MARCEL On days like this, everyone stayed clear of the Alpha. Those that could not avoid him because of the work they had to deliver directly to him walked on eggshells around him, scurrying around with accelerated heartbeats and goosebumps on their skin for fear of what he’d do if they failed to meet his demands. He’d rain fire and brimstones on anyone that didn’t get their jobs right, or delayed as much as a second before turning a report in, or even for no reason at all. On days like this, he looked like a dragon ready to breath down fire. Days like this were very recurring for Slade until the arrival of his mate. But I doubt he is aware of how much has changed. I didn’t realize it too until his old habits surfaced this morning when he turned up to work. He snapped at everything and everyone, he growled and barked orders at his workers, making everyone overly agitated. You’d think I’d be used to his constant mood swings, but it bothered me still. If I wasn’t his best friend, I’d
ARIAHolding my hair up with my left hand, I gripped the toilet seat with my right while I puked for the second time today. I groaned and splashed water on my face once I was done, then go ahead to wash my mouth. I’d experienced extreme cravings for the most of today, and having exhausted all the junk Gwyn had brought in earlier, I clutched my stomach in disappointment as it starts to rumble. The rate at which I’m stuffing myself up, I’ll definitely put on a lot of weight, and then Slade wouldn’t find me attractive anymore.I frowned and smacked myself in the head. Why do I need to worry about him finding me attractive anyway? None of this would matter in a few months.I miss my family, Audrey especially. My dad was a jerk, but I realize I miss him too. I miss my mum’s embrace and her constant fretting. I smiled at the thought. This man didn’t just cut me away from the world, he totally shut my family out, and now he has deprived me of any human interaction. I should hate him, but I s
I dropped my fork, my plate wiped clean whereas Slade’s meal had barely gone halfway. Apart from the fact that I’d grown a larger appetite than normal which is a result of me being pregnant, the food was too good.Slade didn’t mind though, he even offered me some of the food on his plate and was a little disappointed when I turned it down. I was too full already, if I forced anything down my throat, I’d end up vomiting again. I looked down at my tummy which was flat just moments ago. It was now a little bulgy and I was grateful the shirt I wore wasn’t so body-hugging.“You will look even better than you do now when you start to show,” he mouthed with obvious possessiveness, pushing his half-empty plate away. Instead of a reply, I turned away to hide the redness his words brought to my cheeks and I was even more grateful when the waiter came with the bill. There weren’t any other customers in the restaurant, which made me wonder if he’d asked that the place be cleared out before our a
The ride to the house was quiet, but I caught Slade watching me through the rearview mirror even though I pretended not to notice. I tried to decipher the meaning of Allegra’s words, but it didn’t make any sense. I thought of telling Slade everything she said, but I decided not to since he didn’t ask. I figured if she wanted him to know, then she’d not have asked him to excuse us in the first place. When we got to the house, I noticed Slade being weird. He literally followed my every move and was even nice enough to offer me a massage, which I turned down. When he wasn’t watching me, he was texting on his phone, his brows drawn together with suppressed anger. What if he was texting Sapphire?A part of me wanted to ask what was wrong, but knowing Slade, I doubt if I’d get an answer. I watched him angrily toss the phone away while I made my way to the bathroom. Allegra said he’d hurt me, but she’d not exactly told me how. Could he hurt me anymore than he already has? She’d asked me t
Working with Slade was horrific, but at least it gave me an insight on how he spends his days. There’s so much to do that I convinced myself I’d never be able to keep up. I was lost the whole of the first week. For a pack as large as Dark Wolf, the work was endless, and every single paper passed through the Alpha’s desk. They needed his authorization on everything, coupled with the long boring meetings he had to sit through. I couldn’t attend all with him like he initially suggested.I understood why he was the Alpha. It wasn’t just the fact that the title was handed over to him, or that he was the strongest in the pack. Alpha Slade was born to be an Alpha. He is smart, and making decisions came naturally to him. I’d read that he’d never made a decision that didn’t turn out to favor the pack, and I got to witness it firsthand. He didn’t falter or stutter while dishing out commands, and while others scurried around to do his bidding, he handled the work on his desk with so much ease,
DARYL“You know we are going to have to do something soon, I can’t keep hiding here forever,” I groaned. Sapphire glared at me, so much so that I had the urge to cringe. Why did she hate me so much? The way I see it, she is stuck here with me till she comes up with a better plan, but I’m not sure how long I can remain within proximity of her and not touch her. My wolf still wanted her, despite all she’d done to us. She’d rejected us, treated us like dirt, and at some point, I was convinced I hated her, but after spending the last week locked in here with her, my wolf was getting addicted to her scent again, he still craved her, especially now that it looks like we might still have a chance with her. “You think I don’t know that?” She scoffed “It is so unfortunate that I’m stuck with you! Believe me I want nothing more than to be out of this space with you Daryl! My life would have been so much better if I’d just let you rot in that cell,” she spat with venom, her eyes flaming up. M
ARIA “Do you really have to come with me? It’s not like I’m going to run away with Lennox body guarding me,” I frowned, while Slade buttoned his shirt. He doesn’t answer immediately but I know he heard me. It took a lot of work to get him to agree to let me out of Dark Wolf. When he finally agreed to it, he was having all his best warriors escort me, and just at the last minute, he postponed all his work to tag along. I was dressed nicely. Earlier in the day, he had Gwyn take me to the salon to do my hair and nails. Nothing too loud, but then, it’s been ages since I had my nails done. I don’t like make-up, and I was glad he didn’t insist I sit through a complete makeover, just a little touch. The dress I was wearing was picked out from one of the flamboyant dresses Luna Evelyn made me buy when we’d gone shopping. I’d complained about how expensive it was that day, but how could I forget the amused expression on her face? “I can’t let you out there on your own,” he murmured, his eyes
I pulled out of my mom’s tight hug to be enveloped in my father’s large arms, and then Audrey’s embrace lasted the longest. Everything feels different. That glow was back in mother’s eyes, she looked better, as did Audrey and father. I was glad when Slade and the others excused themselves to give us some time alone. Mom had tears in her eyes as usual, and I don’t think I ever saw father this happy, or well kept. I didn’t realize I was crying myself until father wiped a tear from my eyes with his thumb. I’d missed them so much. Never would I have thought it possible to stay away from my family for this long without any means of communication. I looked around the house, admiring its beauty and furnishings. It felt like just yesterday when we’d been living from hand to mouth and struggling to pay off father’s debts. “Ari, you are starting to show,” mom squealed like a schoolgirl, her eyes fixed on my stomach. My cheeks reddened and I rested my left hand on my stomach. “Really?” I loo
I opened my eyes slowly to find Slade watching me and a small blush crept up my cheeks. “Why are you awake?” I asked him with a sleepy voice.“Just wondering what I did to get so lucky,” He smiled at me. “And you can go back to sleep, your mom is attending to Zion already,”I have gotten used to waking up at this time to feed my baby, but I had the night off today. It’s been three days after the mating ceremony and I have had to deal with a lot after that. We were also moving into a bigger house. Slade thought the penthouse wasn’t big enough to start a family which is just off considering how large it is. He wants Zion to have the best.Now that we share a mate bond, communication was easier between us. When I was overwhelmed, he’d feel it too, and did everything he could to make me feel better. He was a great dad to his son, and many packs were sending in gifts every day since the birth of Zion, wanting a form of friendship with Dark Wolf.Sapphire was sentenced to death, but only a
ARIA“You look so adorable,” my mom wiped her eyes with the back of her hands as she stared at me “Reminds me of when I married your dad. We didn’t have an elaborate wedding, but it was the best day of my life. Everyone thought I was crazy for marrying him, but it’s the one thing I know I did right and I’d walk down the aisle with him again if I had to,” she finished.“Mom,” I fought back the tears that threatened to fall to my cheeks. Luna Evelyn specifically warned me not to ruin my makeup, and I didn’t want to have to listen to her complain if I did the exact thing she warned me not to do.Today is the mating ceremony. The day I become Luna of Dark Wolf pack, and the day I have dreamed of since I set eye on my mate. It’s funny how much things have changed, almost unbelievable.I didn’t have any expectations coming to dark wolf, but I started to have expectations as the days passed. Expectations that I didn’t expect to come through. I’d hoped my mate will come to love me, but I’d al
SLADE“What happens to Sapphire?” My beta asked me. Since she was pregnant, I knew the council will not put her to death until the baby comes, but she’d lost her right eye completely and could not clearly see with her left. I don’t deny that I want her dead though, and by my hands. After all she did to my mate and my pack, she does not deserve to live. We’d lost several warriors and it saddened me. In all my years as Alpha, I’d not witnessed so much loss in my pack, even during the days of my invasion. My heart was heavy, but the thought of my son brought me joy. People were beginning to ask questions since many of them expected me to die. I did not just survive a curse, but also a silver bullet. I sighed, my right hands reaching up to clutch my chest while I drove with my other free hand. I needed to make a stop at the dungeon where Sapphire was being held and then to Allegra’s hut. I also know I need to address the members of Dark Wolf tonight. I had meetings with the council as w
ARIAI tore my eyes from my baby and turned to my mate. He was smiling down at me while our child slept peacefully. I’d gone into labour at thirty-two weeks, earlier than the doctor had predicted but my baby was surprisingly healthy. A full-breed werewolf would carry a child for six months, but as an hybrid, I was expected to carry my pregnancy for nine months, but my little boy had come out at thirty-two weeks. It’s been almost twenty four hours since I put to bed and I was not to be discharged until tomorrow. Slade has been beside me, only leaving my side to take his own medications. He was healing, the doctor had said, but he still had a bandage around his chest. It wasn’t hard to see that he was obsessed with this child. In the last twenty-four hours, Slade barely allowed anyone near him, not even those who’d come bearing gifts.There was still a lot going on in the pack after the fight. Dark Wolf had won but with many casualties. Audrey helped in taking care of the sick as I was
MARCEL“The hunters have fled the pack,” Alpha Hance informed me through mind link “They are outnumbered, but they still pose a threat,” he says.“We need the prisoners back in the dungeons. Every one of them that survived,” I tell him back.“Many of them have gone into hiding. Where the fuck are you and where the fuck is Slade. Alive I hope?” He asked with a concerned voice. I didn’t respond but cut off the mind link instead. How can I explain the situation to him? Someone needs to keep things going out there. Daryl was dead and Sapphire had been apprehended. From the way Aria disfigured her eyes, it’s unlikely that she will be able to see again. She’d still face judgment by the council, but her recruits were not backing off. It seems like some of the packs that agreed to work with her had ideas of their own. While many have surrendered and others fled, some of the packs were still going on with the war even though they were clearly outnumbered. Our warriors were not backing down,
ARIA“Slade!! No!” I screamed, wrenching my arms away from the man that still had his gun trained on me.“I swear I’ll shoot-“ I didn’t hear the rest of what he was saying as I rushed towards Slade, but Sapphire threw herself in my way, blocking me from reaching him. I heard gunshots behind me, then Marcel’s voice. When I turned, the man who had his gun trained at me was laying lifeless on the floor, and Marcel had Daryl by the neck, the two of them battling each other. Sapphire gripped my hair, pulling it hard, but I didn’t feel the pain from her hold. The only pain I felt was seeing Slade lay lifeless on the floor. I hit her jaw with my elbow and dodged a blow she aimed at me. I haven’t done a lot of training but I have watched the warriors train countless times. I’d watched Sapphire train and I was able to predict her next move. I saw her lunge for the gun on the floor, and I moved fast, kicking it out of the way. She rolled on top of me, punching me hard on the face before going
SLADEI clawed at the wolf in front of me while trying to shake off the one on my back. He fell to the floor and using my hind legs, I pinned him to the ground, making sure to finish off the first wolf before returning to him. Four others approached me with speed. My wolf was covered in blood, but I wasn’t tired. I took them down, one after the other but sustained an injury on my right side. I knew I had a lot of enemies, but Sapphire had gone overboard to bring them together. Even the warriors of Cross Shadow were involved, the pack I’d refused to join Dark Wolf. I wasn’t surprised, because I knew Sapphire was preparing herself and taking her time. What surprised me was that she’d sold us to the werewolf hunters.I felt a mind link coming through and I connected to Marcel while fighting off the last wolf.“We have another problem, Slade,” My beta tells me through mind link. I could hear him panting, his hard breath indicating he was fighting off an enemy.“What is it?” I asked him,
Of all the things Sapphire said, I knew she was right about one. Slade will not kill her if what she says is true, but then she isn’t going to walk out of Dark Wolf a free woman either. That much is certain. I stared at the phone in my hands many minutes after the call ended, pacing the living room and trying to calm my seething beast. There’s no way Slade expects me to sit here and not know what is going on out there, especially after the call I just received. The penthouse was full of members of the pack, young and old, and several warriors stationed inside and outside, and I know these guards will not let me out since Slade instructed it. I was getting frustrated as the sounds of gunshots continued outside. I was scared. I cursed when I felt a vibration again only to realize it was Slade’s phone this time. I picked up without hesitation, listening to hear the voice on the other end before speaking.“Alpha Slade, are you there?” A deep husky voice asked.“This is his mate. What’s
The crowd dispersed in chaos, everyone running to shelter. Silver bullets, the type that’ll kill a werewolf in seconds. My wolf recognized the scent as it filled the air. The screams of women and children, men trying to protect their wives filled everywhere. “Sapphire,” I muttered under my breath. It could only be her. She chose the right time. “Take them inside and keep them safe, Marcel,” Slade turned to his beta, handing me and Audrey over to him. “No,” I and Audrey chorused at the same time. Many guards had surrounded us, protecting their alpha and his heir. “Aria, Listen to me. I don’t have time to argue with you. You are carrying my baby. You have to be safe,” “So you expect me to just sit inside and do nothing?” I asked. “I’m not pregnant, I can fight,” Audrey said stubbornly. Slade groaned. He glanced at the men around us, and next thing I know, I’m being lifted off my feet. Myself and Audrey were taken into the house, along with many orders. Slade was gone in seconds as