ArthurArthur smirked as he looked at his phone. Almara was on her way back to the house. She was listening to his instructions so nicely. So nicely, in fact, that he was going to reward her later that night. But first he wanted to see the person most important to him.His grandmother ran a flower shop in the next town over. Even though she had once been the Luna of the pack, she had wanted a quiet life away from the politics and drama. Which Arthur could understand.But the rest of the family didn’t. As soon as his grandmother told everyone that she was doing her own thing, there had been a lot of protest. His father had been Alpha at the time and had given his own mother an ultimatum. Either she could stay with the pack or be disowned.Obviously Arthur’s grandmother had picked the latter. The entire pack was under strict orders not to interact with her. However, Arthur absolutely was not going to follow that rule. The woman had raised him for a time. He owed her so much of who he wa
Almara I had just gotten into bed when Arthur came through the door. He shrugged off his suit jacket without saying a word. I watched him warily. I wasn’t sure what type of mood he was in, but I wasn’t going to bring attention to myself in case it was a bad one.When he had stripped down to his boxers, he finally turned toward me. There was a storm brewing behind his green eyes and my body went on full alert.“Did you know?” he asked and I cocked my head. I had no idea what he was talking about and I told him as much.He strode toward the bed and grabbed the wrist that my new bracelet was on. He shook it in front of my eyes, the charms whipping around wildly.“Did you know that Dorothea is my grandmother?”I stared at him in open-mouthed shock. It was the last thing I had expected him to say. It took me a few tries to find my voice.“What?”“You didn’t know,” he muttered and relaxed his grip. His shoulders slumped forward and he buried his face into my neck, pressing a kiss into the
When I got to Noah’s house Friday morning, he wasn’t wearing his usual painting clothes. Instead he was dressed in a pair of dark slacks topped with a light purple, short-sleeved button-up shirt. The shirt brought out the violet in his eyes, making them stand out more than usual. “Are we not painting today?” I asked, glancing down at my own paint colored clothes. Luckily I always brought a change of clothes so I could go to the gallery later so if I needed to change, I could. “No, we’re not. I thought it would be nice to take a break. You’ve been working so hard here and at the gallery. I’d like to reward you for all that you’ve done so far,” Noah said and my cheeks turned red at the word ‘reward.’ Arthur used it so much that I now associated it with sex. Noah’s eyes dilated as he took in my scent, but he didn’t remark on it. Thank the Moon Goddess. I wanted to crawl under a rock as it was. “What did you have in mind?” I asked shakily, trying to push past the embarrassment. “
The punishment started as soon as we got to the car. Arthur kept me in his arms, settling me into his lap. His body heat and the wine were turning my skin into an inferno that I couldn’t escape from.I squirmed in his lap as the heat spread all the way to between my legs. I made a mewling sound deep in my throat when I couldn’t find any friction. Arthur’s arms around me tightened.“Patience is a virtue, little wolf,” he breathed into my ear and I squirmed some more. I ground myself into his groin, but the angle was wrong. I still couldn’t feel anything. I moaned in frustration.
Two Weeks Later Today was not a good day. I wasn’t feeling well. I had barely made it through the morning with Noah and now that I was at the gallery, I felt even worse. All day I had barely been able to stomach anything more than a few sips of water. Every time that I tried, my gag reflex would kick in. Noah had been very concerned, but I had waved him off. It was probably just a stomach bug. Molly hadn’t been as nice. She’d yelled at me all day for being slow and not having enough energy. Unfortunately, Noah hadn’t come with me today so
ArthurArthur couldn’t believe his luck. The very first time that they had sex during Almara’s fertile period, she had gotten pregnant. It must have been a blessing from the Moon Goddess because it was nothing short of a miracle.You should take it as a sign, Caleb said pointedly.A sign of what?A sign that you’re supposed to be with Almara. Not Sofia, Caleb clarified and Arthur paused, really considering what Caleb was saying.
Almara After my impromptu nap, I was discharged from the hospital with strict instructions to drink plenty of water and get lots of rest. The first one was easy, the second one not so much. Arthur had been on the phone making wedding plans. He’d delegated tasks to pretty much every single member of the pack. Everyone had a job to get done. I was almost afraid there wouldn’t be anything left for me to do. I jumped as he slammed his phone down on the seat of the car. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he gritted his teeth. When h
NoahNoah was annoyed. Extremely annoyed. No matter what he did, the alpha always managed to get in his way.He’d had her in his grasp. She had let him kiss her. She would have let him do more, but Kaylee has opened her mouth. And of course Arthur had come running. And now? He’d done something even worse.Even as a recluse, he had heard that the date of Almara and Arthur’s wedding had been confirmed. Three months. He only had three months. He had to up his game if he was going to steal her away.
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&