I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend, and I hope you enjoyed this new chapter in Aleksandr and Reek's story. Don't worry, there are still quite a few chapters remaining. Remember to use your daily gems to vote for this book! I appreciate you all so much, and I always look forward to reading your comment. Much Love, Anja <3
ALEKSANDR It was hard to fall asleep knowing that Rieka was just down the hall, but at least I knew she was here, and she was safe. When I finally dozed off, I dreamed of Rieka and what our life together could be like. First, I dreamed of a human style wedding. She was dressed in a beautiful white dress walking down the aisle toward me, then we were dancing together and eating cake celebrating with my pack and her friends. Then, the dream shifted, and it was a warm summer night. We were having a BBQ in the backyard with all the kids as fireflies lit up the yard. The dream faded away and suddenly Rieka and I were alone in my bedroom. I began walking up behind her and as she turned to face me, I saw her stomach was swollen and round with my pup. I wrapped my arms around her mid-section, holding both her and our baby as I kiss her cheek. When I woke up around 6 AM my bed felt especially cold and empty. I wondered if she and the kids were awake yet. As the sleepy fog cleared fro
RIEKA “Kids, there’s something we need to tell you.” We all sat in a circle in the game room. Aleksandr, Vasilisa, and I were on the sofa. Calvin was on my lap, Alex was in a gaming rocker on the floor, and Aria and Eden were cuddled up together in a giant beanbag chair. I picked at the cuticles of my nails, a nervous habit of mine, before I glanced up to meet my kids eyes. They looked nervous and I knew that it was my fault. They could feel my nerves and it was affecting them. Pull it together, I cursed at myself. “You kids know that Aleksandr saved me, but what you don’t know is that he had an entire army that helped him—” “Is he in the military?!?” Eden interrupted. “No, not exactly, but he is a leader. Some of his men died in the battle to save me… and one of those men was his father.” Tears immediately sprung from Aria and Eden’s eyes, and Alex looked completely shocked at this information. I hate seeing them cry and wish I could just stop here, but I already starte
ALEKSANDR I realized almost too late that I needed to talk to Rieka again. Tonight is the perfect opportunity to officially introduce her to the pack. It’s way past due considering we just went to war as a part of our efforts to rescue her. I’ve heard the rumors being whispered throughout the pack about a human who’s been hanging around the pack house, and while nothing I’ve heard is negative, I want to get ahead of any talk that might go the wrong way. I’d hate to have to discipline anyone for talking bad about their Luna out of ignorance. This could be an important part of the evening and give everyone something positive to celebrate amongst the heartbreak of our losses, but I would never put her in a position to make her uncomfortable. After mind-linking Drea, I finish getting ready and prepare to meet with Rieka so we can discuss her formal introduction. A few minutes later I was standing in front of her bedroom door. I could hear the tv on, and the girls giggling. I rais
RIEKA He loves me. I heard him say that he actually loves me. I knew that he was attracted to me and wanted to be with me, but in the back of my mind, I think I was still blaming the mate bond, even if I had accepted it. But this was different. The mate bond doesn’t force you to love. There was absolutely nothing holding me back now. I fell into his arms kissing him like he was the oxygen I needed to breath. He responded with an equal amount of passion and need, but I noticed his hands gently moved from my waist up to my neck and then softly cupped my cheeks as he returned my affections. I realized he was probably being careful not to mess up my hair that Drea had worked so hard on. I felt the warmth in my chest growing and the butterflies under my skin everywhere he touched me. I knew that I felt the same, but for some reason I was still scared to say it out loud. Instead, I put all of my love into this kiss, praying that he could feel it and understand my emotions throug
RIEKA The walk back to Aleksandr’s house was difficult for me. I had so many things I wanted to ask him and talk to him about, but I knew that the silent walk back was still a part of the tradition, so I held my tongue and tried my best to remember the things I wanted to discuss with him later. He had already explained to me that the Memorial would last for several days as the pack members had been split into groups and assigned days and times to visit the pack house to pay their respects to the family The first group would be waiting at the house when we returned tonight, and everyone would be gone by 10:00 pm so we could get some rest before the groups resumed their schedule at 9:00 am tomorrow. Emmitt was in charge of the schedule and apparently everyone was very punctual in order to respect the time of the alpha family and provide ample time for resting and grieving privately as well. Vasilisa would be staying at the house with us until the memorial ended and then she could d
ALEKSANDR Rieka recoiled away from me as the fire in her eyes grew by the second. If it were possible, I would have expected to see steam pouring from her ears, but I still had no idea what I’d said that flipped her mood so quickly. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Apparently, that added fuel to the fire, and she quickly rose to her feet and put some distance between us. My wolf began to whimper at the distance and the fact that our mate was so furious with us. I began to reach for her but could see that she wanted space and my efforts just kept making everything worse. “Please just tell me why you’re upset.” I pleaded. She threw her hands up in the air and spun around as she tried to calm herself enough to form words, but my wolf was loving the view as she spun around. I had to shove him back down so we didn’t make things worse. Now was not the time to get turned on, even if seeing her angry was extremely sexy. Maybe some other time when her anger is not directed at me. “What g
ALEKSANDR “Rieka? Are you awake?” She slowly sits up and arches her back as she simultaneously rubs the sleep from her eyes. She squints her eyes to focus on me across the room that is dimly lit from the light seeping in around the edges of the curtains. A soft smile begins to spread across her face, and I’m filled with that familiar warmth that only she can give me. I smile back at her, but her expression quickly shifts to one of recollection and uncertainty. My heart drops with my smile as I begin to rush forward. “Rieka, I’m so sorry. Can we please talk about last night?” She holds up a finger as a yawn escapes from her perfect mouth and her back arches again in another stretch. “I need a minute to wake up. Let me take a shower and I’ll meet you downstairs in about 15 minutes.” Thrilled that she didn’t just shut me down, I agree and exit the room so she can get ready. I was too anxious to eat breakfast. My mom, with the help of Drea and Dustin, managed to get the kids
ALEKSANDR Watching Rieka all morning, it was obvious that she was warring with her emotions. Everyone could see it and we all gave her space, but I couldn’t focus much. My eyes kept seeking her out, but each time I looked at her my heart cracked open a little more. For the first time in my life all I wanted to do was neglect all my responsibilities as Alpha and whisk her away to try and fix everything. Why does everything have to be so complicated for us? Will we ever catch a break and just have time to be happy together? The morning drug on for what felt like an eternity, but finally the house cleared out and we had a moment to breath and take a real break for lunch. Lucy knew that we would be too busy talking to eat most of the hors d’oeuvres she had prepared, so for lunch she made some amazing comfort foods including gourmet burgers, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, waffle fries, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. The kids joined us for lunch and Rieka seemed to brighten