‘I didn’t mean to…’ Zev says quietly in my head, reminding me of Ayda’s words when she’s in the nightmare. He blamed her, even though giving birth had nearly ripped her in half. And she'd accepted the blame.‘You left me broken and bloody on the forest floor.’ That’s what she said to him. Broken fro
CathalI’ve never seen my father so angry before and I didn’t have to have my wolf to know that Ayda was terrified. I heard them arguing, mostly heard my father yelling, which he never does. I don’t care who Ayda’s mate used to be, all I know is that now she’s my mother. And I have no intention of l
I feel a frission of fear slide over me as I cross the pack borders alone for the first time. I know that Alpha Masuzyo has tried to kill me once already, but he’s after Ayda too. She and I will be stronger together if he finds us. So, I push my fear aside and I continue to follow the soft sounds of
LucaDid that Alpha, Alpha Dimitri, just say that our Luna, our true Luna, is alive?We all knew that Alpha Dimitri stole our first Luna from our Alpha, or at least we thought he did. According to Alpha Dimitri, Luna Natasha was his fated mate. But the entire reason we went to war with them was beca
“And let’s not forget how Alpha killed Bruce in front of her, just for asking her if she was okay.”I look at all of them. “Keep it quiet, but I’m going to find out what really happened. But if Alpha Dimitri says she’s alive, I’m inclined to believe it.”“Fuck,” one of the warriors growls. They look
“Yeah, I know.”“He carried her out, but she was awake. We could hear her talking softly, she sounded so weak,” the nurse says. We thought he was taking her to their bedroom. Harper and Kelsey wanted to follow, to make sure she was okay. She was still covered in blood. So the three of us followed an
Dimitri‘Sergi, guard the pack,’ I yell through the mind link as I cross the borders. The patrols howl their concern as I find Ayda’s and Cathal’s scent. I know right away where she’s going. She’s heading back to the place that she considers her home. That place that she made into a home when she wa
“Let him go, Dimitri,” she says. I turn, looking at her incredulously, making sure that neither she nor Cathal are injured. I can’t think of any other reason that she’d want me to let him go.“He helped us, Dad. He killed one of the other wolves,” Cathal says quietly. “And Ayda’s been bitten.”I shi
“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