The chapter was long so I broke it up, but will add a bit more before posting the second one.
AydaI quickly look around for a weapon, knowing I don’t have Asena this time to help me protect Cathal. I grab the first thing I see that looks heavy, a large, decorative piece, and ignoring how much it hurts my bad arm, I lift it over my head, rushing toward the large wolf.Cathal sees me and turn
“Zev will heal me quickly. I hear you’re responsible for the dead guy out there?” he asks, a strange expression on his face as he looks at the pups in my lap and Cathal sleeping against my side.“I didn’t know I killed him. He was after Cathal.”“So I heard. You protected my son again.”I shrug. “I
DimitriI hated leaving Ayda and Cathal exposed and not in a safe room when I raced into the battle, so I ordered Sergi and Nico to make sure they got to a safe room. It wasn’t until after they were safe that I had a chance to get confirmation that they were locked in. And it wasn’t until we were ab
“Damn, Ayda, your fingers are magic,” I say, as her thumbs move down my spine and then out to my sides.“You like this?” she asks.“It feels fantastic.”“Mmm, you’re very tight. Your muscles are very strong. I’m not familiar enough to know how much of this is tension and how much is strength.”“Righ
Ayda“What kind of a mother sleeps while her son dies beside her?” Masuzyo’s angry, hateful words fill my mind.“I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to!” I cry. Somewhere, deep in my mind, I know this is a dream, but I somewhere much closer to the surface, I feel like I deserve his punishment because I
“What? Who told you that?” he says, pushing me forward so he can look at me. He’s frowning and looks appalled at what I said.“I just…you should have a Luna who is stronger than me.”His eyes narrow and he moves, taking my face in his hands and holding me face so I’m forced to look at him.“Now you
DimitriI watch my mate and pup leave the packhouse before turning to find Gamma Nico. I let him sleep earlier while Sergi and I helped to clean out the packhouse and bury the dead, then Nico got up when we went to bed.“Nico, is Sergi up yet?” I ask, walking up to him.“He just mind linked me to as
“Thank you, Alpha.”When they step out of the room, I pull Ayda into a hug with one arm and Cathal with the other. “I hear my two favorite people are going around and spreading cheer to the warriors.”“It was Ayda’s idea, Dad, and they’ve all really appreciated it.”I kiss the side of her head befor
“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