Abbadon's POV: We touch down on the porch of my house. I direct Edric inside, showing him where he can lay Maya down. She doesn’t even stir, and I made sure she won’t wake for several hours. Edric humiliated himself before me. I know how difficult that was for him, but he did it anyway. For her. Because he loves her. He will do anything for her, even lower himself before a vampire, to keep him safe. I gesture with my head, asking him to join me. He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes tell me that he wanted me gone ten minutes ago. “Relax,” I say. “I’ll be gone in twenty minutes. We need to talk first.” “Maya--” “Will sleep peacefully until sunrise.” “Fine.” “I’m sorry,” I say on my way to the living room. “I don’t have any human food or drink in the house. It’s just me now.” “It doesn’t matter. Say what you want to say Abbadon.” He crosses his arms over his massive chest. He doesn’t know that he can blast me out of this house any time he likes. Doesn’t know the power he has. Ve
I don’t think. I storm from the house, into the pouring rain, running in what I think is the direction of our palace. Edric comes tearing after me, catching up from behind and grabbing me around the chest, pulling me tightly against his solid body. “Where are you going?” He has to raise his voice to be heard over the rain. “To find my baby.” “Stephen will find him.” “No. I have to get him.” “Maya, stop,” he says sternly. “We can’t leave. There’s no way out. You’ll drown.” “Then I drown!” “And take our other child with you? Is that what you want?” I sweep my wet hair out of my face, giving Edric the deadliest look I can muster. “This is your fault. You told me to leave him behind. If something happens to him, I’ll never forgive you.” I am being unfair. Neither of us could have predicted anything that happened since yesterday, but I’m so afraid and I don’t know what to do with these emotions. “If we didn’t leave him with Marjory, the pack would have taken him and hidden him from
It just keeps raining and raining and raining. The day drags on, and as the sun starts setting, I get more and more anxious. Pacing through the house, not sure what to do with myself. Twice, I sneak off to the bathroom to express my milk. I don’t want Edric to know, because no matter how angry he is at me, he’ll try to help – and he can’t help me with this. My body is screaming for our baby, and we’re stuck here. As night approaches, I can’t stand it anymore and walk into the living room to talk to Edric. “We can’t stay here.” “Not this again,” he groans. “I mean it,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. “I’m pregnant, and I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I’m genuinely afraid for the baby.” Frowning, he swings his legs off the couch and sits upright. “I know. I’ve considered just going out to hunt, but I don’t exactly know which animals are safe to eat. The unfortunates hunt crocs and certain snakes and rodents – rats, rabbits, mice, that kind of thing…but in this rain--” he shru
Edric’s POV: I wake with the sun in my eyes, and Maya lodged between me and the backrest of the couch, her tiny frame curled tightly against me. We hadn’t talked about our little spat in the swamp two days ago, and I don’t plan on talking about it now. We are about as far removed from each other as two bonded wolves can be, and it hurts like hell, so I don’t want to make it worse. I wonder if she feels it as deeply as I do. I nudge her. “Maya, wake up.” Her eyes fly open. “What? What’s wrong? Deimos?” “No. It stopped raining.” Gasping and smiling at the same time, she clambers over me and runs for the front door. “Woah, slow your roll there, queen.” “Why? We can go home.” “Do you plan on walking there?” “If I must.” I chuckle softly. “Don’t you think it will be faster if I tell Stephen to come pick us up? We can meet him by the stream.” She sags a little. “Yeah, I guess.” “Gives us some time to, I don’t know, pee, eat, wash…that kind of thing.” “Fine.” She is reluctant to w
Edric's POV: “King,” Winston says from the doorway of the examination room. “A word?” “Yeah.” Feeling like an old man, I drag myself up and follow him into the room. We brought Maya straight to the clinic. I feel like that first night when I met her – a crazy, irrational, nervous wreck. I stare at her colourless face, her once cherry red lips that are a dull, washed-out pink now. “She was dehydrated,” he says. “Again.” “No,” I shake my head. “No, she couldn’t have been. I made sure she drank enough water.” “How much did she eat?” “Once a day. I know it’s not a lot, but surely it wasn’t so little that it could do this,” I wave my hand in her direction. “No,” he sighs and gives me a look that speaks of regret. “Forgive me, king, but the only other explanation I can think of is….Did you break your bond with her?” “No.” “Please, your majesty, you have to tell me if there’s anything affecting your bond, whatever you tell me will be held in the strictest confidence. The way she’s re
Edric's POV When I get back to Maya’s hospital room, Cedric’s sitting next to her, talking up a storm, telling her everything Deimos got up to while we were gone. Deimos lies cradled in her limp arm, completely still, like he knows she can’t catch him if he falls. “Anything?” I ask when I walk up to them. “Nothing. What happened to her? Winston won’t tell me.” “I don’t know. She was fine this morning. A little weak, but I thought it was because she didn’t eat properly for a few days. I went to the toilet and when I came back, she was like this. I thought she was asleep.” “I’ve never seen anything like it.” “Neither have I. Doc thinks it’s because our bond has been weakened by the whole Abbadon thing.” Cedric stares at me, a small frown between his eyes. “Stephen thinks so too, but I’m not convinced.” “Then what else can it be?” “I don’t know,” Cedric gets up and stretches. “I wish I did. I hate seeing her like this. Let me know when I have to come get him.” “Sure,” I say dist
Edric’s POV: “King,” Winston says. “We have to go back in there. Tell her.” “Yes.” Deimos fusses and screeches. He may not be able to tell me what he wants yet, but he’s definitely making sure everyone understand that he’s very upset. “And you want your mom, I know.” I don’t want to go back in there. I know I’m being a coward, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell her that she’s not sixteen, and her parents kicked her out of their home almost six years ago, that she’s a mated werewolf with a baby on the way. Where do I even begin? “Don’t worry,” Winston says. “I’ll tell her.” “No. She’s my mate. It’s my responsibility.” Deimos lets out a loud wail and tries to slither out of my arms. “Okay, big guy, let’s go in there and see if she’ll nurse you. Calm down.” I kick the door open and walk in on a very scared Maya. She’s staring down at her chest. Her breasts are leaking, and the front of her gown is soaked. “Are you a nurse or a doctor? What are you?” she asks. “That is a comp
I should be afraid. Somehow, five, no nearly six, years of my life have been erased from my memory, I woke up in a strange place surrounded by strangers, and I’m not frightened. I’m just amused and curious. At first, I really thought I was hallucinating or something. The doctor did tell me I suffered some kind of head injury, so it made sense, but then the man, Edric, the one that smells so damn good, changed into a werewolf right in front of my eyes, and hallucinations can’t pinch you. Can’t hurt you physically. I keep touching everything, trying to reassure myself that it’s real. I can feel, smell, touch, taste. Those things don’t happen in hallucinations. After a wild fit of hysterical crying, then a spell of maniacal laughter, I quickly accept my reality. There’s no point in dwelling. I’ve always been like this, even when I question everything, I’ve always accepted what I can’t change. ~ Why did you do that? ~ a voice asks in my head. * Do what? * I reply without even thinking
Abbadon's POV For ten years, I managed to stay away from Maya, and then I couldn’t stand it anymore. I left my home in Greece and went back. I watched her from afar, my heart screaming out to her, but knowing I couldn’t interfere. She needed her peace, and she found it. She was happy, living a life of domestic bliss with her mate and their mini-pack of eight pups. Deimos grew into an admirable young Alpha, and I felt her sadness on the day he left to take his place as Silver Springs’ leader. He was loved and respected. He visited his parents every chance he got until he stepped down as Alpha and was never seen again. Warwick took the throne on his twenty-fifth birthday. Edric was happy to retire. He was a good king and dragged his tribe into the twenty-first century whether they liked it or not, but he never wanted the job. He was at his happiest when his children and grandchildren surrounded him. Their third child, a boy named Joshua, returned to Mountain Fire when he was twenty.
With Warwick resting on my hip, and my other hand in Deimos’s I look around our apartment one last time. It was our home for more than a year, and I’ve grown oddly attached to it. “Where going, mama?” Deimos asks.I look down at my one-year-old who isn’t behaving like other one-year-olds and smile at him. “We’re going home.”“This home.”“No kid,” Edric says from the doorway. “This isn’t our home anymore. I build us a better home.”“Hellooo,” Cedric calls from the living room, his voice echoing in the empty apartment. “One last time for good luck.”I start laughing and let Edric take Deimos before we leave our bedroom for the last time.Cedric and Stephen waits for us in the living room surrounded by their three pups. They took to parenthood like ducks take to water, and soon after the pups arrived, Cedric resigned as Edric’s Gamma. “Are you sure?” Edric asked.“Yes,” Cedric replied, beaming at Edric. “It’s all I want now.”“You don’t just want paternity leave?” Edric joked. “Reconsid
Edric's POV Our date night turned into a bit of a flop. We had to take it in turns to stop each other. When Maya lost control, I’d remind her to stop, and when it was my turn to lose control, she’d remind me to stop, but somehow we made it work. Together, we found new and interesting ways to satisfy each other, rediscovering each other’s bodies. I yawn and flop backward on the bed. The moment we were home, Maya rushed off to find the boys, and I take the time to enjoy the silence. Goddess knows, I love my sons, but I do enjoy these quiet moments. It gives me a chance to think. The one good thing that came out of last night was that Maya finally opened up to me and shared her fears. Now that we’re talking openly and frankly again, I’m hoping that she’ll slow down and spend more time with me. I miss her. My phone starts vibrating and I pull it out of my pocket. With a frown I stare at the caller ID. “Adrian?” I answer. “Hello,” he says. It’s strange to hear his voice. We haven’t sp
Edric's POV Maya’s heat comes on as suddenly as it did the last time, only this time I’m here to experience it, and she’s not locked behind several layers of wood and steel. One moment, everything’s fine, the next I almost drive off the road as her scent fills the car and attacks my senses. I wipe my wet palms on my jeans and try to pay attention to the road so I don’t kill us. “What’s wrong?” she asks. “You don’t know?” I ask in return, hearing my voice rise several octaves. “You’re in heat.” “Is that what it is? I just thought I’m horny for…well, no good reason at all.” She laughs uncomfortably and shifts around in her seat. “Shouldn’t I get some kind of warning or something?” “Normally, yes…but we forget sometimes that you’re not normal.” We are almost to the hotel and the road is clear with no other cars in sight, but I’m not sure I’m going to make it. Blood rushes through me so fast that I can barely hear, let alone see. Just like last time her heat overwhelms me and I can’t
I crash through the misty woods, my wolf pushing our body harder than I thought was possible, oblivious to our surroundings as we keep trying to get away from whatever it is that’s chasing us. I never saw what it was. I just felt it. Danger. It’s right on top of us. ~ Go faster! ~ I scream at my wolf. She increases her pace, but we won’t be able to do this for much longer. We’ve been running for hours, and our legs are about to give out. At first, I’m relieved to see him. Abbadon lands in front of me, and I dash past him, placing myself between him and the thing chasing us. Finally, we can stop. I collapse to the ground, and my exhausted wolf lets go, forcing me to shift back to human. I curl up in a little ball on the cold, wet, forest floor and try to catch my breath, trusting that Abbadon will take care of the dangerous thing I’m trying to escape. I look up at Abbadon. My mate. No matter what he is or what he does, he’ll never harm me. “Is that what you think?” he asks in his
Edric's POV The weeks slip by without anyone taking much notice. New Year’s day comes and goes without much fanfare, but a week into the new year, Maya insists on speaking to Alpha Neil about Deimos, and after days of pestering me about it, I give in. The Alpha doesn’t tell us anything I haven’t already told her. “I don’t know what else I can say, Queen,” Neil says. “We grow up fast, and we shift young--” he shrugs --“but that’s just how it is with our kind. We are big, we’re strong, and we’re violent.” Maya shudders lightly and looks over at Deimos who is trying to pull himself upright against a couch. “He’s not even five months old yet,” she whispers. “Yes,” Neil replied. “And by the time he’s twelve, he’ll look like a fully grown man. But you have to remember, he’s still just a child.” The Alpha bites into his nails, his face pensive, then he sighs and goes on. “This is important. The first shift is the worst. It lasts for hours, and it is brutal. Make sure you lock him up.” “W
I haven’t seen Edric in such a good mood since the day he introduced me to the pack back at Mountain Fire. At first, the higher-ranking wolves wouldn’t join us, refusing to eat with the ‘lower filth’ as one of the warriors called the True Omega that walked past him. Just when I thought my grand plan would come apart at the seams, Stephen and Cedric jumped in and arranged everyone according to their rank, which placated some of the grumpier wolves. Less than an hour later, everyone is happily chatting and enjoying the day. Even Maxwell and Alexander’s widow, Esther, came out of their hiding place to join us, but they are sitting by themselves, away from the rest of the tribe. “He looks much better,” I say while staring at Edric’s uncle. Edric looks up and follows my gaze. “Yes, now that he’s not getting poisoned every day. He’s actually improving, but he’s still not speaking. Winston says the damage to his brain is catastrophic. He’ll heal some, but he’ll never be quite…right.” I’ve
Edric's POV I lie on my side, watching Maya sleep, trying to get rid of the unnecessary guilt that’s trying to eat me alive. She kept trying to reassure me that it’s okay, but I’ve been so conditioned by my time with Mountain Fire, that I can’t let go and believe it. I lost control. "Alphas don't lose control," I can practically hear my father's voice. It's as if he's standing right next to me. "It's a thin line between losing control and going feral." Sighing, I pull on a pair of loose boxers and go back to the balcony for a glass of wine. I won't be able to sleep while I feel like this anyway. “Evening,” Stephen says from their balcony. “Hey,” I answer and pour some wine into my glass before I walk over to the low wall separating the two balconies. “Where’s Cedric?” “Inside, feeding Warwick. How’s your date going?” “Well, it’s not…I think it’s over. Maya’s asleep.” Stephen laughs softly. “Yeah, I’m sure she’s tuckered out. You two were a bit…loud.” I blush, grateful for the d
It’s like I’m standing outside myself. Watching, hearing, feeling and seeing everything my wolf does. I have no control over myself and my body anymore. It was already too late when Edric brought me inside -- by then she had taken control because she sensed my hesitation. Edric tries to pull away from me, but she growls a low warning and grips his hair, roughly pulling him back to her, folding her lips around his mouth. The kiss steals the breath from my body and drives me insane with dark, needy lust. I want to stop fighting it, want to stop overthinking every little thing, I want to stop fighting my wolf and just let it happen. I want to find my mate again and be with him like we used to be when we found each other. Edric picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him. He carries me across the room, slamming me against the wall so hard that my head connects to it with a jarring thud. It doesn’t even slow my wolf down. Her claws surface and she rips his shirt to ribbons. I’m terrified