EdelineI could sense Tatiana’s apprehension too. She was visibly uneasy, her eyes darting around the room.“Looks like everyone’s here. Edeline and Dahlia, please take a seat,” Alpha William said, his voice firm and no-nonsense. Despite his words, his body language and the tightness in his jaw betrayed his impatience and frustration. He glanced between me, my mom, and our intertwined hands. I let go of my mom’s hand and sat down next to my dad. I wanted to be close to him, in the middle of my family, just in case.Mom settled into one of the black leather chairs at the massive mahogany conference table, her nerves evident. The rest of the wolves in the room seemed to mirror her anxiety.I took a quick look around. Alpha Conor stood at the far end of the table, a mix of amusement and irritation on his face. His eyes were fixed intently on Nixx. Tatiana sat to his left, her brown eyes darting around nervously, frequently glancing at Anita, who was seated directly in front of her. Tatia
EdelineThe room fell into an uneasy silence as everyone watched the small droplet of blood well up on her finger. Conor, with an air of nonchalance, took the dropper and filled it with the blood. He then let the drop fall onto the specially made testing kit designed for alpha blood. As he did so, he shot me a sharp glare.“Looks like it is your turn now,” Conor sneered, his gaze now shifting to Nixx.Nixx, unfazed by the tension, casually picked up the letter opener and pricked his own finger. He allowed a sample of his blood to fall onto the test that Dad held. The room was thick with anticipation as we waited in complete silence.“Hey, Conor,” Luna Annabel said in a calm tone. “I think it is about time,” she added, her relaxed demeanor hiding a clear awareness of the situation. She cast a brief, knowing glance at me from the corner of her eye.Conor's eyes remained locked on the test, his focus unwavering. Tatiana and Anita exchanged glances, a shared sense of unease hanging betwee
EdelineThe Beta’s name was Ben.A strong, acrid odor filled the air as I moved around Percival for a better view. I noticed a growing wet spot on Ben’s pants, his eyes wide with terror as the pressure on his throat increased.“Hey, everyone! Hold up!” William shouted, trying to regain control of the situation. But Conor’s wolf was beyond reason, paying no mind to the pleas from behind him. Anita, restrained by silver handcuffs and held firmly by Alpha William and Dad, was blissfully unaware of the growing threat she posed to me as we focused on the enraged Alpha.I watched the chaos unfold with a sense of detachment. I was bracing myself, trying to stay calm despite the turmoil. I had sensed that things would spiral out of control, but I couldn’t predict which wolf would make the first move.I was dazed, my eyes fixed on Conor as he pressed his Beta against the wall, his grip tightening around the Beta’s throat.“You’re in for it now!” Conor roared. With a furious burst of strength,
EdelineThe weight of the revelation was palpable, and I could see the shock on everyone’s faces. The room was steeped in a heavy silence as the truth sank in."I never knew the history of this woman," I thought to myself, trying to process the gravity of Tatiana’s words.Tatiana’s voice trembled as she continued, "The letter said she didn’t want to leave me with someone like you, but she grew to care for me. Your ongoing relationships with other women only deepened her depression. That’s why she took her own life when I was just a baby..." Her tears flowed freely now, her voice breaking as she kept her gaze fixed on the ground, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.The room was thick with emotion, the tension nearly unbearable as Conor absorbed the devastating truth.Conor’s eyes were distant, as if he was lost in a memory, a feeling of profound connection gripping him. The anger and betrayal were palpable, but so was a lingering sadness, a reflection of something deeply personal."The lette
EdelineIt was a sight that was hard to look away from. Here was an Alpha, reclining in front of a wall, the fresh blood dripping down from him. Behind him lay the body of Ben. Tatiana was in a state of panic, kneeling beside her father’s body, while Anita’s cries filled the air. Her arms flailed in the silver cuffs, tears streaming down her face and falling onto the wooden table.Anita and Ben had found solace in one another. Their main concern for Tatiana’s future had contributed to their complicated family dynamic.The room was still. I was completely absorbed by the unfolding scene. Mom sought refuge behind Dad, who shielded her with care. Annabel was in the same position as William. Nixx and Percival stood in shock, their mouths open in disbelief. I leaned casually against the wall, observing quietly. I could not ignore Conor’s gaze, his mischievous smile revealing his satisfaction.“Well.” He sighed, placing his hands on the table and giving me a measured look. “You were correct
Edeline“I am not concerned about this anymore,” Conor said, shrugging with a casual smirk. “She is no longer my daughter. She is no longer my concern. She belongs to you now.”Alpha William and Anita exchanged uneasy glances. Tatiana’s face was a mix of hurt and confusion as she looked up at Conor. Conor stood up with a weary sigh. “William, regarding our previous agreement... go ahead and cancel it. I do not have to worry about her anymore. She is your problem now. Do whatever you see fit with these two. They are banished from my pack lands.” He let out a dark chuckle as he started toward the door.“Hey, Dad!” Tatiana cried out, her tears flowing freely as she moved to block his path.Conor’s face hardened. “I am not your father,” he said coldly. “I do not know you. Now, move out of the way.” His voice carried a sense of finality and urgency.“Hey, Conor!” Anita shouted in a panicked voice. “We are in serious danger! You can’t just leave us here!”Conor turned, his expression one of
EdelineShe was completely avoiding the topic of the poisoned tea. Despite knowing my concern for it, she refused to acknowledge it."So, when I arrived here..." Anita’s voice trailed off as she seemed to gather her thoughts. "I didn’t come just to help her pup navigate the mate bond. I came to facilitate a connection between Edeline and Darius. But when I discovered that Tatiana had met her soulmate... I realized I had to act quickly. He was exploring the cabin. Being in her presence was going to influence her decision, so yes... I used Darius. I tried to persuade him to distance himself from Edeline so that Tatiana could be with Percival, but our plan never worked out. I even tried to remove her... I sent Darius over with some tea for Edeline to help with her heat. However, he decided to pass it on to Mirabelle for her to deliver instead. Mirabelle wasn’t supposed to have any of it, but she did... and that’s everything.” Her eyes were fixed blankly on Conor, who could barely conceal
EdelineAlpha William stood there, holding the test in his hand and looking a bit puzzled. "What is this? Nixx?"He glanced over at the door where we were all standing, a sense of confusion clear on his face."What's up?" My dad leaned in closer, peering over William’s shoulder to see what he was holding."Wait, Nixx has Alpha blood? How is that even possible?" William’s brows furrowed deeper as he spoke. His eyes moved from my dad to my mom, a look of sheer horror crossing his features. "No..." he whispered, his voice barely audible.I heard my mother let out a choked sob. Wow, things really took a dramatic turn at that moment.Everyone else went back inside, but Tatiana remained near the door, just watching silently.Nixx walked over to William and took the test from his hand. He looked just as puzzled as William had been, his mouth hanging open in surprise. "Wait, what? How..." Everyone's attention shifted to my mom, who was desperately trying to avoid eye contact. Tears welled up
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