It was Friday afternoon, a few hours before the Moon Ball. Tyler and I had just finished sparring and were headed to the packhouse when a convoy reached it. One flamboyant red sports car stood out among the black SUV.Soon enough, Alex and his parents were at the door of the packhouse, welcoming the guests in.The door of the sports car opened at long last, revealing a curvy brunette who could not be a day older than twenty. She wore her hair long and had sparkling baby blue eyes.A few quick steps and she was flinging herself at Alex who sidestepped just in time, thus making her stumble.Another stalker, I thought to myself with a snort.“Xander,” she whined, much like a child who had been denied candy.“Myra,” he greeted her coolly.And then, he avoided her touch as if it burnt him. But she was much too persistent and decided to glue herself to his side.I rolled my eyes inwardly as Tyler and I made our way into the pack house. Alex had been busy and we had barely interacted at all
Having made no female friends at this new pack, I could only rely on mom to do my make-up for me after I had styled my long hair in ringlets. When I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my usually dull brown eyes looked almost like deep molten chocolate. I was wearing comfortable golden sandals. As per my agreement with mom, I would not be forced into high heels just for a damned irrelevant ball. The dress, though I hated to admit it, was exquisite. The upper half of it looked much like a corset, crème in color, and it had the knack to make my breasts look bigger than they really were. From the waist down to my ankles, the dress flowed into beautiful cascades of gold. In my opinion, I truly looked seductive. And I couldn’t help but wonder how alpha dearest would react. Just the thought of him drove me wild with need. I was beyond desperate for a touch. It had been too long. But I shall fight this chemistry I had with the alpha. I was sure I was nothing special to him. I should the
I could barely wrap my head around the fact that I had blurted out my feelings to Alex in a moment of weakness. The man pushed all my buttons and I ended up making a fool of myself. I followed him into the packhouse, up the stairs, and was only mildly surprised when we didn’t stop at the second floor, where my room was. Instead, we went to the fifth floor – the alpha’s floor. He led me through a hallway, and we only stopped at a wooden door that seemed to divide the floor in two sections. “This is my personal wing,” he announced matter-of-factly. He opened the door and I found myself staring at a spacious living room that was elegantly decorated. No sooner had he closed the door did we hear heels clinking on the floor. I stiffened at once and saw from the corner of my eyes that Alex sported a scowl. I heard her scathing remark before I even saw her, “Did you really have to entertain that child all night long, Xander?” I knew Myra must be talking about me. Who else had he had glu
“While I do care for you greatly, love, I’m not one to take well to provocation,” he let out half huskily half angrily as he regarded me with a passion-filled stare. I watched with rapt attention as he removed his tie and opened a few buttons of his dress shirt.“I didn’t mean to anger you, Alex,” I told him meekly.He nodded at me. “I believe you. That being said, you still earned yourself a spanking.”I whimpered in response, not knowing what to say to him, to appease him. “I…” I stammered on the words. “I don’t care for Parker.”His eyes flashed black for a second before he growled out at me, “You better not.”And then, he sat on the edge of the bed and told me matter-of-factly as he patted his lap, “Get out of that dress and then get over here, little one.”I whimpered again but quickly obliged him. Seeing as the dress didn’t allow for a bra, I was soon enough in nothing but my panties. I did my best to cover my breasts and then laid on his lap, my flushed face against the bed, my
Denying jade was the most difficult thing I had to do. Waking up next to her, however, was the best feeling ever. She was so beautiful, I felt blessed to be her mate. But naturally, I wasn’t whipped just because of her looks. She was such a kind and compassionate woman, that it definitely made her perfect luna material.While I realized rather late that she had not managed to befriend many pack members, I was sure that with what happened during the moon ball, it would prove even more difficult for her. I just hoped she wouldn’t hate me for it. I loved her with every fiber of my being, and it took a lot of willpower on my part to hold back. I didn’t want to scare her away, only choosing to show her the passion I had for her.Needless to say, with my wolf threatening to take over and claim her at any given moment, I was cautiously threading on dangerous territory.I trailed my knuckles across her cheek lovingly and then left the bed. It just wouldn’t do for her to wake up and find me st
The breakfast Alex roped me into attending was rather unpleasant. It lacked spontaneity with all the decorum between the alphas. And then, there was Myra of course. She naturally ogled his bare chest and I almost growled out loud at her. I had to drink juice to keep myself from acting like a possessive mate – which I wasn’t.It almost felt as if no amount of humiliation would make her stay away from Alex. She even went as far as to request to extend her stay by a week. He shot her request down immediately. And for that, I was glad.On another note, I was rather surprised by his parents’ reaction – or lack of – to my being by his side. I was expecting more of a resistance, some bullying too. But then again, we had an audience, so maybe they were just waiting for the right opportunity to do so. I was after all wolfless for all intents and purposes, and he was an alpha. Surely, such a match wouldn’t sit well with them.And because of this insecurity I harbored, I was positively terrified
Heat licked at my skin. White hot desire pooled at my entrance, making me feverish with pure unadulterated need. I badly wanted Alex… scratch that. I needed Alex like I needed my next breath. He had placed me on the bed before disappearing into the bathroom, saying something about running a bath for me. Who cares about bathing right now? I inwardly growled as I began to undress, my clothes suffocating me. Despite the need burning within me, I couldn’t help but wonder how I could go into heat so abruptly. It didn’t make sense, and I wanted to know what was going on. How could I go into heat when I had yet to meet my mate? Surely if I had met him, he would have acknowledged my existence one way or another, no matter if I was unable to feel the bond myself… right? “Alex,” I croaked out his name the moment he appeared next to me as I struggled to get my pants off me. “What’s going on?” “A female goes into heat within three months of meeting her mate, love,” he said simply, his eyes sof
I expected some whining from Jade about how I kept the fact that we were mates from her, but nothing could have prepared me for her doubt and insecurities. It was glaringly obvious that I failed to show her just how much she mattered to me.And then, despite her heat, she forbade me from marking her, and I could only respect her decision even if it hurt me and bruised my ego.I truly did fail her as a mate, I reasoned.That being said, I would happily spend my life making amends to her, if it meant she would choose me.After worshipping her body like the goddess she was, leaving no inch of her untouched or unexplored, claiming her whole, I felt like a changed man. And as she slept, looking beautifully spent from our lovemaking, and I contemplated my next move, while drawing patterns on the soft skin of her back, I knew I had my work cut out for me.She was my mate and luna, and I would happily lay my life for her.Two hours of rest later, she woke up, feverish and in need again. I was
Jade’s pov:The revelations made by Alex felt almost like a story out of this world. Even though he had been tortured, he hadn’t given in, not one iota… and it was precisely because of his resilience that they chose to entrust him with a perilous task.He didn’t go into the details of how he got the evidence he needed against the queen, but I could understand that some things weren’t to be discussed. And at the end of the day, all that mattered to me was that he was back among us.“I missed you,” I choked on the words, with unshed tears stinging my eyes. “May we never get separated again!”“May we never get separated again, love,” he nodded at me, as if he was making a vow, not merely repeating my words.“We should probably send word to our allies about your safe return,” Trevor then let out softly.“I will call them myself,” Alex supplied, a small smile stretching his lips, before he added, “I never thought I would miss the paperwork or the formalities of everything that comes with th
Jade’s pov: The elders were as loathsome as ever, and had made sure to tell me just how useless I was as a Luna. It was our third meeting this week, and they kept stressing over the fact that a pack without its alpha was a pack that could not function properly. As if I didn’t know that already. Luna Sherry and Alpha Kade had to leave the day prior back to their territory, but after telling me repeatedly to reach out to them should there be any news, or if I were to need any help. Looking at the elders, who were actually part of the pack, I felt bile rise in my throat. Oh, heavens only knew how much I was itching for a fight. But I couldn’t. Not only was my wolf basically dormant, nurturing the baby within me, but also because I didn’t care for the mess that would surely follow. “We are talking in circles,” one of them muttered, his eyes spitting fire at me. “We need to take action. We haven’t received any news in regards to Alpha Alexander’s trial, or any other news…” “I won’t t
Jade’s pov: Upon contacting Alpha Ian, he said that he would do his best to assist me in these dire times, just not openly so – no doubt for fear of backlash from the Alpha King. And I understood his reasons all too well. He had a pack to protect, and I would be silly to take offense at that. Alpha Kade, on the other hand, was immediately alarmed by the news of Alex’s imprisonment, and had offered to come visit the pack at once, in the hopes to talk strategy with Luc, Trevor and me. I was currently at the entrance of the pack house as I waited for his and Luna Sherry’s arrival.His mate, absurdly sweet and supportive, had declared that we would be calling one another at 7 pm tops, everyday, without fail. Our conversations varied, and I could feel that she was doing her best to cheer me up. Today marked day 7 since Alex was taken from me and his pack, and we had yet to hear any word from the Alpha King, as to when he would be facing trial. The wait was maddening, and it was all I co
Alex’s pov:The Alpha King had an unreadable expression as he looked at me, before a smirk broke out on his face. I didn’t know why but the smirk rubbed me off the wrong way. Nevertheless, I couldn’t break our eye-contact.I was no longer bound by the rules which dictated that I should be mindful of my manners when facing him. But as I remembered my sweet beloved, I averted my gaze, knowing that while he couldn’t go beyond killing me or torturing me to no end, he could hurt Jade.And that wasn’t an option.“You’re not broken,” he let out in an even tone of voice. “I am impressed.”That had the knack to make my eyebrows shoot up in my hairline. Was he taunting me or telling the truth? And to what end was he saying this to me?The sound of other footsteps soon filled the silence that had stretched between us. And before long, Marc, his beta appeared.“You’re quite resilient, Alpha Alexander,” Marc let out the moment he saw me. “But what I like the most about you is how quick-witted you a
Jade’s pov:Naturally, because luck was never on my side, the first thing I had to deal with, upon reaching the pack, was the elders.Though I had expected some kind of confrontation, I didn’t believe I was ready for one just yet. I needed time to process everything that had happened over the course of the past 24h, and had many things on my plate already.But they weren’t lenient enough to allow me the time to even breathe.“Let’s talk in the conference room,” Jeremiah, the most daring one in my opinion, let out without so much as a preamble.I didn’t like the way he formulated his sentence, but now wasn’t the time to be a nitpicking wolf.“The luna has just arrived,” Luc spoke up at once, beating me to the punch… and it was for the best, because the scathing answer I had at the tip of my tongue would land me in nothing but trouble. “Surely the meeting can wait.”“It wasn’t a request,” was the retort we received.I raised an eyebrow, and felt my tiredness fade away as anger washed ove
Jade’s pov:Beta Marc was naturally intimidating – with a no-nonsense attitude which was half-frightening and half-infuriating – and possibly moreso because of the deep scowl, which only seemed to disappear whenever he interacted with Paulina and Anna.I had naturally heard the rumors. He had lost his pregnant mate a few years back, and had vowed to remain celibate since then. Though, to be fair, I believed he had a soft spot for Paulina.But now, he appeared as the most frightening foe ever.We were in the Alpha King’s territory, and Alex had had to attack his guards, seeing as they were ready to do the queen’s bidding and throw us all in the dungeons – to do heavens only knew what.I knew the situation was not in our favor, and Alex was ready to take the fall for it, provided I got the chance to leave this damned place. I wanted to do anything to prevent that from happening, but I knew deep down that I was powerless to do anything really.I hated the feeling with passion, and I could
Alex’s pov:I was happy to see my beautiful Jade up and about. And seeing her interact with Anna, the sweet child who had warmed up to her, made something bloom in my chest. I could picture her with our own child, playing with him, cooing at him softly… The images were comforting given the circumstances, and yet bittersweet at the same time – as I might not be a part of their future.I watched her and Anna laugh merrily, almost unaware of the looming danger. She was not carrying just an alpha, but the alpha of alphas. And although the Alpha King might have taken the news well, the queen, his mother, most definitely did not… Possibly, moreso because The Alpha King had yet to be mated.There was so much to do and say, but all I knew was that we needed some kind of break and alone time too.Cole, I mind-linked the warrior who had tagged along as my driver, Watch out outside the room for any threats. I need to have a word with your Luna.Yes, alpha, was his immediate answer, as he stepped
Jade’s pov: I felt like I was at peace, and yet something in the back of my mind kept telling me I was forgetting something of great importance. Realizing I had basically passed out, in the middle of the chaos that followed the fall of the barrier, I woke up with a jolt. I sat straight, eyes wide, breathing labored, and I vaguely heard someone tell me, “It’s okay, love.” Love? Love? I mentally repeated, a little bit too numb to function or think for a moment there. That could only be Alex, and tears gathered in my eyes as I looked around for him, and saw him sitting on a chair next to the bed I woke up in. I was familiar with the room. And knowing I was still at the Alpha King’s palace made me feel anxious to leave already. “Don’t cry, love,” he drawled as he drew patterns over the top of my hand, and I felt the tingles that followed, and which were as pleasurable as ever. Heavens, I missed him! “The baby?” I asked as I put my hand over my slightly bulging belly. “The baby
Alex’s pov:Soon, I was holding Jade in my arms, bridal style, while following a servant to the hallway where her room was located. Paulina had said she would probably come to on her own, and there was therefore no need to panic. Lucille, Jade’s mother, was led to the clinic, almost against her will, but I naturally sent Cole with her. I couldn’t bring myself to relax around them now that I knew they tried to hurt my mate.Paulina’s little replica, whose name I believed to be Anna, was adamant about staying with Jade, and Paulina had trouble convincing her to go to their room.“It’s okay,” I soon told Paulina. “She’s just a kid.”“Are you sure?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.“Positive.” I assured her with a small smile.“I will be in the room across from this one then,” she declared with a nod.I placed Jade on the bed softly, and seeing the sereine look on her face, I reasoned that she wasn’t in any pain.Anna stayed by the end of the bed, her eyes locked onto Jade’s face,