Daniel
Setting a date for my mating ceremony was more difficult than I thought it would be. Forgetting about Ava was even worse. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t. It was beginning to make sense why my father believed what he did, and before I could help myself, I was back in Ava’s town. I promised myself I just wanted one last look, and then I would return to the pack grounds and never return.
“Daniel!” Her voice sent shivers of delight down the back of my spine and I whipped around.
“Ava …” I gasped. She had caught me off guard completely.
“I take it you are here for business again?” She smiled and, in the distance, I noticed her grandmother. She suddenly stopped walking as she saw the two of us.
“Yes, one last meeting.” It was the first time in my entire life that I was at a loss for words, but only for a moment. “Would you like to join me for dinner?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself and I smiled.
Ava
Seeing him again was a huge shock. He had been gone for four days and, in those four days, I had convinced myself there was nothing between us, and that I was happy my stalker was gone. The moment I saw him standing in front of the antique store staring at the window, I knew I had been lying to myself.
I had fallen hook, line and sinker for my stalker! I was never one who believed in love at first sight, until it happened to me. I tried convincing myself over the past couple of days that I was just imagining things, but the moment I saw him again, I knew. I was in love with my stalker, who turned out not to be a stalker at all.
“Sure. Are you in town for only one night?” I had no idea why the hell I asked, but I tilted my head to one side and studied him when I noticed he looked a little nervous.
“Yes. Yes, after tonight, I won’t be coming back. We couldn’t come to an agreement with your mayor, so I’m afraid my business here is done.” He looked incredibly sad, and I had to fight the urge to stroke his cheek. Stop it, AVA! I reprimanded myself. “I will pick you up at seven.” He looked a little distracted and I nodded and watched him walk over the street before he climbed into that same black SUV from before. They drove off, and I finished the last of my shopping.
When he picked me up later that evening, he still seemed distracted. All throughout dinner we made small talk and I found out a little more about his business, but I noticed he specifically avoided giving me the name of his company.
“Are you married?” I asked without thinking, and he looked at me for a moment with shock in his eyes, but it quickly turned into amusement.
“No. Why do you ask?” I could see that whatever he was occupied with disappeared as his attention returned to me.
“You keep avoiding the question about your company name. I thought that maybe you didn’t want me to know because you have a wife, and you are scared, I might pitch up at your front door.” I shrugged and frowned when he burst out laughing. It was the first time I saw him relax all evening.
“No, that is not why. I promise. So, tell me about your preparations for the championships. Do you think you will be ready?” He leaned forward and I smiled.
“Nice change of subject, but I will indulge you. I’ve been working very hard on the new routine. I wanted to do a backflip, but the move was banned in nineteen seventy-six.” I shrugged. “It’s an incredible move, but I don’t want to be banned.”
“Isn’t that dangerous? I don’t know much about the sport, but …” His voice trailed off as I nodded. We finished dinner, and I was a little surprised when he didn’t ask me to dance this time. We left the restaurant and as we were standing outside, I could see he was deep in thought before he turned to look at me.
“Ava, would you like to join me at the guest house for a nightcap?” I gawked at him. I wasn’t in the habit of having one-night stands, but it would be the last time I ever saw him. If I never saw him again, we would at least have this one night. Before I could think about it anymore, I nodded. We both knew what he meant when he asked me.
I wasn’t a virgin, and I was sure he wasn’t. We drove to the guesthouse, and he showed me to his room. It was a lovely old home with homey rooms, which surprised me. As we walked in, he poured each of us a drink, and he was about to hand it to me when he stopped.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t asked if you are allowed to drink at the moment.” He looked distracted again, and I took the drink from him.
“I’m allowed if I don’t have my ice cream tomorrow.” We sat down on the small couch in his room and an awkward silence fell before I decided to make my move. I was never the one to make the first move. In fact, this was my first ever one-night stand, so why not go all out? I put my drink down and climbed onto his lap, straddling him between my legs.
“What are you doing, Ava?” His voice was hoarse with hunger as he looked into my eyes.
“What we came here for.” My voice was barely a whisper as his lips crashed down on mine. Our hands moved fast to get rid of our clothes while I rubbed against him moaning. He stood up, carrying me as he went, and we stripped out of the last of our clothes before he put me down on the bed.
His fingers found my wetness, and he groaned before he thrust into me. We were a perfect fit, and we drove each other over the edge over and over. I wasn’t an experienced temptress or anything, but I knew what to do, and it was better than I ever could imagine it would be.
Daniel dropped me off at my grandmother’s house an hour before sunrise, and he softly kissed me before leaving. I didn’t think I was ever going to see him again. He told me I wouldn’t.
AvaThe only thing that kept my mind off the fact that I would never see Daniel again was the fact that I really wanted to become the world champion and I trained harder than I ever had before. It still felt like my routine was missing something and I really wanted to add something really incredible, but everything that was really incredible was also very dangerous and banned.When I was finally able to think only about my goal, I saw him up in the stands in the arena. Daniel was sitting there watching me practice. I had only a month left before the championships and I had been plagued by a stomach bug for nearly a month. I was training harder and longer than I ever had before and believed I was feeling tired because of that.I made my way up the stairs and our eyes met, sending shivers up the back of my spine. The last time we were together, I thought it was the last time and I gave him all of me. I can still remember the feel of his lips on my skin, and the warmth of his body agains
AvaI had never seen her look so calm. It was scary. She listened and when Daniel was done talking, she got up, took her handbag and left without a word. Grandma knew I wasn’t innocent or anything, but to have made such a huge mistake!“You better get packing. We have to leave.” Daniel stood up, and I was still trying to focus when I realized he said we.“Excuse me?” I jumped out of my seat and was struck by dizziness so fast I had to sit back down. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” I frowned, shaking my head, but the dizziness wouldn’t go away. The next thing I knew, Daniel picked me up and carried me out of the house. No amount of kicking and screaming could get him to stop. He put me into the back of the black SUV. I tried to plead, but his guards wouldn’t even look at me.As we pulled out of the driveway, I wondered if I would ever see my grandmother again. Would I ever see our home again? We drove out of town and the car pulled into the abandoned airport where I noticed the priv
AvaI paced back and forth and then decided I needed to find a way out of there. I checked the windows and the doors and all I found was a very lavish bathroom behind one door, a closet behind the other and the only door out was locked. There were also bars in front of the windows which weren’t going to budge. When the door flung open, I was so shocked, I whipped around and my heart raced.“Alpha said you might be hungry or thirsty and that you need some of these personal things.” The man frowned as three young women walked in. The first carried a tray with food and something to drink. The second had a bunch of dresses draped over her arms and the third had a towel and I could only guess there were cosmetics in the bag.“Everything else you might need is in the bathroom. I’m sure you’ve already gone through the cupboards. Just a word of warning. This is a very dangerous place. Don’t even think about escaping.” The man frowned as the young girls put the stuff down and scurried out. I h
AvaEvening fell and one of the girls from earlier brought me some dinner, but I was still incredibly nauseous. I was surprised to find the nausea medication on the tray together with the prenatal vitamins the doctor prescribed earlier. It felt strange. As though that morning happened years ago, and I was trapped in this nightmare new life. What did Daniel think he was going to do?Keep me and the baby locked away in this room until I die of old age? Since I couldn’t very well see it happening that way, I could only believe that he intended on killing me at some point. I sighed and was looking out the window again, when I noted the wolf. It was a different colour, but I couldn’t be sure. It was very dark outside.When I blinked, it was gone, and I felt a shiver run down the back of my spine. I heard the door unlock and didn’t look to see who brought me what this time.“Ava.” Daniel’s voice sent a shiver down the back of my spine and I turned around to glare at him.“What do you want?
AvaI had come to know the man who brought me the things I needed the first time, Alex, who was Daniel’s brother. I wanted to know what they were and, although I was still incredibly careful around them, it didn’t seem as though they were planning on hurting me. They were monsters. That much I was sure of, but nobody tried to physically hurt me.Alex was kind enough to bring me a television and some of my favourite books. It was meant to be a good gift, but I sat on the bed alone watching as my arch nemesis took the title I had been working for my entire life. I knew I would be able to return after I had the baby, and if I worked really hard, I would have one more shot at the title, but something told me I was never going back to ice skating.I even tried to fool myself into trying to practice some of the moves in the small room, but after the world championships were over, I stopped practicing. Days quickly turned into weeks and each time Daniel came to see me the anger in his eyes b
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
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