IrinaLIFE WASN’T that easy, of course. There were two territories to deal with. One was completely open and the alpha was killed by Carmine. To complicate things more, Hunter killed Carmine, which, according to werewolf law, meant that Hunter now owned both those territories.My main problem was that I couldn’t trust the new wolves, and by the looks of things, neither did Rosemary’s mate. I thankfully didn’t have too much time to dwell on it since there was a lot to do. Hunter had to decide if he wanted the territory or if it should be divided up between all the alphas. He also had to decide what to do with the people who turned against us.I wasn’t surprised when he asked the rest of the alphas what they thought. War had been declared on all of our packs after all, and Hunter felt that they had a right to at least voice their opinions. It seemed the general consensus was that these people couldn’t be trusted. Everyone agreed that there might be one or two who didn’t agree with their
IrinaI wondered if it was too soon to start preparing for the baby, and then whipped around to search for Emily. It didn’t matter! We all needed something to boost our sense of hope for the future and what better way than to get ready for the new alpha? I didn’t know whether we were expecting a boy or a girl and it didn’t matter to me. I would be very happy either way, as long as our baby was healthy.I just naturally referred to it as him. I secretly hoped it was a boy since that would be the best for the pack, but I was sure that if we had a daughter, she would take care of our people just as well. The only reason a little girl would be a problem was the fact that we live in this patriarchal society and if she found a mate, she would automatically become a Luna.There were just too many issues if your first born was a female and you were an alpha. I found Emily buried under paperwork in my office and smiled as I leaned against the door frame.“Do you feel like doing some shopping?”
IrinaWHEN HUNTER RETURNED two days later, he looked older. This entire war had taken its toll on him. On everybody. I wanted to know what happened, but I would wait until he was ready to tell me. Everyone who had been eagerly waiting would have to wait just a little longer to show the warriors what we had been up to while they were gone.The next morning, things seemed a lot better. The warriors were well rested, and some had even begun to notice some of the changes we made. Most of them saw the changes in their rooms. I wanted the warriors to come home to comfort, so the two days while we waited for them, we worked really hard to make things look good.After breakfast, we took them around and showed them what we did, and they seemed happy. I knew what they all had to go through was probably one of the toughest things they had to do. I wanted us to move on from it and start building a future. Emily and I had to get to the flower shop, so, we left them to enjoy the house and what we d
IrinaTelling the pack was just amazing. They were probably celebrating into the early morning hours, but Hunter and I disappeared a little earlier to just be together and celebrate the life that was growing inside of me on our own. We spent some time unpacking all the shopping and I loved every little thing we got. I mean, I saw everything when I bought it, but it only started to feel really real when we were unpacking some of the clothes we bought.I went to bed feeling really great and this time around Hunter didn’t have to wake me because of a nightmare. Things were finally going our way. Over the next couple of weeks, life felt as if it was actually becoming normal. Our kind of normal. Hunter and I had dinner with my parents once a week and they really enjoyed having us there.It took them some time to warm up to the fact that we were different, and I understood that. I felt a little frustrated that I couldn’t shift, but it was what was best for the baby. Instead of shifting and
IrinaI watched as my captors moved about. The building we were in was so old that some of its side panels had begun to rust. The only furniture was the chair I was sitting on, and on the opposite side there was a desk and chair. The furniture looked almost as old as the building. There was a computer on the desk and one of my captors sat behind it with headphones over his ears.It made me wonder if they had some kind of surveillance on Hunter and the pack. How else would they have been able to grab me so damn fast? I looked around some more and there was one side door which made me wonder if that was where they were staying. I hadn’t seen any of them eat or drink anything. I also hadn’t heard a toilet flush and I was beginning to develop one hell of a need for one!“Hey!” I tried to call the guy behind the computer, but he didn’t even look up. The same thin guy who gave me some water earlier appeared from outside and he walked over. He didn’t say a word and I was beginning to wonder
HunterPacing back and forth, I waited impatiently while both my people and the sheriffs tried to trace the number, but as we suspected, it was a burner and by the time we traced it the number was no longer in service. Just another thing to prove to us that these people weren’t playing games.In the back of my mind, I feared the worst. If they were so adamant about humans being turned, what was to stop them from killing Irina?! A couple of council members soon arrived to lend a hand while the rest made sure the two territories we just fought for were cleared. If these people were so professional, they sure as hell were watching us somehow.We waited and at the exact moment the hour was up a new message appeared on my phone from a new number. This time there was an address and I was out of the door before saying a word to anybody!IrinaAfter they removed all the equipment around me, I wondered if they were going to kill me. They had given Hunter their demands. They no longer needed me
IrinaHunter insisted we go to the doctor in the morning just to make sure that the baby was okay, but I felt as if he was just trying the only way, he knew how to distract me. The store had always been my favourite place to go besides home. Now that memory had been tarnished by people who didn’t care about anything other than their own greed.The strange thing was that when we arrived at the store after our visit to the doctor, I was fine. Of course, the memory of being taken was traumatic and it still hung around in the back of my mind, but I was physically and mentally okay. They didn’t physically harm me after taking me. Hunter hung around the store for a little while until he realized he was under foot more than helping and finally agreed to go home.We now had two guards inside of the store and three outside as protection. Until we knew who this threat had come from, Hunter wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. The guards outside moved around from store to store so nobody wo
IrinaAfter a while, life returned to normal again. People in town got used to the guards hanging around their stores as they moved about town, and some of them even commented on how safe it made them feel to have someone looking out for any kind of criminal activity. Not that we had any in our town. I guess just having some kind of security made people feel safe.I was busy in the back room of the store with a new order when the first stabbing pain hit. I doubled over in pain and screamed and within seconds Emily and the two guards in the shop were beside me. They had been loading a huge order we had for a wedding in the front of the store. The pain lasted only for a moment and then disappeared, but as I took the first step towards my office, the ground underneath me turned into a pond!“It’s time!” I heard Emily shout through the pack link. It echoed slightly, which meant she had gone pack wide! I rolled my eyes thinking how silly it was! She helped me to my chair where I called my
IrinaAfter a couple of weeks, the new place was built and we all moved in. I loved the new setup more than I thought I would and it was actually great fun to have Rosemary so close by. The children had done an amazing job in getting everyone settled into the new place and as I walked down the beach, I breathed in the fresh morning air.I missed Archer terribly. He would have loved this new place so much. He had always loved the lake. I met Rosemary on the way and we caught up on all the last-minute arrangements for the day. Hunter had finally accepted his new position in life and there was just one thing he asked of the kids which they gladly gave.Now that we were all settled in, it would be the official ceremony to bind our two packs together according to our ancient traditions. Today was Ingrid and Richard’s mating ceremony and I could feel the excitement in the air. The packs had already come together as one much easier than any of us could ever have imagined they would.On the f
Irina“Oh, no! Don’t you dare put me in the middle of this!” I glared at Hunter who was glaring right back at me. The discussions had been going around in circles for hours without a solution and he had pulled me aside to ask me to order Richard and our daughter to move home. Hunter, being Hunter, had found the only way he believed this arrangement would work.He thought Richard could just become Alpha of our pack and choose someone else to take over his pack. As if it would be that damn easy! What was my mate thinking?!“I don’t see what the problem is.” He huffed and for a split second I saw traces of Archer in my husband. They looked so damn much alike! “Other males move to the packs of their females, why can’t he?” Hunter was pouting as he waved his hand through the air before clamping his arms tightly over his chest.“Would you have left your pack for me?” I studied my mate. “If I refused to live this life, Hunter. Would you have given up everything just for me?” I could see that
IngridI was hoping I looked sexy, but I knew I didn’t as I fumbled to try and fit him inside me. I was just about to give up when Richard reached out and helped me and I nearly swallowed my tongue the moment he pushed inside of me. I liked this position! I had seen it in movies and always wondered about it, even if I looked away as soon as it came on.It felt as though he was going even deeper and I wondered if that was even possible. I wasn’t entirely sure if I should hunch on my legs or just move my hips, but clearly Richard knew what he was doing as he guided me and we were soon captured in the throes of passion!“Yeah, that’s it! Ride me!” He growled through clenched teeth and it gave me the small confidence boost I needed. I was doing it right! Richard pushed himself up and he clung to my body as I moved. It took a little longer for us to reach that peak this time, but just as I felt myself about to tumble over, he leaned closer. I felt his canines scarping my skin for just a mo
IngridIt was as though that was all he needed to hear as he slowly started to push into me. In an instant, I was flooded with hunger. I wanted him more than anything. I needed him. The expression of needing someone … Really needing them finally made sense! The world finally made sense! Why men went to war for women made sense!Richard stopped pulling me out of my ridiculous thoughts and when a frown formed on his brow, I thought I had done something wrong.“I’m not sure if you know this, but this next part will hurt a little. I promise you it will be the one and only time I will ever hurt you.” He stroked a stray piece of hair out of my face and I nodded. I could have told him that it wouldn’t be the last time he hurt me, but I didn’t. My mind was running at a mile a minute with all sorts of distracting thoughts and I didn’t want to spoil the moment with any of them.As Richard thrust into me, I cried out and he held me for a moment. It was painful, but it wasn’t unbearable pain. I c
IngridI wouldn’t say I was entirely innocent. I knew which parts went where and what to do with all those parts, I just hadn’t physically done any of it up to now. Why hadn’t I done it before?! Having him touch me in those sacred places felt out of this world! It was incredible! I had never in my life felt as relaxed and happy as I did in that tub in Richard’s arms.As Richard got out of the tub, I wondered if that was it. Was it over now? I knew it couldn’t possibly be it! He held out his hand and I frowned.“Is it over?” I pouted and he burst out laughing, making my cheeks turn a bright shade of red!“No, my sweet Ingrid. That was just the start. The water is getting cold. I thought we would move this to the bed where we could be more comfortable.” He smiled at my look of shock and I silently swore at myself. I shouldn’t have waited! At least if I had done it once before, I wouldn’t have been such a damn idiot the first time with my mate!Richard picked me up bridal style and carri
Ingrid“Stay right there, okay?” He looked around and I nodded. I laughed when he started opening cupboards and swore. “I will be right back.” He grinned and disappeared. When he returned, he had a box filled with candles in hand and he walked right into the bathroom.“That is really not necessary, Richard. We didn’t know this was going to happen tonight.” I laughed as he opened the taps for the bath and started to light the candles.“In that case, you can light the candles while I get us some Champaigne.” He winked and disappeared before I could say anything else. I did as he said and I have to admit that it helped ease the nervousness I was feeling. When he returned with the Champaigne, I had lit all the candles and he opened the bottle for us. After pouring each of us a glass, he held out his glass to me and I blinked and watched him. I had never imagined him as someone who could be very romantic.“To us. May we only share happiness and love.” He sounded a little out of breath and
IngridI scanned his room. His bedding was white, which was a surprise. A single black line decorated the border around the edge of the bedding and the pillow cases. A huge bed stood in the middle of the room and on either side was a set of beautiful antique free-standing cupboards.“This will be yours.” He rubbed his palms on his sides before opening the cupboard for me and I wondered if he was as nervous as I was.“Thanks.” I smiled as he opened the cupboard and I realized it was left empty for his mate. An awkward silence fell between us for a moment.“I will give you a moment to settle in. Would you like anything to eat or drink?” He was nervous! It was so damn cute!“Something to drink would be nice.” I smiled as I realized my mouth was feeling incredibly dry. “Something strong!” I laughed nervously as his face relaxed and he smiled. He nodded and disappeared while I unpacked my overnight bag and made my way to his bathroom. It was beautifully done in white and black marble. The
IrinaHunter and I didn’t even have to ask the moment we saw Ingrid move. It was clear that she had found what she had been looking for all day and when they kissed, I nearly cried. We knew the boy. Hunter and I had been invited to his alpha ceremony while Ingrid was away on her trip. He was one of Archer’s friends from when they were younger, but the one thing that caught my attention the most was that he was Rosemary’s grandson!He wasn’t just any wolf, and thank the goddess, he wasn’t human!IngridRichard pulled away just enough so he could look into my eyes and I almost melted when he tucked a stray piece of my hair behind my ear. It reminded me of something I saw my father do for my mom once and how I thought that I wanted that kind of love one day.“Hi beautiful,” He smiled and I felt my cheeks turn bright red.“Hi.” Over the years, I looked at my brother’s friends and wondered about them. It was logical that I would one day be mated to an alpha or even a beta. Some of my frien
IrinaThe excitement hung thick in the air in the morning as everyone got ready to attend the Founder’s Day festival. It was the one day the entire town came to a halt and took the time to celebrate our town. It felt as though we were celebrating Ingrid’s return for two continuous days. I loved every moment of it. In my mind’s eye, I could actually see the many dinners and festivals Ingrid experienced while she was away.This was exactly what our town needed after the hunter was there. People needed to see us moving between them. They needed to talk to us and be reminded that we were human. We had to show them we weren’t the monsters the hunter was trying to make us out to be. None of them knew the truth, of course. The sheriff was one of the first to greet us when we arrived and the relieved smile on his face said it all.We had been working overtime to squash any rumours that were still flying around and finally, things seemed to have returned to normal.I caught sight of Ingrid tal