The moment I set foot inside the parlour, sweat starts running down my body. Millicent is standing next to Alexander, seemingly untouched by the stifling heat. She has a dangerous expression on her face. “Come in, my dear,” the king says and turns away from the cloying fire. “Don’t be afraid.”
I’m not scared. I’m pissed. I want to wipe that fake smile from his face, want to see him crawl around on the floor like a little maggot, screaming in pain. Behind me, Brett closes the door. “Millicent informs me that you have ceased your training.”
I glance at the high priestess. She has a self-satisfied grin on her face, like she thinks she has me cornered by coming to the king. “Yes, Grandfather.”
“Why?”
I’ve come to trust my instincts, and I’ve learned that sometimes it’s better to let them talk for me. No matter what I say, I’m gonna piss off one of the two – let’s see which one. “I thought it prudent, Grandfather, since the witches are planning on using me
I stop listening to the men. They’re talking politics. Specifically, how to win over the wolves that are loyal to Alexander – I figure this shit out as we go along, and have zero interest in playing these games. I know it’s necessary, but I also know the guys don’t need my input or opinion. They set up a grill on the balcony and are having a grand time drinking beers and grilling their steaks. I go back inside to slap a salad together, then just wander around the apartment. What’s happening outside feels more like male bonding time than a strategy meeting. I realise again just how socially inept I am. I have a difficult time bonding with pack wolves. I get along fine with most of them, but I don’t form any close friendships, mostly because I think people simply don’t like me, so I’m too afraid to get close to anyone. It didn’t bother me at first, being used to my own company as I am, but now it does start to eat away at me. I sit in the living room, keeping a
Edric's POV: On our way out of the palace, Stephen hits a button and the whole place lights up. Red lights start pulsating and a loud alarm echoes out across the grounds. Warriors peel out of their cabins, some carrying swords, running towards the palace gardens. In the absence of a sword, I’ll have to resort to using brute strength and my jaws. Next to me, Stephen already shifted. I discard my clothes as quickly as possible and shift while still pulling down my underwear. I look up and start grinning with excitement. It’s been too long since I’ve had a good battle. A hundred or more vampires fall from the skies, fangs bared, ready to attack. I’ve heard somewhere, I can’t remember where, that our blood makes them stronger. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I’d rather not find out. Out of nowhere, a vampire falls on top of me, arms wrapped around my neck, trying to bite through my thick fur. He’s young and inexperienced. I flip b
Edric's POV: Alexander interrogates me for hours, but in the end, I think I manage to satisfy his curiosity with the accepted story that Maya’s the wolf from the prophecy. “The Morning Star fears her, that’s why he sent his vamps,” I say. “He must have thought he could kill her before she can get to him.” My grandfather nods thoughtfully. “Maybe…but the witches…it doesn’t make any sense.” It does if you’re a normal being with normal emotions. Everyone has a breaking point, even high priestesses. “They wanted to be released from their contract,” I choose my words very carefully. “Maybe Millicent made some kind of deal with the vampires.” “Yes, of course,” he mumbles to himself. “How could I have been so blind? Kill me, and in return, they’ll give the vampires The Undoing.” He’s probably not that far off – Maya wouldn’t kill Alexander for them, so Millicent made another plan. It’s close to sunrise when my grandfather fin
I wake a few hours later to find Edric still asleep. I sneak out of bed to go through my usual morning routine, then go to the kitchen to put breakfast together. Cedric and Stephen already took care of it, leaving a note to thank us for letting them use our couch. Feeling trapped inside the apartment, last night’s memories still haunting me, I quickly shovel some food into my mouth, then leave. I don’t know how these wolves can stand being indoors all the time. I slip out of the palace to go for a walk in the front gardens, expecting my guards to meet me as per usual, but today something else waits for me outside. I stop dead in my tracks. A large group of shirtless warriors have gathered on the lawn, crossing the forbidden barrier into the king’s sanctuary. “Luna,” one of the warriors says, and bows to me. “We desire to see the king.” “Alexander? I’ll get him--” “No,” he interrupts. “King Edric.” Oh, wow. “Edric!” I call to him through our mi
“A-hem,” Brett clears his throat behind us. “The king would like to see you.”“I figured,” Edric says. “I’ll be with him in twenty minutes. I have other business to take care of first.”“Excuse you. When the king gives an order, you don’t say no.”I can practically feel Edric’s rage. It radiates from him like an inferno. “Fine--” he says through gritted teeth --“let’s get this over with.”“Without your…witch,” Brett says, giving me a disgusted look. “She is no longer welcome in the king’s quarters.”“Is that so?” Edric turns to look at me as if he’s surprised to see me there. I half expect him to send me away, but he surprises me. “No,” he tells Brett. “She’ll come with me.”“The king commands--”Edric’s hand shoots out and he
Edric’s POV: I run into Stephen in the entrance hall. “You made me your Beta,” he says before I can even open my mouth. “Yes. Is that okay with you?” “I’m just a warrior. I don’t know anything about running a kingdom.” “There’s no such thing as just a warrior. As for running a kingdom, I don’t know anything about it either. We’ll figure it out together.” I can’t imagine running a kingdom is much different from running a pack, except that I’m now also responsible for every single Alpha that lives in my kingdom. “Get Cedric and gather the tribe. Alexander plans on announcing my succession in a few hours.” I switch to our mind-link. “And tell the warriors that already bent the knee to me, that I expect trouble. I think he’s up to something.” “Yeah,” Stephen sighs. “He always has something up his sleeve.” “Hm-hm. Be careful.” “Always.” I break our link and as I walk back to the apartment, I dig my p
Edric's POV: I kick the door to the parlour open, looking around the large, too warm room. Alexander is sitting in his usual place next to the fire. “Is it time?” he asks, his voice shaky. “I’m going to give you one chance, old man. Where is Maya?” He shrugs, and stares right at me, but is careful to avoid making eye contact. Fucking coward. “How should I know? She’s your mate.” I leap forward, grabbing the armrests of his chair. “I will fucking end you,” I hiss. “Where are you hiding her?” All I have to do is find the lever Millicent told me about, but I want Alexander to attack me. The old wolf just sits there, laughing at me. “You can get her back if you agree to leave. I’ll send her your way when you’re out of my kingdom. If I die before then, well it’s just too damn bad, isn’t it?” I raise my eyebrows at him. “You think everyone’s like you, don’t you? You think everyone lies and schemes and cheats. I’m not l
Something happened to me when the tribe declared Edric as their king. I remember Clarissa telling me she felt a change within herself when Darius became Alpha, which elevated her to Luna. I’m pretty sure something similar is happening to me. My magic is stronger, and I’m fully awakened now. The Goddess part also started burning brighter and stronger -- I can feel the power scorching through me like lava. It’s terrifying. I sit on the porch step, watching the tribe shift with their new king, reflecting on the last two months. How quickly things have changed. How quickly I have changed. Even Edric went through a metamorphosis and isn’t the same wolf that chased me through the woods. That night feels like a lifetime ago now. My eyes fall on two wolves in human form walking in the direction of the warriors’ cabins. It can’t be. They look just like Luca and Jasper. Still sure I’m seeing things, I get up and run through the throng of shifting wolves to catch up with the tw
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