XANDER.“Do you know who’s with us?” Maddox asked as he crossed his arms across his chest. “I’m not interested.” Nadine replied, but her eyes watered.Her gaze never left Alpha Maximus. I already told her last night, and she told me she would do her best not to be affected, but I could only imagine how she was feeling looking at the man who wiped out the rest of her family, including the grandparents she never met. “The infamous Alpha Maximus Trevino of the Dark Forest Pack,” Maddox spoke, his chest puffing with pride. He was clearly enjoying the pain he saw in Nadine’s eyes. “You’re still alive.” She said in a hoarse voice. “I’m a tough one to beat.” Alpha Maximus replied.“No. You’re not. This is your karma. You get to live each day remembering all the innocent lives you slaughtered to get where you are. I doubt you could sleep peacefully at night without the fear of someone attacking you. You're alive, but your eyes looked dead to me.”“You have a sharp tongue. Just like Teresa.
NADINE. “Theodore Montrell. He was a big disappointment. Wasn’t he? Did you know what your grandfather’s last words were before I cut his neck?” My jaws tightened, and I closed my mouth to stop my lips from quivering, but I couldn’t stop my tears. I didn’t want to hear any of his lies. “Theodore will come and make you pay for your treachery.” He said in a hiss. “Those were Carlos’ exact words. Four decades later, I can still hear the pride in his voice. He would be disappointed to know Theodore Montrell did nothing.”He scoffed before letting my jaws go in a harsh way. “I waited for your father. He didn’t show up and look here now. After more than forty years, his daughter showed up, but not him. Did he send you because he’s a coward for an Alpha?”A triumphant grin crossed his face, and my hatred for him just kept growing. “My father could have taken this pack back if he were as cruel as you. He loved his people so much that he gave up what he wanted to make sure you wouldn’t shed
XANDER.“Are we ready for tomorrow?” Maddox asked as soon as I entered his office. “Yes. But if we take Ron, who will take charge here at the pack?” I asked, furrowing my brows as I sat on the chair in front of his desk.Ron was not part of the initial convoy. But Maddox made changes at the last minute, and we will take him with us. Without Ron, no one would look after Nadine.“Grandpa is here. He’s taking charge. We are leaving Carter to man the security and Rico to man Nadine’s gate.”“Grandpa? Are you sure he will not touch the Montrell?” I asked. I’d been calling him Grandpa since he came here, even if I was repulsed by it. He had warmed up a bit to me, and I could tell it annoyed Maddox that he was spending time with me. Not that I wanted it. I would rather have him off my back so I could be with Nadine and work on other things, so I did not appreciate him tagging me along everywhere. Two days ago, he invited me to come with them to the new warehouse where Maddox transferred h
ALPHA MADDOX. I watched as Xander left the office before letting a smug smirk crawl on my face.If my brother thought he was better than me, I would prove him wrong. I didn’t like that Grandpa’s attention was turning in his direction, especially because I needed to secure my inheritance from the old man. All the money Dad left for me and Xander was gone, and my brother had no idea he had a part in it. That’s why I kept him close to me.According to Dad’s last will, I am the primary beneficiary of our joint inheritance and could supervise its usage as long as Xander lives within the territory. But if he refuses to stay with me, I must give him forty percent of it.So, even if my blood boiled at having him around, I kept him under my wing and tolerated his incompetence as a Beta. But I didn’t like that he was growing his own horns. He became demanding and tried to boss me around. Worst of all, Grandpa seemed fascinated with him. I heard them the other night. Grandpa was convincing hi
GAMMA KENZO“I’m Gamma Austin. Did Alpha Maddox send you here?” He asked directly, slipping his hands into his pockets. I shook my head. “If he finds out I’m here, I’ll be dead. Well, actually, he thought I was dead. It was the only way I could run away from his pack.”His forehead creased. Probably confused.“I can explain everything, but I would rather explain it to Beta Catherine or Alpha Jace. You can bind me, tie my hands, anything.”More of his men came out of their cars, and he cocked his head to the side. Soon, his men scattered and walked in every direction, passing me and going through the forest, while one car drove forward to where I came from. “I’ll take you with me, but if we find any of your men around, you will regret lying to me.” He said as he took the shorts that were handed to him together with a handcuff.He then threw the shorts at me, which I caught and immediately put on. I saw him approaching me alone, carrying the handcuffs, and I immediately raised my hand
GAMMA KENZO.“Why are your hands tied?” Lady Jillian asked, her eyes rounding in disbelief. When I didn’t respond, she tilted her head to look at Gamma Austin.“Pack protocol, Jill. Don’t look at me as if I killed him. He’s still breathing.” The Gamma replied. “He’s also a Gamma. You can’t do that.”I wanted to explain to her, but I didn’t want to disrespect Austin, so I kept my mouth shut.“I actually don’t smell a pack scent on him.” He said casually, but his eyes went to me. I knew it was time to speak up. “I denounced the Dark Forest pack. It was the only way I could break the bond between me and Alpha Maddox.”“What? So you’re a lone wolf now?” Jillian’s head snapped to look at me. “Let’s not discuss it here.” Gamma Austin said. “I need to take him now. And you…” He pointed at his sister and then at Jillian. “Return to the packhouse. Let Jillian drive the car.”Davina rolled her eyes at him but did as she was told and walked to the other side of the car. Meanwhile, Jillian re
GAMMA KENZO. FLASHBACK. Three years ago. Jillian - 14 years oldKenzo - 17 years old I was at the Gamma Camp in Midnight Pack territory. It was the weekend, and there were no scheduled activities or gatherings. I went around to the forest area, where we were allowed to trek. I didn’t have a wolf then, so I always went for physical activities, even during rest days, to keep up with all the other Gammas and warriors at the Camp. I was already nearing the area we were allowed to visit when I heard someone shouting from afar. It was a female’s voice. I couldn’t understand her words, but it looked like she was asking for help. I was not supposed to cross that area, but I couldn’t just turn around and ignore the voice. So I followed my instinct and found a river with raging water. On the other side, on the bank, was a young female. Her clothes and hair were dripping with water, and I was right. She had been crying and couldn’t talk clearly.“What are you doing there?” I asked, shouting.
GAMMA KENZO. Continuation of the FLASHBACK.Carrying Jillian on my back was not a problem. She was light as a feather, and she knew how to secure her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. But the water current was no joke. I was holding on to the vines tightly, but from time to time, I would reach for her back to make sure she was still secured. The fact that she was screaming every time the water hit us made everything even more intense. But it surely did help me focus because I knew she was safe and the water hadn’t drowned her yet. Her voice, even if it was deafening, was a better sound than the rage of nature and kept me entertained—as if I had my own cheering squad.I had no idea how long it took us before we were able to cross the river. My hands turned red from gripping the vines tightly, and I was sure my neck, too, from being strangled and grabbed by this girl. But instead of teasing her, I swiftly moved her around, placing her on my front and hugging her. Befor
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