Jade’s pov: The servants looked at us with something akin to puzzlement, as mom and I walked behind the man who had brought us here. The driver followed us with our luggages trailing behind him. We might not be real guests, but they were treating us rather well. The man, who was just as impossible to read as the building was austere, turned out to be the gamma, for he had been greeted with great respect a couple of times already – Gamma Spencer, they called him. He led us to what appeared to be the dining room, where the one I recognized as the beta was sitting at a big table, a laptop in front of him. It was eerily silent, and one could almost hear a needle drop. He focused his gaze on us after a beat, his expression still that of a bored man who couldn’t care less about us. I couldn’t help but find him a tad bit haughty, and I hated overly confident people with a passion that had for only equal my hatred for liars. “Beta Marc,” the gamma let out in greetings, “As per his high
Jade’s pov:My call with Alex was brief because I told him I was tired. My beloved mate didn’t hesitate to tell me to lay down and get some rest. Truth be told, I was more worried I would break down crying on the phone, because of how I missed him already.I wrung my hands together, almost painfully so, the longing almost too much to bear. From the day we found out about Jessica’s betrayal, we barely had time to ourselves.I sighed as I remembered my dad’s passing, and had a hard time keeping a positive outlook on everything going on.There was a knock on the door just as I was about to step into the bathroom for a quick shower. I sensed a werewolf, and my sense of smell told me it was mom.I didn’t think twice of it and went to get the door.“How’s the room?” She asked in a sweet albeit curious tone of voice. “Are you well settled?”“See for yourself,” was my answer as I let her in.She closed the door behind her, and soon sat on the edge of the bed, typing on her phone, before showi
Jade’s pov:2 weeks into the training, and I started having a good grasp of the concept, which up till now had been totally foreign to me. Annabelle’s diaries definitely hadn’t covered much… but then again, she must have only jotted down what she knew of, what she experienced. “Your wolf is here to guide you,” Paulina never failed to remind me. “Trust her but don’t let your instincts take over. Remember that you have witch blood in your veins. And witchcraft is all about giving something, in return for something else.” According to her – and I could only trust her since the Alpha King himself trusted her – being a born healer meant I was a wolf but also a witch. Having grown up in a pack, it was only natural that the wolf manifested first. Sometimes, the witch side of a healer could stay dormant for years. Mine was triggered because of my emotions. I didn’t understand the specifics of how this gene was passed down to me, but Paulina told me I was a light witch – all born healers we
Jade’s pov:The old hag was approaching us on steady steps, unmistakable greed and murder in her eyes, followed by two servants whom I had seen around before. There was no denying that she knew what Anna had told me earlier… If not, why would she be here in the forest, a place she had not stepped into ever since I began training here? She stopped at a distance from us and offered us a yellow, toothy smile, which was predatory at best, and which had the knack to send shivers running down my spine. The woman was dangerous, and I knew that from day 1. “Hello, Judy,” she greeted me in her mellow voice which always grated on my nerves. “It’s Jade, your highness,” I corrected her without batting an eye, knowing full well she was doing it on purpose. “I heard the news,” she let out without so much as a preamble, a devious glint appearing in her eyes. “Congratulations are in order, I guess.” I let out a crisp “Thank you” in response, because I was brought up well, and couldn’t be inso
Jade’s pov: To say the queen was livid, as she saw the guards’ futile attempts at getting through to us, would be the understatement of the century. But truth be told, I couldn’t be bothered with her at the moment. She was just a deranged woman among many, and though there would be no helping her, I knew my time here was up. The guards were stopped by the barrier. Despite all their efforts to get to us, they couldn’t… But I wasn’t sure how long said barrier would last. Paulina was already beginning to pale, as it seemed to drain her of energy. They kept urging us to drop the barrier so we could talk, but we weren’t stupid enough to do as they said. Before long, Anna grabbed my hand and said in a timid voice, “Repeat after me.” I trusted the little girl enough to do as she said, and repeated the Latin words she chanted. And just as Paulina’s barrier was about to give way, another one sprung up. “You put a barrier in place?” Paulina let out in an incredulous tone of voice. She wa
Alex’s pov:My worry became my fuel as I fought off the guards with barely contained anger. I couldn’t allow myself to be consumed with fury, as I feared I would lose control, which would prove lethal.My wolf could tell that the danger was real, and recognized the witch and her daughter as people who needed our protection, in addition to Jade and Lucille – Jade’s mother – naturally.There was no doubt in my mind that there would be consequences to today’s chaos, but chances were that the Alpha King would not condemn his mother. The queen had naturally retreated along with her servants, and I was left to fend off the attackers.The guards were strong, almost as strong as Trevor, and they knew how to fight in a group, their movements in sync… But I was an Alpha, one of the strongest of the country, and this was my family they were threatening to harm.Even though the territory was foreign, I got the upper hand before long, and they laid wounded and passed out on the soil of the forest.
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,
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
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,