Astrid's POVI was almost ashamed to admit that this past week had been one of the best weeks of my life.It might have been because half of that time I was in bed with Alpha Jaxon.I didn't know if sex was always this good and addictive because I had no one else to compare it with but with Alpha Jaxon.I also didn't know if it was because in the past, no one ever touched me. Much less the way Jaxon did now and I wondered if I was so thirsty for being valued that it felt good. If it felt good because I was no longer alone.Most days, I tried not to think too much about it. I just let loose and let myself be happy in the moment.I got used to waking up to Alpha Jaxon. Waking up to his kisses and sex. So much mind-numbing sex.If we weren't supernatural beings who healed fast, we would both need to be in the hospital. And despite the fact that I healed slower and I was still new to this, I didn't want him to slow down.In fact, I might have initiated some of the encounters myself.I qui
Alpha Jaxon's POVAfter Kiara left, I felt tired. It wasn't because the sex had tired me out. At least not the act itself but who it was with.I was tired of having meaningless sex with different women just to break that blasted curse and preserve my life. I was tired of having meaningless relationships and it was Astrid's fault.Spending time with her was addictive. Her innocence and constant awe of everything was infectious. Watching her read was fast becoming a favourite pastime with her.Sometimes I could barely hear what she was saying because of my mind had diverted to other things like the shape of her life, her eyes sparkling with emotions and questions as she read and the way she looked at me like I'd hung the moon.And I found that I wanted, no, needed more of that.When Kiara knocked, I had been startled out of the dream of us that was. I had stared at Astrid waiting to see her reaction to another woman interrupting us and to my greatest surprise, she looked… unbothered.Sh
Alpha Jaxon's POVI thought the battle with the rogues would be an easy one that would find me back in my pack and Astrid in my arms within a few hours but it was nothing like I expected.Weeks of almost unceasing fighting went down fighting back these rogues. They were stronger than they usually were and this was strange in and of itself.Usually, rogues would have disbanded by now because they were unable to stay together for extended periods of time without turning on each other.This suspicious behaviour made me suspect Alpha Finn was responsible.I had heard rumours of him carrying out experiments with rogues, I thought they were just baseless rumours but now, I wasn't so sure.Not that it mattered in the end because my superior warriors with my expert leadership finally broke through their ranks and the rogues scattered."Don't let their head escape!" I yelled and a platoon of my men went charging after him.By interrogating him, I would know the truth once and for all.It didn'
Astrid's POVI woke up with a headache that just refused to stop.The branches on the ground tore into my skin making me gasp in pain as I pushed myself up with my palms.How did I get into this forest? Just the thought alone made me couch my head in pain. I couldn't remember.Looking around more carefully with something other than panic, I was able to recognize where I was.I was at the boundary of the Crimson Moon pack. How was this even possible? And more importantly, what was I going to do with this newfound means of escape?A part of me protested leaving Alpha Jaxon. A very stupid part. A stupid part that missed him since he left. That part of me conveniently forgot that I was one of the numerous surrogates he had and that he was sleeping with all of them.I wasn't special to him. He'd probably forgotten about me the minute I left his room when another surrogate had arrived.No. I wouldn't think about him. I had to think of myself. I needed his money to find my Dad but at the sam
Alpha Jaxon's POVMy dungeons were secure and I had never had a break out before.How had Xavier managed to escape? Did that mean that we had other traitors that I had not rooted out?I had to know which was why I went towards the dungeons while Caleb had gone on to find Xavier and Astrid.I was in the hallway leading there when I noticed that somebody was following me.I turned back only to see Freya behind me."Why are you following me?"She seemed extremely surprised to see me and flushed at my question."I'm worried about you.This was once more time that Freya was behaving out of character and it felt slightly off.She had never been like this. So what's wrong?I cocked my head slightly to the side questioningly."You are worried about me?"Freya lowered her gaze, her can't cradling her belly slightly."We are going to have a child together, can't I be worried about the father of my child?"My eyes drifted to and stayed on her belly. Her being pregnant still somewhat felt like a
Astrid's POVI blinked but Alpha Finn was still looking down at me with the angriest expression on his face as though he was contemplating my murder."You are an ungrateful little bitch."I blinked again. Alpha Finn had never spoken to me like that before. Maybe because he was always trying to pretend that he was a good person that I could trust.Now he no longer needed to do that."Alpha Finn."He pulled me up from the ground with rough hands that were far stronger than Xavier's had been."I took you in. Clothed you, fed you, took care of you and the first chance you get, you are running into the enemy's bed?"I could barely hold back a gasp of shock. How did he know about that? He must have been in contact with Xavier.Looking at the man I had once taken as a fatherly figure, I was tempted to scream at him. To yell at the unfairness of him using me just to get the throne for his son but the words stuck in my throat.Yelling at him now would be foolish. He was stronger than Xavier ha
Astrid's POVI held back a cry of pain but Alpha Jaxon wasn't having it. He wanted me to scream for him and he would push me till I did.His hand on my hip tightened pulling me back up against him as he slammed into me harder and harder until I screamed clutching the wet walls of the bathroom.He came inside me but he remained painfully hard.Between the weight of his body behind me, the hard wall and the intensity of the shower beating down on us, I couldn't breathe."Alpha Jaxon please." I begged.If he took me again, I wasn't sure I could take it.He growled in my ear. "Did you find it funny? Did both of you laugh at me?"When Alpha Finn left me with Alpha Jaxon, I didn't realize how angry he was until I was back in the Crimson Moon Pack.I had barely had the time to change out of my clothes before Alpha Jaxon barged into my room and ripped off all my clothes before shoving me into the shower.He hated that I reeked of Xavier. He thought I had betrayed him and he didn't even let me
Astrid's POVWhen I woke up, I was alone on the bed on top of my bedsheets that didn't smell like Alpha Jaxon.He'd only had sex with me then he left me to be on his way. I didn't want to feel bad about it so I just pushed the thought away from my head as I struggled to enter the bathroom to really shower.The shower had already cleaned up but I could still perceive the faint scent of our copulation.I had a warm soak in my bathtub all the while thinking about how Alpha Jaxon had been so cold towards me.Before I realized what I was doing, I was crying again. I found myself wishing that he would forgive me so that we could go back to how we were in the past.It was crazy that I was thinking like this. He had already clarified that the only relationship we could ever have would be that of a surrogate and the Alpha who owned her.Despite hearing all this, I still missed him like crazy so much that my heart ached.It was when I began to put on my clothes that I perceived the scent. The s
Ten years laterAstrid's POV"The Crimson Moon Pack has successfully launched a multi-species academy in the interstate that will be our first step in cementing the centuries of bad blood between vampires, werewolves and witches."The entire hall fell silent listening to her and I guess even as her mother I was also in awe of Valerie's boldness and confidence.She was well-spoken for a child. Well, not that she was still much a child any more at ten.She would have her first shift in three years and then she would have a more active role in her position as Alpha King.She met my gaze across the distance between us and I gave her a subtle thumbs-up that had her smiling brightly before continuing her speech.No one would be able to tell how anxious she had been when she had been rehearsing this very speech with me."I know it will be hard. Everyone has lost someone. Even though I lost my dad to this fight, we will make sure their deaths are not in vain." Val's voice didn't crack even a
Kiara's POVIsn't it funny how the difference between a villain and a hero is the person telling the story?After Alpha Jaxon found out that I had been lying to him about being the daughter of the Alpha King, he left shattering my heart into so many pieces that even breathing was difficult for me.After he left, I hid myself in the grand expand of the supreme witch's home. She must have known that I was there but she didn't come looking for me.People like me didn't matter much to people like her.Until we do.That day for me was the day I left my hiding spot to get food to eat.One might wonder why I did just leave. But how could I leave when I had nowhere else to go? I no longer had a pack house, I no longer had a big sister to look out for me. Even the pack that I had betrayed Alpha Jaxon for had thrown me out.I had nowhere.In my haste to hurry back into my hiding spot after stealing some food, I took a wrong turn and found myself lost in the maze that was the Supreme Witch's res
Astrid's POVAs I hugged Alpha Jaxon, I felt at peace for the first time in a long while.The war was over. The vampire hunters killed the vampire king in our fight prior to meeting with Alpha Jaxon and the screams I heard leave his throat would forever live within me.We had lost people but I had faith that in time we would be able to rebuild and—A loud screech pierced through the air.What the fuck was that?I pulled away from Alpha Jaxon breaking away from our hug to see a massive shadow overhead.Goosebumps crawled over my skin as I realized that the form of that… thing was distinctly familiar."Those are…" My voice trailed off as my heart refused to believe what I was seeing."The monsters from the swamp." Xavier completed it for me.So it wasn't just in my head. They were really here.More of the creatures flew overhead, swooping in."What are they doing here?" Alpha Jaxon was as perplexed as we were.Last I remembered, Alpha Jaxon had informed me of the witch putting up a spel
Alpha Jaxon's POVFor Caleb.That's what I said within myself for every swing of my blade that cut down a vampire.Today's battle felt different whether that was because of my resolve to get rid of as many vampires as possible or because of something else.It didn't matter though.I beheaded the vampire heading right towards me in one fell swoop even as the frontlines of the vampires pushed against the werewolves."Hold the line!" I called out both in person for my allies and through the pack link for my pack members.We were on equal ground today due to the terrain so if we let their considerably larger force get through our front line, they would crush us regardless of how hard I fought.It was, to be very simply put, a numbers game.My frontline held and the battle thickened.I trode forward, step by step with enemies and friends alike at my side clashing and dying in different forms.From wolf to partial shift, to human and vampire form, they fought and the field ran red with bloo
Astrid's POVWhen I neared the border to the Crimson moon pack, I was moving as fast as I could.The Alpha hunter had won't to get the remaining two telling me that they would meet up with me in max two hours.Which gave me two hours to reach Alpha Jaxon and make a plan on how we were going to rendezvous with the army and the vampire hunters.Reaching the borders I heard a loud screech."Let me through! I need to talk to Astrid!"The guards didn't seem ready to let whoever that was through the borders."Leave or we will have to deal with you using force." The guard warned.The female sounded like she felt insulted by the guards' words."Using force? Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?!"That voice. That voice was so familiar and the arrogance that laced those words could only belong to one person but what was she doing here?I walked faster so that I could see her face for myself to confirm but her next words confirmed my suspicions before I saw her."I am going
Astrid's POVYou see, there was something I didn't tell the Alphas about the vampire hunters.During my time in the bunker, Dad had told me about them when recounting the tales of the war.Three vicious heartless ferocious fighters who seemed to never age. Some said that they were bigger monsters than the vampires.I guess I would find out.I headed out trying to push away my father's cautionary words from my head but I couldn't.The vampire hunters had promised him help but at the moment when he needed them the most, they didn't show up.If they failed me this time as they had my father before me, then we were as good as dead."Princess." Elder Gideon seemed shocked to see me at the door of his house.Admittedly, it was a rare occurrence for me to be there at all. I always tried to keep a very professional relationship with the Elders before they could think to question my authority as a woman leading their pack"I need you to look after the pack for me in my absence," I said going s
Astrid's POVAlpha Finn tried to bluff his way through the situation."Do you really think they will betray me like that? You must have lost your mind, Astrid."He took a threatening step towards me only to be blocked by a much larger older Alpha on a buzz cut and with an unfriendly face.The Alpha looked down at Alpha Finn with barely restrained disgust."I think we are the ones that lost our mind following a hybrid."Alpha Finn took an almost unnoticeable step back but I saw it."Alpha Nicolai, can't you see she is trying to divide us?" He said cautiously.Alpha Nicolai bared his teeth at him."All I can see is a vamp whore."Then faster than I could blink, Alpha Nicolai reached out and tore Alpha Finn's neck open.A blow like that would have killed a wolf but for a hybrid like him, he healed almost immediately but the other Alphas were already crowding in on him slashing and tearing him up faster than he
Alpha Jaxon's POVI didn't tell Astrid the reality of this war.I didn't tell her about the stench of death that I woke up to. The blood, the pyres that never stopped burning and the senseless endless death.Astrid not coming here with me was without a doubt, the best decision I had ever made.The vampires fought to injure or maim us with obscene speed knowing that now we feared injuries as much as we did death blows hence why we opted for large-range weapons like swords, bows and fire bombs instead of just our claws now.But even with my intense strategy, it was still a numbers game. A game that we were slowly losing.The explosion rocked the earth and the last of the vampires began to retreat. We had won today's fight. Only the goddess could guarantee tomorrow's win."Fall back!" I called out for my men and our allies. "Take our injured and fall back!"Where did Caleb go?This was the time we were supposed to meet so t
Astrid's POVIt had been three months. Three months since I saw Alpha Jaxon. Three months since I touched him.I went to bed in my room with his clothes next to me because of how much I missed even his scent. I missed him more than I knew was possible. So much so that I found myself crying on the harder days.But that was only possible at night when I was alone in my room with Val.In the daytime, I was the backbone of the Crimson Moon Pack. The one the people and the elders looked up to in Alpha Jaxon's absence."The harvest last month is half what we used to have." Elder Gideon said and I could barely hold back a tired sigh.Between how much we were pumping out into the battlefield to feed the people there and the poor yield this season, it was to be expected.My hand beneath my jaw, I met Elder Gideon's gaze."We need to boost our output."Elder Jared, the bane of my existence these past three months scoffed."