DanaThe baby announcement and gender reveal had been nauseating. She swore that the new luna didn’t have a creative bone in her body. Under the Sea? Seriously? It was so freaking basic. There was literally nothing special about her.What’s worse is that she had to put it all together. Dana had fought so hard not to vomit over everything. If she were luna, she would have done something unique, something that had never been done before. Not some high school prom bullshit.And the fact that Arthur had seemed to enjoy all of it was completely unimaginable. So what if they w
However, nothing ever came from the look on Dana’s face. Two more months had passed and things were going rather smoothly. Arthur and I had kept our promise to his grandmother. We had invited her back into the pack and most everyone was happy about it. Dorothea had been loved when she was luna.The only person who threw a little tantrum was Roman, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. I still wasn’t sure what had made him turn his back on his mother, but I was hoping that they could reconcile. Although I didn’t think Roman would break first.At seven months pregnant, I was having a harder time getting around. The baby felt like she wa
Today at Noah’s house had been quite the challenge. He had taught me a very intricate brushstroke and I did not have it perfected by the time I left. He said not to worry about it. That it had taken him years to finally get it right.It hadn’t really made me feel better. I wanted to be an expert in my craft. And Noah had started at a much earlier age. I would be lucky if I mastered it before I died. I said as much and he just laughed.Then he cryptically mentioned that we would be seeing each other a lot more often without any further explanation. I didn’t see how. Arthur had been pretty strict about my working schedule. And now that Noah’s
ArthurArthur's patience was wearing thin. It seemed like every time he turned around, Noah was there, occupying Almara's attention. They had always been close, ever since they had met, but he was tired of him always encroaching on his territory.When they had made the marks permanent, when they had consummated the mate bond, Arthur had foolishly thought that Noah would give up his endless pursuit of Almara, but apparently it had just been wishful thinking.What killed him even more was that Almara couldn’t see through the utter bullshit. She couldn’t see how Noah was ma
NoahThe moon hung low in the night sky, casting an ethereal glow over the ancient council chamber. Tall, ornate pillars stood sentinel, their marble surfaces bearing the weight of centuries-old decisions.Noah thought it was a bit tacky. Just because they were vampires didn’t mean that they had to decorate in the stereotypical vampire way. Less gothic art pieces would be just as good as the ones that they had hung up.He didn’t say any of that though. The critique would not be welcomed. Instead, he focused on what was in front of him.
AlmaraChapter Seven: Balancing ActsThe scent of fresh paint mingled with the subtle aroma of aging wood as I stepped into the gallery. I hadn’t been expecting that. No one was working on new pieces. Not when the exhibit was only days away. We were all solely focused on preparing for that.So imagine my surprise when I entered the workshop to find Noah sitting behind a canvas. He hadn’t mentioned any new pieces, but apparently he had decided something was missing from the exhibit.I watch
DanaAfter weeks of tireless investigation, Dana stood at the precipice of the truth, her heart pounding in her chest. The dimly lit room seemed to close in on her as she stared at the evidence laid out before her. It was a revelation that would change everything.Roman, the man who she had once served and respected, was not who he seemed. He had royally fucked up and Dana was here for it. Her hands trembled as she held the damning evidence in her grasp.She traced the lines of the incriminating documents, each letter a damning sentence, each signature a betrayal. It was a child, a
AlmaraI couldn’t believe that it was finally time for the exhibition. It had been one of the hardest things I had ever done and now it was here. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as we got ready to open the doors.Noah was a steady presence on one side and Arthur was my rock on the other. For once, the two of them were getting along. Maybe Arthur had finally seen that Noah was nothing more than a friend, no matter what happened in the past.Either way, I was happy that they weren’t adding onto my stress. Molly gave the go ahead and the doors opened. Guests flooded in an
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&