River peered down at Brielle with a boyish grin, finding his antics rather amusing. “It’s fine, Bri. Don’t be embarrassed.”If looks could kill, River would have been burnt to a pile of ashes on the floor by now. “He’s lying.” Brielle politely insisted to the barista, whilst secretly giving River a forceful nudge in the side of his ribs.River tutted as he draped his arm around Brielle’s shoulder, sending a shudder down her spine from the connection of his skin. “Does this look like the face of a guy who would lie?” He asked the barista innocently.The lady behind the counter gawked at the duo, not being entirely sure what to make of the whole interaction.Brielle shoved River’s arm off her shoulders, whilst flashing the barista an innocent smile. “I’m going to kill you.” She muttered quietly so only River could hear.River waved his hand, dismissing what Brielle had said. “Don’t mind her, she’s working through some issues right now.”River leaned closer to the counter whilst bringing
Brielle let out a deep sigh as she stared longingly out into the castle gardens. Everything was so quiet, peaceful. Nothing could be heard from all around, except the whistling of the wind in the cool autumn night.Slouching on an old oak bench, time felt like it was stood still for Brielle. She rested her head against the wooden frame and studied the pre-lit sky above her. She couldn’t resist the temptation to smile as she reminisced on her last evening out here, under the stars.Only unlike right now, she wasn’t alone. She was with Ryker. She had enjoyed the night much more than she had allowed herself to let on to others. His presence brought her a sense of calm she’d previously never experienced and a rush of happiness she never thought she would get to feel.The truth was, she’d never really allowed herself to believe that kind of happiness was meant for her. Her duties were to Shadow and having a mate would only distract her from her responsibilities, or so she had once thought.
A deafening growl echoed throughout the bushes which landscaped the gardens. Brielle’s face fell blank as she clenched her jaw, preparing for action. Reid’s expression hardened as his eyes scanned the enclosure, searching for the animal that threatened them.The faint sound of leaves crunching against the grass bed pinpointed the threats whereabouts, as both Brielle’s and Reid’s heads snapped in that direction.Brielle’s brow quirked as she observed the snarling wolf creeping towards them.“Is this a joke?” Ocean queried flatly.The scraggy, auburn wolf bared it’s teeth as it took another heavy step closer to the duo, slamming its paw to the ground. The rogue was attempting it’s fiercest impression, but neither of the Alpha’s could see past the scrawny frame which it carried.It was malnourished, weak. Barely even a threat to an unranked warrior. The rogue wasn’t to be underestimated though, it was clear it had turned feral, meaning it would do just about anything to kill its prey.Wi
Brielle’s eyes widened as she watched her mates stumble into the thin air where the Rogue King was just standing.“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” River muttered in infuriation as the reality of what had just happened set in.Reid’s pupils flared as he and Ryker shared knowing looks, their father had experienced run ins with Zion before and just as he would get close to defeating him, Zion would vanish.River noticed the alarmed expression Brielle was wearing, as her eyes fixated on where she had last seen the Rogue King.Pushing his anger aside, he dashed towards her and took her hand in his, before hastily checking her body for any injuries. Slowly coming out of her daze from the sensation of River pulling her limbs, she narrowed her eyes on him as a line formed between her brows.“What are you doing?” She questioned, although she didn’t remove her hand from his.Rivers eyes locked with hers. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”Brielle pressed her lips together to hide her amu
Brielle and her anxious entourage followed Arlen in hast as he led them to the King’s office. Arlen continued to send Brielle reassuring smiles as she caught his eye, but he wasn’t too confident on what she was about to walk into.He gently knocked on the white, wooden door that separated them and his parents, and awkwardly pressed his lips together as they waited for a response.“Come in.” King Nathaniel called out, before Arlen swung open the door for Brielle and motioned for her to go in, to which she apprehensively did.The Queen sat behind the large glass desk, with her husband closely beside her, remaining silent as Brielle entered.The corners of the Queen’s lips turned upright as she watched the triplets sheepishly follow behind the young Alpha. “I didn’t realise you were all called Brielle.” She grinned at the protective trio.They each glanced at one another, waiting for one of them to respond to the Queen’s remark. Between awkward head scratches and widened eyes, none of th
“What?” Brielle and River exclaimed in unison.Brielle warily observed River after his outburst before turning her attention back to the King.“How is that fair?” She queried, however it was more of a rhetorical question. “None of this is my fault!”“We don’t want to win this way.” River insisted. “Brielle doesn’t deserve to be stripped of her title because some weirdo has a crush on her.” The spite River felt towards Zion was abundantly clear in his tone.The King sighed. “Believe me, we know. I’ve had Jacques reviewing the bylaws since we got back.” He briefly shook his head. “But there is no other way.”“What if we all forfeited?” Reid stepped forward.“Then you would return to your original positions prior to the Battle of the Alpha’s starting.” The Queen confirmed. “But there would be no restarting once the threat was eliminated.” “Well Brielle forfeiting is out of the question.” Ryker added matter-of-factly.“If Brielle forfeits, we all do.” River confirmed in agreement with h
Scarlett let out an exasperated sigh as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed. “Well I guess that’s our queue to leave, Harls.”Harlie wagged her brows at her sister before briefly patting Ryker on the shoulder. “Don’t get too wild with the biscoff, kids.”Brielle rolled her eyes, before she motioned for Ryker to sit beside her as she smiled warmly at him. She had missed him the last couple of days, ever since their date, and had been hoping they would get some alone time together soon.Ryker grinned before hastily jumping onto the bed, wrapping his arm around Brielle’s waist and pulling her close.Brielle let out an amused giggle as Ryker tackled her to him. “Someone’s happy.” She commented.Ryker squeezed her tightly, before grinning down at her. “How can I not be when I’ve finally got you all to myself.”Brielle’s heart fluttered as she stared back at him, enjoying the warmth his vanilla scent brought as it enveloped around her. She found herself getting lost in his pale blue
“You’re what?” Brielle’s eyes widened in shock as Ryker’s words took a short moment to register. “I’m dropping out.” He repeated with a sharp, adamant nod. Brielle hastily jumped off the bed, before turning to face Ryker as she placed her hands on her hips. “I told you not to do that.” “Bri, this is a good thing!” Ocean encouraged. “He doesn’t have to do this, we wouldn’t do it for him.” Brielle admitted. “We have more to lose, it’s completely different.” Ocean responded, trying to aid her human counterpart to see reason. Ryker chuckled lowly as he rolled his eyes. “And I’m doing it anyway.” He retaliated. “Ryker.” Brielle began as she placed her fingers on her temples. “I can’t let you do this because of me.” He pressed his lips together to hide his amusement as he observed his stressed mate. “I didn’t ask for your permission.” Brielle sounded out an exasperated groan as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “Ryker, this is more important than the bond. You can’t give this up.”
It had been an intense year for the Alphas as they settled into their new roles. Merging the two packs had taken some serious work, it had taken a while for the natural rivalry between the two to die down and accept each other as one. Fortunately, the Blood Moon members immediately accepted Brielle as one of their own. Whether that was due to their own kindness or fear of being castrated by the triplets was unclear, but Brielle was grateful nevertheless. David had finally come to terms with his little girl being mated, not that he had been given much choice. Although, there had been a moment where Brielle feared David would be pushed over the edge when it came out Harlie was mated to the Blood Moon beta, Lucas. But just like the triplets, Lucas had managed to charm his way into David’s good graces, after Sophia threatened to have him sleeping on the couch if he didn’t give up his hostile persona. Harlie and Lucas were the perfect match, both incredibly loyal to one another and to
It had been an emotional morning for many as everyone shared their goodbyes. Brielle especially found leaving Amaris unexpectedly hard, so much had changed for her there and so many wonderful memories had been created, leaving was bittersweet. But as the saying goes; as one door closes, another door opens. Brielle and the triplets had been discussing over the last few days how to merge the packs, with as little disruption as possible. Luckily, as there wasn’t much distance between the two lands, a solution was found. Both Brielle and River had sent links to their pack members asking them to meet on common ground between the two, explaining they would be there shortly to make an announcement. River set his palm on Brielle’s thigh, whilst his other hand remained tight on the steering wheel. He noticed a disappointed expression written across her face, one that had him frowning. “What is it, Brie?” He wondered. Brielle turned to meet his gaze, before briefly shaking her head with a s
Brielle danced the night away, laughing and drinking with Harlie and Scarlett, not having a care in the world as since the day they first arrived at Amaris, they could finally relax. The girls secured their spot in the middle of the dance floor and moved like their life depended on it, spilling drinks as they joked with one another. Reid, to no surprise to Brielle, regularly joined in with their hysterics, twirling Brielle around and throwing her over his shoulder as he danced to the beat. River and Ryker made a few appearances by their side, but found themselves repeatedly being dragged away to discuss business with other Alpha’s. Many present were Alpha’s the triplets had already built contractual relationships with, so unfortunately they couldn’t be avoided. But Brielle didn’t mind, this was a celebration for Shadow. She would have plenty of time with the triplets as the night came to a close, the last few hours her sole focus was to have fun with Harlie and Scarlett. Brielle h
The next day, River and Brielle spent the morning fooling around in the sheets of their bed, neither being prepared to leave the loved-up cocoon they had engulfed themselves in. But finally, after what seemed to take every ounce of their inner strength, they managed to drag themselves out of bed and head back to Amaris in preparation of the celebratory ball being thrown in Brielle’s honour. Upon her return, and after squeezing in some time with Ryker and Reid, Brielle headed to her room to get ready for the evening with Harlie and Scarlett. “So.. how was it?!” Scarlett questioned as she wrapped her hair around the curling iron. “And do not spare any details, I'm living vicariously through you these days.” Brielle snorted, shaking her head at the gamma before setting down her lipstick and turning to meet two sets of eager eyes. She pressed her lips together, despite having just finished her makeup, and let a cheesy grin grow on her lips. "Do you remember when he told me I'd be begg
Brielle hurried to her room to gather her belongings, she wasn’t sure where she was going thanks to River’s vagueness but he had told her to grab some clothes for the morning, apparently they wouldn’t be returning tonight.The excitement was pumping through her, her hands racing through her wardrobe and grabbing the first thing she saw. He’d told her she was fine in what she was wearing, although she had decided to throw a pair of leggings on anyway. She didn’t quite fancy strolling through the castle in nothing but a tee again.“Come in,” Brielle called out as she heard a knock on her door. Harlie glided into the room with Scarlett following closely behind, before they both took a seat on Brielle’s unmade bed.Scarlett perched her brow as she watched Brielle throw random items into a bag. “And where do you think you’re going?” She teased.Brielle grinned, side eyeing her gamma. “River is taking me somewhere for the night, although I’m not sure where.” She tried to hide her excitement
Upon her return to Amaris, Brielle had spent the last day with her loved ones, cherishing the moments as much as she could. Scarlett and Reid had even managed to put their bickering to the side for the day, instead focusing on being grateful for Brielle’s safety. David and Sophia had returned to Shadow with their warriors earlier this afternoon, after displaying significant reluctance to ever leave Brielle’s side again. David only agreed to leave once he gave the triplets a stern talking to, reiterating that if his little girl so much as lost a single hair from her head moving forward, he’d cut off their prized possessions and feed them to Gladdis’ pythons. The triplets didn’t often feel threatened, but the look on David’s face told them he’d go to the ends of the world to follow through on his promise. The King and Queen had been absent most of the day, working with Gladdis on the appropriate punishment for Nimue. Under usual circumstances, she would fall under Gladdis’ jurisdicti
Leaving no time to spare, the moment the cloaking enchantment was broken, warriors in their wolf form dashed towards the dirty grey architecture. The charcoaled, grey building was clear as day to them now. It was hard to believe this three level building wasn’t visible to the eye merely moments ago. But the building wasn’t the only revelation following the breaking of the spell, dozens and dozens of rogues surrounded the scene staring back at the warriors in a dazed state. Under usual circumstances, the element of surprise would have always been a priority. But in this scenario, there wasn’t any choice. Seemingly, as the three groups continued to gain a closer advantage, the confused rogues swiftly began transitioning into their wolf counterparts. One by one, with no fear in the world, they charged towards the warriors. Where they lacked in strength and numbers, their feral state made up for. Death didn’t frighten them. King Nathaniel’s wolf, Roman, was the first the shed blood. Ch
“You’ll be split into three teams.” King Nathaniel announced to the sea of warriors before him. “We need to be able to remain in contact with each pack at all times, meaning the three packs need to be integrated. One will be led by myself, one will be led by the Blood Moon alpha’s and one will be led by David, Alpha Regent of Shadow.” David firmly nodded in the King’s direction, his game face never faltering as he folded his arms across his chest. Under usual circumstances, in Brielle’s absence, he would allow Harlie to step up as interim Alpha. But with his eldest’s life hanging in the balance, he couldn’t allow room for mistakes. “My group will take the west, River’s group will take east and David’s group will take south.” The King continued, surveying his eyes over the 300 hundred bodies. “Gladdis and the Fer Fung will be located north, in the neck of the forest. They will need to remove the cloaking enchantment placed on Zion’s hide out, but once this happens we have a matter of
Rivers grip on the steering wheel tightened as they drove through the Amaris gate. The uneasy feeling gathering in the pit of his stomach only worsened with each passing moment, further moments where Brielle was out of his grasp. They had come so close, so incredibly close to finally being together and just when he had her in his arms, she was snatched from beneath him. It was taking every ounce of his self-control to remain calm, although he was on the verge of snapping at any moment. Seven SUV’s filled with the best of Blood Moon’s warriors followed behind him and his brothers, each filled with angst and ready to eliminate the threat which stole their new alpha. They had never met Brielle, but she was one of them now. No one hurt one of their own. River forcefully yanked the handbrake as he parked outside the castle, not caring in the slightest that he wasn’t in a parking spot and instead had just pulled up anywhere. He couldn’t climb out of the vehicle quick enough, with his b