I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I really struggled writing this one more than any other chapter so far in this book. I knew where I wanted it to go and it just wasn't coming together like I planned, but then I decided to split it into two chapters instead of trying to fit it all in one. As always, I appreciate you gem votes, and I love to read your comments! Much Love, Anja
ALEKSANDR There is no way I will allow Rieka to be out of my sight again. I quickly signal Lucas to update the teams on the situation. They can move in to get Gina as soon as I know Rieka is safe. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. Rieka will be leaving with me, tonight.” I inform him as I step forward and my men all follow suite. The rogues all take a defensive stance and I hear the rustling of leaves behind us. Of course Silas would make sure to surround us up here to ensure he gets what he wants, but I still have more men down the hill. I know that Lucas is already sending out a mindlink to them that we need extra support. I just need to focus on getting to Rieka, and my warriors should have a path cleared for us to leave. Both sides pause for a moment, waiting to see who will make the first move. I prefer to be on the offense, so I’m usually the one to make the first move, but I need to be cautious. I don’t want Rieka to get hurt. I take a minute to examine all the
RIEKA Aleksandr’s eyes rake over my entire body frantically, I’m sure he’s looking for any sign of injury to confirm Silas’ lie about punishing me. When he doesn’t see anything wrong, I recognize the combination of confusion and relief in him, but then he voices his concerns. I nod my head to let him know that I’m fine, but the concern in his eyes grows at my refusal to speak. I desperately want to ask Aleksandr about my kids, but I also want to get out of here as quickly as possible, so I want to avoid any unnecessary drama. If cooperating and not speaking will help speed up negotiations, then I can comply. Then, Silas opens his mouth again. “Maybe I underestimated my position here. It seems that having Rieka as my prisoner gives me more power than I initially anticipated. She’s even more important to you than I expected. Let’s take the rest of the night to think it over and meet again tomorrow. I think I’ll be increasing my demands.” My eyes go wide, and my mouth drops o
ALEKSANDR I know I could have sent Rieka back to her house with a few warriors to guard her so she could be reunited with her kids, but selfishly I didn’t want her out of my sight. I couldn’t even let go of her hand as we walked out of the cave. I just needed to be touching her. The sparks from the mate bond felt ten times stronger because of the separation and the adrenaline from everything that has happened tonight. Once we exited the cave, it dawned on me that the only way to travel quickly and easily from this location to the next would be if Rieka could ride on me in wolf form. I wasn’t sure how she would feel about it, so I quietly pulled her aside to discuss it. “Rieka, I know this might seem strange and I know I keep piling more on top of everything you’ve been through, but in order to move through the forest quickly I am going to need you to ride on my back.” She looked at me and nodded once showing her compliance. I didn’t expect it to be that easy. “… In my wolf fo
ALEKSANDR As soon as Asher cuts the mindlink I’m helping Rieka to her feet and we head back to the center of the grove so I can get more details and address the warriors. As we were walking, I glanced at Rieka, “It looks like we don’t have to track Silas down, he’s coming to us. I don’t know how many men he has left, but we outnumbered them to begin with, so I expect this to be over soon. I need you to be safe, so I’m going to put you in the hideout with Jericho, Gina, and the Luna’s Guards.” At the mention of Luna’s Guards her eyes go wide, and her mouth makes a small o shape. “You- You have… Luna’s Guards?” I stop and turn to face her. I know we don’t have a lot of time, but I need her to trust me, and I need her to trust them. “Yes, I hand-picked each one of them for you. I’ll introduce you to them, but when I am not around to protect you and your kids, they will be there. I know you haven’t fully accepted me or agree to any of this yet, and we can talk about it more later
ALEKSANDR More rogues?!? These can’t be a part of Silas’ pack. Where are all these rogues coming from? My mind is racing trying to piece it all together, but I need to stay focused. Silas is spinning and snapping his jaws at me trying to break free from my hold. I keep my fangs locked onto his leg, but quickly mindlink all my warriors to let them know about the incoming assault. I may have Silas restrained now, but I won’t be able to hold him here if my warriors are overrun by a massive army of rogues. We need a plan. A quick glance around the area reveals that my warriors are currently winning the battle, but the war is just beginning, and we need a plan before the rest of the forces get here. It doesn’t matter if these new rogues are with Silas or not, they will aid in his escape if our attention is divided. I quickly mindlink the scouts asking how much time we have until the new group reaches our location. “Maybe around 40 minutes, if we’re lucky.” Comes the quick but
RIEKA Sebastian cautiously approaches us. “We need to go now if we’re going to get out of here before the rogues arrive.” Aleksandr’s grip on me tightens, but he doesn’t argue against the idea. Jericho walks up behind Sebastian with a pensive look in his eyes. “I know I have no right to ask this, but can Giovanna please go with Rieka and the guards? I want her safe, but I will stay and fight alongside you.” He’s obviously talking to Aleksandr even though he won’t look him in the eye. Something about being submissive to the alpha keeps his eyes turned toward the ground. I glance behind Jericho to see Gina looking contrite and remorseful. It’s almost as if she has spent all of her energy trying to appear tough and uncaring before, and now she is just broken. She’s spent and she’s tired of putting up a front. To my surprise Aleksandr agrees that Gina can leave with us, but he looks to be contemplating something. “You will need to rejoin the pack if you’re going to fight along
RIEKA When we arrived back at Aleksandr’s home it was very different from the last several times I was there. His mom, Vasilisa, was there to welcome us, and although she had the same warm smile from the first time we met, her eyes looked haunted. Vasilisa introduced herself to Gina before she ushered us inside and the house. It was full of people whom I’d never met before. When we walked in the room went quiet and everyone turned and looked at me. I’m not a shy person, and under normal circumstances I can even enjoy the spotlight, but right now it just felt awkward. Vasilisa cleared her throat and without saying a word managed to turn everyone’s attention back to their own conversations. She led us through the crowd to the living room. Everyone kept glancing at us as we passed by and although they tried not to make it obvious, I could feel their eyes on me. From what I caught of the conversations when we walked past; everyone is tense over the battle happening right now. I
ALEKSANDR I’m in my wolf form ready to engage in one-on-one combat with the leader of this rogue group. There is a slight hesitation as we both stare each other down and assess our opponent. Neither of us wants to rush into this and be reckless, but it’s important to establish dominance. If I’m too hesitant during the fight, then even if I win, the rogues who previously followed him might not submit and concede. If they view me as a victor who just got lucky this battle could rage on for hours. All the warriors begin moving back and forming a wide circle around us as we begin circling one another. We each let out a low growl as we circle to confirm our challenge to the other. Usually if there is a battle like this, we are at least aware of the reason for it, but this has come out of nowhere. We have no idea who these rogues are or why they’re attacking us. I decide that it’s important to establish my dominance from the beginning to so swiftly move in for the first attack. We
Aleksandr smiles as he lifts my hand to place a featherlight kiss on the back side. “Are you ready for your honeymoon Mrs. Volkov?” The corner of his mouth tips up in an adorable half smile, and I almost giggle at being called Mrs. Volkov, but the heat in his eyes stops me dead in my tracks and reminds me of the promise of what’s to come when we get to…. Wherever it is that he’s taking me. “Am I still not allowed to know where we’re going?” I reply with a smile. I know I didn’t answer his question, but I’m suddenly feeling playful. He shakes his head, but I follow up with another question before he can speak. “Can you at least tell me how long it will be before we get there?” Aleksandr pauses in thought and for a moment. Just when I think I might get SOMETHING out of him, he shakes his head again. “No, that might give too much away.” ----- I was in the woods alone at night. I kept hearing something and glancing around, but there was nothing I could see. Just trees and bus
I recently completed my second book “Going Rogue” (Gina’s Story) and will soon be returning to Rieka and Aleksandr’s story to pick up where we left off.If you haven’t already please check out Gina’s story and give it a review. It didn’t get nearly as much attention as this one, and I’d love to see it get enough reviews to show a rating on the info page. I have 2 more books planned for this series, but I’m also starting a new job that might take some extra time to learn and get in the swig of things. I’m going to try and write ahead a little before I begin publishing so that you guys never miss an update because of my crazy schedule.Have a great weekend and stay tuned for the sequel to “Second Chance Luna” - “The Luna’s Family Secret” - in the coming months! I HOPE to start publishing the sequel in March, but I'll post a short preview here soon to give you a sneak peak. ;-) Much Love,Anja
RIEKAI’ve been working out with Aleksandr for the last several months, and I feel great! I feel stronger, and I know my muscles are more toned and I’ve even dropped a couple of inches from my mid-section. The amazing thing, however, is that the more time I spend with Aleksandr, the less stressed I feel about how I look. At this point, I’m just working out because I love it, and I love feeling strong, but I am absolutely convinced that he really does love me no matter what my body looks like.Another bonus has been all the extra energy I have to play with my kids, even after a long day of working. Although my work schedule isn’t nearly as hectic as it used to be, I keep working because I love it, not because I need the income.We moved into the pack house, although I still have a separate room until after the wedding, and the kids started attending the local schools for pack members. I think they’re all doing well and getting along with the other kids. At least they haven’t told
ALEKSANDRI’ve been planning this moment since I rescued her from Silas and brought her back home with me. Initially, I wanted to deal with all the funerals, memorials, and the local authorities first, but things kept coming up and stretching it out and I couldn’t wait any longer.I knew this location would give us enough privacy that I didn’t have to worry about someone recognizing her and calling the authorities, but I still took extra precautions to ensure that our evening could proceed uninterrupted.When I made assumptions about us having a pup, I worried that I’d screwed everything up and lost her. Thankfully we started working through it and I felt confident enough in our relationship to move forward with our plans.She’s everything to me, and I wanted the entire day to be relaxing, enjoyable, and memorable for her. I had Drea take her out for girl time in the morning to help her get ready before we started all the things that I had planned for us.Rieka looked stunning when
RIEKA Even though I just received a massage this morning with Drea and Alheri, I’m really enjoying getting one from Aleksandr. We’ve already had such a full day and the tension was starting to build up again, but he makes quick work of my neck and shoulders coaxing them back into a relaxed state. He better watch out. If he spoils me too much, I’ll start expecting this treatment every day. The thought makes me chuckle softly to myself which gets Aleksandr’s attention. “Care to share the joke?” I quickly stifle my laughter and clear my throat. “I was just thinking that you better not spoil me too much or I might start expecting over the top gestures and being treated like a queen every day.” “You should expect it,” He replies in a serious tone. “You are my queen, and as such, you will be treated accordingly.” If I hadn’t heard the serious tone in his voice, I would have though he was making a joke. I’ve learned that Aleksandr does joke around sometimes, but he’s never sarcast
RIEKA I peeked out the door, and although I didn’t see anyone, I quickly darted across the hallway to the bathroom before I could be spotted. As the door to the bathroom was closing behind me, I could hear Aleksandr standing in the hallway chuckling. Although my eyes were a little red, he was right, my makeup still looked flawless. What kind of witchcraft was this? What makeup had they used on me that it stayed on so perfectly, even when I cried like a baby? Feeling reassured that I didn’t look like a raccoon or a dying cat, I stepped back into the hallway where Aleksandr was waiting for me with a grin. “Ready?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, where are we going now?” He just laughs and shakes his head again without answering. We made our way back to the elevator and I thought we might be headed back across the sky bridge to his hotel, but instead he pulled a card from his pocket and scanned it before he hit the button for the top floor. I wonder what all the floors a
RIEKA When we arrived back at the pack house, the kids were nowhere to be seen. I was a little disappointed, but I was also excited about my evening with Aleksandr. I had no idea what he had planned, but I’m sure that Drea knew something, and if my outfit was not appropriate, she would have guided me towards something else. “Do you know where the kids are?” I ask Drea.Her eyes shifted as she mind-linked someone. “They aren’t here. Apparently, Vasilisa, Oliver, and Sebastian took them to a park in town and to get ice cream.” She smiled apologetically. Just then, Aleksandr walked into the room looking incredibly handsome in blue jeans, a white collared shirt, black tie, and a vintage style black leather jacket with a few gold stripes. He also wore classic white Adidas shoes with black stripes, and black shoelaces. Glancing down at my own shoes and I’m glad I chose a pair of dark grey booties with 4-inch heels. Our outfits will look great together, and I always appreciate tal
RIEKA Sometimes you wake up slowly, and sometimes you wake up quickly. This morning I was startled awake, sitting up quickly only to realize that it was still dark outside. It feels like I woke up because of a dream, but I don’t remember the dream at all. That tends to happen when I wake up quickly, but I always remember my dreams when I wake up slowly. Alex and Aria are both in the habit of sleeping in the other beds in the room now, and sometimes Eden sleeps with Aria, and sometimes she sleeps with me. Last night, Eden slept with Aria, so I only had Calvin in the bed with me this morning. Turning to look at the clock, I quickly confirm that it’s only 5:07 AM. I lie back down hoping to fall back to sleep, but my mind and body are both wide awake. After tossing and turning for about 30 minutes I give up and head to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. It’s probably just in my head, but I always feel colder first thing in the morning. After my shower I dress in m
RIEKA Gina already had a list of rogues that she knew would be open to joining the pack, and after coming up with a plan she and Jericho left to meet with a few more rogues to see where they were at and if they would be a good fit for integration into one of the packs. Aleksandr spent much of the morning interrogating the rogues who Gina said might know more about Silas’ connection to Alastor, so I didn’t see much of him. He didn’t even return for lunch, and by the afternoon I was feeling his absence strongly. Realizing that I’ve spent most of my time with him since I was rescued, I understood why it was so hard to be away from him. Being with him was like a drug, and the more I was with him, the more I needed to be with him. I’m not sure if this is normal, or if it’s affecting me differently because I’m a human but seeing Jericho and Gina together after having completed the mate bond made me miss Aleksandr even more. I could tell that Gina wasn’t holding anything back from him