Alessio felt a jolt of pain and fear in his chest. He couldn’t believe what V was asking him. He couldn’t believe what V was demanding him. He couldn’t believe what V was taking away from him.His mate, his other half, his soulmate.He wanted to protest, to argue, to refuse. He wanted to tell V that he couldn’t do that, that he wouldn’t do that, that he shouldn’t do that.He wanted to tell V that he loved Natalia, that he needed Natalia, that he wanted Natalia.He wanted to tell V that Natalia was his second chance mate, that the moon goddess gave her to him, and him to her. That they didn’t choose this, they didn’t plan this, they didn’t expect this. That it just happened."I promise..." Alessio spoke through gritted teeth. It was the only way to save her from Vitale's wrath. But that didn't mean he'd keep his words. No, Natalia is his, and he'd make sure it became that way.With that sorted, V asked for Natalia to be brought to his office. He wanted to question her about why she cam
Al ran through the forest, his heart pounding in his chest. He had just overheard a shocking news from Natalia. She had kids. Three of them. Vitale might not know the kids were his, but Alessio does.He had loved her, he had wanted to make her his mate, but she had disappeared when V rejected her, breaking his heart. He had never forgiven himself for losing her, and he had never stopped loving her.He loved her even more now that she was back, when he found out she was his true mate. He felt the bond between them, the pull that he couldn't resist. He hated himself for wanting her, for needing her, for feeling jealous of Vitale. He hated Vitale too, for taking Natalia away from him, for having kids with her, for being the father of her children instead of him.He had hated them all, including himself, and he wanted to make them pay. He wanted to ruin their happiness, to destroy their family, to take away what they loved the most. But now she's back, he had to prevent them from finding
It was the next day after Natalia had arrived. Kat knew she was taking a huge risk by sneaking out of the pack house while Vitale was busy with his alpha duties. She had to see Maddox, the mad doctor who lived in the valley, and get his help. She needed an upgrade in the drug that made werewolves stronger, faster and more resilient. She had heard rumors that Maddox had developed a new formula that could enhance a wolf's abilities beyond anything imaginable. She wanted it for herself, for the pack. She wanted to be his equal, his partner, his mate. She wanted to prove herself to him and to the pack.She drove her motorcycle along the winding road that led to Maddox's laboratory. It was a rundown building that looked like it belonged in a horror movie. She parked her bike outside and knocked on the metal door. A voice came through a speaker."Who is it?""It's Kat. I'm here to see you, Maddox."There was a pause, then a click. The door opened and Kat stepped inside. She was greeted by a
Natalia was jolted awake by a loud bang on her door. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, wondering who could be so rude at this hour. She opened the door and saw Luca, the delta of the pack, standing there with a smirk on his face."Good morning, sunshine. Time to get up and train." He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the room."Train? At this hour?""Yea, let's grab some breakfast first."Natalia walked with Luca to the cafeteria, where a variety of food was available for the pack members. She smelled coffee, eggs, bacon, toast, waffles, fruit, and juice. She felt her stomach growl, but she had no desire to eat. She took a plate and put some food on it, just to be polite.Luca loaded his plate with everything he could fit. He smiled at her and nudged her."Come on, eat up. You'll need the strength for the training." He said, taking her to a table.They sat down and began to eat. Luca ate with enthusiasm, while Natalia ate with reluctance."So, are you excited for today?" He
Luca had divided the soldiers into two groups of twenty, he assigned Natalia the first and took over the second. Natalia stood by the side and observed a group of 20 wolves. As she observed their stance, she realized they were all new additions to the pack after she left. Their stance was weird and they easily injured themselves. They stood with their feet too far apart, their knees too locked, their arms too high, and their palms too flat. They looked like they were ready to trip or sprain their wrists.Natalia cleared her throat and stepped in to correct them.“Stop, stop, stop. What are you doing? That’s not how you stand in a defensive stance. You’re making yourselves vulnerable and weak.” She said confident and loud.The wolves stopped and looked at her with annoyance or curiosity.“Who are you to tell us what to do? You’re not our tutor.” One of them said, defiantly.She recognized her as Mica, a wolf that mocked her earlier.“I am your tutor for today. And I’m telling you that
The cheers and howls of the warriors at the start of the duel drew the attention of the pack members. They rushed to the training grounds to see what was going, soon, the place became crowded as everyone looked forward to seeing who would emerge victorious, although Natalia knew no one was actually rooting for her.Mica stood not far away from her, a smug smile marrying her face as if thinking Roberto, her knight in shining armor had came to avenge her. Olga and Kat came to witness the duel too. Olga knew how strong Natalia was, so she couldn't help the dread she felt as she stared at her confident face. Alessio also came to see what was going on, in the entire crowd, he was the only one worried about Natalia. Vitale wasn't left behind as well, standing in front of the French windows in his office, he watched with mixed emotions, . He still felt betrayed by Natalia, but he also felt curious about her. He wanted to see the outcome of the duel, whether Natalia had become rusty and lo
Back at the training grounds, Alessio saw how she beat Roberto, how she impressed the young wolves, how she challenged the old ones. His heart thumped with pride, this is his mate, his other half. Oh, how perfect could it be to have her as his Luna? But he wasn't the only one that shared that sentiment.Even though Natalia was just a slave to him now, V felt proud at her victory, he would proudly call her his. He saw how she fought Roberto, how she showed her skills, how she proved her worth. She reminded him of the past, the good times, the happy times. And deep down he knew he still cared for her, despite everything that happened.Natalia limped out of the training grounds when the crowd started to disperse, but V ignored her injury and decided to focus on his duty. He had cancelled his plans to watch the match after all. But as he turned around, his eyes caught sight of Alessio rushing to help her, wrapping his arms around her. He felt a surge of possessiveness and jealousy. He di
It was late into the afternoon, Natalia sat on her bed, wondering what Alpha Vitale wanted to see her for. He had sent a messenger earlier, informing her he had a task for her later in the evening. She sighed, laying down to ease her sore muscles. It has been one hectic day but it wasn't bad. The match had managed to clear her mind, and for some reason, she felt closer to finding her kids ever. Natalia closed her eyes and tried to rest for a while before Vitale came to fetch her. She didn't notice the time passing by, or the moon rising in the sky.Until was awoken rudely by Kat, the Luna and Vitale's wife. Kat had stormed into the house fuming after Vitale had literally carried Natalia to the clinic. If things proceed like this, she might as well pack her bags and return to Russia. On her way to their room, she was stopped by a young bruised wolf. It was Mica, the brave girl that challenged Natalia in the morning."Speak, what brought you here." Kat said absentmindedly."I thought y
Kat grinned as she looked over her shoulder at the line of omegas trailing behind her, their heads lowered submissively. Ten omegas to bring back to the pack, more than she had hoped for. She would have more than enough to pay Maddox and even request more drugs if the need arises. The forest was quiet as they made their way through the dense trees, the only sounds being the crunch of leaves under their feet and the occasional bird call overhead. Kat's ears swiveled, alert for any signs of danger, but all seemed peaceful.Too peaceful, she realized with a start. The woods were never this quiet unless..."Ambush!" Kat yelled, whirling around, but it was too late. The enemy warriors dropped down from the trees, landing lightly on their feet to surround Kat's small group. She counted at least twelve of them, all heavily armed and staring at her with hatred in their eyes."Well, well," one of them drawled, flipping a knife casually in his hand. "Look what we have here. Poaching our omegas
Vitale crept through the dense forest, ears pricked and senses on high alert. He did not know if this mysterious lead would yield answers or simply danger, but he was prepared either way.Behind him, his four most trusted guards kept pace, watchful for any signs of deception. But the path ahead remained undisturbed. Perhaps this would be nothing but a fruitless detour. Yet something deep within compelled Vitale onward. He had to know if truth awaited at the end of this trail.As the trees thinned ahead, the brush giving way to a rocky clearing, Vitale felt the fine hairs on his neck stand on end. He slowed, holding up a hand to halt his guards. The space appeared empty, but his instincts screamed that eyes were watching them even now. It was an ideal spot for an ambush.Vitale turned sharply to retreat back under the trees' protective cover. But too late. The faint hiss reached his ears seconds before the canisters hit the ground around them, spewing forth cloying white smoke. Vitale
Leo strode purposefully through the dense forest outside the Sanguinari wolf pack's borders, Vincent trailing at his back. The flickering leaves and branches prevent the rays from reaching the forest grounds . But Leo did not slow. He had tread this path enough times lately to know its twists and turns by heart.At the final iron-barred door, Leo cleared his throat. "Remind me again why we waste our time down here with this mad doctor and his monsters?"Vincent glanced back, lips quirking wryly. "Come now, Alpha. Where's your curiosity? Maddox is clearly on the brink of a breakthrough with his experiments on the wolves. One that could aid our pack greatly.""Or doom us all," Leo muttered under his breath. But he stood guard obediently as Vincent unlocked the door and entered the sprawling laboratory beyond. As always, the cavernous room unsettled Vincent on some primal level. Cages and glass cells lined the walls, housing Maddox's less than willing test subjects in various states of
Vitale paced restlessly around the makeshift camp, his mind churning with questions. It had been two days since discovering the ominous clues at the abandoned office site, but they were no closer to uncovering the truth. Marco had extracted some data from the cryptic flashdrive, but it was all heavily encrypted. He was still working to break through the protections and access the files. In the meantime, Vitale had dispatched trusted allies to dig deeper into the shadowy rental company's records and affiliations. But so far, they had turned up nothing useful.Whoever was behind this had covered their tracks exceptionally well. But Vitale knew there had to be some thread they could follow, some mistake the culprits had made. And he had no intention of leaving until he found it. For now, the team remained camped a cautious distance from the derelict office park, maintaining a discreet watch over the site. The shred of clothing with Natalia's scent tied her to this place somehow, Vitale
Pale dawn light filtered weakly through the dense forest surrounding the sprawling Krovavyy Krest pack grounds. Nestled deep within the remote Siberian wilderness, it was the largest and most formidable werewolf clan in Russia.In the training grounds, Alessio crouched across from Vincent, eyes narrowed in concentration. His muscles coiled tightly as he watched his mentor circle slowly. Vincent's scarred face gave nothing away, completely unreadable. They had been sparring since dawn, neither gaining advantage over the other for more than a moment. But Alessio could feel his strength starting to flag. The grueling daily training here at the Krovavyy Krest pack sanctuary was taking its toll.Vincent lunged without warning, aiming a vicious kick at Alessio's midsection. With reflexes honed over weeks of practice, Alessio spun away, using his opponent's momentum against him to flip Vincent over onto his back.Before he could press his counterattack, Vincent had rolled swiftly back to hi
Dawn's first light filtered weakly through the dense forest canopy as Natalia and Olga set out on patrol together. Since extending her offer of friendship, Olga had made a point of volunteering for duties alongside Natalia as often as possible. To Natalia, the she-wolf's presence now felt less like camaraderie and more like the smothering watch of a prison guard. "What a lovely morning!" Olga exclaimed, breaking the tense silence between them. "Don't you just adore the springtime, Natalia? Everything feels so alive and renewed.""I suppose so," Natalia replied halfheartedly, scanning their surroundings. She was anxious to finish this patrol and pursue a new anonymous tip regarding the omegas' whereabouts. The scrap of paper had contained only an address and dire warning - "Cabin east of canyon, leave now. Evidence inside."Natalia wasn't foolish enough to fully trust such a conveniently timed message. More likely it was a trap set by the kidnappers to lure her out alone where she wou
Natalia sank into the steaming water of the women's bath with a contented sigh, letting the heat relax her sore muscles. It had been an exhausting day of leading martial training for the pack's youth. As much as she loved passing on her skills, keeping up with the pups' boundless energy left her drained. She leaned back and closed her eyes, appreciating this chance to unwind in solitude.Her blissful soak was interrupted by the creak of the door and murmured voices. Natalia opened her eyes to see Olga entering with two other pack women, laughing brightly at something one said. Natalia suppressed a frown. Since the trial two weeks ago, Olga had been nothing but a nuisance, following Natalia around and ALWAYS showing up wherever she happened to be. Natalia did her best to remain civil, but Olga's overly familiar attitude grated on her.Oblivious to her irritation, Olga waved cheerfully. "Natalia! What a happy coincidence running into you here." The other women greeted Natalia politely
Kat met her squad of hand-picked warriors just outside her territory's border as the moon rose high overhead. Only her most savage and unquestioningly loyal fighters had been recruited for this distasteful but necessary task. They stood restlessly in the shadows of the trees, awaiting her signal.Kat stepped into their midst, her expression grim. "You know our purpose. This is not a sanctioned raid, so speak of it to no one upon our return." Her eyes glinted dangerously in the moonlight. "Am I clear?"The warriors rumbled their assent. They cared not about the whys, only the promise of a good fight their Alpha provided. Kat curled her lip slightly. Foolish brutes. But they would serve her aims well enough tonight. "Then let's be off. We've a two day's hard journey ahead." She inclined her head toward the border. "Time and secrecy are of the essence." Without another word, she leaped forward, shifting mid-air into her wolf form. Powerful limbs ate up the distance as she surged into t
Kat stalked through the dense forest, anger simmering in her veins. Those useless idiots had failed to kill Natalia, again. Just how long would it take to wipe out a single wolf?A twig snapped, jerking Kat from her brooding. She whirled, a snarl on her lips, only to find herself seized from behind by multiple assailants. She thrashed and bit down hard, tasting blood, but their grip was like iron. Within moments they had dragged her past the border markers and dropped her roughly at the feet of a smirking figure leaning against a tree. Kat leaped up and shifted into an attack crouch, lips curled back to expose her fangs. But she faltered at the sight of the man casually cleaning blood from beneath his nails with a knife. Dr. Maddox."Now now, that's no way to greet an old friend," the rogue scientist purred, poisonous gaze locking onto hers. "But given how you've ignored my messages of late, I thought an...intervention...was required."Kat forced her wolf down, though her muscles rem