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73. Cherish
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The Beta's Prize 74. Cherish
Ivan promised to tell them the truth, I hardly expected him to tell the guys when we scampered back up that ravine. Their smug faces said enough. Even with being as quiet as possible you cannot erase the scent of arousal from a shifter no matter how much you try to quickly wash in the water. “Did you get lost?” Jackson asked with an eyebrow raised as the rest of the crew smirked around the campfire. “Dead deer in the water, had to trek upstream…” said Ivan before he looked at me and we broke into stupid grins causing Jackson to throw his apple peel at Ivan. “Bloody knew it!” Lyon and Navin said, having apparently bet on what we were up to. I sidled away to my sleeping bag leaving Ivan to deal with the banter. Although we were the butt of the joke, perhaps it was the breakthrough we needed to be closer as a team. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was Jackson's cry and rowdy laughter as a bucket of water apparently tipped over his head. The next morning during breakfast wh
The Beta's Prize 75. Ivan
Cherish currently has an almost annoying ability to be right about everything. She wasn’t smug about it at least, she just seemed so proud of me. Except handing over those reins, giving her more of a say just gives me flashes of Azalea. All she wanted was to run my life for me, make my decisions without consulting me. I hate myself for pre-judging her but it’s like reopening an old scar. Fuck it, I’ve got to listen to her more. I really do. /Absolutely you do/ Kohl agreed, preening and posing at all the praise they were receiving from the Battalion. As much as I appreciated the men’s support, I wasn’t so keen on their devouring gory details of the fights. I could see how easily people got sucked into watching and gambling on the Showcases. Anders' eyes had a strange glint to them as I tried to describe how we were picked in the draws and then pitted against one another as blandly as possible. Despite his cool, unflappable temperament, I suspected he might prove to be the loose can
The Beta's Prize 76. Ivan
Two weeks from revealing my identity and word is spreading. Villages are actively seeking us out. Every time we turn over a battered, miserable town and free it from its local thugs we are greeted like heroes. Some brothels are actually empty, the women abandoned as the men have already fled in fear of the Inferno arriving. The men are buoyant, positive, with new recruits joining after every attack. There appears to be some kind of local prestige involved now. Being part of the crew that took back the Shadowlands. We have a team, a method and it’s working. There is only one Cherish though. Nobody has come close to her speed or scouting skills. Now I have infantry, cooks, stock managers who go into the villages with the gold we were given by Alexander to buy supplies, we are practically a functioning army. Each night we all eat together. There is no distinction between the Battalion originals, still clad in green and the recruits. I address them all the same, they call me Beta Iv
The Beta's Prize 77. Cherish
As Ivan tried to help, sending hot calming waves of adoration I tried to shake off the creepy feeling under my skin. Jackson took the lead and addressed the group. “We knew some of you wouldn’t be cut out for this. But the rules we kill by are the rules we live by. This is your exit, you can walk away. If like Anders it’s not what you signed up for then I’ll give you your gold and you can leave head held high. Otherwise…you keep in line,” kicking the dense, unmoving body of Anders as his blood stained the gravel and met the rivers flow. “I’m here for the Battalion,” Kharkov said flatly, a chorus which echoed around the men. “Here for the Battalion became a chant, a chorus that soon had every man beating his chest, looking at Ivan with steadfast commitment. He gave a nod, raised his hand and said, “Cherish are you still happy to scout or do you need time to recover?” “We can wait a day,” Jackson offered, followed by grunts of agreement from the rest. Kharkov’s dark brown eyes trained
The Beta's Prize 78. Ivan
Why does it feel as though everything has been leading up to this? As though all the other skirmishes and battles with lesser gangs have been driving me towards confronting the man I despised the most in the Cage. I had no idea what kind of stunt he must have pulled to get out of there alive. He definitely didn’t stay to protect his father. That's for certain having seen him swinging like a gory red flag as we left the Cage. This briefing was serious. All the men, Battalion and new recruits sat together as I explained what we were likely to head into. Traps, poisons, sneaking ambushes. There was every chance he knew we were coming for him. “I know we haven’t had too much resistance so far, but this is why we came. It is gangs like the Axelon family that are ruining the Shadowlands.” “Alpha Ivan,” Marius said before correcting himself, “Sorry, Ivan, Beta Ivan, Sir…erm the village we just passed said they bought an awful lot of long pole lengths. I don’t know if that’s relevant?” “
The Beta's Prize 79. Ivan
Kharkovs howls more than did the trick. He even remained on all fours, somehow. Though the very act was twisting an already broken leg he tried to look intimidating. He was an all brown wolf, muscular and chunky in build. As soon as the first wolves out of the compound saw him they would mind-link for back-up. Injured or not he was still formidable. Just two doors of the compound opened as the first batch of men appeared. Confirming he was shifted I saw a rapid succession of clothes ripping and shredding. At least ten bald, hulking guards shifting into various colours of wolf. Like a distorted ballet, a collection of twisting, crunching limbs all came together. All with their jaws snapping, claws scratching at the ground ready to hunt and kill Kharkov. Aided by the darkness of night my Battalion remained unseen. Following their orders to not attack until the third door opened I took deep bracing breaths. However much I prided myself on being a Warrior, this was either going to rea
The Beta's Prize 80. Cherish
I spend the night trying to get organised and be productive. Halo won't stop whirring away in my mind, she is so edgy it’s making it impossible to focus. Wave after wave of fear and dread washes over me as darkness descends for I know the Battalion is walking into their hardest battle yet. The camp is soon fully packed and ready to vacate. It’s done so quickly because I am itching to get away and can’t sit still. The instant I hear Ivan’s voice I will be sprinting back into his arms. I know he's doing it for a higher purpose, to help the Shadowlands but surely for a couple so newly mated there shouldn't be this much time apart. It's physically hurting me, the gaps that are growing between our existence. /Cherish/ came the voice of Lyon, why was he linking me? Dropping a final batch of blankets to the ground I sprinted into the woods on foot to meet him. It was well after midnight and he was exhausted. He must have sprinted the whole way. "Get him food and water!" I shouted at my h
The Beta's Prize 81. Ivan
I knew I would be injured after taking on a dozen or so guards. I had no idea I would end up in limbo. I am in a strangely dreamy state. One where you know it’s not real and yet it’s too vivid to wake up from. I also know it’s a dream because standing in front of me is Azalea. The Azalea I remembered anyway, the petite stunner with olive skin and brown eyes. That stunning, deep green mermaid style dress she wore the night we were mated. Goddess she sparkled that night. I could remember how I madly grabbed her to me, our first kiss, everything just fitting together so perfectly. She smiled at me, the way she had done that night too, so soft and gentle, a little dimple forming in one cheek. I turned around and realised I was in a ballroom with her. The White Forest Pack ballroom to be precise, with its wooden floors and white walls. I kept trying to communicate with Kohl but there was nothing. The silence was terrifying. For over ten years his constant calm guidance and now the l
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The Beta's Prize Epilogue 6: White Forest Ball (Cillian)
Without thinking I shouted “Stop!” causing the cloaked person to sprint. “GUARDS!” I screeched, unable to mind-link members outside of my pack. Why was the entire fucking castle asleep! Sprinting after the cloaked figure I saw nobody else, no guards, not even a servant to help me catch the stranger. Arriving at the huge foyer of the castle, surrounded by flickering torches, hanging tapestries and miserable grey stone walls I had nothing to follow. They had vanished into thin air. All I knew from the build around the cloak was that they were a man, a man wearing long black trousers. Giving up the chase, I headed back to my room, flights of stairs, leading me to nothing but duplicating corridors of arched doorways, presumably student accommodation. The door to my parents’ suite remained open. “Papa?” I knocked softly to no answer. /Cillian, I am so sorry/ Vez said, realising before I did that my world had been knocked from its axis, shattered like porcelain. On the double bed, wrappe
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 5: White Forest Ball (Cillian)
I understood immediately why Papa never took us to many of these charades. Standing there in a pompous white shirt, on display like a prize pig at a fair I was happy to escape with Genevieve into the masses. I wasn’t so happy about Nikolai. We had only met briefly during a few childhood meetings but as a man he oozed anger and resentment. What for, I have no idea, but my sister and her wide eyes clearly thought it was the hottest thing she had ever seen. Silently, from my chosen distance, I watched his charisma overwhelm her, my own heckles rising. /She asked you to let her be an adult, to make her own choices/ Vez urged. Ever since first shifting and Vez came into my world it has been like having two fathers, both eager for me to prosper as Alpha. Our wolf fur was as red and fiery as my hair. I cringed, remembering how Jackson had laughingly called me the Infant Inferno, leaving me furious. Vez however, despite our fiery colour was sage, calming and fair. My papa tried to downpl
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 4: White Forest Ball (Genevieve)
Having to walk in behind my parents I felt like a child amongst women. Despite the stunning dress, the styled hair and jewels I’d been given, the ballroom had a strange feel about it. I felt watched ,studied, but not in the usual way, like at home in Cragstone when crowds gathered. One person’s gaze had me flustered. The smell of burning spice made my eyes widen in fear, urgently seeking out the owner. As though we were in danger of attack, then I saw Nikolai Romanov. He headed up towards our little royal enclosure furtively, as though he was breaking in. He was just as entitled to be there as the rest of us and yet his fearsomely dark eyes were stuck on me. He offered no greetings to anyone else, not even his parents. My heart flipped, what do you do when someone looks so blatantly at you? He wasn’t undressing me with his eyes or anything crude like the silly Kharkov boys. Instead, he was seriously, steadily looking at me as a person. Almost the same age as me, already nineteen and
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 3: White Forest Ball (Ivan)
I know exactly why she is nervous. It’s not ideal and we’ve put it off for so long that it’s brought the formal gold bordered letter from Alexander to force our attendance. They are so young, the twins are barely even adults. If they find their mates tonight there it is more complicated than they realise. For Kharkov’s girls, or Lyon’s boys, when they make their match it will be a simple case of falling in love and finding a place to live and be happy together. Our children, should it be from a rival pack, will see alliances drawn up, decisions taken out of their hands as their parents become a tangle of wants and wishes. Should my beautiful, delicate little Genevieve be drawn in with that dark-haired lout Nikolai, what then? He is the future Alpha of White Forest, as Freya is to live in Rising Star. I would lose my darling girl. I know it is just the mindset of a scared father. I am a proud, happy man, terrified of nothing the world can throw at me. Except for damaging my family'
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 2: White Forest Ball (Cherish)
I gasped at the sight of our intruder. Cillian, my beautiful boy, had somehow transformed into a powerful, charismatic man, his white shirt open at the top showing the sculpted chest he inherited from his father. His coppery red hair had an even fierier tone than Ivan’s, almost sheer red, whilst his eyes had eventually turned blue like my own, despite starting green. He had a strong, masculine jaw and his figure had developed over the past year. He had trained like a beast with Kharkov and Jackson, as if preparing for his mate by getting into perfect shape. “Are we ready to do this parade then?” he grumbled, fiddling with his cufflink, the rasping depth of his manly voice still making me wistful even after years of it breaking. “How has a white shirt made you look this grown up,” I said softly, adjusting the collar of his shirt whilst he towered over me and his father. The squidgy faced little boy who hid behind my skirts clutching stacks of buns he had stolen from Martha was no m
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 1: White Forest Ball (Cherish)
** TWENTY YEARS LATER ** “I cannot believe it has truly been so long since we were last at White Forest,” I murmured, standing in the same suite we had used so many years ago. Back when I shouted at Helena and suggested she had failed Ivan. The four-poster bed and stained glass windows were unchanged. As if we had simply stepped back in time. The sight of the balcony, where I had once stood in only a black cloak for Ivan to devour under the pale blue moonlight made me smile and Halo purr in remembrance. “You are as amazing now as you were then,” Ivan murmured, approaching me with a grin. In his late forties he was getting somehow even more handsome with age. His hair remained the stunning copper beacon I looked for first in every room whilst his frame remained strong, tall and muscular. Although my heart had two other beacons to contend with in Genevieve and Cillian, Ivan’s strength was the tree which my roots had grown around. They had turned eighteen last winter, Ivan insiste
The Beta's Prize 106. Cherish
Although Ivan’s silly trick with the balcony made me laugh, we were soon back in the same glum mood we had left the dinner party with last night. The stone walls around us swirled with confusion, the footsteps of unknown servants constantly pattering by made me feel watched, edgy. At home, in Cragstone we knew exactly who roamed our smaller world. “We should just ask Helena outright,” I snapped in frustration, “they’re discussing us and our babies so why shouldn’t we know.” Ultimately we had the matter taken out of our hands. A small, elderly male servant summoned us for breakfast with Alpha Brandon and Luna Hollie down in the dining hall. Kissing the babies and leaving them with Kharkov and Penelope we made our way for attempt Day Two of the so-called Conference. As expected the four of them were already there. Brandon raised his hand as soon as he saw us enter and saw Ivan assessing the situation. Alpha Alexander for once looked distressed. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes wer
The Beta's Prize 105. Ivan
My worst fears were confirmed. This wasn’t a proper conference, there was no respect for our attendance as the leaders of the Shadowlands pack, it was some ridiculous notion by Helena to try and fix her own ego. Kissing Cherish softly as she tended to the babies with Penelope I informed Kharkov I was heading for a stroll, he could stay with the women and enjoy some breakfast. His face lit up at the prospect, whether it was breakfast or the company of the women I could not tell which thrilled him more. I loved the fact he had such a bond with Cherish. Having someone in your corner like that, it’s how I used to see myself and Helena. Different but the same. /If everything had stayed the same, we would have been dead in a ditch long ago. Some things have to change/ Kohl murmured sagely. I agreed with him, but I still regretted my lost friendship. Heading out of the huge double doored stone archway I found myself looking down upon a splendid view of the surrounding forest. It was so
The Beta's Prize 104. Cherish
When the servant brought us into the dining hall it was just as grand as I expected. Huge golden candelabras and chandeliers lit up a picture perfect room. The usual tapestries and war scenes I had grown used to seeing at White Forest were not present here. Rising Star was a gallery of landscapes. The valleys, lakes and forests depicted everywhere gave the castle a softer feeling than I had expected this pile of stones to provide. Even the soft rugs were welcomely eyed by Halo, my feet still not fully healed made me want to jump to the nearest chair. I preferred this castle to White Forest, though as Halo warned me, that may just be because I had lingering reservations about Luna Helena and her knowledge of Fate. Ivan, bless him, knew my feet were not fully healed yet and made sure to have me seated comfortably before anything else. Alpha Brandon and Luna Hollie were kind and gracious hosts. They clearly adored Helena and Alexander, a cosy coupling that we were on the outside of.
