Alister's POVAlister tossed and turned throughout the night, sleep eluded him. So, when his phone made a soft beep, bearing a message from Elijah asking to see him, Alister was already in the process of climbing out of his bed. He cast a fleeting glance at Luciana, who lay in peaceful slumber. It was a good thing that she could at least sleep well that night, because whatever was bothering her had to be huge.As he tiptoed out of the room, Alister's mind wandered back to the previous day. The moment he had entered the kitchen and witnessed the glass slipping from Luciana's grasp, a surge of fear had gripped him.He had feared that her distress might have spiraled into a darker place, where self-harm seemed like a desperate escape. With a sigh, Alister descended the stairs. It wasn’t too early to leave the house, but whatever Elijah wanted to discuss with him had to be very important if the dude was waking him up this early.Alister gently unlocked the door, his movements deliberate
Luciana's POV“ That’s wrong Omar… you missed one step” Luciana said, looking at the pitiful face of Omar as he tried to make sense of what he was doing wrong.Currently, Luciana was teaching the boys at home, something she hadn't done in a while. Earlier that morning, she had woken up to find Alister's side of the bed cold, meaning he had left while she was still asleep. Most likely, he was busy organizing things for the upcoming visit of another Alpha from a different pack. Luciana realized she hadn't even asked about which Alpha was visiting; she had been so focused on resting after the exhausting day she had the previous day. Alister had mentioned the visit, but her tired mind hadn't bothered to process the information or ask any further."I'm pretty sure I'm doing it right," Omar's soft voice interrupted her thoughts.Luciana rolled her eyes playfully Omar. Really, it was becoming difficult to teach Omar, especially when the boy literally knew things that were way advanced for
Alister’s POVAlister was aware of the time Luciana slipped out of the line of the welcoming party, but he didn’t bother to go after her, mainly because Alpha Reed was already walking towards him and it would be way disrespectful for him to suddenly leave.He didn’t know why she had left suddenly, even without notifying him. It only helped fuel how pissed off he was at her actions.Because she had hidden the invitation letter, they now had to entertain Alpha Reed, and she wasn’t even there.He noticed the look that Elijah have him but shook his head, turning to Ophelia, who also had a shocked expression on her face. He wasn't the only one who was worried.Ophelia must have understood the look he had sent her because she nodded and discreetly sneaked out of the group.Alister released a sigh as he turned back to his guests from the Blue Moon Pack. Why were they so many? he thought. He counted quickly in his head, and there were about fifteen Werewolves from the Blue Moon pack.Damn! H
Luciana’s POVThis cannot be happening.But it was happening. And as much as Luciana didn’t want to see Alpha Reed or have him near her pack and family, he was already there. Her worse nightmare was becoming a reality.She knew that Alister was going to be disappointed in her for leaving the welcome party line; hell, he was already disappointed in her if the cold shoulders he was giving her were anything to go by.She hated the fact that her secret was tearing a hole and creating a wedge between her and her mate. She hated the fact that she had to run whenever she heard the name Alpha Reed.Why should she be the one running? Why wasn’t he the one running? He had rejected her and almost killed her. He should be the one running, but here she was, running away from him again.It felt surreal that Alpha Reed, the same alpha who had rejected her after using her, was now with her second-chance mate in the pack, discussing whatever he was there for.A thought occurred to her, and she
Elijah’s POVElijah had heard everything that Alpha Reed had told Alister. After all, he had been standing right there, even though both Alpha's didn't notice his presence.Ordering around a group of Werewolves who had a different Beta was not an easy task. After he had stopped Alpha Reed’s entourage from following their alpha, he had sent them all to the waiting lobby and told someone to serve them refreshments.They had not obeyed him easily. Some had tried to follow after their Alpha, while the others kept asking him questions about the pack that they had no business knowing.Either the pack members of the Blue Moon Pack were nosy or they were inquisitive by nature. Elijah suspected the former, judging by the way they had acted when they arrived.By the time he was done controlling the stubborn bunch, he had left them their in the waiting lobby with Matt and had made his way to Alister’s office. On his way, Megan blocked him."Is anything wrong with the Luna? I saw her running int
Alister’s POV"You are not supposed to be here..." Luciana mumbled in a shaky voice as Alister entered the room and closed the door.Alister paused by the door to stare at his mate. She looked more fragile than she had been the night he first rescued her.He sniffed the air; it was damp and heavy, meaning she had been crying. Maybe she was sorry for what she had done."I’m where I’m supposed to be..." Alister retorted a bit harshly, moving further into the room.Lucia took a step back, only stopping because she could not move back any further because of the bed there. He sighed, tucking his hands inside his pockets.Surely Luciana was not scared of him, so wherever the thought was coming from, she had to be insecure.Luciana sighed, dragging her hand through her hair. "I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have left the welcoming party line: " she apologized.That was not what he was expecting to hear first, but they could start from there and work their way through this tension between them. She
Alister’s POVAlister was currently perched on the edge of his table, while Wilson was occupying one of the couches in his office. They were waiting for Elijah to show up, and it was a bit shocking that his beta had not shown up at the office, considering how punctual the guy was."I can’t believe I came in before him," he muttered, causing Wilson to scoff.After the talk he had with Luciana the previous day, they both took the boys home and stayed at home together. It had been a while since they had family time together that didn’t involve the pack.He felt refreshed and renewed and was ready to take the day, only to come into the office that morning and find out that Elijah had yet to arrive."It’s unlike him... Should I give him a call again?" Alister asked Wilson.Wilson shook his head and said, "Elijah told us he’s on his way. No need calling him; we’ll wait." He said that, looking down at his tablet. He was probably working.Alister didn’t know how long Wilson was going to sta
Alister’s POVAlister’s heart beat raced as he ran through the woods after Matt. He was not in his wolf form, but he was still fast. Many scenarios ran through his mind about what might have happened, but he pushed them down.Matt had not told him anything other than that he needed to see whatever it was urgently and for himself.He sighed as they approached the cliff where they raced to during their morning run. He didn’t need to go any further to know what had happened.The smell of blood hit his nose, and he had to cover his nostrils because it was very strong. The smell was heavy and it filled the air.He paused, trying to calm his raging heart and breathe in fresh air. "How many are they?The smell of blood is strong" he asked Matt, who had stopped too.Matt shook his head. "You should see it yourself," he replied.Alister huffed a sigh and waved him forward. They crossed the bridge and then rounded the cliff on the other side, leading to the back of the edge.The first thing he c
I year later The wind blew again, this time stronger than the first. Alister adjusted the thick fur cloak on Luciana’s shoulders and smiled as she buried her head in the crook of his arms. In her condition, she wasn’t supposed to be there but she was as stubborn as him. “Do you think she’s looking down on us and regretting what she did?" Luciana mumbled. Alister sighed; he knew that Ophelia regretted what she did and that was why she had killed herself, but he didn't know whether she had found peace in the afterlife. “I hope she found peace after all”, he mumbled. “ I miss her…the kids too” Luciana said. Alister nodded. He wouldn’t admit it, but he also missed her. He had forgiven her for what she did and would have loved it if Ophelia knew that she was forgiven. They stayed that way for a while before someone cleared their throat behind them. He knew who it was even before he turned to face the person. Elijah was standing there with a white rose in his hands, Ophelia’s favorit
Alister’s POVThe fight is in full force, and so far, the Black Moon pack seems to be holding their own. He looked around the fighting ground once again and couldn’t spot his uncle Helster. He knew his uncle’s wolf by now. If Helster’s wolf wasn’t on the battlefield, then where was he?A rogue charged at him, and he pounced on the wolf, tearing its spine away from its body and killing it instantly. The more Rogues they fight and kill, the more additional Rogues charge out of the woods.He saw Elijah finishing off another rogue, and his mind linked to him.“Helster is not here; why?”Elijah turned around and shifted into his human form. He ran back to where Alister was standing, already shifted into his human form.“I wouldn't want to believe that he’s hiding." Alister said.Elijah shook his head and said, “He wants the pack; he’s not hiding. I think he wants to sneak into the pack from another border. Catch us unawares." he said.Just then, as Alister wanted to respond, Peter’s
Luciana’s POVElder Haruto is dead. Wilson had said to her last night after he had returned to his house. He was now the head of the council and would preside over their case. She felt relieved that things were indeed working in their favor.Luciana shifted in her chair. She was waiting for their case to be called, like every other person who was there. She looked around, trying to see if Alpha Reed was already there, but she didn’t see him.Maybe it was a good thing that they would meet inside and not out in the open, she didn't know if she could control herself if she saw him out there in the open.“Black Velvet Pack!" a werewolf standing by the door called.She saw an Alpha stand up and walk into the room where the hearing was being held. Their case was the next one; she had seen the order earlier when Wilson had spoken to her.She pulled the folder out and held it firmly on her lap. The future of their pack depended on her, and as much as she had been the one who had caused all th
Alister’s POVIt was hard. Knowing that his mate was somewhere in the council, doing what he was supposed to be doing, was hard. It had been hard letting her go, and even now, he had to restrict himself from entering a car and driving to the council." Daddy… I want to pee." Keita said, tapping his leg.Alister rolled his eyes, looking down at the boy. “You just did that like five minutes ago”, he mumbled.Keita frowned. “I know, but I still want to go. Mom would be upset if I peed on myself,” he said, pouting his lips.Alister shook his head. Either Keita was missing his mother and didn’t know how to communicate his feelings, or he was trying to be difficult and frustrate him. He suspected it was both.“Fine, let’s go”, he said, picking Keita up. The moment he moved to leave, Omar jumped up from the chair and followed them. Alister sighed. It was going to be hard trying to pull Omar away from him when the time came to defend the pack, and Luciana was not yet back.Thankfully, the re
Reed’s POVReed arrived at the council the next morning. He could feel his victory, and that gave him the confidence to enter the council building. He still had time before the hearing, so he decided to pay a visit to Veronica, his mother.Her office was not far from the academy. He climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway until he got to her door.He knocked twice and waited for her response before pushing the door open and entering the small office. His mother was sitting behind her desk, and she looked like she had never aged since he last saw her.Veronica lifted her head and the surprise on her face was obvious. He didn't blame her for being shocked at him standing in her office; he too would be shocked if he were in her position.Growing up, they never had the best mother-son relationship. She was more like a figure who was just there beside his father. He hated her for that—for not loving him like every other mother loved their children.She pulled the glasses off her fac
Luciana’s POVLuciana closed the zipper of her luggage with a sigh. She was ready to leave, but her heart couldn’t bear to see them all as she was leaving. She could hear the different voices gathered in her living room to bid her goodbye.She sighed and dragged her luggage out of the room, walking down the stairs.“Oh Lucia." Ophelia mumbled, coming up to her to envelope her in a huge hug. Luciana buried herself in the hug.It wasn’t that she was going away from the council for long. Hell, she was just going to be gone for two or three days, so she didn't understand why they were all acting like she was going to be gone for a year.“Take care of yourself and my boys,” she muttered close to Ophelia’s ears.Ophelia nodded her head and released her. “I will. Stay safe,” she said, taking the luggage from Luciana and carrying it outside towards the waiting car.Alister was the next one to come up to her. He was holding Omar, who had refused to let him go and was clinging to him.“You can
Reed’s POVReed was restless. That was the only word sufficient to describe his state of mind and how he was feeling right now. He hated when things were not within his control.He sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time as he paced in front of his desk. A few more days and he would get his heart's desire—the land he had desired for years—and even though it was now within reach, he hated the fact that it was not within his control.Helster was coordinating everything, and the rogue Alpha had warned him to stay put until he gave the command.He checked the time, and as if in sync, someone knocked on his door. He took a deep breath and waited.“ Come in," he answered.The door opened, and a man entered his office, closing the door behind him. Just the person he had been waiting for.“You're late…" Reed fired.The man sighed. “I'm sorry, Alpha, it took a great deal of trying to navigate my way to your pack and to avoid being noticed,” he replied.Reed rolled
Luciana's POVShe recoiled in shock. Even though there was a possibility that Alister must have told Elijah about Alpha Reed, she didn’t think he would tell Elijah about Keita’s real father too.Elijah shook his head and said, “I deduced it myself. Don’t think Alister told me. The day Alpha Reed visited the pack, on his way out, he bumped into Keita,” he said.Luciana felt her heart race as her breath hitched. What? Alpha Reed had met Keita. No one told her that. She felt angry that she had not been there to protect Keita from the Alpha.A different kind of fear enveloped her as she thought of Alpha Reed discovering Keita's true identity. He wouldn’t have noticed that Keita was his son, right? She looked at Elijah, noticing now that her eyes were blurry.“He didn't...” she started to ask, but Elijah reassured her by shaking his head."no, I didn't let him touch Keita. However, he noticed how their scents were familiar. Everything started to make sense then. why you would hide the lett
Luciana’s POVIt was at the break of dawn when Luciana left her home in search of the one person who could help her achieve her goal. She had not bothered discussing her decision with Alister that morning; she already knew what he was going to say to her.She was not surprised when she entered the office building and saw people already on the ground floor. They were preparing for an attack, and everyone was on alert.She strolled up the stairs to the alpha’s office floor and gently closed the gap between Alister’s office and Elijah’s office. She could see light coming out from under Elijah’s door and knew immediately that the beta was around.Luciana gently knocked on the door, and when she heard a grunted reply, she turned the handle and entered the office.Elijah was currently sitting behind his desk and had not looked up at her since she entered. She walked over to the front of his desk and stood there. When it was clear that he was busy with what he was doing, she cleared her thro