Talia sat stiffly next to Luciano and observed him while he held her hand, the same one he licked earlier that morning.She remembered his grimace after tasting the bitter herbal paste and she pressed her lips into a line while preventing a smile from showing on her face. It was comical. She never thought that a scary Alpha could appear so childish.“Look how well it’s healing. I told you that saliva works.” Luciano said, obviously pleased with himself.Talia silently admitted that he was right. It healed much faster compared to other bruises and cuts she had. She wondered if her saliva would work, or maybe only werewolves who have their wolves produce saliva that heals.“Now, let me check the rest.”Talia jolted at Lucaino’s words. What ‘rest’ was he talking about?Luciano extended his hand toward Talia, and she shrunk, making him halt his movements.“Is there a problem?”, Lucaino asked with confusion obvious on his face.“Can I at least get underwear?”, Talia spoke timidly.Luci
Luciano gestured toward the carts with the food. “What do you want to start with?”Talia was about to reach out for something but stopped herself. “Won’t you pick first?”It was ages since she ate in a group setting, but Talia remembered that high-ranking members of the pack eat first. As a child, she always waited for others to have their picks before she could get food. And even if everyone had food in front of them, no one dared to eat before Alpha… and she was with one big scary Alpha in the room right now.Luciano shook his head in disapproval. Talia was hungry, and he ordered all this food for her, yet she wanted him to eat first.Sure, normally, in the pack, others waited for him, but this was not normal, and he didn’t want Talia to feel that she was below him.He grabbed a fork poked a finger-sized sausage and held it in front of Talia’s mouth.“Eat”, he ordered in a voice that didn’t allow for further arguments.Talia was about to get the fork and hold it herself, but Lucian
Luciano leaned closer to Talia, his face hovering an inch away from her left shoulder blade.“Some of these bruises are quite bad and might need a second layer of cream.”Talia flinched when his hot breath splashed against her skin, and she swiftly pulled the bathrobe back up while cursing internally. Why did she allow herself to get carried away like this?Her face was on fire and she was confident that she was blushing profusely.“This is more than enough. Thank you.”, she said in a whisper.Luciano was disappointed at the loss of that addicting touch, but he saw that Talia was uncomfortable, so he didn’t want to push for it.He shook his head. What was he doing exactly?They stopped for some food and first aid, and they needed to head back on the road.Besides, didn’t he decide to bring her with him and keep her safe, and there will be nothing more to it?He reached into his suitcase and got a T-shirt and shorts with a string at the waist.“Wear these for now.”Luciano tossed cloth
Maya hummed in satisfaction at the sight of Talia’s hair that was parted in two neat braids.“All done.”, Maya announced.Talia touched the braid that fell over her left shoulder. “Thank you, this is wonderful.”“You are welcome.”, Maya responded and inched closer. “You have beautiful eyes. Will you let me put some makeup on you?”Talia blinked. Unsure how to respond to the compliment or the makeup offerings.Seeing that Talia was flustered, Maya patted her shoulder. “We will do makeup next time. We need to head out now.”Maya told Luciano through the mind link that they were ready to go, and it took him a minute to reach the hotel room.Luciano stood frozen at the door and stared at Talia who was collecting fruits, cheeses, and granola bars from the food carts, wrapping them in napkins and arranging them in a paper bag Maya gave her.Eventually, Talia noticed Luciano and paused.He didn’t say anything, and she started squirming under his unreadable gaze.Did he not approve that she
~ The Dark Howlers Pack ~The sun was rising from the East when our group of four reached their destination, and Caden announced, “Home sweet home. Welcome to the Dark Howlers pack, Talia!”.Talia observed the dense forest through which the road snaked, and Caden slowed down the car as they passed through a town.“This is Darkbourne.”, Maya said. “Every person living and working in this town belongs to the Dark Howlers pack.”Talia nodded in understanding while observing the residential buildings with nice backyards that gradually turned into densely packed two-story-high buildings.“We are getting closer to the center of the town.”, Maya continued her tour.The two-story-high buildings had various shops on the ground level. Talia spotted a bakery, a coffee shop, a clothing boutique, a shoe store, a restaurant, a butcher’s shop, a tattoo parlor, a bookstore. There was something for everyone and quite a number of pedestrians filled the sidewalks.On the left, the road opened into a wid
When Travis entered the exam room, Talia was wearing the hospital gown.While Jill was drawing Talia’s blood for the lab work, and Cathy collected swabs from Talia’s mouth and nose, Travis observed Talia’s bruises.Luciano told him that Talia doesn’t have a wolf, and that would impact her healing, but it was a long time since Travis saw so many cuts and bruises on a person.They would be nothing much for a werewolf and would heal within a day or two, but for a human (or a werewolf without a wolf), it can take a week or two until they completely fade.Travis’s sight was drawn to Talia’s bandaged wrist. Considering that most of her injuries were exposed, he had to ask, “Who did this?”“Alpha Luciano.”, Talia responded.“That was very…”, Travis paused while choosing his words.Talia smiled a little while remembering Lucaino’s intense expression while bandaging her.“I know. That was very kind of him.”Travis cocked an eyebrow. “I wanted to say, unskilled, but we can go with your versio
“Are you alright?”Luciano asked Talia when they exited the pack hospital.“Yes, thank you, Alpha Luciano.”, Talia responded.Luciano cocked an eyebrow at her. “Did you forget already?”She looked at him questionably, and he said, “Just Luciano. Say it.”Talia glanced around, to make sure no one overhears them. He is the Alpha, and she should listen to him, but if anyone else hears that she is addressing him casually, she might end up in trouble.Everyone they met so far addressed Luciano respectfully with his title, and Talia learned a long time ago that standing out is not a good thing.“Luciano.”He smirked victoriously. “Do you want to walk, or should I get a car? The packhouse is about fifteen minutes walking from here if we cut it straight through the forest.”She was not sure why he was giving her a choice. “Anything is fine.”“Then, let’s take a walk. I got stiff after so much time in the car, so it will be good to stretch my legs…”…Talia followed after Luciano, elated to be
Luciano and Talia emerged from the last line of trees and Talia shrunk at the sight of the neat lawn and the mansion.Little by little, her steps became smaller, and her face was filled with reluctance.Talia understood that this was the packhouse, and things like a packhouse didn’t bring happy memories.The packhouse at the Red Moon pack was a place where she was fine only while hiding. In the forest, she was happy, and she didn’t want to go back to the attic.“This will be your home, Talia.”, Luciano announced and tugged her hand to start moving.‘Her home?’, Talia wondered if she heard him right.She knew that Luciano lived there, and probably Caden and Maya and any other high-ranking members of the pack. But what about her? She is a nobody.Talia forced herself to stay present and observe her surroundings. It will come in handy if she needs to flee.In terms of size, the packhouse was bigger than the one at the Red Moon pack.They came from the side, but Luciano led the way toward
It's overLuciano turned to look at Talia who was standing at the door of the bathroom, and his eyebrows rose in approval.That oversized tank top covered Talia’s private parts, but it was also low on the chest, giving him a glimpse of Talia’s cleavage… high on the thighs, exposing her legs, and loose around arms… Luciano swallowed hard as the image of Talia’s side-boob flashed in his mind. Yup, he remembered that.He really wanted to suck her there. Everywhere.Talia squirmed under Luciano’s gaze. Why did he look at her like she was naked?Talia was about to tug the tank top and cover her legs more, but she held that urge back due to fear of how that will lower the opening at her neck and expose her girls, so she just pressed her legs together and folded her arms over her stomach in a feeble attempt to protect herself from Luciano’s x-ray vision.“Can I help you?”, Talia asked.Luciano tilted his head and smiled a little. “There is no need to be so cautious, wife. Do you remember me
Luciano was sitting in his office with a glass of whiskey in his hand and thinking about the talk he had with Caden and Maya after dinner.They discussed the upcoming festival and the issue of Katerina.The preparations for the festival were on schedule and increased security was already in effect, so they focused on discussing Katerina.They decided to work on delaying her visit.It was Maya’s plan.“Instead of telling her not to come, we will tell her WHEN to come.”Luciano didn’t like it, but he gestured to Maya to keep on talking.“Two weeks.”, Maya said. “We will tell Katerina that your schedule is packed and that you can’t entertain her now, but in two weeks she can come, and you will make it up to her.”“You think Katerina and Alpha Edward will accept this two-week delay?”, Luciano asked.“No.”, Maya said bluntly before elaborating, “This is not about getting two weeks, but about negotiating. I expect that they will ask for Katerina to come sooner. I believe that we can settle
Seeing that Luciano was looking at her grimly from the door of her room, Talia didn’t dare to provoke him.Talia didn’t have the faintest clue what caused his current mood (or what that mood was), but she decided to play it safe, and she lowered her head.“I apologize, Alpha Luciano.”, she said in a small voice.‘BAM!’Talia jolted when the door closed loudly, and she inhaled sharply at the realization that Luciano was only half a step away from her.It took him only a second to cross the distance between them.Luciano grabbed her chin with his index finger and thumb and forced her to lift her head and look at him.“What did you call me?”He was leaning above her, and his angry words splashed on her face. Talia blinked rapidly, unsure what he was getting at.Seeing the horror in her eyes, Luciano let go of her chin and put his palm on her cheek.“I told you to call me by my name. Luciano. Just Luciano. Say it.”His tone was much gentler, but his gaze was unwavering.“Luciano”, Talia s
Between sparring sessions, Luciano was contacting Maya through the mind-link, reminding her to take Talia shopping, but Maya told him that Talia was sleeping and that she shouldn’t be disturbed.‘Talia is sleeping. Considering her wounds, it’s important that she rests. We can shop tomorrow.’, Maya tried to reason with Luciano.‘No. Do it today.’, Luciano was not relenting.The truth is that he felt guilty.He knew that Talia left because of the incident in the kitchen, and he thought that if Maya takes her shopping, Talia will feel better and not try to leave again.The thought of Talia leaving was creating knots in his stomach.She nearly escaped, and next time, he might not be so lucky to find her sleeping in the forest.It was late afternoon when Luciano finished training and returned to the packhouse.His shorts was sticking to his body, and his bare chiseled chest and abs were glistening due to all the sweat and he was itching for a shower.Luciano heard Maya’s voice coming from
“Oh, before I forget…”, Maya stirred the conversation the other way. “Don’t tell anyone that you are from the Red Moon pack. The official story is that you grew up with your grandparents somewhere North and that after they passed, you came here with the goal to find a pack and we bumped into each other accidentally. Do you remember the gas station where Alpha Luciano went out to purchase snacks on his own? It’s the stop where you switched places with Caden.”Talia nodded.“That’s where we met. Feel free to fill in any gaps about your background.”, Maya said and observed Talia who was listening intently with a hint of confusion on her face. “Do you know why this is important?”Talia shook her head, indicating that she doesn’t.“If Alpha Edward suspects that we took you secretly, he might accuse us of kidnapping or stealing.”Talia’s eyes widened. “I agreed to come with you.”“You did, but Alpha Edward is not on friendly terms with Alpha Luciano, and he might use this incident to stir t
“AWOOOOO!”A sky-piercing howl shook all the windows in the packhouse of the Dark Howlers pack, threatening to shatter them. The powerful sound echoed far into the distance, stirring every pack member with the might their Alpha possesses.“Will Luciano be OK?”, Maya asked Caden while blinking at the dawn which cracked through the windows.They heard four rapid thumps when Luciano landed in the garden after jumping from his balcony on the third floor.“He will be fine.”, Caden assured Maya and pulled her closer to him. “The border patrol just notified Luciano that they found Talia.”Maya wanted to ask for more information, but Caden was snoring softly already, so she gave up.Normally, warriors and patrols can’t contact Luciano through the mind-link. That is reserved for Caden, Maya, and Stephanie, and even those three know not to disturb him unless it’s important.Warriors, scouts, and other pack members follow the chain of command which allows only a handful of people to contact Cade
In the kitchen…Luciano pried his arm free from Cassie’s hold and her eyes widened in surprise.Why did he back away? Why was he frowning? Things were going well, damn it!She composed herself and called sweetly, “Alpha Luciano, do you think I was out of line?”“Cassie, you accused a teenage girl of being a thief. Do you really think that my pack members have a need to come here and steal food?”Cassie pressed her lips into a line, feeling wronged. “But she was in the dark which is proof that she was up to no good. How could she see anything with the lights off?”Luciano took a moment to process what Cassie said, and he realized that Cassie was right: Talia was in the dark.The light in the kitchen was off and so was the one in the hallway. The visibility was close to nil.Werewolves have enhanced senses, proportional to the strength of their wolf.Cassie is a weak werewolf and the boost her wolf provides her is negligible when compared to other werewolves.However, Talia was able to
Seeing that Talia was not responding and that Luciano didn’t react, Cassie was emboldened.“Answer me!”, Cassie hissed at Talia and spoke to Luciano without removing her gaze from Talia. “Is this how your Omegas are acting? You really need a Luna to teach them some manners. Sneaking in the dark and stealing food, and then they even refuse to respond…”“That’s enough, Cassie!”, Maya said sternly from the door.Maya’s heart cracked when she saw Talia’s submissive stance. It’s not that Cassie had any aura, but Talia was a broken soul who needed supportive environment.Maya walked to Talia and asked softly, “Are you OK?”Talia nodded faintly, but Maya knew that Talia was lying.Maya narrowed her eyes at Luciano and spoke through the mind-link. ‘Is this why you brought her here? I thought you promised her protection and not another type of hell.’“Come, let’s get out of here…”, Maya said to Talia while wrapping her arm around Talia’s shoulders.“We are not done here”, Cassie said stiffly,
Talia blinked herself awake and the first thing she noticed was the darkness.It was definitely past dinner time, but Talia didn’t mind.She buried her head deeper into the pillow, indulging in the softness and warmth that came with the scent of the forest and dark chocolate.Talia paused and took a few sniffs to confirm that her nose is not playing tricks on her.Talia looked around to ascertain that she was on her own.She was confused. The room didn’t smell like Luciano before she fell asleep, but now it did.She liked his scent; it was a mix of her two favorite things: forest and a sweet treat. Talia wondered if Luciano came to check on her while she was sleeping.Talia shook that thought away. Why would a scary Alpha come to check on her?It’s more probable that Stephanie or Maya brought something that had Luciano’s scent on it. But she couldn’t see anything different.Talia decided to stop thinking about it. It doesn’t matter.She listened carefully, and there were no sounds she