After explaining everything that had happened to Kenji, we both sat in silence, wondering what to do next. Asher had been whimpering in my head the moment I decided to head back. He wanted us to stay by her side, but I knew I couldn't do that. I need to respect her privacy and give her space. I would wait a lifetime if it meant that I would get to have her in my arms. I find myself growling all of a sudden. I began to pace the floor. Kenji stood up, looking at me."What's wrong?" He asked."I don't know. I think Asher's trying to take control. He wants to go back to our mate." I say as I find myself fighting with Asher for control of my own body."Asher! Stop! You don't need to do this!" Kenji calls to my wolf, making me spin to look at him.Kenji took a step back from me, and I can only guess why. My gaze locks onto the mirror behind him, where I see a distorted mix of both human and wolf. My face is human, with wolf eyes and teeth. My claws have even come out. So I can understand K
...Wynter POV..."What's going on? Where am I?" I ask, not remembering what happened.I don't know where I am, but I feel incredibly comfortable. Almost as if I was relaxing on a cloud. A warm cloud, more specifically. I felt myself snuggle closer to the warmth. I felt a light and gentle caress on my forehead that made me purr. I couldn't believe that I was actually purring. But I couldn't deny how good I felt right now. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe.I so badly wanted to become lost to this feeling. If I was dreaming, I definitely didn't want to wake up from this dream. I was in sheer bliss.I slowly opened my eyes to find a beautiful pair of azure blue eyes staring back at me. I felt my heart quicken the moment our eyes found each other."Mate!" I heard someone call out.I looked around, trying to figure out where that voice had come from. As I sat up, I felt myself become dizzy and quickly laid back down."Where am I?" I ask, palming my forehead as I close my eyes,
...Darius POV...I didn't know where to even begin. Nothing was making even the slightest bit of sense to me. I could tell she could sense me near her. I could feel her calm down the closer I was to her. I didn't want to scare her when she woke up, but I needed to be near her in any way I could. I had tried just sitting near her bed. However, I felt this pull to be closer to her. I tried to avoid it, but I noticed how even unconscious, her small body reacted to my touch. That punch that the Hammer had dealt her should've killed her. The Hammer had actually punched her so hard that it shifted her vertebrae in her back out of complete alignment. The doctors thought for sure that she would be paralyzed if she even managed to wake up. I was completely distraught. I held her hand, praying to the moon goddess that she would bring Wynter back to me. I couldn't lose her now. Not when I had only just found her. The moment my hand found hers, her heart monitor began to go off. My immediate re
...Kenji POV...I was absolutely frantic. Shortly after we arrived at the club, Genesis had called. Since it was so loud in the club, I went out back to take the call. I didn't realize that I had been gone for so long when I heard a loud commotion from inside. Everyone began to flee the building, which made me want to go inside to figure out what happened. I had kept my mind link blocked as I was on the call to Genesis. I didn't want to ruin Darius' mood by talking to my mate. I knew he would never admit it, but I know he's jealous of us. I could tell he was considerably conflicted. I could see the desire in his eyes for a connection like the one Genesis, and I shared. I became used to the look of longing in his eyes. He always thought he hid it so well from us, but he could never hide anything from me. It made more sense once he told me about the vampire and his missing mate. I wanted to help him find his mate, not because she was destined to be our Luna or because I was his beta.
...Wynter POV...I was so tired. It felt like every ounce of energy had rushed out of me. I could feel a warm embrace surrounding me. It was so comforting that I instinctually moved towards it. "Where am I?" I ask, running my hand along my forehead in pain."It's ok, Little One. I'm here. You're safe." I heard the familiar voice coo to me. I shifted my head up to look into his magnificent eyes. I reached up and cupped his cheek."Are you really here? Or is this just another dream?" I ask.I smile as I hear him laugh at me."Yes, Little One. I'm here." He says, smiling at me.As if to prove his statement, he shifts his left hand to run down the back of my head. I feel instantly lost at the sensation. This sensation is far better than anything I could ever imagine."What happened?" I ask."You were in a coma." "What? How? For how long?""What do you remember?" He counters.I find myself relaxing further into his embrace as I try to remember the events from before."I.. I remember a f
...Kenji POV...I've paced the living room floor so much that I'm honestly surprised that I haven't worn a hole through it yet, and found myself in the apartment below. I hear a shuffle at the front door, making me turn from my spot and run towards the door.I open it expecting it to be Darius."Dude! Where have you..." I begin, only to cut myself off once I see that it is most definitely not Darius."Move aside, boy." Alpha Xander calls out.Immediately I move out of the way, allowing the Alpha to enter the apartment. Before I can turn to watch where he's going, a bunch of Alpha's Xander's men follow in behind him. I'm not surprised he brought some of his men here, as he is an Alpha in a foreign country. Anyone would be on edge. "Has anyone been able to reach my son?" Alpha Xander shouts out. "No, sir." They reply in unison.'Who are these people?' I ask myself.'At first, I thought they were just warriors from our pack, except that I don't recognize any of them.' I stay silent,
...Wynter POV...I didn't make it far from the hospital before I started balling my eyes out. I had thought taking his memories away from him was the worst pain I could ever feel, but this was entirely worse. I don't know how long I was there crying before Caedance helped to put me back together. She reminded me of why this had to be done. While it may hurt right now, it would be far more excruciating should something actually happen to him.I knew she was right, but that didn't make it hurt any less.'I know, sweetheart. I wish we could be with him. He's so handsome and caring. I haven't had the chance to meet his wolf, but I'm sure he's just as remarkable.' Caedance said to me.'Do you think he'll understand?' I ask, deep inside wondering if he actually hates that I'm doing this to him.'I know he could never hate you. He'll understand why you chose to do this. This wasn't a decision you were able to make lightly. I wish things were different, and we could ask him what he would pref
I knew it was a risk, but I didn't have any other option. I wanted to know why all of a sudden, Darius was here. Not only that, but if he planned on staying. If he did, that would only cause us more trouble.I used my nose to follow Darius' scent into the building. It led me to the top floor of the building. I stood outside his door, unsure of how I should proceed. I did wipe his memories, so why would he answer me now. At the time, I was too terrified and surprised at seeing him that I never once stopped and considered asking him why he was here before I took his memories away. I realize now that I shouldn't have acted so impulsively.I reach my hand up to knock on his door when my nerves get the better of me and find myself retreating instead. I turned back to face the elevator I had used to come here, pressing the button to head back downstairs. There were other ways I could get my answers. I didn't need to get them direct from the source.Just as the elevator dinged to announce th
...BONUS CHAPTER......10 Years Later......Wynter POV...A lot has happened in such a short amount of time. Not long after the merger of our two packs, did more requests come. Alphas far and wide were coming to us in hopes of merging our packs. What had begun as an alliance designed to help strengthen the packs, soon became to act as a Peace Treaty. Each pack we aligned with, were given the same conditions as Crescent Moon. The ranking members would remain in power, so long as they came to myself or Darius for any critical decisions. We had merged with so many packs, that we were no longer separate packs, but one happy kingdom. One of my more recent projects was to create a city devoted to the rehabilitation of rogues. Those that had been rogue would now have the opportunity to reenter pack life once they were deemed to not be a threat. Many of which had already successfully made the transition. Given our extensive reach, we were more easily able to help those in need. We now had en
...Wynter POV...After a lengthy discussion we all came to the unanimous decision to merge with the Crescent Moon Pack. Everyone had very valid concerns for not merging with them, however, I knew Alpha Landon's pleas were genuine. He was only coming to us as it was his only option. Without a merge, his pack could be killed. A fate no Alpha would ever want for their pack. The five of us decided to go over a sort of job description if you will, for Alpha Landon. He would be a valuable resource, but at the same time we couldn't afford to give him too much power. In order to successfully merge the two packs, there had to be one concise leadership. If others felt that they could turn to Alpha Landon for their problems, it could risk a mutiny.So while Alpha Landon would have power, he would have to go through either myself or Darius to make critical decisions. It was the only safe way to merge the packs, while also allowing Alpha Landon a position as well.Before informing Alpha Landon of
...Darius POV...After Wynter and I had finished, we quickly showered and got ourselves ready to meet with Alpha Landon. I was confused as to why he suddenly showed up. But decided not to look too much into it until I had a chance to hear him out.Wynter stayed by my side as we entered my office. Alpha Landon was seated in the chair in front of my desk. However, he stood as Wynter and I entered my office. "Alpha. Luna." Alpha Landon addressed us, bowing slightly.I had walked over to my chair behind my desk. Wynter dutifully followed, and planned on standing behind me. However, Wynter was my Luna and my equal. Whatever Alpha Landon had planned on talking to me about, now involved Wynter. She had just as much say as what happened in this pack as I did. Which meant that I wanted her to be treated as an equal. I reached over to her, and guided her to sit on my lap. I smiled as Wynter quickly obliged my unasked command, and sat on my lap. I kissed the side of her cheek before turning to
...Darius POV...I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping. I could hear a faint heartbeat nearby and felt an incredible warmth. I opened my eyes to see Wynter lying on top of me. Memories of early this morning began to swim in my mind. I kissed the top of Wynter's head, careful not to move her. She's been running at full tilt ever since she woke up from the hospital. We had nothing pressing that needed to be taken care of, so I decided to just lay here and watch her sleep. I smiled as I remembered our lovemaking from earlier. The feeling was so euphoric. We had both longed for this moment in so long, that it felt like we would never get it. Now that we had the chance, I never wanted this moment to end. Without even trying, Wynter made me the happiest man in the world last night. I began to daydream of our future together. Of Wynter chasing around our pups, as I watched from behind. I pictured myself training our son to fight and to become the next alpha. I pictured Wynter running to t
...Wynter POV...As Darius and I continued to run through the woods, I could feel Caedance grow stronger. It was almost as if we were feeding off of our surroundings. The rush was making us stronger. For the first time, I felt truly in control. I had the sudden urge to test my abilities. So far, Darius had managed to not only keep up with me, but he even managed to run past me. I was both stunned and proud. I wanted to perform a few tests of my own. Caedance had given me some suggestions, and I had wanted to see if they would work. Caedance had suggested we try to hide from Asher to see if he would be able to find us. Much to my surprise, he managed to find me each time. Typically when I would try to hide, I would attempt to cloak myself using a mixture of camouflage, similar to a chameleon. I would focus on my surroundings and soon found myself becoming invisible. I had to hide my scent from him as well, which was probably the most difficult task. Each time I had done it, Darius had
...Darius POV...The air in the room had gone serious as Wynter announced her suspicions. While Wynter and I hadn't had the chance to properly discuss what had happened, we were both suspicious of the outcome. People don't just come back to the dead without being changed. I also can't deny the change I felt inside of me. I had long suspected that I'd been changed, I just wasn't sure exactly how. I already felt far stronger than I already had been. To the point that I often found myself having to dial back my strength. I also felt far faster than I had been. It was as if all of my senses had been heightened. I could now see far better along with smell things from a large distance. I had gone for a run the night I had first woken up after the battle. I had a strong sense of restlessness. The urge to get out quickly became the only thing I could focus on. It was as if my entire body had been electrocuted. Every fibre in my being needed me to go on a run. To get out.I began to have flas
I felt uneasy as we made our way back to Darius' office. I could tell that Darius sensed that something was bothering me, but refrained from asking me. There was just one thing that I couldn't seem to forget. Once we made it back to the office, we all quickly resumed our positions. Darius sitting beside me, placing a hand on my knee as a sign of comfort. I found myself biting my lip as I continued to chew over the thoughts plaguing my mind.I looked over towards Kenji, waiting for him to restart the meeting. Kenji stood up, but didn't start the meeting right away. My anxiety started to run full-course. Before I knew it, I found myself speaking out."What does this mean for us?" I watched as all heads turned to me. Waiting for me to continue."What do you mean my child?" The oracle asks.I find myself nervously biting my lip. I look at Darius for support. I watch as Darius nods his head for me to continue."Xander had told me that if Darius and I completed our mate bond, that it wo
...Wynter POV..."Upon the seven daughters of the seven daughters, the completed ritual shall activate the rise of the true king. While lightning strikes twice, a proposal shall mark the age of love and become the fall of unholy ones. It shall be when fire burns red, the forgotten princesses face, will trigger the return of the resistance. Once the green sea swallows towns, a challenge shall mark the start of war and witness the return of the fallen. Those in power will bend to one knee, bowing before the lost queen.""So what does that actually mean?" Darius asks."It basically means that one the descendent of the Kazakh wolves finds her true mate. The true king will come about. A moment in time, born out of love, will result in the downfall of the ones unloyal to the couple.""But what about the princess triggering the return of existence?" I ask."Wasn't that when Xander first realized or at least suspected your origins? He constantly tried to keep you away from me." Darius remarks
...Darius POV...I was quite possibly the happiest man on earth. The love of my life just said yes to marrying me. She may have already said yes to me once before. But I didn't think it really counted. The first time I hadn't planned on asking her, but I thought there was no better time to do it. I had just shown her how I truly felt about her. No other moment would ever be as special. Even though we were mates, I didn't know for certain if she was going to say yes or not. A proposal isn't ruly a proposal if there isn't a ring. Something I had kicked myself for not having at the time. But it was just so spur-of-the-moment, that I had even surprised myself. While this may not have been the ideal proposal, at least I had a ring for her. I know it would never make a difference to her, but I felt she deserved the best. I wanted to show her how special she was to me. I would make up for my sporadic proposal later this evening. When Wynter was in the hospital, I was continuously plagued by