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NADINE. “I was sure I reminded you to ask him important questions and not eat his face,” I heard Riley say, and Jake chuckled. I stopped the words wanting to come out of my throat and discreetly looked at Xander through my lashes. He had his back on them, and since I was on his front, I was the only one who could see his face. He bit his bottom lip, suppressing a smile to crack on his face. That was enough for me. He was not grumpy about Riley’s comment.“Stop talking as if you don’t forget you’re the Alpha whenever Nadia kisses you. She bats her eyelashes, and you immediately pant like a dog.” Jake mocked him, and I rolled my eyes. I wanted to tell him as if he were not the same as Riley, but Riley did the honor of telling him that, until they realized Xander and I were just quiet and just staring at each other. “Ahem..” Jake cleared his throat again. “I understand you don’t want us here, but you need us. Trust me.”I was not able to stop my chuckles as I walked past Xander and
NADINE.“So this is the reason he looked terrified whenever I told him I would leave the pack. He didn’t need me as his Beta. He wanted me there so he could use Maxwell’s money.”“You didn’t know about your father’s will?” Riley asked. Xander shook his head. “No. I never cared about it.”I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t even comprehend what was going on. I heard them, but the only thing that continued to reverberate in my mind was the realization that I was the one with nothing.I had a pack with no money or resources. I had a mate who thought I was not someone he could come home to. I thought I was already over the worst, but it seemed that was not the case yet. “Nadine, I know this is very upsetting, and it looks like you really have to start from scratch. Soon, the debtors would find out Maddox is dead, or they found out already and they would ask for their money back.” Jake added.“My pack has nothing,” I responded.Riley reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I will talk w
NADINE.After waking up early today, Arlo drove me to the Council Territory so I could visit Xander. It had been five days since the last time I was here. We talked twice on the phone, and although he sounded cold, I knew he cared. He always made sure to ask about me and if I was resting. I knew despite the indifference he was showing me, deep down, he cared. And that made me so excited today. I woke up early and made food for him as I was able to secure an hour and a half of visiting time.Maybe being excited was an understatement. I was beyond ecstatic. Jake told me they were able to contact Maddox’s accountant, and, from the looks of it, the Council was able to invite him for questioning. Jake had no idea what the current status was, but the proceeding that was scheduled in two days had already been canceled. It was still to be determined if they would announce a new date or if the case against him would be closed. I was hoping it was the latter. I also had a closed-door meetin
NADINE.And broke my heart, he did. Xander was not in the territory, and there were no phone calls from him.The next five days were spent sending people to where he was found by the Council, as well as to home and work addresses that Mindy gave me. But there was nothing. No one had seen him. I also sent people to Maximus’ farm, and they went home without any news about him. The farm was still functioning, with some workers still doing their work despite Maximus being gone. However, none of the workers had encountered Xander.He vanished. He disappeared as if he didn’t want to be found.I felt so lost. I was struggling to complete my task and keep a straight face. I couldn’t pretend anymore. Most days, I would just stare blankly at the wall.I felt worse than when I was in that cell, chained and tortured. “Your mom told me I could find you here.” Dad’s voice snapped me from my thoughts, and I immediately wiped the tears from my face.“I just need time to think,” I replied. I didn’t
XANDER.I moved into the small house attached to the main house of the Trevino Farm. This was where Maximus’ driver used to reside. The space was enough for me. I didn’t need the big house. I didn’t need a reminder that I was alone again. I moved in four days ago, but I’d been visiting this place for a week before that to meet the workers and assess the situation. To be fair, the humans working here seemed happy and thriving. It appeared Maximus was a better person with humans than when he was with shifters, or maybe his age had calmed him down from his old ways. The farm had been producing milk, cow products, and several vegetables, but the net income wasn’t great lately. It kept the farm going with enough money to cover bills and the salaries of the workers. In short, it was still surviving. But for how long? That was the question. I had no idea how to manage this place, but I was used to skilled labor, so I didn’t mind working alongside the people. The workers here were kind e
XANDER. “Hello, sleepy head.” She spoke softly, and only then did I realize she was truly here. “Did I disturb your sleep?”She wore a floral long dress, which is typical of females around here when they are not working. With her hair down, she looked so young and beautiful.Nadine rarely wore a dress at the Dark Forest, as I requested her not to, so Maddox wouldn’t have any chance to see her tattoo. Although I had seen her in a gold dress during Catherine’s Claiming, I had already forgotten how beautiful she looked in feminine clothes. “Earth to Farmer Xander...” She waved her hand in front of me, and I moved to sit straight, inching a bit away from her. I thought she would be upset with that, but the smile remained on her face.“What are you doing here?” I asked.“Visiting you…”“In a dress. On a farm?”“What’s wrong with my dress? The place is so beautiful, and I have to match the energy.” She held the hem of her dress and flapped it like a little girl showing off her dress.Nadin
NADINE. I was nervous to meet Xander, but I prepared myself never to snap at him or return the animosity regardless of how he treated me. Xander might have been indifferent whenever we talked or saw each other, but his actions showed he cared for me. Why would he give me all the properties he had acquired if he wasn’t thinking about me? He might still feel guilty about what Maximus and Maddox did, but I knew it was more because of me.Despite everything, I knew Xander wanted me. He was just fighting whatever he felt because he didn’t want to live a pack life. Or was it because I was the Alpha, and he would be deemed weaker than me? But Xander had always been confident of his own strength. Didn’t he play the role of the weak brother for many months, unaffected by the opinions of others?Besides, I knew in my heart that I might be the Alpha, but only Xander knew how to make me weak and surrender to him. Lower my pride. Do not shout at the first sign of rejection.Do not walk away
NADINE.“Xander,” A female’s voice snapped his attention from me, and he immediately straightened up, wiping his hands on his jeans.I was seated, my hand latched on a cow’s breasts, pumping milk from her. Xander was teaching me how to do it. Earlier, I asked him what work he would give me. He told me he didn’t really have any vacancies, but he knew I needed money for my vacation. Since he was kindhearted, he decided to give me work. I laughed at the way our conversation went, and I was not going to deny that I was enjoying my moments with him. Being around Xander had always been a joy, as he knew the right jokes to make me laugh, but everything changed when I found myself in a cell. But I was glad that I was seeing the old Xander I met.He guided me to a cattle house where some dairy cows were kept. He told me they milk cows here manually, as the ones produced in this area were for his and the workers’ personal use.That was why I ended up milking one. “What’s wrong, Sidney?” Xande
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