EdelineThen I heard rustling from the trees. Deep growls pierced the silence, sending a shiver down my spine. I turned quickly to see Darius lurking in the shadows behind a tree, his eyes glowing menacingly. As he moved closer, my thoughts became a jumbled mess. I retreated, trying to summon my inner wolf to help, but she remained silent, leaving me feeling helpless."No need to worry. Your wolf is unharmed. I just needed to distract her so she wouldn’t interfere," he said with a sinister chuckle. He stepped into the moonlight, his eyes still glowing with a cruel light. I felt a wave of fear wash over me, my inner strength seemingly drained. It was like experiencing an unending terror, a constant fear of the unknown.I stood frozen as he lunged toward me, his sharp claws digging into my hips. Shocked, I felt the pain as his claws drew blood, pulling me closer to him. Tears welled up in my eyes, and my breathing quickened. I tried desperately to push against his chest, hoping to break
Percival She lay in the hospital bed, her hair a captivating blend of dark brown with highlights of chestnut and caramel. It was a beautiful combination of vibrant colors. Her gorgeous waves cascaded gently around her serene figure, creating a striking contrast to the sterile surroundings of the hospital room.I marveled at her hair, admiring its beauty. I could not resist the urge to touch it. I gently ran my fingers through her soft strands, noting how her usually sun-kissed complexion had become pale from blood loss. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her once rosy, full lips now appeared dry and colorless. I longed for the softness of her lips against mine, but that was not possible right now.Our connection felt like being submerged in the vastness of the ocean, where you experience a sense of weightlessness and gentle waves caress your skin. She had always had a profound impact on me, and now, with our wolves united, it felt even more intense.I tried to communicate with her
Percival A deep growl rumbled from Nixx’s chest as his eyes locked with my father's, a clear challenge to the Alpha. Dad’s wolf glared menacingly back at Nixx. “Hey, calm down and let’s talk this out. If you really want to challenge me, be prepared to face the consequences,” Beta Jack warned, his hand pulling on Nixx’s arm.“Enough. Cut it out,” Jack growled, his voice low and commanding. Nixx hesitated, finally shifting his gaze away from his father's intense stare and focusing on Edeline, who lay peacefully asleep.“I have been a terrible brother...” Nixx murmured, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. I wanted to reassure him that he wasn’t, but I could see the depth of his guilt. I had made every effort to protect Tatiana during the two instances when Edeline’s wolf had threatened her, just as he did.Knowing that Tatiana was his mate, I understood the immense struggle his wolf was experiencing. The instinct to protect her was overwhelming, similar to how I felt about our unborn
Percival Our choices were bound to hurt Edeline, something we both deeply regretted. Yet, we both desired her happiness above all else.“Percival, may I see the letter Edeline sent you?” Nixx asked, his tone now softer and more familiar. He seemed to relax a bit, his initial anger giving way to curiosity.“Um, yeah...” I replied, puzzled. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the letter—the one that had shattered my heart. It was the moment when I could no longer hold back my tears, as the person I loved most revealed that she no longer wanted me in her life. I handed the letter to Nixx and watched as he carefully unfolded and read it.His wolf seemed to bristle with agitation at the idea of his sister encouraging me to pursue a relationship with his mate.The situation was deeply frustrating.Nixx locked eyes with me, a sneer curling his lips. “You’re a complete fool.” He thrust the letter back into my chest with a cruel laugh.I stared at him, my brows knitting together in confus
Percival A rush of excitement surged through me as I bent down and grabbed a handful of stray letters. They were from both Edeline and me—our communications with each other. I noticed the top letter was one I had written when I was crying; the ink had blurred from my tears. My heart pounded fiercely as anger and frustration welled up inside me. I set that letter aside, the pain still raw, and moved on to the next one. This one was from Edeline.I had never received such a letter before.As I scanned it, a sinking feeling gripped me. Edeline would never advise me to be with Tatiana. I felt utterly foolish. Edeline was the embodiment of compassion and intelligence—so giving, with a wonderful sense of humor and remarkable strength. She was powerful, and most importantly, she was mine.I came across a journal and a sachet of herbal tea bags. I placed the tea bags back into the floorboard and opened the journal, my hands trembling slightly as I began to read.An entry from a few days ago
Percival I couldn't bring myself to lie, even though I might have wanted to. Anita seemed to hold a strange power over me, and I ended up handing over the items as requested. In return, she gave me another drink—some unique homemade alcohol she had crafted.Once I finished the drink Anita gave me, a rush of vitality surged through me. My senses felt heightened, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Edeline. I decided to seek her out, finding her at the party Mirabelle had organized. She looked absolutely breathtaking, dressed in tight shorts that highlighted the length of her legs. I approached her with a mix of intent and anxiety. I continued to administer injections, hoping they would help her relax a bit more. After a while, I suggested a visit to the hot springs to help her unwind. Although she looked stunning, I could sense an underlying unease in her demeanor. It was evident that the alcohol was starting to affect her, making her more disoriented.Seizing the opportunity, I ha
NixxTatiana needs to understand the consequences of meddling with mate bonds...“That’s enough. Let’s go talk to your dad. If he won’t help, we’ll handle this ourselves. Even if it means getting into trouble, at least we’ll have each other. Let’s go.” I picked up the book from the floor, tucking it under my shirt as I stormed out of my room, Percival right on my heels. Both of us... Alpha and Beta, the new generation. We carried ourselves with authority as we hurried down the stairs and out of my home.By lunchtime, the other wolves were already moving around, gathering everyone for the meal. The women stopped in their tracks to watch us as we walked together down the dusty path toward the pack house.The pups whined... Some of the women hunched their shoulders, while others squared themselves up, clearly aiming their attention at us. And the males... They wanted nothing to do with us. They avoided our gaze, dipping their necks slightly in submission to our wolves, which now glinted
NixxWilliam’s hand flew to his mouth as he read the words, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, he slammed the journal down on the desk, hard enough to shake it. His wolf, partially shifting, sent a dangerous ripple through the air. His teeth elongated, claws cutting into the flesh of his fingers.“The Healer...” he growled through clenched teeth, barely holding back the primal need for blood that echoed my own.“Yeah, dad. The healer. But... Darius has been helping Tatiana even before Anita got involved. Something’s not right, and I think it’s because she doesn’t have Alpha blood. But still... he helped her,” Percival said, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his thighs as his voice stayed measured, despite the tension between us.Alpha William let out a deep, guttural growl. “Darius is my son,” he said, his voice layered with both anger and pain. “I will not harm him, and I will not let harm come to him. But he will answer for his actions. Tatiana's father is on his way, and Alpha Cono
Percival Edeline’s eyes were locked on me as she marched over, grabbing my forearm and pulling me along with her. The contact felt like fire igniting on my skin. She was fired up—angry, for sure.She dragged me into the equipment shed, out of sight, and then—wham!—she whacked me right in the eye.I let out a low growl and slowly turned my face back to hers. Anger radiated off her as she raised her other hand, ready to swing at me again. I managed to grab her wrist before she could land another hit, squeezing gently around her slim wrist. “What the heck, Edeline?!” I exclaimed, my lip curling to reveal my fang. Low warning growls rumbled from my chest. The wolf inside me was not thrilled, but at least she appreciated that this wasn’t happening in front of the pack. Don’t mess with my authority.“Hey! Did you give that girl false hope or what? I know you have not hooked up with her because I would have sensed it!” Her nose wrinkled, eyes blazing with fury. Then, I caught a scent from
Percival Promoting her to lead female warrior might not have been the best decision after all. She was my top fighter, having trained hard before I stepped in, but now I was left questioning my judgment. We didn’t have an expert on board yet, and Jazz’s ambition made me wary.She tucked a loose, curly strand behind her ear, looking up at me with her big green eyes, her skin a lovely shade of creamed coffee. She was undeniably pretty, but just not my type. “Hey, Percival... what if we tried something different with the ladies?” She edged closer, taking a deep breath as if to check out my scent.It might sound wild, but the night before last, after showering and snuggling up in bed with Edeline, I had rubbed against her, soaking in her scent. Waking up without her made me skip a shower yesterday—or maybe even today. I just wanted to hold onto that connection a little longer. Jazz caught a whiff of Edeline’s scent, and her eyebrows shot up.“Hey, is Edeline back?” she asked, her voice
Edeline“I totally get it, Nixx. It is something else. Really special. I see what you mean.” My gaze drifted to his cuffs, curiosity piquing as I furrowed my brow. “Have you been a bit risky? What does your world do to people?” I tilted my head, observing the way he passed the bracelet back to me, unable to take his eyes off it.“My wolf is stronger, you know? Sometimes I just cannot control him and end up lashing out at people who get on my nerves. Percival dealt with the same stuff. He wants to help me train like Gaspar did for him, but all I can think about is Tatiana and the pup I lost. It is tough.” A wave of sadness washed over him, dimming the light in his eyes.“Nixx,” I sighed, “why are you still hung up on losing the pup? Mirabelle was only a few months along, right? You never even met him, and you can have pups with your real mate. You could not have had both. Tatiana would have been jealous of you and him. Trust me, I get it. Tatiana is a beta, and her wolf would have want
EdelineHe really needed his not-so-little sister. I would hit him up first, and then maybe I would finally have the guts to talk to Percival about everything. After some tough training, of course. It had been a few days since I had a solid training session. Muscle disappears faster than it builds up, and I really hoped that did not happen. If I wanted to keep being the warrior I had turned into, I had to stay on top of my stamina. But I was not sure my buddy would let me train, especially since my heat was just around the corner, and my scent was driving everyone wild. I had to remember to grab my tea after I hopped out of the shower. As I walked in the front door of my parents’ place, the cozy scent of clove hit me, pulling me back into sweet memories. I could not help but think about what might happen during this heat. The last one just did not do it for me. Did I even want him to help me out this time? Or would I just prefer to be out of it for that? I figured the latter was
EdelineI stared down at our hands, chewing on his words. He might have a point. When I left and went to Conrad’s place, I told myself I was moving on. I threw myself into letting it all go—this life, these people, everything. But once I got some space, the wolves around me nudged me toward the truth. They made me confront my feelings about Percival, especially after I caught myself feeling jealous over him. He was just my friend, nothing more, but still... I had to deal with that. But Darius? I buried that pain deep and left it to rot. Never talked about him, never thought about him for too long. I got stronger, yeah. But I didn’t heal. Not really. And that’s why I’m still stuck. I turned my head toward William, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “How am I supposed to feel about him?” My voice cracked, and I felt my throat tighten again. “Look at what he did.” I swallowed hard, trying to keep it together, but the words dragged me down, making my chest feel heavy. “How am I s
EdelineI never really hated Percival before that. He had done some stuff, sure—but it never made me hate him. Not until that night. That night, I hated him more than anything. My wolf hated him too. My skin side—yeah, she wanted revenge just as bad. But then the truth hit me. Darius was the monster. Not Percival. I spent all of yesterday lying around, trying to make sense of everything. Today, I thought maybe a walk would help me clear my head, so I came here. To the waterfall—the spot I loved the most. And now, here I am. Staring at his grave. Why here? Why did they bury him here of all places? Not in the pack’s graveyard, where the rest of them are. No—right here, beneath the tree that used to be ours. Our spot. My throat tightened, and the tears started before I could stop them. My heart felt like someone had tied a rope around it and was pulling it tighter and tighter. I reached out, tracing his name on the headstone with shaky fingers, as if touching the letters wo
PercivalI hoped I didn’t annoy her. I understood she was strong, but my Alpha side just wanted to look out for my mate. I was trying to communicate my feelings through the mate bond, to reassure her I was here for her.The corner of her mouth lifted in a quick smile. "It's all good."Shaking my head, I did what I felt compelled to do. I walked over, scooping her up in my arms. She gasped in surprise as I carried her across the room to the salvaged bed. Her eyes widened, taking in the effort I had made to clean up for her."I’ll grab you something to wear. Your clothes are wrecked." I stifled a laugh as I laid her down on the bed. I missed the feel of her skin against mine, even from that brief moment before I had to let her go to find her a t-shirt and some clean boxers.I had both boxers and boxer briefs, but lately, I definitely preferred the briefs. Guess it was just part of growing up!As I returned to her, Edeline’s gaze was fixed on my bare torso. She looked up at me with that
EdelineI would not run anymore.“Hey, let me wash your back, my little warrior.” His breath brushed against my warm skin, and a rush of desire coursed through me as his deep voice stirred something inside. My breath caught in my throat as I locked eyes with him.“I got this.” I really could not let him get close. It would only make the cramps worse, and the desire was already doing a number on me.He nodded, totally understanding what I was thinking through our connection.As he stood up, I could not help but let my eyes wander over him, pausing at his chiseled abs and then down to his pelvis. Right there in the middle was a thick, four-inch tattoo of an infinity symbol.Mated wolves have this thing where they let anyone who catches a glimpse of their skin below the waist know they have a mate. This tattoo meant a lot. A lump formed in my throat as my eyes began to water. How long had he been dealing with this?It was like he could read my mind—probably because he could. He looked
EdelineHis eyes were no longer filled with wonder; they carried pain and knowledge. Yet, despite it all, those piercing blue eyes had remained the same, shining even brighter against his sun-kissed skin. His hair was longer on top and shorter on the sides, giving him a more polished look.He looked even more handsome now, completely in charge of himself. The way he moved, the way he held himself—it all made me wonder about the changes in him and what had shaped him during our time apart.“You hungry?” His deep voice pulled me back to reality, his eyes locking onto mine.I was still feeling shy, and I wondered why that was.“I’m fine,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady.He nodded and made his way to the door. “I’ll give you some space. I can tell you’re not really feeling it with me around. Just hit me up when you’re ready, and I’ll help you get to bed since you’re not feeling great.” He flashed a sad smile and reached for the doorknob.My heart raced a bit. I really did not