* VALENS*I shouldn’t have listened to her when she said she was fine. I should have insisted or perhaps found a way to ensure my mate’s safety. As expected, I shouldn’t have deluded myself into thinking her will alone could turn things around. Why did I choose to trust a goddess who had proven herself unreliable when I could have made a decision to stop this myself?It had been three days since my mate fell right in front of me and I could still taste the horror that coated my tongue and gripped my muscles as I rushed to stop her from biting her head against the table while fearing that I would not get to her on time. When she could not stomach anything even after twenty-four hours of throwing up water and calling it poison, we'd been preparing to go to the hospital when she suddenly collapsed.“She’s recovering well. She is stable now so there is no need to fret,” Anisa said from behind me.I looked at the body laid out on the bed and the nth drip being pumped into my mate. In just
*JACKSON*Had I fallen so far out of Chantelle’s grace that she refused to even acknowledge my apology? She blocked my calls and ignored my messages and recently, she had turned her phone off as if to avoid me. Even if it was true that she was the Cursed Alpha’s mate, I knew she must have some residual feelings for me after all, she loved me since she was a teen. Unlike Irene, her love was genuine so there was no way she would have thrown out that love because she met a new man.“Is this your way of punishing me?” I muttered into the empty space of my now empty house.Everywhere I looked, I saw traces of Chantelle. This was a house she made into a home for us but I drove her out because of my selfishness and stupidity. The thought of her in another man’s arms made my throat tighten. Was she doing with that cursed man, the same things she used to do with me? Did she put on sexy black lingerie that she purchased just to excite him? Did she wait for him at the door whenever he got home f
*IRENE*Things had become so twisted that it was annoying. My so-called mate kicked me out of his house and I had nowhere to go since my mother also ran after her mate and locked the house.“Are you still sleeping!?” Janet banged on my door as I stared up at the ugly ceiling. “Get out of that room!”I couldn’t sleep throughout last night because her stupid child kept crying like it was being attacked and now I couldn’t even get a bit of rest since the bitch that birthed it was banging on my door.How did I go from having a perfectly good life to squatting at the former Alpha’s place?Jackson’s father was not a man to be trifled with. When I mentioned aborting his child, he kicked hard against it and brought me to his home when Jackson threw my things out. He then proceeded to block me whenever I tried getting accommodation somewhere else. In his mind, as long as I was under his roof, he could control me.I chuckled to myself, touching my bulging belly. Since his cards had been reveal
Recently, every time I looked at Valens, I felt my heart skip a beat. Every time I looked at him, I got a little breathless. Every time I looked at him, I noticed something new about him. For example, when he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled and completely took away the frosty edge around him. When he was tired, he’d close his eyes for a second and take a deep breath. He was also quite attentive to details so when I pushed a dish away, he made sure I never saw that dish a second time. Most of all, I noticed just how handsome he was.In the past, I liked blondes with boyish smiles, the kind that were warm and looked cute and harmless rather than hot. However, recently, I realized my type was more hot guys with brooding eyes and dark hair who repelled people with their suffocating and cold aura.“You keep staring at me,” he said and his deep voice made my stomach tighten. I touched my stomach and he raised a brow. “Are you uncomfortable?” I could not respond. Rather, I averted m
“What is it?” He asked when we entered the suite and her gaze slid towards me. Valens held my hand tighter before repeating his question.“I’ve decided - I’m going to be an Oracle,” she said.I remembered I’d heard Dami’s magic was strong and that she may be an Oracle. I, as a layperson, thought of that as a good thing. Who would not want to commune with the goddess daily and have the gift of near immortality? Being an Oracle was a privilege people prayed and committed themselves to, but the way she said it, she may as well be announcing her plans to commit suicide.“What do you mean?” Valens’ grip tightened. “You said you had no desire to be shackled like that.”“Dami,” I took a step towards her when I saw just how stricken she looked. Tears gathered in her eyes and her hands trembled as she held the tears at bay.“It’s – no, it’s fine,” she said, wiping her eyes as the tears started to roll down. “It’s a privilege from the goddess so I should – I should not take it for granted.” Sh
The next few days were a mess. We tried convincing Dami that she didn’t need to give up her happiness for us but she was adamant that it was the only way forward. She said she only had nine months left so she would be going back home to spend some time with her parents. It was heartbreaking to watch her resolve and it was equally heartbreaking to watch how my mate beat himself up for his inability to help his sister. He didn’t say it but I saw the guilt in his eyes now and then. He must be blaming himself for what was happening with Dami. I too was at a loss as to what to do. I was throwing up a lot more these days and no matter how I tried to force myself to eat, I could not bear to stomach anything. Today, I was hanging out with my father after seeing Dami off and watching Valens bury himself in work to distract himself. “It’s nice sitting with you like this,” I told my father with a small smile, my mind on Dami. “Is it?” My father asked. “It’s a bit boring.” Teenage me would hav
“I - I’m sorry. She said she was your sister so I – like a fool –“ Dahlia lowered her head and my annoyance slowly faded away. Irene, on the other hand, was busily looking around my living room without hiding her awe. Her jaw was quite literally on the floor.“It’s fine,” I said, feeling my head throb already. First, it was Thelma, now her bitch of a daughter had joined. Would I ever get any reprieve from these people?“Sister – your home is lovely,” Irene said with a small smile. “It’s like the one you’ve always dreamed of, right?” She asked, her eyes sparkling. For a moment, I was afraid. I knew that look. It was the look of covetousness. It was the same way she always looked at my things before she snatched them from me.I gnawed on my lips, clenching my hands into fists and reminded myself that there were things that could not be taken from me. This house was mine – my home. She may have succeeded in ruining my first two homes but this time, I was determined to not let her win.“T
* VALENS *It was too much. This suffocating feeling, this feeling like I had my hands tied never to be free, had gotten too much. Dami was suffering because of me and there was nothing I could do to help her.How do I stop a goddess? How do I register my displeasure with such a cruel being?If I set the world ablaze, would it bother her?For an insane moment, I had fantasies of everything burning to the ground but then what would I achieve? I had a mate to think about. Dami would blame herself forever if I hurt others for her.What do I do?It had been a while since talks of her being the next Oracle went around. Even when she was just born, her magic was phenomenal and we knew she would go on to do great things. Being an Oracle was just a joke. As time went on, the joke rarely came up. Dami had a lot of dreams for the future. As the only family I ever kept in touch with, she was the closest person to me and since my words were few, she always filled the silence between us with her d
“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