What was it with men, mostly Alphas, having the constant need to prove to each other they're better than the rest by any means possible?No one really cared if two Alphas collided and started playing a childish game of who's the best singer or dancer. The people didn't care about those things. Pack members had always cared about the sense of safety and their life quality. No one would give a damn if their Alpha was the best man the world had seen, but he couldn't sing for shit. If Olivia pointed that out, she'd pull herself into a deep, unwelcomed discussion about why Logan and Noah had the need to compete. "You know what? I think this is something I need to discuss with your dad." Olivia announced as her eyes darted around in the hope of finding Landon wandering around the area. It was pretty much a flat chance that he would jump out of thin air and take Olivia's side, but that didn't mean she would give up on the idea. "I think it's something you should decide on your own. Sur
The pack slowly lost its name. For a while now, Midnight Blood wasn’t discussed in new rumours, and Alpha Black didn’t make new appearances. With the Ball date nearing, no wolf across the packs thought that they’d see Noah attend it. He didn’t mind that. The less people knew about his arrival, the better. Noah didn’t intend to travel to another territory to make friends or allies. He had enough of those, so the main reason why he agreed to attend the event was to discuss some details with the allies his parents gained years ago. Some trades had to be made, new boundaries had to be built, and some disagreements had to be erased. He didn’t think about having fun; the whole idea about his attendance was purely business. While his mind was full of thoughts about the Ball, there were far too many things he still needed to think about. Olivia and Enzo were the voices in his head Noah couldn’t silence. Speak of the devil, just as his best friend’s name crossed Noah’s mind, he walked in
Time flew. Olivia knew time was the only thing she couldn't stop, regardless of how much she wanted to freeze it and enjoy a moment alone. The thing was that both Logan and Landon took Olivia's words as a promise, not a simple possibility. Both men were obsessed with every little detail of the event. One tiny detail that Logan forgot to mention? This year, the Lunar Ball was happening in their territory. So, it wasn't only about the Alphas' crazed ways to ensure every single detail was worked up to perfection; it was also their odd requests regarding Olivia. First, they sent some servants to the biggest city nearby to buy loads of makeup. Logan had noticed no one in their pack had skin as fair as Olivia's, so he needed to ensure they had makeup she could use. What was supposed to be a quick trip ended up as a massive shopping spree because Olivia insisted if she was to wear makeup, so were the other women in the pack. The same went with new dresses- if she got one, so did the othe
In between the argument he had with Enzo in his office, and intense hours of sorting pack paperwork, Noah didn't notice how fast the time had flown by. He found himself standing in front of the massive wall-length mirror, adjusting the tie he hated. No matter how many times he tried to tie it over and over again, how hard he tried to make it look decent, nothing seemed to work. After countless failed attempts, he ripped the tie off and squeezed the long piece of fabric in his hand before tossing it away. If he couldn't make it work, he'd rather go without it and be the only man who doesn't look all business casual.His eyes darted over his body, and oddly enough, Noah couldn't say he recognized the face staring back at him. It felt as if he was facing a stranger. A soulless, empty shell of a man he once was. Perhaps Enzo was right, and Noah did lose himself somewhere along the way of poor choices and bad decisions. Noah could notice far too many things that seemed off, even wron
If Olivia could have had a chance to tell everyone present how much she didn’t want to attend the Lunar Ball, she would scream it out at the top of her lungs. Yet, no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t deal with the guilt that filled her every time she thought about Logan. How disappointed he would be if she suddenly backed out and changed their plans. Would the Alpha ever bother to listen to Olivia again, and actually trust her? No, he probably wouldn’t. After all, who wanted to trust someone who made a promise and broke it right before the due date? Or maybe she should say hours before the event?Olivia had about two hours to get ready, but emotionally, she wasn’t ready to face yet another possibility of mockery. She wasn’t just the adoptive daughter of the late Blac couple, she was also the woman who was forcefully marked by the man she once trusted. Another useless forced Luna that couldn’t gain anyone’s respect even if she did her best to earn it. Women like Olivia
Was she ready to go? No, absolutely not, not even the slightest.Olivia wasn’t ready to face the judgement and sour faces even before Logan announced the arrival of her so-called brother, but now, she was more unsure of how good an idea this was. Her hand froze on the strap of her heel and her heart skipped a beat. Olivia’s mind rushed, thoughts returned to days long ago when she once loved to be in the presence of the infamous Noah Black, the young man that was rumoured to become the most powerful Alpha the werewolves had ever seen. And maybe one day he would, but Olivia prayed to the Moon Goddess that she wouldn’t be near to experiencing such a thing. She didn’t want to stand next to him while the world looked at Noah as if he were a hero and not a single soul would know the monster that hid under the Godly appearance. Sucking in a sharp, shaky breath, Oliva dropped her hand and fought her body against the sudden need to collapse. A strong, warm hand on her shoulder brought Oli
From the very moment Noah entered the house of his supposed-to-be enemy, he had a gut feeling that he’d get more than he bargained for. Maybe others thought he was the bad guy, and he wouldn’t blame them because deep down, Noah knew he wasn’t exactly the gift from God, but all he wanted was to be treated as an equal. Just for once. Just this once, he wanted to walk through crowds as if he weren’t the outsider, they believed him to be. Slowly, and extremely carefully, he scanned the crowd to locate the business associates. The sooner he had discussions with those men, the sooner he could leave the dreadful place. Though for this evening he had agreed to be civil with Landon and Logan, given he was on their territory, Noah still didn’t want to run into any of them. Knowing how both men were, Noah was sure that they wouldn’t pass on the chance to tease him about losing track of the woman he had marked. By now, any other Alpha would have found the woman, if she ran, but not Noah. In
Noah followed the woman out of the building and closer to the woods. Deep down, he knew he might make the worst mistake of his lifetime, but what was one mistake compared to the mess he had already created?From the moment when her eyes met Noah’s, he knew Olivia was gone. The Olivia he knew, loved, and obsessed over was gone. In the place of the beautiful, cheerful, unreal fairy of a person stood a woman unknown to Noah. It wasn’t just the appearance that had changed, it was the aura that surrounded Olivia.Though under different circumstances Noah would assume the change was created by his doings, by the mark he left on her neck, he knew that wasn’t the case. Life wasn’t about him, the world didn’t revolve around him, and it was about time for Noah to accept as much. The woman in front of him started hissing something under her breath, pulling Noah out of the void of his thoughts. He didn’t pay much mind to her words until a particular one caught his attention. “Excuse you?” Noah
She fought back. Olivia tried her best to get out of the vicious claws of the rogues, but none of the men bothered to release her. At one point, she decided that maybe, if she screamed loud enough, someone could overhear her and try to help her, but the plan failed once the rogues stuffed her mouth with a dirty rag. Olivia’s eyes filled with tears. Not because of the men that were kidnapping her but because she barely resisted the intense urge to vomit her insides out. Trashing and any type of resistance didn’t help her case, so she gave up. For the time being. Wasting her energy was pointless, so she tried to think of a plan. Deep down, she hoped Noah would get to the place where she met the rogues soon. If he caught on their awful stench, there was a hope he might follow them and save her. Wasn’t that funny? The very man she escaped and tried to avoid was the only person who could save her from the monsters that were carrying her God knew where. Olivia tried to follow her surr
Noah couldn't believe what was happening. As much as he wanted to call Olivia dumb, he couldn't. Yet, he also couldn't understand what was happening in her mind. Olivia was supposed to hate him, to despise everything he did and said. She had to stay away from him. Wasn't that the purpose of everything he did? Wasn't Noah trying his best to stay away from her? He wouldn't mind spending another couple of months in the cabin just to ensure that she was comfortable in the place she once called her home.If his parents were still alive and knew anything about the mess he had created, they would most likely disown him. And the worst part was that Noah couldn't forgive himself. He had gone above and beyond and did everything in his power just to hurt Olivia.He was thrashing through the cabin, looking for the things he needed before he left, while the memories of his parents and their love for Olivia assaulted his mind. She was his father's favourite. Olivia was the daughter he never had
Olivia was livid. She never thought of Noah as someone irresponsible, despite how egoistic and stupid he used to act. But now, he was a complete dick, knew it, acknowledged it, and yet, refused to drop the act of stupidity. When she stormed out of the packhouse, she was surprised to notice that Enzo wasn’t following hot on her heels. No, this time, he let her do whatever she wanted. As she crossed the nearby field children used as a football field, the pack members approached her to voice their gratitude for her returning to them. At first, Olivia stood aside, shocked, wondering why all those people were so happy to see her back, but she didn’t have to wait for long until the answers to her silent questions spilt from the pack members. Apparently, their Alpha had lost his mind once he understood Olivia was gone. Noah had sent multiple patrols out to look for her and went to unclaimed lands himself, fearing that she headed there. The fool risked his life to find her while O
A new day could be seen as a new adventure. Or at least that was what Noah’s mother claimed when he was a child. Although Noah did his best to believe those words, to try to see the world through the eyes of the woman who raised him – it didn’t work. There were no adventures, just self-doubt and hatred. During the time he spent in the cabin, Noah used the chance to reflect on his decisions. For the most part, he was sure things he did were done for the right reasons and always brought good for others. But not for Olivia. What he did to her was for selfish reasons. Heat in the moment decision that might have cost him everything. She didn’t want to stay. She didn’t want to see Noah ever again. And yet, he tried to force her to stay. Initially, it didn’t work. The mark obviously meant nothing to her; it didn’t hold her back and hostage in his pack. She left without looking back, without thinking about the possible consequences or the effect it might have on her. That’s how desper
The only positive change in Olivia’s life was Enzo. She missed her friend more than she thought, and now that he stood near, the realisation slowly sank in. It took days, but once she adapted to the life in her previous pack, Olivia started leaving the bedroom more often and even offered her help to the cooks and maids. As she stood in the laundry room and folded warrior shirts, someone nudged her side. A slight smile spread across her lips once she recognised the scent. Enzo. “Hey there, stranger,” she whispered, still focusing on the pile of clothes in front of her. Sometimes, she wondered why she didn’t meet Noah. Enzo was around her quite often, but the man who insisted she returned, didn’t appear anywhere near her. If anything, Olivia expected Noah would follow in her footsteps and ensure no one approached her, but the opposite happened. Everyone could walk up to her and start a conversation – even when some men became too friendly, Noah didn’t show his face. “I was thinki
Noah knew he was acting like a selfish bastard, but he couldn’t do anything to change how he felt or viewed things, no matter how hard he tried. Especially Olivia. Every time he looked at her, he felt the pull he couldn’t resist and after the run-in with the witch, the need to protect her grew thousand times more intense. Judging by the look on her face and her cold attitude, Olivia wasn’t happy about returning home, but Noah couldn’t allow that bastard Logan to flaunt his Luna as a shiny new toy. Olivia couldn’t know how that man was, how he acted or anything about his true antics, but Noah knew enough. Women came and went to Logan, he never bothered about anyone’s feelings until his were hurt. Noah felt sorry for Logan at times for the man had lost his rightful Luna, but while his father kept hiding his son’s doings, Noah witnessed more than once how easy it was for Logan to jump from one bed to another. If he didn’t know better, Noah would claim Logan never really mourned the
Olivia knew who the owner of the voice was even before she stepped away from Logan and turned around to face Noah. She had thought Noah left because of her sudden appearance or perhaps he felt hurt by the lies he had been told over the time. But he didn’t have the right to blame her. He drove her away, encouraged her to leave and marked her just to mock her for the newfound rogue role and her inability to stay away. Olivia proved she was more than capable to stay away from him. It was Noah who broke, it was Alpha Black who wasn’t capable of accepting defeat. Yet, against her best judgement, the only thoughts in Olivia’s mind were excuses she should give Noah. A part of her knew it was the worst idea ever to justify her actions or claim she had no feelings for Logan, which would be true, but the other part still wanted to watch Noah suffer. After all those years of mockery and bullying, he was getting what karma prepared for him, so Noah shouldn’t think he had the right to complain
Olivia couldn’t explain why her eyes sought out Noah for the rest of the evening even if she tried to. Her actions were like an instinct. The look on his face when she noticed Noah wasn’t anything Olivia thought she would see. Years ago, she would feed herself delusional ideas about her brother, missing her and being happy to see her. But now, she expected anger and resentment. None of those she saw. Hurt? Yes. Regret? Perhaps a hint of it. But what stood out the most was how miserable Noah looked. If she didn’t know better, Olivia would claim her supposed-to-be brother looked like someone who didn’t think he was worthy of standing under the same roof as her. “Olivia?” Logan’s voice startled her out of her thoughts, and her cheeks immediately turned bright red as she realised Logan’s eyes weren’t the only ones set on her. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I don’t feel good,” Olivia lied. She had no other choice but to come up with a bad, but believable lie. What would Logan and the othe
Noah followed the woman out of the building and closer to the woods. Deep down, he knew he might make the worst mistake of his lifetime, but what was one mistake compared to the mess he had already created?From the moment when her eyes met Noah’s, he knew Olivia was gone. The Olivia he knew, loved, and obsessed over was gone. In the place of the beautiful, cheerful, unreal fairy of a person stood a woman unknown to Noah. It wasn’t just the appearance that had changed, it was the aura that surrounded Olivia.Though under different circumstances Noah would assume the change was created by his doings, by the mark he left on her neck, he knew that wasn’t the case. Life wasn’t about him, the world didn’t revolve around him, and it was about time for Noah to accept as much. The woman in front of him started hissing something under her breath, pulling Noah out of the void of his thoughts. He didn’t pay much mind to her words until a particular one caught his attention. “Excuse you?” Noah