Emmanuelle's voice died in her throat. She saw the colossal wolf revert to human form just as the vampire's sharp fingernails had come dangerously close to Harry.The morbid sound of bones quickly snapping back into place surprised all the vampires still alive.A loud crack sounded, followed by Emmanuelle's scream of terror. She had leaped forward, giving a powerful impulse into the tree trunk. The force used was so strong that she ended up breaking the wood so that she could quickly get closer to her beloved and, thus, protect him. Emmanuelle felt chills run through her body as she found herself pressed against the Alpha's bare chest.Harry held her against him with one hand, and with the other, he crushed the vampire's throat between his claws.Emmanuelle met the wolf's warm gaze and felt instantly reassured. Tender purrs vibrated in his chest, giving her skin tender caresses.Harry buried his face in his Mate's neck and took a deep breath, seeking to reassure his wolf.Emman
Emmanuelle walked furiously towards her house. She was horrified by what had happened. Dark thoughts filled her mind and froze her heart.Her beloved was following her at a distance of ten steps under the order she had given him. Harry's mind was entirely focused on her.She still shivered as she thought of Harry's cold, murderous stare. There had been no spark of warmth when she had confronted him. Moreover, he had only looked at her and had not even spoken a word when she had forbidden him to touch her.Emmanuelle knew that it was his wolf who had acted on impulse. But by the way her beloved had looked at her, she realized that he had no regrets.Harry was following her, his mind in perfect sync with his wolf at the moment. She had ordered him to stay back, very good. He did not want to touch her right now either because he could feel what his Mate thought of him through their bond. She tried to make him feel guilty when he felt he had done the right thing. He felt absolutely
Harry simply tossed the blanket onto the bed with a sharp motion and crossed his arms against his chest. "Get dressed," Emmanuelle ordered, challenging him with her eyes. Harry leaned forward so that he was at the same eye level as her. "Tell me, little Mate. How is my nudity disturbing since it's just the two of us?" he asked with an amused look. However, Harry and his wolf were still disturbed at the thought of other vampires lusting after their Mate, worse, biting her. Emmanuelle squinted before crossing her arms under her chest. She was far too proud to admit that her beloved's words were admissible, but there was no way she was going to admit it out loud. She was still a highborn vampire, and she wasn't used to people standing up to her. "It is daylight," was the only answer she was able to give him. Harry stood still for a few seconds before wrinkling his nose. "And?" he asked. Emmanuelle pressed her lips together before running an annoyed hand through the length of her
Emmanuelle saw the door close on Harry. She had the ignominious feeling that she had made a severe mistake. Moreover, she hadn't had time to say anything else, as Harry had already turned away. She looked down at her cell phone before sighing deeply. "It is me," she said for any announcement. "Why can I hear the melancholy in your voice, dear Emmanuelle?" Augustine asked patiently. The vampire stood up and walked towards the large bay window overlooking the outside of her domain. In front of her, fertile fields spread out under the song of the cicadas. In the distance, the village church tower stood alone. A human being would have had difficulty seeing the roofs, but Emmanuelle could discern every tile and every stone that had survived the ages. She could not hide anything from her surrogate father and felt a lump of emotion rise in her throat. "I am completely lost..." she whispered. On the other side of the globe, Augustine immediately tensed up. The handle of t
Emmanuelle had to clench her teeth not to shout at her substitute father's confession to her. "What do you mean, you do not know anything about it? Are you making fun of me? Is that the reason you never introduced yourself to her? Is this the odious reason why you never travel in person to meet me anymore? Is that why I am always the one to come to you?" "Emmanuelle...," called the Elder gently. "I am not listening! I cannot listen to you when I have heard you tell me for centuries that our loved ones are the most precious thing to us!" she said, cutting him off. She felt a black rage take hold of her. Everything made horrible sense now. "This is why you chose me. That's why you started to have the same diet as me. From the beginning, it was not for my sake, for the love of me, as you so often told me. You knew that your beloved was going to be born. Who else but me would have been better able to care for her safety while she grew up and matured? Who else but me would have given yo
(At the same time, Emmanuelle was making a phone call to Augustin). Harry had come down the steps. His step was heavy with the cry of his wolf. The last words spoken by his Mate continued to echo in his mind like a funeral oration. Everything was hurting him. His skin burned, and his eyes heated under the tears he held back as best he could. And he kept stretching and relaxing his fingers in order to get rid of the tension in his joints._Mate... Mate chased us away because she couldn't think when she was around us. Mate doesn't want us around, and we only make Mate unhappy. We are not worthy of Mate," Till kept repeating in Harry's mind. The young Alpha finally reached the bottom of the stairs, where he met Bianca. The young woman held a silver tray with steaming cups of coffee in her hands. She looked at him in surprise before leaning forward to Harry. "Is everything okay?" she asked, concern audible in her voice. Harry sat up and nodded slowly. Bianca squinted her eyes and r
Harry had spent several minutes in silence after receiving the call from his Beta. He and his wolf were now in the midst of an internal debate. What should they do? What to choose? Why choose? His Alpha DNA was screaming at him to get back to his pack and put an end to the prowler's threats. It was intolerable for him to know that his status was once again being questioned. He'd had to prove himself, day after day, to prove himself worthy of his rank as Alpha. He had never given up, drowning his grief at the loss of his parents in the violent, painful training he was subjected to every day. Another part of him begged him to stay until they could finally mark their soul mates. Then he and Emmanuelle could return to their pack and live in harmony. But what would his Mate say when she saw, no sooner had she arrived in the Red Moon pack, that Harry's position as Alpha was already under threat? Harry had hidden his face in his hands. What's more, his chest felt crushed un
(Harry)The Red Moon Alpha was soon on his way home. However, his journey had taken triple the time allowed for, as he'd first had to take the dwarves' underground routes before reaching the nearest unblocked elven portal.Harry had kept his teeth clenched and systematically cracked his knuckles whenever his path had crossed that of a dwarf.Despite his affection for Marguerite and Ambroise, Harry now harbored a deep hatred for those of the dwarf race.What's more, the young Alpha was worried about his animal side. Indeed, the second they had moved away from their Mate, Till had withdrawn into a stony silence.There was nothing wrong with a wolf not communicating with its human side. But it was surprising that Till was so silent. He was usually a friendly wolf and always happy to speak with Harry.In fact, for a time, the red wolf had even taken Harry's place. Till had had complete control of their bodies for a whole week. Such had been the shock of losing their parents that the
The vampires stiffened at the mention of Emmanuelle's beloved's first name. The young blonde woman had burst into tears again, closely followed by Bianca. Augustin looked back curtly as he saw a blood maid standing in the doorway. She shyly held in her hands a square black wooden tray on which rested a box of tissues as well as a carafe of water and crystal glasses. Typically, the ancient vampire would never have tolerated such an intrusion into his family sphere. However, he had to admit that the gesture was thoughtful, and the two women in front of him were particularly boisterous. "Thank you," he said to the servant, and she disappeared as quickly as she had come. "Does Ari even know?" asked Bianca. Emmanuelle was at a loss for words and shook her head to say no. She rose from her rocking chair. "Damn, when I thought I'd said as a joke that you could take nine months to make a baby! If I could do that with the lottery numbers, it would make my life so much easier," Bianca
Emmanuelle, diligently knitting a child's bonnet, was startled. She was sitting on a rocking chair, enjoying the cool morning air and the song of the cicadas. She was stunned to see Bianca in the doorway.How could this be? She should have heard, even smelled, Bianca coming.The young brunette woman had rushed headlong towards her best friend, staring at her from head to toe.Emmanuelle gently placed her red woolen book on the oak coffee table beside her. But she remained silent.Of course, this moment would come sooner or later. But Emmanuelle had hoped to delay it as long as possible for fear of Bianca's reaction.Emmanuelle was still thinking about her best friend's lecture on contraception. But how could she have known then that she was actually able to get pregnant without a complete bond?Augustin's hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Obviously, the former vampire had done this on purpose. It would have been inconce
"Ouch!" Augustin had unintentionally crashed into someone while carrying several cartons of paper. It was when he'd backed up, and especially thinking he was alone in the office, that the accident had happened. The ancient vampire froze, then quickly turned his head towards the person. He was surprised to see Bianca rubbing her nose. The young woman had come in and tried to cover her eyes to play a trick on him. On the other hand, she had made a maneuvering error, and his best friend's father had moved much faster than expected. He was completely stunned. It was the first time in his long immortal life that a living being had been able to approach him without him being able to detect its presence. He squinted for a moment, searching for some hidden power within Bianca, but nothing. The young woman's heart was beating normally. Her big, caramel-colored eyes had that human life and light in them. And it was only after a draught of air entered the room that Augustin could smell the s
Before Harry knew what was happening, he was back in human form. He soon found himself lying on his side, in a gun-dog position.His breathing was ragged from the rapid, forced metamorphosis imposed by the Mad One's order, while a sense of emptiness gradually invaded his mind.Memories flooded back like a burst dam, and he felt a lump in his throat.However, he didn't have time to react as Black threw a pair of black gym shorts at him.It was Wayne who'd been in charge of quickly fetching clothes the second he'd seen the Mad One revert to human form."Stand up," Black ordered once he was clothed himself.Harry had struggled to his feet and dressed himself, keeping his head down. His body had begun to shake as memories returned more clearly, and he managed to organize his thoughts.The young Red Moon Alpha had to clear his throat again and blink rapidly to chase away the emotion gripping his heart.When he
The red wolf trembled from head to toe as the black wolf circled him. The disapproving growls of this fantastic beast with glowing red eyes left no doubt as to what it thought of Harry. Why did we swear to protect him?" growled the black wolf to his human counterpart. "Because he's alone," Black replied coldly, without trying to say anything more. He already knew what Harry's wolf was thinking, and he suspected perfectly well what would happen next. _He's not alone! He's got a Mate!" barked the black wolf, still showing his fangs in his mind, but also to the two trembling Alphas in front of him. Black merely sighed. His wolf was as stubborn as he was, and he knew perfectly well that his wolf would still go after Harry no matter what he said. And this wasn't even for valid reasons, but simply because he was jealous that the red wolf had been rewarded with a soulmate before him. "He's alone," Black repeated. The black wolf's growl had grown even m
Harry had seen Alpha Black's face gradually take on the appearance of a wolf with fur as black as a moonless night. This should never have frightened him so much. However, what should have been a commonplace occurrence in a werewolf's daily life had turned into a horror movie for the young man. Had it been any other wolf, Harry wouldn't have cared a lick about it. Yet he never thought he'd have to deal with the Alpha Black wolf himself. During their training sessions, the Mad One had always made sure he had the upper hand over his animal side for fear that his wolf would try to hurt the young man. Now, for the first time in his life, Harry found himself face to face with the great black wolf. The fear he felt was so great that he felt as if everything frightening he'd experienced up to now had been a walk in the park. The Mad One's bones had cracked in transformation, while his skin was covered in a long coat as black as night. A menacing growl arose, amplified by the spherical sh
Harry was now sprawled on his back. His arms stretched out crosswise to his sides. His nose was bleeding from the kick he'd received in the face, and he had to cough to get rid of the blood filling his throat. The young redhead let out a pained groan as Alpha Black lifted him by the hair. Harry's usually well-groomed brush cut had grown long enough for the Mad one to grab it quickly. Alpha Black lifted Harry so that he was at eye level and stared at the young man in front of him. He wanted to see Harry's healing speed and was shocked at how slowly his wolf's power was working. This confirmed that the red wolf was dormant, and Black knew he had to act quickly if Harry's animal side was not to sink too deep inside him. The Mad One knew perfectly well what it felt like to be deprived of his animal part. He couldn't even tell the last time he'd been able to talk to his own wolf. Despite Black's pleas, the animal remained walled in silence, communicating only by growling. Despite his
Witnesses who had seen the scene had tried to follow them, at first squealing with delight. They all felt happy and reassured to see their Alpha fit enough to go out. However, when they finally became aware of their pack leader's posture, they finally realized that something was wrong. Worse still, they had begun to cry out in horror at the sight of the Mad One heading straight for the arena. The Red Moon pack's telepathic link had been flooded with warning messages and cries for help. Beta Connor, who had spent the day organizing meetings with other packs, had lost his balance and abandoned whatever he was doing to rush out. The pack's collective panic had prevented him from thinking calmly, and his body was now only acting automatically. He had shouted to the soldiers and guards positioned at the borders of the pack's territory to join him as quickly as possible. Alpha Black tossed Harry's body without a moment's hesitation. He remained completely indifferent to the growing crow
Harry slowly opened his eyes. He had to blink several times to adjust his vision to the blinding brightness of the room. The young Red Moon Alpha had no idea where he was or what he was doing there. He took a few deep breaths and recognized the aseptic smell of disinfectant so characteristic of hospitals. Then, at last, the sound of machines reached his ears, and he became aware of the plastic tubes to which his body was connected. "Till?" whispered Harry. He couldn't understand why he was in a hospital bed or why his wolf's power hadn't been enough to heal him. It wasn't right that he should be placed in a condition where he had to be bedridden. Nervous spasms moved his facial muscles as he gradually became aware of his wolf's silence. Alone. A feeling of anguish gripped the young Alpha's heart as that single word echoed in his mind. He was alone again and unable to contact Till. But he had something else. So it wasn't just Till's lack of response that paralyzed the young Alpha