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
I’d buried all thoughts of Janet at the back of my mind and moved on with my life, else, I may have been consumed by the grief that came with her betrayal. I’d heard that a friendship breakup hurts worse than a relationship breakup but I got to experience it firsthand. Janet was more than my best friend; we were sisters. When the world was against me, she had been beside me and I thought it would be like that for the rest of our lives but she tried to kill me. There was no other way to describe it if not attempted murder. She released vicious hounds on me without a second thought.“What do you want?” I felt a headache coming on even as I asked that question.“Channy, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry about that day. I don’t know what came over me but I – It’s a flimsy excuse but after years of listening to my mother, she succeeded in poisoning my mind against you. You of all people know that I wasn’t thinking clearly when I did that,” she ranted, her voice thin and filled with desperation.
*JACKSON*“What do we do now, Alpha?” Elder Jacob asked.“Clearly, we have to find a way to work around this setback,” I answered, fighting down annoyance. “That’s why I have elders. We may have lost a lot but Blood Moon isn’t a small pack. It may take a while but we have to overcome this setback and we have to start now.” Since the Park family had been major pillars of Blood Moon for a long time, it was a substantial loss but we could survive without one man.“Yes, we can fill in the gap Alpha Park has left but it’ll take time. Before that, can’t we appeal to him to continue to support the pack even if it’s with one-tenth of what he usually donates?” Elder Craig spoke up. A few elders nodded their heads but others voiced their dissatisfaction at once.“What do you mean?” They rebuked. “Alpha Park is obviously a traitor! He must be planning something evil so he cut off our funds and ran off. You want us to beg such a man?”“He’s a proud man. He must be doing this because of the witch
*JACKSON* I’d been to the hospital once in the five years during which Chantelle and I tried for a child. The doctor had clearly said I was fine so I saw no reason to go back. I didn’t even have any lingering doubts that the problem may be from me and not from my mate so once Irene came to me with a child; I accepted her without a second thought. In the first place, I didn’t think of Irene as someone who’d ever be involved in paternity fraud. I’d thought I was the only man who had access to her so it didn’t even occur to me that the child may not be mine. “What – What –“ My mother jumped up and then swayed on her feet. “You mean that baby – that bastard in your belly –“ She pointed a finger at Irene who was staggering to her feet. “James!” Mother bellowed. “Explain yourself!” “Martha, calm down!” My father barked in response, scrubbing his palms down his face. “What do you mean, calm down?! You impregnated another woman!” Tears gushed from her eyes as she spoke. “My best friend’s d
“Chantelle?” My mate’s voice pulled me out of a fitful sleep. When I opened my eyes, he was standing over me. “What is it?” He asked.“Valens,” I gasped, sitting up in bed. My heart trembled and the now familiar bitter taste on my tongue worsened. I reached out to him, craving a sense of security but my hand paused midway. He sat on my bed and pulled me into his thighs while I second-guessed myself.I buried my face in his chest and inhaled his scent, trying to get the knot around my chest to loosen. It felt like a tide of darkness was sweeping me away so I wrapped my hand around his neck and clung on.“You’re safe.” I felt a heavy hand stroke my hair. “I’m right here. You’re safe.”I’m right here. You’re safe.As simple as those words were, they calmed me. If there was one thing I knew about Valens, it was that he kept to his word. I didn’t have to think of how he would keep me safe, but so far, he never ate his words so I could believe them. I was safe with him.“Thank you.” I pulle
“Where is your sense of self-preservation?” He asked in a low tone and then proceeded to grind his teeth. “Why do you keep mentioning another man right in front of me?”It was such an unexpected reaction that I blinked twice, my mouth almost falling open. Those words – that insinuation – It was just… Greg? When did Greg become ‘another man’ and what was that insinuation? My teeth were grinding unknowingly as I thought of the implications of his words.“What – Who is ‘another man’? What do you mean?” I all but snarled. Asia paced inside me and knowing she was going to say something to defend her stupid mate, I blocked her out. “He’s my friend’s mate or what do you take me for? A loose woman that chases after people’s mates?” My voice rose higher and my tone became harsher with every word. His eyes widened as I glared at him but he rearranged his expression faster than the blink of an eye.“You have a talent for jumping to conclusions, I see.” He leaned forward with his elbows planted
I didn’t see Valens after that day and an entire twenty-four hours had passed since then. I barely saw him on a daily basis but now, it was like he vanished from the suite. We didn’t even have our meals together like we used to do. Instead, Dami brought me breakfast and when lunch came, she brought me lunch with Dahlia following behind her.“I’m sorry for bothering you like this,” I said with a stiff smile.Not for the first time, Valens put me in an uncomfortable position. These days, Dami looked really down and I felt guilty for bothering her like this. She must be expending a lot of energy as she used her magic to check me almost every day and now she was bringing my meals and having to taste them. I felt I was constantly using her without offering her anything in return.“How are you doing?” Dahlia asked as she took the seat opposite me. “I heard you collapsed.”“It’s been a long week,” I said with a fake laugh.I didn’t want to think back to the other day and what Valens suggeste
Who did I offend in my past life to be saddled with so much ill luck in my present life? Who had I stepped on to warrant back-to-back chaotic situations?“I’ve missed you.” He breathed into my ear and I quivered. “How are you doing?”The way he spoke – as if everything was normal, as if he hadn’t cheated on me, ruined my life and then kicked me out of the pack – made my blood boil. He spoke as if we were lovers who were only separated for a work trip.“How dare you?” I almost choked on my breath, the familiar suffocating feeling rising. “How dare you call me?”“I know it’s late but…” There was a long pause on the line and I moved to hang up but I was curious. I shouldn’t be but I was. Jackson and I were old news and I wished him the rottenest luck in the world but somehow, for some reason, I was curious. He would not have anything good to say but still, I was curious. “I’m sorry.”My heart shattered.Those were words that I thought I would be happy to hear. For everything Jackson put
“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