Thalia felt her heart leap into her mouth as Jennifer continued to stare her down. The lessons she had been taught as a pup came back to her like a reflex. All pups were taught from an early age to be careful not to expose who they were truly to humans. Of course, there were some who knew of the supernatural species that existed but there was an agreement as old as time to keep the humans in the dark as much as possible to protect them from the dangers that came with the supernatural world.
"Relax," Jennifer broke the silence first, letting out a humourless laugh. "Mr Connaught tells me everything."
"Oh Jesus…" Svetlana rolled her eyes. "Your delusions are getting worse by the day. He told all of us."
"But he told me first!" Jennifer argued, long slender fingers coming to play with her ice cream blonde hair before flicking it over her shoulder. “We talk all the time.”
Even though Thalia knew Priyanka wouldn't be at dinner that evening, she couldn't stop the worry gnawing in her gut. The other girls seemed unfazed by the absence of their friend and were happily chatting to each other. Even Jennifer had made an appearance and seemed in a much better mood even if she kept her distance from Thalia.However, when almost a week had passed and Priyanka still hadn't been seen by any of the girls, Thalia knew something was going on. Whenever Thalia questioned Ms Thorton or Dante, they had merely changed the subject or made some vague excuses. Dante was certainly more convincing than his assistant. It seemed that he just had to utter the words don't worry about it. She is fine and Thalia would forget about the matter until late that evening and when there was no one to ask.Thalia was also no closer to working out anything about her master or this strange place he called a home. The more she tried to
Six weeks later Thalia groaned as she pushed her hair out of her face, her mouth still watering as she blindly fumbled for the handle on the toilet. She had heard morning sickness could be a bitch, but she was now learning just how much of a bitch it really could be. It had only been six weeks since the night the small life inside her womb was conceived and yet it still felt like a strange dream. The exact details of that night were hazy in her mind, but Thalia remembered being unable to control herself as she agreed to Dante’s surprising request. In reality it wasn’t that strange. Women all over the world acted as a surrogate for other people all the time but to have six women be surrogates for one person was unheard of. Also, Thalia couldn’t help but shake the feeling that, while she hadn’t been forced to agree, she certainly had been coerced in some way which really wasn’t any better. Sink
Doctor McKinley’s words stuck with Thalia like a bad memory well after her appointment was done. She had remained preoccupied and lost in thought for the rest of the day, too stunned to think clearly. The past few months had been crazy, and Thalia was starting to wonder if it was her that was going mad and hallucinating after years of abuse or if this was all real and she was pregnant with a demon’s baby.“Thalia?” Dante’s deep voice cut into the maelstrom of thoughts going through Thalia’s mind. “Is everything okay?”“Hm?” She glanced up in a daze, taking in her surroundings as her espresso brown eyes cleared. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”She had been on autopilot when Ms Thorton had come to collect her for her dinner date with Dante. This time she found herself in a white maxi dress with spaghetti straps and a Grecian cut. She ha
Sunlight pouring in from the tall windows was what woke Thalia up from her heavy slumber. For a few moments, her mind was still recovering from the last vestiges of sleep that it took a little while to realise she was not in her bed and that she lay naked under a soft light duvet.The events of the previous night flooded in quickly and Thalia felt heat creep up her neck and cheeks as a blush coloured her cheeks.They hadn’t had sex which Thalia had been grateful for and equally was amazed since she had known how aroused Dante had been. Instead, he had spent the evening drawing orgasm after orgasm from Thalia with his mouth and fingers until she had begged for mercy. Her core still tingled from the demon’s assault on her and every slight movement made her inside hum with pleasure.She had never experienced anything like it but the cold light of day sobered Thalia, a small seed of regret growi
Dante surveyed the scene as he stepped out of the car, watching as his men tended to the wounded and the destruction. Of all the nights a piece of shit teenager decided to get high, steal his dad’s beema and go for a joyride through the country roads, he chose this night. If the kid hadn’t died on impact of driving head on into the side of the people carrier, Dante probably would have killed him himself.It was bad enough that his plans had to be brought forward. It had all been going so well until Lucien showed up. He knew his brother was up to something, probably spying on Dante under strict instructions of the council. He had to throw his brother off by moving the girls early. Now when Lucien and his cohorts raised the mansion, they would find nothing but an empty shell.That’s provided this whole shit storm draw the attention of the council sooner...The vehicle that had been carrying his prec
Kade should have known it wasn't going to be a good day when he received a text message from his sister telling him their father had finally passed away.They had just gotten back from visiting Silver Moon and preparations for Daniel's crowning as Alpha of the Hellhound pack had been taking up most of everyone's time, including Kade's. In all honesty, he was glad to be home where things were familiar, and he didn't have to go running around trying to find Daniel's missing mate.When Daniel had told him that Eva Larson had run off when they first met, Kade had burst out laughing. It had earned him an angry growl from his Alpha, but Kade had ignored it, too amused by the turn of events.He hadn't been laughing when Daniel sent him out to go looking for Eva.It was about that time his sister had called and told him their father had taken a turn for the worse. The old bastard had
Ice cold water hit Kade the moment he pressed the old rusty lever, thousands of droplets raining down on him like needles, slicing into his flesh. The moment the brutal shower hit his bruised and bloodied skin, he gritted his teeth, shuddering as the cold sank painfully into his bones. Blood quickly turned the water a pinkish red colour as it swirled around the dirty plug hole and the sound of his breath ricocheted off the tiles like bullets. The early spring night was frigid, winter still clinging to the dark to drop the temperatures to a crisp sharp bite that was only amplified by the frigid water.Kade had long since lost track of time. It wasn't uncommon for him to black out when fighting. That was the trouble with having a wolf like Legion; they could take control more easily and border on the feral side. Since leaving the forces, Legion had become more difficult to control and Kade had been living with a constant headache as the wolf thrashed against his c
Kade knew he was in trouble the moment bright, unfiltered sunlight suddenly poured into his room and landed squarely on his closed eyes.His eyes snapped open before quickly squeezing shut as the early morning light assaulted his retinas and sent searing pain like an ice-pick to the raw nerves in his brain. For a few very brief moments Kade found himself trying to work out what had happened to leave him with a pounding headache and a mouth like it had been filled with dirt before he was assaulted by watery memories of the previous day. He released a groan that was a mixture of pain and regret, a hand coming up to scrub his ashened face. The sudden sharp pain in his lip from the contact made him wince and he cursed under his breath praying for sleep to take him once more.“Rise and shine, sweet cheeks.” A familiar voice broke through the heavy silence making Kade open his eyes to stare up at the dark haired intruder.
Fourteen years laterThe sun had long since set but the air was still sticky and thick with summer heat. The humidity had been building for days and now the low rumble of brontide echoed through the darkness with its promise of cooler temperatures to come. Despite the impending storm, the group of friends were still playing under the glow of the light coming from the giant packhouse. Nearly every window and door were open to let in fresh air in hopes of getting a cool breeze. Two males and two females pranced barefoot over the manicured grass as their laughter echoed and bounced against the fortress of trees that flanked the packhouse estate. In just a few days, the four young wolves would be travelling to the nearby facility to finish their training as warriors. Their excitement was palpable and was what spurred their excitable moods. While three would likely go on to become warriors, the fourth had had her destiny mapped out for her from the moment she was conceived.The future Que
By the time the weather had turned and the first storms off the North Sea began to batter the land, the house was ready to welcome not just Kade and Thalia but two little pups as well. Thalia had been lucky that she hadn’t struggled too much with the pregnancy thus far but, the two weeks leading up to her due date had been hard work. Her stomach and ankles seemed to be in a competition to see which could swell the most while her lower back and hips hurt constantly to the point that she struggled to sleep. In the end she was relegated to bed rest by Simone while Kade insisted on making sure everything else was done. For Thalia it had been torture but being pregnant with one child was never easy. Being pregnant two twins was doubly hard on the body."I thought you were given strict orders to stay in bed." Kade spoke up when he came in that evening to find Thalia pacing the living room, his playful smirk disappearing when he saw his mate’s frantic face. "Thalia?" "My waters broke." Tha
One month laterAdapting to life in a pack again, especially one that Thalia had never been a part of before, was a lot easier than she thought it would be. True to everything Kade, Daniel and Eva told her, the pack had welcomed her with open arms and didn't once cast her a judging look or a pitying glance when they learned of what she had endured. They even seemed okay with the fact her children weren't Kade's offspring or that they had demon blood in them. The pack regarded them as pups and asked her the usual questions a mothers-to-be endured. The Indian summer brought cooler nights but sun drenched days which the pack's pups were keen to enjoy by running through sprinklers or playing in the long grass that filled the meadows around them. The Pack's doctor, a woman by the name of Simone, insisted on regular check ups to make sure Thalia was doing okay and ensure there were no complications. Between that and spending time with Eva, Thalia had very little time to dwell. In the even
Kade let Thalia storm away. Arguing with her right now wasn't going to fix the hurt and the betrayal. He very much doubted that Thalia meant what she said and Kade was going to make sure that when the time came, she would be able to reach out to her family and not regret turning her back on those who had been innocently caught up in their alpha's web of lies. "She's a fiery one." Lucien's voice broke the silence. "The moon goddess chose wisely." "We shall see if Thalia agrees with you in time." Kade replied, turning to face the angel. "I'm not convinced that the local council of Alphas will be much use here. Do you think you could find out who helped Castor kidnap the girls? If any of Thalia's brothers were involved, then I don't want the Alpha title being passed to them.""Agreed." Lucien nodded. "I will also do what I can to find the other females taken the night Thalia was." "Thanks.""No, thank you, Lieutenant." The corner of Lucien's lip tilted in his signature smirk. "If it
“Thalia, are you sure this is a good idea?” Kade asked for what felt like the hundredth time since Thalia had announced she wanted to travel to Greece. The whole thing sounded like an awful idea, but Kade had seen the resolute hardness in his mate’s eyes. She would not be able to move on from these until she saw the truth for herself. It didn’t matter that what she would find would potentially hurt her beyond repair. She had made up her mind and all Kade could do was be there for her. Still, it didn’t hurt to try and get her to stop and think this through a little more. The beta watched from his seat on the edge of their bed as Thalia packed a few essentials for her trip. Night had descended only an hour before, but the air was still heavy with summer heat and the tiny flames hovering over several candles quivered whenever the warm breeze rolled in through the doors that led onto a balcony. Given everything she had been through, Thalia ought to be resting but she wouldn’t listen, n
It had only been a week since Dante had been killed and his plans to destroy the world had come to an end and yet that all seemed like a lifetime ago now that Thalia was sat in the sunroom of Lucien’s north England manor, a warm breeze danced lazily through the large French doors that open out onto the sprawling grounds. Everything was so green and luscious. It was a vast difference from the sun baked earth and salty air Thalia had grown up with.They had left Prague once Priyanka had given birth and before the local authorities caught up with them. Laila’s brother thankfully was able to use his powers as a police officer to distract the Czech police and the group had slipped away quietly. Thalia hadn’t been surprised when Lucien had managed to transport them back to his manor safely, nor was she surprised by the team of doctors and nurses waiting for them to whisk Priyanka and her premature baby away for medical attention.Thalia didn’t want to trust Lucien’s intentions given his rel
"It's too early for the baby to come out!" Jennifer shouted over Priyanka's cries of pain. "We need to get her to a hospital!""Well, that's what I'm trying to do but since I don't know where we are that is proving a little tricky!" Svetlana yelled back from the driver's seat, looking over her shoulder to glare at the blonde. "Please keep your eyes on the road!" Thalia barked, grabbing the wheel to right it when they started to drift into oncoming traffic. "Just keep heading towards the city. We will find signs for the hospital soon." "I don't understand why this is happening." Priyanka whimpered, her eyes wide with fear. "Just breathe," Miriam reassured the distressed woman, brushing her sweat-soaked hair off of her forehead. "We will find a hospital and the doctors will do everything they can for you."They had been trying to find a way into the city for nearly an hour and despite her waters only just breaking, Priyanka's labour was progressing rapidly, and Thalia was worried the
“Holy shit! What the hell happened in here?” Mully’s voice couldn’t have been any less welcomed as it split through the brittle silence and echoed through the rubble. What had once been a rather generic looking waiting room designed in the same way as a corporate hotel lobby now resembled a bombed out building in some worn-torn country. Mully had seen plenty of scenes like this but none with so much blood and caused by supernatural beings battling it out. The first thing that was clear was that this part of the building was ready to collapse. Thick chunks of concrete and plaster had already begun to fall onto the mess of what appeared to be bodies and the steel framework was completely bent back or hanging like the broken bones on a skeleton. Furniture had been completely decimated and was now strewn across the floor as shards of broken wood and split cushions. Amongst it though was the mildly terrifying form of the fallen-angel and Kade’s broken body. Between them was a pitch blac
Kade prepared for the impact. There was nowhere to go so he readied to feel the demon’s talons slice through his skin. He had the dagger in his hand, ready to plunge it into the heart of the demon. If he was going to die, then he was taking the ugly sonofabitch with him. Yet the searing pain of being impaled on the razor-sharp claws never came. Dante had descended on Kade with all his fury but when he was a hair’s breadth from the were-wolf, something sent the giant beast sailing backwards. Kade watched in confusion as the demon crashed into a wall but not before he took out one of the supporting columns sending chunks of concrete flying like shrapnel. The whole building shuddered violently when the beast hit the wall, cracks spreading across the plaster like fork-lightning from where Dante impacted with the wall. “Kade!”The beta snapped out of his daze, silver eyes snapping to the owner of the voice only to widen. Where Lucien had once stood was a creature similar in size to Dante