Roman POV Caleb was itching to shift, scream, roar, or break everything in my sight!! I felt helpless. I felt as if my whole life had been one big lie after another, and sadly, those lies came from people who were supposed to love me and support me – family and friends. And now, I may be spellbound, the balance of pack future in peril. And I did not know whom to trust anymore. The anger and anxiety were rippling through me like a tsunami, and I was barely containing myself. “Son”, I heard my father’s strong voice. I could sense through our bond that he wanted to talk, he wanted to explain. I could not make myself listen to him. “He is our father!!!” Caleb was screaming at me, wanting to talk to Draco, my father’s wolf. Draco was a fierce warrior, a fierce Alpha, if there ever was one. Even at his age, I knew father would be able to kick my ass though. Maybe I needed a fight to get all this pain out of my system. “Don’t ”, I just spat at him, a little too harshly. Pain flashed in his
Roman POV Sitting by the lake with Art, reminiscing about the past, dreaming of the future, and seeing him alive, something slipped within me. I felt as if I was finally unchained. All these years, ever since I was crowned an Alpha King, my priorities have been wrong, I thought to myself. I have been chasing after an heir and a mate, and while I knew that the Kingdom depended on it, peace and protection for other packs depended on it, I went about it the wrong way. I put myself first, under the pretense I was doing it for the general good. I fucked and took advantage of women all the way through the Kingdom, focused on being a playboy when I should have been a King. I played with the hearts and minds of many and broke them all in the process. I resented my father over things he had no actual control over, and I had been blind to real dangers around me, around those I swore to protect. I hurt people I cared for, Dragana and Art included. And I shamed my mother, and the sacrifices she m
Roman POV Alice was purring and I could tell that my kiss was more than welcome. “Alpha King.. hmmm “, she was moaning in between the kisses. The bond was not there. Sparks were miniscule at best, but she was attractive and beautiful. I could make this work, I thought to myself. Many have taken a chosen mate, many have had very happy lives, pups, family, and happiness. She was melting in my hands, the scent of her arousal filling the room. Caleb was having none of it. “I thought I made myself clear. I do not think she is our mate” he growled now. “I want nothing to do with this Roman, I will NOT mate her!!!”, he continued seething. “We will talk later Caleb, I need this”, I snapped and blocked him while proceeding to kiss her, trying to focus on me wanting her. She stopped to catch her breath, happiness in her beautiful eyes. “Not that I am complaining Alpha King, but what brought this on???”, she said with a sly smile. “I did come here after all to.. “ she motioned toward the set ta
Daria POV The sound of battle was music to my ears. We had successfully taken over another smaller northern pack, and my tactics were proving merciless but fruitful. “She is mine!!! I was here first!!!!”, screamed a large black rouge wolf to one of my demon warriors. The object of their desire was a small frail she-wolf, her eyes full of fear, her face streaked with tears. “What is this shit show??? What the fuck are you idiots arguing about this time???!!!” I roared and the fight stopped, although both idiots were still glaring at each other, the wolf not letting the female out of his grip. The smell of blood and screams was all around us, my own face covered in the blood of their former Alpha. He was no match for me, and his corpse was in the dust two feet from me, ripped to shreds. “Mistress”, both warriors bowed. “The female is MINE!!!”, wolf roared. She was shaking, her eyes darting between the two of them, landing on me. Seeing me covered in blood, every hope she may have had
Jasmine POV The luscious gardens of the pack house provided a beautiful view. Sitting on the bench, the sun setting, I admired the view and the peace that came with it. A well-manicured landscape, littered by rose bushes, gardenias and flowering wisterias bursting with pops of color and sensual smells, overlooking ponds where ducks and fish played were before me, like an image painted by a master. Squirrels roamed around, as did many birds and rabbits, although I did not know how any of them were safe in the wolf pack. As if he heard my thoughts, Alpha King Jonathan walked over, following my eyes, and sat on the bench giving me a tight hug. “We let them live, we have plenty of meat in this house, we do not eat our pets, Princess” he chuckled. “Little pups love seeing them and playing with those willing – of course in their human form. We even have set up feeders”, he motioned over, and indeed I saw several feeding boxes and bird hangers. I chuckled. A wolf pack, with wildlife pets. Se
Dragana POV “You did it, Dragana!! You did it!!!”, Cybela was splashing in the ocean like a little puppy, roaring in happy laughter, amused with my training. It was quite hilarious watching this huge dragon use the ocean as her pool and have the exuberance of a little child or a little pup. “I told you – you can do it!!! I told you” she purred, splashing water everywhere in sheer happiness, and I stood there feeling incredible. I was able to control the elements!!! In my hands I rotated the water, air, sand, and fire like a juggling ball, in a gentle concert, neither element colliding, floating simply on my command. “Well done child!! Well done!!” I heard Solomon clapping behind me, but I dared not take my eyes off my project. Ever since we came back from Alexandria, Cybele in tow, I have been training. Accepting Aisha and Vasilla was still a work in progress. I did not understand the Tribrid connection, nor what to do with it. Magic, however, came much easier, and my witch side was
Dragana POV “We have to stop meeting like this!”, I heard a familiar voice of Lady Jasmine, and nearly leapt up from the bed to give her a hug. However, I was still lightheaded somehow and simply fell back into the array of pillows on my bed. The sun was shining brightly through the large windows overlooking the ocean, hitting her beautiful blonde hair, almost forming a halo around her. “How are you here?”, I almost whispered. Another familial scent hit me. Turning around, I found Beta Artemis sitting on the other side, his dark sparkling eyes looking at me adoringly with a big smile on his face. “Solomon asked me to come”, she said simply. I looked at Art, who was speaking now: “And I tagged along with her to see you Dragana, could not miss the chance!! It is a reunion!”, he said excitedly. Lady Jasmine walked over and kissed me on the forehead. “What should I call you now?”, I blurted out. She was my grand-aunt after all. She laughed at me, moving my hair gently from my face. “W
Alice POV The castle where I met the Dark Lord was every bit the place of nightmares. Even though on the outside it looked beautiful and well-designed architecturally, the scent of blood and death hit me even before I stepped in. I am sure the dungeons hid the horrors I could not begin to imagine. A cold shiver went down my spine and Rina whimpered in my head. “We should not be here!”, she growled at me. We were not in the best of relationship as of now, in fact ever since my original agreement with the Dark Lord. “I could not refuse his summons, Rina, you know that! Besides, he needs us, we will be safe”, I retorted. “Yes, he needs us. For now. What happens to us when he no longer needs us??? What have you gotten us into?!!!” Before I could say anything, several Lycan knights – dressed in black head to toe, appeared. In the light, their armor glistened with SCALES???? What was that???. These looked like dragon scales. Is the Dark Lord working with dragons??? And if so, does First
Beta Artemis POVAs we sat by the willowy tree in the ever-encompassing darkness, I started to feel…. Well… different, would be the best explanation. There was something here… Something an eye could not see, something that devoured your very soul. Emir whimpered, and this was strange – my wolf was a warrior, unfazed by anything. Roman was chewing on his food, looking at me strangely, his eyes flickering between him and Caleb, something happening, something he did not share. “Can you reach Caleb?”, I asked Emir and the definite answer was no. Our wolves could not communicate to one another and that was a huge red flag! I did not know what was happening. The darkness around us started moving and through the shadows I heard her voice… Faint at first, but then I felt her. I felt her calling to me, I felt her presence, her scent, her ever-present light… I opened my eyes, and there she stood before me, my beautiful Dragana, smiling at me, in flesh.It had only been moments since we left the
Roman POVWe sat down in the darkness that enveloped us. It was not like anything we had ever seen, it was permeating, ever dark, ever shadowy. It almost all felt unreal, as if we stepped into a realm unseen, something made of the darkness itself. Although I was initially reluctant to have Art join me, I was grateful for his presence, for his stoic aura and his support. Still chewing on a piece of beef jerky, I set up a temporary camp. We had moved far, and I knew we did not have a lot of time, but I needed to talk to him. Events back home did not allow us a conversation, and I needed to speak to the only other man Dragana loved. I needed to come up with a plan. Just in case. Just in case I did not make it out of here, I needed to know that he would love her as she deserved to be loved. In truth, I already knew that, but somehow, my heart was heavy, and I simply needed my friend.I knew he was restless seeing the dark waters. In truth. I was too; however, I did not want to admit it. I
Artemis POV When Dragana opened up the portal, I did not know what to expect. I knew we were going into a treacherous situation – by all accounts. What I read about the Yamuna River, coupled with what King Solomon said, did not look promising or encouraging. Surely, we were walking into danger, but none of that mattered. I loved her. I loved her with every breath I took and would gladly lay my life down for her, as I would for Roman. My connection to him was different, but there was love in my heart for him too, love, loyalty and friendship that only came from years of shared life like we had. We live in a strange world, one that to humans, at least most, would be incomprehensible. When I was young, I thought about their ways, the way they love, the way they live. I wondered what my life would be if I were born a human. I observed them, read about them, and thought to myself. Imagine having to work so hard, continuously on the verge of injury or death, struggling for most hours of you
Dragana POV“Regina Dominum???? You are not the Luna Queen yet, Alice!!!” I heard a strong booming voice of Alpha King Jonathan as strong as a command almost, his eyes piercing and blazing at her. I could tell he was none the more pleased with her invoking the ancient rite. “My son has not marked you, nor mated you from what I can tell from your scent… You do smell… well.. different… in some way, that I must admit… But you do not smell of my blood!!! You do not smell of Spieta line!!” he now all but growled, his hazel eyes turning almost crimson. I had never seen him that mad, nor did I know that his eyes had such a deadly hue to it. He looked quite intimidating, in fact.“Ah… ah.. no matter old timer”, Alice snickered.. “Roman and I will be mated and marked in no time, as soon as he is back from whatever idiotic and self-serving trip this betrayer, this murderer sent him to. In fact, how do we know that she is not planning to overtake the pack itself???? She must have sent Roman to h
Dragana POVGamma Aldar’s wife, Rose, looked bewildered and her face was a river of tears. A petite brunette with beautiful, amber-colored eyes, she held his body as if it were a baby, her sobs piercing my very soul. I knew they were fated mates, and I knew they had children. In fact, I remember delivering one of their sons many years ago, a chubby blonde boy with his mother’s eyes. I could not imagine or fathom the pain she was going through, and my heart went out to her. I was still in shock that somehow the dead man’s hand had the piece of my dress, covered in blood, but that was not my main concern. It should have been.“IT WAS HER!!!! SHE KILLED HIM!”, came the screeching voice of Alice, storming with purpose from a corner of the circle, her eyes flaming with fury, her hand outstretched and pointed at me. Everybody’s eyes turned toward me, confused and insecure, doubt in their eyes, yet nobody said anything. Rose lifted her eyes up to me, puffy and red, looking between me and Ali
Dragana POVMy aunt and her husband excused themselves to go meet with their children. It was just yesterday that they all arrived, and I was excited about meeting my relatives. I understood most favored a witch gene, although a couple of them were hybrids, so we had a lot to discuss. Fluttering emotions were overcoming me every time I thought of them. Having a family also made me feel stronger, and an anchor if you will, albeit a little insecure. For somebody who did not even know I had a family, I now swam in family relationships, magic, lovers and everything in between. My whole world had been tossed upside down and I was still adjusting to it.My great-grandfather, the sage of old times, looked at me with tenderness. “My sweet child…. A new day, a new dawn is coming into your life… The question you need to ask yourself, is are you going to allow it to control you… Or will you step up and control it?”, he asked, as we made way toward the packhouse. My stomach was grumbling, and I o
Dragana POVWatching both of them getting ready to go to Yamuna, to risk their lives for Jasmine, tightened my heart and nearly made me breathless. The weight of what I asked of them weighed heavy on me, and while I appreciated their bravado and their honor in making sure that I understood that none of this was my fault, none my responsibility, deep down I knew better. I also knew that no matter what, I could not choose between them. I knew in my heart that I loved Roman, in spite of all the past, in spite of fear that he would never see me as an equal, never see me as somebody worthy. Many years of solitude within the pack, many years of cold shoulder and downright emotional abuse, did not disappear simply because he confessed his love. I did not know if they ever would and if I ever would fully make peace with this. However, right now, at this moment, as we stood there, on the cusp of change and on the cusp of their departure, I could not allow such a burden to be placed on either o
Roman POV“Yamuna River…..” I heard Solomon’s strong voice echoing around our odd gathered group, snapping me from my thoughts of my night with Dragana and her revelation of truly being my mate. I was ecstatic and apprehensive all at the same time, as even though Aisha and Caleb had acknowledged and recognized each other, Dragana did not accept me, nor did we mate, nor was she marked. I did not know how to feel about it all, but one thing was certain. At least I was not crazy, well, not as crazy as everyone thought anyway. I knew I had seen the beautiful white wolf; Caleb and I knew she was our mate. What sorcery Alice was playing at and why to fake mate bond, I did not know. Both Dragana and I also thought that perhaps there would be a possibility of her being an unwilling victim of a larger force at play. We had a plan. A plan I was going to discuss with Art and Gamma Aldar when I returned. Dragana had promised to discuss this with Solomon and the Slavic Coven, her uncle, Lord Samue
Roman POVWe made an odd crowd standing under the blue-blooming tree. Dragana, Lady Asma, Lord Samuel, King Solomon, Art, and I. Odd crowd indeed. It was the early morning hours and we only had two days left until we had to return with the Blessed Blade, the only way to save Lady Jasmine from certain death. Dragana stood there stoically in a white gown that in the morning sun made her look etheric. Her silver, sparkling eyes stood out more than usual and I could see a gentle smile whenever she gazed at Art or myself. I had a lot of emotions raging within me, a lot that I was trying to understand after my night with her.Flashback*****************I had to know. I had to ask her, even though somehow, inexplicably, even though she claimed I meant nothing to her, I could feel that she was lying. I knew that her body melted into mine as I had into her, a feeling unlike any other in my life. I knew she felt it, I knew she felt some type of a deeper connection. I could see I had put her on