LacyI pulled the dress over my head, fully aware that he was reveling in my every movement. I wasn’t sure why he wanted me to get dressed if he planned on doing what I could see in his eyes he was planning on doing. The man I once thought was a friend, had turned into my greatest enemy.I don’t know why, but I remembered something that Kai’s mother told me about Luna Ava and I felt a strength start to grow inside of me that I never even realized I had. So, she had the help of some weird goddess that kept bringing her back to life, but in the end, she was the one who changed her fate.It was her choices that saved their pack. My choices would get me out of this mess safely. I might not get out of it completely intact, but was going to get out. I couldn’t think about Kai. I couldn’t think about our bond. I had to think about surviving.My focus had to stay on that. I glared at Paul as he wiped his mouth almost as though he had been drooling. He smiled before gripping my wrists and tyin
KaiI felt her fear. What kind of danger was she in? There were still no clues as to where she was or who took her, and it had become clear that whoever did it, wasn’t looking for a ransom. Lacy had been gone for three days and there were no clues!Without a ransom demand, we had to work through all the possibilities of who it could be. It was an agonizingly slow process, and I was on the verge of pulling my own hair out. I needed to bring her back safely and my only consolation at this stage was that she was still alive.The goddess only knew what she was going through, but she was alive.LacyI knew I needed to eat, so I could keep my strength up, but I was having trouble because I knew what he wanted. I was not going to give it to him willingly, which only meant he would force himself on me. Each time he left me alone in his room, I tried to find a way out.I couldn’t just sit there and wait to be saved. I couldn’t go through what it was he was planning for me in the hopes that som
LacyI mistakenly thought I had put him off completely. I didn’t see Paul for two days and then he appeared again. He was smiling as though nothing had happened and even said sorry for being absent because he apparently had some business to take care of.I didn’t have to ask. I could smell the business on him the moment he walked into the room. Her scent was one of those thick perfumes that nearly made me gag. Only then did I wonder where the hell he slept if I was staying in his room.“Does your business know that you are keeping me prisoner?” I glared, hoping to provoke him into leaving me alone again. Sadly, it had the opposite effect.“Are you jealous?” His eyes sparkled, and I wished I could slap the smile right of his face. His smile quickly changed when I didn’t say a word. He knew I wasn’t jealous. I had a fated mate, so I couldn’t get jealous about his affairs even if I wanted to.“What do you want from me, Paul? You know as well as I do that if I don’t reject him, I could ne
LacyI knew there would come a time when I had to fight him off, and it came all right. I had been locked in his room for a week when he burst through the door one evening. The guard closed it behind him and I heard it being locked. Paul’s eyes were black as the night and filled with fury, and I was scared.“I don’t know how you did it.” He slowly started closing the gap between us, but I stood firm. “But it seems your mate found you.” I frowned and he smiled. “But you won’t be his for much longer.” Paul lunged at me while my mind was trying to process what he was saying.“NO! NO!” I screamed as he pushed me onto the bed. His one hand gripped both my wrists above my head while his other hand lifted my skirt. It was all happening so fast, but I was determined to fight him until I had nothing left in me.The door flung open, and I caught sight of Kai. That was when the tears started to flow. Kai grabbed Paul and threw him against the wall, but before he could check on me, Paul got up an
LacyKai didn’t do anything to make me feel uncomfortable. He made sure to cover himself with a towel before walking me back into the bedroom where he quickly pulled out clothes for the both of us from drawers I didn’t even notice before. Kai turned his back, and I quickly put on the shirt and sweats.“I’m done.” My voice sounded strange in the silence we had been moving around in since he arrived. I could see that he didn’t want to leave my side, but he was scared to touch me. “He didn’t …” My voice cracked as a sob burst through my body. Kai closed the gap between us and pulled me into his arms as I cried.“He didn’t … He was about to … But he didn’t.” The words came out in bits and pieces while the tears ran down the sides of my cheeks and I looked into Kai’s eyes. His eyes were filled with the pain I was feeling. I was so close to being … I couldn’t even think the words, it was just too much, and he held onto me while I cried.“I’m so sorry that this happened to you, my love. I’m
LacyNow that Kai and I were physically mated, there was no reason to postpone our ceremony any longer. After what happened to me, the things that used to seem so important suddenly no longer made any sense. Our families were delighted with our decision and everyone jumped to arrange the ceremony.I chose a beautiful dress made of different shades of chiffon that flowed around me like soft clouds. I wanted a more traditional ceremony and, thankfully, Kai agreed. We didn’t want these new look weddings like most of our kind had these days.We both wanted to be bound in the old ways. By promising each other our lives and having our lives bound together in front of our families and friends. I noted the beautiful cloth my mother embroidered by hand especially for this day and I smiled.“It is time sweetheart.” My father’s voice interrupted my thoughts while I was standing in front of the mirror daydreaming and I beamed at him. I took the beautiful silk cloth and hung it over my shoulder an
Kai“I don’t know what to do anymore, mother. There is something strange in her eyes. It’s almost …” I hesitated. “It’s almost as though she’s feral, and my mate is no longer in there.” My words shocked even me, but it was true.“Are you afraid that she might hurt Helena?” My mother looked concerned, and I sighed deeply, shaking my head.“No. She will never hurt Helena. It’s because she wants to protect her that she is acting like this. Have you ever heard of a female going mad after giving birth?” I frowned as my mother smiled, but I was being completely serious.“No, my sweet boy. No female goes mad. We tend to get a little crazy, but nobody has ever become feral because we gave birth. There is something else. Something else is going on with her. Do you mind if I have a chat with her?” My mother’s words put my mind at ease a little, but not enough.“You can try. If she lets you. She hasn’t allowed anybody into that room in days. Not even me.” I was really worried, but the time had c
LacyIt took time, patience and a lot of love, but I finally started to feel like my old self again. I was stunned that I had acted that way. I mean, I could remember it all, but it didn’t feel as though it was me doing it. It was as though something had taken over my body and mind.It felt as though everything I did was part of a strange fog I had been living in. I told Kai and the doctor everything as soon as it felt as though the fog had lifted. For a while, they even thought that I might have been under some kind of spell, since nobody could really tell what Paul had done to me.Kai enlisted the services of a witch, who thankfully confirmed that there was no spell and no potion involved. The doctor believed that it was some kind of baby blues. Just a far worse version than he had ever seen. He believed it was the trauma of what happened, which I never really processed, that finally caught up to me.Once I worked
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