Ryan’s POV I listen to them for a while. It wasn’t hard, I didn’t even need to be close to the room. Their voices travelling along the hallway. They both squeal when I knock on the door. As I step in, Bea immediately gets to her feet and bows her head, something that I expected all my slaves to do. “Bea, your time with Aria is over. Leave!” Bea runs by me and I notice the plate of food on the table. It hadn’t been touched. I was concerned by the lack of food Aria was consuming lately. “Feel better?” I ask as I walk by her to the bathroom, deciding not to bring up the topic of food, she already hated me as it was. I’m surprised when she follows me, her face wrinkled up in annoyance. “You are really a hybrid?” “Yes” I turn back to the basin and remove my top. Taking a cloth, I wash my face and catch her reflection in the mirror. Her green eyes were darkening as she stared at me. Something that would only happen if she had her wolf. I knew I hadn’t imagined seeing her claws. “
Aria’s POV Sprinting back to my old room, I slam the door and somehow find the strength to push the wardrobe in front the door, barricading myself inside. He had killed my best friend! He had killed my best friend, all because he couldn’t sense that I was his mate! The scream tears through me as I finally let out all the anger I had been holding in. Ryan was a cruel man, a man that didn’t deserve to have a mate and yet it was getting harder and harder to fight the mate bond. I just didn’t know if I was coming or going anymore. Sitting on the end of the bed and jiggling my leg. I chew on a nail trying to figure out my next steps as I wait for the door handle to be tried. I was fully expecting Ryan to come back and whip me again. I had nowhere else to go, if I tried to run again, he would just come after me, dragging me back here. I couldn’t even cry, I was just so angry. Bea had done nothing wrong, she didn’t deserve to die. It was all because I kept a lie, refusing to let Ryan kn
Alpha Elijah’s POV I have been coming here everyday. Since that day I first saw her in the river. She was with another man and I was unable to tell if it was against her will or not, but as I sensed her fear today. I knew she was running to escape. I knew the day she shifted, I felt it, felt the instant connection with her. It was how I was able to link with her, to keep her motivated to run. To get her away from the Alpha of Crimson Pack. I didn’t even know her name, I just knew she was my mate. I watch as she slips, her midnight blue wolf tumbling into the river. Her wolf was identical to mine. Begging her to swim, I watch from my hidden spot as she desperately tries to get across to my side of the river. The man chasing her, he had others with him and now was not the time to reveal myself to Ryan. I just had to hope that she would listen to me. He stands at the edge of the cliff, looking down into the river, others join him and they growl as they see her appear on my side. T
Alpha Ryan’s POV “FUCK!” She had managed to get away and easily too. Aria had crossed over into another territory and of all territories, it was Midnight Pack. The Alpha of Midnight Pack was Elijah Wolfstone. Someone I had been in school with. I had hated him then and still hate him now. Though as an Alpha, he was just as aggressive as me. Aria didn’t stand a chance there, they would assume she is a Rogue and kill her. I had to get her back before that happened. Standing at the cliff edge, I almost jump. My men were asking me what we needed to do, but I didn’t have an answer. I didn’t know how big Midnight Pack was, I had no idea if our numbers were larger than his. I couldn’t believe that I had been so stupid, how could I have missed all the signs and to top it all her wolf was a complete surprise. “Alpha, are we in trouble?” one of my men ask “NO!” I snap, they had as much of an idea of Aria as I did and I had been sleeping next to her. “Fuck it, we are going!” I dive down
Aria’s POV Moments after he kissed me, he ushered me inside, no even giving me a chance to process what happened. He had kissed me hard, the length of his body pressing up against me as his hands hugged my hips. I didn’t reject the kiss, in fact quite the opposite and I wanted more. After he called me mate, he had hurried me inside. I had no idea what was going on and it is only as we reach the top of the stairs he announces that Ryan is here. They appear, surrounded by men, men that I hoped belonged to Elijah’s pack. As I look down, Ryan glances up at me, like he knew I was there. The windows were closed so I had no idea what they were saying. All I could see was the anger on Ryan’s face which seemed to be turning more and more red when he wasn’t getting what he wanted. Eventually, Ryan and his men are marched away, back in the direction that they came. As soon as they were out of sight, Elijah looked up at me with a smile. His onyx hair catching in the light of the moon. He doe
Alpha Elijah’s POV The house is quiet all night, a part of me expected that dickhead Ryan to come, another part of me hoped that Aria would need me in the night. I checked on her several times, each time she was fast asleep, curled up on her side. It was the early hours of the morning before I finally settled down. When I woke, the first thing I did was check on Aria. I was surprised to find her bed empty and made. Her scent was strong so she hadn’t left the room long. Following her delicious scent, I wander through the hallways. Almost making her jump when I find her looking confused. “Are you okay?” Her dark hair was tied back and I couldn’t help but look at her neck, her collarbone peeking out from under the baggy tee. I could easily make her mine. Her words bring me back to reality, snapping me from my thoughts. “Alpha Elijah, I was just trying to find my way.” She sounded slightly panicked, the pitch of her voice slightly higher. “Yeah, it’s a big house. I promise I will gi
Alpha Ryan’s POV How could I have been so stupid? Why the fuck did I even listen and agree to Seren’s plan? None of this would have happened if she hadn't come to me in the first place. Anton stares at me as I finish tearing up the office. “Bring your fucking mate in!” “What has she done this time Alpha?” “Just bring her to me unless you want your head ripped off.” He rushed from the room and I hear him calling her name. Why did I listen to her? Seren had been the one to tell me of Aria’s true heritage. She was just like me, half wolf, half vampire. A hybrid. We were rare, many calling us abominations. We shouldn’t have existed. Aria would be my only way to carry an heir, to create more of our kind. Seren had found out what Aria was after her father got drunk one night. He finally came clean, admitting that Aria was adopted, taken in by their mother because she couldn’t bear to kill a child. They were lucky, Aria had looked just like their eldest child Kyle and Seren was y
Aria’s POV The last comment threw Elijah completely. It was not what he was expecting me to say. “You shifted at the Moon Ball? Did you know about this?”Elijah turns to look at Simon who is holding his hands up and shaking his head. “Aria, you could have just killed him!” Simon almost yells I shake my head at him. “That’s the thing, I couldn’t. I was so weak, so exhausted from the shift that I could do nothing.” Elijah reaches out across the desk, taking my hand in his and glaring at Simon. “First shift is always the hardest. If I remember correctly Simon, you wept like a baby!” Simon looks everywhere around the room, but at either of us. Though I could barely take my eyes off Elijah’s. Combined with the electric sparks of his touch, it was almost like I forgot that Simon was in the room. “Do you feel better now? Got something off your mind?” Elijah asks, the smile remaining in place as he stands. I nod my head at him and he leads us out of the office, down the stairs and out
“You won’t, you will never do it!” Athena screams as I drag her across the ground. “Shut your fucking mouth.” I yell over her whimperings.“Then just kill me. I can't bare to see you fuck us over.”“No Athena. You will see what happens. You will watch as I take over the entire world and you will hear all of it.”“Please, just let me die.”“No fucking chance.” I threw her body into the dungeon where Aria had been locked away. Athena’s body hits the stone floor as she rolls across the ground.“Please, Atlas, please just let me…”“Alpha Atlas.” I mutter. She was a traitor, she wasn’t anything other than that.“Alpha Atlas, please just let me die.” She continues to beg.“No chance.”I slam the door of the dungeons shut. Slipping the key into the lock. She would never get to see any of the pack again. All she would ever get is the information of how the world was changing. How I was becoming the King that no one could stop. How I would be unstoppable,I walk down to the gates, waiting for
Atlas’s POVI couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How could Simon be mated to Athena? It didn’t seem possible. After all, he was gay. He had been married to a man.A man that he met at my ball! Ryan mutters. He sounded almost annoyed. “I can’t help it, Simon. The Moon Goddess obviously paired us together for a reason. It's not my fault.""There could have been a chance, but I can't protect you now!""You're not even going to try?"“Shut up. Just shut up you stupid woman!” Simon growls at her, obviously having enough of her shit.“I’m sorry that I am not what you wanted. Let me guess, you wanted someone with a dick!” Athena snaps back. "Well, I'm sorry about that, so suck it up!"“Whatever is going to happen between us doesn’t matter if Atlas kills you.”The sentence was perfect timing. Stepping into the small room. I see Athena sitting on the edge of a sofa. Her face in her hands. Her chocolate brown hair draped down over her. Simon had his back to me. His hands on his hips. A red t
Atlas’s POVSimon bursts into the room. I hadn’t even realised he had followed me. He stops in front of the empty crib. “Where is he, Atlas?” I couldn’t speak. I was in shock. How had I not felt it? How had I not known that he was in trouble?“ATLAS? Where the hell is he?”“She has him. She has taken my son.” I growl“FIND ATHENA!” I yell through a link to every single wolf and Lycan in the pack. “DO NOT LET HER OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. SHE HAS MY SON!”“I can help.” Simon offers.“How? How can someone like you help.”“He is okay. Hunter is okay. That’s why you couldn’t sense him being taken. His Aunty has him. If he feels danger. You will know. You will feel it”“How can you be certain? He is the first Lycan child.”“Because you feel it when he cries. You feel it in your heart when he is upset. Whatever Athena has done. She is keeping him safe and he trusts her. The question is, what does she want in return.”“I know what she wants. She wants Bethany dead.”“Me?” A small voice cries behin
Atlas’s POVAesha drops her head, keeping herself from looking at me. I wasn’t mad at her. I already had my suspicions. The way Athena looked at Bethany. The spite in her words. I had never known someone so jealous over a child.“Thank you, Aesha.”“You’re not mad at me?”“I’m not mad with you, no! You did the right thing.” I mull over her words. Frustrated that I couldn't get a break.“I told you Aesha. It was better to tell him than not.” Simon mumbles and nods at her, giving her a smile. I wondered how long this had been bugging her. Not once had we been alone today for her to tell me. Athena was always there, hovering or Bethany was at my side. Had Athena known Aesha had overheard her?“Did she know, Aesha? Did she know that you were listening in?”“I don’t… I don’t think so.”That sounds like a yes. If Athena had picked up her scent, then it would be obvious. It’s why Athena probably hovered at the funeral.“Things are getting more and more fucked up!” Simon mutters“Why are you
Atlas’s POVGetting Aria ready for her funeral hit me hard. It made me realise just how much I missed her. She had put me through my paces, testing my patience but at the end of the day, she was mine.I'm not ready.'I know, but it is time.'Just like Bethany had said, Aria looked as though she was sleeping. Her fresh clothes hid her fatal wound. Aesha was busy putting some sort of make up on Aria, giving her a bit of colour. She keeps her mouth shut, knowing that it was best not to speak.It had been a long time since I had sent someone back to the Moon Goddess and I wasn’t ready for this. I reach out to touch her cold skin. Hoping that by some miracle, she would wake up. That this was all just some nightmare.“Everyone’s ready.” Athena mutters. I see how she glances at Bethany, but she doesn’t say anything and Bethany is oblivious to it.I nod and she leaves, taking Aesha with her. Bethany remains behind with me. She had stayed with me ever since we went to the orphanage earlier. Sh
Atlas’s POVOver the course of the next few days, it was almost impossible to get anymore information out of Bethany. The moment she felt threatened, she would clam up. Hiding herself away, never leaving the house and refusing to speak to anyone. The only thing that would coax her out of her hiding spot was hot food. Today, it seemed like the smell of food wasn’t even working. I would have to go and find her when I was done.“Some great idea of yours.” I mutter as Aesha sits at the breakfast table with Athena and I.Athena cocks an eyebrow at me. She didn’t have a clue what I was talking about, but her gaze hit me hard. I had allowed Athena and Aesha to stay in the packhouse. In some ways it helped me feel close to Aria. Yet, it always seemed like they were watching my every move.“Is this about the funeral, Atlas? Because you can’t keep putting it off forever. Aria isn’t coming back.” I heard the undertone in her voice. She was trying to be assertive but she was grieving like the res
Atlas’s POVThe small girl remains asleep for hours. Whether it was shock or tiredness that was causing her to sleep so heavily, I couldn’t tell. Her blonde hair was dirty. There were blood stains around her finger nails. Her blood splattered clothes were too small for her, torn in places too. Her feet were bare and didn’t look like they had been cleaned in days, maybe weeks.Hunter stirs in my arms, making little noises and I watch as the girl's face screws up. Like my son's sounds were causing her some distress. Calling for Aesha, she comes into my office and takes Hunter from me, casting a glance over the young girl.“Still not woken?” She asks and I shake my head.“I think she might have needed it.”“Sleep? She was with humans, surely they were looking after her, she is just a kid. At least you haven't killed her. Does that mean you are going ahead with what I suggested?"I don't respond. But I had investigated the girls feet. The hardened skin, the old scars, the clothes that wer
Atlas’s POVEveryone stayed out of my way except for one. He never spoke but it wasn’t like I could get rid of him either. His constant looks of disapproval and tutting were starting to grind on me.‘Ryan, if you don’t start keeping your disapproving looks to yourself, I will take that concoction that I made for Aria and block you altogether.’You’re losing it!‘Fuck off!’You need to talk about her!‘Will you shut the fuck up!’No. I loved her too and now, now you are just shutting down. Do you even care how I feel!‘You didn't love her, not like I did.’ There, I had said it. The overwhelming ache of my heart was almost too much. ‘But you got what you wanted, didn’t you, Ryan?’He is quiet again, because he knew exactly what I was referring to. The day he attacked her family. The plan he had made with Aria's sister, Seren. He had got what he wanted all along. A child with the woman he was mated too.It’s not like that. I made a mistake. He mutters at me, but I could feel that I had h
Atlas’s POVHuman after human, I tear them apart. Promising myself that I would get my revenge for what happened to my mate.The scent of blood swirled in the air as the humans screamed begging for their lives. They should not have come to war if they were not prepared to dieYou have to stop. This isn’t going to bring her back! Ryan pleads with me.But this is what they came for. They came for us and I had no intention of letting them leave.Humans tried to run, trying to escape their deaths and yet the Lycans and wolves seemed to have a whole new reason to kill. They wanted revenge for Aria’s death as much as I did.As the remnants of the humans laid scattered across the grounds, I instructed my men to check that no one was hiding amongst them. The last thing I needed was a human that could escape to tell the tale.Shifting back to my human form, I go back to Aria’s lifeless body. Pain exploded through my chest all over again as I held her close. She had been taken away from me, fr