Nixx"Hey there, angel. How’s Percival been treating you?" Conor greeted her warmly, but his words were laced with an undertone that only heightened the tension. Tatiana timidly approached, her eyes wide with fear. I was shocked, my mouth slightly agape at the sight of her.She hadn’t known he was coming.Anita, usually so composed, now wore an expression of fear and uncertainty.They were scared of him."Um, I’m alright, I suppose. What brings you here?" Tatiana’s voice was soft, almost like a child’s. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable, and despite my anger, a part of me wanted to comfort her. But the memory of her betrayal kept that urge firmly in check."Well, darling," Alpha Conor said, embracing her while his eyes shifted to Anita, who forced a smile. "Alpha William informed me that you’ve found your mate. Surprising, though, that he’s not an Alpha... although," his gaze flicked to me, "from what I’ve seen, he might as well be."I felt a surge of anger at the backhanded compl
EdelineIt hurt deeply that my closest friend would do something like that to me. I glanced down at the blue hospital gown that covered me, remembering how Darius had torn my clothes off. A wave of revulsion washed over me, and I could almost feel his warm breath on my neck again.I just wanted to freshen up, to wash away any trace of his presence on my skin. My own blood... from the dirt and grime he left behind...My voice wavered as I spoke, "It wouldn't make sense if he knew she made it. He knows how she feels about me... he didn’t want to kill me. He wanted to make me his. Not take me out of the equation..." I pondered out loud, the words heavy with uncertainty.I couldn't make sense of it. Unless... Darius was completely unaware of his actions, maybe influenced by someone or something. That would explain a lot...I perched on Mirabelle's bed, my legs swinging over the edge as a question popped into my mind. "Hey, Mirabelle... do you know if there are any herbs that can affect so
EdelineWithout making a sound, I darted into the woods behind Doc's clinic, the hospital gown flapping against my legs as I ran. The echoes of Mirabelle's laughter trailed behind me, growing fainter with each step until they were lost in the distance.I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me, driven by a desperate need to uncover what was happening at the pack house. Whatever it was, it had to be big for William to go to such lengths to keep me away.Before I knew it, I found myself in a place that tugged at the edges of my memory, a place that felt unsettlingly familiar. Yet, I couldn’t quite recall where I had been the night before. The fog in my mind parted just enough to reveal a chilling memory—Darius, forcing a connection with me.I came to an abrupt halt, my gaze falling to the ground as the memory washed over me. My eyes drifted to a spot nearby... My clothes, shredded and torn, lay in a heap on the ground, stained with blood. My blood.A wave of nausea hit me as the memo
EdelineAnita was also there, her fierce eyes glaring at me with clear animosity. I gave her a wide grin, even flashing my teeth this time as I winked at her."Well, healer, you tried to kill me. Twice. Unfortunately for you, I’m a," I said, pointing to the bold print on my shirt. Someone was really giving me some intense looks right now."And who’s this feisty one?" a deep voice rumbled from across the room. I glanced over and saw a man with dark hair and striking blue eyes sitting at the far end of the table. He was a big guy, with a kind of rugged, fatherly charm that caught my attention. Well, hello there, wolf! His eyes sparkled with amusement as he casually checked out my shirt, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips before his gaze settled on me. The anxious man standing behind him had the same piercing eyes as Tatiana. Her uncle, no doubt. Hey there, Beta.I straightened up, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over me as I responded. "Hey, I’m Edeline. Percival’s partner,"
Edeline"William!" Conor snapped, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "We discussed this on the phone! You were supposed to keep Percival away from this young one until we figured out if Tatiana was going to keep the pup or not! I will not stand for my daughter being deceived... him marking his mate behind Tatiana’s back while she’s pregnant with his pup... that could harm the pup! If she loses her honor, no Alpha will accept her. I assure you, I will demand what is rightfully mine, whether it's land or females for my unmated males!" His voice was thunderous, each word slamming into me like a wave, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.In that silence, I heard a soft whimper from deep within my thoughts... My wolf was waking up, stretching after a long, long sleep. A smile tugged at my lips. She was back. I felt strong again. We were strong.As Percival stood up, cutting off Alpha William mid-sentence, I moved around the room, feeling my wolf’s strength surgin
Edeline"But Tatiana won't be the only one taking that test. Nixx will be taking it too." Conor stormed out of the room, slamming the door against the wall as he left. His gaze lingered on Tatiana’s trembling figure before he joined his leader, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.My wolf was back, growling with a low, menacing tone the moment Tatiana came into view. She looked disoriented, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. When she saw Anita, her expression shifted to one of anger and betrayal. Tears streamed down Anita’s face as she pointed a trembling finger at Tatiana. “It’s all your fault!” she shouted, her voice cracking. She sprang from her seat and rushed after her father. “Hey, hold on, Dad!”I couldn't help but feel a surge of relief. Finally, the chaos was unfolding. I would never have considered the idea of running after them, especially not with my current state of mind.Anita remained in the room, her eyes darting around as she scanned us. It was just the two of us
EdelineYeah, that is right. My wolf was definitely not a fan of her mate at the moment. I had not fully experienced the impact of the mate bond yet because our skin had not marked each other and we had not been intimate. That is when the mate bond really kicks in, and that was not going to happen. Not at all. He might have finally gathered the courage to confront his father and express his desire to be with me—his perfect match. However, that did not matter much at that point. All I could think about was how he had abandoned me in the driveway that first night and all the awful things that had followed. I was not the same person anymore. The emotions had changed me, and even though I still felt some pleasure from the mate bond, it was not enough to erase the hurt.“Hey Edeline, hold on a second. I think it is important for you to hear what Darius’s journal said and what I discovered. The letters…” Percival’s voice trailed off as he pleaded with me.“Hold on, Percival! You can ask m
EdelineIn one corner, a bucket stood, clearly used for far too long.I frowned, shaking my head in disgust. I expected better from our pack. This was something Dark Moon would do, not us. I had always believed we were more humane. A cell with a toilet and cot in a more accessible location would be far more practical than this grim, underground cave.This was absolutely outrageous!“Darius. Wake up.” I spoke with a firm, unemotional tone, determined to keep my feelings in check. Showing any emotion might reveal my fear, and I was not afraid of him. This was my chance to confront my fears. There was a time when Darius was my closest friend, someone who had supported me through rough patches.“Darius, wake up! Can you hear me?” I raised my voice slightly, holding up the torch to watch his gradual movements. He struggled to get up from the hard stone floor, and I sighed, wondering why he hadn’t let his inner wolf take over to endure the punishment.He shielded his eyes from the torchligh
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