No!!! What? Yes you read it right. Thoughts please on the child?
JONDA I left the dungeons more confused and frustrated than ever. Originally, I wanted to see Mike's fated mate, to know who she was. Because as much as I love him, I couldn’t, wouldn’t, believe that the Moon Goddess would fate him someone that was a murderer and thief. He was too good to be fated to someone who wasn’t. He deserved better. Better than me. I didn’t want to let go of Mike, but I couldn’t keep him. Not now. Even if he said she means nothing to him, the bond would have already snapped into place. Now it was up to fate. Any chance of him and I had, had slipped through my fingers the night I betrayed him. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see the man I had a one-night stand with. And I sure as fuck wasn’t expecting it to be Rhett. I had heard so much about him from Mike and Kellen, but I had never laid eyes on him myself. I was in shock. Time slowed down as my eyes focused on his face. When he introduced himself, his name ringing in my ears, I could do nothing but freez
LYRIC 2 Days Later I sit holding the key card I swiped from my mate two days ago, twirling it through my fingers. Staring at it, debating if I should walk out of here. I would deal with the guards, hopefully, come up with a plan where I could avoid them. Yet every time I think I’m going to get up and try to escape, Note pipes up, urging me to stay and wait. Telling me she has a gut feeling. It’s been two days. The only people I have seen are the guards who have come to bring me food. I sit in the same shirt I was given by the man named Rhett. Dirt and grim coat my body and my hair is a greasy mess. Itch all over but as yucky as I feel, the anxiousness overrides my OCD. I have no idea if they got to Lizzy and Zane. If they picked them up from the safe house or not. I haven’t been told anything. I tried to ask the guards and requested to see the man they called Rhett or even my mate. They just told me to wait. I was becoming more and more frustrated, agitated, and worried for my so
LYRIC **FLASHBACK 3 YEARS AGO” I slipped out the window, propelling myself down the six-story building. My feet hit the ground silently. I look left and right, up and down the alley, thankful there was no one to witness me descending down the brick wall. The bag crossed over my shoulder sat heavy. Not because of the gold chalice I stole, but because of the weight of our crime that sat heavily on my chest. One would think after doing this for the past two years, I would have grown accustomed to it. But I don’t think I ever would. My wolf, Note, hated it. Thought it was below an Alpha female to steal. However, it's what put a roof over mine and Lizzy's heads. Plus it kept us away from Miko’s wrath and his henchman Bram. Quickly I walked down the alley, staying hidden in the shadows until I came to the main street, where I had parked the rust bucket of a car I stole. I hopped in and started the car, the engine rumbling to life and a sigh of relief came out of me when the piece of cra
MIKE I walked straight into the adjoining room and fell back against the wall. Listening to Lyric’s story ate away at me and my wolf. I could feel every one of her emotions. Duke howled at her loss and growled at her tears. It angered him to see her in a state of grief. With each word, I felt a pang in my chest and the bond called out to me, pulling me to my mate. Each string that tethered us together kept pulling tighter and tighter until I felt like I was being suffocated by her remorse and pain. “That was-“ Rhett blew out a breath, “WOW. Was not expecting that.” He said. I looked at Kellen and something passed between us. A notion, a guess. His eyes were glassy, and I knew her story about the pup had gotten to him. He was a new father, and I could only imagine the thoughts that went through his head after his mate had only given birth a few days ago. “I have everything on tape and documented,” Tyron spoke, filling the void. “G-good.” Kellen replied, stuttering out the word. Pu
JONDA I came to in darkness, hands bound behind my back and mouth gagged. The effects of the drug the stranger smothered me with had left my brain feeling foggy and my body groggy. Even though I could hardly move, it still felt like a ten-ton weight was pinning me down. I couldn’t see, but I knew I was in a car, specifically in the trunk. The vehicle bounced over the road and I with it. I laid here for what seemed like hours, breathing through my nose, the smell of the exhaust making me want to hurl. Finally, the vehicle came to a stop, and I listened to the car door open, and slam shut. Then the trunk was being opened and light flooded through temporarily blinding me. A stark contrast to the freezing air that whips at my bare arms. I squinted against the bright sun and looked up at the figure who stuck a hand out and roughly grabbed me, dragging me from the trunk. I stumbled to stay upright and, on my feet. Tripping over when I was shoved forward. “Keep moving.” the stranger said.
LAMIA As our convoy pulled up to the New Moon Place, I received a link from Hunji telling me he and Morgan had crossed into Riochts territory. Even if the Guardians had kept Riocht safe and hidden for hundreds of years, I still hated to leave the kingdom without a leader. Hence why Hunji had gone back and not stayed here in New Moon. I was excited to meet my little nephew and to congratulate Kellen and Tala. We are all still so young, yet but I felt older beyond my years. War will do that to someone - Reshape your mind and thoughts. Three years ago I had only just gained MacTire, but it felt like a lifetime ago. It hadn’t even been that long since I, we, had claimed Riocht. I look over to my mate as he pulled the car around and stopped in front of the palace's main entrance. The four cars behind us followed suit. “You good little wolf?” Mathias asks, his hand reaching over and squeezing my thigh. “Yeah,” I shake the feeling of strangeness from my mind and smile at him. “I’m not s
MIKE I have my mate escorted up to the Alpha floor. When Lyric walks into the dining room all eyes are on her, especially my wolf’s. Duke howls in my head to move closer to his mate but I keep my feet grounded. Though my eyes wander over her, appreciating each and every curve on display under a pair of skintight leggings and a sports bra. Her long hair is tied into a ponytail and still reaches past the middle of her back. Her skin prickles with goosebumps and Rhett goes to offer her his sweater. A growl rips out of me, I whip off my t-shirt and shove it towards Lyric. “Put this on,” I commanded her. At first, she was hesitant to take it. I turn to Rhett, “Your scent has only just faded from her. Don’t touch her again.” I was surprised by my own jealousy, and I didn’t know if it was because of him and Jonda, or my wolf and I becoming possessive over our mate. Either way, I didn’t want Rhett’s scent on her again and I certainly didn’t trust him to be near another female of mine. Whe
LYRIC The queen of shifters, Lamia Langley Artos, was not what I was expecting at all. When everyone left the room and it was just us, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little afraid of her. The power that oozed from her was almost suffocating. My wolf, Note, mentally rolled over and showed her belly in submission to this power shifter. Yet when the doors shut behind the others and the room eerily quiet, and I dared to look at the queen, she was wearing a soft smile. A genuine one. And nothing about her aura said she was going to hurt me. I was surprised by how welcoming she suddenly made me feel and didn’t look at me like I was trash, a thief, or some disgusting scat on the bottom of her shoe. I pinched my lips together and gave her a tight smile back. Even though the queen showed no ill intent, I still found it hard to trust anyone. “Do you know who your pup is to me?” She suddenly asks, jarring me from my inner thoughts of sizing her up and determining her intentions.
Bonus chapter for: Rise of the Hunters – Book 7 RHETT 3 Years Later MacTire held my heart, but I couldn’t help visiting the borough I grew up in when out in the field. Recruiting new Enforcers for the INE. I found myself missing the familiarity of the streets. The people – half human, half shifter. Most without a spirit animal. A town, us half breeds built, grew, and protected. Hunters as Lamia called us but was a hunter? The town wasn’t big, but it was a place where half-breeds gathered – safety in numbers - we had become a close-knit community. Even still, we were constantly heckled and subject to the packs that surrounded us. Always trying to strong-arm our community or take what they thought belonged to them. Hybrids – Where one parent is a shifter the other human or no spirit animal – were born one of three ways. Either they were purely human or gained a counterpart that was weaker in comparison to full-blooded shifters, or there was us. The ones like me. A hybrid. Neither
ASHE I found Aodh, sitting regally at the top of Mint’s mountains. A throne made of stone. Cold and sharp just like the god of the underworld. His face was dark and impassive. The hatred inside him poured out and I could feel his disgust with this realm hanging in the air. “You dare come before me halfling.” He sneers as I make my presence known. I brush off his rude remark. His power has no hold over me. “How long will you keep the Moon Goddess imprisoned?” I watch Aodh's expressions carefully, but he gives nothing away. “Until I get what I want.” He remarks with a flat tone after a moment of silence. “Don’t be coy with me youngling. You are in my realm now.” I snarl back. A little of my beast showing. “You forget your henchmen are dead. My Knights still live.” “I will kill them!” He pounds his large fist against the stone throne, stating a matter of fact, his red eyes holding no lies. “For what? Because Inanna had been promised to you by her father centuries long before? The
Thank you for reading The Beta and the Jewel Thief - Book 6 of the Delta's Daughter series. I would like to kindly ask you all to leave me a review on the about book page. This helps me as an author and my stories get noticed on the app. Just a few words and a great rating would be appreciated. Now I know I left this book with another cliffhanger... You still love me I know it. ;)I also know there are a few questions. Not everything could be explained, the story had well superseded any of the other books in regards to word count. In the beginning, it was always thought that the story was more about Lamia and Kellen's wolves than it was about them. Throughout the series, it has been hinted at that Inanna was always promised to a god of the underworld by her father (Aodh). It seems as though Ashe and Ascena (who is originally Nessie, Inanna's daughter) had this planned from the beginning. To have the next immortal child come into this world. In book three Kellen was given his life b
LYRIC The aftermath of war was something to behold. The atmosphere was thick with melancholy. A pensive sadness gripped each and every one of us. Were we happy that the fighting had stopped? Of course. But no one would cheer or rejoice. There would be no celebration. Because we didn’t win. We were lucky. Those of us that survived. We had lost many. On all fronts. Including the Changelings and rogues who ended up joining forces against this other realm god with us. Under the command of the rogue, they called Oliver. Mike begins to take control of New Moon's army. Shouting out commands. Note retreats to the back of my mind, not far, but far enough to rest. The aches in my bones set in, and the sting of wounds where they had already begun to heal, linger. The dark-skinned werecat comes to stand next to me, She points the short sword in her hand across the jungle plane to where King Mathias stands with a woman whose skin is as dark as night, her hair a flowing white, shining like th
TALA Winds whipped through the trees as night fell across New Moon. My wolf, Mora, had been roused all day, feeling uneasy about her mate being so far from us. It had been snowing for hours, mixed with lashing rain. Connor slept soundly whereas Jonda’s child was restless much like myself as I kept checking in on her every hour. Jonda was only down the hall, Olivia and Lizzy stayed with the child. *Tala!* Olivia pushed through a mental connection. Her voice was rushed and distraught making my wolf’s ears perk and fur hackle. Without thinking I scrambled to my feet from where I sat by the window in Connor’s nursery. My gut was twisting with dread and a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Olivia’s voice worried me. I raced out of our suite and down the hall. Greeting Olivia at the door to Jonda’s room. “What’s wrong? Is Jonda, okay? The baby…” “She won’t come down. She’s gone mad! Her marks!” Oliva pants in a panic. “The guards they tried…” Without waiting I brush past her
SHADOW My beasts begin to growl and shake. Their snarls and attention concentrated on the young females that cross the field we currently march across. The darkness curls around my veins and I hush the beasts to settle. “Patience my wild ones,” I say as the females draw near to the front of my army's line. Just over the crest of the hill, where the jungle meets the dense forest, the warriors of Cambiador lay in wait for me. I can feel my son's blood, his magic lingers in the air, it calls to me. And so do these three young females who approach. It would be favorable for the Grimalkin to side with me, but that ship has sailed. And unfortunately, he will die alongside his brethren. “Master,” The young girls reach me and kneel down. From the pocket, of one she pulls out an object and instantaneously the darkness unravels and travels down my arms to my fingers. The inky black shadows strained from my body reaching towards the object in her hand. Her palm opens and the shadows grasp wi
TALA Meanwhile at New Moon Shrill screams sound from down the hall. With Connor in my arms, I raced towards my sister’s anguished shrieking. I barely notice Olivia and Lizzy behind me as I rush to Jonda’s aid. I fling the door open and Connor begins to wail. My eyes land on my sister and I almost drop my son at the sight. She’s doubled over clutching her large stomach, blood trickling from between her legs, soaking the purple gown she wears. “Jonda!” I cry out with alarm and concern. Immediately I link the pack doctor to come quickly. “Oh my!” Olivia exclaims behind me with shock. Followed by a sharp gasp from Lizzy. I hand Connor to Olivia, “I already linked the doctor.” I say with a rushed breath, quickly crossing the room to my sister's aide. Lightening flashes in the evening sky, illuminating the room and Jonda. That’s when I see the marks on her body begin to move and swirl, crawling across her skin. Becoming darker by the moment. “Jonda. Come lay down please.” I tell her
LYRIC Some drive and others run in their wolf form alongside our convoy as we rush towards Cambiador. The trip takes two days from where we were in Lewe to reach their borders. Kellen and Mike keep in constant communication with Rhett and Alpha Travis who are already at the border of the werecat kingdom. The tension in the car is palpable. All of us wondering if this is it. If this is when we face Senko and his army. The warriors are in good spirits, for some, it is not their first battle. For others, it would be a first. Their lack of worry is what has Note and I on edge. After what I witnessed at the Golden Circle Pack - I want to scream at them. I want to pound it into their heads that they should be afraid of this Shadow Witch. Of the creatures and not quiet humans he has under his command. I’m looking out the window from the back seat of the car I share with Kellen and Mike. I tune out their conversation and think of Zane. It was him I was fighting for and our future. Maybe M
MIKE I ran in my wolf's form, letting Duke take charge and lead the way through the kingdom's forest. We knew these woods like the back of our hands or paws. Could probably navigate the terrain with our eyes closed because we had run through them so much. Duke speeds up when catches Lyric‘s scent. We were spending as much time together as we could. Kellen and I were leaving in a couple of days with three teams of elite warriors heading to the border of Lewe to look for the compound. Rogue would join us, and Tyron would stay back to protect the kingdom with my father. Usually, it Would be the Delta going but for unknown reasons he wanted Tyron to stay back and man the palace. Lyric was also staying behind. On one hand, I was happy for Lyric to not be in the thick of a fight, on the other I didn’t like the idea of being away from her. It was making me apprehensive just the thought of leaving her. Duke catches up with Note and nips at her hind legs playfully. We had been out here for