For over a minute, I watched my father with my heart in my throat as he looked at me with blank eyes. My body trembled when the silence in the room stretched. Like a fish out of water, my mouth flapped open several times to ask a specific question but I could not get myself to ask the question on the tip of my tongue as I feared his response. “Weren’t you banished?” That question, muttered in a dry tone from bruised lips had relief flooding into me. “D – Dad, you recognize me!” I exclaimed, my heart in my throat. His gaze remained blank so I swallowed. “I’m glad you are alive,” I said and I meant it with my entire being. I’d never been happier to see his indifferent gaze than I was then.Those indifferent eyes turned to Valens standing beside me. “I thought you’d kill her once you found her.” I swallowed at how callous he sounded mentioning my death.“He – we are mates,” I mumbled and for the first time in a long time, I saw interest shining in my father’s eyes.“How unfortunate.”
*JACKSON*When I saw Chantelle again after a long time, I experienced a weird tickling in my heart. I hadn’t given her much thought since she left the pack but seeing her again, I felt something inside me loosen. Although I’d expected her to be dead and I was even angry at her and thought she deserved the Cursed Alpha’s wrath, I didn’t know why I felt relieved to see her standing before me. My wolf wanted to reach out to her but I gritted my teeth to stop myself and before I could even understand what she was doing here, the Cursed Alpha stepped out. Then I realized just who she came with.Why?I swallowed that question as I knew it was not a question I could ask in the presence of the Cursed Alpha. When he mentioned her father, I was even more curious but my anxiety superseded my nervousness. I felt hot and cold at the same time with my guts churning.Why was the Cursed Alpha interested in Alpha Park? What was he doing with Chantelle? How would this interfere with my plans?Park was
*IRENE* I paced the room with my teeth tearing into my fingers. I’d lost Jackson. It was annoying but I wasn’t too sad since he stopped being a prize the minute I got him. In the first place, he wasn’t my type but my mother had taught me to go for the man with the highest power, a man who could give me the security of a comfortable life no matter what. It was stupid of me to bring Todd to his house but unlike Jackson, Todd was a persistent man and since he found out my secret, he’d used it to blackmail me into having sex whenever and wherever he wanted. I was stupid to have ever loved a man like Todd but now that he’d ruined my plans, I realized I’d never even loved the bastard. Rather, I’d been infatuated with the thought of getting with a man who showed no interest in me, unlike other men. Not to brag, but I was the kind of woman men had no choice but to look twice at. All my life, I had men panting after me so when I met Todd and he was thoroughly unimpressed with me, the desi
I had to put things together before my dad’s arrival. For the first time since I arrived in Redville, I had something to do so I was super excited. However, for me to arrange the place he would stay, I needed to get approval from the person in charge so with a bitter feeling in my heart, I went looking for Dahlia.“Hi! I heard the news about your father. Is he alright?” I ran into Dahlia as soon as I got off the elevator.“He’s fine, thank you. I was looking for you,” I said.“Yeah? Is anything the matter?” She asked.“My dad is coming to Redville. I’d like to arrange his lodging,” I paused, finding it difficult to continue. “Since you’re acting as the Luna, I figured I’d speak to you,” I muttered and she gave me an awkward smile.“I’m not acting as the Luna. Just – If it’s about accommodation then you’ll have to speak to Angela. She’s in charge. I’ll take you to her.” With that, she wordlessly led me to the woman named Angela.She had a small office in the pack house and we had to wa
The room was dark when I opened my eyes. Half my body felt numb and the other half felt like it had been run over. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness around me as the almost dead part of my body began to wake. With hands that trembled, I pushed myself off my back and sat up in bed.My lips were dry and the sheets underneath me were soaked with sweat. Feeling irritated, I took a few minutes to gather my wits around me and then I dragged my tired and sagging body to the bathroom. Yellowish skin, dead hair and sunken, lifeless eyes stared at me after I washed my face.Almost in an instant, the memories of earlier flooded my subconscious and I touched my stomach as my heart erupted in erratic pounds. I remembered my heart constricting as the life was squeezed out of me and I gulped, stumbling out of the bathroom. My baby could be hurt. My baby that I spent the last five years anticipating – my baby –The ground underneath me gave way as I rushed out of the bathroom and I
VALENSI almost went crazy. It was arrogant of me to think I could keep her safe, that me being within ten minutes of her all the time would guarantee her safety. I should have known that there was a much more sinister curse at work in my life. It was stupid of me to relax for even a minute.‘You’ll regret this! My blood on your hands will never allow you any freedom!’ Those were words from a person I could not even remember but every time I sat in silence, the desperate cries filled my ears. ‘You’ll never be happy! No, you can never be happy. Everything you touch will wither. You’ll ruin everything you touch!’ Was it a woman’s voice or a man’s voice? I could not even remember. After seventeen years of plundering, I’d heard all sort of curse words fall from bloody lips but I never gave them much thought. But these days, as if to mock me, one by one, words that never really registered in my mind when I first heard them began to play in my subconscious and for the first time since I re
Greeting my father was awkward. He came with a single suitcase and a deep frown.“Welcome, Dad. How was your trip?” I asked but he only grunted in response. “You’re not happy to be here, are you?” I asked when he looked around the pack house with indifference. My father travelled a lot for business so he must have seen a lot of magnificent sights other than Redville, but still, the way he looked at the pack house as if it was nothing impressive when most people could not contain their awe when they got to Redville was disappointing.“What’s the difference between here and Blood Moon? It’s crazy men everywhere,” my father responded then he turned to glare at one of the many people who secretly came out of the pack house to peek at him. “You have the worst luck in men, honestly.” He shook his head.It was then that Angela came out of the pack house with a radiant smile lighting up her face.“Oh, our esteemed guest is here!” She exclaimed, rushing towards us. For a minute, I thought she
I should have expected Thelma’s arrival. Knowing that woman, I really should have but I did not so I was surprised to see her in Redville pack. My father never mentioned anything about her but with the way she always made sure to be next to him all the time, I should have expected her.“Hello,” my stepmother sneered at me in greeting. “I hear you are the Luna here,” she continued in a tight voice. “Well, that’s good for you since you have a thing for powerful men.” Her tone was snide. Her words were derisive and the way she spoke to me was no different from how she spoke to me when I was a fourteen-year-old; as if I was beneath her.“What are you doing here?” I asked even though I knew the answer.“Why? Did you think you could separate me from my mate?” She snorted.“Hi – Is there a problem?” Dahlia showed up and Thelma gave her a once over before snorting again.“This is my stepmother,” I introduced Thelma before she got the chance to say something offensive to Dahlia. “She has come
“Uggh,” I sighed as I collapsed onto the sofa. “I’m tired of being pregnant,” I muttered as I sank deeper into the new sofa. I was a few weeks away from delivery and I felt huge, as in HUGE. There were times when I saw doors and I was scared I wouldn’t be able to fit through. Of course, it always ended up being my imagination but my back was killing me and my feet were now atrociously large. Most of all, I was more than eager to meet my babies. “We’re done, Luna,” the pack members who’d come to help Valens and me move into our new home announced. I’d been looking forward to this day for a long time and it was finally here. The house was fully decorated and we’d set up the babies’ room a while back. Everything was perfect. Life was awesome. We hadn’t moved all those months ago because aside from having to decorate the house, I didn’t think it was right to leave the pack house when the pack was still grieving. Redville had not experienced a battle in decades and although there were a
The sun hitting my face forced me to open my eyes. The sterile smell of antiseptic assailed my nostrils and made me wrinkle my nose. The hospital remained one of the worst places for me. It reminded me of the many long hours I used to spend in fertility clinics trying to conceive. I touched my stomach or I tried to. One of my hands felt numb and the other was gripped in someone else’s hand.I took a deep breath to calm myself as a flood of memories passed through me. It was as if I was being held at knifepoint again and my heart trembled. My lips pursed and tears rapidly filled my eyes. I’d been so scared, goddess, I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I’d been as scared as I was then. My life had flashed before my eyes and I saw everything I was about to lose.I tried to breathe but my chest felt like it was caving in on me and I could still feel a hand around my neck choking the breath out of me. The nightmare was over but the scars it left were permanent. As I lay there in bed
As the howls faded into the night, I continued to pace. Beth tried to comfort me but I couldn’t listen to her. Lucian had dispatched more wolves to the battleground and I knew my mate was badly hurt from the pulsing pain I felt at my side. All I could do now was pray to a goddess that had never answered me. Although I’d trained a lot in the past to augment my lack of strength as an omega, I’d neglected training since I entered Redville. Even if I was not pregnant, there was nothing I could do to help my mate at this point and it made me feel like a failure.My mate was out there risking his life to protect me, to protect us, and all I could do was hide. As his Luna, I should be by his side always and if I should die, I was to die by his side but I was hidden here, biting into my nails and holding back tears. Nestled in the pack’s sanctuary, I could not keep still. I and many other women were wide awake like an owl, the air heavy with tension and fear.Even after the moon waned and nig
*VALENS*My moon stared at me and I stared at her. We both knew what was coming. My wolf was already bristling with anticipation. Chantelle’s face was pale and I needed to reassure her.“It’ll be alright,” I said and I was sure of it. In seventeen years, I’d conquered twenty-four packs. There was nothing to fear from Dahlia and Jackson. I told her just that and it almost felt like bragging.“Then, you couldn’t be killed,” she responded, her voice disturbingly quiet. “But not anymore. Anything could happen and I’d lose you.” Tears filled her eyes and my chest tightened.“I’ll be by your side forever. That’s a promise. You’re mine in every lifetime so I’ll always be by your side, moon.”“Don’t say that.” She shook her head. “It sounds like you’re planning to die and leave my side. Don’t make it sound like you’re saying farewell.”“Farewell? We’ve not even moved into our new home. I’m not leaving you to raise our pups alone.” I hugged her to me. The sensation of having her pressed tight
*JACKSON*“Alpha Jackson, you are a genius!” Alpha Shawn praised me.Shawn was one of the many Alphas I met through my mysterious benefactor and the most powerful of all the Alphas I’d been introduced to. I found him obnoxious and too talkative but he had a large number of resources to throw away as long as he could watch the Cursed Alpha get trampled on. His stocky build was more like a Beta’s and he constantly stank of garlic so he wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around.He was a man that I would have dismissed if I didn’t know the power he wielded. Sometimes while we conversed, I felt resentful that a man like this had so many resources to spare while I was now battling bankruptcy thanks to Alpha Park.As if that bastard had known what lay ahead, he’d started to sell his properties in Blood Moon. I heard he’d made investments in Redville. Thelma had somehow found out that he’d willed everything, including his clothes, to his daughter. Everything he had left would go to her. I
By evening that day, the entire pack was silent. It was weird to me because usually, I’d ask Dahlia to tell me what was going on in the pack and now she wasn’t here anymore. It’s like she’d disappeared into thin air. Knowing her better now, I knew she had planned that too. She was smart so there was no way he didn’t know she’d be caught one day so she must have put in thorough plans into escaping when her crimes were exposed.As for her brother, he was not in jail because he was Valens’ Beta. I’d had to step in when it looked like my mate would unsheathe his claws and take a swipe at his chest and I knew the Beta would not try to defend himself. He’d take it without a word. For now, we put Lucian on probation.I was stressed, feeling feverish and stewing over Dahlia’s lies and how well she played me. It was as if the puzzle of life suddenly clicked. Everything made sense now, from how protective she seemed of Valens to the things happening around me. A girl like Dahlia who could sell
It was chaos after that. Chaos and pandemonium and everything in between.The first thing I did when I got out of my office was to go find my mate and tell him everything Lucian had confessed. His expression, much like mine when I first heard from Lucian, transformed from surprise to anger in the blink of an eye.“That stupid bitch.” I caught him by the hand when he almost stormed out. I’d felt a sharp pain at the side of my rib so I held his hand and doubled over as I gasped for breath.“What – where does it hurt?” Valens doubled back, his anger morphing to concern in the blink of an eye.“It’s - it’s okay. Just a normal random pain.” I didn’t mention it hurt as much as getting stabbed. “I asked Lucian to put her in the dungeons.”“You trust him to not give her a heads up to run?” He asked.It was not an irrational concern and I was ashamed to say I’d never thought of that. Despite it all, I continued to see Lucian as Valens’ Beta. He was loyal to Valens and although he tried to pro
I was taking a break from work by scrolling through an online baby store when someone knocked on my door.“Who is it?” I asked, adding a cute set of baby sock-shoes to my cart.“It’s Lucian. May I come in?” It was rare for the Beta to visit me like this so I asked him to come in with a curious frown on my face. “Good afternoon, Luna,” he said, his expression as blank as usual.“Yeah, good afternoon,” I said as I locked my phone and sat upright. “Is there a problem?”“No,” he responded but after a bit, he spoke again. “Yes. Well, it depends on how you look at it.” Another pause during which he drew a deep breath and then released it. “What am I saying? It’s a problem.” He shook his head with a stiff posture. His beefy muscles were corded and he looked like he was on the verge of an explosion.“Have a seat first.” I offered him a seat, partly due to the tension I read on him and the fact that he was fucking huge and towering over me in an enclosed space.Lucian was supposed to be my Bet
I was going through an appeal from pack members to increase the budget for the kitchen when my phone rang. I picked it up with glee, not even bothering to check who was calling because I needed an excuse to escape the tedious work.“Hello?” I said into the phone.“You sound tired,” came a familiar voice. My eyes lit up and I could not stop myself from exclaiming.“Dami!” Even my wolf was excited to hear her voice. “How have you been?” As I asked that question, I felt a bit of guilt because I’d let myself get carried away to the point I forgot to even contact her.“Oh, I’m alright,” she responded with a laugh. She sounded a lot happier than the last time we spoke. “How have you been?” She asked.“I’m alright! How are things going for you? With the moving and all.” I brought the conversation back to her.In all honesty, nothing was going on with me except for the fact that it felt like Valens was hiding something, something that made him incredibly pissed. Every time I asked if somethin