“You said what?” I ask.He glances up at me, and seeing my attention on him, he stands up straighter, giving me his undivided attention. “Well, you told me to make sure she survived, I assumed because she was a rogue it was because she was involved in the war and you wanted information from her.”In
Ayda‘Wake up, Ayda. You need to wake up.’I hear Asena, but she sounds so far away. I’m cold and still aching all over. It’s like I’m back in my own personal hell again, only this time Asena is here with me.‘Ayda, wake up. We need to move. It’s not safe here.’‘Where’s here?’ I ask, trying to forc
‘Asena, if I do that and it sucks me under again, they’ll see me.’‘Do you have a better idea?’I look around. We’re still a full day from the mountain in my current condition and I desperately need to sleep.It’s about an hour later than we hear another howl go up, this one farther away.‘They went
DimitriThe morning after the battle, I got a search party, and we went back to the river to find the woman. I’d had to explain to my son that she had gotten frightened and run off. He’d wanted to participate in the search party, but without a wolf and with Masuzyo still out there threatening him, I
I stare at the waterfall, wishing that it could tell me it’s secrets. She’s been here and if water could talk, I’d make the river tell me where she went. But of course it can’t and when my warriors return, telling me they’ve lost her scent, I’m frustrated again. We begin running, trying to figure ou
“Yeah, I know. But on the off chance that Natasha did send this woman to help my son, or even if it was divine intervention by the Moon Goddess herself, I have to find this woman.”They nod. My mate was well-loved by our pack.“There,” I say, looking up at an overhang on the mountain. It’s very high
AydaI made it back to my little home, practically dragging myself by the time I got there. My hip was screaming at me and my arm was throbbing. I fell into my bed, barely able to pull the fur over me. I’m cold now that Asena is gone again. I hope she’s back soon. I miss my wolf.It’s the last thoug
“My mate died ten years ago. I had forgotten….” he takes another deep breath of my scent. So, his first mate was a fated mate. Then for him, this is a gift. For me, I’m not sure what this is. I’m not sure I want to be mated to another Alpha who will betray our mate bond and cast me aside.“I want yo
“I couldn’t agree more," I say.Dimitri reminds our pups to be respectful and to listen to Valentina and then we head back to our house.My mate takes my hand as we walk through the quiet streets of our pack. I begin to purr with happiness, all the happiness that I feel from my mate and from my life
AydaI watch as my son and his friend identify each other as mates in front of the pack, then watch my son claim his mate, the only woman he’s ever loved, with a passionate kiss.“How did you know?” I ask my mate. He called it years ago. At first, I thought he was teasing me but he just kept telling
“What I know is that my son will be the most handsome man in the room tonight…well, besides his father,” my mother says, turning to smile at him, making Zev purr in response.“Good thing I look just like dad,” I say rolling my eyes. I was not unhappy for my parents to move out of the packhouse. I’d
Eight Years LaterCathal“Do I really have to call you Alpha now?” my sister Dimitra asks me, walking into the family living room in our parents’ new house. When I took over as Alpha a few weeks ago, my father moved the rest of the family off of the Alpha floor. Our pack has grown ever since my moth
Ayda leans back against me as I begin to rub circles on her stomach. I frown, feeling her stomach cramping.“Ayda? Why does it feel like you’re in pain?”“They’re just cramps, Dimitri. I get them all the time,” she says, settling against me.“Are you sure?” I ask, feeling another one. I tune in more
DimitriFour months later.It took Masuzyo three days to die. It was impressive, mostly because I didn’t know a person could withstand so much pain. But he was a broad man, and the pack made sure that everyone who wanted their pound of flesh, got it. Literally. By the time he died, the smell of burn
“Do you want me to tell them to kill him? If you want him to die more quickly, I tell them to do it.”I think about it, think about every horrible thing he’s done to me, to Asena, to our son, to Cathal, to Dimitri, to Kelsey and Harper, and what he attempted to do to my daughter. “No, let the pack h
AydaI come awake slowly, feeling groggy, unsure what happened or where I am. My stomach hurts. Did Masuzyo take me roughly again? I’m not throbbing between my thighs so I don’t think that’s it. My face is throbbing, though. Did he hit me? Yes, he slapped me. Why did he slap me?I think hard, trying
“Ramon,” I hear my mother say softly, her gentle fingers moving through our fur. “NO!” she snarls, pushing Ramon behind her and pulling herself to her feet. As she does, Ramon pulls the shift, making me scream in pain as our broken leg and dislocated hip try to find the right spot to fit. I turn, vo