Alpha Zane's POVStrange, but I can feel my body tense and my heart is beating unusually fast. I look around, I'm alone in my office, there's nothing that could be the reason for that. For the past few hours, I've been working frantically to catch up with the papers on my desk and tackle some urgent matters in the pack. The past week I've hardly been in my pack, Mercedes had it again going and wouldn't let me go.Her eighteenth cannot come soon enough. Then she can live here in the pack with me and be around me all the time. My mate is very affectionate, when she looks around, she always wants to see me close. At first, I thought it was insecurity, but eventually I found out that I too could hardly breathe if I didn't see her for only some hours. It's just a two-way stream. It started several months after I discovered her as my fated mate. She had spent the school holidays in my pack but refused to leave if I didn't come along to her parents' house. So I ended up in Silver Moon with m
Mercedes' POV When I woke up the following day I noticed that Clarita had not been back from her late night escapade. I take a bath, change into jeans and a shirt and step out of the apartment. Today I have to speak to Saphira, I want to get things done asap and take her to Midnight Moon. I long to see Jace smile happily again, I hate the pain I saw in his eyes that night. When I walk toward the elevator I see that one of the doors of an apartment is not closed properly. When I want to walk past it I hear moaning sounds and slaps of bodies against each other. I try to move on quickly, I have a suspicion about what goes on behind those doors. But then I recognize Clarita's husky voice, urgently begging with all kinds of vulgar language. I stand frozen, I hear several voices. And then it dawns on me that there's a lively three of foursome happening in there. I suspect that the high rankings of this pack are spoiling Clarita. But that's non of my business, I have a different mission. I
I walk into a building after the Alpha. Behind it is clearly a large area with all kinds of training equipment. It is well secured, it has much of a concentration camp. But I see some men training in a friendly manner, I notice from their groans that it is going fast.Everyone we pass comes to attention in front of the Alpha. It is clear that he's earned a lot of respect among his subjects. When we signed up, some guards escorted us to a large room where there was a conference table with comfortable chairs. “They are going to get the two. We're waiting here," the Alpha reported. My heart beats to my throat, I hope Saphira is willing to listen to me and leave with me. I know she's an intelligent and reasonable person, not quite the confrontational type like Clarita.Then I hear hasty footsteps coming our way. Full of anticipation, I jump out of my chair and take a few steps to the entrance to take Saphira in my arms. I am so happy that I finally have the opportunity to meet and talk t
Saphira looks at me with her big sparkling eyes, I realize how blessed I am to have such a Beta female. Having her as my confidante in Midnight Moon when I officially become Zane's Luna is more of a gift from the Moon Goddess. We may not have been very close in Silver Moon, but we are from the same pack and both mated in Midnight Moon. That creates a new, special bond.I don't answer her question but take both her hands in mine.“Saphira, I want to tell you about the best thing that ever happened to me. My mate, Zane”, I tell her with a loving smile on my face. “I was ten years old when his Beta found me in their pack territory, nobody knows how I ended up there until now. But Jace found me and it was him who brought me the love of my life. I love Zane with everything in me, I can't imagine a day without him. Only now do I understand why one mate goes insane when the other dies. I don't want to live anymore if Zane is no longer on this earth”, I say firmly.“Mercedes! What do you say?
Mercedes runs out of the building with Saphira's hand still in hers. The women suddenly come face to face with two men running towards them.Mercedes now lets go of Saphira's hand and runs towards the man with the sky-blue eyes. His long blond-brown locks flutter behind him as he comes closer to her, finally catching his mate with open arms. She clings tightly to him, her body absorbing his warmth like a sponge with water. Their lips stick to each other in desperation until they become breathless. “Mercedes,” Alpha Zane clamors, his forehead against hers as he holds her high in his arms. “Little Luna, I was so worried about you. I felt your moods change but knew you weren't in any danger, that it wasn't something you couldn't handle on your own," he whispers to her. "Did everything go well, cupido?" he teases.Mercedes now turns to Saphira. Her friend has stopped at a distance and is staring at Jace, standing frozen, looking back at her. Slowly Zane slides his mate against his body, b
In the other apartment“Jace, let me explain this. Mercedes really brought me to my senses. I'm sorry…”.Before Saphira can finish her pleading, the bathroom door slams shut, cutting her off from her mate. Jace passed her and retreated to the bathroom without even giving her one look. Startled, she stares at the closed door, she can't believe Jace is treating her so coldly. This isn’t the man she had so passionately made love to days ago, who had confessed his deep devotion to her and promised to protect her always. Tears sting her eyes, the feeling of rejection is so painful that she collapses on the floor. The regret of her actions makes her sob, her body shaking with fear of losing her mate forever. When Jace comes out of the bathroom, he is completely dressed in sportswear. He ignores the woman sitting full of misery on the floor, takes his bag and keeps it in the walk-in closet.He then walks out of the apartment to the resort's terrace where he takes a seat at one of the tables
Beta Jace's POV “Seriously, Saphira? What was I supposed to do when you abandoned me, left me alone in the pack without a word, an explanation of where you were going and why?” I bite at her.My chest squeezes painfully at the pained look in her eyes. But I must stand strong, Saphira is a woman of great willpower, and one wrong word from me and I will lose her forever. “When you snuck out of Midnight Moon, didn't you think for one moment you had a mate too? Don't come here acting to be a martyr. If you don't want me anymore, I have the right to find another mate," I tell her sternly. “You are not going to imprison me invisibly from a distance. I have a right to love. And if you're not willing to give it to me, I'm free to look for it elsewhere."My words seem to make her more furious, her eyes are now spitting fire.“You are entitled to nothing! I'm warning you, Jace. Please, do not underestimate me. You won't run off with any other woman," she spells to my face. No she-wolf would da
This girl wants to kill me!Tell you! Parading in front of everyone's eyes in three pieces of cloth she calls a bikini is beyond words. Even my wolf protested the sight of our naked mate in public. Mercedes and Zane are standing next to us, grinning broadly. My reaction doesn't seem like a shock to them.“What do you think you are doing, Saphira?” I respond furiously, with my hands at my sides. “If you need attention, ask me. But don't try to lure other men with this thing you call a bikini." To my surprise, I see a satisfied look in Saphira's eyes. Did she intentionally provoke my reaction? "I hope you've brought enough clothes with you now that you've generously given your sweater to me," responds laconically. “It probably won't be functional when I'm done with it.” With that, she turns and walks towards the lake.I look at her with gritted teeth. Her mood has completely turned, what is she up to now? I turn my eyes back to Zane and his mate. “What does she think she
Five years later in Midnight MoonAlpha Zane and Luna Mercedes comfortably sit on a bench in their private garden, watching their children. After Zane built a private villa, a stone's throw from the packhouse, he moved with his family to have more privacy.Four kids in total.The girls are the perfect image of their mother. Their long black hair, gray-blue eyes, tanned skin and confident behavior leave little room to guess who their parents are. Their infectious laugh and smooth babble surprise many in the pack, it's not much different from the ten-year-old Mercedes that Zane had brought to the pack years ago.And there are the two blonde guys remotely controlling their drone at a short distance but still keeping an eye on their sisters. Their father taught them very early that they are the protectors of their sisters until their mate shows up and takes that responsibility from them. And they take their job very seriously, making sure nothing happens to them. They treat their sisters
“You really need to push, Luna. Harder!”Goodness! These people have easy talking. What do they think I've been doing for half an hour? I'm exhausted, this is heavier than I thought.Zane sits next to my bed and looks concerned. “You have to do your best, baby. We should have our first pup in five minutes. I know it's a lot of work, but you must be strong now," he whispers as he wipes the sweat from my forehead.We've been in the hospital all night. The pups don't seem to be in any hurry to come out. But the last quarter is the worst. The fall of the first one is slow, the doctor considers helping him. But Zane wants to keep trying to let him into the world on his own. He leans towards me. “Remember how we will hold him in our arms in a few minutes, Mercedes. We were so looking forward to this.”I give him a watery smile. But when I look into his eyes, it seems like his energy flows to my body. Zane leans closer and begins to kiss my face. This feels so good, I sigh with h
It's going grand, as I expected.Alphas have come a long way, despite the invitation's short timeframe. It is noticeable in everything that Elise has put a lot of effort and time into making this day unforgettable for me. Hundreds attended my Luna ceremony today. I think many have thought that Zane and I would not make it to this day. I was too young at first, then Zane had to face my Alpha and then he got a rival in the form of Shadow Moon's Alpha. But we have overcome all obstacles, our happiness is now unmatchable.After visiting his parents, I did not go back to our residence.Bad luck, Elise claimed, Zane was only allowed to see me on stage again. I was assigned a private room where I could relax and take a nap. And believe me, a rest and some dry food is all I needed back then. Until I heard a soft knock against the window. At first, I thought some birds were playing on the window frame, but when the noise continued, I was forced to get up and see what was happeni
After we leave the hospital with the ultrasound photos in an envelope, we drive back to the packhouse in silence. Once again, we are sunk in our own bliss now that we have seen our pups. It's official, we're going to be parents. This feeling is more intense than I thought.We decided to announce the news during the ceremony officially. About my pregnancy and the number of little ones on the way. I can already imagine how exuberant the pack will react to this news. It is now also not a secret anymore, of course, that Zane and I have not kept our agreement to mate after I was eighteen. But hey, why should we wait? It all took too long. And we're fated, the proof was there long before my birthday.When we get to the packhouse, we head to my in-laws first. Former Luna Jonel and her mate James, Zane's parents, have always been fond of me, spoiled me a lot over the years. I have a special bond with his mother and his sister Elise has always been my mainstay. As we step into t
Mercedes' POVI can't believe what Zane just told me.And why do I get the feeling like he's known this for a long time? But the way he told me, he seemed unsure of my reaction to all this. Yes, it’s true, we planned to have pups later. We wanted to do the things that couples our age do first. Because once we had pups, we would dedicate our entire lives to them, raising them to be responsible and honest leaders. That was our plan.But Zane is right. It is the Moon Goddess who approved our plans. But she has put a different twist on our plans. Because Zane indicated that we wouldn't get only one but several pups at once. That is totally not what we imagined but to me, they are so welcome. I want to make them all look like Zane, physically as well as mentally. My sons will be just as perfect as my mate.I have him in a firm embrace now. Slowly I hear his heart calm down. “Zane, why should it be your fault alone? I remember being there and very active too,” I tease him. We smile at each
If I thought I'd get support from my family to keep it a secret tonight that Mercedes is expecting our first pup, I got disappointed. Now that I'm standing outside my parents' apartment again, I think back to what happened to me a few minutes ago. First, they received me full of happiness and then I was resolutely kicked out to go tell my mate the excellent news, under threat too.As soon as I opened the topic and released the news, cheers erupted, my mother cried with happiness. My father quickly wiped away a tear too, while Elise kept her mouth wide open in awe. They embraced with joy, opened an expensive wine and we clinked glasses.But the moment I indicated that Mercedes did not know her condition, there was immediate silence. "How so, she doesn't know?" my mother asked in stupefaction. “And how come you know?” Elise also looked at me, incredulous. "And now that you know, why do you want to keep it a secret?" she asked me as if she had just heard I have a mental di
When I wake up late the next afternoon, Mercedes is still asleep in my arms.I look at her black locks scattered all over my arm and shoulders and her relaxed face. She lies so peacefully, snoring from her slightly open lips. Her legs are entwined with mine, an old trick of her to wake up as soon as I move. In the past, when I visited her in her pack, she always had a problem with me sneaking away while she was still asleep.But not today. I know she's dead tired.After the failed shift in Shadow Moon and the celebration of our mating with the warriors, we drove straight through the night to Midnight Moon. Of course, there was an interruption in Human Town at the Drive Thru. And when we finally got here in the early morning hours, there was another late meal with the Elders, followed by our intense lovemaking. My Luna is now exhausted, I want to let her sleep through. Knowing my parents, her ceremony tonight will be pretty hectic. I'll have to ask them to spare her a li
When we arrive at Midnight Moon we are surprised to see the pack members waiting. A horde of wolves lets out a loud roar of joy when the car comes to a standstill.When Mercedes gets out, a loud cheer goes through the group, flowers are thrown at her. “Welcome, Luna Mercedes. Now stay forever. You can't go back, you belong to Midnight Moon now”, they scream at once. The five Elders of the pack step forward and bow their heads. They are clearly delighted to see my mate.“Luna Mercedes. The Alpha informed us you're still tired, so we're moving your ceremony to tomorrow night. We will adjust the part where you are supposed to shift. Don't worry about that," the Head of Elders declares. I look at him gratefully, this is more than I expected. Mercedes is the absolute princess of my pack and heart. “Thank you, Elder”, I hear her say softly with equal joy. “I'm looking forward to that. I officially want to be Zane's mate so that the past period doesn't repeat itself. It should be clear to ev
Happily, I stare at my mate.How did this possibility not cross my mind? This must have happened that day in the cabin in the woods. When we made love there, I already had a different feeling, felt more connected to Mercedes. Before I met her, I had some flings with she-wolves outside my pack, but I've never knotted them. Mercedes is clearly my mate, determined by the Moon Goddess. She alone could get my body to react like that.I keep staring at her in love, unable to explain my behavior to her. It is impossible for me to tell her in front of everyone that in a few months, we will have not one but several pups. Several, not just one. Moon Goddess! One must be a girl who looks exactly like her mother, that is my dearest wish.I keep staring at her dreamily."MATE! Is this the first time you see me? I already know that I am breathtakingly beautiful.” I blink a few times and now see Mercedes looking me sternly in the face with her hands on her hips, bending over. I smile