Thank you for reading 💖 Please trust the process. This is the lowest point of the book, so we have no way but up from here. 💖
XANDER. “Xander… No.” Nadine begged.“It’s either me or them, Nadine.” I was doing my best not to break down. I could attempt to stop them, and Maddox could fire the gun at me, and then what would happen to Nadine next? He would still order someone to rape her. Or, he would shoot at her.“I know. Better you…” She spoke without opening her mouth.“No… No…” She cried loudly this time. “That’s it, little mouse. Cry. Let them see you beg him.” Maddox was clearly enjoying this. Nadine kept shaking her head, but the moment I took her hands and pinned them up against the wall, our eyes locked for a split second. Her eyes told me everything I needed to keep going. She trusted me. I could hear Maddox and the others laughing while I was doing my best to get her permission. It took too much of me not to ravage her. The sex pill was taking effect on my whole body, but Orion was doing his best not to add to the lust I felt. He kept telling me to stay focused and not hurt Nadine.“I love you
THEODORE. (NADINE'S FATHER, The next in line as Alpha of the Dark Forest Pack before Maximus took over the pack)The helicopter I was in roamed above the vast forest of the Dark Forest Pack.I couldn’t help the pang of pain that hit my chest as I looked at the territory below. Although I hadn’t seen it in four decades, the familiarity and the warmth it brought to me didn’t change.I was supposed to be the next Alpha of this pack until that night my father, Alpha Carlos Montrell, the then Alpha, was killed. For some reason, the power of the Alpha didn’t transfer to me automatically. It went to Maximus—the man who was ten years older than me and the man my father took under his wing.Maximus and my mother, Teresa, came from the same pack. He was the son of my mother’s personal bodyguard before she met my father. So when Dad took my mother home after finding out she was his fated mate, Maximus’ father came with them to this territory to make sure she was protected. He took his whole fa
FUTURE BETA FEMALE MINDY. Matthew drove me out of the Dark Forest territory into the nearby city. We dropped my luggage inside the hotel that Xander reserved for me before we drove back home, using the route Alpha Maddox seldom takes. Matthew didn’t ask a question and just followed what I asked him, as Xander had already told him what to do. Xander also instructed him that if the Alpha inquired about my whereabouts, he should merely respond that he had brought me to the city without any mention of taking me back here.So he dropped me in the middle of the neutral forest and drove himself home. This area was connected to the forest inside our territory, where no cameras were placed. This was a big risk. I was alone and weak, and it would take a long trek to get inside and reach where I was supposed to meet Arlo. I didn’t tell my mate how long and dangerous this path was, but I had no choice. I didn’t want to be out of the territory while they were trying to save Nadine. I knew I co
BETA ARLO. ‘Alpha Riley!’ He was in, and that meant the others, too. ‘Motherfucker! You got in!’ He exclaimed back, and I could sense the relief in his tone. ‘I told you I would.’ I answered proudly. ‘I know, son.’ ‘Where is Kenzo?’ I asked. ‘He’s with Tyler. They went to the other side. Jace took him in his pack so he could link him for now, and he removed that asshole’s command from him. But we don’t know what’s happening inside. Do you know where Nadine is?’‘Where are you first?’ I asked first instead of answering. I listened as he described the landmark he was seeing. I told him that a hundred meters to the right of where he was was where I was supposed to meet Mindy.I told him what he needed to know about Mindy and me, as well as where Nadine was and why the fuck I ended up running.‘If you can get Mindy to safety, I will lead these wolves there. Because I need help. They were too many. And then we can go back to Nadine.’‘Got it. Lead them here. It’d been too long since
FORMER ALPHA MAXIMUS (Xander and Maddox's Grandfather). When Maddox told me he was set to put his action into motion today, I mocked him and said that he had finally grown a backbone. I couldn’t understand why he waited so long to kill the female in the cell. If it were me, she was dead in the first twenty-four hours of captivity. She might look like Teresa, which was a valid reason for me to like her. But it didn’t happen. Because, in reality, she was a reminder that even in the face of death, Teresa chose Carlos Montrell over me.I was nine years old when I realized I was smitten by her. She was beautiful, and she would let me be around her. Everything was perfect, but then she met her mate, Carlos Montrell, and broke my young heart in the process.I moved on with my life until I found myself with nothing.Everything I worked hard for turned to dust. I was removed as a warrior and outcast from my own pack because of one single mistake—letting the Alpha’s son commit crimes with me
XANDER. As soon as Maddox roared for his men to find Arlo, I sprung into action. His attention was directed toward Arlo that he didn’t see me launching at him. I was able to ram my elbow into his arm, making it easier to grab his weapon from him. Before he could react, I was already pointing the gun at his head. The crowd fell silent, and all I could hear was Maddox and Nadine’s heartbeats. “Give me your phone,” I told him.“You’ve got a gun, and all you want is my phone? Are you terrified that someone…” He was not able to finish his words because I pushed the gun more into his temple, and his eyes immediately shot closed.“Your fucking phone, Maddox,” I repeated, and he slid his hand into his back pocket before giving it to me. I operated the phone without taking my eyes off him, occasionally glancing at it until I found Nadine’s video. I deleted it and scrolled down his messages. He sent the video to Alpha Jace. My jaw tightened, but I kept my expression stoic. Nadine didn’t n
XANDER.“You cannot command an Alpha heir. I am one, even if the title is not mine.” I told Maddox in a low voice, just enough that only he could hear — unless someone was really paying attention. “So all this time you were asking me to do something, I just pretend to be doing it. I can defy you, even from day one.” I continued as I lowered the gun, but I was still watching his movement. I could hear the rumbling in his chest, and for some reason, it was satisfying to hear. “By the way, so that this one is out between the two of us. It was me who let Catherine out of the territory. I told her which way her father’s car had taken so they were able to find her right away. And you were right. I let Kenzo run away, so I’m sure when he comes back, he has forces with him. And lastly, I never raped Nadine. My mate knew I was playing the part, and she allowed me to touch her.”His breathing hitched as we continued walking. So, I added more salt to his injury. “No one also gave me any order
NADINE. I watched as Maddox moved to the center of the grounds, standing ten meters away from me. My breath hitched as a strong aura swirled around me, and a wicked smile crossed his face.I saw scratches on his neck earlier, but it was gone already. His wolf healed him, and he was making his presence known. I shouldn’t be terrified, as I had combat with Alphas before, but this strong aura he was letting out only meant one thing: he had never shown his full aura before, and he was definitely using it tonight. My eyes followed Maddox’s line of sight as he was drawn to something. My gaze darted to the crowd as they paved the way for someone. In no time, Anica came out and stepped toward the fighting ground. She had her hair down, something I had never seen her do before. She probably rushed there and was not able to tie them up. She stopped between me and Maddox. She turned to him and bowed her head in respect before facing the crowd. “Good evening, Dark Forest Pack. As the former Ga
TEN YEARS AFTER THE BIRTH OF XAVIER.XANDER.“Are you ready, Alpha?” Xavier asked, and once I nodded my head, he turned to his side and nodded at his seven-year-old brother, Nexus. Without any more words, they hurried off into the forest for my wolf, Orion, to track them. I always give them a fifteen-minute head start before I start looking for them.Fifteen minutes—enough time for myself to soak in all the things my eyes could see and think of all that happened in my life over the last ten years.Three years after we gave birth to Xavier, Nadine fell pregnant again. This time, she extended an offer to me for the Alpha position. Like she said, I’d been doing the Alpha work whenever she couldn’t attend to it due to the nature of her pregnancy. She was going through a difficult time with Nexus. There were days she couldn’t get up from our bed and would vomit from time to time. Although our son was healthy, Nadine would always end up drained of energy. I, of course, could continue doing
NADINE.Dad and Mom arrived just a couple of hours after I gave birth. Nadia called them right away when my waterbag broke, so they were already traveling while I was in labor. Xavier’s birth came early, yet we and the whole pack had always been ready for him.With the approval of the midwives who assisted me, we began our journey home at midnight. I couldn’t wait to introduce our son to his pack and welcome Jillian as our Gamma Female. We arrived by dawn, and I expected the packhouse to be quiet as everyone should be asleep, but the sight that welcomed us was indeed overwhelming to a mother’s heart.The house was bright with lights, and the packhouse ground was decorated with lanterns and banners—both for our son and our Gamma Female—as if they had days to prepare for this and not just hours. The whole area was alive, and even without hearing anything from the outside, I was sure there was music playing as there were people dancing.But the moment Kenzo’s door opened, the whole pl
NADINE.I had just finished fixing my hair and was ready to drive to the Midnight Pack for Jillian’s debut. I came out of our room and went downstairs to find Xander. He was ready many minutes ago, and I asked him to leave me alone in our room so I could continue preparing because he kept distracting me with hugs and kisses. I found him at the bar, drinking alone. I wasn’t sure if he noticed my presence as he remained standing by the large window, gazing outside while sipping his drink.He must be thinking about Carlotta and her pup, as this had been the only thing keeping him quiet lately. Xander was determined to find Maddox’s child and give it a good life. But Carlotta had been dodging us for almost a year.But today, we got more information. We finally had a name and gender. Maddox and Carlotta had a daughter, Maxine Charlotte Trevino. Carlotta named her after her father. But we were still clueless about where they were staying. All we knew was that the child had a fever, and C
GAMMA KENZO.I unclasped her bra and tossed it aside before pulling away from kissing her, letting my eyes savor the perfect breasts that were made for me. Jillian had a petite frame, but her breasts were bigger than her size, and burying my head in between them was a fantasy I wanted to fulfill. She bit her bottom lip before her hands cupped the sides of her breasts and gently kneaded them; all the while, her eyes were swirling with lust. “Do you like them?”My eyes were surely twinkling as I nodded my head, like a boy on Christmas Day. “I fucking love them!”I didn’t need an invite as I bent over and captured one of her breasts, and a grunt filled my throat as I savored her bosom, one after the other, letting my tongue and hand play with them and her nipples while my sultry mate was fumbling with my shirt and my pants, helping in taking them off my body. After I had my fill, my lips pressed against her firm stomach. I trailed my mouth down to her inner thigh where my hand was, par
FUTURE GAMMA FEMALE JILLIAN.“Have you played hide-and-seek?” I asked him in a soft voice after he sent a message to Beta Xander. First, he asked them if Alpha Nadine had given birth and told them to call him anytime. He also informed him that “he got the girl and that he was blessed tenfold tonight.” Even though it was just a text message, I could see the pride in him as he puffed his chest while he was typing those words. Kenzo, even without him knowing, really knew how to melt my heart.“Hmmm... what are you planning to do?” He asked, his forehead creasing. We were already in the hotel lobby where I was staying. The party was already over, but my family was still there to make sure all the guests were sent off nicely and out of the border, but they let us leave ahead. I stood in front of Kenzo, walking backward as he walked forward at my pace. I placed my hand on his chest, a playful grin etched on my face. “Catch me if you can, lover boy.”I pushed him playfully before running
FUTURE GAMMA FEMALE JILLIAN.I watched in awe as my father, Alpha Lucas, took the center stage together with my mother, Luna Katarina. Unlike other parents, Dad and Mom were actually happy that I found out who my mate was as soon as I turned eighteen. Dad was glad he turned out to be the same man I was in love with. He didn’t want me to have any doubts about the man I would be in a relationship with, knowing that my mate was just out there somewhere. Although he was sad I had to leave them sooner, he knew I would be in good hands.“We would like to thank everyone for gracing us with your presence for our daughter’s coming-of-age celebration.” My father began, and the crowd gave him a round of applause. I couldn’t help but smile and playfully roll my eyes upon seeing my mother looking at him as if he held the whole universe in his hands. But then I realized it must be the same way I looked at Kenzo whenever he wasn’t looking at me, and I got to study his features. Dad looked at Mom
GAMMA KENZO.I had never driven so fast as I did tonight. Good thing that I only needed to drive along the forest road, so there were no cameras and traffic police lurking around. If I had my way, I would have run on my paws so I’d be faster, but I needed to look presentable, and I couldn’t just rip my clothes off. I was stopped at their border, and it seemed the one in there had no idea who I was. He denied me entry because I didn’t have the invitation with me. In my rush to get help for the Alpha, I might have dropped it somewhere in the packhouse. Only when I instructed him to reach out to Alpha Ledger and we conversed over the phone did I receive permission to enter.The drive to the hotel where her party was ongoing was plain torture. I was happy that I was here, but the thought of missing her dance and her not being my fated mate kept seeping into my mind. “Judgment time.” I reminded myself of this as I picked up the bouquet of red roses from the backseat of my car and made m
LADY JILLIAN.“Mine!!” The growl was so loud it vibrated through my whole body. I shoved Wes’ hand off me and abruptly turned my body around to face the direction of the voice.And my heart stopped as I stared at the man at the far end of the corridor. My eyes locked with Alonso, Alpha Aeon’s son, the next Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. My mouth parted as a shriek passed my lips, something I was not able to control. “No!”Until I realized something.I was older than Alonso. Even with him having a wolf, it was impossible that I scented him. He was not eighteen yet. —----------------------GAMMA KENZO.I ran my comb through my hair one more time, perfecting my hairstyle before pointing at myself through my reflection in the mirror. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I was beyond ecstatic.Tonight, whatever fate had in store for me and Jillian, we would finally take our relationship to the next level. I could officially claim her as my girlfriend, and we would take it fro
A YEAR AFTER MADDOX’S DEATH. LADY JILLIAN of the Midnight Pack. I couldn’t erase the smile off my face as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was tied up tightly in a bun, and I was dressed in a swan-like ballerina dress. The only jewelry I had was one pair of crescent moon earrings that I had never taken off. Finally eighteen. My family was throwing a grand ball for me, and I would start the night with a ballet dance that I’d been practicing for many months. The dance was about a female coming of age and spreading her wings. I was excited, not only because I would be turning eighteen and would finally be able to do many things, but because I could officially say YES to Kenzo as my boyfriend. We could make it official. Kenzo and I started dating after he was re-inducted as the Gamma of the Dark Forest Pack. He asked me if he could court me, and I said he could, or he could come back once I turned eighteen, as I was not allowed to have a boyfriend until then. Not that