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
EdelineFeelings of guilt and sadness surged within me. I was growing increasingly frustrated. I couldn’t blame Darius entirely; it was clear he was tormented by his actions. But looking at the broader picture..."Darius, you need to express your emotions and address what’s happened. Remember, someone else manipulated you. I’m searching for answers and support, and I believe you can give me that. Let’s discuss everything openly. If you feel remorse, share it with me." I pleaded with him to be honest, to reveal the truth. He wanted to express his frustration, and I needed to understand it."Anita used you to get to me. I know that. I am not naive. I refuse to believe you would betray me like this. Show your anger! Make her face the consequences! Share your truth with me! Right now!" I demanded, my tone firm and unwavering.He looked up at me, his blue eyes filled with a glimmer of hope, and shifted against the stone wall to face me. His expression was one of resolute determination. "Yo
EdelineA shiver ran down my spine as I processed the name Red Lockheed. It was the same plant Mirabelle had mentioned, the one that could turn someone into a mindless puppet, doing the bidding of others.“Initially, it was just a small gathering,” he continued, his voice steadying as he recounted the events. “Just enough to subtly influence my thoughts. She stressed how important it was for me to be there for you, to protect you. She went on about how Percival was not the right person for you, that he didn’t deserve your affection. She tried to convince me that my feelings for you were unmatched. But the more she talked, the more I found myself convinced by her words. My resentment toward my brother grew. Then she asked me again to accompany Percival. As Darius spoke, his voice grew more controlled, but I could hear the pain in his tone. It was clear now that she had a bigger impact than I had first thought.”“She gave me a bag of tea,” he said, his face reddening with embarrassment.
Edeline“Oh, I am familiar with Darius,” I said, trying to maintain my composure. “I trust what you have told me. Is there anything else?”He took a deep breath, clearly bracing himself. “Um, she seemed to have complete control over me. She asked me to get the items and bring them back to Anita. I did as she asked.”He looked up at me, his eyes full of regret. “It was really devastating. I had always thought it was Tatiana behind everything. I never expected it to be Darius. I can’t bring myself to hate him, though, knowing he was manipulated.”My emotions shifted as I listened, the weight of his words settling in. “Tatiana had already left by then,” he continued, his voice softening. “She gave me a drink as a reward, which I foolishly drank. Afterward, I felt a strange sense of strength. And, well, you were on my mind too. That’s when I decided to find you at the party. You were already quite drunk, and for some reason, I kept offering you more drinks. You were entertaining that nig
EdelineHis voice trembled as he pleaded, his sincerity evident through his anguish.That night, the pain was almost too much to bear. I hated reliving the recent turmoil, the rawness of it still fresh. But despite everything, I trusted him. As tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring his figure before me, I whispered, “I have faith in you, Darius.” My heart ached, knowing that the actions he confessed to weren’t truly him. They were the result of manipulation by Tatiana and Anita.“I promise you, I will make sure justice is served,” I said, my voice trembling. “Even though it’s still so vivid in my mind, I understand your situation now. It’s important to clear your name and address the issues with Anita and Tatiana. Is there any tea left?” I stood, lifting the torch as I moved towards the door.Darius slowly made his way toward the exit, his demeanor fraught with pain. I flinched at his movement, making him lower his head in hurt. “Yes,” he replied softly, “it’s in the floorboards und
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