"I kept waiting for you to show up, to look at me with those sexy eyes and whisper, hey beautiful lady, so I knew that I was loved, but I've waited long enough," Alina took in a shuddering breath as she stared across the lake. Mist rolled in, giving the water a ghostly appearance, and legend has it that this is when the ghosts arrive to listen to the pain of the living. Alina hoped that Lucas was here to listen as she prepared to say goodbye. In the distance, just out of sight, a wolf howled, interrupting her concentration. Then a voice belonging in her deepest fantasies whispered, "I'm sorry beautiful lady," and Alina felt the final pieces of her heart crumble.
When arms of steel wrapped themselves around her and tingles arced through Alina's body, she stopped breathing, too scared to turn around in case it was just a dream. But his hands guided her to face him, and as the Queen looked up into light green eyes, witnessing those damned dimples come into view, she grabbed Luca
Lucas held the Alpha's heart in his hands, he won the challenge, but Cyrus's son couldn't accept his father's death. He leaped into the ring with a challenging growl and hauled Cyrus's body off the Alpha, lunging at Lucas's throat. It was an underhanded move, with Lucas injured and in human form, and the crowd protested, but Kane wouldn't listen. When other pack members came to his aid, Lucas ordered them to stay where they were, and looking into the young Alpha's eyes, he accepted Kane's challenge, using his bare hand at the wolf's throat to restrain him.Deacon paused, lost in the memories of that day, and I had to curb my impatience, understanding that this must be hard for him. Eve went over to the older man, lending him strength by way of a hug, and I marveled again at my mate's capacity to feel and offer comfort; I had such a strong and loving woman.Lucas got to his feet, though all his muscles shook with the effort, and he picked up the
It was awfully quiet in the King's chambers, and Zoe, Eve's younger sister, tentatively knocked on the door with breakfast. When there was no answer, she knocked again, not wanting to disturb the King's rest. After several minutes of indecision, she gathered her courage and opened the door. At first, all Zoe saw was the rumpled sheets where Elijah should be, then, walking further into the room, she noticed a still from underneath the window.With a shocked gasp, Zoe raced to his side, checking for a pulse, but the clamminess of his skin confirmed what she already knew, the King was dead. Getting to her feet in record time, Zoe raced down the hallway, reaching the staircase just as the Beta climbed the last step."Whoa, hold up there. Where's the fire?" He grumbled good-naturedly, but Zoe burst into tears, launching herself into the Beta's arms."He's dead," She sobbed, pointing towards the King's chambers, and Marcus let her go, sprinting into Elijah's room.&nbs
Eve hobbled down to the waterfall later that day, after Axle had strapped the ankle again and fussed over her like a mother hen. If she'd let him, he would be here as well, but Eve wanted to see where her new friendship with this warrior woman was headed. Axle had a way of "protecting" her from all things shifter-related, quite often scaring people off with his larger-than-life personality. Truthfully, Alina was the only one he ever seemed to let his guard down with, and if she didn't watch them with her own two eyes, Eve wouldn't believe half the things those two got up to. It was such a shame that they weren't on speaking terms right now. Eve knew Axle was hoping that by finding Lucas, he could get in Alina's good graces again, but they'd arrived too late for that too. Eve perched on the same sun rock she'd sat on earlier, gazing out at the perfection in front of her. Wolf Haven was a sight to behold, alright. All along the island, there were small crops of houses where pa
Jason may be a giant of a man, but as Katana led Eve into the defense school, he was the first one to offer Eve a hand. She accepted it gratefully, and with him holding a bulk of her weight, they wandered through the school."I see Molly getting better every day," Katana complimented, and Eve noticed the big man's cheeks go red, as he quietly replied, "Aye, Miss Molly has a gift for sure, and a fiery temper to match." As if on cue, there was a loud commotion in the next room, and Katana disappeared, leaving Jason gently guiding Eve around all the objects underfoot."I can smell that you're human," he offered by way of conversation, "We could use a human female around here. The kiddos would benefit from a gentler touch than what Lady Katana, bless her, can give."They entered the next room to find Katana holding a bigger boy by his feet while keeping Molly at bay with her leg, and Eve's mouth dropped to the floor, witnessing such an appalling way to deal with chi
They were there in their thousands to farewell the King, and as Alina descended the stairs, she couldn't help but notice that there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Marcus helped her to the horse-drawn carriage that would take Alina to the family cemetery, and when the footmen signaled, the horses moved, trotting in unison as they began their brief journey to the Deveraux plot.She felt cold, Calliope whined inside Alina's mind, wanting to be rid of the human skin and run alongside the carriage in her natural form, as the Queen's guard did, but she held onto her control knowing that this way was how the people expected her to arrive.All too soon, they were there, and the Queen alighted from the carriage, taking Marcus's hand as he guided her down the pathway towards her father's final resting place. Lights flickered, leading the way down the cobblestone path, and as Alina looked to the end, she saw the six council members there, to bear witness to Elijah's final journey
I was as nervous as a child before his first shift as I waited for Eve to meet me down by the water's edge, it was such a giant leap to ask her what I wanted to, but if Deacon was correct, then this was their true purpose, to stay in Wolf Haven and make a home. I spotted her straight away, my perfect vision in blue, as Eve hobbled towards me in a cute sundress with a wide-brimmed hat. She smiled as she finally made it, and with a sigh of relief, she collapsed on the other side of the picnic I'd bought. "It's been a lovely day," She grinned before I'd had a chance to get two words in, but I didn't mind; Eve liked to talk, and I wanted to listen. It was one of the many things I loved about my mate. "Well, tell me what you got up to then?" "Katana showed me the children's defense school. Did you know they had one? Anyway, this little girl called Molly, and she only has one arm, but boy, oh boy, can she defend herself! And, oh, guess what, Axl? The kids a
There wasn't a dry eye in the house after the King was buried, and although the traditional feast was in full swing now, Alina felt strangely empty. After searching the room for Lucas and finding nothing, Calliope was whining and running back and forth in her mind insisting something was wrong. Alina was trapped by society's rules dictating she remained on her throne until the party ended. If she left to look for Lucas now, the whole palace would know something wasn't right. Sighing in frustration, she gazed upon her subjects, feeling more alone now than she had ever felt before."We need to go now," Calliope growled, charging the locks on Alina's mind, struggling with all of her power to break free. Realizing that she was about to lose control, the Queen told her uncle that she felt unwell and raced out of the hall. She transformed before her feet even hit the grass, and running blindly, Alina gave herself over to her wolf.Hurry, must hurry!Calliope ra
I saw the moment my beautiful mate came into view, and like clockwork, my heart began hammering inside my chest. Eve always had this effect on me, but tonight? It was a thousand times worse.We were at the church, and dozens of candles lit the way down the aisle straight to me. Every pew had bums sitting on them, and a human celebrant waited with me for my bride to walk down the aisle.Shifters have mating ceremonies, and Eve wore my mark proudly, but humans have this thing called a wedding. I'd read up on it in the pack library, and they exchange these things called vows and wear rings on their fingers to prove their loyalty to their mate. At first, I was horrified at the idea of wearing a leash on my finger, but I've made my peace with it, and thanks to a little help from Katana, the rings I picked out now burn a hole in my pocket. I think our way means more and is way more straightforward, but I want to show my mate that I value her ways too.Deacon led Eve t
Lucas was near the waterfall when his heart began the now familiar burn, his mark searing the skin on his neck as his wolf's pain brought him to his knees. It was always shattering. At the same time every moon cycle this pain grew so intensely he'd become accustomed to seeking solace away from everyone except the Goddess herself. Alina was coming into heat. Lucas knew better than to hope it would be a quick mating for her and in a strange way, a small part of his heart felt closer to his mate during this time, although it killed his wolf to know she was sating her desires with someone else.Lucas sat down on the mossy bank, taking deep breaths as his wolf howled in agony. Kellan whimpered and writhed around inside the human body that betrayed him, calling for the Queen's wolf, but as always, his howls remained unanswered, and eventually after Lucas's limbs were contorted and every breath was labored, his torture bared to the very Goddess who had chosen his mate, Lucas finally passed o
Eight years later. The little boy looked over at his sister, smiling as she floundered in the long grass. "Come on Medeve, if we're caught by the guards, Mom will kill us!" The little girl growled and sped up, catching her taller twin as he entered the forest near the kingdom. There was an abandoned cottage there that Medeve and Ashton loved to play in, even though Mom didn't like it. Giggling to themselves as they ran quick-footed through the underbrush, the little prince and princess failed to notice a figure lurking in the shadows. She'd been watching them for some time, assessing their tracking skills and how fluidly they phased from wolf to human and back again. Now she had her chance. As the giant black wolf launched herself from darkness into the path of the young ones, they had no time to evade her mighty claws and sharp teeth. The beast caught them both effortlessly. "Aw no fair!" Ashton screeched, wriggling out of her claws, and Medeve quickly followed suit, wasting no t
I saw the moment my beautiful mate came into view, and like clockwork, my heart began hammering inside my chest. Eve always had this effect on me, but tonight? It was a thousand times worse.We were at the church, and dozens of candles lit the way down the aisle straight to me. Every pew had bums sitting on them, and a human celebrant waited with me for my bride to walk down the aisle.Shifters have mating ceremonies, and Eve wore my mark proudly, but humans have this thing called a wedding. I'd read up on it in the pack library, and they exchange these things called vows and wear rings on their fingers to prove their loyalty to their mate. At first, I was horrified at the idea of wearing a leash on my finger, but I've made my peace with it, and thanks to a little help from Katana, the rings I picked out now burn a hole in my pocket. I think our way means more and is way more straightforward, but I want to show my mate that I value her ways too.Deacon led Eve t
There wasn't a dry eye in the house after the King was buried, and although the traditional feast was in full swing now, Alina felt strangely empty. After searching the room for Lucas and finding nothing, Calliope was whining and running back and forth in her mind insisting something was wrong. Alina was trapped by society's rules dictating she remained on her throne until the party ended. If she left to look for Lucas now, the whole palace would know something wasn't right. Sighing in frustration, she gazed upon her subjects, feeling more alone now than she had ever felt before."We need to go now," Calliope growled, charging the locks on Alina's mind, struggling with all of her power to break free. Realizing that she was about to lose control, the Queen told her uncle that she felt unwell and raced out of the hall. She transformed before her feet even hit the grass, and running blindly, Alina gave herself over to her wolf.Hurry, must hurry!Calliope ra
I was as nervous as a child before his first shift as I waited for Eve to meet me down by the water's edge, it was such a giant leap to ask her what I wanted to, but if Deacon was correct, then this was their true purpose, to stay in Wolf Haven and make a home. I spotted her straight away, my perfect vision in blue, as Eve hobbled towards me in a cute sundress with a wide-brimmed hat. She smiled as she finally made it, and with a sigh of relief, she collapsed on the other side of the picnic I'd bought. "It's been a lovely day," She grinned before I'd had a chance to get two words in, but I didn't mind; Eve liked to talk, and I wanted to listen. It was one of the many things I loved about my mate. "Well, tell me what you got up to then?" "Katana showed me the children's defense school. Did you know they had one? Anyway, this little girl called Molly, and she only has one arm, but boy, oh boy, can she defend herself! And, oh, guess what, Axl? The kids a
They were there in their thousands to farewell the King, and as Alina descended the stairs, she couldn't help but notice that there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Marcus helped her to the horse-drawn carriage that would take Alina to the family cemetery, and when the footmen signaled, the horses moved, trotting in unison as they began their brief journey to the Deveraux plot.She felt cold, Calliope whined inside Alina's mind, wanting to be rid of the human skin and run alongside the carriage in her natural form, as the Queen's guard did, but she held onto her control knowing that this way was how the people expected her to arrive.All too soon, they were there, and the Queen alighted from the carriage, taking Marcus's hand as he guided her down the pathway towards her father's final resting place. Lights flickered, leading the way down the cobblestone path, and as Alina looked to the end, she saw the six council members there, to bear witness to Elijah's final journey
Jason may be a giant of a man, but as Katana led Eve into the defense school, he was the first one to offer Eve a hand. She accepted it gratefully, and with him holding a bulk of her weight, they wandered through the school."I see Molly getting better every day," Katana complimented, and Eve noticed the big man's cheeks go red, as he quietly replied, "Aye, Miss Molly has a gift for sure, and a fiery temper to match." As if on cue, there was a loud commotion in the next room, and Katana disappeared, leaving Jason gently guiding Eve around all the objects underfoot."I can smell that you're human," he offered by way of conversation, "We could use a human female around here. The kiddos would benefit from a gentler touch than what Lady Katana, bless her, can give."They entered the next room to find Katana holding a bigger boy by his feet while keeping Molly at bay with her leg, and Eve's mouth dropped to the floor, witnessing such an appalling way to deal with chi
Eve hobbled down to the waterfall later that day, after Axle had strapped the ankle again and fussed over her like a mother hen. If she'd let him, he would be here as well, but Eve wanted to see where her new friendship with this warrior woman was headed. Axle had a way of "protecting" her from all things shifter-related, quite often scaring people off with his larger-than-life personality. Truthfully, Alina was the only one he ever seemed to let his guard down with, and if she didn't watch them with her own two eyes, Eve wouldn't believe half the things those two got up to. It was such a shame that they weren't on speaking terms right now. Eve knew Axle was hoping that by finding Lucas, he could get in Alina's good graces again, but they'd arrived too late for that too. Eve perched on the same sun rock she'd sat on earlier, gazing out at the perfection in front of her. Wolf Haven was a sight to behold, alright. All along the island, there were small crops of houses where pa
It was awfully quiet in the King's chambers, and Zoe, Eve's younger sister, tentatively knocked on the door with breakfast. When there was no answer, she knocked again, not wanting to disturb the King's rest. After several minutes of indecision, she gathered her courage and opened the door. At first, all Zoe saw was the rumpled sheets where Elijah should be, then, walking further into the room, she noticed a still from underneath the window.With a shocked gasp, Zoe raced to his side, checking for a pulse, but the clamminess of his skin confirmed what she already knew, the King was dead. Getting to her feet in record time, Zoe raced down the hallway, reaching the staircase just as the Beta climbed the last step."Whoa, hold up there. Where's the fire?" He grumbled good-naturedly, but Zoe burst into tears, launching herself into the Beta's arms."He's dead," She sobbed, pointing towards the King's chambers, and Marcus let her go, sprinting into Elijah's room.&nbs