Asher“But then you would be their alpha, and I can’t ask you to make space for my people.” Isabella shakes her head. “No, I don’t like that idea either. Maybe it is best that my uncle just takes over. None of them ever really cared about me anyway.”“It is your choice, Isabella. If you want to move your people here, we can do that. If you choose not to, then that is also your choice.” I don’t know what to say to her. It is her choice. It is not one that I can make for her.ClairBy the time the door opens again, I feel as if I had been down there for years. My throat is so dry that I can’t even complain when my father grabs me by the hair and drags me up the stairs. So, this is how Isabella felt? Maybe a little worse.We didn’t exactly throw her in here very delicately. I guess it is my punishment for what I did to her. When we reach the top of the stairs, I try to cover my eyes a little because the light is so bright. In the corner of my eye, I note the omega smiling and I instantly
IsabellaIt feels so strange to let go of something I never really had. I don’t want the pack. I don’t want to be a part of them. I am happy with what I have. Asher and his pack gave me the home I never had. I was never the one who wanted a title.I just want a peaceful and happy life. And then the nausea really hit me. I throw up for three days straight, unable to keep anything down, and unable to even leave the room. Lisa tries her best to help me, but nothing seems to work. It is on the third morning, while Asher is grinning at me like a goofy puppy that it hits home.“I’m pregnant, aren’t I?” My eyes grow wide. I wasn’t sure if he was happy about it, but he sure looked happy as he nodded.“I smelled it yesterday.” He is happy!“I’m not sure if I am.” I frown, making him frown. “I’m sorry. I just thought we would have more time alone and with everything that is happening …” My voice trails off as I look into his eyes. Asher looks really sad, and I feel like an idiot.“Everything th
Isabella“I will get down to business. It seems that you are the only one who can claim your pack.” The councillor sighs.“Okay, what does that mean?” I know what it means. I just need him to say it.“If you don’t claim your pack, they will be given the opportunity to choose someone else. If they can’t choose a new alpha family then they will all become rogues.” The councillor frowns.“I don’t want it.” I don’t. That much I’m sure about. The councillor looked at Asher.“You heard the lady.” Asher shrugs. We all know what the outcome will be. The pack won’t be able to come to an agreement about who should be the next alpha because all of them will want to be the alpha, and then they will turn rogue. Maybe that is exactly what they all deserve.“And you don’t want to claim the title?” I didn’t think I could be surprised by anything the councillor had to say, but there I am. Surprised!“Nope. I don’t want any of them anywhere near the woman I love. I wouldn’t be able to trust them even a
Isabella“Is that your final decision?” The councillor frowns. I spent an entire week agonizing over my decision. It’s made, and there is no going back.“Yes. I have no bond with them.” I shrug.“And you don’t want them either?” The councillor looks hopefully at Asher, who just shakes his head.“What are you going to do with them?” I’m not sure if I want to know, but I still ask.“They have chosen Adam as their alpha. It seems they really don’t want to become rogue.” I’m not sure if I’m hurt or impressed. Or I actually might not even care. Sadly, the pack’s choice has an effect on our future. After the councillors’ leave, Asher starts to pace back and forth.“Okay, out with it.” I sigh deeply.“I am a little stunned. It’s a strange feeling.” He turns to look at me for a moment before grinning. “Isabella, you’ve heard some of the rumours about that pack. You don’t believe that they didn’t know what was going on.” He is sounding cryptic and if I was anyone else, I wouldn’t have known wh
IsabellaIt takes some time for me to settle down into a routine and not to see literally everything as a danger to our pup. It takes a couple of runs through the forest in my wolf form to settle down, but I finally get there. At first, I have to work through the guilt of leaving Luke at home with Lisa.Once that is behind me, I can just relax and enjoy what I didn’t have before. The freedom of just running. Feeling the cool dirt under my paws and the fresh air blowing through my fur. It is a high like nothing I ever felt before.Adam is the alpha of my old pack, and I feel as if I can finally move on with my life. I can move forward out of my past, and it almost feels as if I’m stepping into a new life. A new me. Asher and I are doing wonderful, although he still doesn’t trust the peace.I shouldn’t trust it either, but up to this point my life has been so incredibly difficult that I just want to enjoy my joy. Just for a little while longer. Sadly, the world outside won’t stay outsid
IsabellaI sit staring at the council. We are all gathered in Asher’s office, and they just give me an option that I don’t want. The council believes that the only way we can sort the problem out once and for all is for me to claim my pack. Asher is onboard up to the point where they mention that Liam has the right to challenge me if the pack chooses me as their alpha. It is one big mess that I think I am completely done with.“No. I’m done with all of them.” I shake my head. I have a pack. I have a home, and it’s not that. Why do I need to fight for people who don’t lift a finger to fight for me? My mind goes straight to the fact that they said they didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t believe that.The council leaves without the answer that they wanted. I can’t imagine going there. I can’t imagine facing people who don’t care about me. Asher and I return to his office and I can feel that he wants to say something, but I let him stew about it for a while. I have to stew with i
IsabellaWe circle each other and I hear the council announcing some sort of official challenge, but I keep my focus on Liam. He is definitely out to kill me. He knows that this will be his only chance. He probably won’t live long after the attack, since I can’t see Asher accepting the terms.Liam lunges as me and I sidestep quickly. I hate him more than I’ve ever hated anyone. He is the reason I’m in the position I’m in. His actions brought us to this very point. I see a flash in his eyes right before he lunges again and this time, his teeth just scrap over my skin. It’s deep enough to scratch, but not deep enough to injure me severely.All around us, people are looking on in pure horror. Everything they believed for the past couple of years is now in doubt, and I understand it, but I can’t focus on them.“You are just as useless as your parents were.” Liam’s voice echoes through my mind and my anger boils over.“Oh? And that makes you a better ruler?” I growl and we lunge at each ot
ClairThe news finds its way downstairs, and I am not surprised. My father had always been able to somehow wiggle his way out of everything. It also doesn’t surprise me that he might not have been my real father. You just have to look at what he did to Adam.Sadly, the news doesn’t have any effect on my situation. I am going to die in a small cell. I am going to spend the rest of my days in the darkness. I have been condemned to it because of my actions and I know that I don’t have anyone else to blame but myself.IsabellaThe loyalty ceremony is arranged, and as soon as my old pack becomes part of my new pack, Asher makes the arrangements to build their homes. For a while, it is tough to go outside. There is a clear divide between the two packs.Neither one trusts the other. We know it is going to be difficult. Asher can’t leave things as they are. He has to eventually trust them, and slowly but surely, he finds spots within our ranks for the new members. Some are incredible warriors
BeverlyTWO YEARS LATER, I wake up in the early hours of the morning as a sharp pain shoots through my entire body. Beside me, Matthew jumps up looking startled and completely confused, but I’m in so much pain that I can’t even explain. When it finally lets go, I look at my completely frazzled mate and a giggle escapes between my lips.“The baby’s coming, Matthew.” I say as I get out of bed. The moment I stand upright, a puddle forms underneath me. Matthew looks like a rabbit caught in headlights and I roll my eyes. For such a confident alpha, he sure ain’t looking for it right now, and I take his hand and walk him out of the room.When we reach the stairs, another contraction hits and I have a feeling our pup is going to arrive sooner than anticipated. Matthew’s brain kicks into gear as he picks me up and rushes me to the hospital. An hour later, we are holding our son, and our little family feels perfect.Our story ended up being the best fairy tale of them all. At least, in my opin
BeverlyMatthew is my parents’ son, and they don’t care where he came from. They accepted him, and they have always expected the pack to accept him the same way. As a matter of fact, now that my father has gone and taken that step, I can’t believe that I ever thought one of my uncles would take over.I’m surprised that I never saw this coming. Matthew keeps telling my father that he won’t accept it unless I’m okay with it and, finally, my father looks at me with that “you had better answer me right now” look. I sigh. Do I really have a choice?“I don’t care. Everyone already thinks he should be alpha.” I shrug and get up. Just as I’m about to leave, I feel a strong hand on the back of my elbow and I turn around and glare at Matthew with my eyes filled with tears.I didn’t mean to cry. I didn’t think it would upset me as much. I can’t understand why it does. I’ve always known it wouldn’t be me! I pull my arm from his grip and leave without another word. I have my own problems and I wan
Beverly“Well, I’m sorry! I wasn’t the one who was walking with her head in the dirt.” He doesn’t move out of my way and looks at me that strange way again, and I roll my eyes. He always has these strange sayings that nobody understands!If I didn’t know for a fact that he had gone to school, I would have wondered if he wasn’t perhaps some wild rogue that my parents adopted!“What is your problem?” I frown. He has been acting stranger than normal recently and I haven’t been able to figure out what is up with him.“Sorry. It’s just been one of those days. What did your dad want?” He frowns, seemingly not listening to a word I’m saying, and clearly trying to change the subject.“I guess he wants the same thing that he asked you about that is bothering you so badly that you don’t look where you are going.” I push past him, knowing full well that he won’t leave that comment there. He follows me down the steps and into the street, and we walk in silence for a while.“So? What are you going
BeverlyMy biggest frustration as I make my way through the crowd, however, is that I can see the looks. You know? The ones that say they are so sorry that I’m still single! It puts so much pressure on me to find a mate. Yeah, my family all had fairy tale true loves. Great!I don’t. Not yet. And honestly, I’m in no hurry. I’ve never been able to understand the concept of it all. So, you barely turn eighteen and have barely become a grown up and the entire world expects you to fall in love, get mated and have a baby.All within the first month of turning eighteen! I smile at one of the older guests who tells me that I shouldn’t worry and that my turn will come. I could have told her the same thing, but I thought it would sound a bit rude. Sighing, I make my way to the back of the party to try and just get away from all the looks.The day has been perfect. The ceremony, the party. All the packs are behaving. Why does it all have to be ruined by the fact that I don’t have a mate?! The ni
BeverlyThe sun streams through my window and I yawn and stretch before jumping out of bed. Today is a big day for our pack. After three generations, we’ve finally built a monument in honour of the people who brought us peace.My family were the ones who fought for that peace and, according to our history, my great-great-grandmother or one of those was the one who defied the old council. She was mated to her destined mate after her entire life was turned upside down.She is my hero, and although I don’t want to fall in love under the same circumstances, I would really like it if I have a love like she had. I suggested the monument to my parents, and they jumped at the chance to do something.It has been built in neutral territory so that any wolf from any pack can go there and just look at our history. It is a secret location, of course, so the humans don’t find it, but it is open to all werewolves. Keeping it secret was a bit of a thing.We had to find somewhere the humans didn’t go
NicoletteI watch as Eli finds his beautiful and shy mate, Amy, and my heart just soars as I see their love grow. I keep thinking back to the couple that started it all, and I’m grateful every day that they stuck to their guns. They didn’t have an incredible start, but they stuck to it and saved our people.A couple of years later, I watch my baby Isabella turns eighteen. She finds her mate, Liam on the same night and I almost wish I could go back a couple of years and just experience some of the first days of being in love.Those first moments that you spend together. My true love wasn’t a fairy tale in the beginning either, but as soon as the problems were solved, life was just perfect. I have watched my children grow up in a world where they are safe from harm, and they know that they are loved every single day.Time ticked by too fast, and on a rainy day just as the leaves turned the most beautiful colours right at the beginning of fall, I had to say goodbye to the man I had loved
NicoletteTwo years after everything changed for me, I’m sitting in our son, Eli’s room. He is crawling around making baby noises and I can’t help but smile as my hand protectively covers my stomach. We have just found out that I’m expecting our second child, and I can’t be happier.My mind drifts to our history and how incredible not only my fairy tale but also the rest of this family’s fairy tale has been. My mother passed away a year ago, which has broken the last of my ties with Max’s pack. I did as she asked and buried her with my father.I will never visit their graves, but it doesn’t bother me. I have my memories of them and that is all that matters. Max’s pack has slowly started to deteriorate now that everyone knows what he is up to and, slowly but surely, most of the females left to find their destined mates.Without the money, Max is unable to take care of all of them the same way he used to. It is sad, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. I have been spending my time away fro
NicoletteThere are so many unanswered questions, but only one of them is right at the top of my list. Is Max my father? I try and find out from my mother, but she refuses to tell me. I also know that Max will never tell me the truth and even if he does, I won’t believe him. Which leaves me with only one option.“I want a paternity test.” I look at Paul the first second we are alone and he frowns.“Are you sure?” He seems hesitant, but I know why. Once I have the actual physical confirmation, it will change everything.“I’m sure. It will not just give me certainty, but if he is, then we have more proof that Max hasn’t been honest with anybody.” I sigh. Paul informs his parents and, before long, I’m sitting in the hospital wing where they are gathering everything they need.Paul joins me moments after the doctor has finished to confirm that the pack that is holding Max will be gathering his samples in the next few minutes. It will take a couple of days to get the results, since nobody
NicoletteSurprisingly, it doesn’t take very long for the packs to send us their suggestions and a month later, we walk back into the beautiful hotel. Sadly, after my previous experience, it has lost some of its luster. Everyone is eager to get down to business.After Paul and I have greeted everyone, we all get together in the conference room and start working on our new constitution. It takes a couple of hours to get it all set up and, after a wonderful lunch, everyone returns. Paul had one of his pack members type up the new agreement and with great anticipation, everyone signs.Once that is settled, we all agree that we would like to rest before dinner. We need to decide on Max’s fate, and it seems everyone is a little hesitant to do that. The previous council caused so much damage to our people, and when I’m honest with myself, I have to admit that my existence is because of that.Out of all the alpha’s Max is the second oldest. There is one alpha who never met his mate and didn’