JASON POVMy joints crack and pop as Iroll out of our bed. Every ten years, we get a new mattress, and that time is fast approaching. I nudge Jackson in the back before heading to the bathroom for my morning routine.After using the restroom, I scrub and rinse my 25 yr old face. I still can't get over it. We watched everyone we ever loved turn grey and old, while here we sit at 115 looking like we are still fresh. Personally, I want to punch every mirror in this house.Each of our cousins lived long lives for which I will always be thankful. Clara and Tray were true mates but never had any pups. We think it was because of the Goddess. Lenny was rejected by her true mate. And lived with us every day of her life. She was our best friend until the day she died. Jackson and I never told her we killed the little bitch who rejected her. ( Lenny was gay ) We just couldn't believe her soulmate threw her away like that, and the Lycans didn't tolerate seeing her hurt.
THIRD PERSONJason andJackson tug on shorts as they enter the cells with caution. Each doesn't know how to feel. Their best friend, guard, and brother has found his mate. But somehow, it doesn't feel like a happy ending for the mateless Beta.Ethan paces the hall in front of the female vamps cell, pulling his hair and cursing under his breath. His protective suit is stained with vampire blood and soot."Chill, man, we will sort it out," Jason says, seeing their friend's expression.Ethan's head snaps towards them with a growl. "I COULD HAVE SAVED HER. SHE WAS A HUMAN. THOSE LEECHES GOT HER FIRST BECAUSE I WASN'T LOOKING FOR HER," Ethan explodes, and the Lycans roar back at his disrespect"I'm sorry, but it's true. I didn't think I would get a mate so soon since our lives are going to be ....... FUCK... who knows how long. And she was alive. Breathing. Now, look at her," Ethan collapses to the floor.Ethan tucks his knees to his chest and wee
AMELIA POVI can't seem to get air into my lungs fast enough. The Kings, THE KINGS, are my mates. That's the only thought I have before my eyes close. Slowly my body relaxes, and my brain wanders into dreamland.My dream isblissful. I'm in my wolf form running. The air is crisp and fresh. No matter how fast I run, I never seem to get tired orwinded. I smile at the thought of everlasting energy.In the distance, I see a stream. A beautiful stream that seems untouched by any human hand. As I approach the softly flowing waters, a voice sounds in my ears."Amelia, Sweetheart," a familiar woman says, making me whip around.My breathtaking mother stands there with her arms by her sides and tears on her face. My wolf whimpers as I dash towards her."Easy, baby girl," she whispers as I drop at her feet in wolfish despair."I don't have much time to tell you what the Goddess wants me to tell you, Sweetheart. You must listen," my mother sa
AMELIA POVThey look so tense, and it makes me nervous. I glance around the room and realize I'm in some kind of clinic. My left hand has a nasty IV in it. I move to take it out, and one of my mates grabs my hand."Please don't. You are a little dehydrated," he says softly with pleading eyes.I nod and clear my dry throat. My heart paces loudly, and my hands begin to sweat, but I have to do this."Please sit down. We need to talk," I say in the calmest voice I can.Both the twins tense even more before sitting down in chairs on either side of me."First off, Hi, my name is AmeliaBrùn. I am the daughter of the late Alpha Connor and Luna Marian Brùn,and I am 20 yrs old," I say.I cringe internally at my weird formal voice.It feels so weird talking to Royalty. Royalty that I have idolized. Royalty that I am somehow mated to. I look between the twins, slowly waiting for them to respond, but their eyes are unfocused. They are l
JACKSON POV"Just treat melike you do the other females. I don't deserve special treatment," she whispers.And we roar. Jason bangs on the bathroom door aggressively, but I grab him. I drag my brother from the room as my heart breaks for our mate.Jackson- Gordon send guards to the Hospital. Your Queen needs to be escorted to her room. Tell the guards to keep their distance but not to let her out of their sights.Gordon- yes, my king.I can't believe we have been so stupid. Mother and the Goddess are probably both disappointed. In an attempt to protect she-wolves, we ourselves have begun to use them. We no longer value their strength but their reproductive abilities. Mother would knock us in the heads if she had the opportunity.While the she-wolves we mated were very willing, they were still used and discarded. Our soldiers enjoy all the unmated she-wolves as much as possible instead of waiting for mates. Each unmated she-wolves has multipl
AMELIA POVI wait until Ihear the door close before I escape from the bathroom. Apparently, Jason vomited in more places than one. The bathroom reeks.I sigh, grabbing my folded clothes from the side table. I wish the interaction with my mates had gone better. But I just can't, in good conscious, act like it isn't happening. It's wrong. Even if the king's mating of humans ends, that is nothing compared to how our she-wolves are treated.I barely get my shirt over my head before there is a knock on my door. I throw on my sweats quickly, just as the knob turns."Afternoon, My Queen. The Kings asked for you to be escorted to your room. I will also let the cooks know you will need lunch," a stocky-looking wolf says as he enters my hospital room.His eyes hold steady but respectful, so I nod. I follow him from the room tentatively. Suddenly a second man is behind me, and my instincts take over. I drop down instantly. I swing my leg around, tripping the
PG 13JASON POVShe looks so muchlike an angel as her pretty blue eyes flutter open. She seems dazed but excited about something. Jackson sits down at her feet while I fold my long body up to sit on the floor by her head."Sorry. This couch is really comfy," she mumbles as she stretches into a sitting position."Please don't apologize. We only woke you so you could eat," I say, pointing towards the dining table that has a lunch tray on it.Her eyes twinkle with hungry excitement when she sees the food, and Jackson chuckles at her. I stand up, offering her my hand. As soon as her smooth skin slides into contact with mine, Eros starts shooting images into our mind. Ideas that make my length tighten. I resist the edge to readjust.I shake my head and try to focus back on our mate. But that just makes me check her out. Her body is slender but toned. She has to be close to 5'11" because she reaches our shoulders. Her breasts aren't small, but the
Rated RMOON GODDESS'S POV.I watch with a happy heart asmy beautiful great-granddaughter soothes her mates and their broken hearts.When they lost their family, they truly lost their way. It was awful seeing them lose someone year after year. These twin humans were so much better than my human mates.They loved wholeheartedly and were loyal beyond belief. If only I had seen the malicious intent behind the angelic faces of my mates. I could have saved myself so much pain. I sighEven with the matebond, I watch so many werewolves go through heartbreak. The wolf spirits love their mates completely and totally, but the human side, I sigh. Rejection, lies, power-hungry plots, manipulations, rape.... the list is endless. It is rare to find a pure human soul, but the twins are damn close, as was their mother. I owe them for all the pain they have experienced and will experience. I shudder at what is to come.I move towards my cabin. Part of my pla
"Tell me how my mate died," I repeat while taking another slow step towards the bigger vampire. I discreetly sniff the air, and Helios growls within our mind as Monica's scent saturates our nose. I immediately link Jason. Jacks- Monica's scent seems to be concentrated on this male. He is her killer. The others are useless. Jason- useless and weak. These guys aren't even trying to take advantage of their speed in this small space. They fear us too much to move. Use it! Monica instilled fear in their hearts for us, brother. "As my associate said...we were only passing through. Your Luna decided to play hero Alpha King...unnecessarily, I might add. We weren't planning on hurting anyone. Killing innocent creatures who acted in self-defense isn't very noble of you," the vampire lies, and his two remaining friends fall dead behind me. Jason moves to my side, covered
Hurry up. Hurry up. The thought repeats in my mind over and over again as I pace back and forth near the packhouse. The warriors around me try to act like they can't feel my impatience, but I know they can. Their eyes keep darting from the forest to me. Jason took off over ten minutes ago. He should have at least updated me. Something has to be wrong. Someone I love is hurt. I can feel it! If it were Jason, I would physically feel it....it has to be Lenny or Mon. Jacks- Jas, I told you to update me! Have you found anything? I roar through our link, but he doesn't reply. In fact, I can hear the echo of my words bouncing off a faint wall. Jason closed me out?.?.?. That means he is either fighting or he found out who was hurt. Jacks- High Alert. Stay here. I order the warriors closest to me before darting towards the line of trees Jason disappeared in. I focus o
Helios growls as we charge towards the closest pack, which is a small pack called Sun Moon. It was established not long ago by surviving wolves wanting to be closer to Riverstone and has done surprisingly well. The battle-hardened wolves might be small in number, but their skills are impressive. My warriors flank me as we make a beeline for their closest border. Although Sun Moon is tough, worry is coursing through Helios, and I like poison. Sun Moon is new and just getting into its second generation. If vampires get within their land, their low numbers will be decimated. Because no matter how strong they are, vampires can hit them with numbers. I shift as soon as I cross into their territory and sniff the air. I let my strength roll off of me in waves. If vampires are present, they need to sense me. It might save lives, but as I take in my deep breaths, my senses tell me the vampires most likely di
TWENTY-SIX YEARS LATER, JACKS, AGE 73MONICA AGE 50 Watching people you love grow old is hard, but knowing my time with them is coming to an end is gut-wrenching. Watching Lenny get wrinkly and Monica's dark hair turn grey is like slow torture. When our aunts and uncle passed, it was natural all of them lived long, happy lives. But knowing Lenny will pass away and we won't is excruciating. She is the same age as us even though we only look twenty-five. When we found out Uncle Scott and Aunt Moira died together in bed while they slept, we had smiled through our tears. Neither of them had to live without the other, and they had seen all of their children grow old. Scott had been 96, and Aunt Moira had been 93. Beautiful ages to leave this world. Even Aunt Simone, who had to live without Uncle Clint for so long, died peacefully with all of us
"I'm so happy you finally get to come home, Jack. I missed you," Monica says for the third time. I give her a grin and kiss her forehead. She is holding onto me as if she hasn't seen me for a year. "How much did you miss me," I ask in a low voice filled with double meaning. She smacks my arm, but a naughty smile can't help but pull at her plump lips. "You just got out of the hospital," she scolds, and I laugh. Before she can say another word, I swing her towards me. I lift her up, and her long legs wrap around my waist. I give her a hard kiss before nipping at her lips with my teeth. "Well, I guess I need to reassure you that I'm okay," I whisper before kissing her again. I squeeze her ass cheeks as we walk back to our little house we share. I want her. For the past 24hrs, I have been craving doing ex
Helios sniffs the air deeply as we share control over our lycan form.Helios- More than threeJacks- We should play spy before attacking. See why they are here and if reinforcements are coming.Helios- The trees are too spread out. We will make noise leaping from one top to another.Jacks- Fuck. Vamps seldom spill, and if the rogues are too far gone, they are a lost cause as well; we will get nothing. Helios growls as we both try to piece together the best way to handle the situation.Helios- we don't have much time. Jason and the warriors are most likely heading this way. We need to decide, Jackson. We can try the trees, but you have to give me complete control. Your handling of my body isn't as practiced as mine. I roll my eyes. I don't even respond before turning to the nearest tree and beginning to climb. Helios huff's inside our head, but I ignore him. When I reach the high
After that walk, everything seemed to fall into place. Monica talked, and I listened. I spoke, and Monica listened. We became close friends and then lovers. Now, I can't picture my life without her in it. I know one day I will have to say goodbye, but I don't want that day to come anytime soon. "Babe, are you here," Mon yells as she opens my office door, looking flushed. "Yes, I told you I would be," I reply, standing up from my chair. Jason smiles at Monica before returning to the alliance proposal he is working on for the African packs. "I know. I'm sorry, I am just excited. Are you ready," Monica asks as she holds up a plastic bag from one of our in-pack stores. Excitement shoots through me, and Helios seems interested in our mind. "You want to that here," I ask, quickly walking to her side to peck her lips. She kisse
Blood is pumping so loud in my ears I can't hear anything as I crash through the window designed for my large lycan body. Shards of glass and wood shower the ground as I land on pure white fur-covered paws and charge. Rage is seeping from every pore on my body. I want his blood. I want to skin him alive. How dare he come into Riverstone after rejecting one of my members. How dare he have sex right next to where Monica is. I roar, and both the naked wolves snap their heads in my direction. The female scrambles to gather her clothes, but I don't pay her much attention. I want the male. I want his blood. I want to bring him as much pain as he has brought his mate. How can he be so callous? How can he reject his life partner and not twenty-four hours later be with not one but two other females? I hate this male with every fiber of my being. "Alpha," the female squeaks as my large clawed hand wra
"Thank you, Alpha," Monica whispers after a second of silence, and I nod. "Sorry for interrupting. Please continue," I mumble after calming down and readjusting myself in my chair. Monica takes a deep breath before starting again, and I watch her. She isn't hiding behind her hair anymore, and I like it. What I said must have given her a little bit of confidence. "Joseph was very degrading. When he asked for my name...and I shook my head to tell him no that I wouldn't tell him my name. He then informed me that he needed my name because he had no intention of mating, and he definitely didn't want me as his permanent "screw." He said he is of Alpha descent, and females need his "boys" actively helping out with our population. After that, I saw no reason not to give him my name......I mean, I waited, Alpha. I waited for my mate. Most of my friends haven't, and I understan