**** TRIGGER WARNING – MENTION OF TORTURE AND ABUSE **** Gregory couldn’t be more proud hearing the way that his Beta spoke. “Thank you, Jake.” Avery looked up at the three people standing in the room and the tears fell from his eyes. “Thank you, all of you. We have to save my sister and I know that you will help me do that.” Denice spoke, while her tears continued to stain her cheeks. “Avery, we will help and do all that we can, okay?” Avery didn’t speak, he just nodded his head in gratitude. Gregory shifted his attention to Denice and Jake, before speaking. “Beta, continue to think of a way to get them in and out in one piece. Listen to him; he needs us, they both do.” “Yes Alpha.” Gregory then walked out of the room, so that Avery could continue. He then took a deep breath and wiped his tears away. “They used my sister as a bargaining chip. Threatened to take her from my life, so I did what they asked of me. If I didn’t do what they asked, they would torture me. Beneath the pa
Denice looked at her grandfather in astonishment and confusion. “His mother? How would she have known my mom?”He sat down at a chair that was away from his desk. He gestured for Denice to sit on the couch across from him. “His mother and Ayanna were the best of friends; inseparable even. She talked about her a lot so, I know how much she trusted Garrett’s mother. Before your mother disappeared, she told Garrett’s mother of your true origin; how you weren’t Dylan’s daughter. Dylan has known that you weren’t his daughter, but he doted on you in the beginning. Ayanna always spoke about how he took you in as his own, but then, something changed.” His gaze darkened at that thought and as he paused, he saw Denice’s gaze; it was very distant and cold.She couldn’t understand why, but it bothered her that Garrett’s mom knew and didn’t do anything. “How did you come to find out about Dylan’s ‘infidelity?’” Her gaze changed slightly.He sighed and stood up to gaze out the window as he spoke. “
‘Dammit! We can’t find her. Avery, where could she be?’‘She should be in the packhouse or near it. Sometimes she likes to go to the waterfall.’ Jake let out an exasperated sigh. ‘A waterfall? Th-That goes beyond what we had planned for, but we will get her.’ They moved further into the pack, doing their best to not make any noise as they trekked further into Blood Moon’s territory. As they got further in, they heard the faint sounds of a waterfall and they almost ran to her, but had to remember not to. Their breathing hitched in their throats as they got closer to her and she was startled. Anna turned her body in their direction and almost let out a scream, but Riley came up behind her and covered her mouth. In a whisper, Gregory spoke. “Hey, we’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to take you away from here. It’s time for volatile retribution.” Her eyes lit up and she resisted the urge to scream. She stammered a response and softly spoke. “H-how did you? My brother, Avery! He’s al
Avery jerked his head in the direction of Jake’s voice and was befuddled. “Alpha Gregory?” Jake sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, this used to be his daughter’s room.” Avery was stunned silent. Jake then began walking out of the room, but Avery’s next question stopped him in his tracks and rendered him speechless. He asked without missing a beat and his grey eyes glinted. “Was her name Ayanna?” Jake linked Gregory and he was upstairs within seconds, with Denice trailing not far behind. Denice looked around the room, puzzled. She stared at her grandfather and awaited his response anxiously. Gregory looked at Avery shocked and walked towards him slowly. Denice covered her mouth and the tears formed in her eyes as Gregory spoke. “How? How could you have known that? My daughter hasn’t been near here, much less lived here, in over a decade.” Avery’s attention shifted slightly and that’s when everything began to make sense. “Ayanna, her talents were passed down to my siste
Three months had passed since Derreck was placed in the hospital. His recovery was slow-going, but he was making progress. Hartley took over temporarily at the company while Derreck was in recovery. While in a coma, Derreck dreamt about her nonstop. He felt haunted in his dreams with how much he was dreaming of her; her jet black hair, icy blue eyes and her laugh. He craved her touch, everything about her really. He was sitting up in his hospital bed when a knock pulled him from the depths of his mind. Jared walked into his room and bowed his head slightly before speaking. “Senior Gray, I have done what you asked.”Derreck huffed. “And?” Jared gulped hard before continuing. “We’ve come up empty handed sir. After the incident, Mr. Jones told us of where we could find him, but the place was swept clean the same day.” Derreck let out a roar of frustration. Apollo wanted blood! “I want that fucker’s head on a pike! Don’t come to me ‘til you have found him!” “Y-yes A-Alpha.”“Leave me!
After being brought back into his room, the doctor gave him an hour before he had to go back into surgery. Once he was left alone in the silence, he picked up his phone and dialed her number. ‘Please pick up.’ He thought to himself. The phone rang 3 times before the call was connected. “Hello?” “Leah, hey.” “Hey Derreck. How is everything?” His heart was crumbling as he watched her. The spark that was once there was much less than it used to be; her attention wasn’t on him completely. She seemed… distracted. “Everything is fine. Well kind of, but anyway, how are things?” He threw the question back to her. “Everything is good on my end. What’s going on? How’s your recovery? Why are you still in the hospital?” Her questions spewed out of her one after another. Her questions pulled at him, but he only felt fury and rage. ‘Now she cares?’ He thought to himself. ‘She hasn’t even called in 5 months and if she had, she would know why I’m in the hospital.’ The more that he thought t
Derreck felt as if tiny shards were piercing his heart. Garrett’s words tore him more than Denice’s; sure, she was his fated mate, the one that the Moon Goddess had chosen for him, but Garrett was his best friend. He and Garrett had been best friends since they were in diapers.“Garrett, we’ve been bros since diapers, and you kept this from me?!” His voice continues to betray him, but the rage in his eyes was intense.Garrett walked a little closer and Apollo growled; he threw his hands up in surrender. “It wasn’t my truth to tell Derreck; you know that. Being an Alpha does not come easy and it is a heavy responsibility. Denice only told me her real name right before I walked in here. She had to be the one to tell you and she didn’t come to this decision lightly, as I’m sure you can imagine. I know it’ll take you some time before you can trust me again and I won’t push that, but I know you need a Beta. When you’re ready, you know how to find me.”Denice then spoke up with confidence a
Hello my lovely readers! I just wanted to come on and say thank you for the attention that you've given Pain Before Bliss thus far! I appreciate your support and your constant attention as I continue along! Thank you all so much for being SO patient with me and for enjoying my book! It's come some ways and it wouldn't be here without your constant support! I'm grateful if it has shown up on your bookshelf, if you've found a genuine interest in it, if you're constantly on the edge of your seat making faces as you read, or even if you've read the synopsis to find out if it peaks your interest. I've done my best to make sure that it's unpredictable, keeps you guessing, keeps you entertained, or if it makes you scream and say 'Hell yeah!.' With all my heart and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Although I do not have thousands of readers yet as this note comes across (Jan. 2024), I'm thankful that it's gotten any attention at all. I have a genuine love for writing, even though i
After getting everyone to safety and initiating the lockdown protocol, Denice and the warriors checked the perimeter.“Your Majesty.” Jason began. “We understand that you are the monarch and need to protect your people, but as your Royal Guard, you are our number one priority. We will do all that we can to find and eradicate the threat once and for all, but we need to get you to safety Your Highness.” He finished.Denice looked at him. “I appreciate you taking your role very seriously, but as you have stated, it is my duty to protect my people. It doesn’t matter how many crazed psychos I have looking after me, the Prince and Princess are my succession. I don’t care what happens to me and I have made peace with that.” ‘Mate or not.’ She linked him then continued aloud. “But I will not stand in the shadows while my people put their lives on the line to protect me and this kingdom. My succession is all I care about.” Denice finished.Jason bowed his head. “Yes, Majesty. We will continue t
Hello readers!School has officially started back up and I am managing A LOT better this semester than I was last semester. I had 2 math classes that were kicking my ass, but this semester my load is slightly lighter. I do also work full-time, so please keep that in mind.Now, I have made Nolan a bit more emotional than most male leads have been in other books that I've read or noticed. This is because Denice has had her fair share of bullshit. She is going to open up to him in a way that she can and only she knows how. When you've been hurt like that, it's not an easy task to open up to someone and be so open to the idea of a relationship, much less a mate bond. In my own mind, I sometimes wish we had our own mate bonds; a way to feel what the other person feels and tap into what they need, but at the same time I don't .. that's just me though.Anyway, I will shift gears and slide a way into going back to Aurenda and showing what's going on there, but I'm focusing on Denice; she's my
Denice got off of Nolan’s lap to face him. He stood up and pulled her closer to him. Nolan’s eyes were searching hers and their lips met in a fiery, but passionate kiss. Denice smiled into the kiss. “As much as I love the attention you give me and being away from eyes and ears, we have to talk about something.”Nolan pulled away from her slightly. “I could drown in your affection all day long and I can’t wait to drown in your screams.”Denice’s skin burned from the heat of his gaze and his words. “Easy Alpha. For now, the council doesn’t know that we’re mates or that I’ve accepted the bond. We will have our mating ceremony once the Purple Moon Pack is out of our hair. Until I’ve told the council and the pack, we can’t have any PDA going on. They would want to push the mating ceremony on me and that’s not what I want. I want that done in OUR time, on OUR terms. I will choose you every day, in every life, every time. I love you Nolan and I know it seems sudden, but that’s what the mate b
Denice continued sobbing uncontrollably while in Anna’s arms; she was pissed, she was hurt, but most of all, she was terrified. Terrified of losing her mate, pissed that her brother went against her wishes and waited for months to tell her about it, and hurt that Nolan walked away.It took a while, but Avery had finally caught up to Nolan. “Alpha Whitfield, can we talk?”Nolan was pacing in the middle of the clearing. “Prince Avery, please let me be alone for a while.”Avery stood rooted in the spot. “That’s something I cannot do. You need to hear the whole story; only then will I leave you to your thoughts.”Avery sat down in the lush grass and began. “Since we found each other, Denice has dedicated her life to looking after us and our kingdom. She didn’t want the mate bond to hold her back and at the time, she was mated to Alpha Gray back in her home country. Denice realized that she would never be able to be at 100%, nor would she be able to be a Luna, since that isn’t her only titl
The room was eerily quiet. Alexander stood with his mouth agape, Avery’s aura was shifted to one of utter confusion, Anna was in awe and Garrett stood with a questioning look in his eyes.Dr. Jason knocked twice before entering the room. Nolan’s gaze was still fixated on Denice, as he stroked her hair softly. After removing the tube from Denice’s throat, she coughed uncontrollably. Artemis was still in a groggy state, so she couldn’t mind link just yet, but Nolan knew exactly what she needed.“Doctor, can you bring a cup of water with a straw please?” Nolan asked the doctor without turning his head.“Of course, Alpha. I’ll be back momentarily. Your Majesty, after bringing your water and after you’re up for it, we’ll run some tests. We are beyond grateful that you are awake, but we still want to monitor your progress and keep an eye on things.” Dr. Jason informed her.Denice nodded softly and Dr. Jason excused himself before leaving her room and getting some water for her.After Dr. Jas
After stepping out of Kai’s room and finding a private space inside the palace, Avery, Garrett and Alexander each grabbed a drink and gulped it down in one go.Avery looked exasperated as he spoke. “Are you fucking kidding me!?! We got rid of one and now there’s another?! When are we ever gonna catch a fucking break!?!”Garrett looked at Avery. “What do you mean another?”Avery sighed exasperatedly and ran a palm over his face. “Remember we told you about the war? We had a traitorous bastard then and one of the Alphas were executed as a result.”Alexander looked thoughtful for a moment. “You don’t think he’s come back, do you?”Avery looked at Alexander. “It’s possible; he does have some sort of vendetta against us, so I wouldn’t put it past him. Besides, we weren’t able to find him that day and we still haven’t heard a word, which makes me nervous. He must still be working with someone here and I won’t rest until we find out who! We’ve done everything necessary to protect our kingdom
Dr. Justin stood rooted in his spot. Avery looked down the hall at Nolan and Anna gasped.“I will take you to her.” Anna stated slowly.Alpha Nolan took a deep breath and walked over to Anna. He was given a change of clothes before he made his way deeper inside the palace. As he walked, he was silent the whole way to her makeshift room and when he walked inside, his heart shattered, and his limbs grew heavy. The sight of his new mate in her state made the world crumble beneath him.After what felt like hours of staring at her unconscious body, he found his voice. “How bad is it?”Avery looked at Alpha Nolan with so much suspicion; it wasn’t because he didn’t trust him, quite the opposite. He’s seen what he’s capable of on the battlefield, but Denice wasn’t the battlefield; she was his sister. He loved his siblings with all his heart and Denice wasn’t awake to confirm the newly formed mate bond. Alpha Nolan hadn’t been around her since she rejected Jake, so acknowledging that she has a
They maneuvered through the packhouse both swiftly and silently. The horrors of mangled bodies throughout the packhouse were now burned into their minds. ‘Get on my back and keep your senses sharp. The slightest thing you notice, you tell me. Hold on tight and don’t let go. I will protect you; I promise.’ He demanded Anna, his aura imbued in his every word.Quickly, she got onto his back, and they continued up several flights of stairs to get to where they believed Denice and the others to be.“I saw her go this way. I’ll finish the job when she comes out of there. She can’t stay up there forever.” A voice said near the Alpha stairs.‘Anna, is there another way up?’ Garrett asked Anna through the link.‘In the Alpha’s office on the first floor. In the closest, there’s a hidden elevator that can only be accessed with a code.’ She answered back.‘Let’s go.’ He stated firmly through their link.He made his way back down the stairs and into the Alpha’s office. When they got in there, they
Garrett looked around the room calmly. “You can’t be serious D?!” He asked her full of shock.Denice sighed and walked around the front of her desk.“On the contrary Garrett, I am. A lot has happened since I left Aurenda and I’ve had to shoulder many responsibilities, including being a Queen over this land. Avery has not completed his Alpha training and quite honestly, I don’t want him taking over that pack. As a Royal, his place is here within the Royal grounds; especially after what we’ve been through since I got here.” She sighed and walked over to the window. “Garrett, I trust you, along with the people inside this room. Even my grandparents are exempt from that trust.”Garrett looked somber. “What happened to you?” His eyes filled with tenderness.Denice sighed. “Enough. We’ve all been through so much together and they have all been patient as I sat taking shit from all sides. Avery and Anna unfortunately must be kept under a watchful eye at all times; it’s not something that I wa