Almara’s PovI shouldn’t have had that last vodka shot. Unfortunately, it’s too late now so I might as well go with it! Where is Arthur? I lean against a wall in the living room and try to think through that last shot. Why is the wall moving? Oh wait, that’s just me. I laugh at myself.Wow, I haven’t been drunk since . . . I don’t know. Where is Arthur? I count off the original guests in my head, this is how I’ve been checking in with myself. If I can recall the original guests and our last encounter then I&
Almara’s PovI definitely shouldn’t have had that last shot. I lean over the toilet and vomit nothing but bile. Chills run up my spine. The cold tile of the bathroom floor cuts right into my bones, causing me to shiver.It’s 10:00 am and I’ve been hugging the toilet bowl since seven this morning. I haven’t even seen the downstairs yet. I don’t even know if I want to.“It’s hard being mad at you when I also feel really bad you’re so
Arthur’s PovDownstairs the kitchen is sparkling, you’d never guess there was a raging party here. “Thanks, Clarice,” I say to the maid who bows in respect as she passes by carrying a rag. “Did you bleach that one spot I told you about?” I ask, referring to the spot where Robert and that random girl were lusting over one another.“Yes, yes. All clean,” She responds and I nod a thank you. As uncool as it was for Robert to invite over my old friends without first talking to me or Almara, which of course would inevitably lead to more and more people finding out, it was a pretty fun party.Except for the part of Almara accusing me of something that I would absolutely never do. On one hand, it was pretty hot seeing her get jealous and protective, something primal in me got stirred. But on the other hand, she has to know that I would never betray her like that.I reach up in the cabinet to grab the kettle. I guess I’ll have to prove to her that I'm better than she gives me credit for. Just
Almara’s PovI wish Arthur told me a war was pending. I would’ve held off on showing him the pregnancy test I bought. Then again, I really didn’t want to take the test by myself, only to get a positive result also by myself. I can’t believe we’re having another baby. I’m ecstatic, truly and I know Arthur is too, but what we’re not admitting is how terrified we are. Tension between the Vampires and the Wolves has been growing and it seems inevitable that a war is going to start.All the major media platforms are reporting on this and it’s all anyone can talk about. Apparently, the Vampires have come into some kind of new power and are eager to flaunt it. At least that’s how it appears.I am two months pregnant now and the morning sickness is keeping me bound to my bed so all I can really do is flip through the T.V channels or scroll on my phone which is slowly driving me crazy.My phone also hasn’t been the same since it’s been hacked, and apparently, I’m not the only one. Across the
Author's PovI dig my claws into the ground and crouch down low. The cold slanted rain hits my back, dampening my fur, and through short hot exhales from my snout I can see my breath. Nothing else moves, no sign of life seems to exist anywhere on this barren land until something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye.By the scent, I know it’s Robert. “I told you to stay back,” I growl making sure to keep my voice as low as possible.“It’s time to move in deeper,” Robert says back. At least he has the common sense to keep his voice down.“As your Alpha, I’m giving an order,” I snap. Robert is only beta because my father turned him back into a werewolf when the petty attacks by the vampires kept persisting. He’s technically family and born into it.I only agreed for him to be beta because he was also once a vampire, he knows how their twisted minds work. Now that he’s full werewolf and the oldest, he thinks he should be the Alpha and after this war, I’ll fight him to the deat
Almara’s PovIn only a month, the state of my life has completely changed. Not just mine, but everybody’s. This realization paralyzes me as I stand in a white lab coat, feet glued to the aluminum tile that’s been scuffed by squeaking gurneys drenched with the blood of the dying.“Almara! Get back to class!” A doctor racing past me yells. Still, it takes my legs a minute to regain their mobility.The bathroom door shuts behind me and I cross the hall of the hospital, careful to keep an eye out for gurneys carrying a wounded soldier screeching past. I already got hit by one once and no one batted an eye as they hurried the poor victim off to the intensive care unit.Since then I try to hold off my bladder’s demands to be released for as long as I can while in class, but as I progress in my pregnancy the urge to pee is getting harder to ignore.Since Arthur made that risky step of entering vampire land, the war has expedited, and at a bloody cost.No one blames Arthur for sending a pack
Almara’s Pov“You’re going to be okay,” I tell the poor wolf being hurried off to the operating room, though I have no idea how he’s going to fair. This time, I’m not standing in the way or out of the way of the gurney- I’m the one pushing the wheels faster than they’re built for across the tiled floor.The solider groans in response. “Don’t,” I order him. “Save your energy, you’re going to have to fight if you want to stay alive,” I tell him. This is what we were instructed to tell the patients that come in here.If we can convince them all they have to do is exactly what they were just doing on the battlefield to save their life, their chances of survival double. Except this time, it’s not physical combat they’re doing, it’s a mental and emotional war they’re up against. Mind over matter.The solider closes his eyes and lets his body relax, despite the shakes and bumps of the flimsy cart that’s wheeling him. We burst through the doors leading to the operating room, I’ve stopped coun
Almara’s PovThe hospital doors burst open which commands my attention. Normally, the urgency in which the hospital doors open are mere background noise at this point, but something about the force in which the swinging doors almost flew off their hinges makes this particular entrance more intriguing.Perhaps it was more than the urgency of the doors that caught my attention, and maybe it was the fact that we’re fated mates- but I lock eyes with Arthur standing tall and ready for attack just in front of the doors shutting too slowly behind him in comparison to the force in which they were opened.For the first time, as far as I can tell, since I’ve been here the hospital which normally functions at a high intensity and anxious temper has stilled.Though Arthur looks physically prepared to take on any sudden attack with his feet planted firmly on the tile, his fists clenched at his sides, and his shoulders slightly hunched at a defensive position, his eyes look defeated.Behind his cra
Almara’s Pov5 Years Later“Cheers,” Arthur sys clinking his mixed drink of vodka and lemonade with my non-alcoholic lemonade. I’m pregnant, again. This pregnancy is completely different than my first two, I actually get to relax. Which is exactly what we’re doing in the manicured garden of our backyard.We sit stretched out on zero-gravity pool chairs, sweat
Almara’s PovAfter a much-needed week of rest and restoration, Arthur and I are back on the vampire territory. I suppose that it can officially be called that again now that it has been reclaimed.My body healed magnificently after months of not only growing another being, but also fighting a war. It’s amazing what good rest and proper nutrition can do. Of course, the real healing ingredient came from the sacrificial love of my wonderful husband.Even though he suffered his own inju
Almara’s PovFinally, after several journeys back and forth from our homeland to the enemies we come to the final steps. We saw plenty of wolves making their expedition back home and there was a unspoken agreement that what everyone needs right now is peace.Thankfully, no one came up to us with questions, grief, or comments. It’s like we have this new kinship with the gammas in our world that we didn’t before. We seem to understand each other, or at least truly see one another.
Almara’s PovOn the way home we make a pitstop to a very special place. “Why are we seeing more dead bodies?” Grace asks, her tone telling me we are nearing a full-blown tantrum.“This body belongs to someone very important in our family,” I tell her calmly and hike her up on my hip. I’m not sure if my words got through to her, or maybe it’s her father's serenity as we ascend up one final hill to where Bess lays.Bess’s gravestone is set apart fro
Almara’s PovWith the vortex closed off and gone, the air becomes breathable again and the storm lessens. Still, my paws squelch in the wet terrain.Unfortunately, as I look around at the battlefield and see the piles of bodies slumped over one another, I think it’s more than just mud causing the stickiness.I try not to look down at the innocent blood shed on the ground. As I take careful consideration to step over and around the bodies, I tell myself they chose to come out and hel
Almara’s PovCathy and I weave through the castle, barely missing rubble crumbling off from the stony walls. We leap over counters, using everything we have in us to catapult ourselves past knocked over statues of gargoyles and shredded velvet furniture.“Catch!” Cathy calls out and reflexively I snatch a jagged shard of ceramic in my hand. I recognize it from a broken pot on the ground. Then out of the corner of my eye I see something else flying at me, though I don’t catch it this time, I duck.
Almara’s PovI’ve never seen Cathy look more confident and proud than she does at this moment. She stands tall, cuts strewn across her body, but they only add to her tough exterior. She’s covered in her enemy’s blood and she has a thrilling look in her eyes.“Have you seen Arthur?” I ask cutting to the chase. Cathy nods back towards tall white cabinet doors. I turn back to look at my mother who nods in confirmation. I rush over to the door and throw it open.
Almara’s PovI awake to a familiar beeping sound. It’s faint at first, like a distant call from far away until it’s suddenly blaring in my ears. My eyes shoot open and the blood in my body rushes to the important organs and I sit up with a jolt.“Where’s Grace?” I ask before I can make out anything else. “Arthur? Robbie?” I call out, hoping the sound of my distressed voice will cause Robbie to cry back.“Shhh,” a gentle voice says with
Almara’s PovArthur flings open the door, this time it breaks off the hinges. I guess there’s no changing our mind now. I keep Robbie wrapped up in both my arms and under my shirt.Arthur uses his body to guard mine, outstretching his arms and a puffed-out chest as he keeps his eyes zeroed in on every moving body around us all while moving us forward and falling in exact pace with each of my steps.We fight through sideways rain and vicious winds, it dawns on me that this storm isn&