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88. Cherish
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Beta's Prize 89. Ivan
Thank the heavens for Cherish because my mind has just been blown. Did I, or did I not just see an entire tree emerge out of a well, growing and expanding to the size of an ancient, centuries old landmark? I'm meant to know what's going on but I'm as dumbstruck as every tiny child gasping and pointing, not quite daring to touch the tree. I have never seen such a demonstration of the Moon Goddess, it has never been refrred to in any of the history books. It was beyond breathtaking. I may need to question every single person here to make sure I haven’t hallucinated the whole thing. As Cherish clears her throat my eyes are drawn to her. In her deep emerald green gown, her hair plaited and twisted into an intricately regal style. She kept insisting I had changed, grown more stately in my manner but she didn’t realise she had done the same. Our mate-bond could have suffered as we both rapidly evolve into these new roles but we have stuck together, kept close and honest and here we are.
The Beta's Prize 90. Ivan
Jackson approached, glasses of wine in hand, “what a night Alpha Ivan, Luna Cherish,” although I almost spilt my drink as Cherish squealed and grabbed at my sleeve. “Look, look here comes Penelope!” “Where is her brunette friend?” Jackson murmured and I had to shrug my shoulders in ignorance. All of us on the podium watched as the pretty blonde in the navy dressed weaved her way past man after man. “You know she hasn’t said a word since we rescued her,” Jackson muttered worriedly. “Just wait,” Cherished breathed, her hand on her heart. I don’t know if she knew but we all studied Kharkov as she stepped ever closer towards him. He didn’t look to be enjoying himself, his eyes to the sky, uncomfortably moving from left to right. As Penelope approached her eyes were fixed on him, not on any of the other men she was not connecting with. His huge shoulders made him stand out in the line-up. We heard more squeals of “Mate!” from the other row but nothing was distracting Penelope now. The c
The Beta's Prize 91. Cherish
I found Violent having a little cry in one of the inns. She was being comforted by Martha, stroking her brown hair softly. I had missed her travelling down the other line of dancers, so caught up in watching Penelope’s bond with Kharkov. so many young woman around her had found a mate and she had felt useless. “Has the Moon Goddess just decided I am too fucked up to deserve a mate?” Violet sobbed into Martha’s lap, the mint green darkening with damp patches of tears. “Hush dear there was a whole line of men you did not dance with tonight.” “I don’t know why I got my hopes up. I stayed away from that line because some of the men there were ones who used to visit the hellhole we were caged in.” I let out a soft gasp at the realisation. Maybe I did have rose-tinted glasses regarding mate-bonds and love. Perhaps being endlessly bound to another soul for eternity is not the happy experience I have known so far. There is always the chance one's mate could be a poor character, a brute or
The Beta's Prize 92. Ivan
Eight weeks have flown by. We are almost in a routine. There are established meetings, briefings and we are slowly learning as much as we can about our new home. Another full moon has passed around our huge apple tree at the centre of Cragstone. We have plans in place to rotate the full moon dances from town to town so everywhere benefits from the limelighht. It gives us a chance to make contact with all of the south and central regions too. Right now we have left our lovely packhouse at Cragstone behind and are in the deepest south of the region. We have come so far south some areas had not even heard of the newly formed pack though they knew of the Cage and Ivan the Inferno. Now we travelled, not just as the Battalion but with ecstatic village elders from every major town we found no resistance. People seemed nostalgic to be part of a pack again, even those that may have left due to upset or bad behaviour in their youth. It was a pack of second chances. But behind closed doors J
The Beta's Prize 93. Cherish
Bella, Lucien and their children were just so charming. Their happiness radiated, lifting us all. Even so I had worries on my mind that distracted me from fully enjoying my time with them. Violet had shied away from the last Full Moon celebrations completely, terrified of being mated to a man who had abused her in the past. No amount of consoling or gentle persuasion could convince her that the Moon Goddess would surely not be so cruel. Tonight she wore my old maroon dress, her brown hair bobbing through the crowd along with those distinctively green cat-shaped eyes. She donned gloves to keep herself private and unmolested. She reminded me of myself back at the start of my time in the Cage. So afraid of the world, assuming every man, even Ivan was out to maim me. So there was no rush. She could wear her gloves as long as she wanted. Martha kept me updated on both her and Penelope. Thankfully Penelope had fully regained her voice, as confirmed by the lusty moans we all heard roarin
The Beta's Prize 94. Cherish
I grasped Ivan’s hand, forcing myself to step away and not interrupt their moment. Unlike the timid blue-eyed Penelope and Kharkov theirs was not an instant heated connection. Like a tango they seemed to dance around each other, each sizing the other up. “Mate,” Lyon said again, softer, more gentle than the first time as I noticed his eyes were almost entirely ruby red. It should have been quite the terrifying sight but Violet slowly started smiling, placing her hand towards Lyon’s. He ducked his curly black head of hair down and slowly, gently peeled away the long elbow-length gloves she had been wearing for so many weeks. As her skin made contact with his fingers both of them gasped. Their connection was growing every second. Lyon’s whole world had suddenly expanded to accommodate another person within. Perhaps now he was ready to be part of this pack. Even in White Forest people like Bella could not start again. Saving both the Alpha and Luna’s life had not been enough for them
The Beta's Prize 95. Ivan
If I felt pressure to be a good leader and make the Shadowlands safe before, knowing Cherish was bringing our child into the world only sent it skyrocketing. She had joked she wouldn’t need any rest, lots of exercise. She was unfortunately wrong as within a week of having her pregnancy confirmed she was ruthlessly ill. The remaining human elements of her body struggled with the demands of a shifter pregnancy with the severity of her nausea leaving her stuck in the packhouse. She had the company of Martha, Penelope, and Violet. Martha told us not to worry, though Cherish would be able to carry our baby it was still an extreme experience for her body to go through. Still, she looked immaculate, snuggled under the white covers as the dawning sun peeped through the curtain, a pale lilac cotton nightdress on. Sat in the crook of my arm, her fingers lazily trailed up and down my bare chest, toying with my chest hair. Every breath I took had that gorgeous hint of berries, if she wasn’t so p
The Beta's Prize 96. Cherish
I barely recognised the copper-haired bear of a man who stumbled towards me. Then again, I imagine he didn’t expect to find me the size of a house either. When I discovered I was carrying twins I was utterly tormented. Did I write to Ivan, knowing the risk of going into labour earlier than expected or trust in the Moon Goddess and every unseen plan she had that he would have enough time to get home? Martha has been a constant source of help. Her aromatherapy, baths and oils have got me through the worst of the discomfort. With Ivan absent, Jackson and I have had to run the pack. Thankfully Jackson is the sweetest and most loyal of Ivan’s friends. I sometimes wonder with a shudder what would have happened if someone like Anders had never been uncovered. If Ivan had trusted him to stay behind how many weeks would he have waited before unveilinghis sinister nature? Thankfully, and with Jackson’s help I continued to keep building relations. When the freeze came, we created an ice ri
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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.
