Melody ReeseEvery adult in the pack except those who were on various duties gathered inside the pack lands, right in front of the pack entrance, awaiting the return of our alpha. I wanted everyone to witness their leader come back victorious, having gotten rid of the pack's enemy inside his own pack. As the luna, I stood at the front of the gathering with Scarlett by my side, the elders on the line behind us, and then the rest of the pack."I can't believe Nathan is no more." I stated, feeling the peace I had so much desired when he was alive already taking control."You better, honey; finally you can breathe." She responded, rubbing the spot between my shoulders, her eyes focused on the gates as they opened. We watched as SUVs were driven in, piling up neatly on the right side of the entrance. My toes curled on the flipflops I was wearing while I swallowed hard."Relax, Mel; there's no reason for your nerves to act up." Mom whispered in my ear while I watched as Holden hopped out, r
Draven FoxA smile spread on my face as Mason and Melody hugged. My father scoffed beside me, while my mom gave Melody a thumbs up when she pulled away."Stop sulking; you can't choose friends for her." My mother elbowed my father gently on his side, making him soften his gaze, which had been a glare directed at Mason."He hurt her." He complained."He apologized, and she forgave him; now shut up." My mother scolded."I'll leave you two to banter while I go to the dungeons." I excused myself from the cheerful pack members after saying hi to nana, ordered Nathan's head to be spiked on a pole, and then left with Caleb and Holden."Oh, I forgot that Jones was locked up." My father spoke while pulling my mother to where my nana was and the rest of the elders. They had steered me away from my business, allowing me to work without disruptions or meaningless meetings to question my work."What are you going to do to him?" Caleb asked as we piled up in my SUV, deciding to drive there."Where
Melody Reese"I must admit that was genius." Caleb stated, rubbing his chin. Whoever came up with that plan for Mercy to mark Jones so she'd access Jones thoughts without knowing was genius."Was it? The stupid bitch marked Jones clearly as her chosen mate, knowing she could lose her own mate if she met him." Mason argued, shaking his head. We'd driven Jones to Caleb's place, fixed him something to eat, and after he cleaned up, we came down the stairs for a chat, just like old times. Draven had loosened up and allowed it to slide because clearly it wasn't Jone's fault."Well, if you put it that way," Caleb trailed off."But, how come you didn't see the mark sooner?" I asked, getting comfortable on Draven's lap. He was quiet and a bit distant, and instead of probing, I decided to give him time until he was comfortable talking about it. I knew he was feeling bad because he almost killed his friend without listening to the other side of his story."I saw it when I woke up, and when I ask
Draven FoxWe headed straight home instead of the office, like I had told my friends. After soaking in the bathtub with Mel between my legs, she ended up dozing off. I had to carry her, dry her up, and dress her before I put her to bed. Knowing she had gone through a hard time waiting for me to come back, I let her enjoy her sleep while I fixed myself something to eat. After eating to my fill, I slipped inside the duvet beside her, my thoughts drifting back to Jones."Mmmh." I hummed, snaking her arm over her waist as I pulled her closer to me. Her scent had changed; it smelled more sweet and had become even more alluring. As I smelled her hair, I couldn't help but picture our twins inheriting the hot mess on their heads. Her previously levelled heartbeat started increasing, indicating that she was waking up."Why aren't you asleep?" She asked grogilly, pressing her body into mine and making me bite a groan."I was eating." I stated."Talk to me, Draven, what is it?" She suddenly aske
Melody ReeseI awoke to find myself alone in our bedroom. The spot beside me was cold, indicating that Draven hadn't left the bed recently. I thought about calling him but decided to check downstairs first; maybe he was still around. As I took a hoodie to throw over my nightgown, my stomach growled. I remembered I hadn't awoken in the middle of the night like I usually did to have what I called a mid-night snack. That was how much appetite the pregnancy had bestowed upon me."Babe!" I shouted as I descended the stairs in socks-covered feet, supporting my hands on the wooden railings, which I had painted white from the previous black that Draven had."Draveeen!" I called louder, but I was only met with silence."Well, this is odd." I mumbled to myself, heading to the kitchen to prepare a hearty meal for myself. I didn't know what the exact time was, but given the happy chirps of the birds outside, it was sometime in the morning. By then, I was used to finding mom in the residence anyti
Draven FoxI found Melody seated on one of the porch stairs, a cup of cocoa in her hands, her head hanging as if she were meditating. Knowing she was safe brought a sense of relief, even though I knew there was no way Jones would have gotten past the protective barrier I raised. But then again, I wasn't ready to risk Melody being taken away again."Good morning, babe?" I greeted but was met with silence."I'm sorry, something came up after you slept and I had to take care of it." I added, sitting down beside her. She, however, stood without a word, distanced herself from me, and got back inside the house, the cup still in her hands."Come on, babe, I know I should have said something, but I left in a hurry. Plus, you were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you up." I followed her to the kitchen, where she poured the cocoa inside the sink, put the cup on the counter, and then passed beside me without sparing me a glance."Shit." I swore, watching as she climbed the stairs qu
Melody ReeseWhy? That was the word that ran through my mind incessantly as I stood in Draven's arms. How could once a good friend turn into the enemy just when we thought we had found tranquility? Was I destined to have enemies throughout my life, even during my pregnancy? My shoulders shook as Draven tightened his hold around me."What sort of a luna am I?" I sniffed, withdrawing from the embrace, then walked over to the bed, wiping my tears with the back of my index finger."Why would you even ask that?" Draven followed me, like he had been doing since he came back from the search. I was still mad at him, but the thought of Jones and the emotions it stirred shadowed the tiny bit of anger I had for him."I defended Nova when you had the chance to remove her from our lives for good, contrary to your decision as the alpha, and she ended up becoming a sore pain in our asses." I said, putting my hands between my thighs."That was you being the mother of the pack, showing compassion, and
Draven FoxI stood in nana's backyard, looking at her lifeless body, as my mother cradled her head in her lap. She wasn't crying; no, she was staring at space, rocking back and forth as if her mind was slowly processing everything. Then she began mumbling the healing spell; it was almost as if she was slowly losing her mind without knowing it."Let go, mom." I said in a broken voice, my Adam's apple forcefully bobbing up and down over the lump that had formed."No, no, no." She whispered, then threw her head backwards and, in human form, let out an extremely loud howl that carried with it the pain of losing someone so special to her. Almost after that, dad howled behind me, and the elders that he seemed to have gathered joined him too, and they howled to the moon goddess together.As I listened to them and looked at my nana, it almost felt like I was in a frozen state. My mind was still processing what my eyes were seeing and my ears were hearing. Then, with a slight push inside of me