IrinaHunter and I had a quiet dinner in our room and in the morning, we would be returning home. Hunter was a dear to listen to me rambling on about the entire trip as we drove home. I needed to get to the store and although he didn’t say it, I was sure he was relieved when I left. The poor guy looked positively burnt out when we got back home.We didn’t get tired easily, but he seemed tired. I could only imagine what their meetings were like, but I didn’t have much time to ponder about it. I had to catch up on a couple of days’ worth of work. Emily had done an absolutely incredible job, but there were things that required my attention. I dug in and got to work and when Emily popped her head into my office, I couldn’t believe that it was past closing time already.Life was great. I had friends, my darling husband, and the store. None of which I could ever have imagined, but I was incredibly grateful for it. Hunter and I had dinner with the pack and, for the first time, we went to bed
IrinaI felt torn … AGAIN! I wanted to be part of the pack. I wanted to be majestic and all those things. I just … Killing something … Even something that was attacking us. It was a very bitter pill to swallow. My internal struggle didn’t stay internal for very long before I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Hunter and Emily were sure that I was feeling this way because I wasn’t born into this life.I had a feeling that wasn’t it. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever meant to be like this. Even after the moon goddess spoke to me. I was all for defending yourself, but all this killing! For days the scent of blood hung thick in the air. It seemed as though the others couldn’t smell it anymore, so maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me! I tried breathing exercises and even tried to do some yoga, but I couldn’t get the images out of my mind and the taste of blood out of my mouth. I wasn’t a wolf! I was a monster!“Irina!” Hunter’s growl drew me out of my line of thinking. He was sca
Irina“Congratulations!” The doctor was positively beaming. We were pregnant and all I could think about was throwing up! He explained that Lupe was the reason I didn’t feel the worst of the side effects of being pregnant. I was about six to eight weeks along. At least it explained why my clothes were tighter. I thought it was because I now had a wolf and somehow my body was just heavier with her in it.Yeah, the pregnancy was turning my mind into mush! The doctor suggested the best thing for me to do was to listen to my body and what it needed. If I feel tired, I should rest. If I am hungry, I should eat. It was all good advice. I just wasn’t entirely sure if I was ready for this.So much has happened in the past couple of months. I went from dreaming about my future to now living it, or at least some version of it. The pregnancy brought up thoughts of how our child would grow up in the pack house and then the moment I stepped into the foyer I wondered how on earth I was going to pro
IrinaDinner with my parents went better than expected. They were shocked just like we were when we got the news, but they were very happy for us. There was one small thing we didn’t tell them because we weren’t entirely sure about it. The doctor couldn’t give me a due date since most alpha pregnancies only last a couple of months usually, but I was born human … They weren’t sure how long I would carry.Hunter and I decided to cross that bridge once we reached it. If I was pregnant closer to human terms, we could just say that the baby was born premature. If the baby was born closer to wolf terms … We would have to figure out some elaborate lie or tell them the full truth. In the meantime, Hunter wanted me to experience all the joy of being pregnant and looking forward to our baby being in our lives.I knew this was something he had been waiting for, for a very long time. I knew about his first mate and her tragic death. It wasn’t just about having an heir for Hunter. He truly wanted
HunterWatching Irina was like seeing the perfect portrait being created right in front of you. I thought when she found out that I was a wolf, she would leave, but she took it in her stride. I thought that when she found out how bad the attacks from rogues could be, she would definitely leave. She fought them like a pro thanks to her wolf Lupe.I thought when she heard I had to bite her and that she could turn or die … Yeah, she amazed me each time we faced a hurdle and she jumped it with ease. She truly was the most amazing woman I have ever met. Even the council agreed when she noticed only packs of humans were being attacked that she was pretty remarkable. We had combed the information for weeks and none of us put two and two together.It was almost as though she was meant to find it and nobody else. I sighed. We haven’t had a rogue attack in weeks, but there were signs that they were still near our borders. Unfortunately, because rogues didn’t run in packs like we did and frankly
IrinaWith the attention of the pack now firmly on Hunter, he sighed deeply and pulled his fingers through his hair, showing me he was frustrated and trying to figure out how to say what he had to say.“It seems that we have people among us who have decided that turning humans like your Luna is an abomination.” When Hunter looked up, I saw the pure fury in his eyes and I felt shock run through my body. “The council captured one of the rogues and questioned him extensively. According to the rogue, a small faction of so-called purebred wolves has launched an all-out attack on what they view as not worthy of being part of our community!” I didn’t like where this was going! Hunter looked at me and I felt a shiver run down the back of my spine.“This war is not going to end until we wipe out the radicals in our ranks.” Hunter sighed deeply and my eyes shot to the sudden shuffle happening in the corner at the back of the foyer. The warriors grabbed two wolves from our pack and the full impa
IrinaWITH MY PARENTS safely tucked away in our pack house, we could start with the preparations for whatever might be coming our way. Hunter and Isiah were busy outside with the warriors securing our borders while Emily and I made sure we had everything we could need inside.Emily and a couple of my guards went into town to put up a notice that the store would be closed for a couple of days. With my parents' house neatly locked up and the store sorted out, all we could do was wait. I knew that each time Hunter disappeared downstairs he was interrogating our prisoners, and I didn’t want to be there while he did that.I didn’t want to hear how much they hated me because I was human. I just couldn’t deal with the hatred of it all. I kept myself busy by training in the mornings and taking care of whatever anyone else needed the rest of the time. My mom refused to come out of her room and my father would look at me for a split-second before looking away. I knew I had to give them some tim
IrinaIT TOOK SOME time to clean up the mess after the attack and I was standing on the porch looking out into the forest when I heard my mother’s distinct walk coming closer. I didn’t look in her direction as she walked through the door.“So, this is the life you’ve chosen for all of us. You didn’t stop for a moment to consider that your father and I wouldn’t want to be a part of this. That … That we wouldn’t want to become like this!” She sounded calm, which was far worse than when she was angry. I would have preferred my mother to shout at me right now. A calm mother under these kinds of circumstances did not bode very well.“When I chose this life for me, Mother, I didn’t think th…”“Yes, you didn’t think!” She interrupted me before I could finish and I felt a soft growl push through between my lips. I instantly regretted it when I saw her eyes grow wide.“No, Mother! I didn’t think that you would be so angry about it. Weren’t you the one who taught me to fight for what I wanted?