an arm around my waist. He walked quickly and I was almost forced to run to keep up with his stride. He weaved his way expertly among the guests we ran into. He seemed to have an instinctive knowledge of who wanted to engage us in some sort of conversation. We got inside and I was about to push the door of his room open when he kneaded my bottom. "Dante!" I exclaimed, laughing. "Let's get inside first. There are too many people tonight." As soon as we got in, he planted a burning kiss on my lips. I moaned softly, responding eagerly to the feel of his lips against mine. I had thought that with the birth of our child, the p
Allison's POV Aria stood at the entrance of my room. She walked further into the room, her flowing, black velvet dress rippling as she moved. She stopped beside my bed and regarded me closely. "Well, I don't believe it!" she exclaimed. "Luna, I can't believe that you are not dressed yet." I yawned and stretched. "I will get dressed... eventually." Aria gaped and shook her head. "The time is 6 pm. 6 pm!" she repeated when I said nothing. "The ball is due to start anytime from now. Your hair and makeup aren't even done yet. Luna, you should have been ready hours ago." I grimaced at the word make-up. "Who needs make-up anyway?" I grumbled. "It even wastes time. I have an idea, Aria. How about I go downstairs with no make-up on? I will just er- try to fix my hair up a little." Tria looked scandalized at the very idea. "Definitely not, Luna. What would people say? You are one of the reasons why this ball is holding. You have to be perfect for tonight. A lot of people from other
Allison's POV The first person I saw when I opened my eyes was Dante, sitting on the bed beside me. I gaped at him. My first thought was that I had died and gone to whatever paradise the Moon goddess provided for my kind. While I had been semi-conscious after giving birth, I had thought I heard his voice in my room. But I had dismissed the evidence of my ears, tagging it to be a product of my overactive imagination. Now here he was, right before me. When I blinked, his form did not waver or turn to smoke like it had in my dream. I did not want to get my hopes up, but I gradually started to believe that it was Dante I saw. He saw me looking and gave me his familiar lopsided grin. "Dante," I croaked. "Is- it really you?" He looked at me with such love and longing that I felt my insides melt. I put out a hand and touched his warm flesh. "Yes, it is me, my love. I am here with you." I took a deep, shuddering breath. The sound of his voice drove home the fact that I was not dream