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?
IrinaOVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, I watched our pack slowly getting serious cabin fever. The attacks were coming in so fast that Hunter gave the order for all of us to stay inside at all times. We couldn’t even open a window to smell the forest!Hunter had received reports from some of the packs that the attacks had also increased there and we were wondering where the hell all of these rogue wolves were coming from. After a long conference call with all the alphas, it seemed they agreed that these wolves couldn’t possibly all be purebloods. Somehow, the group that wanted to wipe my kind from the face of the earth was creating soldiers like me to fight against us.After the call, I was frowning and Hunter rubbed my lower back. I had started to develop pain in my lower back because of stress and whenever he rubbed it, it felt better, but this frown was not because of pain.“Hunter, two of the alphas weren’t in that meeting.” I knew what his answer was going to be even before he said i
Irina“I don’t understand.” Rosemary didn’t sound confused about what I said. I could only guess that she wanted me to repeat it so she could be sure.“Then we … Us females will fight. If our men each want to hide in their castles … Let them!” I loved Hunter and I knew he would agree to all the packs standing together if it meant we would win and this would all be over. If he didn’t and I told him I was doing it anyway, he would be furious with me, but he would have no other choice but to follow me.“You are a clever little minx!” Rosemary exclaimed, sounding excited. I knew that once I had her on my side, getting the other females in line wouldn’t be a problem. It didn’t take Rosemary long to make all the calls and when she called me back, I smiled. We had a plan and the ladies were all in.Every single one of us was tired of being cooped up in our pack houses while men went off to war. All of us were tired of sitting around waiting to find out if they had been killed or not! We were
IrinaGETTING EVERYONE TOGETHER WAS EASY. It was getting everyone packed that was a really hard job. We couldn’t take backpacks filled with supplies and clothes, and we couldn’t go without having something with us, so I left all those arrangements in Hunter and Emily’s capable hands. They had gone on these kinds of trips before.Okay, nothing like that, but they had gone on camping trips in their wolf form. While everyone was rushing around, I noticed that the door to the baby’s room was open and I took a deep breath before walking in. My parents had given us so much of my old furniture that it almost filled the room. The furniture was in far better condition than I originally thought, and our pack had gone above and beyond to restore it where it wasn’t as good.Soon, our little baby will be living in this room. I allowed myself to imagine him playing on the floor on a colourful carpet. As my eyes scanned the room, I could see it after it had been decorated with books and toys and eve