[--Esmarie Cruz--]Doctor Jacobs pulls Kaiser out of the house to talk while my brain spins on what the hell just happened. Kaiser told me to reject the mating bond, I did it, so why do I feel like I just made a huge fucking mistake? Kaiser drives me insane. The doctor left soon after, and I focused my energy on taking care of my twins not the confusion going on in my head. It’s hard to focus with Kaiser constantly confusing me.I sigh softly, and the rest of the night passes by quickly. I awoke in the middle of the night, stumbling out of my room to the kitchen to get some water. I found Kaiser there, a bottle of vodka and coke in front of him. He poured them into one cup and looked up when he heard my footsteps approaching.“What are you making?”“You don’t wanna know.”“Back to drinking?”I inquired, reaching into the fridge for a cold bottle of water, and I was searching for some aspirin. Thankfully, kaiser drinks alot so he keeps medicine in almost every cabinet in every room in
[--Esmarie Cruz--]“Okay, I can understand that. But what about the Darkwood? How did that come to be?” I asked, leaning in with curiosity as he ran a weary hand over his hair, pushing it away from his face. Kaiser looked even more exhausted, shadows deepening under his eyes. If only he would just get some rest, but I knew better than to bring it up right now. I had more pressing questions, and the Darkwood situation topped that list. I needed to know what it meant for us—if I could finally breathe a sigh of relief, maybe even celebrate.“Elias owns the region where the Darkwood pack is located,” he began, his voice tinged with frustration. “Technically, I’m here illegally. You can’t just cross over into a new region on a whim. There’s a mountain of paperwork involved. You’re supposed to inform the regional leader, declare where you’re coming from, and state your intentions—it’s a process designed to keep everyone in check. I wrote down that I was coming from beyond the four regions e
[--Kaiser Volkov--]Esmarie’s face lit up when I told her about the Darkwood pack’s shutdown. The relief was mutual, like a weight we’d both carried was finally lifted. To be fair, I’m starting to learn that besides my past I have other things to worry about. I’m looking into the mole who told Elias about my deal with the vampires. But I’m trying to celebrate the little wins. The Darkwood pack will be gone. Right now Elias is having the people kicked out.That place held the worst memories for us both—memories I tried not to think about, memories that often haunted my nights. Knowing it would soon be no more brought a strange sense of closure, a flicker of happiness. But it was only a flicker, dimmed by the exhaustion that clung to me like a second skin.I hadn’t slept properly in days. I’d tried to make up for it by working late in my office, but even there, I was restless. Sleeplessness wore at my nerves, fraying them, and I knew I was reaching my limit. Today, I’d made the decision
[--Kaiser Volkov--]/Dear Kaiser Volkov, I can't pretend this is a letter of kindness or warm rewards. we've been keeping close tabs on you since the day we discovered you'd run away. and I know we treated you wrong but now is the time to make amends. Dad, Mom, and I are currently homeless. I’m not sure if you heard but the Darkwood pack is officially no more. You know we never worked much and we've used every last bit of our money, we're also in debt since.... I know this must be hard for you to hear, but Esmarie passed away. she took her life a year after you left. we had spent that year taking care of her so we accumulated alot of debt. we need you now. we know you're a big shot alpha, a famous one who wants nothing to do with his family. but we just need a place to stay until we can get back on our feet. please respond soon, or we might find ourselves living under a bridge. Please help. Your older brother, barry./The letter crinkled in my grip as I re-read Barry’s words, each
[--Esmarie Cruz--]“Say mama?”Elijah spat out a bubble of saliva and chuckled before attempting to rub it all over himself. Kaiser took us to a doctor for a check-up when I discovered that my less than three-month-old baby was teething, and they’d added ten pounds. Which is healthy for them, but so fast. God, they’re growing at a tough speed.The doctor said I should expect them to be fully developed at the age of one. But he told me after that they’d start growing normally. This was common for alpha babies to jump from one week old to look like they’re three years old when they’re only one. Sometimes only seven months.It’s scary. They won’t be babies for much longer than five months, heck that’s if I’m lucky. I’m feeling scared.Kaiser has stuck to a plan of teaching me how to fight with a knife and without one. He’s also trying to get my omega to loosen up and shift. I got some tests done, my system is fine so my omega should be normal soon enough.Water splashes on my face, bring
[--Esmarie Cruz--]After psyching myself up, I finally started to move towards the staircase.I jogged up the steps, my breath quick and shallow from the exertion, my heart pounding in my chest as I made my way to the office. I had no idea what Kaiser had in store, but I had a feeling it was going to be something out of the ordinary. As I approached the door, I saw him standing outside, his arms crossed over his chest, his dark eyes fixed on me with that knowing, almost mischievous look. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood there, a quiet presence that made me feel like I was being watched more closely than usual.“What’s the surprise?” I asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of my voice but failing miserably.Kaiser’s lips curled into a subtle smile, his eyes flicking to the side before he nodded toward the hallway. “It’s on the roof. Come.”I raised an eyebrow at him. “The roof?”He didn’t respond with words but instead turned on his heel, heading down the hall with purpose
[--Esmarie Cruz--]We lingered on the rooftop a while longer, letting the quiet of the night sink in, a silence that seemed to speak louder than any conversation we might’ve had. Kaiser leaned back, eyes drifting over the stars, and then, breaking the stillness, he turned to me and asked, “What do you want to do with your life?”The question hung in the air, simple yet profound, as I stared up at the half-moon and the countless stars scattered across the sky. I hadn’t really thought about it in a long time. Sure, I was raising my twins and doing my best to keep everything together day by day. But dreams? Ambitions? I wasn’t sure I had any left, at least not in the way people usually talked about them. I mean, here I was, approaching thirty, with two little ones counting on me. Was there even space in my life for something like a dream? And if there was, what would it look like?I felt the weight of my thoughts pressing down as I considered his question. College had never been a path I
[--Kaiser Volkov--]I woke up feeling a weight pressing down on me, a dull heaviness I knew too well. Three hours of sleep didn’t cut it, especially not today, with so much riding on the hours ahead. My limbs felt sluggish as I dragged myself out of bed, mind still foggy, but I pushed forward, heading to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face in the hope it would shock me into alertness.My plans involve the pack and Esmarie. She won’t know what hit her.I barely made it to the bathroom door when my phone buzzed on the nightstand. Who could be calling this early? It was Martha, the number flashing on the screen, and I felt a pang of surprise. She rarely reached out in the morning unless it was truly important, but I’d always made it clear that I was here for her whenever she needed me, no matter the time or the reason. As a mother figure to me, Martha often took on more than she needed to, quietly bearing burdens and rarely asking for help.She wasn’t just like that towards
[--Kaiser Volkov--]The website was set up as a front to buy cupcakes, but they didn’t hide anything. The moment you scroll through the first page, you can immediately find a tag asking if you want information about me. There’s a place to leave reviews. I didn’t leave one; I know a good hacker. Unfortunately, that person happens to be Sam. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to talk to her again.I chucked that conversation up to tomorrow and brought my attention back to Elias. I rubbed my face, my head pounded. What else can I say to him? I want to hit him, over and over again, until there’s nothing left of him but a pile of pulp on the floor.“Get comfortable, boys. You’ll be sleeping here throughout the night.” I gave them my best smile before waving goodbye and leaving the room. They were still tied to the chairs, so this would be an uncomfortable night for them.With nothing else to do, I went up the stairs to my office. As expected, esmarie was wide awake. I should have asked her some
[--Kaiser Volkov--]I was pissed, I don’t think I can even explain what being pissed means. Someone is dying tonight. No, no, that is the wrong mentality. I pulled on the spare clothes Will had brought on and told him to go with Jackson to the hospital. That man did a good job defending the pack, so it is me... and some of the wolves who drove Elias and his men here.I had to count to sixteen to remind myself that violence is never the first option. Yup, that’s as far as my mind can go. I headed into the room where they were being held. I know Will is not happy with how bruised Jackson was but he looks alot better than these fuckers. I actually felt like I was about to laugh.“Give us some alone time, boys. Go back to your wives. Enjoy the rest of the precious festival. Then vet the whole place and everyone. I’m gonna find out how they got in here even if it means I murder a Domeros.”Elias cut me a glare but I wasn’t fazed by that stupid attempt to threaten me. The alphas didn’t argu
[--Esmarie Cruz--]I kept myself firmly between the two massive wolves, feeling the weight of their power pressing against the air. The energy crackled, sharp and threatening, like the moments before a storm unleashes.“Elias,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline racing through me, “you’re breaking the rules. You don’t step into another alpha’s territory without permission. So, here’s the deal—I need you to tell your men to stand down, right now, before Kaiser humiliates you by making you the newest bitch on the block.”Elias’s wolf froze, his molten gaze locked on me, calculating. The sharpness of his fangs glinted in the moonlight as his lips twitched into something between a snarl and a grin. It was clear he was considering my words, and weighing his options, but he was taking too long.The sound of approaching paws thundered through the clearing as more wolves arrived, their growls low and steady. The festival, after all, had drawn in more wolves than this territory had
[--Esmarie Cruz--]I made a split-second decision since none of the options in my head sounded right. I pulled out my cellphone, and quickly took a video of the Elias lookalike while he was still distracted before ducking into the nearest booth. Which turned out to be a photo booth, with a long curtain so thank goodness.I texted Kaiser the picture then I waited for him to call me. After five minutes I peeked out between the curtains. The Elias guy was still there. Looking at everyone. I took a photo before he could turn his head, then I ducked back in. This time I dialed kaiser.He’s a busy guy, I can’t expect him to look at every notification he gets.“I just saw your message. What the fuck is Elias doing in my fucking pack?”“I... don’t know,” I whispered.“I texted Jackson, he’s nearby. He will handle it. Where are you?”“I’m at a photo booth.”“Jackson will get you once Elias has been brought to me. Stay where you are. Don’t move an inch.”“Okay.”Kaiser hung up, leaving me in th
[--Esmarie Cruz--]The next few days of the festival went by quicker than I expected. The end of the first week was exciting, and I even won one of their games. I won two unicorn teddy bears for my children, the amount of freedom I felt being here was enough to silence the the nightmares that normally plagued my mind.And Kaiser, he was different. It was kind of scary how nice and charming he acted towards me. Today was like most days at the festival: lively. In fact, I think the number of people here has tripled. The second week was kicking off with a banger.Martha’s booth was closed today as she wanted to mingle and chat as much as she could with people. I walked around, tried some new food, and finally came across a booth I’d seen on the flyer: Ralph’s fortune-telling booth.I don’t believe in fortune tellers, but this could be fun. I bought a ticket and went in. The aura inside was .... strange if I had to be honest. It felt like I was walking into a whole new world. Someplace th
[--Esmarie Cruz--]After the speech, Kaiser stepped down from the stage, and the crowd around him buzzed with energy. The sun had set hours ago before he arrived, and the festival grounds were lit by warm, glowing lanterns that cast a golden hue over everything. It was the kind of night that felt endless, with laughter still ringing out in the distance and people lingering as if they didn’t want the magic of the evening to end. Kaiser moved through the crowd with ease, stopping to talk with some of the elders who had waited patiently for a moment of his time.I stayed back, watching him from afar. He had a way of commanding attention without demanding it. People naturally gravitated toward him, and he gave each person his undivided attention as if their words were the most important thing in the world. It was...endearing. And maybe a little infuriating. Why did he have to be so him? Ugh.I couldn’t help myself; my eyes followed his every move, like a moth drawn to a flame. The twins s
[--Esmarie Cruz--]The festival today was everything I hoped it would be—fine, entertaining, and so full of life that it made it hard not to feel swept up in the joy of it all. It was a day to forget everything else, to just breathe and soak in the energy of the pack as they celebrated. The music was loud and cheerful, drums beating in sync with the laughter and chatter that echoed through the clearing. The scent of roasted meats, freshly baked bread, and spiced cider hung heavy in the air, mingling with the floral undertones from the petals scattered all over the ground.At one point, someone pulled me into the center of a circle forming on the dance floor, and before I could protest, I found myself swept up in the rhythm of the music. The twins, who were strapped to me in their carriers, giggled and waved their tiny hands in delight. Their laughter was infectious, and soon I was spinning and twirling, letting the music dictate my movements. People cheered and clapped, their voices a
[--Kaiser Volkov--]I laid down on my couch, fully intending to just rest my eyes for a few minutes, but the exhaustion pulled me under faster than I could resist. It wasn’t a restful sleep—more like thirty minutes of uneasy drifting, filled with fleeting images and vague sensations that I couldn’t quite piece together when I stirred awake. My body felt heavy, as if the weight of the day, the festival I needed to make an appearance at later today, the note on my door, and my sleepless night were pressing down on me all at once. For a moment, I just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the faint hum of the air conditioner and the muffled sounds of people moving around outside.Then my phone buzzed, the vibration cutting through the stillness and dragging me fully back into reality. I groaned softly, fumbling for the phone on the coffee table and squinting at the screen. Doctor Jacobs. The name blinked at me, and for a split second, I debated letting it go to voicemail. Bu
[--Kaiser Volkov--]Elias wouldn’t stop pestering me. Text after text, hour after hour, all asking for the same thing: permission to attend the Blue Moon Festival. The man didn’t just ask—he hounded, pleaded, and occasionally tried to guilt me, then insulted and threatened, as if I owed him anything. But the answer was always the same.No. I didn’t trust him, not with something this important, not with something this sacred. There was a reason I kept him at arm’s length, and his persistence only made him seem all the more suspicious. I could practically feel the tension behind his words, the kind of tension that made you wonder if someone was pushing a hidden agenda. Still, I refused. Firmly. Politely at first, then with less patience. Like telling him to fuck himself in so many words. Even the most cultured terms. Today marked day four of the festival, and if Elias thought I was going to crack, he was sorely mistaken.He couldn’t bully me about other things, so he should know better.