Helena
I swallowed hard to get rid of the enormous knot that had formed in my throat. I had to be strong now. I had to be strong for him, for our pup and for our people. I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t know if I would ever see him again, but I couldn’t give into those fears.
All around us, people were saying goodbye to family. They were saying goodbye to warriors who were going to fight to protect us. I couldn’t be the one to break down. I had to be strong for all of them. I caught sight of Liam kissing Louisa and their son and I looked into Bennie’s eyes.
“You come back, do you hear me? You come back, and you bring my brother with you. Alive.” We all knew nobody could make any kind of promises, but I needed him to. I needed him to fight the way he did the last time. I needed him to do everything he could to keep that promise. “All of you! You come back alive.
HelenaIt didn’t take long for the wounded to start pouring in. I hated having to stay in bed while I could hear everyone rushing about just outside my room. It took my entire family to keep me right where I was supposed to be. I was healing fast after the birth, but I still had some healing to do.The war didn’t take as long as any of us thought it would and the stories the guys told us had us horrified. It made me very glad that I missed out. Fighting was something I had to learn. I just never liked all that growling and hissing and blood everywhere.“I must be the only werewolf in the entire world that doesn’t like fighting!” I exclaimed and they all laughed out loud. But it was the truth. I really hated fighting. My mother was a warrior queen. I didn’t intend or actually have the need to be a warrior princess. Being a part of the small council never required one to fight.A COUPLE OF MONTHS later, summer was in full swing and the war was almost forgotten. The injured had healed an
NoahI had always loved to read about the history of our people and how our incredible kingdom came together. My favourite part of history was when my father showed mercy to the northerners after they declared war. He accepted them even after their loved ones fought to overthrow us.I loved history so much because I was brought up with the knowledge that one day I would be king. I didn’t want us to make any of the mistakes of the past. I couldn’t imagine doing what the crazy old king did. I wanted my grandmother’s principles to live on.She fought such an incredible battle against the old beliefs that I wanted them to stand strong when I became king. The only thing I wasn’t looking forward to was this tournament against my father. I didn’t want to see my hero going down just so I could rule.My father and I had been practicing, not that he was planning on faking it, but he wanted me to be prepared to take him down. Thankfully, I didn’t have to kill him. I was sure my father was strong
EmilyI could see Noah was looking for me, but I didn’t want to be a typical fan and wave at him. I just smiled and found my spot in the lineup. I had to focus on whether I was going to prove myself. I couldn’t think about Noah at the moment.His parents started the ceremony and as soon as all the royal protocols were taken care of, Noah fought his father and won. Everyone knew he would win, of course. He was declared king, but his official coronation would only be in a couple of weeks.However, once he was named king after the tournament, he could announce the winners of each division, which meant, if I won, he would be the one giving me my new rank. I felt nervous when my division started.I was going to fight way above my rank. I was trying out for beta. Nobody thought I would be able to do it, and I knew I was taking a huge risk, but since we weren’t fighting to the death, I couldn’t see why not. I didn’t see the use in trying out for a lower rank when I wanted to be Noah’s beta.
LouisaOur children had grown up way too fast for my liking and, by the looks of things, Helena felt the very same way. We were both feeling the incredibly overwhelming sensation of empty nest and the funny thing was they weren’t going anywhere.Unlike Liam and Helena’s parents, we weren’t moving out of the castle now that our son was going to be the king. Our family liked the fact that we were all living together. We loved each other very much and were incredibly close. When the time came to make the decisions on whether we were moving, it was a unanimous decision for all of us to stay.Our children didn’t grow up like cousins. They were more like siblings, and we were these very odd parents who co-parent all of them together, but it worked, and it made all of us happy to be that close. Which made me wonder how our dynamics were going to change if our children met their mates.My parents lived with us right up to their last days and only Liam’s parents were still alive. When they got
HelenaNoah wasn’t my son, but it sure felt like it the moment he growled to let the world know he had found his mate. I looked at Louisa and noted the happy tears in her eyes and then at Liam, whose chest suddenly grew two sizes with pride.Their beautiful boy had found a mate. The shock came the moment we all saw who it was.EmilyNoah pushed through the crowd as everyone searched for the person he was looking for. My heart was racing. My heart could full the pull of the mate bond, but my mind just wouldn’t accept it. I had always thought my crush was just that. A silly crush that turned into the best of friendships I could ever have asked for.I never imagined …“Emily …” His voice was hoarse with hunger as he pulled me into his arms and I looked into his eyes. My throat was so thick with emotion that I couldn’t say anything and when his lips touched mine, I responded. It felt as if my body came to life for the first time in my life as his hands slipped down my back and cupped my b
NoahThere was no mistaking it. Emily was one of the hottest girls in our age group, but I never had the desire to act on it because she was my friend. My parents also taught me not to go around acting on every urge like my male friends. My mom and aunt were very big on males having to respect females and I believed what they taught me.I wasn’t a virgin or anything, but I always made sure that I treated women with respect. I watched Emily as she spoke to her parents, and it reminded me of the story my mom told me about the night she and my dad met. Mom was also the daughter of omegas. Just like Emily.I remember days when I had to reprimand my male friends when they got out of hand regarding females, and I had a bit of a reputation for being very strict about how females were treated. It was because of the way I was brought up. From the stories I remember from my childhood, it all started with my grandmother.She was the most incredible female in our history. She was a warrior queen,
HelenaI was having tea in the garden when I noted the leaves were changing colour. Winter would be there rearing its head soon, and I wouldn’t be able to sit outside and just enjoy the warmth of the sunlight.“I thought I would find you here.” Louisa joined me and I smiled, pouring her a cup of tea.“You know me. I prefer summer.” I winked.“Oh, no, give me winter any day.” Louisa’s cheeks turned red as she smiled, and I just knew where this was going. “I love sledding and cuddling in front of the fires.” She smiled, sipping her tea and I burst out laughing.“Do you remember that first winter when we found out you were pregnant after you came flying down the mountain!” Tears formed in my eyes as we laughed and Louisa nodded.“I think my favourite memory will always be the first time the children could go down the mountain alone. Noah was so excited he nearly peed his pants!” She squealed with laughter and I nearly choked on my tea at the memory.“We’ve had incredible memories with th
EmilyIt was the saddest time in the kingdom, and our news took a back seat, but I didn’t mind. It gave me the time I needed to get used to the idea that Noah was more than just my best friend now. He was my mate. The news of his grandmother broke the next day, which immediately focused all attention elsewhere, but as soon as the mourning period was over, it was right back where it used to be.On us as the new royal couple. His mother made everyone go out as soon as the snow stopped, and I watched as people laughed and played again like children. Small ones were building snow men while the bigger children and a lot of the adults came flying down the mountain.“Shall we?” Noah held out his hand to me and in his other hand he had a beautifully carved wooden sled. I grinned as I took his hand, and we made our way up the mountain. Our cheeks were bright red from the cold by the time we reached the top and I waited for him to get on, but he smiled at me.“You first.” He pointed at the sled