Up next, we will get a peek inside the mind of Asshat. The nickname definitely works.
ALPHA BRADLEYI walked over to the bar cart near the window and poured myself a drink. It was premium A-grade stock that was more potent than typical alcohol. The burn slid down my throat, coming to rest in my chest. Looking out the window, I wanted to scoff at the scene. People walking around the grounds without a care in the world, believing that they were safe and completely unaware of the danger that was hiding right in plain sight. My eyes scanned the Sentinels that were on duty, tasked with keeping everyone here on the Council grounds safe. The irony brought a smirk to my face.I wondered what the rest of the Council would think if they knew the truth of what had been occurring right underneath their noses for the past five years. I had to give it enough time to get my bearings once I was inducted into one of the highest positions in the werewolf world. A year after I came here, the long-awaited plan was put into motion.One might think that doing anything nefarious with six fel
LILACI had no idea why fate paired us together, but I had to believe that there was a reason for it.A part of me worried that Niccolò might not feel that I was worth fighting for. What if he couldn’t accept my crazy life? What if he’d rather just go and find a she-wolf, one that could give his wolf a wolf mate?My eyes burned when I thought about that happening. I clenched my hands into fists and focused on the blurring scenery, hoping that everything would work out in the end.Sparks broke me out of those thoughts. I looked down and saw that his hand was clasped with mine.Niccolò leaned over and placed a kiss on my head. I didn’t know why he did this, but it was exactly what I needed. I scooted closer and rested my head on his shoulder. His emotions felt much lighter right now, which helped to soothe my frayed nerves.After another hour of driving, we pulled up to a large gate. Enzo placed his hand on a scanner and spoke a command. The gate swung open, and he drove inside.The land
ENZOMy family had always wondered why I’d put so much time and thought into the design of my house, especially considering the fact that I lived alone. Perhaps there was a part of me that hoped I wouldn’t be alone in the end and would be able to build a life and family here even if I hadn’t put too much thought into a future mate.Three stories, ten bedrooms, eight bathrooms, library, gym, theater room, home office, heated outdoor pool, sauna, and jacuzzi. There was also a separate four-bedroom guesthouse that was also fully-furnished.I heard Violet’s soft gasp when the gates opened up, allowing me to drive in. There was a deep sense of awe running through her as her eyes swiveled around from side to side, taking it all in.There were ten acres of land associated with this property. The woods provided plenty of area for Titan to run and hunt whenever he was in a mood to do so. It also had plenty of coverage to hide the security devices and boobytraps from prying eyes. Security was on
LILACMy heart started pounding against my ribcage the moment that Violet mentioned my daughter. I wouldn't be surprised if it broke straight through the bone. Mom and I had done everything in our power to ensure that the three of us would never be found, but it seemed like it was futile in the end. Every sacrifice that we had made meant nothing in the end. The Appersons were downright fucked up. They skirted the line of Light Fae and Dark Fae. See, our kind originated as one with pure magic and pure purpose. Some Fae became greedy, wanting more and more power. They sought outside means to get it, which turned out to be dark magic. The magic fused with the light inside of them and corrupted their entire being. It even changed their appearance, turning their eyes dark, bodies dull gray in color, and black veins formed on their skin. The Appersons had powerful magic that kept the physical manifestation from taking hold. It allowed them to have their cake and to eat it too. Each new g
ENZOIt had only been hours that she had been here, but the environment felt completely different. This place had always just been a place where I lived and where I slept – a pitstop if you wanted to consider it as such. Now, however, I could envision filling this place with proof of our love, leaving behind a lifetime of memories.I leaned against the wall, arms crossed over my chest. I smiled as I watched Violet clean up the kitchen. She was humming and dancing around as she worked. I loved getting to know her and learning all about her unique quirks. She didn’t have to do the kitchen, especially since she cooked, but she insisted on doing it.Who was I to ignore things that made her happy? This was something mundane, as she put it, which gave her a reprieve from all of the craziness lately.An important side note was that she was an amazing cook. I’d never tasted food as good as hers, and that was saying something because I’ve eaten plenty of food in my lifetime. I would say that it
VIOLET “Focus, Violet! You can hold it longer,” Aunt Kaia shouted from across the yard.I growled loudly, my frustration spilling over. We had been at this for hours already today after dealing with this particular training method yesterday too. I was at my breaking point.She was a damn good instructor and had taught me many things about Fae and what we could do. Our magic could be used for so much good but also equal parts evil. It was all about the person’s intentions. Magic was neither good nor bad. It was the wielder that decided its purpose and direction.They explained to me how ancestral magic, like ours, worked. Not every Fae lineage had access to ancestral magic, but the Appersons did. That was precisely why they wouldn’t stop looking for all of us who didn’t fall in line with them. There were ways to siphon someone’s magic. It was very dangerous and very dark but not something that they had not done before. Fuck them. They had another thing coming if they thought that we we
LILACI looked at Mom and was completely stunned by what she’d done to my cousin.How could she treat her like that? There was a difference between pushing someone and being unnecessarily cruel. Never once had she done that to me while I was training, so why did she do it to her?Enzo had every right to feel the way that he did. On this, I certainly sided with him. I’d be taking over her training. There were ways to teach her emotional control that didn’t involve Mom’s method. No fucking matter what the stakes were, I wouldn’t do what she had done. It was beyond fucked up.“Why?” I asked her, seething at the memory of what Violet looked like as she destroyed herself.None of us were able to get through that barrier. I was thankful that my mate had called Enzo because only he’d been able to. He suffered to get through it, but he accomplished what we couldn’t. It was crazy how powerful that barrier was. Not even Mom’s magic and mine combined had done shit to it.My mate wrapped his arm a
VIOLETRaelynn giggled as she ran away from Niccolò. He had embraced her from day one.It was great to see them together because you could see how happy it made them both. The scary ass Vittori turned into a cuddly teddy bear whenever she was around. She already had him wrapped around her little fingers. His eyes lit up every time she called him Papa. Apparently, both Cara and Zayne had spoken to them respectively, and it was exactly what he and Lilac needed to be able to move forward with their bond.I was a sap for happy endings. Sure, it was a long way off, hopefully, for any of our life stories to come to an end, but the sentiment was the same.It had been five days since I had the breakdown and ended up snapping. Everyone else was pissed off at Aunt Kaia for what she did. I was more hurt than pissed off, especially when I heard about her reasoning. I had spent two years being at someone’s mercy. Ron didn’t want to use me as a weapon, but he did use me for his own benefit. Then the
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 hav
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
ENZOIt only took our teams two hours to have the plantation completely secured. Alpha Bradley’s people were apprehended, and all electronics were collected.Bella turned out to be the only decent person, so she came with us to the house while the rest were taken to the black site. Luckily, it had a hundred occupant capacity but could hold more if need be. There were two other black sites as well, which were housing the hunters. The Sentinels and those involved with the Layla fiasco were also located at the site where Alpha Bradley now was.The house was buzzing by the time that we got back to it. Everyone seemed to be waiting around for us as seen by the fact that all of the activity stopped when we appeared there. Then everyone gathered around. Nervous energy hung heavily in the air, the atmosphere thick and tense.It would be weird once the house was cleared out. There was no reason why they had to remain here. With Alpha Bradley locked away, everyone would be safe enough. The packs
ZAXYNI walked along the hallway of the estate that had belonged to my family for the past five generations. It was when our family came to the New World.We were originally from Macedonia but came here when settlers were colonizing this land. Other Fae already lived here, and had for centuries, so our people had easily integrated with them. It was not long before our family gained power and prestige. Our people had always enjoyed being at the top, which was precisely where we were created to be.Luckily for us, Fae didn’t have a ruling class. There were Fae clans that most families belonged to. The clan’s leaders, the Patriarch and Matriarch, were responsible for how it was run. There were some families who didn’t belong to a clan for whatever reason. Our family didn’t belong to a clan and never would. We were more powerful than most clans could ever wish to be. It was the reason that many clans wished for us to join them. Ha. We wouldn’t do that even if Hell froze over and pigs grew
VIOLETI was still reeling at the fact that we’d finally got him under our control. We’d finally put a stop to a great evil because that was precisely what he was – evil.See, there were levels of fuckery. The lower level was a bully, someone who tried to control others by hurting and taunting them. That type of behavior worsened as the levels climbed up higher, progressively getting worse. There were those who thrived in the destruction of others, such as the hunters. Then you had evil little shits that would laugh gleefully as the world burned around them as long as they remained afterwards. Alpha Bradley had a permanent seat between Hitler and Stalin.We weren’t taking any risks. I had Bella and her daughter stay with Seraphina because I knew that she’d be safe while we got the bastard secured in his own cell at the black site. I was certain that it was far more secured than nearly anywhere else. They spared no expense in creating and maintaining it. Nobody would find him, and he ce
ENZODamn that fucker for howling, alerting everyone to our presence. We’d be damned if we allowed Alpha Bradley to escape this time. Nope, we’d get our hands on him one way or another. He was like a damn cockroach, always surviving whatever situation was thrown at him and was slippery like a damn snake as he escaped each one.My senses, as well as Titan’s, were being pushed to their limits, not wanting to succumb to the potential danger all around us. We were also looking for any sign of Alpha Bradley.Thankfully, Sven was able to get us the blueprints for the place. There was no telling if the plantation had been updated at all, so we weren’t banking on everything being the same. We’d do our best to adapt to the circumstances as we went.The howl brought others outside. A couple of them shifted and came straight for us without skipping a beat, believing that they had the upper hand because wolf versus human often times ended with the wolf being the victor. They, however, hadn’t met m
VIOLETSven came through for us once again, but I wasn’t surprised. He truly had a gift and could accomplish things that seemed like impossible tasks. It seemed that the word impossible wasn’t in his vocabulary at all.Alpha Bradley appeared to be hanging out at an old-school plantation. It hadn’t been modernized, so there weren’t any security feeds to break into. That’d just make it too easy. Sven was, however, able to locate the blueprints. This way, we weren’t flying blind.Daph and Eli were remaining behind to watch over everyone at the house. She wasn’t too ecstatic about that idea, but she was okay with it once Eli mentioned that Ava and everyone else needed people that would be able to protect them if the worst came to pass.There was no way in hell that Max was going to stay behind this time. He and Thorn were bloodthirsty, wanting to make Alpha Bradley pay for everything that he was responsible for and had a hand in.We had approximately two hundred people coming with us. Was