I’d been waffling on how I should feel about seeing André today. Especially as I wasn’t sure how much of me being around him would be in a public setting. I could deal with a public setting. Then I didn’t have to think about or focus on how this mate bond affected me.
Cardinal, of course, was excited to see him. He wanted this to be some kind of date rather than something formal and militant. But that’s what this is supposed to be. He’s the acting Alpha, and all he’s supposed to be doing is taking me to interrogate the enemy Gamma.
And while I tried to maintain that attitude,
Well seems we didn't have to wait long to see how Darren reacted to last night's cliffhanger. And now a double chapter!?
I sighed, rolling my eyes. This man would make even my little brother sound insecure by comparison. And Azriel does everything with confidence, even stupid shit. But André… he’s on a different level of confidence. And as much as I’d like to pop his bubble and say it wasn’t that great… I have said enough lies. “Let’s go. I want to see if you’re as good at other things.” He smirked, brushing past me, very intentionally letting his hand brush against me. Cardinal was sitting up, panting and begging for more with his tail wagging. Someone’s
Cockblocking mother fuckers. And this time, it’s not even Persephone doing the cockblocking. No, this time, it was someone from Bloodmoon.I don’t remember his name. Not sure I was even told it. I recognized him from last night when he had his arm around Darren’s shoulders.Obviously, he and Darren are close. And they’re related based on the comment about a Delaney pup. And okay, so him knocking on Darren’s forehead was funny, especially the look on my mate’s face. But that doesn’t make me less frustrated.That kiss was fire. And for supposedly being straight, Darren’s the one that pulled me closer. He was obviously very into it.I could just imagine where it would have gone if we’d not been interrupted. I was ready to get my hands up that shirt to touch those muscles, or maybe into those pants to see for myself if what I was feeling was all Darren.But I can’t turn back or pau
I wasn’t sure how much time I would have before André would return with the prisoner. So I need to get ready and fast. I hate to do this, but I’m guessing that if he wouldn’t cave to Alpha or Beta auras, I need to play this without intimidation. If anything, I need to play it the opposite. I quickly shut the door to the room and set to work. Pulling my shirts off, I wrinkled them up and stomped on them for good measure before putting them back on. Not going to take my pants off, knowing my luck, André would walk in at that exact moment. ‘Well, I mean, after we finish dealing with the prisoner, pants can come off.’ Cardinal winked. I rolled my eyes. Just because we kissed does not mean anything, least of all that I’m getting naked with him outside of shifting. Cardinal snorted as he went to curl up and wait for when I might need him. I sighed and dug my hands into my hair, messing it up, well as messed as you can get with my haircut. I found some grease
Whoa. This was not what I expected when Darren asked to interrogate Ivan. I’m not even sure if this can be classified as interrogation. It certainly caught me by surprise as I listened in on the phone. Who knew Darren was such a good actor? A sliver of me had to wonder if this was really an act. I mean, I know the stupid American thing is a total act. But well, being suspicious on some level is in my DNA. I don’t want to be suspicious of my mate. ‘Will you stop with that nonsense. It’s obviously all a setup. Why else would Darren have planned for you to be able to listen in? It’s all a ploy to get Ivan talking. And even if Ivan thinks he’s being tricky by speaking Italian, it’s working.’ Duilio rolled his eyes. I sighed and let the feelings of suspicion go, focusing on what Ivan was saying. The witch? Icky Iggy is fucking the witch? I covered my mouth to not throw up. That’s seriously fucked up. He’s fucking my great-grandmother’s twin siste
Cardinal hasn’t shut up since I stopped the kiss back in that interrogation room. He’s pissed at me. He has no right to be pissed. As my wolf, you’d think he could see things from my perspective. That he would understand what I’m thinking and feeling. But since meeting André, he’s stopped even trying to be on the same page as me.‘OF COURSE, I’M PISSED!’ Cardinal shouted. ‘Our mate was in our lap making out with us. We were in a private space where no one was going to interrupt. And you cockblocked us!” Cardinal ranted.
I can’t help but wonder if his brothers are why Darren is so stiff. They were the impulsive trouble makers, so he took the role of the serious one. Kind of like how Katrina is the more serious one of us? Does he feel that because they are so crazy, he has to always be in control? I pondered all of this as he told me the hilarious story of Colby hitting on their Luna. This man needs to learn to let go. To be spontaneous. That he doesn’t always have to be the serious one. Is this why the Goddess made us mates? ‘It would make sense. The Goddess is always looking for balance. And as we are two halves of a whole, it is fitting he has the traits you lack and vice versa. Perhaps he’ll be better at getting you to take things more seriously than I have.’ Duilio commented. I rolled my eyes. I’m not saying I’m p
I let out a breath of relief as we got further from André. Yes, I know that probably sounds like a shitty thing. And maybe it is. But when you are in my situation, where your senses are overloaded by a scent, you can’t give enough, but your brain is too confused to know what to do, then you can say anything. I know Cardinal wanted to stay by André’s side, but I need space. I need to clear my head. I obviously can’t think straight when I’m around that man. And I can’t sort anything out that way. I need quiet reflection. ‘That’s the problem. You are trying to think straight. Literally, you keep looking at this whole mate bond the wrong way. You see it as straight vs. gay. And this is where despite how humans are supposedly so evolved compared to animals, you fall short.’ Cardinal sighed. ‘Excuse me?’ I glared at him. We used to get along so well. I’m really getting tired of this constant fighting with my wolf. ‘Just what I said. You see th
“I don’t want to know who’s ass you plan to make yours. That exceeds my limits of what I need or want to know about as both Beta and your Zio.” Zio Damon shook his head as he walked in unannounced. I guess I should count myself lucky he missed the earlier part of that conversation. ‘You say nothing to anyone about Darren. Until he and I have squared away things, it remains a secret.’ I warned Alexander via our link. “Nothing for you to worry about. You know I love a good challenge. What brings you to papa’s office?” I greeted with an easy smile. “Originally, I wanted to know what Captain Darren managed to get out of Ivan if anything.” Damon frowned. He wouldn’t have started with ‘originally’ if his plans didn’t get altered by something. I cocked my brow waiting for the rest. “That app Persephone created shows Madonie troops are on the move from both western camps.” Zio Damon explained. Crap, they can’t just let us have a day? Of
Éowyn POVI spent today with Grandma. It was fun. She let me try some of the treats she was eating. I can say that I liked the bacio, chocolate and hazelnut for you Americans, gelato. It reminded me of the before times. The before times were before my siblings and I were taken from the womb. Other than tasty treats, Grandma bought me a little moon plushie toy that caught my eye. It’s officially my favorite thing. I don’t know what the moon has to do with what we are celebrating, but I do know that the moon is important to our people. And well, I love the moon. It’s so pretty to look at in the night sky. When we got home, we all got a bath, yuck. I wouldn’t say I like baths. Amaryllis loves baths so much she plays around in the water. I prefer to get it over with and get out of the water. Who wants to sit in their filth? But whatever. After bath time, we were put in special pajamas for the holiday. They were comfier than those fancy clothes we had to wear for the festival. “Azriel,
Lando POVAs expected after the incident, the presence of on-duty warriors around the Christmas festival became more apparent. Dad and Papa were taking no chances that another attempt would happen. To help ensure the safety of the heirs, they were moved from their strollers to the chest baby carriers. I wasn’t surprised that Papa took Caspian. They never play favorites, but someone just tried to kidnap Cas, so it’s natural to be more protective of him today. I was pleasantly surprised that I was entrusted with Aragon. I would have thought the babies would be with adults, specifically those with wolves, to protect them better. It felt good that I was trusted to protect my baby brother. I won’t have my wolf for another two years, but wolf or not, I would fight to my last breath to protect any of my siblings. We stuck together as we moved around the festival. I stopped at one of the game booths when Aragon showed interest in one of the toys on display. What kind of big brother would I
Darren POVI have not been this terrified since Delilah had that placenta issue in April. I had hoped I would never be that afraid again. Yet when that fucking photographer took Caspian from me, I felt it in my gut something was wrong. It didn’t settle my nerves that he also had Amaryllis move from André to Dad. The more times I saw the babies rearranged, the angrier I became. It was like those con artists with the pebble under the cup. Keeping track of where all four babies went was their plan. They thought they could hand Caspian to someone who wasn’t part of the family and get away with it. They thought wrong. I noticed the switch, and Caspian was not the baby that would go quietly. My boy has his Papa’s sass when a situation isn’t to his liking. I had passed Amaryllis to Sadria and shouted for my brothers to get the photographer as I ran toward Caspian’s cries. André had been right on my heels when he handed Aragon to Alison. André had shifted mid-chase and used his speed to g
André POV Everyone knows that I live for celebrations. I go all out for holidays, especially Christmas. This year and probably every Christmas till my babies are grown enough to say, ‘Papa, stop,’ I am going to go all out. This will be my babies’ 1st Christmas, and I want it to be spectacular. I know they are only five months old and won’t remember it, but there will be pictures and videos that we can show them as they grow up. All Madonie wanted to celebrate and make this Christmas special for their new princes and princesses. We’ve been often asked which heirs were mine, but we never tell. Sure, we gave Caspian and Aragon my surname, while our girls Amaryllis and Éowyn have Darren’s. But that’s not common knowledge. And I don’t know if I’ll keep it that way. I’ve considered updating their official birth certificates to Delaney-D’Amore for all four. As far as the pack knows, their surnames are all D’Amore. It might be wrong, but I want to keep it that way. I won’t have them tre
Disclaimer! Only read the following bonus story if you have finished reading Beta's Innocent Mate! Twas The Night Before Their 1st Christmas is a holiday bonus starting everyone's favorite Alpha and Aleph couple, André and Darren! If you've read Beta's Innocent Mate, you know all about the new additions to André and Darren's family. I know we are past the holiday season; however, I was delayed in releasing this bonus due to a family emergency. So, without further ado, I present a glimpse into the holiday fun and life of Alpha André D'Amore and Aleph Darren Delaney's lives with their bundles of joy.
One of my favorite holidays is tomorrow! And for the first time, I have someone to celebrate with. I can’t wait to spend the day with Darren. Oh, the plans I have for that man. I know my mate inside and out. And you can take that any way you want. Innuendo or otherwise, it’s true. Darren hides his emotions well behind that handsome mask. But he can’t hide from me, from our bond. He’s a good mate. Strong, dependable, and caring. The way he has stepped into his new role as Aleph. Yes, we decided on a new title because Luna just didn’t fit. He is so organized, and he manages to keep me on task for as distracting as he can be. I’m not sure I could have gotten Madonie into order this quickly without him. He has been my rock.
“So you got big plans for tomorrow?” Colby’s question had me confused. I furrowed my brow watching as my identical brother’s expression went from neutral to concerned to now he’s laughing. The fucker calls me on video chat while I’m busy with pack business and laughs at me. “What? Why are you laughing?” I sighed. My brother makes no sense sometimes. I honestly think he’s just trying to mess with me. “You… oh Goddess. You forgot what tomorrow is!” Colby’s words were coming out in huffs of laughter. He was so loud Alison waddled into the frame. She didn’t look pleased with the disturbance. “What are you so loud about? I was enjoying an excellent book
I’ve heard the saying that time flies when you’re having fun. And I have to say it’s true. Five years ago, I was an Alpha heir who was single and happily mingling. Today I’m the Alpha of Madonie celebrating my fifth anniversary with my mate and will be throwing a birthday bash for our son’s thirteenth birthday in a few weeks. How can we have a thirteen year old when we’ve only been together for five years? Duh, the same way two males could have a kid. Adoption. Adding Lando to our family was like the cherry on top. He just made it all come together. Love that kid. This is why today’s meeting is kind of annoying me. I’m sitting in one of the meeting rooms at the Incubi town hall. Why am I in Incubi? Beyond coming to spoil my little sisters? Trust me, those girls want for nothing. They’ve got us all wrapped around their tiny toddler pinkies. Lando is in love with his aunties. I digress. I’m here having a tri-pack meeting with Papa and Tiberius. Our mates and Betas are of cours
The last few months have been a whirlwind in Madonie. Our villa’s construction is moving along very fast. A lot faster than I thought it would. But I suppose when everything is being handled within the pack, things get done quicker. Before we boarded our flight to Bloodmoon, our contractor told us we should be able to move in not long after we return. That, of course, made André and Lando happy. While neither has any dislike for the pack villa, André has talked about having our own family home enough that Lando is excited to have a home again that will be just for his family. I think part of Lando’s reasoning is that we’ve adopted him, so he’d like to not live in the pack villa with the other orphans still waiting to either be claimed by family or adopted by new families. And I can’t fault him for that. The kids started treating him differently after we officially adopted him. He went from being what they called the favored to now the Pr