Ava“What is this?” Alex frowned later that evening when he brought me dinner, and he picked up the ultrasound picture the doctor left me. I shrugged, but I couldn’t wait for him to leave, so I could search for the first picture. I was missing out on so much of the happiness this pregnancy should have brought me that I really wanted to keep as many of the memories I possibly could.I found my handbag in the back of the cupboard and when I opened it, the picture was right on top. I took it out and my fingers stroked over the image as I remembered what happened that day and I thought about my poor grandmother.She was probably frantic with worry and it was all my fault. If I had only made sure that Daniel used protection, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. I held the second picture beside the first and a tear ran down the side of my cheek. My grandmother was going to become a great-grandmother, and she wouldn’t even be there to see it.I spent most of the night crying even thou
AvaI could feel the tension in the air, but nobody was saying a word about why everyone had suddenly become so serious. All I could think was that there might be something wrong with the baby. So, I asked Neil the next time he came around for my checkup.He smiled and assured me that there was nothing wrong and that I was probably just feeling that way because I had been cooped up in that room for months. I just glared at Daniel, who didn’t say a word. After everyone finally left, Daniel returned looking grim.“What the hell is going on Daniel?!” I glared at Daniel as he paced back and forth in front of my bed. When he finally came to a halt, he turned around and stared at me for a moment before storming off again.HarperI WAS FURIOUS. I was promised that I would become the Luna. I was promised that I would carry the heir to our pack, and now that heir was going to be Daniel’s bastard. I felt betrayed, lied to, and humiliated. Daniel promised that we would still get mated after the
DanielI could see the fury in my father’s eyes. I could see him weighing out his options. If he challenged me and accidentally won, he would no longer have an heir, but he would have his title and power back. If he lost, he wouldn’t just be humiliated, but he would also be dead.“Fine! I will leave the girl alone for now.” His eyes were filled with hatred, but I knew that he hated Ava and the situation I had put myself in, and not me.“Dad. You have to stay away. We all know she will probably die from childbirth. So, there is no need for you to put any of us in any further danger. Please, I’m only going to ask this one more time. Don’t do something we will all regret.” I let go of my father, but I could see that he was not going to listen. He stormed off and at the end of the passage I saw Harper glaring at me.“I know you, Daniel.” Alex gripped my arm. “Don’t let dad draw you in to his drama like he always did when we were children.”“Shut up Alex! This is not the time to pretend t
AvaI was surprised when Alex walked in an hour later with a salad instead of the normal meal they had been bringing me. I was even more surprised when Alex said we could go for a walk after I had finished my salad.“I thought it was too dangerous to leave my room?” I glared at Alex.“It is, but Daniel has made sure that nobody will bother us?” After everything I had been through in this place, I wasn’t sure if I could trust Alex, but I really wanted fresh air. It felt eerie as we walked down the empty passage and made our way outside. The porch looked comfortable with its rocking chairs and homemade cushions.I could not see anyone in what seemed to be their “town square.” There was a beautiful fountain in the middle of the square, just like the one in my hometown. There were fragrant roses planted on the edges, and there was a huge tree in one corner, with a lush green lawn, and a wooden bench underneath it.“I know you’re probably not going to tell me, but I’m going to ask anyway.
DanielOver the coming months, I watched and feared as Ava’s belly grew. I was constantly on edge, not only because my father did not listen, and kept trying to get to Ava, but also, because I knew that she would soon be gone. With each passing day, I was getting closer to meeting my pup, but also to losing Ava.I was madly in love with her, and the more I saw her relationship with Alex grow, the more it pained me to watch. I could tell that Harper was up to something, I just wasn’t able to figure out what. The tension within our pack was growing, and there was nothing I could do to stop the divide.HarperI was not in love with Daniel. Everybody knew that. But, as the future Luna, I deserved more respect from Daniel. This was our way. It was decided long ago. Why couldn’t he just have done the right thing from the start, and rejected the girl, the moment he found out?She had been there for months, and I could feel Daniel pulling away from me more and more each day. Daniel’s father h
AvaHarper ran so fast that some of the branches were hitting me in the face, and I could feel one of them cutting into my cheek. We reached the main road, and I was stunned at the speed with which we had covered such an enormous distance. Harper kneeled, and got off, after which she shifted back into her human form. I couldn’t understand how Daniel could be engaged to such a stunning woman, and still sleep with me.“Ava, you can never come back. You can never speak to Daniel again. He is mine. I’m setting you free only because you are carrying his child. I know that a lot of people see me as a monster, but even I won’t take an innocent life of a baby.” It was the first time that I saw one of them up close, and it was frightening.“But what if he follows me?” I was completely out of breath even though I wasn’t the one running. “I have nowhere to go. He knows where I stay. What if he hurts my grandmother?”“Don’t you worry about Daniel. I will make sure that he is well taken care of. I
AvaIt felt strange to wake up in my own bed the next morning. It felt even stranger to remember the things my grandmother told me. After she explained everything, we realized how late it was, and we decided to continue our conversation in the morning.As I opened my cupboard, I realized that I had nothing to wear. All the maternity clothes were still in that damned room in Daniel’s home. I found a pair of old sweatpants that barely fit over my enormous stomach and a t-shirt that made me look like a homeless person, but at least the clothes were clean, and I was dressed. I made my way downstairs and found my grandmother in the kitchen making breakfast.“How are you feeling this morning?” She hesitated and I frowned.“It’s weird. I thought I would feel a lot worse. I mean, I must have walked about thirty or so kilometers to get here.” I poured myself some juice and watched as she put our plates on the dining table. I hadn’t even realized I was starving until the smell of the food caugh
DanielOf course, I would never kill my father, but at that moment I couldn’t believe that anybody else would have gone against my wishes. It was infuriating that nobody had seen anything, or heard anything, and if they did, they weren’t talking. I questioned all the guards using my Alpha tone, and in the end, I had to accept that none of them knew anything.I knew where she was, and it was clear that she was not going anywhere. I couldn’t imagine Ava or her grandmother harming Liam. Which meant that his sudden disappearance remained a mystery. Nothing of what was happening made any sense, but the fact that Ava left as soon as she saw the chance.It was incredibly painful to think that she had gone to such extremes just to get away from me. I was standing at the window looking out at the pack going about their daily business, when I felt Harper slipping her arms around my waist.“What the hell do you think you are doing?!” I whipped around so fast, and pushed her so hard that she land
HelenaAt first, I thought they were all insane. I couldn’t possibly be who they said. Yeah, okay, fine, so males listened when I spoke, but to call me the alpha of alphas was just weird. In time, however, it slowly started to show. I started to figure out how to use my power without harming anyone.The last thing I wanted to do was upset any of the males. I didn’t want to be the one ruling everyone. I just wanted to keep my promise to Nagaara. I wanted to make sure our people didn’t break my promise. I wanted to make sure everyone lived in peace.“You know, I think you might just be the reincarnation of your ancestor.” Max looked amused.“Not that again.” I frowned, but amusement was playing around in my eyes. We had discussed it a lot over the years. Even our children believed I was the reincarnation of Luna Ava. It could very well be possible, but I just couldn’t completely wrap my mind around it.The werewolves lived in peace with the dragons from the day I made the promise. Nagaa
HelenaWithin the first couple of days, the guests started to arrive. My family showed up within the first twenty-four hours and each time I had to explain what the promise I made meant. It was the general consensus. It seemed that I shouldn’t have done it. That I couldn’t speak for all the packs. They felt, they being the alpha males, that I didn’t have the right to make a promise on their behalf.“That is what none of you seem to understand!” After being spoken to as though I was a second-rate citizen for more than a week, I finally lost my patience. Max had been doing his best to defend me, but the hits just kept coming, and my sudden growl silenced every alpha in the room.“I didn’t make the promise on your behalf. I made it to save our pack. Where do you think she would have gone once she was done with us? You can’t tell me that all of you think she would have stopped with our pack! I believe she was on her way to doing exactly what she promised me she would do if we attacked aga
HelenaThe fact that there was the very real possibility that Nagaara could have killed me didn’t hit me until it was all over. While I was talking to her, I felt safe. It was only when I saw how worried Max was that I realized it. Nagaara just had to breathe too hard, and she would have melted my skin clear off.Tears started to run as Max took me into our home. Huge sobs ripped through my entire body as he clung to me, whispering sweet words to try and calm my racing heart. I had no idea how long I had been crying but my tears finally stopped.We got cleaned up and when we walked out, most of the damage had been cleaned up. It would take some time to rebuild the homes that were destroyed, but as long as we had peace, we could all live with what had happened. I could see relief and gratitude on all the faces.“You reminded me of something I heard about your family. It was a story my mother told me when I was a very young pup.” Max smiled as we found a seat and two omegas brought us s
NagaaraI wasn’t entirely sure why I was sitting in the dirt listening to a wolf, but Helena had been kind to me when we met. I also read about what her pack went through so many years ago. How they were also persecuted by the other wolves because they were different and how they found a way to peace thanks to one wolf called Ava.I knew that Helena was a direct descendant of Ava’s. That’s probably why I was willing to sit there in the middle of the open square in the dirt. I was curious as to why someone with her lineage would bind herself to the people who nearly wiped out my kind.I knew she would try to convince me not to attack, but I still wanted to hear her out.MaxI was going out of my mind as I paced back and forth just beyond the edge of the forest. I could see Helena and Nagaara in the square. Both were seated, and I could tell that they were talking, but we were too far off to hear what was being said.I was so scared! Why did Helena do that? Why the hell did I leave her
NagaaraI felt pride as I watched my babies take their first flight, and then anxiety set in, and I instantly called them back. They needed to learn how to fly and how to defend themselves, but they also needed to learn where it was safe. They might be fully grown and might have some of the knowledge of our ancestors, but they were still only babies.It was my duty as their mother to protect them. The same way that my mother tried to protect me. My babies had to learn a lot before we would be able to take on the beasts. I sighed as they gathered around me and I showed them where they could fly and where not.They learned quickly and within a day, I could tell that they were ready. It was shocking, since I thought we would need months, but my babies were breathing fire and the quicker we got rid of the threat, the sooner they could take to the skies at will.MaxI never knew I could feel the kind of happiness I felt whenever Helena walked into a room. Sadly, our happiness was still ove
NagaaraFor months, I waited patiently and tended to my eggs and on one clear and beautiful night with the moon shining bigger and brighter than I had ever seen it, I heard the first crack of a shell. Moments later, I was helping my firstborn out of his egg. He was so beautiful that I almost forgot about the others who promptly started to hatch.It was the most beautiful moment of my young life. They were all instantly hungry, of course, but I didn’t mind. I gave them the love I was never able to get from my mother and by morning they were grown. Thanks to a very ancient spell and to protect our kind, we grew to adulthood within hours after being born.I promised myself as I watched them during the night that I would make sure they never had to experience the loss that I had. I promised myself I would guide them and teach them in a way I never got to have. I promised myself again that I would get my revenge on the beasts so that my children could live in peace.HelenaMax and I agreed
MaxShe said yes! Okay fine, so she didn’t actually say yes, but she might as well have! My heart soared on the drive home. I had never felt like that. I felt like a young pup in love and it was simply wonderful. Ridiculous that a man at my age was acting like a young pup, but still. It was probably one of the best days of my life.The second we arrived home, I started to plan. She said that she didn’t think it would be a surprise, but I fully intended on surprising her. Whatever I did on the day we accepted each other had to be spectacular. I thought about the young dragon girl only for a moment before pushing all thoughts of her to the back of my mind.There had been no reports or sightings. We even went as far as checking their old home, and she hadn’t gone there. At least, I was told by my warriors they had been there, but I trusted them. They wouldn’t lie to me knowing how dangerous she was.I actually felt as though life could finally begin. We weren’t in the middle of a war, an
HelenaI had given Max a lot to think about. Hell, I had a lot to think about. So, it wasn’t a huge surprise when I didn’t hear from Max for a couple of days. I couldn’t help but giggle whenever I thought about him, and it was honestly becoming a royal pain.So, by the time my brother showed up at my doorstep to inform me that Max had requested another visit, I was ready to burst out of my skin with excitement. It was not how a woman of my age should act. I couldn’t damn well help myself.My second visit with Max went better than the first and I found myself actually laughing at his odd joke. Things unfortunately turned serious right before our time was up when Max asked if I could see myself sharing a future with him.“I could. I wouldn’t lie about that, but your future …” I thought about it as a frown formed on my face. “As a matter of fact, all of our futures still hang in the balance. We don’t know where the young dragon went or what her plans are. I couldn’t possibly have childre
HelenaI had been going back and forth about why I should reject Max for the second time and my mother was telling me why I shouldn’t. She had one point that I couldn’t deny. I didn’t really know him all that well. I had judged him in a very difficult time when he was probably not himself. I shook my head and frowned.“NO! I can’t be with that man! He is infuriating.” I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest like a young child who didn’t want to do something.“Well, I’m afraid you will have no other choice. He has requested an official meeting with you through your brother. You know the law. You have to give him a chance.” My mother huffed before storming out and I sighed deeply. I should have known that Max would do his research about that! That was if he didn’t already know the laws about mates.An hour later, my brother showed up at my front door and right behind him Max was grinning at me. I didn’t even greet him, as my brother explained the rules to the both of us. Max wasn’t a