...Kenji POV...We had been in the meeting for a while now, and we were no farther along. Darius was in the middle of explaining his connection to the necklace when he broke down. I was there that day, so I know what he's going through, which is why I don't push him. He seemed to be struggling, but Wynter went to his aid immediately. Not even missing a beat. She helped to pick him up, but I was surprised by the sudden change in emotion. He went from being a broken man a few minutes ago to a nearly hostile one. It looked as though someone attempted to take Wynter away from him. He was holding her so close that I was afraid she might begin to turn blue from the lack of oxygen. I think at times; he forgets how strong he really is. While I know Wynter's strong, I don't know if she'd ever have the strength or willpower to go against Darius.I was just about to come between them when I saw Wynter pull herself away slightly. They were staring intently into each other's eyes. I figured they m
...Wynter POV...I remembered everything. What Kayden had me do actually worked. I was so surprised. I didn't expect it to work. But the way Kayden helped take me back, made it easier for my mind to concentrate and focus. I was able to clearly see that I was holding the necklace the entire time. I didn't even realize it at the time. But the necklace did play a role in everything. I don't even know if it's possible, but it sounds as though I somehow managed to transfer Darius' memories into my necklace when I had compelled him. I remember how nervous and afraid I was to do it the first time. That I instinctually held onto the necklace. I was so happy when I was able to remember that I opened my eyes up wide. "I was holding onto the necklace!" I yelled, smilling. Though, what I saw confused the hell out of me."Alpha Kayden? What are you doing?" I ask, stunned, after seeing Kayden bowing in front of me."Ya.. Kayden? What's going on?" Darius asks, seemingly just as confused."I apolo
"There's something you need to know." I say, making the tension in the room increase."Which is?" Kenji asks."Back to the match." I say, turning this entire conversation back on it's head. So much has happened in the few hours that we'd been in Kayden's office, that we almost forgot the main reason for the meeting."I don't know for certain, but I believe Alpha Xander is getting help from a demon.""WAIT... WHAT?" Darius shouts, clearly caught off-guard."When I disappeared, it was because the demon that made Alpha Xander disappear, took me as well. He didn't explain why, and Alpha Xander seemed pissed about it, but it seemed as though the demon was in control.""What made you think that?""Alpha Xander attempted to kill me, however, the demon commanded him to stop, as it said that it was interested in me. At one point Alpha Xander began swearing his head off, furious that I was there. However, the demon yelled for him to be quiet. Immediately Alpha Xander became mute, and it looked
When we reconvened the meeting a couple of hours later, I found myself unable to stop bouncing from the chair. To the point that Darius came over, and wrapped his arm around my waist, holding still. While he was acting calm, I knew he was just as happy as I was, if not more. I leaned into his embrace as he continued to hold me. I knew I had to calm down and pay attention. Everything that was to be discussed was extremely important. I could celebrate our engagement later."Is there any outstanding issues that we need to address before we reconvene where we left off?" Kayden asks us."Actually yes. The first thing we need to address is the Alpha challenge that took place earlier this afternoon." Kenji remarks."What about it?" I ask."Once an Alpha challenge has been finalized, the winner must go complete the Alpha Ceremony, connecting him to the pack." Kenji says."What happens if Darius doesn't?" I ask, just wanting to know."Then the pack wolves will become rogue. With no Alpha, the
...Darius POV...I found it rather hot when Wynter started barking out demands to everyone in the room. However, it wasn't necessary. Alpha ceremonies just aren't celebrated like many would think. With Wynter being a rogue, she had no way of knowing. There wasn't an alpha ceremony at Blood Moon pack, nor was there one anywhere she travelled. Alpha ceremonies took place once every twenty years or so in a pack. They weren't all that common. I knew some packs would celebrate it, but many stopped doing anything, as attendance dropped over the years. Not many were that interested in participating.I could see Wynter was hurt, so I went to her in hopes of comforting her. Though the moment the words were out of my mouth, I knew I'd messed up. I'd basically just said that because she was a rogue she wouldn't know about pack traditions. This may be partially true, however, there are many rogues that know about pack life, as they once lived in a pack. Pack life isn't secret, and most wolves kno
...Wynter POV...Before Darius had somehow figured out how to find me, I was lost in my mind. An overwhelming sensation washed over me, making me feel hopeless and lost. I started second-guessing myself to the point that I started questioning my role in my relationship with Darius. It was no secret that Darius was meant to be an Alpha. But for some reason, it was as though my brain only just registered what that meant for me.I was glad that Darius figured out a way to find me. He managed to calm me down and make me see that my thoughts had begun to plague my mind. I fell in love with Darius, even more when he told me that he would be willing to give everything up for me. Not that I would want him to, but the sentiment held a lot of power. It made me realize that I would never stand in the way of his destiny, which meant that I would be at his side the entire time. I just had to work on trusting him more. Being rogue meant that I wasn't used to trusting people. At any moment, someone
We woke up the next morning to the sound of birds chirping. A smile crept over my face as I remembered the events from last night. I turn around in Darius' embrace, placing gentle kisses along his body. I felt his arms pull me in tight along his body as he began to answer my kisses. "Good morning, beautiful." Darius says, making me smile."Good morning, Acushla." I reply, smiling."Acushla?""It means my heartbeat." I say, smiling."What language is that?" "Gaelic. I learned a bit from my travels. That was just one that stuck with me. I thought it was adorable. Plus, it's how I feel about you. Without you, my heart wouldn't beat. You mean the world to me."Darius spins us around, leaning over me as he kisses me."I think it's perfect, just like you."Darius continues to kiss his way along my body, making my head tilt back from pleasure. His lips find my core, making me melt in his hands. I so badly want to continue this, but I know we can't."Acushla, we need to stop."Darius sighs
...Darius POV...After a bit of 'fun' in the closet, we made our way into town. Since we were going by car, the trip would take a few hours. We stopped for lunch before heading to the shop where I had first seen the oracle. "I'm nervous." Wynter says, grabbing my hand."Why?" I ask."What if he doesn't tell us what we want to hear?""That could happen, but regardless of what happens, just know that nothing could ever make me stop loving you. We are in this together regardless of what he has to tell us." I say, raising our entwined hands up, to kiss her knuckles.I watch as she smiles, then leans her head against my shoulder. I can hear her heartbeat relax, so I take that as a sign to continue forward. I squeeze her hand gently, as we make our way towards the store."Uh... Darius?" Wynter questions."Yes, Farfalla?" I ask."Are you sure we're in the right area?""Ya. Why?"Without responding, she raises our hands upwards, gesturing towards the store in front of us. I look where she's
...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