CALIFF “I’m not comfortable with you joining us. Let me take care of this. Just wait for us here.” “No, Califf. I’m coming with you. I may not be as strong as you and don’t have enhanced senses, but I could help.” “Let her go,” her father said, giving his daughter a gun. “Take this.” She smiled at Sebastien. “Thanks, father.” “Just stay by his side and don’t get distracted.” He then looked at me. “Take care of her.” “I’ll be fine, father.” “With my life.” I still didn’t like it, but we just got back together, and I didn’t want to make her look incapable in front of everyone. I knew she could take care of herself, and she learned how to fight before I met her, but she was my Luna. “Are you guys ready?” I turned to Zarah. “Yes.” “I don’t wanna be a hassle, Califf, and that’s why I did a short course because, at times like this, you could use a lot of help.” “I know, baby.” I kissed the top of her head. “I trust you.” We joined Calder and Everlee. “Why do you have a gun?” I
SHADOW “Oh no!” I ran towards Zack as he lay down on the floor naked, whining in pain. He was shot. “You’re gonna be okay. I will take care of you.” “I can’t heal properly with a bullet inside me.” “I know.” I grabbed the shredded clothes on the floor, balled it, pressed it against the wound on his left thigh, and then tied it tightly. “Fuck!” He winced in pain. “A warning next time?” “No more next time. You will not be getting shot again.” “Alessandro?” Everlee called him, slapping his face to wake up, but he was knocked down cold. “Guys, I think the bullet that shot him is silver. It has a nasty wound. The poison is spreading.” “The portal will be open soon. We only have a minute,” Calder said as he duck-taped his uncle’s mouth and then proceeded to the hands and legs. He took off his clothes for possible trackers. Kain was wearing nothing but his boxers. “I’ll take care of the boxes,” said Everlee. “Cal, carry Alessandro. Babe—” “I know. I got this piece of shit. I couldn’
CALIFF “You’re a werecat.” I stood before him. He was locked up inside the cell. The bars were thick enough that it would take time for him to cut it through with his claws. “Yes.” He finally woke up, and his bite— a werewolf bite, and my claws left nasty scars on his skin. “So what’s your beef with my kind?” “Claire,” Sebastien replied from the concrete stairs. “Elder Aciano’s wife.” I turned to him. “Why her?” “You’re asking the wrong question, Alpha Califf. He and Claire had a brief relationship.” Sebastien came down with an old photo in his hand. I almost chuckled, reminding myself of Shadow’s speculation. “A Lycan Alpha King. It’s almost an honor meeting you.” For a moment, I thought I saw an awe and fear in his eyes as he looked at Sebastien. “Unbelievable. So, this is all about you being rejected for Aciano.” I scoffed. “Killing my kind for your revenge plot of mending a broken heart.” “Oh, no.” A smug smile appeared on his lips. “You got it all wrong. I’m not the big
CALIFF“Yes,” Shadow said proudly. “You didn’t know? You killed my wolf for nothing, dumbass?”Kain’s eyes widened. His posture stiffened.“And you knew this?” Calder came to me.“Yes. Shadow forgave our father and healed him, so I don’t think it’s worth telling you when it’s all over and forgiven.”“Why? Why did you forgive him?” he asked Shadow. The truth confused him even more.“Because I love your brother, we all deserve a second chance. And watching your brother mourn for his father’s loss because I let my anger win, I couldn’t forgive myself. And I didn’t regret what I did. I may have paid the price for healing him, but it’s worth it.”“Who’s the mastermind, Kain?”“I’ll help you kill him and his men.” His offer was tempting, considering he was one of them, but it could be a part of his plan.“Not gonna happen. You won’t even make it out of this cell. Alessandro will kill you.” Shadow’s warning didn’t even affect him.“You know the reason why I didn’t use silver bullets.” Shit.
SHADOW “You’re not actually considering everything he said. We could be walking to a trap.” “This is a desperate time, Zack. If you have an idea how to end this, now is the time to share it with the class.” Califf was frustrated, and Aciano’s betrayal took a hard blow to him and his leadership. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I’m not questioning your decision. It’s him that I don’t trust.” Zack pointed at Kain, who just joined us in the living room. He already changed into a shirt and jeans, which my father had loaned him. Zarah even treated his wound. “I have a pretty bad feeling about this.” “I know. I feel unnerved, too, but Waylon and Eleanor are not answering their phones, and it will take minutes before the guys can get to their house. The problem with SOS to the pack members is that they will cause panic and might as well inform those loyal to Aciano and Claire.” “At least the guys are already informed.” “Let’s do this.” My father stood across the table before Kain. “I ordered my men
CALIFF “He’s not what we think he is.” Sebastien came before me, shielding me from Kain. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” My pulse raced, and my wolf went into feral mode. Alessandro and the rest of his men had guns pointing at him. “He’s not a werecat.” “I’m confused. I know he’s hiding something.” Calder blinked. “But he wasn’t lying.” “Then what is he?” I stepped aside so that I could look at Kain, who already had his hands raised. Now, he showed how terrified he was, but Sebastien wouldn’t let me interrogate him. He blocked me to protect me from whatever species Kain was. “If he’s not a werecat, then what kind of being he is.” “Put your gun down slowly, or I swear to the goddess, I will rip your throat out in front of your nephew.” Alessandro snarled. “I’m still healing from what you did, and my wolf still feels you’re a threat.” Kain put his gun down slowly and slid it to us. I picked it up as he went on his knees. “He’s a shapeshifter,” Zarah said confidently. “
CALIFF The reason why I didn’t inform Shadow about our plan was because this was dangerous, and there was a huge chance she would disagree. “Yeah. We will do the rest here.” I turned to Kain. “But if, even how irrelevant it is, you feel that something is off, abort the mission and run for your life.” “Got it.” “I will portal you just outside your apartment.” “You too, Zarah? So, it’s just me who’s against this plan?” “We’re running out of time. We need Kain as our inside man. It will work, baby. Trust me. Trust this plan will go well.” “Then, if he dies, at least my conscience is clear.” She walked out on us. Once she was far enough, her human hearing could not hear us. I faced Kain, looked into his eyes, and made sure he got my message. “If you want to show Calder you’re on our side, this is your only chance. Don’t screw this up, or I will have my claws in your chest, ripping your heart out.” “See you on the other side.” When Zarah created the portal for Kain, I followed Sh
SHADOW “Where are they?” My heart pumped harder as Zack came back alone. “Um.” He swallowed hard. The moment he met me in the eye, I felt something went wrong. “What?” I yelled at Zack. My eyes burned. My chest felt about to explode, like something was clenching my heart. “I’m so sorry, Luna.” He dropped to his knees. “I failed.” “What happened, Zack? Where are they?” “After we left Claire’s house, I stayed to scout. I saw Aciano enter the house. I was reporting, sending them video footage, when the link suddenly cut off. I ran through the woods and found the car Lyon was driving totaled in the middle of the road, and they were nowhere to be found but traces of blood. I searched for them, their bodies, but their scents were lost. It was like someone just put a tree in the middle of the road, and they hit it. I’m so sorry, Luna.” “I can’t believe this is happening!” I screamed and threw my hands in the air. “This is Kain. He betrayed us. How did they know that Califf was going t
CALIFF One year later “Are you okay in there?” I knocked on the bathroom door when my hearing couldn’t grasp Shadow. “Just a minute.” “Since when did we lock doors, baby?” A growl of frustration escaped her throat as the toilet flushed. “I said just a minute.” When the door unlocked, she was wearing a deep frown on her face. “I’m sorry, but I promised you a romantic getaway, and Zarah would be pissed if we wouldn’t be late when the portal appears.” A sigh rolled over her lips as she fixed her summer dress. “You’re fussing over your outfit? You can wear a shirt and shorts, baby. Look at me.” I gestured at my jeans and shirt, but I had a feeling she was upset over something. My life couldn’t be any more perfect. Our pack had been peaceful, and I had almost two hundred werewolves in my protection. My allies were everywhere. My relationships with lycan and witches were strong. Kain’s pack of werecats and I became friends. Shadow and I worked tirelessly to keep the peace and
SHADOW After eight months, Califf and I just moved into our new house. We finally got our own home and privacy, but of course, these guys were my family, and our home was always open for them. I watched Kindra and Duke’s twins rolling over the grass from the patio. Sometimes, I felt a pang of jealousy in my chest that one thing was missing in our lives— kids. Now, the pack had been peaceful for more months. I’d been ready to have kids of our own, but every time we planned, it got interrupted. “You will have your own. Just work hard on it.” I rolled my eyes at Raven. “Shut up, will you?” “A little prince and princess playing with their kids would be nice.” “I can’t hear you.” “Oh, our mate just arrived.” She was right. Califf just pulled off the driveway. August opened the door for him. “Take the car. I don’t need it, and I will use the SUV if I want to go out.” “Are you sure?” August asked. He gained some muscles and color on his cheeks. If I noticed it right, he became more
CALIFF Surprised, we stopped in the middle when Everlee yelped as Calder carried her and spun her around. “I think she just said yes.” I smiled as I looked at them. “I thought she said it already. She’s been wearing the ring for a week now.” “No, baby. She wore it but hasn’t said yes.” “Finally. I can’t wait to attend another wedding.” “Guys.” Kain caught our attention. “Hey. You’re leaving?” Shadow asked as she noticed Kain looked ready to sneak out. “Yeah. I have to catch my flight in the morning. Your father found a pack of werecats in Hawaii, but I’ll visit soon.” “What about your other job?” I was referring to his Obsidian duties. “I took a vacation.” “Well, don’t be a stranger. And take care, Kain.” *** We barely made it inside the bedroom. Considering she wore a lot of things like a corset and stockings, it took us minutes to get rid of her clothes before she was bare-naked before me. “Spread your legs apart,” I said, throwing the last sock on the floor. My ja
CALIFF “God, this is ridiculous. Is this really necessary? I’d rather wear an oversized suit than this.” It wouldn’t be Shadow without complaining of her beautiful floor-length white gown and silver-white hair in a halo braid. “Leave us,” I ordered the staff of five women, making her beautiful. She didn’t need them. Shadow was already gorgeous. “Yes. Your father said it is.” “I missed my hair.” She touched her locks, still complaining, turning silver-white when she became Lycan and hybrid again. Getting her wolf back was one of the highlights of the night, but even Zarah couldn’t explain the changes in Shadow’s hair color. “I like this more. You look like a goddess.” “You’re just saying that because you love me.” I groaned. “I love you, baby, but I swear you’re beautiful in this color. It pops out the color of your eyes. I’m pretty sure Raven would agree.” “I look like Elsa, Califf.” That one made me chuckle. “So you’re on team Anna?” “Shut up. You’re not funny.” “I like
SHADOW “Hey. Are you okay?” Califf wrapped the robe around me as I had just come back from the run. Duke and Kindra rushed to us. They were still wearing the shocked look on their faces. “What just happened?” She looked at me from head to toe. Then she touched my hair. “You get your hair colored while going for a run?” What do you mean?” I touched and checked my hair. I had the same reaction as her. “What’s going on with me?” I looked at Califf, then to Duke and Kindra. “I will call Zarah,” Califf said. “Let’s go to the pack house and get you cleaned up. “Guys.” I felt so bad for them. “I’m so sorry I ruined your party.” “Are you kidding me?” Duke was even happy and relieved. “If I’d known that the party is one way to get your wolf back, I should have thrown a party months ago.” “Yeah. The party is almost over anyway, and it was a blast.” Kindra hugged me. “I’m glad you’re fine. Go and get changed. I’ll see you soon.” “Thanks.” Califf and I left for the pack house. He hadn’t
SHADOW “Fuck.” He grunted out a curse as he held my hips steady, thrusting his rigid cock deep inside me. I mewled as I felt helpless above him, watching him devouring in his own desire. The familiar pleasure rippled through my core in fast urges. My inner muscles clamped around him, making him groan loudly. I rode his cock, preparing to come undone around him. My senses soared, overwhelmed by how much he made me feel so good. “Califf, don’t stop!” I threw my head back. My eyes popped open, staring at the ceiling as the intensity of my pleasure became too much. “Fucking good,” he said through gritted teeth as he sped up his plunge. Each thrust sent me to my own euphoria. One moment I was writhing in pleasure as his hands cupped my breasts, pinching my nipples, his hand traveling down my abdomen, his finger massaging my clit as he pumped faster and harder. My body shuddered in sweet surrender. “Look at me as you come.” His command was my undoing as he continued pounding. “Yes!
CALIFF “Hey. Where have you been?” I held her hand as she leaned down to kiss me. Most of our enforcers came to join me for breakfast, which was a fantastic morning. “I was with Zarah and Kain.” She took a seat to my left and rubbed Kindra’s growing baby bump. “How’re the babies?” “Healthy, and they make me eat a lot.” Kindra’s reply made me smile. “I can’t wait for this Saturday. I will help prepare the picnic.” “You don’t have to do that.” Kindra smiled shyly. “You have the whole pack you help you, Kindra, and I don’t take no for an answer.” “Thank you. And I invited Calder and Everlee.” “The more, the merrier.” Shadow squeezed her hand. “Don’t stress it out. Show us what you like, and we will make it possible.” After breakfast, Shadow went up while I checked the progress of the house. When I got back into our room, she was staring at the dirt on the sheet, which I didn’t even notice was there. “I sleepwalked, and I don’t remember how it happened.” “Are you sure?” I came
SHADOW I woke up from a vague dream of walking to the cliff. That was the only thing I remembered. I got up from bed only to see my feet were dirty with mud. I also saw traces of dirt on the sheets. My heart pounded. Did I sleepwalk? It was only four in the morning. I cleaned my feet and texted Zarah. She would hate me to disturb her sleep at this time, but it was a kind of emergency. While changing into jeans and a shirt, I checked Califf, but he was still sleeping. I got out of our room, and the portal was already there. “What the hell is wrong with all of you?” I was met by the mad bull Zarah. “All?” “Yeah.” She walked away from me. “Your father just left for a business meeting.” “You don’t even wanna know what’s the emergency.” I followed her to the kitchen. “I take it you would tell me,” she said as she filled the kettle with water. Then she put it over the fire. “I think I’m sick.” I opened her drawers to check if she had a silver cutlery. I wanted to test the theory I
CALIFF “The boy is telling the truth.” Zack leaned against the opened window of the car. “I just dropped the medical supplies to their apartment. Two small bedrooms, not a good neighborhood.” “Is he here?” Zack tipped his head. “Yes. He’s working eight hours. Later, a dish-pig at the diner.” “Thank you.” “I’m thirsty.” Shadow had already got out of the car. “His mother was surprised, and she said thank you.” He pulled the door open for me. “She raised a good son and would do anything for his mother, even risking his life.” I got out and buttoned my suit. “What’s your plan with the boy?” He kept saying boy when August was an adult. “He’s twenty, Zack.” I entered the convenience store. “Well—” “Fill the tank, will you? And don’t worry, he’s human, and you’re a werewolf.” Zack just stared at me. I knew he had a special place in Shadow’s heart, and he might just scared of the undivided attention we were giving him. I looked around, and I didn’t find August. “He’s over there.