RICK FORSON "HELLO?" RICK SAID, cupping his hand around the speaker of the phone. "Can you hear me?""Yes, I can," Mitch replied in his usual gruff tone. "Alpha Mitch," Rick said hastily. He gave a signal to Beth that he would be back soon as he walked out of the room and closed the door gently behind him. "I have been trying to reach your kingdom for about a month now, but all my calls have been void. Not even to voicemail... just... void."Mitch grunted. "Yes. We just noticed our collapsed phone lines. We have an average of 5 major ice storms every month here. The weather is unfriendly. One of them must have fallen our lines and we never noticed until a few hours ago." "Oh... I see," Rick said."Yes," Mitch said. "Now tell me why you have been blasting my dead lines with phone calls."Rick chuckled. "Well... I actually wanted to talk with the Luna, Anna." He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's not what you are thinking."Mitch scoffed. "I was not thinking anything, Alpha Mitc
RICK FORSON"I'LL BE BACK," He hastily said to Reine."What has happened? Where are you going?" She asked."Don't worry about that," He said. He looked at the two women beside the bed and said, "Remember what I told you two." They bowed and nodded.Rick walked out of the hall and headed to his office where he was sure that Jones was waiting for him."What is it?" He asked as soon as he walked in.Jones turned. He looked agitated. "You remember when you told me to keep my ear out for any news concerning the mountain Alps kingdom because you could not get through to them?"Rick nodded and waved it aside. "Yeah, but don't bother about that anymore. I just spoke to Mitch. He called me and explained that their phone lines were down all this while.""Oh, really?" Jones asked. His agitation seemed to dampen a little bit. "Yeah," Rick said. "So if that was what this was about, then it is nothing for you to be worried about." He turned and started to walk out of the office, but Jones stopped
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI PICKED MY PATH through the rubble carefully."You should not be here, Luna," one of the men said easily hoisting a fallen tree on his shoulder with a little grunt. I smiled to reassure him that I was fine here."He is right, though," Draco muttered as he came to stand beside her."How bad is the damage?" I asked."Pretty bad," Draco said. "But luckily, the storm did not get to any residential areas."I nodded, thanking the moon goddess for safety under my breath. We have been having some intense storms for the past couple of days. The storm did not extend to the main parts of the kingdom, but it threw everywhere into cold darkness. I had to have school and trading cancelled until the storm passed over. All that restless energy of people who were used to being busy built up in the kingdom, that at the first sign that the storm was over this morning, a bunch of men were out of their houses.I came out hours later to join them. The storm had broken off a huge slab o
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI SHRUGGED OFF my coat and handed it to a young server girl. As I kicked off the snow from my boot, Draco said, "I will be in the office."I nodded to let him know that I heard him.I heard some noise coming from the kitchen, when I got there, I saw that the children were at the breakfast table. Ever since dinner that night where I negotiated with Charles and handed the territory to Elijah, I noticed he smiled more often, and was a bit more open to me since then."Good morning, mum," Aiden greeted, hopping on his seat as they waited for Patty to serve the table."Good morning, mum," Addison said."How are you two?" I asked, rubbing their heads fondly. "Did you sleep well?"They nodded enthusiastically."Good morning, Luna," Elijah said in a small voice."How are you?" I asked him. Hailie was still very shy; she only bowed. I kissed her forehead and joined them at the table."Good morning, Luna." Patty came into the kitchen holding the tray of breakfast.I nodded at
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER“WE ARE GLAD to see you are back on your feet, Alpha,“ Patty said as she brought out the tray of breakfast and placed it on the table. “I was about to have the meals sent up as usual.““Are you ill, Dad?“ Addison asked.“No, princess,“ Mitch leaned across and ruffled her hair gently. “I came down with a little cold, that's all.“I scoffed inwardly. A cold indeed. He was prepared to remain in bed if I had not coerced him by telling him that the children were getting worried about his health. That was what got him out.“Haven’t you had breakfast yet?“ I asked Aiden who was picking some green peas from Mitch’s plate.Aiden grinned and nodded. We all turned at the sound of the door opening and saw Beta draco coming in. His eyes widened slightly as he saw Mitch seated on the table. “I was not expecting to see you here,“ he smiled.“Join us,” Mitch gestured at an empty seat.“I already had breakfast at home, but a cup of coffee won’t hurt, I guess,“ he said as he poured o
MITCH CHESTERMITCH WANTED NOTHING more than to rip the head from Charles’s neck and send it in a box back to the council. He sighed, confused because it had been a long time since he felt like this. This angry, raging beast was the person that Ophelia had fallen in love with. And he had not been that person in almost a decade. He shrugged on a furry overcoat from the door side rack and walked out of the palace. The guards were shocked to see him come out. They immediately stood at attention. “Good morning, Alpha,“ they chorused. He nodded and waved the greeting aside. Two guards from the front gate dogged his steps, following him from a few yards behind as he strolled along the street. His mind was too distracted, so he did not send the guards away.The air was still chilly, but the sky was cleared and the sun was shining through the clouds. The storm had passed, but knowing how unpredictable the weather up here could be, he knew that it could all change before evening.He heard chi
MITCH CHESTERHE WAITED FOR the next few minutes, wondering what Lorna was doing. He was about to call for her again but a door behind him opened and Enrique sauntered into the sitting room. He scoffed as he saw Mitch and said, “When did you decide to get out of bed?“ Mitch shrugged and went to the shelf, peering into them to see what mysterious plant they held. “Some of those things can affect you through their scent,“ Enrique drawled. “I would be careful how I sniff them if I were you.“ Mitch took a step away and went to the window. “I negotiated a pretty good deal with the council,“ Enrique said again. “Your werewolf Luna is not a good politician. She was lucky to have me there.“ Mitch chuckled dryly. He remembered that the last time he and his uncle were in this place, the house had been on fire and they were out for each other’s throats. “We are all lucky to have Anna amongst us,“ Mitch said in a low growl. “You would be wise to remember that next time.“ Enrique fro
VORENUS KNEW THAT something was wrong as soon as he got to the mansion and he didn't see Vladimir anywhere. He knew that Vladimir was already suspicious of him since their last meeting. He had noticed that Vladimir watched his facial expression and every movement. It was then that Vorenus knew he had to trade carefully or risk having his heart ripped out savagely."Where is Vladimir?" He asked as Bartholomew came in, wiping his hands with a thick towel."Master Vladimir did not tell me where he was going before he left," the butler said. "But I don't think he went very far. He will be back soon."Vorenus nodded and went to the minibar, where he poured a glass of Scotch and drained it in one gulp. "When did he leave?" Vorenus asked in what he hoped was a calm voice.Bartholomew shrugged and said, "I do not know, sir. But he did not leave by the front door. I think he went with the shadows."Vorenus nodded. That had further confirmed his thoughts. Vladimir was not anywhere close. He had
FIVE MONTHS LATER,I RUB my belly fondly. It has become a subconscious habit of mine since the belly bump sprouted. On some nights, I wake up from the nightmares and horrors of being locked up in the prison underground. It has been 5 months already, but the remnants of what we lost were still vivid. Every fallen warrior was given a befitting burial. After the death of the vampires, Paige started having recurring dreams of her lost memories. I had Lorna suppress it again. i also had Lorna wipe out the memory of Janet the mistress, now she was a servant in the palace... "Are we almost there yet?" Addison asked from the back seat. Mitch grunted. "Almost." I turn and look at him. The scar he had gotten from the battle that ran across his eyes was now white, it was healing well. The cut missed his eyes by less than an inch, but the scar added to his dangerous look. I reach out and touch his hand. He turns and looks at me, but I can not decipher what is going on in his head as his eyes
MITCH CHESTERAS HE TORE through the vampires, his eyes wavered back, and he looked at Anna. He could not believe she was nearby again, even as all the odds were against him all this while. Arranging the warriors for battle on such short notice was not an easy feat as most of his warriors were not familiar with guns, but he had made them ready and prepped for battle under a few hoursHe grunted as a vampire sank his fang into his arm. He growled grabbed the vampire by its head and slammed it into the ground."Keep your head in the fight, Mitch," Draco snapped. "Don't die when she is just a few feet away."Mitch chuckled. He turned and looked at his mate again. She was holding her own well against the vampires surrounding her and Alphonso."Do these things ever finish?" Mitch asked, looking around at the vampires still swarming over the field."We have to take out the elder vampires, or Vladimir himself," Draco said, stabbing a vampire dead on the floor. He shook his spear loose and lo
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI WATCHED THE moon rise to its peak and anticipated when the witch Agatha walked up to Vladimir and said, “It is time.“Vladimir nodded and came to stand beside me.I closed my eyes, resigning myself to my fate as Agatha came closer, muttering a long string of spells under her breath. “I will offer the blood of the current grand witch…” She grabbed Lorna's hand and slit it at the wrist. I saw Lorna clench her jaws in pain as Agatha squeezed her blood into a cup, which she mixed with some herbs and gave to Vladimir. He drank it all in one gulp. Dark red veins streaked up his neck, and his eyes went bloodshot.She walked to me and added, “I will offer the life of the reincarnated grand witch, Annika, and use it to bind the soul of the vampire king, giving him immense power and immunity to the mountain ash wood…““I heard her raise her hand. The air stretched with tension, and time seemed to slow down. I opened my eyes, expecting to see my life flash before my eyes, bu
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER“COME HERE!“ THE grating of the cell on its hinges made me look up. One of the vampires was on the other side. She reached in and pulled me out harshly. My knees scraped the rough floor; I bit my lips to keep the pain in. Another one reached in and tried to grab Lorna but gasped in pain, pulling back immediately. “I will come out myself,“ Lorna said coolly. “But try to touch me again, and it will be the last thing you ever do.“ The vampire stared daggers at her but did not move to grab her again. She cradled her hand, rubbing it fondly. Lorna must have secured herself with some sort of spell. “And you will unhand the Luna immediately too.“ Lorna said in a cold voice to the vampire who had her fingers wrapped tightly on my upper arm. The vampire looked uncertain, but she saw the cold and threatening look on Lorna's face. I was also shocked, but it did the trick. The vampire released me. “Where are we going?“ Lorna asked, but I could guess already. “It is time for
THE FIGHT WAS OVER almost as quickly as it started. We did not stand a chance against Vladimir and he was already getting empowered by the forthcoming blood moon. Lorna was sprawled on the floor, blood seeped from her mouth and her back was twisted in an unnatural angle. I was on my feet, but it was threatening to give way any second.And Vladimir?He did look like he had done anything. No sweat. No hair out of place. He had his sinister smile plastered on his face as he walked towards me. He stopped a few feet away and brushed my cheek with his icy-cold fingers. “Your last few hours should have been enjoyable, Annika.“ he said softly. “But instead, you let that witch,“ he turned and looked at Lorna before he continued, “...to spoil it. Tch.“ she chuffed and walked away. “It is back to square one now.“The woods around were suddenly alive, and things moved in the shadows. I thought I was hallucinating; maybe I had hit my head harder than I thought, and I was concussed as we were surro
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI SAT UP in my bed, my heart was racing, and adrenaline surged as my wolf leaped to the surface, enhancing my vision, but I could not still make out the shape of the person in my room. I was about to jump through the door, not minding that I would alert the whole mansion, but I felt a pair of fingers wrap around my upper arm. Gasping in shock, I turned sharply, trying to wrestle my arm away from the stranger's grip, but to no avail. I am being attacked by two people, I thought anxiously to myself. I started to yell, but the person holding me stepped out of the shadows and my scream died in my throat."Lorna?!" I gaped.She put a finger to her lip to keep me silent. Then she cocked her head. I swung my legs out of the bed. My mind was spinning with imagination. I still felt like I was in a dream. I reached out and touched her. She was real."Quickly," she said to me. She muttered some words under her breath and the lock in the door snapped apart. The door opened
MITCH CHESTER “HAVE GUARDS PATROL the area,“ Mitch said, trying hard to rein in the panic he was feeling. “Quickly.“ Draco nodded and gave out his commands to every available guards to be on the search for Lorna. “No one knows how long she has been gone for. She might be out of the kingdom now.“ Mitch growled. “Just tell them to search.“ “We should probably get back,“ Draco said, turning to look around. Mitch nodded. He looked at Vorenus. Draco could see the hesitation in Mitch's body language. He knew what mitch was about to do. He dipped his hand into his pocket and tossed a small object at Vorenus who caught it easily, confused at what it was. Suddenly there was a sizzling sound and vorenus dropped the object quickly. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and Drcao nodded in satisfaction. “What was that?“ Vorenus growled. “Silver, “Draco said. “Silver bullets. It is going to be our trump card.“ Vorenus shook his palm gingerly as the wound healed back immediately. “I can i
MITCH CHESTER“YOU ARE GOING to crash the car,“ Draco said, holding on to the side of his seat as Mitch drove like a blind bat.Mitch scoffed without slowing down. He pressed down on the pedal, and the car shot even faster. “This fucking snow,“ he growled as he screeched to a stop. The tires of the car were stuck in the thick layer of snow. He got out of the car; his legs sank almost to his knees.Draco came out too, cursing under his breath. “I wonder whose idea it was to get electric cars to drive over snow,“ he looked at Mitch and added sarcastically. “Oh wait, it was your brilliant idea.“Mitch rubbed his chin and said, “Maybe I should have gone with your idea and bought electric sleds instead.“Draco scoffed, kicking at the snow.Mitch looked around. His breath vaporized from his mouth as he breathed out. “Come, we are not far,“ he said to Draco.“Sometimes I wonder why I follow you,“ Draco said as they walked away from the stuck car. “This is crazy. You can't just stand up and w
MITCH CHESTERMITCH KNEW HIS mind should be at rest now that he had reinforcements, but his mind was still worried. He had no doubts that it was because his mate was still out there in danger, his son was lying in bed, unconscious and blind, and his kingdom was on the brink of civil war.He paced the length of the room anxiously, his eyes drifting into the dancing fireplace as he walked past. A small knock came at the door. “Come in,“ he called.The door opened, and Draco came in. He took a look around the small, almost empty room and shook his head, saying, “You are still sleeping here.“Mitch chuffed and nodded, “I can't stay in the master chambers alone. Anna should be with me.“Draco nodded and said, “I understand that, but…“ He looked around again. “I am sure you can do better than a tiny room. There is even no air conditon -““No one uses air conditioning here, Draco,“ Mitch said. He sat on the bed heavily; it creaked under his weight.“There is no ventilation,“ Draco continued,