I'll make up for the cliffhanger tomorrow. I had to attend an impromptu meeting that took up most of the day.
ENZOI’d give her props, Violet acted as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. Not even her heartbeat gave her away, seeing as it was completely calm.Alpha Maxwell, however, was not as controlled. He looked halfway between passing out and throwing up. I wasn’t certain he’d ever found himself in this position before, but he was here right now.He cleared his throat and thanked her for the coffee, his eyes never once leaving her.‘Well, this is getting awkward. Should be toss him a bone or squeaky toy perhaps?’ Niccolò asked me.She made it to the door before the Alpha finally spoke up. “What’s your name, Miss?”Violet turned around, showing no surprise at the question. She held her head high without a single trace of stress. Her eyes surveyed him, cataloguing the similarities.I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like for her right now that her sperm donor sat in front of her after nineteen years of his absence.“Violet. If you’re asking for my full name then it’s Violet Ma
VIOLETI wasn’t certain what I’d been expecting when it came to this meeting. I’d attempted to prepare myself for anything he could possibly say, but no amount of pep talks could make a true difference.It was so damn surreal to be in front of him. I’d honestly never thought a time would come when I’d meet my sperm donor and would just be a hidden wonder of the world type deal. However, it was also surreal because I could tell that he was a good guy and truly didn’t know that I existed.I had begun being schooled in werewolves 101, seeing as how I needed to know everything that I could about that half of myself. It was something that I was honestly still wrapping my head around. Mates was one such topic, especially so that I could understand what it meant about him having a mate and Luna.Mates, or soulmates, were paired together by the Moon Goddess. They were meant to be each other’s completions. It was a truly beautiful concept. It was believed that everyone had a fated mate out ther
VIOLET“Violet,” a whisper in the breeze called out to me again.I looked around, trying to locate the voice, but all I saw was darkness. No matter how hard I tried to fight against the darkness, it felt like I was stuck in it and unable to move. Helpless was exactly what it made me feel, something that I sincerely loathed.“Picture whatever is your light and your happiness,” it encouraged me.The voice sounded hauntingly familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. I shook my head, trying to dispel the confusion for now and focus on following its direction.My light and happiness. Daphne. That was precisely what she was to me. No matter how fucked up my day might’ve been, she would always be the only thing that could help to soothe my soul. I thought about how her laughter could bring a smile to my face even if I was in the middle of a breakdown or how much love her heart contained.The darkness was slowly burned away with my thoughts. I was standing in our old house, the one from when I
ENZOI’d just gotten out of the shower when I heard a soft knock on my door.It was seven in the morning, but I’d been awake since a little after four and had already let Titan loose for a run. I stayed here last night, knowing that we’d be leaving to go into the lion’s den. It’d give us more time to prepare if I was already here. At least, that was what I told myself.I wrapped a towel around my waist and opened up the door, revealing none other than Violet who also looked like she’d just gotten out of the shower. Fucking hell. She was gorgeous. That outfit highlighted a body that could drive any man crazy.Her lips parted slightly when she saw that I was in nothing but a towel. That little heart in her chest started beating harder. She attempted to keep her eyes in the safe zone, but they traced my chest, muscles, and tattoos.She needed to really stop looking at me like that unless she wanted to see how hard she could make me. I desperately needed a metaphorical ice bucket right abo
ENZOI was flying high right now. I'd imagined kissing Violet a thousand times, but the reality was by more incredible than I could've imagined. I knew that it'd be just a matter of time before my restraint snapped when it came to the attraction that I felt for her. Her entire life had been upended, so I didn't want to risk giving her any more stress on top of everything else that she was forced to deal with. She'd kept up a good poker face this entire time because I hadn't realized that I consumed her mind just like she had been consuming mine. That kiss was the best fucking kiss of my entire life. It wasn't an exaggeration either. I have had my fair share of women. I was neither a saint nor a prude. She tasted so damn sweet. Never had I experienced a kiss that was so explosive. It lit every cell in my body aflame with need. I couldn't imagine what making love to her would be like if that was my reaction to a mere kiss. Once Niccolò and our parents were up and about, I filled them
VIOLET‘You should ask where the bathroom is. Not sure why, but my gift is telling me that it's important,’ Niccolò mindlinked me. I officially joined their pack this morning. Apparently, Alpha Nico had told his sons that he was fine with officially bringing me into the pack after he first met me. It had surprised me that he was so welcoming of a stranger, but it meant a lot to me at the same time.Werewolves were social creatures, and it still ran through my DNA even though I wasn't full-blooded. Apparently, being a part of the pack made us stronger. The helped to keep our inner beasts calmer.It was unclear if I had a wolf counterpart because of the binding on me. We’d only be able to tell once it was broken. Part of me worried that she’d hate me for being bound if I did indeed have one.I was learning a lot about werewolves. It was crazy to think that this was my new reality. The great news was that I could now mindlink anyone who was a part of the pack as long as they were within
VIOLETAfter we all finished eating, Eli and I took the dishes to the kitchen. Alpha Maxwell had insisted that I didn't need to help with them, but I honestly didn't mind. It was a mundane action that felt so normal. Right now, that was what I truly wanted to experience.I rinsed the plates off while Eli loaded them up on the dishwasher. He looked out towards the dining room for a moment before he leaned into my space. His eyes looked troubled, but I had no idea why that was or what caused it.“Please watch your back,” he whispered softly to prevent being overheard. “I don't know what's going on with her, but I saw the way she reacted to you and around you tonight. I love her and all, but I don't trust her. Well, not fully. There's shit that doesn't make any sense. My parents are mates by name only, which is just one thing that never fully made sense. I dunno what to believe, but I do know that you should watch your back.”Hmm. It would appear that Luna Bitch didn't have many fans. No
ENZOWhat in the living fuck just happened?I ripped myself away from Ana, fists flexing in an attempt to keep my instincts calm. Said instincts, and Titan, were demanding her head to be offered up to my tiger on a silver fucking platter because of how this would look. I knew it must have hurt her, which just served to infuriated me even more.“What in the fuck are you playing at?” I demanded to know. She batted her eyelashes and pouted her lips. Goddess, what did I ever see in her?‘A semi-decent fuck. Although, I'm questioning your choices a bit,’ Titan told me, shaking his head. Yeah. I was right there with him. How in the fuck could I have been so desperate to sleep with her? It was no doubt going to make me sound like a complete pig, but there was a lot of pussy out there and not a lack of it being offered up to me from chicks who believed that I'd be the next Alpha or thought they'd get in good with a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company. “I don't know what you're talking abo
CANDICEMy mind ran through all of the potential possibilities of what Violet’s vision might have entailed.She called me an hour ago and told me that she had a vision about Zaxyn and needed to have a meeting with all of us. Whatever she had seen was enough to shake her. I could hear it in her voice as she spoke.“Can you get Daph so that we can head downstairs,” I asked Eli.“Sure thing, Mom,” he said before freezing, cheeks pinkening with a blush.I could tell that it hadn’t been intention and just slipped out. Honestly, it made my heart swell to think that there was a part of him that saw me as a mother figure. He had accepted me immediately and had mentioned how happy he was about the bond between Max and me.Embarrassment and hope warred inside of him for dominance – embarrassment because of his slip, and hope because he secretly wanted me to be okay with it. Layla had done the basics to appear as though she loved him, but it was clear that love wasn’t the case once she sent peopl
VIOLETReaching my hand out, I turned off the hot water before wrapping a towel around my body and one around my head.The steamed mirror hid my reflection until I wiped a spot off. Looking back was a woman who was still odd to see.I looked the same but not at the same time. My features were more defined. More mature. Amber eyes held a happiness that I had never experienced before he came into my life. I had just gotten by day to day, but he showed me how important it was to also live for me.There were currently dark circles under my eyes that I had been covering up with magic known as makeup. Each day that passed by brought us one step closer to dealing with the Appersons.Sleep never came easy to me unless my mate wore me out in the best possible way. I would be so tired that I wouldn’t be fully conscious of Ava waking up in the middle of the night. Enzo would get up to take care of her each time. He was always quick to reassure me that he loved to have that one-on-one with her, se
ENZOThere were gasps and laughs heard throughout the crowd.I barely contained my snarl. The only reason that I suppressed it at all was because there were humans who worked here too. Otherwise, I’d show everyone what happened when you crossed an Alpha-born to this extent.Embarrassment, pain, and sadness flowed down the bond. She couldn’t honestly believe that I’d say any of those things, could she?“WHAT IN THE FUCK IS GOING ON?” I shouted as loudly as I could since I couldn’t really snarl.‘Kill them. Kill them all,’ Titan raged within me, seething that someone dared to hurt our mate like this.As much as I wanted to side with him on this, I couldn’t just up and kill them.‘Sven, find out everything that you can about the pictures and video that’s being displayed in the cafeteria please.’‘Right away, boss.’Niccolò rushed into the cafeteria with Lilac in two. They had clearly gotten interrupted, but I was glad that they were both here right now. He looked murderous as he saw what
ENZOThere was a storm on the horizon. As the days passed, we prepared to face off against the Appersons.Violet’s idea for the video was the perfect opening move. It turned out even better than we had thought it would. Sven, being the mastermind that he was, had been able to push the video to specific people.The problem was that Fae had no centralized governing body to rule over their people. That was what gave the foothold that the Appersons used to climb to the top of the totem pole.It was important to have someone that everyone had to answer. Pushing aside the recent Werewolf Council’s fuckery, it was easy to see the importance of having a hierarchy within a species. Everyone was held accountable for their own actions or inactions. It also provided structure, stability, and protected its people. We had to get creative with how we put the truth out there. Anastasia, Darrel, Candice, and Kaia worked really well together. Specific families and clans received video and subsequent pr
VIOLETIt was amazing to witness these family members reuniting with each other.Enzo held me from behind, chin resting on my shoulder. I leaned against his body, loving the way that I could feel his heart beating against my back. It mirrored my own.Darrel Steele’s parents also showed up. They fell to their knees when they saw him for the very first time after all of these years. He rushed over and wrapped his arms around them. His cries broke my heart. He had lost the innocence that he had as a teenager when his life was ripped away from him.It renewed the fury that I had felt steadily growing ever since I had learned just an outline of what the Appersons were responsible for doing.Nobody should ever have to feel the pain that these beautiful people have dealt with all of these years. I could not even begin to imagine the toll that it took on them. All of the uncertainty, hopelessness, and helplessness.Tears rolled down my cheeks as their emotions rushed into me. It felt like I wa
VIOLETThe days passed by in a flurry of activity. Some of it was overwhelming, but some of it was incredibly beautiful as well.Our home was almost too silent after weeks of having hundreds of people living here. I wasn’t complaining though.Enzo and I grew even closer than we’d been before. It was long overdue, but the entire house was finally christened. Talk about fun! I couldn’t get my fill of him because it was never enough. My body, and our bond, always demanded more. Titan and Reika, likewise, couldn’t get enough of each other either.Our bond with Ava also continued to grow and strengthen. It was amazing to see the fatherly side of my mate. God, was there something that he didn’t excel at? She had him wrapped around her little pinky and didn’t even realize it yet. He made a fantastic father just like he made a fantastic mate.Niccolò, Lilac, and Raelynn moved into the guesthouse so that they could still be close enough to fulfill their duty as my Dreatirs. However, they’d have
MAXWELLMy mate’s life had never been easy. I wasn’t surprised that she turned out to be such a strong warrior.Goddess, I’ve heard many examples of fucked-up families over the years, but I was certain that the Apperson family ranked up there in the top. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it had to have been for her over the years. She always had to look over her shoulder and make sure that she covered her tracks.One’s family should be the biggest source of support. The same people who should’ve loved her unconditionally brought her nothing but pain and heartache. I was just thankful that she’d been able to get away from them.Worry churned in my gut, knowing who they’d been in contact with. They also knew that Reika was a Golden wolf. I couldn’t imagine them being willing to give up that level of power, leaving me wondering if they’d just been placating Alpha Bradley.‘Bradley,’ Thorn corrected me. ‘He doesn’t deserve the respect that his title provides.’He made a great point. It had
VIOLETI couldn’t wait for the Apperson family to get what was coming to them. They’d destroyed far too fucking much and would pay dearly for it.It broke my heart to hear about Mom’s friends just like I knew that it still broke her heart. Time didn’t heal all wounds. This would be one that she’d carry for the rest of her life. I just prayed that she could carry it a little bit easier, knowing that her friends would be protected one way or another.They lived in a single-family home inside of a gated community. It was supposedly a perk of the jobs that Mom had arranged for them all of those years ago. In reality, Mom had purchased the house and had their boss give it to them as a perk. Mom had also ensured that it was retrofitted with plenty of security to keep them protected.Mom, Dad, Enzo, and I would go to see them. Marco would remain outside while being invisible. Lilac and Kaia would use their glamours to keep some of our warriors hidden from view as well but would be further out
CANDICEZaxyn. It was a name that I could live the rest of my life without hearing.Learning that your family was evil incarnate would do serious damage to anyone who didn’t share their same beliefs. I was seventeen when I found out the truth, and it broke me even more than I’d ever thought was possible.There’d been whispers along the wind about missing Fae. The community that I was raised in had a multitude of Fae clans that lived together in harmony, or so I thought. I never believed that the threat was so close to home until some of my friends disappeared. It was all thanks to overhearing Nahilak that the truth was finally known.[Flashback]“Report,” Father barked.I was hiding out in a room on the second floor that shared a vent with my father’s office. I wasn’t sure what led me here, but I knew that it was important. My gut told me that everything was about to change.“The three targets were successfully acquired, stripped of their magic, and placed into the Warden’s custody. Th